The concept of conflict in health psychology: Person by situation measurement
Giese-Davis, Janine E.
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Permalink
https://hdl.handle.net/2142/22572
Description
Title
The concept of conflict in health psychology: Person by situation measurement
Author(s)
Giese-Davis, Janine E.
Issue Date
1994
Doctoral Committee Chair(s)
Miller, Gregory A.
Department of Study
Psychology
Discipline
Psychology
Degree Granting Institution
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Degree Name
Ph.D.
Degree Level
Dissertation
Keyword(s)
Psychology, Clinical
Psychology, Personality
Language
eng
Abstract
The current study utilized newly-developed idiographic measurement techniques assessing several types of psychological conflict in a short-longitudinal prospective design to investigate differences in chronic illness versus no-chronic-illness controls and to assess the power of these conflict measures in predicting health outcomes. In particular, Emmons' (1986) Personal Strivings Matrix, which measures personal-striving incompatibilities, and Higgins, Klein, and Strauman's (1985) Selves Questionnaire, which measures discrepancies between actual, ideal, and ought self-concepts, could be seen to approximate closely earlier theorizing regarding the effect of internal conflict on health. The purpose of the current study was primarily to develop a daily-measurement device capable of assessing inner conflict and secondarily to test out this device with a sample of chronic-illness groups and no-chronic-illness controls. The long-term goal of this research is to develop intervention strategies which utilize such daily-monitoring techniques with individual clients. These techniques would allow the therapist/client pair to assess the coincidence of inner conflict and illness exacerbations, and would allow the client to monitor positive change in self-concept. The current study included initial assessment with these Selves and Strivings measures, daily diaries (90 days) which included daily forms of these measures, and post-test administration.
Results indicated that migraine, GI Disorders, and allergy illness groups could be discriminated in interesting ways which were consistent with longstanding hypotheses. Migraineurs were consistently discrepant from their Actual/Ought self-guides. GI Disorder subjects were marginally discrepant both from Actual/Ideal Own and Actual/Ought self guides. Allergy subjects, who have been found in previous research to have a high incidence of depression, were higher in Actual/Ideal Own conflict which has been linked with chronic depression. Some health outcomes were successfully predicted by conflict measures. In particular, Post-Test Selves and Stress/Conflicted factors predicted daily physical symptom mean and health-center visits for the total sample.
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