Are Persons Low in Self-Control Rational and Deterrable?

This work addresses a question raised by Wright et al. (2004 Wright , Richard T. and Scott H. Decker. 1994 . Burglars on the Job: Street life and Residential Breakins . Boston : Northeastern University Press . [Google Scholar]) pertaining to the rationality and deterrability of individuals with low self-control. According to some, all persons are presumed to be equally rational; according others, individuals who possess little self-control, who are impulsive and present-oriented are less likely to be influenced by a perceived risks and costs of punishment; and according to a third group of scholars, those who do possess such self-control/restraint are either not motivated toward offending or are inhibited by moral constraints and are, thus, unresponsive to sanction threats. These rival predictions are examined with the use of self-report survey data on academic dishonesty from a sample of undergraduate college students. Across a tremendous number of models employing a variety of functional forms for the effects of perceived sanction threats, we consistently observed that the effects of perceived sanction threats on college students' self-reported academic dishonesty did not vary by their level of offending propensity (self-control).     

Does the Use of Connective Words in Written Assessments Predict High School Students’ Reading and Writing Achievement?

This study examined the relationship between ninth-grade students’ use of connectives (temporal, causal, adversative, and additive) in functional writing and performance on standards-based/criterion-referenced measures of reading and writing. Specifically, structural equation modeling (SEM) techniques were used to examine the relationship between students’ use of connectives in their functional writing and their reading and writing proficiency. Results indicated that the number of connectives used in functional writing was significantly correlated to writing test scores and reading comprehension test scores, no matter whether the effect of the common predictor was removed or not. The results provide support for future research in the study of connective words in relation to functional writing skills and reading comprehension.     

Does Religiosity Predict Attitudes Toward Psychotherapy?

Several studies have demonstrated that Jewish people have positive attitudes toward psychotherapy. This study differentiates among Orthodox, Conservative, and Reform Jewish groups to test whether there are differences in the level of religiosity and practice among these different affiliations to Judaism and whether these differences may influence attitudes toward seeking psychological help. Despite significant differences in religiosity and level of practice, results indicate that positive attitudes are present among all affiliations. However, Orthodox Jews are significantly more likely to use their rabbi as a source for psychological counseling and perhaps as a conduit to professional treatment.     

Determining Normal Deviance: Adolescent Drug Use?

This research examines change in lifetime drug use frequency among three drugs, marijuana, alcohol, and inhalants, and antisocial behaviors using a cohort longitudinal model. Inhalants are the only drugs which use decline with grade level. Focus of the article is whether the use of these three drugs is a normal part of adolescent development. Using three determinants: associations between drug use and grade and scores on an antisocial behavior scale; and percent of abstainers; the authors determined none of the three drugs represent normal deviance. Data are from 2008 thru the 2014 the Caring Communities Youth Survey (CCYS).     

Delay of Gratification,Psychopathology, and Personality: Is Low Self-Control Specific to Externaiizing Problems?

We assessed the delay of gratification behavior of 428 twelve and thirteen-year-old boys, half of whom were known to manifest symptoms of behavioral disturbance. Consistent with the hypothesis that low self-control is a risk factor specific to externalizing (aggressive and delinquent) disorders, boys who showed signs of externalizing disorders tended to seek immediate gratification in a laboratory task more often than both nondisordered boys and boys who showed signs of internalizing (anxious and depressed) disorders. In addition, children who were able to delay immediate gratification were described by their mothers as ego controlled, ego resilient, conscientious, open to experience, and agreeable. These results suggest that poor delay of gratification may be one of a select number of specific risk factors for externalizing     

Determining Normal Deviance: Adolescent Drug Use?

This research examines change in lifetime drug use frequency among three drugs, marijuana, alcohol and inhalants, and antisocial behaviors using a cohort longitudinal model. Findings indicate marijuana and alcohol use increases with grade level. Inhalants are the only drugs which use decline with grade level. Focus of the paper is whether the use of these three drugs is a normal part of adolescent development. Using three determinants: associations between drug use and grade and scores on an antisocial behavior scale; and percent of abstainers; the authors determined none of the three drugs represent normal deviance. Data are from 2008 thru the 2014 the Caring Communities Youth Survey (CCYS). The concept of normal deviance is discussed.     

Does Perceived Emotional Intelligence and Optimism/pessimism Predict Psychological Well-being?

In this study we examined the associations between perceived emotional intelligence, dispositional optimism/pessimism and psychological well-being. In addition to correlational analyses, we examined a model by structural equation modeling (SEM). The study of psychological well-being in the field of positive psychology from the paradigmatic approach to happiness developed by Ryff and Singer (Psychother Psychosomat 65(1):14–23, 1998) is very important and essential, due in part to the lack of studies analyzing the predictors of Ryff’s PWB model by contemplating emotional and cognitive factors. In this framework, our study examines the possible role of optimism and PEI as possible predictors of the psychological well-being dimensions proposed by Ryff, with a specific pattern of relationships as a model. Our results show positive relationships between clarity and emotional regulation and the psychological well-being components. With regard to dispositional optimism versus pessimism, positive relationships were found between optimism and psychological well-being dimensions and negative relationships between pessimism and dimensions of psychological well-being. Our model also includes some relationships, not initially raised, between the dimensions of perceived emotional intelligence and some dimensions of psychological well-being. Our results suggest relationships between emotional attention and purpose in life as well as with personal growth dimensions of psychological well-being. Implications and limitations are discussed.     

Drug Use and Self-Harming Behavior Among Incarcerated Men: Does Childhood Abuse,Anger, and Executive Function Make a Difference?

Childhood abuse, anger, drug-related problems, and self-harm are commonly seen among incarcerated individuals. Forty-three young incarcerated males from an Istanbul prison were assessed for childhood abuse, anger, drug use, self-harming behavior, and executive function (EF). Further, 58% of the sample was using drugs, and 60.5% showed self-harming behavior. Performing a backward stepwise binary logistic regression model, it was found that the likelihood of using drugs was determined by EF measured by the Trail Making Test form A, childhood abuse, anger, and self-harm. On the other hand, self-harm was determined by childhood abuse, anger, and drug use.     

Does Poor Understanding of Physical World Predict Religious and Paranormal Beliefs?

Although supernatural beliefs often paint a peculiar picture about the physical world, the possibility that the beliefs might be based on inadequate understanding of the non‐social world has not received research attention. In this study (N = 258), we therefore examined how physical‐world skills and knowledge predict religious and paranormal beliefs. The results showed that supernatural beliefs correlated with all variables that were included, namely, with low systemizing, poor intuitive physics skills, poor mechanical ability, poor mental rotation, low school grades in mathematics and physics, poor common knowledge about physical and biological phenomena, intuitive and analytical thinking styles, and in particular, with assigning mentality to non‐mental phenomena. Regression analyses indicated that the strongest predictors of the beliefs were overall physical capability (a factor representing most physical skills, interests, and knowledge) and intuitive thinking style. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Self-Esteem, Mood, and Intentions to Use Condoms: When Does Low Self-Esteem Lead to Risky Health Behaviors?

The authors assessed the interactive effects of self-esteem and mood on intentions to engage in unprotected sexual intercourse. Prior research has shown that people with low self-esteem tend to evaluate themselves unfavorably when in a negative mood state, whereas people with high self-esteem are less susceptible to changes in self-evaluation following a negative mood induction. The authors hypothesized that people who engage in negative self-evaluations may be more likely to report intentions to engage in unprotected sexual intercourse. Undergraduate females were randomly assigned to a positive or negative mood induction condition. Consistent with their hypotheses, the authors found that among participants who were in a negative mood state, those with low self-esteem were more likely to report intentions to have sexual intercourse without a condom than were those with high self-esteem. In contrast, among participants in a positive mood, there were no differences between those who were low and high in self-esteem.     

“But Others Do It!”: Do Misperceptions of Schoolmate Alcohol and Marijuana Use Predict Subsequent Drug Use Among Young Adolescents?

We examined the effects of perceived prevalence of drug use among same-age peers on adolescents' subsequent drug use. In 7^th grade, participants estimated prevalence of alcohol and marijuana use among 7^th-grade students in their school, reported own use of these drugs, receipt of offers to use these drugs, and frequency of contact with peers who use these drugs. In 8^th grade, participants reported their frequency of alcohol and marijuana use. Although perceived prevalence of drug use predicted subsequent alcohol and marijuana use when controlling for actual prevalence, these effects disappeared once participants' prior levels of drug use and proximal peer contacts were considered. Implications of findings for intervention programs aiming solely to increase accuracy of perceived prevalence estimates are discussed.     

Do Work Values Predict the Use of Intraorganizational Influence Strategies?

It was the purpose of this paper to analyze the relationships between work values and the use of intraorganizational influence strategies. Given sufficient discretional space, it was assumed that work values either function as higher order goals or as individual constraints A prediction study with a I-year time interval was executed. At the first wave, work values were measured with the Work Values Inventory (Super, 1970). At the second wave, 4 intraorganizational influence strategies (rational persuasion, ingratiation, pressure. upward appeals) of 137 job beginners were measured. The data support the idea that work values function both as higher order goals and as individual constraints of influence behavior. The implications for the vocational career are discussed.     

Does Self-Compassion Predict Spiritual Experiences of Turkish University Students?

The purpose of this study was to examine the predictive role of self-compassion on spiritual experiences. Participants were 285 university students. In this study, the self-compassion scale and the spiritual experiences scale were used. Self-kindness, common humanity, and mindfulness factors of self-compassion were found positively, and self-judgment, isolation, and over-identification factors of self-compassion were found negatively related to spiritual experiences. According to regression results, spiritual experiences were predicted negatively by self-judgment and over-identification. Further common humanity predicted spiritual experiences in a positive way. Self-compassion has explained 21 % of the variance in spiritual experiences.     

Does Positive Wellbeing Predict Job Performance Three Months Later?

The present study examines the relationship between wellbeing and work performance in a twotime model. The model was based on the happy-productive worker hypothesis. Labour wellbeing (Time 1, T1) was measured with three constructs: job satisfaction, personal satisfaction, and organizational commitment, and showed good one dimensional adjustment in the second-order confirmatory factor analysis performed. We use a stratified sampling strategy, controlling for sex, age and whether workers were employed in the public or private sector. Of the 235 employees analysed in T1, 205 responded in Time 2 (T2). Results obtained through SEM analysis establish a positive and significant relationship between positive wellbeing and job performance. Likewise, job satisfaction and organizational commitment were the variable that most influenced the unidimensional welfare construct (0.902, p < 0.001 and 0.750, p < 0.001, respectively). Personal satisfaction showed a lower value (0.234, p < 0.01), and was the only one of the three variables that was context-free level. The article looks at the theoretical and professional implications of the results.

     

Self-Control and the Depression–Delinquency Link

Research has repeatedly documented the link between depression and delinquency; however, why they are associated remains less clear. Blending diverse research traditions in criminology and psychology, this study suggests that self-control may explain the depression–delinquency association. By conceptualizing self-control as a depletable resource influenced by internal factors, experiencing depressive symptoms may reduce self-control, which in turn increases delinquency. Data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health) lend support for this proposition and suggest that self-control is an important explanatory factor in the depression–delinquency relationship. Specifically, the data show that depression is no longer associated with delinquency when self-control is taken into account and self-control explains more of the association than previous explanations combined.     

Depressive Symptoms and Tobacco Use: Does Religious Orientation Play a Protective Role?

Many studies have established an association between depression and smoking. The main objective of this study was to determine whether religious orientation moderates the relationship between depressive symptoms and tobacco use. This study utilized a cross-sectional data collection strategy to examine the relationship among depressive symptoms, religious orientation, and tobacco use among undergraduate students (N = 349) at a midsize southeastern university. Participants completed a demographic questionnaire, the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale, the Extrinsic/Intrinsic Religious Orientation Scale-Revised and the Drinking and Drug Habits Questionnaire. Analyses using hierarchical linear regression indicate a significant interaction effect (depressive symptoms × extrinsic religious orientation) on tobacco use. Additional moderation analyses reveal a significant interaction effect between depressive symptoms and the extrinsic-personal religious orientation on tobacco use. Results suggest that having an extrinsic religious orientation, and specifically, the extrinsic-personal subtype, can protect against the effects of depressive symptoms. In this regard, individuals who turn to religion for solace or comfort may be less likely to engage in tobacco use when experiencing depressive symptoms. Limitations, future directions, and implications are discussed.     

Does Happiness Predict Medication Adherence among African Americans with Hypertension?

Poor medication adherence is a leading cause of excessive cardiovascular morbidity among African Americans. Many adherence-promoting interventions have addressed economic barriers, improved the patient-provider relationship, simplified regimens, and used reminder systems; however, the problem of low adherence remains intractable. Meanwhile, positive psychological attributes that might serve to promote medication adherence have not been fully explored. To address this gap, we examined the association between happiness and medication adherence among low-income African Americans with hypertension treated in a safety-net setting. Data were obtained from the Alabama Collaboration for Cardiovascular Equality, 2007?C2008. Happiness was measured using the 4-item scale of Lyubomirsky and Lepper; low, moderate, and high happiness were defined by tertiles because of the non-normal distribution. Medication adherence was assessed with the Morisky Medication Adherence Scale. Associations were quantified with ordinal logistic regression. Our sample of 573 African Americans was 71.6?% female and had an average age?±?SD of 53.6?±?9.7?years and a median happiness score of 5.2. Compared to participants with low happiness, the odds (OR; 95?% CI) of being in a better medication adherence category were greater for those with moderate (1.53; 1.02?C2.27) and high (2.26; 1.52-3.37) happiness, after adjusting for age, sex, income, education, and difficulty paying for medical care. Within this cohort of low-income African Americans with hypertension, participants with greater happiness exhibited better medication adherence. Although one interpretation of our study is that more adherent patients are naturally happier, our findings raise the possibility that adding happiness-boosting components may increase the effectiveness of more traditional adherence interventions.     

Why So Many Questions? Measurement Issues and the Attitudinal Self-Control Scale

The Grasmick et al. (1993) scale is one of the most frequently used measures in criminology. Regardless of how commonly the scale is used, questions remain about its dimensionality and the nature of forming a composite measure from its 24 individual components. This study examines whether a composite measure is the most effective method for using the scale with a series of analyses using different approaches to combining—or not combining—these measures. Based on data from a sample of over 1,500 college students, the results indicate that a single-factor composite of the 24 items is the least effective approach in predicting crime/deviance. These results, instead, suggest using the individual components separately, multiple factors, or a composite measure made from just three of the original items lead to significant improvements over the one-factor solution.     

Does Strengths Use Mean Better Focus? Well-being and Attentional Performance at the Episodic Level

Journal of Happiness Studies - Positive psychology postulates that using one’s strengths can facilitate employee well-being and performance at work. However, whether strengths use is...