Citation

Boudewyn AC, Liem JH. Psychol. Rep. 1995; 77(3): 1283-1297.

Affiliation

Department of Psychology, University of Massachusetts--Boston 02125-3393, USA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1995, SAGE Publishing)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

8643793

Abstract

In this study, we selected individuals high and low on a measure of chronic self-destructiveness--the tendency to perform behaviors that later reduce positive consequences and increase the probability of experiencing negative ones--and attempted to differentiate high and low scorers based on a set of hypothesized antecedent and concurrent psychological, interpersonal, and behavioral correlates. Men and women were equally represented in high- and low-scoring groups. High scorers reported experiencing more interpersonal exploitation, greater depression, lower self-esteem, more externalizing attitudes, and less control in relationships than low scorers. High-scoring individuals also engaged in more frequent acts of acute self-destructiveness, including attempted suicide. A significant age covariate effect emerged: high-scoring men and women were younger than low-scoring individuals. These findings underscore the importance of studying chronic self-destructiveness within a developmental framework and suggest that issues of safety and self-care may be particularly germane to educational and clinical interventions aimed at young adults.

Language: en