Background The Certainty About Mental States Questionnaire (CAMSQ) is a recently developed measure of mentalizing designed to assess certainty about one’s own and others’ mental states. While it was originally validated using personality pathology measures, this study explores the relevance of the CAMSQ for understanding personality traits and well-being in the general population. Participants and procedure The sample consisted of 462 Slovak participants aged 18-79 years (M = 34.0). To assess temporal stability, 128 participants completed a retest after a minimum interval of two weeks. Participants completed the CAMSQ and measures of well-being (life satisfaction, subjective happiness, positive and negative affect, and self-esteem), Big Five personality traits, and Dark Tetrad traits. Psychometric properties of the CAMSQ were examined, including internal consistency, confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), measurement invariance across age and gender, and test-retest reliability. Results Self-Certainty and Other-Certainty were primarily positively associated with well-being measures, extraversion, and conscientiousness, and negatively associated with negative emotionality. Other-Self Discrepancy was negatively associated with well-being. Condition-based regression analysis (CRA) revealed significant effects of discrepancy on psychopathy, sadism, and some well-being measures. The Slovak version of the CAMSQ exhibits acceptable psychometric properties including adequate temporal stability. Conclusions The results suggest that the CAMSQ is not only relevant for assessing personality pathology but can also provide insights into personality psychology and well-being in the general population. Limitations include the predominantly female and young sample, cross-sectional design, reliance on self-report, and examination of a clinically relevant construct in a non-clinical population. These findings support the tool’s utility beyond clinical settings, highlighting its potential for broader psychological research.

BACKGROUNDThis survey of Polish employees replicates research on the relationship between narcissism, Machiavellianism and unethical pro-organisational behaviour (UPB) that was previously conducted in other countries such as China, Pakistan and the US. Positive associations between narcissism, Machiavellianism and UPB were expected to occur.PARTICIPANTS AND PROCEDUREThe survey covered 250 people working in large corporations across Poland. The sample included 163 women (65%) and 87 men (35%). Narcissism was measured with the NARQ questionnaire, developed as an operationalisation of the narcissistic admiration and rivalry concept (NARC). The MACH-4 scale was used to measure Machiavellianism. Readiness for UPB, on the other hand, was measured using the Polish version of the UPB Scale.RESULTSThe research showed statistically significant positive relationships between narcissistic admiration, rivalry and Machiavellianism and the readiness to engage in UPB. At the same time, narcissistic rivalry and its components aggressiveness and striving for supremacy, and Machiavellianism correlate most strongly with UPB. Regression and mediation analyses showed that the significant variables to predict higher levels of readiness to engage in UPB are rivalry (aggressiveness) and Machiavellianism. Machiavellianism, moreover, appears as a mediator in the positive relationship of rivalry and its components (devaluation of others, striving for supremacy) with UPB.CONCLUSIONSSignificant predictors of UPB are narcissistic rivalry, including aggressiveness, and Machiavellianism. A Machiavellian strategy may enable UPB to be undertaken by those with a tendency to dominate and devalue others.

BACKGROUNDAcquiescence as one of the response styles is the participant’s tendency to shift answers to agreement rather than to disagreement regardless of the items’ content. Acquiescence together with other response styles could be a serious threat to the results of research. It can be affected by several individual characteristics including cognitive abilities. We explored the relationship between the ability to solve verbal analogies, age, education, and acquiescence.PARTICIPANTS AND PROCEDUREThe sample contained 210 participants, 109 men and 101 women with age ranging from 17 to 70 (M = 45.11, SD = 13.66). The data were collected through an online panel of a research agency. We used Rosenberg’s Self-Esteem Scale (RSES) for estimating acquiescence and 10 tasks for measuring the ability to solve verbal analogies.RESULTSWe found a significant relationship between acquiescence and age with a medium effect and non-significant relationships between acquiescence, the ability to solve verbal analogies, and education.CONCLUSIONSEducation seems not to be an adequate variable as a proxy for cognitive variables, and the ability to solve verbal analogies probably does not affect acquiescence in general. However, the existence of a negative relationship between age and acquiescence is quite surprising, and it could be caused by better developed self-identity of older participants.

Sexual aggression researchers have identified "dark triad" personality traits as potential etiologic contributors to rape perpetration. The Personality Inventory for the DSM-5 (PID-5) canvasses trait dimensions that underlie a proposed hybrid diagnostic model for the personality disorders. Associations between PID-5 item/facet/domain scores and self-reported acts of rape were examined in a national survey of men (N = 517) administered on a crowdsourcing platform. Pervasive associations were found between various PID-5 risk indicators and acts of oral, anal, or vaginal physical contact with nonconsenting partner(s). While dimensional correlation coefficients were modest in size, odds ratios for elevated PID-5 facet dimensions were substantial. The odds of self-reported rape increased with the trait elevation count in a graded fashion. Selected PID-5 subscale dimensions (callousness, irresponsibility, grandiosity, intimacy avoidance, distractibility, and attention seeking) were significant correlates of self-reported rape. A subset of PID-5 items accounted for unshared variance in the criterion measures. Scores from the PID-5 appeared to provide useful risk indicators of sexual aggressiveness. Scores from the PID-5 appeared to provide useful risk indicators of sexual aggressiveness. Men with personality disorder trait elevations appear far more likely to acknowledge past behavior that constitutes sexual assault. These interpretations were limited by the cross-sectional, retrospective, and self-report nature of these data.

This study was designed to examine the prevalence and relationships between the Internet gaming disorder (IGD) behaviors, suggested by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), and personality traits. A sample community of 1,548 subjects, 707 men and 841 women, with a mean age of 40.90 and 38.89 years, respectively, was evaluated. The results showed that only 7 subjects (0.5%) exceeded the cut-off point of 75 points to be classed as "disordered gamers" proposed by Fuster et al. (2016) in Spain. This study demonstrates the unidimensionality of the IGD-20, so it can be used as an ordinal dimensional measure to study the relationship between IGD symptoms and other related variables such as personality in community samples. A multiple linear regression analysis revealed that up to 8% of the variance of the Internet Gaming Disorder-20 scale (IGD-20), as a dimensional scale, can be explained by low activity, high aggressiveness, introversion, non-planning impulsivity, sensation seeking, neuroticism and impulsiveness (attention impulsivity) using the Alternative Five Factor Model (AFFM) of personality and the Barratt Impulsivity Scale (BIS-11). This study shows that the prevalence of IGD in the Spanish population is similar to that of other Western countries. The unidimensionality of the IGD-20 allows its use in correlational studies to examine the relationship between Internet gambling behaviors and personality variables. The implications of these personality profiles are discussed in relation to the psychological and clinical mechanisms involved in Internet gaming disorder.

BACKGROUNDFear of COVID-19 and its related complications can negatively affect well-being and contribute to less effective daily and professional functioning. Based on Maslach’s burnout concept, this study aimed to verify the relationship between risk of contracting and fear of COVID-19, occupational burnout and job satisfaction in Polish teachers during the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.PARTICIPANTS AND PROCEDUREThree hundred fifty-two teachers, aged between 22 and 68, participated in this study. In the studied sample, 252 people worked remotely, 41 in-person and 59 were hybrid workers. The Risk of Contracting COVID-19 Scale, the Fear of COVID-19 Scale, the Maslach Burnout Inventory and the Brief Job Satisfaction Scale were used.RESULTSRisk of contracting COVID-19 was positively related to fear of COVID-19 and emotional exhaustion. Moreover, fear of COVID-19 was negatively related to personal accomplishment and positively related to emotional exhaustion. Lastly, all three dimensions of occupational burnout were significantly related to job satisfaction. There was no direct relationship between fear of COVID-19 and job satisfaction. This relation was mediated by two scales of occupational burnout: personal accomplishment and emotional exhaustion. All three subscales of occupational burnout were significant predictors of job satisfaction, explaining 53% of its variance.CONCLUSIONSThe current study showed a relationship between the risk perception of COVID-19, occupational burnout and job satisfaction in Polish teachers during the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. The results obtained in the study may contribute to the understanding of the effects of the pandemic for the professional group of educators.

BACKGROUNDThis study examined individual differences in how people behave in response to a pandemic – more specifically, the current coronavirus pandemic.PARTICIPANTS AND PROCEDUREA sample of 420 participants was recruited through the online data collection platform MTurk. Participants were directed via an online link to a Qualtrics survey. This survey was composed of several demographic questions and self-report personality and belief scales, followed by a set of outcome measures designed to measure specific behaviors relating to avoidant behavior, protective behavior, and impulsive buying which the participants might, or might not, have engaged in during the COVID-19 pandemic.RESULTSThe results showed that locus of control was the best personality-related predictor of peoples’ pandemic-relevant behavior, such that externally oriented people were more likely to report both protective behavior and impulsive buying behavior. In addition, perceived threat was significantly associated with all three types of pandemic-relevant behaviors (avoidant, protective, and impulsive buying).CONCLUSIONSIndividuals’ personality traits and beliefs clearly play a major role in determining their behavior during health crises. In the case of the current COVID-19 crisis, some people adopt behaviors that ensure their safety and the safety of others, whereas other people display careless behaviors that contribute to spreading the infection. Because individual differences in this situation matter, it is important to determine which variables accurately predict which behaviors.

In February 2022, Poland became one of the most engaged countries in accepting Ukrainian refugees. Based on the norm activation model, the study, performed during the first two weeks of the war, examined the prosocial intentions of Poles toward Ukrainians in relation to the individualizing moral foundations (harm/care and fairness/reciprocity), as well as beliefs about the obligation of individual citizens to help. The study was designed to investigate the views of Poles on helping Ukrainians in times of tension. On the second day of data collection, the war in Ukraine began. Therefore, the study shows the intentions of Poles to help refugees from Ukraine in the first days of full-scale war. A total of 139 people aged 18-71 years from the general public participated (102 females) in an online survey distributed through social media channels. The results show that individual obligation belief fully mediates the effect of individualizing moral foundations on prosocial behavior intentions. Based on the results, it could be concluded that during a refugee crisis, in line with the norm activation model, highlighting the personal obligation to provide support can be important to motivate people to help others in need. The effect of a sense of personal obligation is more important than the effect of an underlying individualizing morality.

A negative body image often stems from high standards in the physical domain and perfectionism, which leads to upsetting self-related experiences. Under these circumstances, self-talk may be a self-regulatory strategy. Therefore, we tested whether the relationship between perfectionism and body image was mediated by different types of self-talk. Participants were 214 women with overweight or obesity in the process of losing weight. They completed the Body Attitude Test, the Self-Talk Scale, and the Polish Adaptive and Maladaptive Perfectionism Questionnaire. We found two parallel mediators in the analyzed relationship. Maladaptive perfectionism: (a) favored self-critical self-talk, which resulted in a negative body image; (b) decreased the chance of self-reinforcing self-talk, which could have prevented a negative body image from developing. Contrary to our hypothesis, social-assessing self-talk was not a mediator in this relationship. Replication of the result that social-assessing self-talk is not a mediator in the studied relationship may be of great importance for psychological practice. It means that the unfavorable assessment of our body by others will not be a source of our negative body image as long as we do not begin to criticize ourselves and block praise directed at ourselves. Minimizing self-critical self-talk and replacing it with self-reinforcing self-talk may prove to be a promising path in therapeutic work to improve body image.

BackgroundThe basic psychological need theory assumes that there are three universal psychological needs: autonomy, competence, and relatedness. Their satisfaction is a source of well-being and development. Their frustration results in malaise and the need to cope with actions reducing unpleasant tension, substituting or compensating for deficits. This study aimed to define the relationship between basic psychological need frustration and coping styles with the mediating role of stress. It was predicted that with stronger frustration, there would be stronger perceived stress and the tendency to develop an escape-avoidance coping style.Participants and procedureThe study included 626 participants (42.65% women) aged 18-40 (M = 22.22 ± 4.29). We used the following measures: PSS-10, COPE, and BPNS&FS. Exploratory factor analysis of COPE, correlations, and path analyses were performed.ResultsExploratory factor analysis of the COPE results distinguished four coping styles: 1) problem-focused, 2) emotion-focused, 3) meaning-focused, and 4) escape-avoidance. Need frustration was positively associated with perceived stress and the escape-avoidance style. We found both direct and indirect – through perceived stress – effects of need frustration on coping styles, especially the escape-avoidance coping style.ConclusionsFrustration of basic psychological needs – autonomy, competence, and relatedness – can lead directly and through perceived stress to the formation of an escape-avoidance coping style.