SASB: A Bridge Between Personality Theory and Clinical Psychology

Abstract

Four promising approaches from personality psychology are assessed for validity and clinical utility-Allport's theory of personality; the jive-factor model (FFM); the Interpersonal Circle (IPC), first applied to clinical problems by Leary; and Structural Analysis of Social Behavior (SASB), applied in a Trait × State × Situation context. The FFM (derived from Jackson's Personality Research Form), IPC (as measured by Wiggins's Interpersonal Adjective Scales-Revised [IAS-R]), and SASB (as measured by Intrex questionnaires) approaches were compared in a sample of 73 hospitalized psychiatric inpatients. The FFM showed moderate structural validity. Correspondences between theory and data for IAS-R and for SASB were better. Each of the three approaches yielded significant differences among Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) diagnostic groups. Canonical Rs between the symptoms of anxiety and depression and the three selected social measures also were significant. Clearly, there were associations among these personality measures, psychiatric symptoms, and diagnosis. It is suggested that clinical usefulness is greater for models that invoke hypothetical constructs (e.g., IPC, SASB) than for models that are purely descriptive (e.g., FFM). The SASB model is preferable for clinical use because, compared to the IPC, it is able to describe more features of personality. Recent applications of the SASB model to DSM categories of personality are expected to improve reliability of diagnosis. The SASB model also has generated testable and refutable hypotheses about psychosocial causes of personality problems. These formulations have clear psychotherapeutic implications.