柑橘直播

Who really knows you better? Is it yourself, or the people around you?

That question became the driving force behind a master鈥檚 thesis for Emily Pintarelli 鈥�23 CLAS, 鈥�24 MS, and one that earned her the 2025 Ingeborg L. and O. Byron Ward Outstanding Thesis Award from the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences at 柑橘直播 University.

鈥淢uch of personality research relies on people鈥檚 own reports about themselves,鈥� Pintarelli explains. 鈥淏ut when someone struggles with a personality disorder, their self-perception might not align with how others view them."

Her thesis, titled 鈥淪elf-Other Knowledge Asymmetry for Autonomous Self-Direction and the Capacity for Intimacy,鈥� investigates the accuracy of self-reports in personality assessment, especially when used in research on personality disorders. Performed in collaboration with Dr. John Kurtz, PhD, it builds on prior work by Ashmita Ghosh 鈥�23 MS.

Pintarelli explored the accuracy of personality assessments by comparing self-reports to informant reports, which is data gathered from people who know the participant, or in some cases, from strangers. The study included 110 student dyads, or pairs, and Pintarelli focused on two core aspects of personality functions: self-direction (how individuals set and pursue goals) and intimacy (how they form and maintain close relationships).

鈥淲e found that self-other agreement was significantly higher for personality traits than for personality functions,鈥� Pintarelli explains.

Traits, such as tendencies in thinking, feeling, and behaving, are generally easier for individuals to reflect upon. In contrast, personality functions鈥攍ike intimacy and self-direction鈥攁re less accessible to introspection, making self-assessments of them less reliable.

One surprising result, Pintarelli says, was how the subjects and acquaintances viewed intimate relationships.

鈥淲e actually found that the more acquainted people were, the less they agreed on intimacy,鈥� she explains, suggesting that while the participants considered all their relationships when providing self-ratings to the intimacy questions, they were more likely focusing only on their direct relationship with the other person when providing other ratings.

Pintarelli鈥檚 and Ghosh鈥檚 combined research, performed with 226 dyads (452 total participants), will soon be submitted for publication.

鈥淓mily鈥檚 thesis findings will be big news for mainstream personality science, where there are many studies that rely on self-report methods to operationalize complex personality functions. She is an outstanding student and promising young researcher. I feel privileged to have had the opportunity to mentor Emily,鈥� Kurtz says.

Pintarelli believes her findings have broad implications, particularly in clinical and legal settings where accurate assessments are critical. While the research performed at 柑橘直播 mostly included college students, she has her eye on forensic psychology and hopes to apply the study to populations diagnosed with personality disorders.

鈥淚鈥檇 like to see how those dynamics play out,鈥� she says.

Pintarelli鈥檚 work earned recognition for its scientific merit, creativity and depth. The annual award honors one outstanding master鈥檚 thesis each year and considers the scope of student contribution, the quality of writing and the impact of the thesis seminar presentation. A combined BS/MS student, Pintarelli was involved in Dr. Kurtz鈥檚 lab since her sophomore year, driven by a deep interest in personality research.

She is currently working as an intern with the Bergen County, N.J., Division of Family Guidance and will soon pursue her doctoral degree at the University of Denver.