Discontented people: reactivity and locus of control as determinants of subjective well‐being

This study examines the effects of reactivity temperament and locus of control variables on subjective well‐being (SWB). SWB is operationalized as positive affect, the absence of somatic concerns, and heightened life satisfaction. The study hypotheses were that (1) reactivity and locus of control influenced SWB and that (2) affect either mediated or moderated the influence of these traits on SWB. As expected, high reactivity and external locus of control were associated with lower SWB, whereas low reactivity and internal locus of control were associated with higher SWB. However, the data indicate that reactivity and locus of control influenced different components of SWB and that locus of control predicted SWB more consistently than reactivity. Somatic health is influenced by reactivity, locus of control and negative affect, but not positive affect. Current life satisfaction is influenced by locus of control—but not reactivity—and by both positive and negative affect. Hope is related to reactivity but not to either locus of control or affect. The data corroborate the expectation that affect serves as a mediator in the trait—SWB relations, whereas the view that affect moderates the effect of stable dispositions on SWB finds scant support. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Subjective Well-Being: The Convergence and Stability of Self-Report and Non-Self-Report Measures

ABSTRACT The validity of self-report measures of subjective well-being (SWB) was examined and compared with non-self-report measures using a sample of 136 college students studied over the course of a semester. A principal axis factor analysis of self- and non-self-report SWB measures revealed a single unitary construct underlying the measures. Conventional single-item and multi-item self-report measures correlated highly with alternative measures, with theoretical correlates of SWB, and with a principal axis factor underlying five non-self-report measures of well-being. Comparisons of family versus friend informant reports demonstrated the considerable cross-situational consistency and temporal stability of SWB. Evidence of the discriminant validity of the measures was provided by low correlations of the various SWB measures with constructs theoretically unrelated to well-being. It was concluded that conventional self-report instruments validly measure the SWB construct, and that alternative, non-serf-report measures are useful for providing a comprehensive theoretical account of happiness and life satisfaction.     

The Mediating Effects of Self-Esteem and Trait Anxiety Mediate on the Impact of Locus of Control on Subjective Well-Being

Sense of control plays an important role in the psychological well-being of an individual. This study aims to investigate the impact of locus of control on subjective well-being (SWB). Participants include 400 undergraduates (214 men and 186 women) from four universities in China. Data were collected using the Adult Nowicki-Strickland Internal-External Locus of Control Scale, Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, Trait Anxiety Scale, and SWB measures. Results suggested that locus of control, trait anxiety, and self-esteem were significantly correlated with SWB. Structural equation modeling results indicated that trait anxiety and self-esteem partially mediated the impact of locus of control on SWB. Moreover, bootstrap test revealed significant paths from locus of control to SWB through trait anxiety and self-esteem. Therefore, locus of control, trait anxiety, and self-esteem have significant impacts on SWB. Moreover, trait anxiety and self-esteem have a mediating effect on the impact of locus of control on subjective well-being.     

The Longitudinal Relationship Between School Belonging and Subjective Well-Being in School Among Elementary School Students

Situated within a positive psychology perspective, the present study explored the relationship between school belonging and subjective well-being (SWB) in school among elementary school students. In order to ensure the applicability of the Brief Adolescents’ Subjective Well-Being in School Scale (BASWBSS) to elementary school students, firstly, we provided evidence for its validity using two samples (total n?=?1333) of elementary school students. Secondly, we used cross-lagged structural equation modeling techniques to evaluate the nature and directionality of relationships between school belonging and SWB in school. To test these relationships, 890 students (58.54 % male) completed a measure of school belonging and SWB in school at two time points, 6 weeks apart. The results showed that (1) BASWBSS has good applicability among elementary school students and (2) significant bidirectional relationships were found between school belonging and SWB in school. Overall, the present study provided important evidence of applicability of the BASWBSS with elementary school students and the role of school belonging in elementary school age children’s SWB in school.     

青少年主观幸福感、心理健康及其与应对方式的关系

通过对广州地区1431名中学生进行问卷调查,考察青少年主观幸福感、心理健康状况及其与应对方式的关系.结果发现,(1)当前青少年学生的主观幸福感、心理健康状况总体上处于中等水平;(2)随着年级的升高,主观幸福感逐渐降低,成绩差的学生体验到的消极情感显著高于成绩中等和较好的学生;(3)男生的心理健康状况在整体上优于女生,年级和成绩也对心理健康有一定影响;(4)积极的应对方式有利于青少年主观幸福感和良好心理健康的发展,而消极的应对方式、尤其是消极情绪关注的应对方式不利于青少年的主观幸福感和心理健康.     

Emotional intelligence,coping and exam‐related stress in Canadian undergraduate students

The associations among emotional intelligence (EI), coping, personality and exam‐related stress in a group of 475 Canadian undergraduate students were examined. Stress was measured at the start of the semester and again in the pre‐exam period. Higher levels of stress were associated with lower scores on EI components, and higher scores on emotion‐focused coping and neuroticism. A scale‐level factor analysis of the EI and coping subscales produced three composite factors, which each had high loadings from at least one EI and one coping subscale. The associations of the Emotion Regulation factor (high loadings of several EI components and emotion‐focused coping) and the Task Focus factor (high loadings of Adaptability EI and task‐focused coping) with personality, stress and subjective wellbeing (SWB) were examined using structural equation modelling. The results showed that these factors mediated the effect of personality on stress and SWB.     

身体锻炼对高中学生主观幸福感的影响及其心理机制

为了考察身体锻炼与高中学生主观幸福感的关系,采用量表法进行了研究,控制了相关变量后的研究结果表明:(1)经常锻炼的高中学生比锻炼不足的高中学生的主观幸福感更加强烈,这一差异表现在两者之间的情感成份和特殊生活满意感上;一次的身体锻炼对高中学生主观幸福感没有影响,长期性的身体锻炼可以提高高中学生主观幸福感;小锻炼量和中等锻炼量的身体锻炼随着锻炼持续时间的增长,对高中学生主观幸福感影响加深,而大锻炼量随着锻炼持续时间的增长对高中学生主观幸福感的影响,呈现倒“V”型的曲线状;随着锻炼持续时间的增长,中等锻炼量的效果明显优于小锻炼量和大锻炼量的效果;(2)身体锻炼不仅可以直接对高中学生主观幸福感产生影响,而且可以通过身体自尊,人际关系、人格等中介变量对高中学生主观幸福感产生影响     

Locus of control and attribution of responsibility for academic performance

This study tested Phares, Wilson, and Klyver's (1971) hypothesis that locus of control differences are unimportant in a situation which provides very explicit cues arousing specific expectancies regarding the locus of blame for poor performance. Two hundred and seventeen undergraduate students (134 men and 83 women) completed Rotter's I-E Scale as part of classwork in midsemester. During the last week of the semester they were routinely administered a questionnaire containing items on course evaluation, instructor evaluation, and expected grade. Expected grade was significantly correlated with ratings on several course evaluation and instructor evaluation items for internals and externals in the male, female, and total samples. However, these correlations were not significantly different for internals and externals in each sample. These results provided strong empirical support for the tested hypothesis.     

Stress and Subjective Well-Being Among First Year UK Undergraduate Students

Transition to university is stressful and successful adjustment is imperative for well-being. Historically research on transitional stress focussed on negative outcomes and ill health. This is the first UK study applying a positive psychology approach to investigate the characteristics that facilitate adjustment among new university students. A range of psychological strengths conceptualised as covitality factors, shown individually to influence the stress and subjective well-being (SWB) relationship were assessed among 192 first year UK undergraduates in week three of their first semester and again 6 months later. Path analyses revealed that optimism mediated the relationship between stress and negative affect (a component of SWB) over time, and academic self-efficacy demonstrated significant relationships with life satisfaction and positive affect. Contrary to predictions, stress levels remained stable over time although academic alienation increased and self-efficacy decreased. Optimism emerged as a key factor for new students to adjust to university, helping to buffer the impact of stress on well-being throughout the academic year. Incorporating stress management and psycho-educational interventions to develop strengths is discussed as a way of promoting confidence and agency in new students to help them cope better with the stress at university.     

特质自我控制及其策略对主观幸福感的影响

探讨特质自我控制对主观幸福感的影响机制。多重中介模型揭示自我控制策略在特质自我控制(TSC)与主观幸福感(SWB)之间的作用。对924名大学生进行问卷调查,结果表明:情境选择、注意分配、认知重评均为TSC与SWB之间的中介变量。结论:解释了高特质自我控制个体SWB高的内在机制,也为自我控制过程模型提供实证支持。     

社会支持对大学生主观幸福感的影响

采用量表法以 3 1 4名大学生为被试研究了社会支持与主观幸福感的关系 ,评估了社会支持对大学生主观幸福感的影响。差异检验表明 ,总体主观幸福感、生活满意度、朋友支持、其他支持以及总的社会支持存在性别上的差异 ,女生的得分均高于男生 ,而在积极情感和消极情感以及家庭支持方面则没有表现出性别差异。回归分析表明 ,社会支持的不同方面对主观幸福感的不同方面产生影响 ;在预测主观幸福感时 ,不同的社会支持指标的预测力是不同的。     

Flow at work: An experience sampling approach

One of the core constructs of the positive psychology movement is that of ‘flow’, or optimal experience. The current study investigated the relationship between ‘flow’, the core job dimensions, and subjective well‐being (SWB), as well as distinguishing between the state and trait components of flow. Experience sampling methodology (ESM) was used to track 40 architectural students over a 15 week semester while they engaged in studio work. Hierarchical linear modelling (HLM) indicated that 74% of the variance in flow was attributable to situational characteristics compared to dispositional factors. Results also indicated that academic work that was high in skill variety and autonomy was associated with flow. Flow was found to be correlated with positive mood. Cross‐lagged regression analysis showed that momentary flow was predictive of momentary mood and not vice versa. The strengths and limitations of using ESM to study subjective work experiences and well‐being are discussed, as well as the implications of the study of flow or optimal experience for industrial/organizational psychology.     

Psychological Benefits of the “Maker” or Do-It-Yourself Movement in Young Adults: A Pathway Towards Subjective Well-Being

Over the past several decades, increasing numbers of people have become involved in the do-it-yourself (DIY) or “Maker” movement, i.e., creating a wide range of products from home improvement to self-service to crafts. Little is known about the psychological benefits of these actions; there is an assumption that involvement ultimately increases quality of life. We surveyed 465 college students to describe their participation in a variety of Maker undertakings ranging from domestic arts, arts and crafts, to DIY activities, and examined four potential mediators of the relationship between a Maker identity and SWB. We inquired about the time spent engaged in the activities, reasons for involvement, as well as the immediate and long-term benefits received from Making. We found that college students spent approximately 3 h a week involved in Maker activities and that they most often engaged in domestic arts (e.g., cooking, baking, and gardening). The most important reasons provided for involvement in Maker activities were mood-repair, socializing with friends, and the ability to “stay present-focused.” Having a Maker identity was associated with subjective well-being (SWB), primarily explained by high arousal (i.e., exciting or stimulating) during Maker activities, but not positive mood. Trait rumination and reduced self-focus, or quiet ego, were also related to SWB and suggest the importance of reduced self-focus in understanding the relationship between Making and SWB. Taken together, it appears that Maker identity may be a potential pathway towards SWB.     

我国内地教师主观幸福感的变迁(2002~2019)：横断历史研究的视角

教师主观幸福感作为衡量教师群体心理健康状况的一项关键指标, 对其现状的调查和分析至关重要, 同时, 对其随社会变迁的动态变化趋势、及其与社会变迁的关系的监测也不可忽视。本研究对2002至2019年间的51篇采用总体幸福感量表(GWB)测量教师主观幸福感的研究报告(共包括13600名教师)进行横断历史的元分析。研究发现：(1)教师主观幸福感均值与年代呈显著负相关, 这说明我国教师主观幸福感在逐年下降。(2)来自社会经济条件(居民消费水平、房价、老年抚养比和教育经费)、社会联结(家庭规模数、离婚率和城镇化水平)和社会威胁(犯罪率)三方面的8项宏观社会指标的变化能显著预测教师主观幸福感的下降。(3)中小学教师的主观幸福感随年代下降的趋势更明显, 其主观幸福感得分要显著低于高校教师。本研究不仅探究了我国教师主观幸福感近20年的变迁趋势, 而且结合社会宏观发展的指标, 提出了影响我国教师主观幸福感的三维理论框架, 对群体社会心理的研究思路进行了纵向(随时代变迁)及横向(宏观社会指标)的拉伸, 拓展理论基础的同时, 在实践上, 为干预调节我国教师群体主观幸福感提供决策依据。     

Subjective well‐being in times of social change: Congruence of control strategies and perceived control

This paper investigates the association between perceptions of broader changes in the social‐ecological context and individuals’ subjective well‐being (SWB). Macro‐level societal changes such as globalization or demographic change give rise to new demands for individual functioning at work and/or in the family. Such new demands associated with social change are stressful and likely to be related to lower levels of SWB. Being active agents, individuals attempt to deal with social change and its increasing demands to protect their SWB. The present study investigates which kinds of control strategies are most effective in protecting one's SWB. Specifically, we predicted that control strategies of goal engagement will be most effective under conditions of perceived high control, and control strategies of goal disengagement will be most effective under conditions of perceived low control. In a large sample of 2537 German adults, work‐ and family‐related demands associated with social change were found to be negatively linked to SWB. Moreover and in line with the motivational theory of lifespan development, control strategies of goal engagement and disengagement were beneficial for SWB to the extent that they matched the perceived control of the demands associated with social change.     

Investigating Australian education students’ views about spiritual well‐being,as compared with teachers in schools

Education students in Australian state and Christian universities expressed their views on ideals, lived experience, and help expected from schools in four domains of spiritual well‐being (personal, communal, environmental, and transcendental) (SWB), using the Spiritual Health and Life‐Orientation Measure (SHALOM). Students’ lived experiences greatly affected their views on help provided by schools to nurture students’ SWB. Currently, the more religious students in Christian universities reported support for their SWB from religious activities, whereas students in the state university gained support from more humanistic sources. But is this sufficient? Education students in state universities are likely to maintain the status quo regarding SWB in state schools. They report levels of help for students in line with current teachers’ views. Christian university education students have lower expectations of schools than current teachers in Christian schools. However, some positive action is being taken in Christian universities to address the spiritual formation of their students. Further opportunities are needed within teacher education and schools in Australia for staff to address this area of vital concern for their own and students’ SWB.     

Instructional effects on performance in a matching-to-sample study

Conducting studies using an undergraduate participant pool is fraught with difficulties. Among them are problems with adequately motivating subjects both to come to the study, and once there, to actively engage the experimental task. Thirty-one college students participated in a matching-to-sample (MTS) study involving substantial training, testing, retraining, and retesting of conditional discriminations and equivalence relations among four 4-member classes of nonsensical words. The study was conducted during the end of the semester, when performance often had been observed to be poorer than at other points in the semester. Eleven of the participants, in addition to standard instructions about the task, received additional instructions specifying molar consequences for high rates of "correct" responses throughout the procedure. This subset of participants displayed markedly improved performance as compared to those who did not receive the additional instructions. Results suggest that specification of molar contingencies improves participants' sensitivity to molecular contingencies within the study. Instructions that specify and increase the consequential functions of feedback provided during MTS trials may be one means of reducing unwanted variability in human MTS performance.     

Impacting teachers' and students' spiritual well‐being

Spiritual well‐being (SWB) is reflected in the quality of relationships that people have with themselves, others, environment and/or God. This paper ties together several studies of SWB among teachers and students in primary and secondary, state, Catholic, other Christian, and independent schools in Victoria, Australia. Teachers' lived experiences have greatest impact on their perceptions of help provided by schools for students' SWB. Factors other than teachers contribute most to students' SWB. As well as presenting an overview of key supports for students' SWB this paper reports ways in which spiritual dissonance can be identified. These findings could be used to lay a foundation for further support in nurturing the total well‐being of staff and students in schools.     

Acculturation and Subjective well-being of Chinese Students in Australia

This study examined the relationships of two dimensions (host and co-national identification (HNI and CNI)), four modes (integration, separation, assimilation and marginalization) of acculturation to subjective well-being (SWB) of Chinese students in Australia. One hundred and fifty-seven Chinese overseas students completed a questionnaire including the acculturation index and the assessment of SWB. Analyses revealed that: (a) both strong HNI and CNI predicted enhanced SWB; (b) acculturation styles were also related to SWB and Chinese students who were integrated had significantly stronger SWB than their peers who were assimilated, separated or marginalized (c) there was no significant correlation between negative emotions and HNI or CNI. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

University Students’ Subjective Well-being: The Role of Autonomy Support from Parents, Friends, and the Romantic Partner

This study investigated the relations between perceived autonomy support from three significant sources (parents, friends, and the romantic partner) and university students’ subjective well-being (SWB) using two approaches: a variable-centered and person-centered approach. Participants were 256 university students (191 women, 65 men) involved in a romantic relationship. Results from both approaches revealed that students’ perception that significant individuals support their autonomy predicted higher levels of SWB. Furthermore, results from a person-centered approach suggested that students reported the highest levels of SWB when all sources were perceived to be highly autonomy supportive. Together, these findings support a sensitization process of need satisfaction. Implications for SWB and self-determination theory are discussed.