Cross-sectional,longitudinal and composite longitudinal data on the Career Maturity Inventory Attitude Scale

Longitudinal data collection designs are frequently used in the study of developmental variables but typically yield patterns of results that are different from those obtained using cross-sectional designs. Recent research has focused on ways to clarify and reconcile the methodological distinctions between these two designs by utilizing alternative designs that incorporate features of both. This investigation compared the results obtained by the two traditional designs on the Career Maturity Inventory-Attitude Scale with the effects of an alternative design: constructing a composite longitudinal gradient. The two traditional methodologies yielded different results from each other for males, but not for females. However, the alternative design failed to eliminate the obtained differences for males, and introduced differences for females, casting doubt on the efficacy of the “solution.” The implications of these results for developmental research and career maturity were discussed.     

Cognitive strategies in coping with expedition stress

Expeditions provide a valuable opportunity for studying processes of coping with a stressful situation. An expedition to India organized by the British Schools Exploring Society has already been reported as being accompanied by positive changes on self-report personality scales. This paper is concerned with detailed cognitive coping measures completed throughout the 6 weeks of the expedition. It needs to be noted that the results relate to young adults and to those who provided detailed coping information; the generalizability of the result is a matter for future research. The expedition presented a mixture of physical and social stresses. Men enjoyed the physical experience more than women, but women enjoyed the social experience more than men. There was generally greater reliance on personal resources than on social support in coping with stress. This was particularly true for men in coping with physical stress and women in coping with social stress. In general, the physical stresses had been better anticipated than the social ones. Positive reformulations were much more widely used as coping strategies than avoidance/resignation strategies, especially so for physical stresses. However, use of avoidance/resignation strategies was the better predictor of outcome, with those who used them being least likely to show positive personality change as a result of the expedition. The results are related to current research on stress and coping.     

Sensitive caregiving and reward responsivity: A novel mechanism linking parenting and executive functions development in early childhood

Sensitive caregiving is an essential aspect of positive parenting that influences executive functions development, but the mechanisms underlying this association are less clear. Using data from the Family Life Project, a large prospective longitudinal sample of 1292 families residing in rural, predominately low-income communities, the current study examined whether sensitive caregiving impacts executive functions development by shaping behavioral reward processing systems in early postnatal life. Results indicated that higher levels of sensitive caregiving during infancy were associated with heightened reward responsivity at age 4, which in turn predicted superior executive functions ability at age 5. Notably, children's reward responsivity partially mediated the relationship between sensitive caregiving in infancy and executive functions ability at school entry. These findings add to prior work on early experience and children's executive functions and highlight caregiver scaffolding of developing reward processing systems as a potential foundational mechanism for supporting adaptive behavior and self-regulation across the lifespan.     

Openness relates to COVID-19 vaccination rates across 48 United States but politics trump personality

Does geographic variation in personality across the United States relate to COVID-19 vaccination rates? To answer this question, we combined multiple state-level datasets: (a) Big Five personality averages (i.e., extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, neuroticism, and openness; Rentfrow et al., 2008), (b) COVID-19 full-vaccination rates (CDC, 2021a), (c) health-relevant demographic covariates (population density, per capita gross domestic product, and racial/ethnic data; Webster et al., 2021), and (d) political and religiosity data. Analyses showed openness as the strongest correlate of full-vaccination rates (r = 0.51). Controlling for other traits, demographic covariates, and spatial dependence, openness remained significantly related to full-vaccination rates (r_p = 0.55). Adding political and religiosity data to this model diminished openness effects for full-vaccination rates to non-significance (r_p = 0.26); however, extraversion emerged as a significant correlate of full-vaccination rates (r_p = 0.37). Although politics are paramount, we suspect that states with higher average openness scores are more conducive to novel thinking and behavior—dispositions that may be crucial in motivating people to take newly-developed vaccines based on new technologies to confront a novel coronavirus.     

Envy,entitlement, and cutting the line: Dark personality predicted selfishness during the U.S. COVID-19 vaccine rollout

Dark Triad personality traits (narcissism, psychopathy, and Machivellianism) predict increased selfish thinking and behavior. In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, they have been related to behaviors such as greater hoarding and decreased COVID-preventative behaviors. Here we examined whether the Dark Triad might predict selfish beliefs and behavior surrounding COVID-19 vaccinations during the 2021 U.S. vaccine rollout—a time when availability was scarce and people were prioritized based on factors like preexisting medical conditions or line of work. In a sample of 499 people, we found that the constellation of Dark Triad traits predicted skipping one's priority in line to get the COVID-19 vaccine earlier among the vaccinated. Among the unvaccinated it predicted greater envy, entitlement, perceptions of unfairness, and willingness to skip the line. Taken together, these findings suggest that those high in the Dark Triad do not simply care less about their health and safety, instead there may be circumstances in which dark traits predict preventative, albeit selfish, behavior.     

Nonlinearity of healing: Healing narratives of Filipino therapists-in-training who self-identify as wounded healers

Due to the stigma therapists-in-training face within the field owing to their woundedness, and the dearth of psychological literature on the healing of wounded healers (WHs), this study examined the healing journeys of nine Filipino therapists-in-training who self-identify as WHs. Narrative Identity framework was utilized to analyse the healing narratives gathered from nine semi-structured interviews with therapists-in-training. Results focussed on the healing narratives and how these shaped the identity and development of these future practitioners. The healing narratives of therapists-in-training were generally composed of four chapters: (a) identifying the wounded-client identity and its wounds, (b) entering the counselling field brings the emergence of the healer-therapist identity, (c) nonlinearity of healing transforms into a fluid WH, and (d) continuing the healing journey. These never-ending and nonlinear journeys shaped how therapists-in-training perceived and constructed or deconstructed their identification, with their dual identities influencing their practice. Additionally, their healing journeys contributed to their development as therapists who continue to heal from their woundedness. This study contributes to the literature regarding therapists-in-training who self-identify as WHs through the emphasised healing process. Moreover, this study may both lessen the stigma surrounding therapists-in-training's woundedness and help colleagues, educators, mentors and supervisors within the counselling field to better help trainees through the creation of open spaces, classes and training programmes that may help in enhancing their well-being and utilising their woundedness to increase, rather than impair, their therapeutic ability.     

Rogerian theory: A critique of the effectiveness of pure client-centred therapy

Rogers' Client-Centered Therapy (RCCT) included the phenomena 'phenomenology' (i.e., multiple reality theory) and the 'innate desire to self-actualize', maintained by the organismic valuing process. RCCT also assumed that the therapist, to produce positive outcome, was required to feel and demonstrate unconditional positive regard and genuineness toward the client. The present review evalued the fundamental accuracy of these phenomena and their effectiveness in a counselling setting. Additionally, RCCT effectiveness was weighed against the developmental-interactional concept for therapeutic outcome. It is suggested an eclectic approach is more effective in couselling than either argument.     

Findings on the relationship between Internet addiction and psychological symptoms in Brazilian adults

This study evaluated the prevalence of Internet addiction (IA) and its association with negative psychological symptoms in Brazilian adults. A network analysis was conducted to estimate specific variables and their expected influence on IA. In this cross-sectional study, 15,476 adults (M_age = 37.5, SD = 9.59) completed an open web-based survey. Three questionnaires were used: the Internet Addiction Test (IAT), Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21) and Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS). Based on IAT scores, participants were classified as No-Risk user (NRU), Low-Risk user (LRU) or High-Risk user (HRU). We observed that 4.8% of the participants were classified in the HRU group. In addition, their risk for severe symptoms of depression was 10 times higher and, for anxiety, seven times higher than that in the NRU group (p < .001). Time spent using smartphones was also significantly higher in the HRU group (M_hours = 5.1, p < .001). The main factors associated with IA were depression, gender and anxiety, but the variable “having children” was the most influential in the IA network. These findings suggest that psychiatric symptoms are the main factors associated with IA among the adult population.