Closure (psychology)

Closure (psychology)

Closure or need for closure is a popular psychology term used to describe an individual's desire for a definite cognitive closure as opposed to enduring ambiguity. It is a need usually provoked after experiencing an emotional conclusion to a traumatic life event, such as the breakdown of a close interpersonal relationship or the death of loved one.

The term became popular in the 1990s due to its use in the popular media. The term cognitive closure has been defined as "a desire for definite knowledge on some issue and the eschewal of confusion and ambiguity."[1] Need for closure is a phrase used by psychologists to describe an individual’s desire for a firm solution as opposed to enduring ambiguity.

Contents

Need For Closure Scale (NFCS)

The need for closure varies across individuals, situations, and cultures. A person with a high need for closure prefers order and predictability, is decisive and closed-minded, and is uncomfortable with ambiguity.[2] Someone rating low on need for closure will express more ideational fluidity and emit more creative acts.[3]

The Need for Closure Scale (NFCS) was developed by Arie Kruglanski, Donna Webster, and Adena Klem in 1993. Items on the scale include statements such as “I think that having clear rules and order at work is essential to success.” and “I do not like situations that are uncertain”. Items such as “Even after I’ve made up my mind about something, I am always eager to consider a different opinion.” and “I like to have friends who are unpredictable” are reverse scored.[4] Composed of 42 items, the scale has been used in numerous research studies and has been translated into multiple languages. In 2007, Roets and Van Hiel revised the scale, their objective being to resolve some psychometric problems, and thus to make of it a stable, one-dimensional metric.[5]

The Need for Closure Scale exhibits low to moderate association with the following: “authoritarianism, intolerance of ambiguity, dogmatism, need for cognition, cognitive complexity, impulsivity, need for structure, and fear of invalidity, while retaining considerable distinctiveness from those various constructs”.[6] It does not appear to be related to intelligence level nor to social-desirability concerns.[citation needed]

Research

Individuals scoring high on the NFCS are correspondingly more likely to attempt to draw closure at the earliest perceived opportunity, relying on incipient cues, and the first-encountered apparent fit.[3] The need for closure is also said to predispose a very narrow or shallow information search, along with a higher tendency to use cognitive heuristics, when seeking solutions. (Van Hiel and Mervielde, 2003)

In studies on creativity, those individuals with low need-for-closure ratings had inversely higher scores in creativity. They more frequently produced novel solutions that motivated and inspired others in their groups, and the outcomes of the projects in which they participated were rated as correspondingly more productive.[3]

Some researchers have reached the conclusion that a desire for simple structure is what underlies (need for) cognitive closure.[7] Others predict that stressors such as time pressure lead to a tendency to stick with a given strategy because of a heightened personal need for closure.[1]

Collective psychology

The term may also be applied to the supposed collective psyche of a society.[citation needed] It rose to worldwide prominence in this sense when calls to achieve 'closure' were used to curtail the process of recounting votes in the United States presidential election, 2000.[citation needed]

References

  1. ^ a b Webster, Donna M.; Arie W. Kruglanski (1997). "Cognitive and Social Consequences of the Need for Cognitive Closure". European Review of Social Psychology 18: 133–173. ISSN 1479-277X. 
  2. ^ Van Hiel, A., Mervielde, I. (2003) The Need for closure and the Spontaneous Use of Complex and Simple Cognitive Structures. The Journal of Social Psychology, 14, 559-568.
  3. ^ a b c Chirumbolo, A., Livi, S., Mannetti, L., Pierro, A., Kruglanski, A. (2004) Effects of Need for Closure on Creativity in Small Group Interactions. European Journal of Personality, 18, 265-278.
  4. ^ Kruglanski, A. W., Webster, D. M., & Klem, A. (1993). Motivated resistance and openness to persuasion in the presence or absence of prior information. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 65, 861-876.
  5. ^ Roets, A., & Van Hiel, A. (2007). Separating ability from need: Clarifying the dimensional structure of the need for closure scale. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 33, 266-280.
  6. ^ Webster, D., Kruglanski, A. (1994) Individual differences in need for cognitive closure. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 67, 1049-1062
  7. ^ Neuberg, S., Judice, T., & West, S (1997). What the need for Closure Scale measures and what it does not: Toward differentiating among related epistemic motives. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 72, 1396-1412.

See also

External links


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужно сделать НИР?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Closure — may refer to: Closure (container) used to seal a bottle, jug, jar, can, or other container Closure (wine bottle), a stopper Closure (business), the process by which an organization ceases operations Closure (philosophy), a principle in… …   Wikipedia

  • Cognitive closure (psychology) — The term cognitive closure refers to a desire for definite knowledge on some issue and the eschewal of confusion and ambiguity. Harv|Webster2007.Cite journal issn = 1479 277X volume = 18 pages = 133–173 last = Webster first = Donna M. coauthors …   Wikipedia

  • closure — late 14c., a barrier, a fence, from O.Fr. closure enclosure; that which encloses, fastening, hedge, wall, fence, also closture barrier, division; enclosure, hedge, fence, wall (12c., Mod.Fr. clôture), from L. clausura lock, fortress, a closing… …   Etymology dictionary

  • Psychology (The separation of) from philosophy — The separation of psychology from philosophy Studies in the sciences of mind 1815–1879 Edward S.Reed THE IMPOSSIBLE SCIENCE Traditional metaphysics The consensus of European opinion during and immediately after the Napoleonic era was that… …   History of philosophy

  • closure — /ˈkloʊʒə / (say klohzhuh) noun 1. the act of closing or shutting. 2. the state of being closed. 3. a bringing to an end; conclusion. 4. a sense of completion or finality experienced upon the resolution of a conflict, acceptance of a loss, etc. 5 …  

  • Cognitive closure — can refer to: Cognitive closure (psychology), a term describing the human desire to eliminate ambiguity and arrive at definite conclusions (sometimes irrationally). Cognitive closure (philosophy), the idea that only certain things are even in… …   Wikipedia

  • Occupational health psychology — Psychology …   Wikipedia

  • Need for Closure — is a psychological term used to describe an individual’s desire for a quick answer as opposed to enduring ambiguity. It is a need usually provoked after experiencing an emotional conclusion to a difficult life event, such as the breakdown of a… …   Wikipedia

  • List of psychology topics — This page aims to list all topics related to psychology. This is so that those interested in the subject can monitor changes to the pages by clicking on Related changes in the sidebar. It is also to see the gaps in Wikipedia s coverage of the… …   Wikipedia

  • Gestalt psychology — (also Gestalt of the Berlin School) is a theory of mind and brain that proposes that the operational principle of the brain is holistic, parallel, and analog, with self organizing tendencies; or, that the whole is different than the sum of its… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”