A taxometric analysis of the latent structure of the repressor personality construct

by Molnar, Christine.

A taxometric analysis of the latent structure of the repressor construct was conducted using original indices derived from both the Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability Scale (MCSDS: Crowne & Marlowe, 1964) and the trait version of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI: Spielberger, Gorsuch, Lushene, Vagg, & Jacobs, 1983). Both Mean Above Minus Below A Cut (MAMBAC: Meehl & Yonce, 1994) and Maximum Slope (MAXSLOPE: Grove & Meehl, 1992) analyses were conducted with data from 1040 undergraduates who completed a battery of self-report questionnaires that included the MCSDS, STAI, and the NEO-Five Factor Inventory (NEO-FFI) (Costa & McCrae, 1992). Results were interpreted using simulated data that matched parameters of the collected data. Findings with traditional indices of the repressor construct did not support the hypothesis that the repressor construct is taxonic, and rather provided some evidence in support of a dimensional latent structure. Findings indicated that both the stability and agreeableness personality scales of the NEO-FFI, as well as traditional indices, capture core features of the repressor construct. Repressors reported above average levels of both stability and agreeableness, but normal levels of extraversion, openness, and conscientiousness. Findings from the NEO-FFI suggest that repressors may have difficulties asserting needs in relationships and that the denial of negative emotions may be more central to the repressor construct than the claiming of positive emotions. Implications of findings from the current study for choices about research design, analysis, and interpretation of studies about the repressor construct are discussed. iv