Mental Health among Youth in South Australia: A Survey of Flourishing,Languishing, Struggling,and Floundering

The Complete State Model of Mental Health was used to describe the prevalence of flourishing, languishing, struggling, and floundering in life in a sample of young South Australians (n = 3,913; 13–17 years, 52% female). Categorisation was based on the relative proportion of mental health and mental illness symptoms reported on standardised measures and the association of these categories to health‐risk behaviour. Variability in categories and health‐risk behaviour due to gender or region was investigated. Results indicated that a disturbingly small proportion of adolescents (<50%) were flourishing in life, that poorer states of mental health were associated with increased health‐risk behaviour, and that the propensity to engage in health‐risk behaviour did vary by gender and region. The current study extends the platform from which positively focused mental health strategies can be tailored and launched to meet the mental health needs of adolescents.     

Well-being, Happiness and Why Relationships Matter: Evidence from Bangladesh

Although Bangladesh is known as one of the poorest and most densely populated countries in the world, qualitative research and anecdotal evidence suggests its people report levels of happiness that are higher than those found in many other countries. This includes ‘developed’ countries where people have larger per capita incomes and can access a wider range of public services and goods. The paper explores this apparent paradox by analysing primary quantitative and qualitative data, and engaging with existing literature on happiness and objective wellbeing in Bangladesh. The data and analysis presented makes an original and timely contribution to the limited knowledge we have of the construction and experience of happiness and life satisfaction in contexts of extreme and persistent economic poverty. It identifies and offers insights into the ‘personal’ as well as social or ‘relational’ values and goals that people in Bangladesh consider important to achieve happiness in life. It also reflects on how different people experience these values and goals in very different ways. This, we argue, leads to a better understanding of the influence of the social and cultural context in the construction of people’s happiness. In the conclusion, we reflect on the policy implications of our findings.

Culture,Emotion, and Well-being: Good Feelings in Japan and the United States

We tested the hypothesis that “good feelings”—the central element of subjective well-being—are associated with interdependence and interpersonal engagement of the self in Japan, but with independence and interpersonal disengagement of the self in the United States. Japanese and American college students (total N = 913) reported how frequently they experienced various emotional states in daily life. In support of the hypothesis, the reported frequency of general positive emotions (e.g. calm, elated) was most closely associated with the reported frequency of interpersonally engaged positive emotions (e.g. friendly feelings) in Japan, but with the reported frequency of interpersonally disengaged positive emotions (e.g. pride) in the United States. Further, for Americans the reported frequency of experience was considerably higher for positive emotions than for negative emotions, but for Japanese it was higher for engaged emotions than for disengaged emotions. Implications for cultural constructions of emotion in general and subjective well-being in particular are discussed.     

The Paradoxical Consequences of Interpersonal Goals: Relationships,Distress, and the Self

People often try to manage the impressions others have of them so others will have high regard for them. What are the consequences of chronically having self-image goals in ongoing relationships? A program of research examining the effects of self-image goals and contrasting them with compassionate goals focused on supporting others is described. Results from two longitudinal studies indicated that self-image goals have negative effects on relationships, and paradoxically decrease the regard others have for the self, self-esteem, and mental health. In contrast, compassionate goals focused on promoting the well-being of others have positive effects on relationships, and paradoxically increase others’ regard, self-esteem and mental health. Discussion considers why self-image goals persist if they have clear negative consequences, and why people do not shift to more constructive compassionate goals in light of their benefits.     

Psychosocial Intimacy,Relationships with Parents,and Well-being among Emerging Adults

For emerging adults, the development of psychosocial intimacy may be a key developmental task shaped by past parenting. In this study, 232 emerging adult, college students completed a questionnaire about their intimacy development, identity development, self-efficacy in romantic relationships, parenting (i.e., attachment styles, parental caring and overprotection, and parental challenge), and well-being (i.e, depressive symptoms, loneliness, happiness, and self-esteem). Findings indicate that identity development, low attachment avoidance, and self-efficacy in romantic relationships predicted intimacy development. Furthermore, those individuals with high intimacy have less loneliness, greater self-esteem, and more happiness than those with low intimacy. Achieving psychosocial intimacy may have benefits for well-being.     

The Co-Construction of New Meanings in Couple Relationships

SUMMARY

The gender informed psychotherapist has Ihc challenge of addressing power issues in couple relationships in a manner that is both gender sensitive and blame free. The Relationship Enhancement model of couple therapy (Guerney, 1977) is particularly suitable for doing this. The model integrates the qualities of empathy and autonomy that are culturally considered feminine and masculine respectively. It systematically teaches couples how to interact with each other in a non-blaming way that is deeply empathic, rationally assertive, and sensitive to how meanings can be both de-constructed and co-constructed in dialogue. The model also permits the integration of relevant techniques from other therapeutic approaches.     

Early Adolescents' Achievement Goals,Social Status,and Attitudes Towards Cooperation with Peers

This qualitative study used a semi-structured interview with 50 fifth grade Israeli students to investigate the relations among achievement goals and social identity processes that concern orientation towards social structure and status in the classroom, and preference and willingness to cooperate with peers from different social groups. Mastery-oriented students were found to evaluate cooperation with respect to its contribution to learning, friendship, and class cohesion, and to be willing to cooperate with peers regardless of their social group membership. Performance-approach and performance-avoidance oriented students were found to evaluate cooperation with regard to its implications for social status, and to prefer to cooperate with peers of the in-group and with high status peers. Performance-avoidance oriented students with low social status were found to also adopt a defensive avoidant orientation in the social domain.     

企业员工人口学变量、工作特征与主观幸福感的关系：工作压力的作用

本研究通过对北京、上海、南京、成都、长沙及广州266名企业员工有效样本的测查,考察了员工幸福感在人口学变量和工作特征变量上的差异,探讨了工作压力对幸福感的影响机制,发现不同年龄、学历、企业所有制、行业和工作岗位的员工的幸福感水平差异显著,人口学变量和工作特征对幸福感有交互作用。回归分析发现,工作压力、学历和工作类别变量分别直接影响幸福感,年龄和学历还通过工作压力间接影响幸福感。     

Two Investigations of the Relationships among Group Goals,Goal Commitment,Cohesion, and Performance

This paper presents two studies exploring the operation of group cohesion and goal processes (difficulty and commitment) on group performance. The results from the first study, using a sample of college students in naturally occurring groups, revealed significant relationships among these variables and suggested that goals are the more immediate determinants of performance, mediating the effects of cohesion on performance. The second study employed a different design and task to address some limitations of the first study and to replicate those findings. The results from the second study were highly consistent with the first. The implications of these findings are discussed.     

Relationships among Personal Life Stories,Vicarious Life Stories about Mothers and Fathers,and Well-being

We examined whether vicarious life stories about mothers and fathers differed in their relationships with personal life stories and well-being. Seventy-six emerging adults completed scales measuring well-being and described three chapters in their personal, mothers’, and fathers’ life stories. Chapters were self-rated and content coded for emotional tone and positive/negative person change. Characteristics of personal life stories were positively correlated with characteristics of vicarious life stories for mothers and fathers. Personal life stories were higher on positive person change than vicarious life stories about mothers and fathers. Higher well-being was related to rating all three life stories as more positive, but results for content coding were more mixed. The results indicate that vicarious life stories for mothers and fathers are related in similar ways to personal life stories and well-being.     

大学生归因方式、气质性乐观与心理幸福感的关系

采用问卷调查的方法,对350名大学生的归因方式、气质性乐观与心理幸福感(即抑郁、生活满意度)的关系进行了研究,结果表明:(1)归因方式问卷的总分与气质性乐观、生活满意度呈显著负相关,与抑郁呈显著正相关,气质性乐观与抑郁呈显著负相关,与生活满意度呈显著正相关;(2)归因方式的自身性维度上,乐观者、悲观者的归因方式无显著性差异;持久性和整体性维度上,对可控性低水平事件的归因方式无显著性差异,对中、高水平事件,悲观者的归因方式比乐观者更悲观;(3)归因方式对抑郁、生活满意度的影响以气质性乐观为中介变量.     

青少年学校幸福感及其与能力自我知觉、人格的关系

运用问卷调查法对228名中学生进行调查,考察了青少年的学校幸福感及其与能力自我知觉、人格的关系。研究发现:(1)女生的学校满意度高于男生;青少年的学校幸福感呈现出随年级增高而降低的趋势。(2)神经质和外倾性两种人格特质在能力自我知觉和学校幸福感之间的因果关系中起中介作用。表现为神经质在能力自我知觉和消极在校情感之间起中介作用;外倾性在社会能力自我知觉和积极在校情感之间起中介作用。     

Proximity Matters: Exploring Relationships Among Neighborhoods, Congregations, and the Residential Patterns of Members

Using the Philadelphia Congregations Census, the Neighborhood Change Database, the U.S. Census, and geographic information systems (GIS) software, this study compared characteristics of congregations made up of members who live nearby their congregation's building to those with more members who commute from outside the immediate area or outside the city. We considered whether the neighborhood characteristics in which the "commuter" versus "resident" congregations were located differed in regard to racial composition, socioeconomic status, and residential stability. The study found that where the pastor lives in relation to the building, denomination, racial composition of membership, and the stability of the neighborhood were related to members' residential proximity to the congregation building.     

Slippery Slope Arguments in Legal Contexts: Towards Argumentative Patterns

Argumentation - Addressing the slippery slope argument (SSA) in legal contexts from the perspective of pragma-dialectics, this paper elaborates the conditions under which an SSA-scheme instance is...     

Daily Goals, Life Goals, and Worst Fears: Means, Ends, and Subjective Well-Being

This study addressed the relations among personal strivings (daily goals) and future life goals and worst fears. Eighty undergraduate participants (62 women, 18 men) listed their daily goals, their ultimate life goals, and their worst fears, and completed questionnaire measures of subjective well-being. Daily goals were content-analyzed for relevance to attaining life goals or avoiding worst fears. Daily goals that were instrumental to life goals or that avoided worst fears were rated as more important but also more difficult by participants. Working on daily goals avoiding one's worst fears was negatively related to measures of subjective well-being, controlling for daily goal progress, difficulty, ambivalence, and importance. Working on daily goals that were instrumental to one's life goals only weakly predicted well-being. The avoidance of worst fears interacted with daily goal appraisals such that individuals who experienced little progress at daily goals that served to avoid their "worst case scenario" experienced the lowest levels of subjective well-being. In addition, progress at daily goals that were relevant to accomplishing one's life goals was significantly more strongly related to subjective well-being than progress at daily goals that were unrelated to one's life goals. Results indicate that daily goals are used to enact life goals and avoid worst fears and that these means–end relations have implications for well-being.     

Relationship Quality as Mediator of Forgiveness and Psychological Well-being among Transgressors in Romantic Relationships

Romantic relationships often blossom in college life. But relationships are not always a bed of roses. One may find themselves to be inflicting hurt towards their partner. The study aimed to explore the role of positive and negative relationship quality as the mediators of forgiveness (seeking and self) and psychological well-being in romantic relationships from the perspective of the transgressors. Data were collected from a sample of 119 college students in New Delhi, India, who have been in a romantic relationship for 6 months at least and who have hurt their partner in the past. They were administered the Seeking Forgiveness Questionnaire, Heartland Forgiveness Scale (self), Positive–Negative Relationship Quality Questionnaire and the Ryff Scales of Psychological Well-Being. The results showed positive relationship quality to be a mediator between forgiveness (seeking and self) and psychological well-being. Additional support for this relationship was provided by the insignificant role of negative relationship quality between forgiveness (seeking and self) and psychological well-being.     

Observing Workplace Incivility Towards Women: The Roles of Target Reactions,Actor Motives,and Actor-Target Relationships

The current study conceptualized observer reactions to uncivil behavior towards women as an ethical behavior and examined three factors (target reaction, actor motive, and actor-target relationship) that influence these reactions. Two vignette studies with women and men undergraduate and graduate students in western Switzerland were conducted. Study 1 (N?=?148) was a written vignette study that assessed how the reaction of female targets to incivility and the motives of actors influenced observer reactions. Results showed that a female target’s reaction influenced observers’ evaluations of the harm caused by an uncivil incident, and that an actor’s motive affected observers’ assessments of the necessity to intervene. Study 2 (N?=?81) was a video vignette study that assessed the effects of the reactions by female targets to incivility and the relationship between the target and the actor on observer reactions. We found that female targets’ reactions influenced observers’ evaluations of harm and the perceived necessity to intervene. Furthermore, the effect of a female target’s reaction on observers’ evaluations of harm was moderated by the relationship between the actor and the target: a female target who laughed at the uncivil behavior was perceived as less harmed, when she and the actor had a personal relationship than when they had a professional relationship. When the female target reacted hurt or neutrally, actor-target relationship did not affect observers’ evaluations of harm. We conclude by discussing the implications of our findings for theory and practice.     

城市居民婚姻状况与主观幸福感关系的初步研究

本文在山东省范围内取样,对我国城市居民婚姻状况与主观幸福感的关系进行了初步研究,得出了与西方研究者不同的结论：从总体上看城市居民中无婚姻生活者主观幸福感高于有婚姻生活者,性别是影响城市居民婚姻状况与主观幸福感关系的重要因素,有婚姻生活的女性比没有婚姻生活的女性体验到更多的幸福感,而男性则恰恰相反。本文认为,在婚姻状况与主观幸福感关系方面表现出来的中西差异,与转型社会的婚姻价值观失衡有关,也反映了某种文化上的差异。     

Sense of Coherence and Mood States: Exploring the Causal Relationships

The current study seeks to explore the effect of an academic course on sense of coherence (SOC) and transitory mood states. Moreover, the causal relationships between SOC and transitory mood states was evaluated. Second-year pharmacology students completed pencil-and-paper questionnaires at the beginning of the semester and 3-1/2 months later. The study group ( n  = 37) participated in an academic course developed to teach cognitive behavior concept and practice, whereas the control group ( n  = 43) had additional sessions of laboratory work. SOC increased significantly after the course while tension–anxiety and confusion decreased significantly. Structural equation analyses in the study group suggested that SOC was modified by confusion and perceived stress. No such pattern was observed in the control group.