Regional factors of personality characteristics of inhabitants of Russian Federation: comparative analysis of MMPI-2 data in six cities

Abstract

Traditionally, in studies of the role of socio-cultural factors in development of personality traits these factors are operationalized at the macro-level (as race, ethnicity, nationality, country of residence) and do not allow to take into account regional and local features that are particularly widespread in such countries as Russia. The aim of this study was to determine effects of the city and region of residence (both direct effects and effects mediated by age and gender of the subjects) on the strategies of response to items and on personality traits of the subjects. The data obtained from the approbation of the second version of Minnesota Multiphasic study Personality Inventory (MMPI-2) on a sample of 1237 subjects from six cities of Russia (Barnaul, Moscow, Perm, Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Tver, Tomsk) were analyzed. According to the results, there is an invariant personality structure at the general level of analysis and features that are specific for both Russia and the city of residence. The major regional and local effects are mediated by gender and age which allows highlighting the 'zones' of particular interest for further research. In particular, the age group of Perm’ residents aged 25–39 is characterized by a high level of aggravation and psychopathy; while the level of depression and hysteria in young under 25 who live in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky is much lower than in other age groups in this city and other cities. Another interesting question concerns the psychological reasons of the flattening of gender differences in hypochondria, depression, hysteria, psychasthenia, social introversion scores in Moscow and Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky. The data are discussed in terms of the impact of socio-economic factors in different cities and further studies that are needed to explain social and psychological causes of these effects.