Although most motivational psychologists recognize that security is important for healthy development and functioning (e.g., attachment theory), we add to prior work by proposing that the ongoing regulation of security under potential threat involves three unique features. Specifically, security regulation involves an initial preconscious system of threat processing (neuroception) and an internally (vs. externally) generated stop signal of goal completion (yedasentience) as well as the sequential activation of avoidance and approach systems (anxiety-to-approach). Throughout, we consider how the integration of these insights across social and biological sciences accounts for both adaptive and maladaptive patterns of security regulation (e.g., obsessive-compulsive disorder, reactive attachment disorder, contingent self-esteem).

Since its introduction, self-concept clarity has been viewed as a construct related to the structure and organization of a person's self-concept. We argue, however, that self-concept clarity may best be understood as a combination of subjective, metacognitive beliefs about the self-concept and objective structure and organization. We consider the unique influences of both objective and subjective clarity and offer some suggestions and novel hypotheses for investigating this proposed distinction.

Grandiose and vulnerable narcissism share some core features (e.g., entitlement, self-absorption) but differ in other important ways (e.g., self-esteem). To reconcile these differing characteristics, we predicted that differences in perceived agency mediate the association between narcissistic subtypes and differences in self-esteem. One hundred college students completed self-report measures of grandiose narcissism, vulnerable narcissism, explicit global self-esteem, and perceived agency. As predicted, grandiose narcissism was positively associated with agency and self-esteem, whereas vulnerable narcissism was negatively associated with agency and self-esteem. Perceived agency also mediated the associations between each narcissistic subtype and self-esteem. Furthermore, a partial correlation showed that when controlling for agency, the previously null correlation between measures of grandiose and vulnerable narcissism became significantly positive. These findings indicate that agency serves as a primary differentiator between the narcissistic subtypes.

The present research examines how self-concept clarity moderates the impact of feedback about one's self-knowledge. A preliminary study shows that individuals with higher clarity expect the process of defining who they are to be easier than those with lower clarity. Two experiments then test the effect of self-concept clarity on the experience of self-elaboration under conditions of either doubt or confidence. The results suggest that people with higher self-concept clarity show greater differences in self-evaluations based on whether their experience of describing the self is nested within ease and confidence or difficulty and doubt. We suggest that this effect may be a result of the different expectations high- and low-clarity individuals have for the task of describing the self.

The purpose of this research is to better illuminate a vulnerable narcissist's daily emotional life, targeting the experiences of shame, anger, and emotion regulation. Participants completed self-report questionnaires before writing an essay on their adjustment to college. After being randomly assigned to receive either satisfactory or unsatisfactory feedback, participants rated the quality of their own essay performance, reported their current emotions, and completed extra process measures to assess what they were thinking during the study. Feedback which disconfirmed vulnerable narcissists' self-reported performance ratings led to greater emotionality. Furthermore, vulnerable narcissists' intention to regulate their emotions, specifically their attempts to disqualify the importance of interpersonal feedback, ultimately led to greater shame. Conceptual and practical implications of these findings are discussed.

This research investigated the hypothesis that intellectual competence is chronically accessible to individuals who question their own intellectual competence, despite their own uncertainty on this dimension, and that they rely on intellectual competence in forming impressions of and thinking about others. In two studies, we show that doubtful individuals are more likely to use traits related to intellectual competence to describe others and these traits more strongly affect their overall impressions of others. These findings support recent approaches to accessibility by showing that a self-relevant trait may be chronically accessible to an individual even in the face of uncertainty regarding one's standing on the trait. The findings also contribute to the understanding of the phenomenology of self-doubt.

Erectile dysfunction is a major complication affecting the quality of life of patients and partners after radical prostatectomy. Evolving evidence suggests that early penile rehabilitation may provide better erectile function after surgery. Phosphodiesterase type 5 (PDE-5) inhibitors are routinely considered a first-line treatment option in most algorithms for penile rehabilitation owing to their efficacy, ease of use, wide availability and minimal morbidity. Tadalafil is a long-acting, potent PDE-5 inhibitor for erectile dysfunction, with demonstrated effect in animal studies at preserving penile smooth muscle content and prevention of fibrosis of cavernosal tissue. This article evaluates the existing literature on tadalafil and critically analyzes its impact on erectile function following radical prostatectomy.

Introduction and Overview. Part 1. Personal Security in Individual Contexts. Security and Uncertainty in Contemporary Delayed-Return Cultures: Coping with the Blockage of Personal Goals, K. van den Bos, I. McGregor, L. Martin. Being Threatened and Being a Threat Can Increase Reliance On Thoughts: A Self-Validation Approach, P. Brinol, K. G. DeMarree, R. E. Petty. Psychological Insecurity and Leadership Styles, C. Schoel, D. Stahlberg, C. Sedikides. The Psychology of Defensiveness: An Integrative Security System Model of Attachment, Self-esteem, and Worldviews, J. Hart. Part I Commentary, C. Holbrook, D. Fessler. Part 2. Personal Security in Interpersonal Contexts. Narcissism and Protection Against Social Threat, S.D. Freis, A.A. Brown, R.M. Arkin. Regulating Relationship Security of Chronically Insecure Partners, E. Lemay. An Attachment Perspective on Personal Security, M. Milkulincer, P.R. Shaver. Attachment Security and Prosociality: Dynamics, Underlying Mechanisms, and Implications, O. Gillath, G. Karantzas. A Goal Circumplex Model of Security Strivings in Social and Cultural Context, K. Tomczyk, B. Yu, X. Zhou. Ostracism Threatens Personal Security: A Temporal Need Threat Framework, E. D. Wesselmann, A. Hales, D. Ren, K. D. Williams. Part II Commentary, M. Clark, K. Von Culin, J. Hirsch. Part 3. Personal Security in Cultural and Health Contexts. Security Seeking in a Regulatory Focus Whodunit: The Case of the Relative Orientation in Behavioral Economics, G. Leonardelli, V. Bohns, J. Gu. Achieving Existential Security through Symbolically Fusing Secular and Religious Sources of Control and Order, A. Kay, S. Shepherd, R. Eibach. Responding to Psychological Threats with Deliberate Ignorance: Causes and Remedies, J. Shepperd, J. Howell. Uncertainty in Healthcare: A Multi-Level Approach, S. Andrews, K. Sweeny. Part III Commentary, A.J. Rothman, A. K. Farrell, L. Auster-Gussman. Part 4. Interdisciplinary Analyses of Personal Security. "Fear Appeals" and Security in American Foreign Relations, C. Fettweis. Terrorism, Personal Security, and Responsible Policy Making, J. Mueller, M.G. Stewart. Secure in Their Beliefs: Personal Security, the Quest for Personal Significance, and the Psychology of Extremism, A. Kruglanski, N. Schori-Eyal. Ecology and Evolution of Personal Security: Adaptive Interdependence of the Individual and the Collective, R. Sagarin. Part IV Commentary, T. Kolditz, J. Lovelace.

Two experiments examine the hypothesis that self-concept clarity (SCC) may buffer individuals against self-evaluative feedback and moderate the impact of evaluative information on self-esteem and self-promoting behaviors. In experiment 1 (7V= 122), when participants’ positive, compared to negative, selves were made salient they reported higher selfesteem and more positive affect. Importantly, this occurred only for those with low SCC; high clarity participants showed no differences. In experiment 2 (jV=lll), participants who received favorable social feedback engaged in more self-promotion behaviors than those who received unfavorable feedback, but again only if they were low in clarity. Low SCC participants’ selfviews and behaviors were molded by whether they faced positive or negative evaluative information, while high SCC participants were relatively unaffected.

The prevalence of entertainment media in everyday life might offer unexpected social opportunities. The present paper examined whether cognitive overlap with the character and self-expansion occur as a result of exposure to fictional characters. Results of two studies indicated that transportation into a narrative leads to greater cognitive overlap with the character and perceived self-expansion. Providing a distinction between these two concepts, we found that cognitive overlap with the character increases to the extent the character represents one's actual self-guide; perceived self-expansion increases to the extent the character represents one's ideal self-guide. Together, these findings illustrate the nature of parasocial relationships and impact of entertainment media on the self.

Although much is known about the pathology of Bacillus thuringiensis against invertebrates, current understanding of its natural ecology is limited. This study evaluated the biodiversity of B.thuringiensis in relation to its interaction with plants. Phylogenetic relationships between 44 reference and field-collected strains, determined using 16S rRNA and gyrB gene sequences, revealed a high degree of variability, similar to that found in databases. An Arabidopsis thaliana in vitro inoculation model was developed to screen the ability of B.thuringiensis to colonise roots. Significant colonisation differences up to 91-fold were observed between strains, and correlation between strain phylogeny and colonisation was found. The genetics and biochemistry of auxin production; presence of the gene encoding indole pyruvate decarboxylase; and the abilities of Bt strains to swarm, grow in rich/minimal media and affect root growth differed between the strains, but only auxin production correlated significantly with ability to colonise roots. Co-inoculation with Burkholderia phytofirmans PsJN or Pseudomonas fluorescens SBW25 produced no effect on B.thuringiensis colonisation levels, regardless of the co-inoculant. Similarly, root colonisation of A.thaliana mutants impaired in plant defences was not significantly higher compared with controls. This is the first systematic and phylogenetic evaluation of B.thuringiensis interaction with plants.

This Handbook explores the cognitive, motivational, interpersonal, clinical, and applied aspects of personal uncertainty. It showcases both the diversity and the unity that defines contemporary perspectives on uncertainty in self within social and personality psychology. The contributions to the volume are all written by distinguished scholars in personality, social psychology, and clinical psychology united by their common focus on the causes and consequences of self-uncertainty. Chapters explore the similarities and differences between personal uncertainty and other psychological experiences in terms of their nature and relationship with human thought, emotion, motivation, and behavior. Specific challenges posed by personal uncertainty and the coping strategies people develop in their daily life are identified. There is an assessment of the potential negative and positive repercussions of coping with the specific experience of self-uncertainty, including academic, health, and relationship outcomes. Throughout, strategies specifically designed to assist others in confronting the unique challenges posed by self-uncertainty in ways that emphasize healthy psychological functioning and growth are promoted. In addition, the contributions to the Handbook touch on the psychological, social, and cultural context of the new millennium, including concepts such as Friedman’s "flat world," confidence, the absence of doubt in world leaders, the threat of terrorism since 9/11, the arts, doubt and religious belief, and views of doubt as the universal condition of humankind. The Handbook is an invaluable resource for researchers, practitioners, and senior undergraduate and graduate students in social and personality psychology, clinical and counseling psychology, educational psychology, and developmental psychology.

The need for understanding serves as a theme throughout social and personality psychology. It is reflected in people's striving toward a shared, social construction of reality (e.g., conformity, uniformity) that runs through so much of the history of theory and research in the field. Stemming from this core motivation, the literature is peppered with illustrations of the preeminence of certainty as a goal (e.g., clarity, consistency, consonance, and related constructs) and the ultimate objective of cultural consensus. Yet, the role of doubt in the form of shaky certainty about the basis for beliefs in attitudes - or doubts about one's self-esteem or self-concept - has increasingly taken center stage. This review takes the self-competence element (vs. self-liking element) of selfworth judgments as its focus and provides an integration of individual difference approaches and experimental investigations of self-doubt. Long neglected, self-doubt increasingly appears critical for understanding some of the surprising, ironic, and self-defeating cognitive, emotional, and behavioral findings seen in the achievement realm.