Are prejudices against disabled persons determined by personality characteristics? Reviewing a theoretical approach on the basis of empirical research findings.
Taking as point of departure the results obtained from research on prejudice, many authors believe that the quality of attitudes toward disabled persons is influenced by the personality structure of the nondisabled. In order to verify this assumption, a secondary analysis of 67 empirical studies was undertaken. These studies referred to different personality variables such as authoritarianism, ethnocentrism, dogmatism, rigidity, intolerance of ambiguity, cognitive simplicity, anxiety, ego-weakness, self-concept, body-concept, aggressiveness, empathy, intelligence, etc. The results can be summarized as follows: Statistical criteria show that single personality traits have relatively little influence on the attitudes towards disabled persons. An adequate evaluation of the research findings is complicated by, at times, considerable methodological problems which arise when applying the proper test instruments to non-clinical populations. Marked correlations are to be found in particular in the case of authoritarianism, ethnocentrism, intolerance of ambiguity, anxiety, and ego-weakness. The intercorrelations, however, between most of the personality variables are rather high, which by cumulation of "extreme" factors may, in fact, sometimes result in particularly unfavorable attitudes toward the disabled. Thus, personality-related research findings to provide certain valuable explanations. Special attention should be devoted to the multiple connections between personality structure and social structure.
D001294:Attitude to Health; D006233:Persons with Disabilities / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D010551:Personality; D011287:Prejudice