Author ORCID Identifier
Document Type
Dissertation
Date of Award
2025
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Department
Psychology
First Advisor
Michael Granaas
Abstract
This study investigated how personality functioning and maladaptive traits contribute to sexually aggressive cognitions (SAC) in men, extending existing research on personality pathology. Three primary aims were examined. Aim 1 explored the relationships between SAC and the four components of personality functioning (identity, self-direction, empathy, intimacy). Aim 2 evaluated the structure of personality functioning as measured by the Levels of Personality Functioning Scale-Self Report (LPFS-SR). Confirmatory factor analyses tested four competing models: unidimensional, two-factor, four-factor, and bifactor. Aim 3 assessed the combined influence of maladaptive traits and personality functioning on SAC. Participants included 469 heterosexual cisgender men, ages 18–24, drawn from two datasets. Measures assessed personality functioning, maladaptive traits, rape myths, and token resistance to sex. Analyses included bivariate correlations, multiple regression, confirmatory factor analyses, and structural equation modeling. Results demonstrated that all four components were significantly associated with SAC, though only empathy and intimacy emerged as unique predictors in multiple regression analyses. The bifactor model, which captured both general personality dysfunction and specific components of functioning, provided the best fit. Maladaptive traits, particularly antagonism and psychoticism, were strong predictors of SAC, with personality functioning explaining unique variance beyond these traits. These findings contribute to the growing evidence for the unique role of personality functioning (Criterion A) in understanding personality pathology and sexually aggressive thoughts. Specifically, impairments in empathy and intimacy had distinct effects on SAC, even after accounting for maladaptive traits (Criterion B). The results underscore the importance of integrating personality functioning assessments in research and clinical settings to better understand and address sexually aggressive cognitions.
Subject Categories
Clinical Psychology | Social Psychology
Keywords
Alternative Model of Personality Disorders AMPD antagonism antisocial personality disorder sexual aggression
Number of Pages
120
Publisher
Uiversity of South Dakota
Recommended Citation
Fossen, Ryan Van, "Personality Functioning and Sexual Aggression: How Criterion A of the Alternative Model of Personality Disorders (AMPD) Relates to Sexually Aggressive Cognitions in Men" (2025). Dissertations and Theses. 360.
https://red.library.usd.edu/diss-thesis/360