Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: This study found that social distance and self-relevance affected self-other perceptions concerning the effects of anti-methamphetamine messages. Participants who made 3PE judgments gave the lowest ratings of message self-relevance, methamphetamine-use intent, similarity of people in the PSAs to self and peers, and message credibility. Those who made 2PE judgments reported the highest levels of self-relevance, methamphetamine-use intent, and message credibility. Message “quality” increased perceived effects on self, but didn’t’ determine the type of self-other judgment.

Publication Type: Paper (prepared oral presentation)
Abstract: Social movements from women’s rights to gay and lesbian liberation have highlighted the political nature of seemingly apolitical or “personal” issues and identities; claiming that “the personal is political.” But why do some individuals see relatively distant socio-political events, which may have little personal relevance in their daily lives, as profoundly personal; and what personality factors are related to this personalization of relatively distant social events? Survey studies have found that individuals who attach personal meaning to social and political events, or have high levels of Personal Political Salience (hereafter “PPS”), are more likely to have politicized gender and racial identities and to engage in political activism (Duncan & Stewart, 2007). PPS is consequential; but we know little about its origins. This paper assesses one kind of origin: personality traits. We examine the relationship between Openness to Experience and PPS, while replicating findings that PPS is related to activist engagement.
Currently, a significant body of research has explored the relationship between Openness to Experience and political ideologies, finding that people who are more Open endorse more “left-wing” political ideologies (e.g. Jost et al., 2003; van Hiel, Kossowska, & Mervielde, 2000; Riemann et al., 1993). Other research has found that Openness is positively related to generativity (Peterson, Smirles, & Wentworth, 1997) which is, in turn, associated with attaching personal meaning and importance to socio-political events.
Structural equation modeling confirmed that Openness to Experience is related to Personal Political Salience (in both cross sectional and longitudinal analyses), and replicated previous findings that, even when controlling for prior activism, PPS is related to Activism. This relationship held across three different samples. The current research suggests that Openness to Experience is an important personality trait in understanding why some individuals find distant political events to be personally meaningful, and subsequently engage in social activism.

Publication Type: Paper (prepared oral presentation)
Abstract: The research domain of political psychology particularly emphasized the important and prominent role played by personality within the political arena. Both candidate and voter personalities are significantly influencing voter decision-making processes. A vast body of literature - emanating from several scientific disciplines - is suggesting that political personality strongly influences political developments and even election outcomes (Bass, 1985; Lord, DeVader, Allinger, 1986; Pierce, 1993; Caprara, Barbaranelli, & Zimbardo, 1999 and 2002).

The Belgian federal elections of 2007 emanated into an unprecedented political deadlock. Undoubtedly the ideological, economical, social, and linguistic differences between the Flemish and the Walloon communities made the government formation more difficult. This research is - nonetheless - hypothesizing that the personalities of the key politicians within the negotiations had an even more profound impact on the failure of the government formation. Within the scope of this paper the Belgian political crisis of 2007 will be investigated through confronting political personality profiles.

These political personality profiles will be based on reasoning and theory from Immelman. It was Immelman (1998, 1999, 2002, and 2004) who conceived a theory based on Millon’s personality theory (1986, 1990, 1994, 1996, and 2000), which is enabling researchers to determine the personality of political candidates and leaders.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: While both McCain and Obama have complained about mass media bias in presidential campaign coverage, a more insidious way to prejudice the “message” developed through person-to-person emails that circulated via the Internet. While some distortions were displayed openly on YouTube and GodTube, others were in plain sight only when an individual opened an email and read a carefully-crafted, racist message meant to destroy Obama. Some of these emailed distortions had their roots in either journalism sources or entertainment sources. For example, one email labeled “Best One!” asks: Q: Do you know what you get if you cross Urkel with that guy from mad magazine? It continues (in pictures) Urkel + Alfred E. Neuman = Barack Obama. Ironically, this email’s roots can be traced to the 2008 BET Awards that aired on June 24 when host D.L. Hughley, describing Obama, said, “He does look like the dude from ‘Mad’ magazine. It’s so funny because he ain’t a cool dude to me. He’s like a tall Urkel dude (the bespectacled nerd from the ’90s sitcom ‘Family Matters’). But for the first black president, I’ll take him. … Like, how bad a president is George Bush, when the country goes, ‘You know, we’ll try the black guy’?” An Associated Press story described Hughley’s remarks as a “roast” of Obama. The email, however, did not credit Hughley or refer to the AP story. It rather was presented as a bad joke. Other emails propagated myths about Obama’s upbringing and religion.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: The purpose of this position paper is to present a model of sexual identity development in association with theories of narrative identity. In particular, I suggest that narrative approaches could help elucidate complexities in the roles that parents and peers play in adolescent and young adult sexual identity development.