Meaning in Life in Emerging Adulthood: A Person‐Oriented Approach

The present study investigated naturally occurring profiles based on two dimensions of meaning in life: Presence of Meaning and Search for Meaning. Cluster analysis was used to examine meaning‐in‐life profiles, and subsequent analyses identified different patterns in psychosocial functioning for each profile. A sample of 8,492 American emerging adults (72.5% women) from 30 colleges and universities completed measures on meaning in life, and positive and negative psychosocial functioning. Results provided support for five meaningful yet distinguishable profiles. A strong generalizability of the cluster solution was found across age, and partial generalizability was found across gender and ethnicity. Furthermore, the five profiles showed specific patterns in relation to positive and negative psychosocial functioning. Specifically, respondents with profiles high on Presence of Meaning showed the most adaptive psychosocial functioning, whereas respondents with profiles where meaning was largely absent showed maladaptive psychosocial functioning. The present study provided additional evidence for prior research concerning the complex relationship between Presence of Meaning and Search for Meaning, and their relation with psychosocial functioning. Our results offer a partial clarification of the nature of the Search for Meaning process by distinguishing between adaptive and maladaptive searching for meaning in life.     

A Sensemaking Approach to Ethics Training for Scientists: Preliminary Evidence of Training Effectiveness

In recent years, we have seen a new concern with ethics training for research and development professionals. Although ethics training has become more common, the effectiveness of the training being provided is open to question. In the present effort, a new ethics training course was developed that stresses the importance of the strategies people apply to make sense of ethical problems. The effectiveness of this training was assessed in a sample of 59 doctoral students working in the biological and social sciences using a pre–post design with follow-up and a series of ethical decision-making measures serving as the outcome variable. Results showed not only that this training led to sizable gains in ethical decision making but also that these gains were maintained over time. The implications of these findings for ethics training in the sciences are discussed.     

The Role of Parents in Emerging Adults’ Psychological Well‐Being: A Person‐Oriented Approach

The purpose of this study was to gain an overview of Spanish emerging adults’ family relationships and their link with psychological well‐being and psychological distress. The sample comprised 1502 undergraduate students (903 women and 599 men) aged between 18 and 29 (M = 20.32 and SD = 2.13), recruited from two universities in Spain. A cluster analysis identified three groups of families based on the centrality of five family variables: parental involvement, parental support for autonomy, parental warmth, behavioral control, and psychological control. The three groups or clusters were labeled high‐quality family relationships (HQ), intermediate‐quality family relationships (IQ), and low‐quality family relationships (LQ). Women were overrepresented in the HQ cluster, whereas men were overrepresented in the IQ cluster. Moreover, emerging adults who perceived better family relationships (high levels of parental involvement, parental support for autonomy and parental warmth, and low levels of behavioral and psychological control) were found to have a higher level of psychological adjustment. Thus, our results indicate that family plays a key role in the psychological well‐being of emerging adults. The discussion focuses on the implications of this finding for the parent‐child relationship, and explores how it extends our knowledge about family relationships during emerging adulthood.     

A Person‐oriented Approach to Identifying Parenting Styles in Mothers of Early School‐age Children

A substantial body of work has been dedicated to understanding the behaviours that characterize mothers' interactions with their children. Most research on parenting has used a variable‐oriented approach, limiting analysis to one or a few parenting behaviours and failing to identify higher‐order interactions or patterns among variables. Thus, little is known about how different behaviours co‐occur in individual mothers to form styles of parenting. In this study, a person‐oriented approach was used to develop a typology of maternal parenting styles based on a broad range of observed and self‐reported parenting behaviours. The study sample consisted of 408 socio‐demographically diverse mother–child pairs. Cluster analysis revealed six parenting groups—(1) balanced parenting; (2) warm/involved parenting; (3) task‐focused parenting; (4) detached/inconsistent parenting; (5) intrusive parenting; and (6) self‐critical parenting—two of which (task‐focused and self‐critical parenting) have not been previously represented in the parenting literature. The maternal parenting typology developed through this study provides useful information on the profiles of parenting behaviour that are associated with the highest levels of demographic and psychological risk in mothers who exhibit these profiles. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

UMaps: A Person—Environment Approach to Helping Students Make Critical Choices

UMaps organize campus opportunities into meaningful subenvironments, making options more attractive and accessible to students in order to increase their participation.     

Person‐Centered Counseling: The Culture Within

The variables most related to success in counseling outcome research are the client‐counselor relationship and the personal and situational resources of the client (extratherapeutic variables). When these variables are compromised, a “specificity myth” is endorsed purporting that there are specific treatments for particular groups of people. This myth is a direct result of a shift in focus from the client to the counselor as the expert who focuses on “doing” counseling rather than “being” a counselor. Person‐centered counseling cuts to the core of therapeutic success: the relationship of the counselor‐client and the utilization of the client's resources.     

Adolescent Diabetic Control: Using the Process‐Person‐Context‐Time Model

This investigation used the Process‐Person‐Context‐Time Model (U. Bronfenbrenner, 1979, 1995) to study adolescent diabetic control. The dependent variable was a blood test measuring diabetic control (i.e., HbA1 C [glycosylated hemoglobin]). Independent variables included adolescent/maternal perceptions of family environment and communication, blood glucose monitoring frequency, age of disease onset, disease duration, race/ethnicity, gender, and mother's education level. Stepwise regression revealed that glucose monitoring and problem communication explained 17% of the variance.     

The Role of Person‐Culture Fit in Chinese Students' Cultural Adjustment in the United States: A Galileo Mental Model Approach

This article used a Galileo multidimensional scaling model to explain how intercultural communication affected sojourners' wellbeing in their host culture through the convergence of the mental models between sojourners and host nationals with whom the sojourners communicated. Participants were 126 sojourning Chinese in the United States and 30 associated domestic Americans. Data were collected shortly after the Chinese sojourners arrived in the United States and again 3 months later. A measure of person‐culture fit was generated by comparing each Chinese sojourner's mental model with the aggregate mental model of the associated domestic Americans. Results showed that the amount of intercultural communication had a significant effect on person‐culture fit, in turn affecting sojourners' adaptation outcomes. Theoretical and practical implications of the results are discussed.     

Exploring the Moderating Roles of Perceived Person–Job Fit and Person–Organisation Fit on the Relationship between Training Investment and Knowledge Workers' Turnover Intentions

Previous studies have documented inconsistent results in terms of the relationship between knowledge workers' perceived training investment and their turnover intentions. In order to clarify the inconsistencies, the present study extends previous research by exploring the moderating roles of perceived demand–ability (D–A) job fit and person–organisation (P–O) fit. Data were collected from 303 research and development (R&D) engineers from 30 high‐technology firms in Taiwan. Hierarchical regression analyses were conducted to test the hypotheses. The results show that perceived D–A fit, P–O fit, and perceived training investment interact jointly to predict knowledge workers' turnover intentions. Specifically, while the main effect of perceived training investment on turnover intentions was negative, under situations of extremely high perceived D–A fit and extremely low P–O fit, the relationship between knowledge workers' perceived training investment and their turnover intentions became positive, and under situations of low perceived D–A fit and high P–O fit, the relationship between knowledge workers' perceived training investment and their turnover intentions remained negative. Theoretical and practical implications are also discussed. Les études antérieures ont donné des résultats contradictoires quant aux relations entre la connaissance que les salariés perçoivent de l’investissement dans la formation et leurs intentions de changer. Dans le but de clarifier ces incohérences, la présente étude prend la suite de recherches antérieures en explorant les rôles modérateurs de la compatibilité perçue entre la compétence et les nécessités au travail (DA) et de la compatibilité entre la personne prise dans sa globalité et les caractéristiques de l’organisation qui l’emploie (PO). Les données ont été collectées auprès de 303 ingénieurs en recherche et développement (R&D) de 30 entreprises de haute technologie à Taiwan. Des analyses de régression hiérarchique ont conduit à tester les hypothèses. Les résultats montrent que la compatibilité D‐A, la compatibilité P‐O et l’investissement perçu dans la formation interagissent conjointement pour prédire les intentions de changement des employés. Plus spécifiquement, alors que le principal effet de l’investissement perçu dans la formation sur les intentions de changement est négatif, dans des conditions de compatibilité D‐A perçue comme étant basse et de compatibilité P‐O haute, la relation entre la connaissance que les salariés perçoivent de l’investissement dans la formation et leurs intentions de changement reste négative. Les implications théoriques et pratiques sont aussi discutées.     

A Person‐Centered Examination of Adolescent Religiosity Using Latent Class Analysis

Empirical studies of religion's role in society, especially those focused on individuals and analyzing survey data, conceptualize and measure religiosity as ranging from low to high on a single measure or a summary index of multiple measures. Other concepts, such as “lived religion,” “believing without belonging,” or “fuzzy fidelity” emphasize what scholars have noted for decades: humans are rarely consistently low, medium, or high across dimensions of religiosity including institutional involvement, private practice, salience, or belief. A method with great promise for identifying population patterns in how individuals combine types and levels of belief, practice, and personal religious salience is latent class analysis. In this article, we use data from the first wave of the National Study of Youth and Religion's telephone survey to discuss how to select indicators of religiosity in an informed manner, as well as the implications of the number and types of indicators used for model fit. We identify five latent classes of religiosity among adolescents in the United States and their sociodemographic correlates. Our findings highlight the value of a person‐centered approach to understanding how religion is lived by American adolescents.     

Person‐Centered Emotional Support and Gender Attributions in Computer‐Mediated Communication

Without physical appearance, identification in computer‐mediated communication is relatively ambiguous and may depend on verbal cues such as usernames, content, and/or style. This is important when gender‐linked differences exist in the effects of messages, as in emotional support. This study examined gender attribution for online support providers with male, female, or ambiguous usernames, who provided highly person‐centered (HPC) or low person‐centered (LPC) messages. Participants attributed gender to helpers with gender‐ambiguous names based on HPC versus LPC messages. Female participants preferred HPC helpers over LPC helpers. Unexpectedly, men preferred HPC messages from male and gender‐ambiguous helpers more than they did when HPC messages came from females. Implications follow about computer‐mediated emotional support and theories of computer‐mediated communication and social influence.     

The Development and Evolution of Person‐Centered Expressive Art Therapy: A Conversation With Natalie Rogers

Many counselors are unaware that Natalie Rogers, daughter of Carl Rogers, has extended her father's work into the creative and expressive arts. This article includes a verbatim conversation with Natalie Rogers as she reflects on her childhood and her professional work. Person‐centered expressive art therapy is an alternative to traditional verbal counseling approaches and may be especially helpful for clients stuck in linear, rigid, and analytic ways of thinking and experiencing the world.     

I'll Start My Diet Tomorrow: A Solution-Focused Approach to Weight Loss

This article illustrates through a personal case example how Solution-Focused Brief Therapy concepts can help people lose weight and keep it off.     

The End of the Person–Situation Debate: An Emerging Synthesis in the Answer to the Consistency Question

We review the history and current status of the person–situation debate. We propose that the person–situation debate (1) is over and (2) that it ended in a ‘Hegelian’ synthesis. Specifically, we propose the following synthesis resolution: There are multiple types of consistency; behavior is consistent for some of those types and not for others; and personality and traits exist in the forms that produce the consistent behaviors. Incorporating both personality processes and trait structures in research will move personality research forward. In this article, we summarize the advances that the two perspectives have generated by working in opposition; we explain why both sides will suffer from continuing to work independently; and we anticipate several future directions that synthesis‐informed personality research can and should take.     

Person‐centred counsellors' experiences of working with clients in crisis: A qualitative interview study

Aims: This study aims to explore and understand person‐centred therapists’ experiences and work with clients at the pivotal point of crisis. Specifically: how do person‐centred therapists experience working with clients in crisis? Do they identify differences in crisis intervention compared to non‐crisis work? What do they perceive as helpful to crisis clients? How relevant are therapists' own experiences of crisis? Method: Participants were all experienced person‐centred therapists. Qualitative, semi‐structured interviews were conducted and the data were analysed qualitatively using person‐centred/phenomenological methodology. Results: Respondents identified differences in their experiences. Typically, therapists described polarity in their experience of danger and opportunity, also heightened energy levels within themselves, perceived higher levels of engagement, faster pace of work, experiences of reaching ‘relational depth’ earlier, and the importance of assisting symbolisation of clients' experience in awareness. Clients were experienced as vulnerable, unable to access previous coping mechanisms, in a state of breakdown and disintegration, but also as wide open, having dropped their usual defences, and more available to engage in therapy and enter the process of change and potential post‐crisis growth. Discussion: The findings are discussed in relation to prevailing models of crisis intervention, person‐centred theory and theoretical developments in post‐traumatic growth in the aftermath of crisis.     

Resilience: A Meta‐Analytic Approach

This study investigated the relationship between psychological resilience and its relevant variables by using a meta‐analytic method. The results indicated that the largest effect on resilience was found to stem from the protective factors, a medium effect from risk factors, and the smallest effect from demographic factors.     

Activating Effects of Resources Relative to Threat and Responsibility in Person‐Relative‐to‐Event Theory of Coping With Threat: An Educational Application1

Person‐relative‐to‐event (PrE) theory is a general theory of coping with threat that emphasizes the relationship between level of appraised threat relative to level of appraised person resources, and personal responsibility (Duval & Mulilis, 1999; Mulilis & Duval, 1995, 1997, in press; Mulilis, Duval, & Bovalino, 2000; Mulilis, Duval, & Rombach, 2001). While the theory has assumed that level of personal responsibility moderates the effects of appraised levels of resources relative to threat, nevertheless it also has been suggested (Mulilis & Duval, 1997) that these processes might, in fact, occur in an independent and parallel manner. Alternatively, Brickman (1987) suggested that a person attributes responsibility for the solution of a problem to self only to the extent that the person perceives that he or she is in control of future events surrounding the problem. Using an academic assessment as the threatening event, the present study was conducted to test these competing assumptions in the context of an educational setting. Results of this investigation support the previous suggestion of the authors that personal responsibility and resources relative to threat appear to operate as independent and parallel cognitive processes in PrE theory. Implications of these results for improved academic performance are discussed.