IRRATIONAL BELIEFS AND SELF-REPORTED AFFECT IN RUSSIA AND AMERICA

We investigated the levels of irrational thinking and self-reported ne gative and positive affects, and the relationships between these varia bles, in a sample of 382 college students in Russia and America. The R ussian students were generally more rational than the American student s, with some indication that American men score higher than American w omen on these measures. Results also showed that Americans reported gr eater frequencies of both self-reported negative and positive affect, and greater anxiety on the trait form of the Multiple Affect Adjective Checklist-Revised (MAACL-R). In contrast, there were no country diffe rences in depression, hostility, dysphoria or positive affect on the M AACL-R. Americans also reported more happiness on the Fordyce Happines s Measures. The overall relationship of rationality to self-reported a ffect was moderate. However, there was little support for Ellis' hypot hesis that demandingness is the core of irrationality. Instead, it was recommended that investigators consider aspects of irrationality such as low frustration tolerance. Cautions about generalization from this sample, at this time in Russian history, were discussed.