Psychology Commons^™

Culture Shapes Whether The Pursuit Of Happiness Predictshigher Or Lower Well-Being, Brett Q. Ford, Julia O. Dmitrieva, Daniel Heller, Yulia Chentsova-Dutton, Igor Grossmann, Maya Tamir, Yukiko Uchida, Birgit Koopmann-Holm, Victoria A. Floerke, Meike Uhrig, Tatiana Bokhan, Iris B. Mauss

Psychology

Pursuing happiness can paradoxically impair well-being. Here, the authors propose the potential downsides to pursuing happiness may be specific to individualistic cultures. In collectivistic (vs. individualistic) cultures, pursuing happiness may be more successful because happiness is viewed--and thus pursued--in relatively socially engaged ways. In 4 geographical regions that vary in level of collectivism (United States, Germany, Russia, East Asia), we assessed participants' well-being, motivation to pursue happiness, and to what extent they pursued happiness in socially engaged ways. Motivation to pursue happiness predicted lower well-being in the United States, did not predict well-being in Germany, and predicted higher well-being in …

An Examination Of Psychological Climate Linking Mechanisms Across The Strategic Priorities Of Health And Stress, Alec Munc

All Dissertations

Given that employee health and well-being represent a significant source of financial costs for organizations, this dissertation seeks to address some of the pathways through which organizational efforts to improve physical and mental health may operate. This study drew from a model of safety climate (Neal & Griffin, 2000) to propose that psychological climate exerts in influence on employee health and well-being through the joint moderators of knowledge/motivation and behaviors. The model also extended beyond the typical climate linking mechanisms to include moderators both individual (behavioral activation & behavioral inhibition systems) and contextual (workplace physical exposure). Using a two-wave prospective …

Assessing The Psychoeducational Approach To Transcendence And Health (Path) Program : An Intervention To Foster Self-Transcendence And Well-Being In Community-Dwelling Older Adults., Valerie Lander Mccarthy, Sharon Bowland, Lynne A. Hall, Jennifer Connelly

Faculty Scholarship

The late-life developmental process of self-transcendence shapes elders’ perspectives on self, others, the nature of this world, and of a dimension beyond the here and now. This qualitative pilot study evaluated the Psychoeducational Approach to Transcendence and Health (PATH) Program, a psychoeducational intervention to promote self-transcendence and well-being in community-dwelling women at a senior center. The intervention involved eight weekly group sessions using group processes, mindfulness practices, creative experiences, and independent at-home practice. The findings supported the underlying theory-based structure and content of the intervention and indicated the intervention may empower elders to attend to self-care, develop acceptance, and learn …

Meaning As A Buffer Against Adolescent Psychopathology, Ellen Shaina Dulaney

College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations

This thesis investigates the function of meaning in life in adolescence to ascertain whether specific psychological resources may protect youths against threats to subjective well-being. Meaning in life and the search for the meaning in stressful occurrences were independently examined for their influence on stress impact and depression symptomatology. 201 American middle-school and high-school students between 12 and 19 years of age were recruited for this study. Participants reported on questionnaires targeting frequency of negative life events; depressive symptoms; sense of meaning; and tendency to reframe stressors in terms of their meaning, termed “stressor meaning seeking”. It was expected that …

Grandparents Raising Grandchildren: Investigating Factors Associated With Distress Among Custodial Grandparent, Rebekah M. Doley, Ryan Bell, Bruce Watt, Hannah Simpson

Bruce Watt

The aim of the current study was to explore the relationship between the psychological health of grandparents raising grandchildren, and those grandchildren’s social, emotional and behavioural issues. The study also assessed the relationship between psychological well-being in grandparents and access to informal social support. The sample comprised 100 grandparents who were raising grandchildren. Regression analyses revealed that grandparents caring for grandchildren with abnormal emotional and hyperactive symptoms scored higher on measures of anxiety, stress, and depression, and were more likely to report less life satisfaction. Grandparents with greater access to informal support experienced less depression, although greater access to informal …

Grandparents Raising Grandchildren: Investigating Factors Associated With Distress Among Custodial Grandparent, Rebekah M. Doley, Ryan Bell, Bruce Watt, Hannah Simpson

Ryan Bell

The aim of the current study was to explore the relationship between the psychological health of grandparents raising grandchildren, and those grandchildren’s social, emotional and behavioural issues. The study also assessed the relationship between psychological well-being in grandparents and access to informal social support. The sample comprised 100 grandparents who were raising grandchildren. Regression analyses revealed that grandparents caring for grandchildren with abnormal emotional and hyperactive symptoms scored higher on measures of anxiety, stress, and depression, and were more likely to report less life satisfaction. Grandparents with greater access to informal support experienced less depression, although greater access to informal …

Contemplating Mindfulness At Work: An Integrative Review, Christopher Lyddy, Darren J. Good, Theresa M. Glomb, Joyce E. Bono, Kirk W. Brown, Michelle K. Duffy, Ruth A. Baer, Judson A. Brewer, Sara W. Lazar

School of Business Faculty Publications

Mindfulness research activity is surging within organizational science. Emerging evidence across multiple fields suggests that mindfulness is fundamentally connected to many aspects of workplace functioning, but this knowledge base has not been systematically integrated to date. This review coalesces the burgeoning body of mindfulness scholarship into a framework to guide mainstream management research investigating a broad range of constructs. The framework identifies how mindfulness influences attention, with downstream effects on functional domains of cognition, emotion, behavior, and physiology. Ultimately, these domains impact key workplace outcomes, including performance, relationships, and well-being. Consideration of the evidence on mindfulness at work stimulates important …

The Effects Of Intrinsic And Extrinsic Sources Of Motivation On Well-Being Depend On Time Of Day: The Moderating Effects Of Workday Accumulation, Alison Benedetti, James Diefendorff, Allison Gabriel, Megan Chandler

James M. Diefendorff

Using self-determination theory and research on temporal aspects of work (e.g., time of day), this study investigates dynamic effects of task-specific motivation on well-being throughout the workday. We argue that the effects of task-specific intrinsic and extrinsic motivations on well-being outcomes (psychological vitality, job satisfaction) depend on the time of day in which the task is encountered, referred to here as workday accumulation. Our results showed that time of day interacted with intrinsic sources of motivation to predict job satisfaction, such that the relation was strong and positive early in the day and weak and positive later in the day. …

Motivation And Well-Being: A Test Of Self-Determination Theory Using A Person-Centered Approach, Chelsea A. Vaters

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Self-determination theory postulates that individuals can experience motivation in different ways and that these different types of motivation fall along a continuum from controlled to autonomous regulation. Recently, there have been challenges to the notion that an individual’s motivation can be categorized as falling at a particular point along the autonomy continuum. Researchers have begun to investigate the possibility that individuals can experience different types of motivation simultaneously. The current study used a person-centered approach to study motivation and also examined how the profiles detected related to well-being outcomes and adaptive student behaviours. Latent profile analyses of data from two …

A Latent Profile Analysis Of Romantic Relationship Quality And Its Associations With Personality, Partner Support, And Psychological Well-Being, Samantha Chen

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The current study investigated the number of relationship quality profiles that emerge from a latent profile analysis and subsequently examined the nature of each subgroup using predictors of partner social support and personality, as well as outcomes of psychological well-being. The application of latent profile analysis resulted in three profiles of low, moderate, and high relationship quality among a sample of university students. Additionally, predictors and outcomes of profile membership were incorporated to provide a greater descriptive understanding of the latent profiles. Results showed that the relationship between intimacy and passion and the relationship between relationship satisfaction and received esteem …

Understanding The Irony: Canadian Gay Men Living With Hiv/Aids, Their Catholic Devotion, And Greater Well-Being, Renato M. Liboro, Richard T.G. Walsh

Psychology Faculty Research

Nine Canadian Catholic HIV-positive gay men were interviewed to obtain a better understanding of why and how they were able to persevere in their faith despite their religion’s teachings against homosexuality and contributions to the stigmatization of HIV/AIDS. By examining the lived experiences and personal perspectives of the participants, the study aimed to explore and elucidate the significant role of Catholicism and the Catholic Church both as a continued source of marginalization and oppression, as well as strength and support, for Canadian gay men living with HIV/AIDS today.

Promoting Self-Transcendence And Well-Being In Community-Dwelling Older Adults : A Pilot Study Of A Psychoeducational Intervention., Valerie Lander Mccarthy, Jiying Ling, Sharon Bowland, Lynne A. Hall, Jennifer Connelly

Faculty Scholarship

Self-transcendence changes how older adults perceive themselves, their relationships with others, the material world, and the metaphysical or spiritual dimension. It is associated with multiple indicators of well-being. The purpose of this pilot study (N = 20) was to examine the feasibility and effectiveness of a psychoeducational intervention to increase self-transcendence and well-being of older adults. Data were analyzed using generalized estimating equations. All variables trended in the directions hypothesized. Self-transcendence increased in the intervention group and decreased in the control group but not significantly. The group × time interaction for life satisfaction was significant (z = 2.89, …

Variability Modifies Life Satisfaction's Association With Mortality Risk In Older Adults, Julia K. Boehm, Ashley Winning, Suzanne Segerstrom, Laura D. Kubzansky

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

Greater life satisfaction is associated with greater longevity, but its variability across time has not been examined relative to longevity. We investigated whether mean life satisfaction across time, variability in life satisfaction across time, and their interaction were associated with mortality over 9 years of follow-up. Participants were 4,458 Australians initially at least 50 years old. During the follow-up, 546 people died. After we adjusted for age, greater mean life satisfaction was associated with a reduction in mortality risk, and greater variability in life satisfaction was associated with an increase in mortality risk. These findings were qualified by a significant …

Unsilencing The Voice Within: Expressive Writing As A Therapeutic Tool, Karla L. Sapp

National Youth Advocacy and Resilience Conference

Written words are a very powerful tool that is used to facilitate self-healing, awareness, and growth through the communication of one’s deepest thoughts, emotions, and desires. The purpose of this poster session is to provide mental health providers (community, school, criminal justice) with an overview of expressive writing, forms of expressive writing that can be utilized, and implications for professional practice with At-Risk Youth.

Passive Facebook Usage Undermines Affective Wellbeing: Experimental And Longitudinal Evidence, Jiyoung Park, Philippe Verduyn, David Lee, Holly Shablack, Ariana Orvell, Joseph Bayer, Oscar Ybarra, John Jonides, Ethan Kross

Jiyoung Park

Mindfulness At Work: Antecedents And Consequences Of Employee Awareness And Absent-Mindedness, Jochen Reb, Jayanth Narayanan, Zhi Wei Ho

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

The present study examines antecedents and consequences of two aspects of mindfulness in a work setting: employee awareness and employee absent-mindedness. Using two samples, the study found these two aspects of mindfulness to be beneficially associated with employee well-being, as measured by emotional exhaustion, job satisfaction, and psychological need satisfaction, and with job performance, as measured by task performance, organizational citizenship behaviors, and deviance. These results suggest a potentially important role of mindfulness at the workplace. The study also found that organizational constraints and organizational support predicted employee mindfulness, pointing to the important role that the organizational environment may play …

Passive Facebook Usage Undermines Affective Wellbeing: Experimental And Longitudinal Evidence, Jiyoung Park, Philippe Verduyn, David Lee, Holly Shablack, Ariana Orvell, Joseph Bayer, Oscar Ybarra, John Jonides, Ethan Kross

Psychological and Brain Sciences Faculty Publication Series

Prior research indicates that Facebook usage predicts declines in subjective well-being over time. How does this come about? We examined this issue in 2 studies using experimental and field methods. In Study 1, cueing people in the laboratory to use Facebook passively (rather than actively) led to declines in affective well-being over time. Study 2 replicated these findings in the field using experience-sampling techniques. It also demonstrated how passive Facebook usage leads to declines in affective well-being: by increasing envy. Critically, the relationship between passive Facebook usage and changes in affective well-being remained significant when controlling for active Facebook use, …

Development Of The Personal And Professional Self-Care Scale, Katherine Elizabeth Dorociak

Master's Theses

In recent years, there has been an increased emphasis on the importance of self- care for psychologists and other mental health professionals. However, the research on self-care is limited because of the lack of an empirically based, psychometrically sound measure of this construct. Thus, the purpose of this project was to develop a measure of personal and professional self-care. The preliminary phase involved the development of a self-care definition and a two-factor framework that divided self-care into personal and professional activities. Based on this definition and framework, self-care items were generated for expert evaluation. After incorporating the expert feedback, 52 …

Tweeting About Sexism: The Well-Being Benefits Of A Social Media Collective Action., Mindi D. Foster

Psychology Faculty Publications

Although collective action has psychological benefits in non-gendered contexts (e.g., Drury et al., 2005), the benefits for women taking action against gender discrimination are unclear. This study examined how a popular, yet unexplored potential form of collective action, namely tweeting about sexism, affects women’s well-being. Women read about sexism and were randomly assigned to tweet, or to one of three control groups. Content analyses showed tweets exhibited collective intent and action. Analyses of linguistic markers suggested public tweeters used more cognitive complexity in their language than private tweeters. Profile analyses showed that compared to controls, only public tweeters showed decreasing …

The Importance Of Fitting In: Drinker Status, Social Inclusion, And Well-Being In College Students, Molly B. Hodgkins

Honors Theses

These three studies examined the relationship between drinker status, well-being, and social inclusion in a college population, specifically seeking to discover why and how drinkers are happier than abstainers. In the first study, an existing longitudinal data set was used to compare the happiness of drinkers and non-drinkers, as well as ascertain if year in school was a factor. Drinkers were significantly happier than non-drinkers upon completion of their first semester freshman year, but this difference was not significant when the students were assessed one year later. Study 2 extended Study 1 by examining social factors as potential mediators of …

What Makes Lawyers Happy? A Data-Driven Prescription To Redefine Professional Success, Lawrence S. Krieger, Kennon M. Sheldon

Scholarly Publications

This is the first theory-guided empirical research seeking to identify the correlates and contributors to the well-being and life satisfaction of lawyers. Data from several thousand lawyers in four states provide insights about diverse factors from law school and one’s legal career and personal life. Striking patterns appear repeatedly in the data and raise serious questions about the common priorities on law school campuses and among lawyers. External factors, which are often given the most attention and concern among law students and lawyers (factors oriented towards money and status—such as earnings, partnership in a law firm, law school debt, class …

Emerging Adulthood In North America: Identity Status And Perception Of Adulthood Among College Students From Canada And The United States, Karin Bartoszuk

ETSU Faculty Works

This study examined perceptions of adulthood and associations with identity status development among college students in Canada and the United States.

Relationship Between Psychological Well-Being And Perceived Wellness In Online Graduate Counselor Education Students, Wendy Merryman, Magy Martin, Don Martin

Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision

Counselor well-being is an important contributor to the effectiveness of the therapeutic relationship. This study examined the relationship between psychological well-being and perceived wellness in a sample (N = 100) of graduate students enrolled in two online counselor training programs. The issue of personal counseling was also addressed in this study. Multiple regression analysis revealed a significant relationship between psychological well-being and perceived wellness.

When Does Sacrificing The Present For The Future Or Sacrificing The Future For The Present Enhance Satisfaction With Life? Implicit Theories Of Change And Stability Moderate The Effects Of Temporal Focus On Life Satisfaction., Cindy L. Ward

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

In Western society we encounter contrasting prescriptions for how to live a happy life. Some argue the key to life satisfaction is living in the moment (e.g., seize the day), while others herald the importance of focusing on the future (e.g., pursuing goals, following one’s dreams). We suspect, however, that these prescriptions do not work the same for everyone. The goal of the present research is to examine whether the relation between temporal focus (focusing on a present versus future goal) and life satisfaction (LS) might be moderated by participants’ implicit theories of change and stability (Dweck, 1999). Incremental theorists …

Life Balance – A Mindfulness-Based Mental Health Promotion Program: Conceptualization, Implementation, Compliance And User Satisfaction In A Field Setting, Lisa Lyssenko, Gerhard Müller, Nikolaus Kleindienst, Christian Schmal, Mathias Berger, Georg Eifert, Alexander Kölle, Siegmar Nesch, Jutta Ommer-Hohl, Michael Wenner, Martin Bohus

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

Background

Mental health disorders account for a large percentage of the total burden of illness and constitute a major economic challenge in industrialized countries. Several prevention programs targeted at high-risk or sub-clinical populations have been shown to decrease risk, to increase quality of life, and to be cost-efficient. However, there is a paucity of primary preventive programs aimed at the general adult population. “Life Balance” is a program that employs strategies borrowed from well-established psychotherapeutic approaches, and has been made available to the public in one federal German state by a large health care insurance company. The data presented here …

Personhood & Parenthood: An Experiential Account Of Balance & Well-Being, Venice Bruno

Antioch University Full-Text Dissertations & Theses

Parents are constantly engaging in a balancing act, weighing their own needs with those of their children and family. Helping parents navigate the role of parenthood can promote optimal development in the child, parent, couple and family. Parents engage in various roles and responsibilities essential for family and individual well-being that require balance in order to be effective. Past research on balance has indicated that people are more satisfied with life when they are active in multiple life domains rather than in a single one. This study is interested in two specific life domains: personhood and parenthood, and how parents …

Rural Clinicians’ Perceived Ethical Dilemmas: Relationships With Clinician Well-Being And Burnout, Amithea M. Love

Antioch University Full-Text Dissertations & Theses

Mental health clinicians are bound by professional ethics codes that are intended to ensure beneficence toward clients. When clinicians reside in rural areas, ethical dilemmas result from the distinct nature of rural life and clinical practice. Despite extant literature on the ethical dilemmas of rural practice, little research has examined the effect of ethical dilemmas on the social-emotional functioning of clinicians. In response to this need, the study investigated the relationships of frequency of and discomfort from ethical dilemmas on clinician social-emotional functioning. Participants were rural and small town clinicians (N = 60) between ages 24-65 and primarily Caucasian (83.3%), …

Organizational Leaders’ Experience With Fear-Related Emotions: A Critical Incident Study, Al Barkouli

Antioch University Full-Text Dissertations & Theses

This study used the Critical Incident Technique (CIT) to better understand how organizational leaders experienced fear-related emotions. Through semi-structured interviews, fifteen executive leaders, mainly chief executive officers (CEOs), shared their experiences in response to threatening, risky, or dangerous incidents. In addition to a phenomenological understanding of the experience, participants illuminated the role that fear-related emotions play in leader decisions, how these emotions influence leader-follower relationships, the impacts of fear-related emotions on leaders’ health and well-being, and the ways leaders managed their experience with fear-related emotions including the role courage played. Leaders often faced threats, risks, or dangers (stimuli) from within …

Emerging Adulthood In North America: Identity Status And Perception Of Adulthood Among College Students From Canada And The United States, Karin Bartoszuk

Karin Bartoszuk