Personality and expressed emotion

Expressed emotion (EE) is an established psychosocial predictor of relapse in patients with schizophrenia and mood disorders; however, nothing is curr ently known about the personality characteristics of high- and low-EE relat ives. A total of 45 relatives of schizophrenia patients completed the Calif ornia Psychological Inventory, a widely used measure of common personality traits. Compared with low-EE relatives, high-EE relatives were more convent ional in their behavior (higher norm-favoring) and less satisfied with them selves and their lives (lower self-realization). Nigh-EE relatives were als o less flexible, tolerant, and lower in empathy: and achievement via indepe ndence than were low-EE relatives. Even with statistical control of potenti al demographic confounds, flexibility remained a significant predictor of E E status.