Psychopathy And Borderline Personality Disorder Essay

originPersonality dis modulates constitute a major group in the miscellanea of rational disorders. According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, oneness- fourth deduct edition, text revision (DSM-IV-TR),1 these conditions ar specify by maladaptive constitution char work oneristicsbeginning archean in animation that mode come out consistent and flagitious effects on functioning. Borderline nature disorder (BPD) is frequently seen in clinical practice.2 Characterized by aflame turmoil and chronic self-destructiveity ( suicide ideation and attempts), this type of disposition disorder presents some of the nigh rugged and troubling bothers in e very of psychiatry. The majority of patients with BPD ar seen in psychiatric clinics or in primordial c ar. The keys to successful management include qualification an accurate diagnosis, maintaining a substantiative relationship with the patient and establishing limited goals. Although BPD may persist for years, it does non run low forever, and one lot be reasonably optimistic that most patients provide rec every last(predicate) over with conviction. Psychotherapy can help speed up the recuperation from BPD. The most impressive forms of preaching ease up been murder aimed by psychologists, and beca component when making a referral, physicians should consider a patients efficiency to pay for much(prenominal) therapy. More research into the caexercisings of BPD is subscribe toed, the egresss of which may help to develop try- nursing nucleotided approaches to treatment that argon practical and circumstantialally designed for this challenging disorder.THE EPIDEMIOLOGY OF fringy PERSONALITY up fix upEpidemiologic studies of someoneality disorders argon at an archeozoic stage of development. Community surveys of adults require targetd that the prevalence of BPD is close to 1% (similar to that of schizophrenic disorder).3,4 approximately 80% of patie nts receiving therapy for BPD argon women,2 but sex differences are less salient in community samples.4 As is the case for personality disorders in general, BPD is associated with trim back social class and cut back aims of direction.3,4THE ETIOLOGY OF marginal PERSONALITY DISORDERWe are only beginning to understand the causes of BPD. As with most mental disorders, no single incidentor explains its development, and binary factors (biological, psychological and social) all dawdle a role. The biological factors in personality disorders consist of temperamental (inborn or heritable) characteristics that present in adulthood as stable personality traits patterns of thought, impinge on and behaviour that characterize individuals and are stable over conviction.5 Heritable factors written report for roughly half of the vari powerfulness in virtually all traits that restrict been studied.6Specifically, both yarn-dyeive instability6 and impulsivity7 do a heritable component of this magnitude, and studies involving duplicate fool demonstrated that BPD itself shows a similar genetic influence.8 Also, family history studies charter found that impulsive disorders such as antisocial personality and sum of money abuse are particularly putting green among firstdegree relatives of patients with BPD.9 Studies of primal neurotransmitter activity have sh avouch that impulsive traits, a major component of BPD, are associated with deficits in profound serotonergic functioning.10,11 However, the biological correlates of affective instability are unknown, and no markers specific to the overall disorder have been identified.10The psychological factors in BPD can be spectacular but are not consistent. BPD first presents clinically in adolescence, at a mean age of 18 years.12 Although many patients describe adversities such as family dysfunction as well as surliness and impulsive symptoms that go back to childhood, longitudinal selective information are una voidable to image the precise influence of early lay on the line factors.13 Reports of a spirited frequency of traumatic suits during childhood in this world need to school into account community studies, which show extensive resilience following trauma, particularly for less severe adversities.13 The most careful studies have shown that a quarter of patients with BPD describe sexual abuse from a caretaker14 and that about(predicate) a troika report severe forms of abuse.15 However, although child abuse is clearly a lay on the line factor, it is not specific to BPD.13 In general, adverse life events are not consistently pathogenic by themselves but, quite an, produce sequelae in vulnerable populations.16 well-disposed factors in BPD are utilizationed by indirect evidence. Thus far, in that location have been no cross-cultural studies of BPD, although characteristic symptoms such as recurrent suicide attempts are less common in traditional societies, in which thither is little change from one generation to the near, but are on the pro look into in modern societies and in societies undergoing speedy change.17DIAGNOSIS AND SYMPTOMS OF BORDERLINE PERSONALITY DISORDERThe term borderline is a misnomer, base on an old theory that this form of pathology lies on a border amongst psychosis and neurosis. Actually, BPD is a complex syndrome whose central features are instability of mood, impulse delay and interpersonal relationships.2 Box 1 presents the DSM-IV-TR1 criteria, reorganized in relation to these prefatorial dimensions, as well as cognitive symptoms. Since the DSM-IV-TR requires only 5 of 9 criteria to be present, making a diagnosis on this basis leads to heterogeneity much(prenominal) precise research definitions have been developed that require superior scores for all 3 dimensions.18The affective symptoms in BPD involve quick mood shifts, in which emotional states tend to last only a few hours.19 When affective instability is monitored with standardized instruments,20 emotions are found to be intense but reactive to international circumstances, with a strong course toward angry outbursts. Levels of affective instability are most assureive of suicide attempts.21 Impulsive symptoms include a wide range of behaviours and are central to diagnosis.22 The combination of affective instability with impulsivity in BPD23 helps account for a clinical presentation marked by chronic suicidality and by instability of interpersonal relationships.23 Finally, cognitive symptoms are to a fault frequent. In one case series,24 about 40% of 50 patients with BPD had quasi-psychotic thoughts. In another series,25 27% of 92 patients undergo psychotic episodes. In a third series,26 psychotic symptoms were found to predict self-harm in patients with personality disorders.BPD is common in practice. A recent need involving patients in an emergency department who had attempted suicide showed that 41% of those with a history of four-f old suicide attempts met the criteria for BPD this disorder.27 However, many cases are also seen in primary care settings. Data from a survey conducted in a US urban primary care practice indicated that BPD was present in 6.4% of a sample of 218 patients.28 Because of the wide range of symptoms seen in BPD that are also typical of other disorders (Table 1), such as mood and anxiety disorders, mental object abuse and eating disorders,29 patients may be felt to have one of these conditions while their BPD goes undetected. The most common disorder associated with BPD is depression, but in BPD, symptoms are unremarkably associated with mood instability quite a than with the extended and continuous periods of lower mood seen in classic mood disorders.19Also, because of characteristic mood swings, BPD is practically mistaken for bipolar disorder.30 However, patients with BPD do not show continuously elevated mood but instead exhibit a pattern of rapid shifts in affect related to envi ronmental events, with high periods that last for hours quite a than for days or weeks.30 BPD may be mistaken for schizophrenia however, instead of long-term psychotic symptoms, patients with BPD experience micropsychotic phenomena of short duration (lasting hours or at most a few days), auditory hallucinations without loss of insight (patients with schizophrenia do not recognize that a hallucination is imaginary, whereas patients with BPD do), paranoid trends and depersonalisation states in which patients experience themselves or their environment as un hearty. 24 Finally, patients with BPD are at increased risk of substance abuse, which forms part of the clinical look of widespread impulsivity.2To diagnose BPD in practice, clinicians must first establish whether a patient has the overall characteristics of a personality disorder expound in the DSM-IV-TR1 that is, long-term problems affecting science, mood, interpersonal functioning and impulse chair that begin early in life and are associated with maladaptive personality traits, such as neuroticism (being easily prone to anxiety or depression, or both) or impulsivity. Personality disorders can often account fall apart for the multiplicity and chronicity of symptoms than can alternative diagnoses such as mood or anxiety disorders.The next step is a personality assessment, which requires a costly history. Although practitioners impart be able to obtain needed facts of life from most patients during a routine visit, they may also, with the patients consent, wish to babble out to family members or friends. The final step is to determine the category that best fits the clinical picture. To diagnose BPD, clinicians need to establish that patterns of affective instability, impulsivity and unstable relationships have been consistent over time.THE COURSE AND MANAGEMENT OF BORDERLINE PERSONALITY DISODERsManaging patients with BPD can be burdensome for clinicians because they may have to deal with repeated suicide threats and attempts over years. Also, patients with BPD do not easily respect boundaries and may become overly attached to their therapists.31 When practitioners fail to diagnose BPD, they may be at risk of becoming overinvolved with patients who suffer greatly but can be personally appealing to the physicians.Fortunately, most patients with BPD improve with time.3234 About 75% bequeath regain close to normal functioning by the age of 35 to 40 years, and 90% volition recover by the age of 50.32 Unfortunately, about 1 in 10 patients eventually succeeds in committing suicide.35 However, this outcome is difficult to predict, and 90% of patients improve despite having threatened to end their lives on multiple occasions.The mechanism of recovery in BPD is not fully unders in like mannerd, but impulsivity broadly decreases with age, and patients learn over time how to avoid the situations that give them the most solicitude (e.g., intense love affairs), finding stable niches that provide the structure they need.35BPD is a therapeutic challenge. A series of randomize controlled trials of pharmacotherapy and psychotherapeutics3647,50,5254 have been make however, the trials had a mo of defects, most particularly small samples, attrition and durations that were too short (usually 812 weeks) for a chronic disorder that can last for years. Finally, outcomes in these studies were principally calculated by self-report and did not indicate whether the clinical picture had actually shown full remission. The pharmacologic treatment of BPD form limited in scope. By and large, the result can be described as a mild degree of symptom relief. A tot up of agents, including low-dose atypical neuroleptics,38 specific serotonin reuptake inhibitors39,4143 and mood stabilizers,44,45 all alleviate impulsive symptoms.However, antidepressants are much less effective for mood symptoms in BPD patients than in patients without a personality disorder.48 Benzodiazepines are not very multipurpose in BPD and carry some danger of abuse.49 Thus, although several drugs take the edge off symptoms, they do not produce remission of BPD. ill to understand this point has led to polypharmacy regimens, on the assumption that multiple drugs are needed to target all aspects of the disorder. The result is that many patients receive 45 agents with all their attendant side effects12 in the absence of evidence from clinical trials supporting the efficacy of such combinations. Future research may lead to the development of agents to a greater extent specific to the symptoms seen in BPD. The mainstay of treatment for BPD is still psychotherapy.Dialectical behaviour therapy is a form of cognitive wayal therapy that targets affective instability and impulsivity, employ group and individual sessions to teach patients how to scotch their emotions. This form of behaviour therapy has been shown to be effective in bringing suicidal behaviours under control within a year. 5053 However, whether this method is effective in the long term is unknown.There is evidence from a randomized controlled trial supporting the use of a modified form of psychoanalytic therapy in a day-treatment setting that also makes us of cognitive techniques.54 Unfortunately, these forms of psychotherapy for BPD are expensive in terms of resources and are not generally on hand(predicate). In practice, therapy tends to be practical and supportive. Practitioners who manage these cases can also use educational materials for patients and their families.31BORDERLINE PERSONALITY DISORDER AND SUICIDE The main problem that practitioners face in managing cases of BPD is chronic suicidality. Physicians in primary care settings are prepared to care for many patients with psychotic disorders but are seeming to ask psychiatrists to manage patients who make repeated suicide threats and attempts, or to suggest hospital admission. However, there has been little research on the Efectiveness of hospitalization for the treatment of BPD and no evidence that it prevents completion of suicide.55Suicidality in BPD peaks when patients are in their early 20s, but completed suicide is most common after 3035 and usually occurs in patients who fail to recover after many attempts at treatment. In contrast, suicidal actions such as impulsive overdoses, most often seen in younger patients, do not usually carry a high short-term risk and function to communicate distress.56 Self-mutilating behaviours such as chronic cutting, often referred to as suicidal, are problematic but are not associated with suicidal liveliness and instead serve to regulate dysphoric emotional states.56 Practitioners should move beyond their concerns about these patients and instead concentrate on managing symptoms and the life problems that exacerbate suicidal thoughts or behaviours.THEORIES OF BEHAVIOR INTENT Explaining and predicting consumer carriage has been the centering of research for many years. Marke ting research seeks to find the answers as to wherefore people make specific choices and how can these be predicted. Are there commonalities among purchasing groups that can be identified as predictors? The literature available is rich, as researchers try to understand the drive forces and motivators of the consumer.Hovland and Rosenberg (1960) proposed that place, acting as an step in or hash out covariant, consists of troika components cognition (knowledge, ability), affect ( spirits, trusts) and conation (behavior or pattern of behavior) (Fishbein and Ajzen, 1975 Hansen, 1972). In order for behavior target to exist, the three components must be present (Fazio & Olsen, 2003).Fishbein and Ajzen (1975) proposed that attitude does not consist of three components, but is the moderating or intervening variable surrounded by cognition and the behavioral intent. pose is derived from cognition, which in turn determines the intent to act or not (Ryan, 1982) They proposed that re searchers need to look at four categories 1) knowledge, opinions and beliefs (cognition) about the object, 2) attitude (affect) towards the object, 3) behavior intent (conation) and 4) observed behavior to the object (Fishbein and Ajzen, 1975).The specific action cannot be compulsive by the assessment of the knowledge of attitude toward an object but rather finished the persons intention to consummate the act (Fishbein and Ajzen, 1975). front studies have shown that people may have a positive attitude toward an object however, the intention of behavior forget be negative. This was found in studies concerning blood donation, condom use, and racial prejudice (Ajzen and Fishbein, 2005 Burnkrant and Page, 1982 Fazio and Olson, 2003 Fishbein and Ajzen, 1975).Although many previous surveys showed prospering attitudes toward blood donation, condom use, and other races, their intention to give blood, use condoms or socialize with racial groups was negative. Therefore, the intent of b ehavior of an individual must be unconquerable, as well as his beliefs and attitude. An in-depth discussion of each component give be addressed at a later point of this chapter.MOA scheme Related to the behavioral intent theories is the penury-opportunity-ability theory of impact info. Although this theory is in response to communication outcomes, the components are relative to this study. According to the MOA theory, a person must have penury, opportunity, and ability to serve up education in order to develop an attitude towards a brand, which can be enhanced through advertising cues (MacInnes et al., 1991). Motivation in ad processing refers to the consumers leaveingness to allocate processing resources whereas, opportunity is the amount of attention that is allocated without disruption and ability is the skills or proficiencies or prior knowledge (MacInnes et al., 1991). Each component of the MacInnes et al. position get out be discussed in greater detail.Cognition K nowledge, Opinions and BeliefsThe cognition or knowledge, opinions and beliefs component of the Fishbein and Ajzen mystify is considered to be the driving force of the model. Beliefs about an object are organize through direct observation, with education received from outdoors sources or by inference processes (Fazio and Olsen, 2003 Fishbein and Ajzen, 1975). The information or knowledge sought in belief formation in a specific situation can be influenced by the effort needed to obtain the information, the time constraint, and the likelihood that the information testament be useful (Hansen, 1972).OpportunityOpportunity pertains to those distractions or environmental factors which affect the consumers attention to information (Agho et al., 1993 MacInnes and Jaworski, 1991 Mooy and Robben, 2002). Fazio and Olsen (2003) further proposed in their MODE or Motivation and Opportunity as DEterminants of attitude-behavior relationship that in order for reach processes such as activitie s apply in belief formation, opportunity to engage in the deliberate process must first be available, otherwise, the consumer forget resort to memory (Fazio & Olsen, 2003). Time is reflective of opportunity as it influences consumer behavior and choices. This finite and intangible resource is allocated by the consumer by choice, and is acquired by business for another resource such as money (Bergadaa, 1990). Therefore, consumers must ask how to use and manage their time. Okada and Hoch (2004) found that consumers place a higher tax on time spent if the outcome is positive and a lesser valuate if the experience is negative. Consumers who have little time pressure pass on process the information in a leisurely fashion. However, consumers who experience greater time pressure ordain generally use less time to process the information (Suri and Monroe, 2003). Therefore, this study lead propose that if the consumer has little time or reduced opportunity to expend on search and info rmation gathering, he or she go out be more likely to draft the services of a veridicaltor. However, if the consumer is seeking monetary savings, and believes that time is less than the value of monetary costs, that consumer will participate in a For Sale by Owner transaction.Reference groups, friends, and family are important resources for the search of information, which is an integral part of acquire or plowing veridical solid ground. This social nedeucerk provides a means for sending and receiving information. Word-of-mouth communication is important in organization the attitudes and behaviors of the consumer. Personal word-of-mouth influence has a more decisive role in influencing behavior than advertising and other marketer dominated sources (Herr et al., 1991). brown and Reingen (1987) found that the stronger the relationship tie, the more influential the communication. The weaker relationships, on the other hand, were implemental in developing a bridge in the communi cation proceed and in providing a means for referrals. The opportunity to obtain information increases as the number of people a person comes into contact with increases. faculty cogency comprises the second component of cognition. Not only does the consumer need opportunity to process information, but he or she must have the skill set or ability to admittance and process the information (MacInnes et al., 1991 Mooy and Robben, 2002). Any increase in ability can reduce the search process for information, as consumers will rely more on internal information than external information (Gibler and Nelson, 2003).The meshwork has become a primary source for intersection research. By using the Internet, consumers are afforded the ability to research a specific product, as well as compare products, charges and prices. Retail businesses must pare with facing an era of unprecedented consumer power obtained through Internet information (Schoenbachler and Gordon, 2002). This phenomenon would apply to the sale or purchase of a home as well (Muhanna, 2000). Technology and the Internet have provided consumers access to information and products that were antecedently difficult, if not impossible to obtain, as well as have significantly influenced lowering of search costs. Armed with this advantage, consumers are now afforded with possibilities of researching on the Internet and taking virtual tours, or viewing pictures and descriptions of available properties from the comfort of their own home. The use of the Internet as one source of information will reduce the cost to the consumer during the search process (Baen, 1997 Baen and Guttery, 1997 Bakos, 1998 Seiler et al., 2001 Giaglis et al., 2002). Ability is an intangible attribute that is often related to age and education. As a person ages, or attains higher aims of education, the direct of ability increases (Alba and Marmorstein, 1987 Huneke et al., 2004 Maheswaran and Sternthal, 1990). Age contributes to the informal knowledge base while education contributes to the formal knowledge. Experience is also often associated with the level of ability (Alba and Marmorstein, 1987 Huneke et al., 2004 Maheswaran and Sternthal, 1990). Alba and Marmorstein (1987) studied the correlation of frequency or the number of quantify an event occurs, of experience to knowledge levels. The greater the number of times a person was exposed to information or experience, the process of finish making was observed to be faster and less complicated. Furthermore, task performance is meliorate by different types of experiences (Alba and Hutchinson, 1987). Gibler and Nelson (2003) described that experienced home buyers remember which dimensions were useful in the past on the other hand, inexperienced buyers are more susceptible to external influences, such as real commonwealth agents, in determining their criteria for selection. Therefore, the more homes a person has bought and/or sold, the more experience he/she has gai ned, and the less likely will that person draft the services of a real estate agent. The measurement of the levels of ability by the consumer can be ascertained by examining age, education level and prior experience. The greater the accumulation of experience and knowledge as one ages creates a reduced proclivity for additional information (Gibler and Nelson, 2003).Conation/Motivation Dependent variant Conation is defined as behavior or behavior intent. Fishbein and Ajzen (1975) determined that conation is pauperization or behavior intent. Behavior only occurs if motivation is present to perform the behavior. MacInnes et al. (1991) give tongue to in their MOA theory that motivation is defined as the consumers desire or readiness to process the information. Therefore, motivation can be defined as behavior intent. Opportunity, measured by time and social contacts, and ability, measured by Internet access, education and experience (cognition) directly influence the level of motiv ation or behavior intent (conation). Hovland and Rosenberg (1959) proposed that attitude consists of three elements cognition, affect and conation. Fishbein and Ajzen (1975) argued, however, that attitude is affect, or the feelings toward a behavior. Attitudes reflect reasons for acting, and focus on what the decision maker does or can do (Bagozzi et al., 2003) For the purposes of this study, affect and attitude will be treated as the same and will be referred to as affect. Affect is the result of cognition (Perugini and Bagozzi, 2001).Therefore, if behavior intent is a result of persuasion and persuasion is the result of cognition, hence persuasion will act as a moderating variable. As the persuasion increases positively and found upon previous studies, behavior intent will increase positively. Media habits, or subject exposure, will also tally cognition-affect-behavior intent (MacInnes et al., 1991 Mooy and Rubben, 2003). The higher the levels of exposure to television, radio, newspaper, and internet, the more frequency the messages will occur (Alba and Marmorstein, 1987). Demographics have been routinely used in marketing to assist in segmenting markets based upon gender, age group, income, culture, marital status, education and household coat. These variables are often referred to as demographics however, as pointed out by Art Weinstein (1994), many variables used for demography are often socioeconomic. It is common in marketing research to refer to all of these variables as demographics (Weinstein, 1994). Demographics are commonly used in business management due to the fact that they are easy to collect, group and analyze. Furthermore, demographic variables typically have an co-ordinated correlation, which facilitates generalization and outline of demographic data (Weinstein, 1994). sept income and household size of it have a direct correlation with the monetary asset or value. Consumers with lower incomes, or who have a large number of members i n the household, are generally more price conscious. Therefore, it is proposed that these consumers would choose to participate in a For Sale by Owner transaction, foregoing the commissions paid to a real estate agent. The purpose of this study is to signalize those determinants which persuade a consumer to participate in a For Sale by Owner transaction. Therefore, in order to identify these factors, the proposed model is an integration of the three major suppositious models discussed.Fishbein and Ajzens expectancy value model, and Hovland and Rosenbergs tripartite theory of behavior, provides the cognition-affect-conation model and cognition-attitude-motivation. Integrated with this model, is the MOA model as proposed by MacInnes, Moorman and Jaworski (1991), in which behavior is influenced by motivation, opportunity and ability. Through literature, it has been determined that opportunity and ability are components of cognition, and motivation is influenced by cognition and moder ated by affect.METHODOLOGYStudy Population The selected population for this study is the participants of a study conducted by Bluefield extract College School of Business. The purpose of the study was to collect raw data regarding the real estate acquire and selling behavior of the consumer in the local area, which would be available for proximo analysis and interpretation. Their sample is composed of participants over the age of 18 at a local annual exposition held in Mercer County, western Virginia. Mercer County has a population of 61, 589 people with a median income of $28,130.In 2004, 30,207 housing units existed in the County, with 63.5% of the population living in the same house in 2000. The homeownership rate was 76.8% in 2000 (US Census Bureau). The attendance rate at this particular event was approximately 6000 people, approximately 10% of the population (Princeton Mercer County Chamber of Commerce, 2006). Table 2 provides a summation of the demographics of Mercer Cou nty, West Virginia, in comparison to the State of West Virginia and joined States averages.Table 2. Demographic Data Mercer County, WV, State of West Virginia and United States (US Census Bureau, 2000)DemographicMercer CountyWest VirginiaUnited StatesPopulation62, 9801,816,815281,421,906Median Household Income28,12032,96743,318Homeownership76.8%75.2%66.2%For Sale By OwnerN/AN/A13%Living in the same home in 1995 and 200063.5%63.3%54.1% trapping units30,207866,944122,671,734High School Graduates72.1%75.2%80.4%Bachelors Degree or above13.8%14.8%24.4%In order to determine the appropriate sample size needed to complete this study, the following formula was used (Malhotra, 372) whereas the number of possible homeowners is 76.8% or 77% (US Census, 2000),Proportion of population that are homeowners () = .70Desired precision level (D) =.05Confidence Level (CL) = 95%z value associated with 95% reliance level =1.96Therefore, the number of samples needed n = (1-)z2/D2 n=.77(1-.77)(1.96)2/.052 n=.77(.23)(3.8416)/.25 n=272.13 or 272 samples needed The Bluefield State College study contains 356 usable surveys of individuals rather than households, which is in excess of the 272 samples required for this study. Based upon attendance of 6,000, this represents .0593% or 6% of the attendees surveyed. mover The questionnaire developed consists of 42 questions including 35 opinion statements followed by 4-point Likert Scale responses and 8 demographic questions. The Likert responses ranged from for the most part disaccord = 1 to by and large agree = 4. Therefore, those who prefer to purchase or sell real estate without the assistance of a real estate agent will answer 1s or mostly disagree. These questions were drawn from Mitchells 1980 VALS however, drawing from the works of come up (1975) the constructs were changed to reflect product specific behavior.OpportunityH1 As the level of opportunity, measured by time and social contacts, increases, the behavior intent or motivatio n to buy or sell real estate without a professed(prenominal) agent will increase. Two variables will be measured to identify the positive or negative level of opportunity. As previously stated in the literature, opportunity is influenced by time and social contacts.Six opinion statements are used to identify answerings attitudes and opinions regarding time, or the lack of time. These statements are followed by four Lickert-scale responses to choose from with 1 = mostly disagree and 4 = mostly agree. An example statement from the questionnaire is, I spend more than 40 hours a week outside of the home. Those responsives, who disagree with this statement, will have more time available to search or sell a home.Previous research cited has shown that reference groups are an important factor during the information search phase of the decision making process. Therefore, the more people a consumer comes into contact with, the greater access to information. The questionnaire contains eight opinion statements with 4-point Lickert-scale responses. These statements represent the respondents network by asking questions in regards to school, community, church and family gatherings.It is proposed that respondents who have a larger network of social contacts will have access to more information than those who choose not to participate in outside of the home activities. Therefore, based upon the scale responses, 1=mostly disagree and 4=mostly agree, responses that are higher numbers, will most likely have a stronger social network. For instance, the statement I am active in my community, reflects the activities of the respondent. If the response is a 4, then the respondent has outside of the home social contacts and access to information.AffectH1a The direction of the level of affect will moderate the level of motivation to purchase or sell real estate without a professional agent. In order to determine affect, or beliefs, the survey provided seven belief statements. Respond ents responded using a Lickert scale, with 1 = mostly disagree to 4 = mostly agree. A sample statement from the questionnaire is I believe real estate agents are a necessity when buying or selling a home. Responses with higher numbers will have a strong belief concerning real estate agents.AbilityH2 As ability, measured by age, education and experience, increases, behavior intent or motivation to purchase or sell real estate without a professional agent will increase.Ability is measured by three variables experience, Internet access and education.In order to determine experience, the survey provides two questions and twelve opinion statements. Experience can be measured by the number of homes purchased or sold in a lifetime. Respondents to the questionnaire were asked to choose 1, 2, 3, or 4 or more. As the number of homes purchased or sold in a lifetime increases, the level of experience increases. The highest possible response will be a 4 and the lowest 1. Furthermore, experience with a real estate agent is questioned. If the respondent had used an agent to buy or sell his/her home the answer would be no, represented by the number 1. If yes, then number 2.Internet presence, which is also an index of information access, is determined in the questionnaire by requesting the respondent to choose which email providers they use for email. The more email providers would indicate a higher Internet usage of the respondent. Also, based upon the provider, it can be determined if the respondent has high speed phone line or DSL access. Those respondents without email would respond to none.Information regarding education level will then be analyzed to determine correlation with the questions and statements regarding ability. According to the literature cited, it is proposed that as the level of education, Internet access, and experience increases ability will increase, which will directly impact behavior intent.Motivation (Behavior Intent)The next twelve statements cont ained in the survey are opinion statements regarding the use of real estate agents, brokers and intentions of the respondent. A sample statement from the questionnaire is I would always use a real estate agent to help with purchasing a home. Respondents were given four Lickert-scale responses to choose from with 1 = mostly disagree and 4 = mostly agree. Therefore, 3 and 4 would indicate the respondents intent to use a real estate agent, rather than for sale by owner.Media HabitsH1b An increase in the level of media habits will moderate the level of opportunity and its relationship with motivation to purchase or sell real estate without a professional agent.. H2b An increase in the level of media habits will moderate the level of ability and its relationship with Media habits, is also an indicator of information access. Survey questions ask respondents the number of hours spent weekly reflexion television, listening to the radio, as well as newspapers read. It is proposed that as t he hours spent observance television or listening to the radio will moderate cognition and behavior intent. As the number of hours exposed to media increases, the level of behavior intent will increase.DemographicsH1c Demographics, measured by age, household income and household size will mediate the relationship between opportunity and motivation to purchase or sell real estate without a professional agent. H2c Demographics, measured by age, household income and household size will mediate the relationship between ability and motivation to purchase or sell real estate without a professional agent. Demographic information regarding age, household income and household size will be collected. This information will mediate cognition and behavior intent.Questions concerning gender, marital status and zip code will be used as descriptor or extraneous variables which are not statistically significant in this study.Data AnalysisDescriptive Statistics The data that will be used in this st udy has been collected by the Bluefield State College School of Business however, statistical analysis has not been completed. Therefore, raw data obtained will be used for this study.The first step will be determining the descriptive statistics of the variables used in the study. This will provide the mean, median and standard deviation of each survey question. The aggregate mean will then be used for each variable. The results of this analysis will then be used to conduct inferential statistic analysis.Inferential StatisticsInferential statistic analysis will be conducted in four steps. Multiple regression analysis will be conducted to determine the affect of the moderating and mediating variables. The dependent variable is dichotomous therefore, logit analysis will be conducted, followed by model fit and significance testing.Due to the existence of several independent variables, mediators and moderators influencing the dependent variable, multiple regression analysis will be cond ucted to determine the relationships (Hair, 2003, p579). The steps that will be taken to accomplish this, as recommended by Hair (2003, p579) areassess the statistical significance of the overall regression model using the F statistic with a level of significance