Dimensionality and factor satisfaction of the body image construct: A gender comparison

Sex Roles - The internal structure of the Body Cathexis Scale has been investigated twice with male subjects, but never with female subjects. This study was conducted to determine the...     

The determinants of employee benefits satisfaction

This study developed a multidimensional scale of benefits satisfaction and utilized a discrepancy model to examine the determinants of employee benefits satisfaction. The empirical findings are based on the survey responses of 205 employees in a hospital. The results indicate that pay level, female gender and exempt status employees are positively related to benefits satisfaction. Further, age and education level are negatively related to benefits satisfaction.     

The multidimensional nature of ageism: construct validity and group differences

The authors investigated the factor structure and construct validity of the Fraboni Scale of Ageism and the age and gender differences in ageism scores. Confirmatory factor analyses supported the multidimensional nature of FSA scores and generally corroborated the initial factor structure reported by M. Fraboni, with some notable exceptions. Essentially, the present findings were aligned with theoretical models of ageism that emphasize both cognitive facets and affective facets. That is, on the basis of their factor analytic findings, the authors redefined Fraboni's original factors of Antilocution, Avoidance, and Discrimination as Stereotypes, Separation, and Affective Attitudes, respectively, because of the clustering of items within factors. The revised 3-factor structure accounted for 36.4% of the variance in FSA scores. FSA factor scores significantly related to other scores from other measures of age-related attitudes, with higher correlations among factors that were similar in terms of their cognitive nature versus their affective nature. Finally, younger individuals and men had significantly higher ageism scores on the FSA than older individuals and women. The authors discussed the importance of adequately assessing ageism, with particular emphasis devoted to the understanding of age bias.     

On the nature of identity fusion: insights into the construct and a new measure

Previous research has documented the consequences of feeling fused with a group; here we examine the nature of identity fusion. Specifically, we sought to determine what fusion is and the mediating mechanisms that lead fused individuals to make extraordinary sacrifices for their group. Guided by the assumption that fusion emphasizes the extent to which people develop relational ties to the group, we developed a measure designed to capture feelings of connectedness and reciprocal strength with the group. In 10 studies, the newly developed scale displayed predicted relationships with related measures, including an earlier (pictorial) measure of fusion and a measure of group identification. Also as expected, fusion scores were independent of several measures of personality and identity. Moreover, the scale predicted endorsement of extreme progroup behaviors with greater fidelity than did an earlier pictorial measure of identity fusion, which was, in turn, superior to a measure of group identification. Earlier evidence that the personal and social selves of fused persons are functionally equivalent was replicated, and it was shown that feelings of agency and invulnerability mediated the effects of fusion on extreme behavior. Finally, Spanish- and English-language versions of the verbal fusion scale showed similar factor structure as well as evidence of convergent, discriminant, and predictive validity in samples of Spaniards and Americans, as well as immigrants from 22 different countries. This work advances a new perspective on the interplay between social and personal identity.     

On the benefits of thinking unconsciously: Unconscious thought can increase post-choice satisfaction

This work compares conscious thought and unconscious thought in relation to quality of choice. Earlier work [Dijksterhuis, A. (2004). Think different: The merits of unconscious thought in preference development and decision making. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 87, 586-598] has shown that people make better choices after engaging in unconscious thought (i.e., unconscious activity during a period of distraction) rather than in conscious thought. However, the evidence was obtained for choices between hypothetical alternatives with quality of choice operationalized normatively. As quality of decision is essentially subjective, in the current experiment participants chose between real objects with quality operationalized as post-choice satisfaction. In a paradigm based on work by Wilson and colleagues [Wilson, T. D., Lisle, D., Schooler, J. W., Hodges, S. D., Klaaren, K. J., & LaFleur, S. J. (1993). Introspecting about reasons can reduce post-choice satisfaction. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 19, 331-339], participants were briefly presented with five art posters, and chose one either (a) immediately, (b) after thorough conscious thinking about each poster, or (c) after a period of distraction. Participants took their favorite poster home and were phoned 3-5 weeks later. As hypothesized, unconscious thinkers were more satisfied with their choice than participants in the other two conditions.     

The Satisfaction With Life Scale and the emerging construct of life satisfaction

Since its introduction in 1985, the Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS; Diener, Emmons, Larsen, & Griffin, 1985 Larsen, RJ, Diener, E and Emmons, RA. 1985. An evaluation of subjective well-being measures. Social Indicators Research, 17: 1–18. [Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]) has been heavily used as a measure of the life satisfaction component of subjective well-being. Scores on the SWLS have been shown to correlate with measures of mental health and to be predictive of future behaviors such as suicide attempts. In the area of health psychology, the SWLS has been used to examine the subjective quality of life of people experiencing serious health concerns. At a theoretical level, extensive research conducted since the last review (Pavot & Diener, 1993 Pavot, W and Diener, E. 1993. Review of the Satisfaction With Life Scale. Psychological Assessment, 5: 164–172. [Crossref] , [Google Scholar]) has more clearly articulated the nature of life satisfaction judgments, and the multiple forces that can exert an influence on such judgments. In this review, we examine the evolving views of life satisfaction, offer updated psychometric data for the SWLS, and discuss future issues in the assessment of life satisfaction.     

Explication of the coping goal construct: implications for coping and reemployment.

This longitudinal study developed a reemployment coping goal construct and examined its role in a job-loss context. Several predictors of displaced workers' reemployment coping goal intensity were examined: human capital, employment commitment, internal coping resources, and anticipation of job loss. Results show that human capital, employment commitment, internal coping resources, and anticipation of job loss positively predicted a reemployment coping goal. Human capital also directly predicted reemployment. Finally, unemployed individuals' reemployment coping goal intensity positively predicted job-search effort, which positively predicted reemployment. Implications for the process of coping with job loss and future research are discussed.     

Male body satisfaction: factorial and construct validity of the Body Parts Satisfaction Scale for Men

Given the centrality of body dissatisfaction in the manifestation of eating, exercise, and affective disturbances in men, measurement of this construct becomes essential. Across 2 studies with male undergraduates (Ns = 189 and 188), the psychometric properties, including incremental validity and factor structure, of the 25-item Body Parts Satisfaction Scale for Men (BPSS-M) were examined. Three factors--Upper Body, Legs, and Face--that included items measuring both muscularity and leanness were established. The factors were internally consistent and temporally stable (over 6 months), and support was found for their convergent, discriminant, and concurrent validity. Further, we established that, after controlling for social desirability and drive for muscularity, body satisfaction contributes uniquely to men's experience of disordered eating, negative affect and mood, and psychological well-being. The BPSS-M yielded reliable and valid scores with undergraduate men, suggesting that it may be useful for understanding not only body satisfaction but disordered eating and affective disturbances as well.     

Framing the construct of life satisfaction in terms of older adults' personal goals.

Older adults' life satisfaction can be better understood in light of their personal goals. This study of 179 elders examined (a) how goals correlate with satisfaction, (b) whether elders maintain satisfaction by accommodating goals to past losses, and (c) how correlations between satisfaction and key predictors differ among groups with different goals. Satisfaction was related positively to social maintenance and energetic life-style goals and negatively to concerns for improvement, disengagement, stability, and reduced activity. Past losses were correlated with current goals but not with satisfaction, consistent with the notion of accommodation. A cluster analysis identified 5 patterns of goals: high demand, age prescribed, self-focused, socially engaged, and low demand. Correlations between satisfaction and other predictors differed by cluster, suggesting that the determinants of elders' satisfaction depend on personal goals.     

The benefits of need satisfaction depend on their relative importance for people with a unidimensional identity: an idiographic analysis

Motivation and Emotion - Self-determination theory proposes that the satisfaction of basic psychological needs is equally beneficial for everyone – the Universal Hypothesis. Equally, there...     

The contextual and systematic nature of life satisfaction judgments

Five studies were conducted to examine the nature of life satisfaction judgments. When the category of “excitement” was made accessible experimentally, individuals based their life satisfaction judgments more heavily on the frequency of excitement, in comparison to a “peaceful” condition in Study 1 and to both “neutral priming” and “no-priming” conditions in Study 2. A 7-day diary study (Study 3) showed that as “excitement” became naturally more accessible on weekends, the correlations between excitement and daily satisfaction also increased significantly. Study 3 thus illustrated a systematic contextual shift in the bases of life satisfaction judgments. Study 4 showed that high sensation seekers, for whom “excitement” should be chronically accessible, based their life satisfaction judgments more heavily on the frequency of excitement than did low sensation seekers. Finally, Study 5 demonstrated that the chronic accessibility of “excitement” measured at Time 1 predicted the degree to which individuals based their life satisfaction judgments on the frequency of excitement at Time 2. Altogether, these five studies highlight the contextually sensitive, yet systematic nature of life satisfaction judgments.     

Further reflections on the nature of intuition‐analysis and the construct validity of the Cognitive Style Index

Theoretical and empirical arguments that support the construct validity of the Allinson‐Hayes Cognitive Style Index are reviewed in the light of Hodgkinson and Sadler‐Smith's (2003) assertion that Allinson and Hayes (1996) incorrectly specified the nature of the Cognitive Style Index (CSI) as a measure of intuition‐analysis predicated on a unitarist conception of the construct. It is concluded that Hodgkinson and Sadler‐Smith fail to offer a robust challenge to either the theoretical or empirical arguments supporting the construct validity of the Cognitive Style Index.     

On the nature of intuitive and delusional thought: Its implications in clinical work with psychotic patients

The author tries to differentiate intuitive imagination from delusional imagination and hypothesises that psychosis alters the system of intuitive thinking, which consequently cannot develop in a dynamic and selective way. Scholars of different disciplines, far removed from psychoanalysis, such as Einstein, Hadamard or Poincar, believe that intuitive thinking works in the unconscious by means of hidden processes, which permit a creative meeting of ideas. Thanks to Bion's work, psychoanalysts have begun to understand that waking thinking is unconsciously intertwined with dream‐work. The delusional construction is similar to a dreamlike sensorial production but, unlike a real dream, it remains in the waking memory and creates characters which live independently of the ‘dreamer's’ awareness. It is a dream that never ends. On the contrary, the real dream disappears when it has brought its communicative task to an end. In the analysis of psychotic patients it is very important to analyse the delusional imagination which dominates the personality and continuously transforms the mental state, twisting emotional truth. The delusional imagination is so deeply rooted in the patient's mental functioning that, even after systematic analysis, the delusional world, which had seemed to disappear, re‐emerges under new configurations. The psychotic core remains encapsulated; it produces unsteadiness and may induce further psychotic states in the patient. The author reports some analytic material of a patient, who, after a delusional episode treated with drugs, shows a vivid psychotic functioning. Some considerations are added on the nature of the psychotic state and on the therapeutic approach used to transform the delusional structure. This paper particularly deals with the difficulty in working through the psychotic episode and in ‘deconstructing’the delusional experience because of the terror connected with it. In the reported case, the analytic work changed the delusional construction into a more benign one characterised by phobic qualities. The analysis of the psychotic transference allowed the focus to be on the hidden work which had been continuously influencing the transferential picture of the analyst and the patient's psychic reality.     

Collective teacher culture: exploring an elusive construct and its relations with teacher autonomy,belonging, and job satisfaction

Social Psychology of Education - One purpose of this study was to analyze relations between four possible indicators of a collective teacher culture by means of confirmatory factor analyses. The...     

Comparison based satisfaction: contrast and empathy

The paper (1) presents a new contrast–empathy model to capture affective reactions following a social comparison, and (2) supports the applicability of the value function to social comparisons. Relationship quality and relevance of the comparison dimension are assumed to influence the interplay between contrast and empathy effects. The application of the value function to the contrast–empathy model leads to the predictions that (a) dissatisfaction looms larger than satisfaction and that (b) pity looms larger than empathetic joy. Three studies test the validity of the contrast empathy model. In all studies participants rated their satisfaction with income comparisons. Study 1 demonstrates the applicability of the value function to social comparisons. Study 2 extends the self‐evaluation model and supports the validity of the contrast–empathy model. Study 3 replicates parts of Study 2 in a between‐subjects design. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Reflections on reflections … on the nature of intuition,analysis and the construct validity of the Cognitive Style Index

Hayes, Allinson, Hudson, and Keasey (2003) maintain that the theoretical arguments and empirical evidence presented by Hodgkinson and Sadler‐Smith (2003) in support of an alternative two‐dimensional conception of the Allinson‐Hayes Cognitive Style Index (CSI) are insufficiently robust to challenge the original unidimensional formulation and that, accordingly, users of the CSI should continue to score the instrument as a single bipolar scale. In reply, we show that their reasoning is flawed, being based on a series of misinterpretations of the nature and purpose both of the item parcelling procedure and the exploratory factor analysis technique we employed. Furthermore, their defence fails to take account of the extensive confirmatory factor analytic evidence we presented in support of our conclusions.     

Measuring the value of nonwage employee benefits: building a model of the relation between benefit satisfaction and value

Researchers have commonly assumed benefits that employees view as more valuable have a greater influence on their attitudes and behaviors. Researchers have used 2 common methods to measure benefit value: attaching a monetary value to benefits and using self-reports of benefit importance. The present authors propose that the 2 approaches are conceptually distinct and have different implications. They use a social exchange perspective to justify this distinction and integrate both approaches and benefit satisfaction into a more comprehensive model of benefit perception. Results suggest that both measures have practical applications depending on the nature of the exchange relationship between the organization and employees. However, this relationship depends on the specific benefit and on employee satisfaction with that benefit. Some benefits lend themselves to a monetary estimate, whereas others lend themselves more to a nonmonetary valuation.