1. Social & Cultural Domain
Chapters 15, 16, & 17

2. Personality and Social Interaction
Chapter 15
Personality and Social Interaction

3. Three Mechanisms of Social Interaction
Selection
Evocation
Manipulation

4. Selection
Personality characteristics of others influence whether we select them as dates, friends, or marriage partners
Our own personality characteristics play a role in the kinds of situations we select to enter and stay in
Personality Characteristic Desired in a Marriage Partner
Assortative Mating for Personality: The Search for the Similar
Do People Get the Mates They Want? And Are They Happy?
Personality and the Selective Breakup of Couples

5. Personality Characteristics Desired in a Marriage Partner
Over 10,000 participants, from 37 samples in 33 countries, six continents, five islands
____________________is the most favored characteristic
Almost as important are personality characteristics of ___________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________
Note similarity to the five-factor model
Dependability = Conscientiousness
Emotional Stability = Emotional Stability
Pleasing Disposition = Agreeableness

7. Assortative Mating for Personality: The Search for the Similar
Complementary needs theory – people are attracted to those who have different personality dispositions than they have
i.e., opposites attract
Attraction similarity theory – ______________________
_____________________________________________________
i.e., birds of a feather flock together
*____________________________________________________ ________________________________ and no support for the complementary needs theory

8. Assortative Mating for Personality: The Search for the Similar
People are married to people who are similar to themselves
Not just personality traits, but also ________________________
Couples who have been together the longest appeared the most similar in personality
Results from the initial selection process and dissimilar couples breaking up more often
Are these positive correlations caused by active selection of mates who are similar, or ________________________________
_____________________________________ (e.g., sheer proximity)?
A side effect of mating with those who are close by rather than active selection of partners who are similar

9. Assortative Mating for Personality: The Search for the Similar
Botwin et al. (1997) studied dating and married couples
Correlated preferences for personality characteristics desired in a potential mate and our own personality characteristics
Correlations are consistently positive: Positive correlations between spouses are due, at least in part, to _____________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________
Interestingly, people consider the “ideal” romantic partner personality to be someone who scores higher on the five- factor model than they do

10. Do People Get the Mates They Want?
Botwin et al. (1997) (continued)
Correlations between preferences for ideal personality characteristics in a mate and the actual personality characteristics of an obtained mate
Consistently positive correlations: ________________________
___________________________________________________________
Especially for Extraversion and Intellect-Openness
Partner’s personality had a large effect on marital satisfaction
___________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________
*Interestingly, these three traits were important for happiness regardless of whether the partner departed from what one wants (i.e., even if not part of ideal)

11. Personality and the Selective Breakup of Couples
According to violation of desire theory (Buss, 1994), _______
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________has been the most consistent personality predictor of marital instability and divorce
________________________is also a strong predictor of marital dissolution
Low agreeableness is also a predictor (but not as strong)

12. Personality and the Selective Breakup of Couples
Low Agreeableness and Low Conscientiousness (high impulsivity) _______________________________________
_____________________________________________________
And infidelity is a significant risk factor for ending a romantic relationship
Those who fail to get what they want—including a mate who is similar—tend to selectively break-up more often than those who get what they want

13. Evocation Personality characteristics of others evoke responses in us
Our own personality characteristics evoke responses in others
Aggression and the Evocation of Hostility
Evocation of Anger and Upset in Partners
Evocation of Likability, Pleasure, and Pain
Evocation Through Expectancy Confirmation

14. Aggression and the Evocation of Hostility
Aggressive people evoke hostility from others
Hostile attributional bias – ___________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Because they expect others to be hostile, aggressive people treat others aggressively – people treated aggressively tend to aggress back (i.e., hostility is evoked)
This confirms what the aggressive person expected
____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________

15. Evocation of Anger and Upset in Partners
There are at least two ways in which personality can play a role in evoking conflict in close relationships
_____________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________
e.g., a husband low in conscientiousness might neglect personal grooming and throw his clothes on the floor, which might upset his wife
e.g., a condescending wife might undermine the self-esteem of her husband and then become angry because he lacks self-confidence

16. Evocation of Anger and Upset in Partners
Study by Buss (1991):
Assessed personality characteristics of husbands and wives (self-report, spouse-report, independent reports of two interviewers)
Strongest predictors of evoked anger and upset are
__________________________________ – being condescending (e.g., treating partners as if they are inferior), neglecting and rejecting (e.g., failing to spend enough time with them and ignoring their feelings), abusing (e.g., slapping, hitting, or spitting), committing infidelity, abusing alcohol, insulting appearance, and exhibiting self-centeredness

17. Evocation of Anger and Upset in Partners
Study by Buss (1991) (continued):
Strongest predictors of evoked anger and upset are:
___________________________ – being moody (e.g., irritable), jealous (e.g., anger), possessive, demanding too much attention
*Highly agreeable individuals tend to use “____________________” in dealing with conflict when it arises, whereas low agreeable individuals are less willing to compromise and are more likely to use verbal insults and physical force to deal with conflict

18. Evocation of Likability, Pleasure, and Pain
___________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________
Personality traits that evoke likability in others – ______
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
These qualities evoke pleasure in others = leads to being liked
Low agreeableness and low honesty-humility evoke pain in others = cause others to be offended, annoyed, irritated, frightened, and intimidated

19. Evocation Through Expectancy Confirmation
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
This is a self-fulfilling prophecy
Snyder and Swann (1978):
Individuals told in advance that they would be dealing with a hostile and aggressive individual (which was not true) led them to behave in an aggressive manner toward an unsuspecting target
The target then behaved in a more aggressive manner, confirming initial beliefs

20. Evocation Through Expectancy Confirmation
It is sometimes said that, in order to change your personality, you must move to a place where people don’t already know you
Through the process of expectancy confirmation, people who already know you may unwittingly evoke in you behavior that confirms their beliefs, thereby constraining your ability to change

21. Manipulation
Personality is linked to ways in which we try to influence or manipulate others
Manipulation or social influence includes ways in which people intentionally alter, change, or exploit others
Manipulation can be examined from two perspectives within personality psychology
Are some individuals consistently more manipulative than others?
Given that all people attempt to influence others, do stable personality characteristics predict the sorts of tactics that are used?

22. Manipulation A Taxonomy of Eleven Tactics of Manipulation
Sex Differences in Tactics of Manipulation
Personality Predictors of Tactics of Manipulation
The Machiavellian Personality
Narcissism and Social Interaction

23. A Taxonomy of 11 Tactics of Manipulation
Developed through a two-step procedure
Nominations of acts of influence
Factor analysis of self-reports and observer-reports of nominated acts
11 tactics were identified

24. A Taxonomy of 11 Tactics of Manipulation
Developed through a two-step procedure
Nominations of acts of influence
Factor analysis of self-reports and observer-reports of nominated acts
11 tactics were identified

25. Sex Differences in Tactics of Manipulation
With the exception of regression in women (i.e., crying, whining, pouting, sulking to get their way), ___________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

26. Personality Predictors of Tactics of Manipulation
High dominance (extraversion):
__________________ (i.e., demanding, threatening, cursing, criticizing)
___________________________________ (i.e., getting others to make commitments to a course of action and saying that it was their duty to do it)
Low dominance (relatively submissive individuals):
__________________________ (i.e., lower themselves, try to look sickly to get others to do what they wanted)
__________________ (i.e., deception, lying, degradation, violence)

27. Personality Predictors of Tactics of Manipulation
High agreeable:
____________________________ (i.e., tell others how enjoyable the activity will be)
_______________ (i.e., explain the rationale for wanting others to engage in particular behaviors, and point out all the good things that will come from doing them)
Low agreeable:
_____________ (i.e., threaten, criticize, yell, scream)
______________________ (i.e., refuse to speak to the other until he or she complies)
________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________

28. Personality Predictors of Tactics of Manipulation
High conscientiousness:
__________________
Emotionally unstable:
______________________________________________________ __________________________

29. Personality Predictors of Tactics of Manipulation
High intellect-openness:
_________________________
Low intellect-openness:
_________________________ (i.e., saying that everyone else is doing it, comparing the partner with someone else who would do it, and telling others that they will look stupid if they do not do it)

30. The Machiavellian Personality: A Closer Look
Machiavellianism – _________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Based on the classic treatise, _____________________(1513), by Niccolo Machiavelli, an Italian diplomat
A book of advice on acquiring and maintaining power
Low Machs – _______________________________________________
Represents a strategy of cooperation, sometimes called tit-for-tat; based on reciprocity – you help me, and I’ll help you in return, and we will both be better off as a result
This strategy works best in social situations where there are lots of rules and structure

31. The Machiavellian Personality: A Closer Look
High Machs – ______________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Represents an exploitive social strategy – one that betrays friendship and uses people opportunistically
This strategy works best in social situations when there is room for innovation, rather than those that are highly constrained by rules
These individuals run the risk of retaliation and revenge by those who were exploited and are more likely to incur damage to reputation

32. The Machiavellian Personality: A Closer Look
In sum, high Machs tend to ___________ situations that are loosely structured (untethered by rules that would restrict the deployment of an exploitive strategy), ___________ specific reactions from others (anger and retaliation for having been exploited), and tend to ___________ other people in predictable ways (using tactics that are exploitive, self-serving, and deceptive)

33. Narcissism and Social Interaction
Those high on narcissism are _____________________________
__________________________________________________________
Also grandiose, entitled, and lack empathy for other people’s feelings, needs, and desires
Selection
Associate with people who admire them, who will reflect positive view they hold of themselves
Evocation
Exhibitionism splits people – some view them as brilliant and entertaining, others as selfish and boorish
Manipulation
Highly exploitative of others (described as “users”)

34. Summary and Evaluation
Personality does not exist solely in the heads of individuals
Personality affects the ways in which we interact with others in our social world
We select people and environments, choosing social situations to which we will expose ourselves—personality plays a key role in the selection process
We evoke emotions and actions in others, based in part on our personality characteristics
Personality plays a key role in which we use tactics to influence or manipulate others