Nightmare proneness and neuroticism are strongly related constructs which differentially predict variance in nightmares, yet their empirical distinctiveness remains unclear. The current study examined relationships among nightmare proneness, neuroticism, and nightmares in 774 university students. Principal axis exploratory factor analysis indicated that nightmare proneness and neuroticism items formed distinguishable but correlated factors. Neuroticism items loaded strongly on one factor, whereas nightmare proneness items loaded on a separate factor. The heterotrait-monotrait ratio supported adequate construct differentiation despite a substantial zero-order correlation. Nightmare proneness and neuroticism were both associated with nightmares, although consistent with previous research, nightmare proneness demonstrated stronger relationships and predicted incremental variance in nightmares beyond neuroticism. Overall, the results suggest that nightmare proneness is intertwined with neuroticism yet includes separable elements potentially relevant to nightmare production mechanisms.
Coping methods are used to manage symptoms of anything from a bad day to diagnosed disorders and are associated with a change in those symptoms. The current study investigates the relationship between stress and coping strategies on levels of detachment-type and compartmentalization-type dissociation in a general undergraduate population. Using a multivariate regression analysis, predictive coping strategies were found for individuals experiencing detachment-type or compartmentalization-type dissociation. Individuals experiencing compartmentalization-type dissociation were found to utilize behavioral disengagement, denial, and substance use as coping strategies. Those experiencing detachment type dissociation engaged in coping strategies of behavioral disengagement, self-blame, and substance use. Understanding the effect of coping strategies on detachment-type and compartmentalization-type dissociation highlights the gap in education and resources for using more positive coping strategies.
This study examines the factors associated with time theft in Kyrgyzstan, an understudied region in this context. The proposed model investigates Dark Tetrad traits (narcissism, Machiavellianism, psychopathy, and sadism), situational variables (loneliness, workplace boredom, social media addiction, and pay satisfaction), and demographic factors as potential influences on time theft. Data were collected online from 236 white-collar employees in Kyrgyzstan. The findings indicated that narcissism significantly affected all three dimensions of time theft (classical, technological, and social). Among the situational variables, workplace boredom was identified as the strongest predictor for all three dimensions of time theft. Significant effects were also observed for social media addiction and pay satisfaction. Males showed higher involvement across all three dimensions of time theft. The study suggests directions for future research and practical applications. Employers are advised to monitor Dark Tetrad traits more closely. There is a need to provide engaging, challenging tasks to reduce time theft.
Against the backdrop of multiple reasons for avoiding meat (animal welfare, environmental degradation, and health concerns), people vary in their attitudes toward meat and meat avoidance, as well as in the underlying psychological characteristics. The present study investigated the extent to which ecospirituality (spiritual beliefs regarding nature and human–nature connectedness) predicts meat-avoidance motives, using previously validated measures. A sample of 244 UK-based individuals completed a measure of ecospirituality and a measure of meat-avoidance motives pertaining to animal rights, the environment, and health. They also completed measures of meat-eating justification (endorsing the view that meat is natural, necessary, normal, and nice) and mental-capacity dichotomization (ascribing lower mental capacities to “food” animals than to “nonfood” animals). Ecospirituality predicted all three meat-avoidance motives while controlling for meat-eating justification and mental-capacity dichotomization. These results add to the literature on the correlates of attitudes toward meat and meat avoidance and have implications for interventions.
A coherent sense of self is central to psychological functioning, yet the experiential mechanisms linking self-structure to psychological distress are not well understood. This study examined subjective emptiness as a mediator of the association between sense of self and psychological distress in 82 young adults. Participants completed self-report measures of sense of self, subjective emptiness, and psychological distress. Mediation analyses with bootstrapped confidence intervals indicated that a weaker sense of self was associated with greater psychological distress and that this association was partially mediated by subjective emptiness. Symptom-specific analyses showed mediation for depressive and anxiety symptoms, but not somatic symptoms, suggesting affective specificity. Findings support subjective emptiness as a pathway linking self-structural vulnerability to psychological distress in emerging adults.
Identifying and understanding financial procrastination, chronic avoidance or delay in wealth management, might assist individuals and financial professionals develop strategies to promote better financial decision-making. We developed a self-report scale to measure financial procrastination with 753 adults (442 men, 311 women; M age = 44 years old) through convenient sampling from northern India. We randomly distributed participants into two sub-samples for exploratory factor analysis (EFA; n = 372) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA; n = 381), to test reliability and convergent validity. EFA and CFA results revealed a two-factor structure of a short 9-item reliable financial procrastination scale, namely: 4 items on financial avoidance (avoidance behavior related to financial matters; alpha = 0.86), and 5 items on financial indecisiveness (irrational delays in making financial decisions; alpha = 0.84). Results demonstrated good reliability and validity. This new scale may contribute significantly to individual difference literature measuring financial procrastination.
Previous research proposed a shortened 6-item version of the Nightmare Proneness Scale (NPS-6) to assess nightmare proneness, a trait-like disposition toward frequent nightmares. Comprehensive psychometric evaluation, however, remained limited. Three studies (N = 543 adults) examined the factorial structure, validity, and temporal stability of the NPS-6. Results supported a unidimensional structure and adequate internal consistency. The NPS-6 demonstrated substantial yet partially distinct associations with hypothesized core processes (emotional dysregulation, vulnerability, concretization) as well as neuroticism and nightmare frequency. Discriminant validity was evidenced by negligible correlations with social desirability and sleep length. The NPS-6 predicted nightmares beyond sociodemographic and related affective variables, supporting incremental validity. One-month retest reliability was .902. Findings suggest the NPS-6 provides a reliable, temporally stable, and distinct measure of nightmare proneness suitable for efficient assessment in individual differences research.
This editorial introduces the 2025 relaunch of Individual Differences Research (IDR), highlighting efforts to integrate the journal’s historical record with contemporary scholarship. Initiatives include reconstructing missing back volumes (2015–2024) with curated archival and previously unpublished articles and publishing new research in Volume 23 (2025) on a rolling online basis with DOIs and author copyright retention. IDR transitions to an online-only format using article locators while maintaining citation consistency for earlier volumes. The relaunch reflects trends in digital dissemination, open access, and enhanced research discoverability. The journal continues to focus on individual differences across diverse psychological domains, providing a platform that bridges past and present scholarship.
Creativity involves cognitive flexibility, intrinsic motivation, and the capacity to generate novel, useful ideas. This study examined relationships among creativity, hope, and coping strategies in 140 undergraduates who completed the Scale of Creative Attributes and Behavior, Adult Hope Scale, and Brief COPE Inventory. Correlational and mediation analyses tested whether hope mediates the link between creativity and coping. Creativity was positively associated with adaptive coping and hope, and hope was positively related to adaptive coping. Bootstrapped mediation showed that hope partially mediated the creativity–adaptive coping relationship, suggesting motivational processes help translate creative potential into constructive stress responses. Creativity was unrelated to maladaptive coping. Findings highlight creativity as a cognitive resource that fosters adaptive coping through hope, with implications for interventions promoting resilience and well-being.
Worry, shyness, and preference for solitude represent interconnected facets of emotional and social functioning. This study examined whether shyness mediates the relationship between worry and the motivation to spend time alone. A sample of 150 adults completed the Worry Domains Questionnaire, the Cheek and Buss Shyness Scale, and the Preference for Solitude Scale. Results revealed that worry predicted higher shyness, which in turn predicted greater preference for solitude, whereas the direct path from worry to solitude was nonsignificant. Mediation remained robust when controlling age and gender. Exploratory analyses indicated that confidence- and future-oriented worry were most strongly associated with shyness while future and relationship worry were most associated with solitude. These findings highlight shyness as a key psychological mechanism linking cognitive vulnerability to social withdrawal tendencies. Implications for understanding adaptive versus avoidant solitude within individual differences research are discussed.
Personality structure variables that may underlie vulnerability to nightmares remain understudied. This study investigated relationships to nightmares of three constructs from contemporary psychoanalytic theory. A university student sample (N = 214) completed measures of idiopathic nightmares, posttraumatic nightmares, nightmare distress, ego strength, object relations, self-fragmentation, and psychological distress. Regressions revealed differential predictors. Less ego strength uniquely predicted higher frequency of idiopathic nightmares, psychological distress predicted posttraumatic nightmares, and poorer object relations together with higher self-fragmentation predicted greater nightmare distress. The results suggest nightmares may reflect specific structural features of personality organization in addition to psychological distress. Findings highlight the value of integrating psychodynamic constructs into models of nightmare etiology and conceptualizing nightmares as indicators of self-regulatory and relational vulnerabilities.
This study examined whether self-esteem and locus of control mediate the relationship between ego identity and purpose in life among college students. A sample of 184 students completed the Ego Identity Scale, the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, the Purpose in Life Test, and an abbreviated version of the Rotter Internal–External Locus of Control Scale. A parallel mediation model tested whether self-esteem and locus of control accounted for the association between ego identity and purpose in life. Ego identity positively predicted purpose in life both directly and indirectly through self-esteem. The indirect effect via self-esteem was significant, indicating partial mediation, whereas locus of control did not mediate or significantly predict purpose. Findings suggest that a coherent and accepting sense of self enhances purpose in life primarily through elevated self-worth rather than perceived control. Results emphasize self-esteem’s role in linking identity integration and existential meaning during younger adulthood.
Previous research characterizes individuals higher in noctcaelador, a trait-like psychological attachment to the night sky, as more connected with nature, more prone to absorption, and more open to experience. However, the theoretical foundations underlying its development have received limited empirical attention. The present study tested a psychic structure model of noctcaelador proposing that individuals with a permeable self-structure are more likely to engage in night sky watching as way of coping and feeling “whole,” which in turn fosters attachment to the night sky. Participants (N = 162) completed measures of noctcaelador, watching the night sky to cope, and indices of psychic structure, including psychological boundaries, splitting, and ego strength. Results supported the model, indicating that thin psychological boundaries were indirectly associated with noctcaelador through night sky coping. High levels of watching the night sky to cope moderated the relationships of splitting and ego strength with noctcaelador. Implications for theory and future research are discussed.
The effects of psychological variables as measured by health hardiness, life orientation, perceived stress, Type A behavior, anxiety, and attributional style were contrasted with lifestyle as measured by alcoholism, smoking, exercise for their association with somatic complaints. The sample consisted of 105 psychology undergraduate students in a midwestern university. Psychological processes were better predictors of somatic complaints than lifestyle. A statistically significant association was found between somatic complaints and the following psychological processes: pessimism, Type A, perceived stress, anxiety, and global explanatory style for bad events. Health control and health challenge were negatively correlated with somatic complaints. Psychological variables explained 40% of the variance in somatic complaints, but lifestyle variables had little association with such complaints.
Introjective hurt refers to the tendency to internalize and magnify hurtful experience by self-criticism and self-punishment, whereas retaliatory hurt is defined as lashing out angrily at the source of hurt. The utility of this two-factor model of hurt was explored in a hypothetical experiment. Participants (N = 166) were asked to imagine being deeply hurt by someone close either intentionally or not in a public or private setting. Two 2 x 2 x 2 (gender of respondent x intentionality x setting) ANOVAs indicated that intentional as compared to unintentional acts in private as compared to public settings leads to increased introjective hurt. By contrast, retaliatory hurt was greater only in the intentional vs. unintentional condition.
Skydiving is considered to be among the most dangerous sporting activities in the world. Each time a skydiver exits an aircraft, they essentially face death. Although there is a relatively high risk of death compared to other sports, many individuals participate in this activity in a recreational capacity. The present study compared 54 collegiate skydivers (high-risk) and 54 college students who never made a skydive (low-risk) on death anxiety. Death anxiety was measured using the Collett-Lester Fear of Death Scale (Lester & Abdel-Khalek, 2003). The analyses revealed that skydivers had lower levels of death anxiety on three of the four dimensions. This finding is in opposition of studies that have found that individuals working in death-risk occupations (e.g., police officer, firefighter) had higher death anxiety scores compared to control groups. Possible explanations for these divergent findings include the extent to which individuals have personal control over death-risk situations and self-esteem enhancement.
This editorial reflects on completion of the Back Volumes Project, integrating archival works from acquired journals with new contributions to restore continuity in Individual Differences Research. It highlights recurring themes in personality, identity, emotion, and dreaming, emphasizing renewed purpose, conceptual clarity, and the journal’s evolving scholarly mission.
Nightmare vulnerability appears influenced by both dispositional and psychobiological factors, yet these are rarely examined together. This study tested whether autonomic hyperarousal and chronotype contribute to nightmare proneness, concretization, and distressing nightmares beyond neuroticism. Undergraduate participants (N = 110) completed measures of self-reported hyperarousal, chronotype, nightmare proneness, concretization, neuroticism, and nightmare frequency. Hyperarousal correlated with nightmare proneness, concretization, and nightmares, and uniquely predicted nightmare proneness and concretization after accounting for gender and neuroticism. Chronotype showed modest associations but no unique effects. Nightmare proneness was the only independent predictor of nightmares. Findings highlight autonomic hyperarousal as a broad correlate of nightmare-relevant dispositions, whereas chronotype played a weaker role in this sample.
Based on past studies of the effect of stereotype threat upon test scores, this study examined the performance of female undergraduates (N = 40) on the D'Amore Test of elementary arithmetic, and the Wonderlic IQ test, after reading a stereotypically negative or positive gender-related prime. Overall, 67.5% of the subjects failed the D'Amore Test, a figure in agreement with the results of previous studies. No effect of the stereotyped priming articles was found on math scores, and no consistent correlation of D'Amore scores was found with IQ scores. No evidence was found that emotional or cognitive ability factors, rather than poor math skills, are responsible for failures on the D'Amore Test.
Magical ideation reflects beliefs in implausible forms of causation and is commonly assessed using Eckblad and Chapman’s Magical Ideation Scale (MIS). Although widely used, the 30-item MIS can be burdensome in research requiring brief assessment. The present study developed and evaluated a shortened 7-item version of the MIS in a sample of 188 university students. Seven items meeting a conservative item–total correlation criterion were retained to form the Magic-7. The abbreviated scale demonstrated acceptable internal consistency (α = .77), a unidimensional structure, and strong correspondence with the full MIS (r = .84), sharing over 70% of its variance. Scores were unrelated to age or gender. Results support the Magic-7 as a brief, psychometrically sound measure of magical ideation suitable for stand-alone use. Additional research is needed to confirm its validity.
