SITUATIONAL EXPERIENCE, CONTACT, AND CONSTRUAL: ASSOCIATIONS WITH PATHOLOGICAL PERSONALITY TRAITS AND EMOTIONS

Abstract

This study explores the associations between (a) situations and maladaptive personality and (b) situations and discrete emotions. Situational experience is measured using a novel taxonomy with eight dimensions of situation characteristics proposed by Rauthmann and colleagues (2014); the Situational Eight DIAMONDS – Duty, Intellect, Adversity, Mating, pOsitivity, Negativity, Deception and Sociality. In situation experience, subjective situation perception and objective situation encounter of situation dimensions are confounded. Multi-sourced ratings are used to disentangle them. University students were tasked to complete the Personality Inventory for DSM-5 and a situation assessment every two days, for 12 days; in which they provided a description of a situation experienced as well as ratings of these situation. Based on the description provided, external raters provided objective situation contact ratings. Results showed that situation construal and contact significantly associate with (a) maladaptive personality traits and (b) emotions. Maladaptive personality traits are found to predict perception of certain situation dimensions. Additionally, situation dimensions predicted discrete emotions experienced in these situations. Therefore, findings suggest that individuals with maladaptive personality differentially perceive situations as a function of their personality and situations dimensions meaningfully elicit emotions. There are potential implications in clinical areas regarding personality disorder.