Styles of coping and the level of dogmatism as an indicator of anxiety

What is it about?

A study was carried out involving persons representing high-anxious, low-anxious and repressor types according to the classification of Weinberger, Davidson & Schwartz (1979), selected using the Marlowe–Crowne Social Desirability Scale and the trait anxiety scale of the Spielberger State–Trait Anxiety Inventory. In seeking indicators of anxiety in repressors and high-anxious groups, the authors decided to analyse the level of dogmatism observed in utterance texts. The research was intended to determine whether styles of coping with threatening stimuli condition the level of dogmatism, which was regarded as a cognitive defence mechanism against anxiety. The method of formal analysis of texts (speeches given by the participants in a situation of social exposure) was used to identify their level of dogmatism, measured using the Dogmatism Quotient developed by Ertel. The highest value of the Dogmatism Quotient was recorded for repressors, and the lowest for the low-anxious subjects; a similar pattern was also observed for certain particular dimensions of dogmatism. Statistically significant differences in the level of dogmatism were found between the repressor and low-anxious groups and between the high-anxious and low-anxious groups. The study confirmed the previously discovered pattern whereby repressors exhibit more similarities to high-anxious than to low-anxious persons.

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Why is it important?

In our study we decided to look at texts produced by participants, which may, outside their conscious control, reveal their state of anxiety, as expressed by a higher level of dogmatism in the texts. We assumed that the higher level of state anxiety in high-anxious persons and repressors would bring about a higher degree of dogmatism in the structure of their texts (measured by Ertel’s Dogmatism Quotient) in comparison with low-anxious persons. It may also seem that repressors, who have a low tendency to experience anxiety consciously even when it is at a high level, do not have such possibilities of releasing and coping with anxiety as do high-anxious persons who are conscious of their own anxiety. This may lead to a greater degree of rigidity and extremeness in the structure of their texts.