Some personality correlates of the a-b therapist scale for male and female medical students

Abstract

Provided more knowledge about the personality dimensions that underlie the A-B scale particularly with respect to potential sex differences. A-B scores of two samples, 155 male and 36 female medical students, were related to their scale scores from the Personal Orientation Inventory and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory. Univariate analyses indicate that the present set of measures are related to A-B status for females, but not for males. For female medical students it appears that scoring as an A is associated with anxiety proneness, low self-esteem, constriction and introversion, rigidity, dependence, and guilt feelings. Implications of the present results and recommendations for future research with the A-B dimension are discussed.