Dominance in Psychology: A Definition

Dominance in psychology refers to the ability to exert influence over others through non-physical means, such as social interactions, communication, and behavior. It's a complex concept that involves various personality traits, behaviors, and cognitive patterns.

Cite this post

Sutton, G.W. (2025, February 2). Dominance in psychology: A definition. Psychological Concepts and Theories. https://suttonpsychology.blogspot.com/2025/02/dominance-in-psychology-definition.html

One research article that examines this topic is "Nonverbal Behaviors ‘Speak’ Relational Messages of Dominance, Trust, and Composure" by Judee K. Burgoon and colleagues. This study investigates how nonverbal cues, such as facial expressions, posture, and vocal signals, convey messages of dominance, trust, and composure in interpersonal interactions. The researchers observed that individuals who exhibit confident and assertive nonverbal behaviors are often perceived as dominant, which can affect others' perceptions and responses.

Another relevant article is "The Impact of Leader Dominance on Employees’ Zero-Sum Mindset and Helping Behavior" by Hemant Kakkar and Niro Sivanathan. This study explores how dominant leaders can influence their subordinates' cognitive schemas, leading to a zero-sum mindset where employees believe they can only succeed at the expense of others. This mindset may reduce helping behaviors among employees, indicating the potential unintended consequences of dominance in leadership.

Psychological Measures of Dominance

16PF Questionnaire: The 16PF includes a Dominance (E) scale, which measures the degree to which an individual is assertive, self-assured, and willing to take charge in social situations.

DISC Personality Test: This test assesses four personality traits: Dominance, Influence, Steadiness, and Compliance. The Dominance scale measures how assertive, competitive, and self-assured an individual is.

Dominance/Submission Test by IDRlabs: This test evaluates both dominant and submissive traits, providing a composite result that includes measures of assertiveness, aggression, and competitiveness.

MMPI-3: The MMPI-3 includes a Dominance (DOM) scale as part of its Personality Psychopathology Five (PSY-5) scales. This scale assesses traits related to assertiveness, control, and leadership.

References

Ben-Porath, Y. S., & Tellegen, A. (2020). Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-3 (MMPI-3): Manual for administration, scoring, and interpretation. University of Minnesota Press.

Burgoon, J. K., Wang, X., Chen, X., Pentland, S. J., & Dunbar, N. E. (2021). Nonverbal Behaviors "Speak" Relational Messages of Dominance, Trust, and Composure. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, 624177. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.624177

Cattell, R. B., Cattell, A. K., & Cattell, H. E. P. (1993). Sixteen Personality Factor Questionnaire (16PF) Fifth Edition. Institute for Personality and Ability Testing.

Kakkar, H., & Sivanathan, N. (2021, October 25). The impact of leader dominance on employees’ zero-sum mindset and helping behavior. Journal of Applied Psychology. Advance online publication. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/apl0000980

Sutton, G.W. (2025, February 2). Dominance in psychology: A definition. Psychological Concepts and Theories. https://suttonpsychology.blogspot.com/2025/02/dominance-in-psychology-definition.html

Geoffrey W. Sutton, PhD is Emeritus Professor of Psychology. He retired from a clinical practice and was credentialed in clinical neuropsychology and psychopharmacology. His website is  www.suttong.com

 

See Geoffrey Sutton’s books on   AMAZON       or  GOOGLE STORE

Follow on    FACEBOOK   Geoff W. Sutton    

   X  @Geoff.W.Sutton    

You can read many published articles at no charge:

  Academia   Geoff W Sutton     ResearchGate   Geoffrey W Sutton 

 

Dr. Sutton’s posts are for educational purposes only. See a licensed mental health provider for diagnoses, treatment, and consultation. 

Imagination in Psychology

Psychologists define imagination as the ability to form and manipulate mental images, concepts, and ideas that are not present to the senses. It involves creating scenarios, visualizing outcomes, and exploring possibilities beyond the immediate reality. Imagination is often linked to creativity, problem-solving, and empathy, as it allows individuals to think outside the box and understand different perspectives.

Neel Burton is a psychiatrist and philosopher. In a Psychology Today article, he provided the following definition:

I define imagination as the faculty of the mind that forms and manipulates images, propositions, concepts, emotions, and sensations above and beyond, and sometimes independently, of incoming stimuli, to open up the realms of the abstract, the figurative, the possible, the hypothetical, and the paradigmatic or universal. (Burton, 2024, June 24)

A journal article, "Imagination as an intellectual virtue" by Déborah Marber and Alan T Wilson offers a discussion of imagination from a virtue epistemology perspective, highlighting its role in creativity and empathy. Following is a quote:

“...the intellectual virtue of imagination is a character trait consisting of dispositions to engage skilfully in activities characteristic of imagining, with good judgement and from appropriate epistemic motivations.” (Marber & Wilson, 2024, Abstract)

References

Burton, N. (2024, June 24). The psychology and philosophy of imagination. Psychology Today. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/hide-and-seek/201811/the-psychology-and-philosophy-of-imagination

Marber, D., & Wilson, A. T. (2023). Imagination as an intellectual virtue. Analysis, Advance Article. https://doi.org/10.1093/analys/anae051

Geoffrey W. Sutton, PhD is Emeritus Professor of Psychology. He retired from a clinical practice and was credentialed in clinical neuropsychology and psychopharmacology. His website is  www.suttong.com

 

See Geoffrey Sutton’s books on   AMAZON       or  GOOGLE STORE

Follow on    FACEBOOK   Geoff W. Sutton    

   X  @Geoff.W.Sutton    

You can read many published articles at no charge:

  Academia   Geoff W Sutton     ResearchGate   Geoffrey W Sutton 

 

Dr. Sutton’s posts are for educational purposes only. See a licensed mental health provider for diagnoses, treatment, and consultation. 

Cultural Christian a Psychology of Religion Concept

A Church Wedding 2025
AI image by Geoffrey W. Sutton and Artspace. ai

The term cultural Christian refers to individuals who identify with Christianity primarily due to their cultural background, upbringing, or societal norms, rather than through a strong personal faith in God, active participation in Christian practices, and living according to the teachings of Jesus. These individuals may celebrate Christian holidays, participate in rituals, and hold Christian values.

In this post:

Definition

Concept feature list

Concept assessment

References

Cite this post

Sutton, G. W. (2025, January 28). Cultural Christian: A psychology of religion concept. Psychology Concepts and Theories. Retrieved from https://suttonpsychology.blogspot.com/2025/01/cultural-christian-psychology-of.html

Concept Use: Cultural Christian may be used in the psychology of religion and spirituality, which is a subfield of social psychology.

There is no standard definition of the concept, cultural Christian. I offer the following suggestion.

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Features of the Concept Cultural Christian

The following positive features characterize a cultural Christian:

Celebrates some Christian holidays such as Christmas and Easter

Participates in some Christian practices such as infant baptism, a church wedding, a church funeral

Participates in some Christian ministries, which may include occasional attendance at Christian services, volunteering in a Christian ministry, performing Christian music

Demonstrates a commitment to several Christian values such as forgiveness, peacemaking, social justice

The following features are absent:

Expresses strong belief in Christianity’s supernatural realm

Expresses strong belief in Christianity’s core theological claims

Expresses a strong commitment to a branch of Christianity (e.g., Catholic, Protestant denomination) or a recognized grouping (e, g., evangelical, progressive).

Does not identify with another religion or expression of spirituality

Does not identify as nonreligious, none, atheist, or agnostic

Cultural Christian: A Qualitative Questionnaire

The following questions may be useful in interviews and research focused on Christian types. The answers may be categorized in terms of the features noted above to distinguish people are more like a cultural Christian than a committed follower.

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What Christian holidays do you celebrate?

   Briefly, how do you celebrate those holidays? For example, do you attend church?

What Christian ministries do you participate in? For example, do you sing or play an instrument in a church or serve as a volunteer in a church ministry?

What Christian practices are an important part of your life? For example, prayer, bible reading, or regular church attendance.

What Christian moral values are important to you? For example, what are your beliefs about the following moral issues Christian leaders preach about?

   Abortion

  Contraception

  Divorce and remarriage

  Sexual relationships outside marriage

  Same-sex relationships and marriage

  

What are your views about Christian virtues such as the following?

  Demonstrating compassion for the poor

  Forgiving those who hurt you

  Expressing gratitude

  Expressing generosity

 Living a humble life

What are your views about Christian doctrines or beliefs? Following are a few examples:

  Jesus is the Son of God.

  God is a triune being referred to as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit

  Jesus was born to Mary who was a virgin.

  People who do not accept Jesus as their personal savior will spend the afterlife in hell.

  God heals some people in response to prayer without any human interventions.

  Are there any other beliefs that are highly important to you?

***

Resources

Available on AMAZON

GOOGLE eBOOK

SAMPLE ON ResearchGate

Related Quantitative Measures

Christian Beliefs Index https://statistics.suttong.com/2017/08/christian-beliefs-index-measuring.html

Christian Sociomoral Values Index https://statistics.suttong.com/2022/08/christian-sociomoral-values-index.html

Pentecostal, Charismatic Spirituality scales https://statistics.suttong.com/2018/05/measuring-pentecostal-charismatic.html

References

Davies, M. (2024, August 21). The rise of cultural Christianity: Why religion is thriving in a non-believing age. The New Statesman. Retrieved from https://www.newstatesman.com/cover-story/2024/08/the-rise-of-cultural-christianity

Frankiel, T. (2003). The cross-cultural study of Christianity: An historian's view. Religion, 33(2), 123-137.

Gaskill, A. L. (n.d.). Are you a cultural Christian? Patheos. Retrieved 28 January 2025 from https://www.patheos.com/answers/are-you-a-cultural-christian

Greene, T. M. (1953). Christianity, culture, and academic integrity. Journal of the History of Ideas, 14(3), 291-306.

Sutton, G. W. (2025, January 28). Cultural Christian: A psychology of religion concept. Psychology Concepts and Theories. Retrieved from https://suttonpsychology.blogspot.com/2025/01/cultural-christian-psychology-of.html

Williams, N. (2020). Cultural Christians in the Early Church: A Historical and Practical Introduction to Christians in the Graeco-Roman World. Zondervan Academic.