A Behavioral Genetic Analysis of Alexithymia and the Dark Triad Traits of Personality

2013 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. 690-697 ◽  
Author(s):  
Molly Cairncross ◽  
Livia Veselka ◽  
Julie Aitken Schermer ◽  
Philip A. Vernon
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Factors ◽  
Genetic Analysis ◽  
Community Sample ◽  
Dark Triad ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Behavioral Genetic ◽  
Phenotypic Correlations ◽  
American Adult ◽  
The Common ◽  
Genetic And Environmental Factors

The present study is the first to assess phenotypic correlations between alexithymia and the Dark Triad traits of personality in a community sample, as well as the common genetic and environmental factors underlying these correlations. Participants were 232 North American adult twin pairs who completed the Narcissistic Personality Inventory, the Self-Report Psychopathy Scale, the MACH-IV, and the Toronto Alexithymia Scale. Results revealed that alexithymia correlates significantly and positively with psychopathy and Machiavellianism, and negatively with narcissism. Subsequent bivariate behavioral genetic analysis demonstrated that these phenotypic correlations were primarily attributable to common genetic and common non-shared environmental factors. The implication of these findings regarding the maladaptive functions of alexithymia within the antisocial realm of behavior and the need for replication are discussed.

Survival of the Scheming: A Genetically Informed Link Between the Dark Triad and Mental Toughness

2013 ◽  
Vol 16 (6) ◽  
pp. 1087-1095 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Onley ◽  
Livia Veselka ◽  
Julie Aitken Schermer ◽  
Philip A. Vernon
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Factors ◽  
Genetic Factors ◽  
Dark Triad ◽  
Organizational Adaptation ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Mental Toughness ◽  
Behavioral Genetic ◽  
Phenotypic Correlations ◽  
Social Settings ◽  
Adult Twins

The present study is the first behavioral genetic investigation of the Dark Triad traits of personality, consisting of Machiavellianism, narcissism, and psychopathy, and the variable of mental toughness, reflecting individual differences in the ability to cope when under pressure. The purpose of this investigation was to explore a potential explanation for the success of individuals exhibiting the Dark Triad traits in workplace and social settings. Participants were adult twins who completed the MACH-IV, the Narcissistic Personality Inventory, and the Self-Report Psychopathy Scale assessing Machiavellianism, narcissism, and psychopathy, respectively, as well as the MT48, measuring mental toughness. Correlational analyses of the data revealed significant positive phenotypic associations between mental toughness and narcissism. Psychopathy and Machiavellianism, however, both showed some significant negative phenotypic correlations with mental toughness. Bivariate behavioral genetic analyses of the data were conducted to assess the extent to which these significant phenotypic correlations were attributable to common genetic and/or common environmental factors. Results indicate that correlations between narcissism and mental toughness were attributable primarily to common non-shared environmental factors, correlations between Machiavellianism and mental toughness were influenced by both common genetic and common non-shared environmental factors, and the correlations between psychopathy and mental toughness were attributable entirely to correlated genetic factors. Implications of these findings in the context of etiology and organizational adaptation are discussed.

Etiology of Obsessive Beliefs: A Behavioral-Genetic Analysis

2010 ◽  
Vol 24 (3) ◽  
pp. 177-186 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steven Taylor ◽  
Tracie O. Afifi ◽  
Murray B. Stein ◽  
Gordon J. G. Asmundson ◽  
Kerry L. Jang
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Factors ◽  
Genetic Analysis ◽  
Emotional Disorders ◽  
Community Sample ◽  
Cognitive Models ◽  
Dysfunctional Beliefs ◽  
Obsessive Compulsive ◽  
Cognitive Approach ◽  
Behavioral Genetic ◽  
Compulsive Disorder

Contemporary cognitive models of obsessive-compulsive disorder, derived from Beck’s cognitive approach to emotional disorders, emphasize the importance of particular dysfunctional beliefs in giving rise to obsessive-compulsive (OC) symptoms. These beliefs represent three factor-analytically distinct domains: (a) The overimportance of one’s thoughts and the need to control these thoughts; (b) perfectionism and the intolerance of uncertainty; and (c) inflated personal responsibility and the overestimation of threat. The models suggest that these beliefs arise from environmental factors, such as exposure to particular forms of learning. To test this assumption, we conducted a behavioral-genetic analysis of scores on these dysfunctional beliefs from a community sample of 167 monozygotic and 140 dizygotic twin pairs. Results indicated that the beliefs are significantly heritable, with genetic factors accounting for 32% to 40% of the variance in scores. Over two-thirds of the variance in scores for the three types of beliefs was attributable to a set of genetic and environmental factors that influenced all of these beliefs. Results suggest that contemporary cognitive models require revision, because they erroneously attribute the development of OC-related dysfunctional beliefs entirely to environmental factors.

Laughter and Resiliency: A Behavioral Genetic Study of Humor Styles and Mental Toughness

2010 ◽  
Vol 13 (5) ◽  
pp. 442-449 ◽  
Author(s):  
Livia Veselka ◽  
Julie Aitken Schermer ◽  
Rod A. Martin ◽  
Philip A. Vernon
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Environmental Factors ◽  
Mental Toughness ◽  
Emotional Control ◽  
Humor Styles ◽  
Behavioral Genetic ◽  
Phenotypic Correlations ◽  
The Common ◽  
Positive Correlations ◽  
Behavioral Genetic Study

This study investigated phenotypic correlations between mental toughness and humor styles, as well as the common genetic and environmental effects underlying these correlations. Participants were 201 adult twin pairs from North America. They completed the Humor Styles Questionnaire, assessing individual differences in two positive (affiliative, self-enhancing) and two negative (aggressive, self-defeating) humor styles. They also completed the MT48, measuring individual differences in global mental toughness and its eight factors (Commitment, Control, Emotional Control, Control over Life, Confidence, Confidence in Abilities, Interpersonal Confidence, Challenge). Positive correlations were found between the positive humor styles and all of the mental toughness factors, with all but one reaching significance. Conversely, negative correlations were found between all mental toughness factors and the negative humor styles, with the mental toughness factors of Control, Emotional Control, Confidence, Confidence in Abilities, and Interpersonal Confidence exhibiting significant correlations. Subsequent behavioral genetic analyses revealed that these phenotypic correlations were primarily attributable to common genetic and common non-shared environmental factors. The implications of these findings regarding the potential effects of humor styles on wellbeing, and the possible selective use of humor by mentally tough individuals are discussed.

Genes, environments and depressions in young people

2015 ◽  
Vol 100 (11) ◽  
pp. 1064-1069 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ian M Goodyer
Keyword(s):  
Young People ◽  
Environmental Factors ◽  
Mental Illnesses ◽  
Childhood And Adolescence ◽  
The Common ◽  
Genetic And Environmental Factors

Among the common mental illnesses in childhood and adolescence, the unipolar depressions are the most concerning. These mental illnesses are aetiologically and clinically heterogeneous and little is known about their pathophysiology. This selected review considers the contribution of genetic and environmental factors in the emergence of these illnesses in the second decade of life.

scholarly journals How Nonshared Environmental Factors Come to Correlate with Heredity

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher Beam ◽  
Patrizia Pezzoli ◽  
Jane Mendle ◽  
S. Alexandra Burt ◽  
Michael C. Neale ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Factors ◽  
Genetic Models ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Longitudinal Models ◽  
Behavioral Genetic ◽  
Relative Contribution ◽  
Environment Effects ◽  
Gene Environment ◽  
Genetic And Environmental Factors ◽  
Over Time

Conventional longitudinal behavioral genetic models estimate the relative contribution of genetic and environmental factors to stability and change of traits and behaviors. Longitudinal models rarely explain the processes that generate observed differences between genetically and socially related individuals. We propose that exchanges between people and their environments (i.e., phenotype-environment effects) can explain the emergence of observed differences over time. Such models, however, require violation of the independence assumption of standard behavioral genetic models, that is, uncorrelated genetic and environmental factors (Beam & Turkheimer, 2013; de Kort, Dolan, & Boomsma, 2012; Dolan, De Kort, Van Beijsterveldt, Bartels, & Boomsma, 2014). We review how specification of phenotype-environment effects contributes to understanding observed changes in genetic variability over time and longitudinal correlations among nonshared environmental factors. We then provide an example using 30 days of positive and negative affect scores from an all-female sample of twins. Results demonstrate that the phenotype-environment effects explain how heritability estimates fluctuate as well as how nonshared environmental factors persist over time. We discuss possible mechanisms underlying change in gene-environment correlation over time, the advantages and challenges of including gene-environment correlation in longitudinal twin models, and recommendations for future research.

Genetic and environmental factors in the aetiology of menstrual, premenstrual and neurotic symptoms: a population-based twin study

1992 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 85-100 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. S. Kendler ◽  
J. L. Silberg ◽  
M. C. Neale ◽  
R. C. Kessler ◽  
A. C. Heath ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Factors ◽  
Genetic Factors ◽  
Population Based ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Premenstrual Symptoms ◽  
Menstrual Symptoms ◽  
Multivariate Genetic Analysis ◽  
Genetic And Environmental Factors ◽  
Population Based Registry ◽  
Anxiety Depression

SYNOPSISSymptoms during the premenstrual and menstrual phases of the female reproductive cycle were assessed in 827 pairs of female same-sex twins from a population-based registry. By conventional factor analysis, premenstrual and menstrual symptoms were relatively independent of one another and of baseline ‘neurotic’ symptoms (i.e. anxiety, depression and somatization). Familial resemblance for menstrual and premenstrual symptoms was due solely to genetic factors with heritability estimates of 39·2% and 35·1%, respectively. Multivariate genetic analysis revealed distinct genetic and environmental factors for menstrual, premenstrual and neurotic symptoms. The genes and individual-specific experiences that predispose to premenstrual symptoms appear to be largely distinct from those which predispose either to menstrual or to neurotic symptoms. The generalizability of these results may be limited because only a modest number of premenstrual and menstrual symptoms were assessed, all by retrospective self-report.

A Behavioral-Genetic Study of Alexithymia and its Relationships with Trait Emotional Intelligence

2011 ◽  
Vol 14 (6) ◽  
pp. 539-543 ◽  
Author(s):  
Holly M. Baughman ◽  
Sara Schwartz ◽  
Julie Aitken Schermer ◽  
Livia Veselka ◽  
K. V. Petrides ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Emotional Intelligence ◽  
Individual Differences ◽  
Environmental Factors ◽  
Genetic Factors ◽  
Twin Studies ◽  
Trait Emotional Intelligence ◽  
Behavioral Genetic ◽  
Genetic And Environmental Factors ◽  
Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire ◽  
Behavioral Genetic Study

The present study is the first to examine relationships between alexithymia and trait emotional intelligence (trait EI or trait emotional self-efficacy) at the phenotypic, genetic, and environmental levels. The study was also conducted to resolve inconsistencies in previous twin studies that have provided estimates of the extent to which genetic and environmental factors contribute to individual differences in alexithymia. Participants were 216 monozygotic and 45 dizygotic same-sex twin pairs who completed the Toronto Alexithymia Scale-20. In a pilot study, a sub-sample of 118 MZ and 27 DZ pairs also completed the Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire. Results demonstrated that a combination of genetic and non-shared environmental influences contribute to individual differences in alexithymia. As expected, alexithymia and trait EI were negatively correlated at the phenotypic level. Bivariate behavioral genetic analyses showed that that all but one of these correlations was primarily attributable to correlated genetic factors and secondarily to correlated non-shared environmental factors.

scholarly journals A Behavioral Genetic Analysis of the Cooccurrence Between Psychopathic Personality Traits and Criminal Behavior

2018 ◽  
Vol 35 (1) ◽  
pp. 52-68 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard H. Lewis ◽  
Eric J. Connolly ◽  
Danielle L. Boisvert ◽  
Brian B. Boutwell
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Factors ◽  
Personality Traits ◽  
Criminal Behavior ◽  
Psychopathic Personality ◽  
Adult Health ◽  
Linear Regression Models ◽  
Behavioral Genetic ◽  
National Longitudinal Study ◽  
Genetic And Environmental Factors ◽  
Mz Twins

A developed line of research has found that psychopathic personality traits and criminal behavior are correlated with one another. Although there is little question about the association between psychopathic personality traits and criminal behavior, what remains less clear is whether psychopathic traits exert a direct effect on criminal behavior. An alternative possibility is that previously unmeasured genetic and shared environmental factors account for much of the association between the two. Understanding the extent to which genetic and environmental factors influence the covariance between psychopathic personality traits and criminal behavior can further our understanding of individual differences in propensity to engage in antisocial behavior. The current study analyzes 872 twins (MZ twins = 352, DZ twins = 520) from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health) to examine the magnitude of genetic and environmental effects on the covariation between psychopathic personality and criminal behavior. Results from bivariate behavioral genetic analyses revealed that the correlation between psychopathic personality traits and criminal behavior was accounted for by common additive genetic (58%) and nonshared environmental (42%) influences. Fixed-effect linear regression models, however, suggested that psychopathic personality traits were not significantly associated with criminal behavior once common genetic and environmental influences were taken into account.

Genetic and environmental influences on sociopolitical attitudes

2018 ◽  
Vol 37 (2) ◽  
pp. 236-249 ◽  
Author(s):  
Edward Bell ◽  
Christian Kandler ◽  
Rainer Riemann
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Factors ◽  
Environmental Influences ◽  
The Self ◽  
Self Report ◽  
New Paradigm ◽  
German Sample ◽  
Self Reports ◽  
Sociopolitical Attitudes ◽  
Genetic And Environmental Factors ◽  
Peer Reports

A new paradigm has emerged in which both genetic and environmental factors are cited as possible influences on sociopolitical attitudes. Despite the increasing acceptance of this paradigm, several aspects of the approach remain underdeveloped. Specifically, limitations arise from a reliance on a twins-only design, and all previous studies have used self-reports only. There are also questions about the extent to which existing findings generalize cross-culturally. To address those issues, this study examined individual differences in liberalism/conservatism in a German sample that included twins, their parents, and their spouses and incorporated both self- and peer reports. The self-report findings from this extended twin family design were largely consistent with previous research that used that rater perspective, but they provided higher estimates of heritability, shared parental environmental influences, assortative mating, and genotype-environment correlation than the results from peer reports. The implications of these findings for the measurement and understanding of sociopolitical attitudes are explored.

A Behavioral Genetic Study of the Dark Triad of Personality and Moral Development

2009 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 132-136 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer Campbell ◽  
Julie Aitken Schermer ◽  
Vanessa C. Villani ◽  
Brenda Nguyen ◽  
Leanne Vickers ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Environmental Factors ◽  
Moral Development ◽  
Genetic Basis ◽  
Monozygotic Twin ◽  
Dark Triad ◽  
Genetic Investigation ◽  
Behavioral Genetic ◽  
Low Levels ◽  
Behavioral Genetic Study

AbstractThe present study is the first behavioral genetic investigation of relationships between the Dark Triad of personality — Machiavellianism, narcissism, and subclinical psychopathy — and moral development. Participants were 154 monozygotic twin pairs and 82 same-sex dizygotic twin pairs. Higher scores on Machiavellianism and psychopathy were positively correlated with low levels of moral development; high psychopathy scores also correlated negatively with high levels of moral development. Individual differences in lower levels of moral development were attributable to genetic and nonshared environmental factors but, very interestingly, individual differences in the highest levels of moral development showed no genetic basis but were entirely attributable to shared and nonshared environmental factors. Finally, correlations between the Dark Triad and moral development variables showed no genetic basis while correlations among the moral development variables were variously attributable to correlated genetic and correlated environmental factors.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document