The concept of conflict in health psychology: Person by situation measurement

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.U of I OnlyETDs are only available to UIUC Users without author permissio