This research is designed to place personality in functional context by examining its role in the evocation of anger subjective distress, and conflict. Preliminary studies have identified 15 major sources of anger and upset, including Possessiveness, Dependency, Neglect, Abuse, Unfaithfulness, Moodiness, and Self- Centeredness. Personality characteristics such as aggressiveness and emotional instability were found to evoke anger and upset in others through jealousy, moodiness, abuse, neglect, and self- centeredness. Six studies were designed, using act frequency methods, to explore these processes in depth. The first three focus on evocation. These studies explore evoked interactional strategies, evoked reputational consequences, and evoked conflict, upset, and subjective distress. Studies 4 through 6 explore the- mechanism of manipulation. Study 4 identifies the goals (e.g., status, power) toward which manipulative tactics are directed, and the consequences of the use of these tactics for negative emotional states. Study 5 explores manipulation tactics over time and across relationship contexts to identify the generality of these negative effects. Study 6 proposes to examine the evocation of manipulation and its consequences for negative emotional states and sources of conflict. All studies are designed to develop a new interactional model of personality, and to identify the consequences of features of this model for negative emotional states, conflict, and subjective distress in the lives of persons.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
3R01MH044206-03S1
Application #
2246024
Study Section
Cognition, Emotion, and Personality Research Review Committee (CEP)
Project Start
1989-04-01
Project End
1993-03-31
Budget Start
1992-07-01
Budget End
1993-03-31
Support Year
3
Fiscal Year
1992
Total Cost
Indirect Cost
Name
University of Michigan Ann Arbor
Department
Miscellaneous
Type
Organized Research Units
DUNS #
791277940
City
Ann Arbor
State
MI
Country
United States
Zip Code
48109
Schmitt, D P; Buss, D M (2001) Human mate poaching: tactics and tempations for infiltrating existing mateships. J Pers Soc Psychol 80:894-917
Botwin, M D; Buss, D M; Shackelford, T K (1997) Personality and mate preferences: five factors in mate selection and marital satisfaction. J Pers 65:107-36
Schmitt, D P; Buss, D M (1996) Strategic self-promotion and competitor derogation: sex and context effects on the perceived effectiveness of mate attraction tactics. J Pers Soc Psychol 70:1185-204
Buss, D M; Schmitt, D P (1993) Sexual strategies theory: an evolutionary perspective on human mating. Psychol Rev 100:204-32
Buss, D M (1992) Manipulation in close relationships: five personality factors in interactional context. J Pers 60:477-99
Buss, D M (1991) Evolutionary personality psychology. Annu Rev Psychol 42:459-91
Buss, D M; Chiodo, L M (1991) Narcissistic acts in everyday life. J Pers 59:179-215
Buss, D M (1991) Conflict in married couples: personality predictors of anger and upset. J Pers 59:663-88
Buss, D M (1990) Toward a biologically informed psychology of personality. J Pers 58:1-16
Botwin, M D; Buss, D M (1989) Structure of act-report data: is the five-factor model of personality recaptured? J Pers Soc Psychol 56:988-1001