Using REBT in the Treatment of Restless Leg Syndrome: A Case-Study

This paper describes a case study of a middle-aged woman with restless leg syndrome (RLS) and the course of her treatment using rational emotive behavior therapy (REBT). Although the empirical support is somewhat limited, published literature suggests the potential effectiveness of cognitive-behavioral therapy in treating clients with RLS. This client sought treatment for chronic pain consistent with RLS which had affected her quality of life and daily functioning. She was assessed using a battery of quantitative measures. Conceptualization and treatment from an REBT perspective is discussed. The client was seen for six sessions. Treatment involved a combination of REBT disputing and cognitive restructuring techniques and behavioral interventions. Homework was given after each session. Between-meeting progress was assessed at each session using the Outcome Questionnaire and a scale measuring the client’s rational and irrational beliefs. The client reported a steady reduction in symptoms with associated improvements in sleep and daily functioning over the course of the six-session intervention. Therapeutic gains were maintained at 8-months follow-up.     

Solving problems or seeing troubles? A day-level study on the consequences of thinking about work on recovery and well-being,and the moderating role of self-regulation

This study examined, using a within-person design, how fluctuations in work-related affective rumination and problem-solving pondering are related to recovery and well-being (N = 171; 677 day-level data points over five consecutive work days). We hypothesized that trait self-regulation moderates the relationship between problem-solving during the evening and the state of being recovered at bedtime. We analyzed our data using a moderated multilevel mediation approach. The results showed that affective rumination during the evening was indirectly related to impaired well-being in the subsequent morning through its negative relationship with the state of being recovered at bedtime. Problem-solving was indirectly related to well-being in the subsequent morning through its relationship with the state of being recovered at bedtime. However, this indirect effect was moderated by trait self-regulation in a way that problem-solving pondering was positively related to the state of being recovered, and consequently, to improved well-being for employees higher in self-regulation, whereas it was negatively related to the state of being recovered, and consequently, to impaired well-being for those lower in self-regulation. These findings suggest that problem-solving pondering may be beneficial or unfavorable for recovery and well-being depending on the degree to which employees can regulate their cognitions and feelings.     

College Cheating Thirty Years Later: The Role of Academic Entitlement

This research reports on a thirty-year follow-up study of academic dishonesty, often referred to as college cheating. The present study examines the role of academic entitlement as a predictor of college cheating. A sense of entitlement is regarded as a primary characteristic of today’s millennial students, those born between 1980 and 2000. However, previous research has never investigated the role of academic entitlement on college cheating. Instead, previous research has mostly favored neutralization as a theoretical explanation for academic dishonesty. The results indicate that, even though reports of college cheating have decreased over time, academic entitlement is a significant predictor of cheating in college.     

Team adaptation to an unforeseen system failure: Limits of the potential aids of shared knowledge and standardized communication

The present study investigates the potential benefits of a team’s shared knowledge and standardized communication in adapting to an unforeseen change by combining literature on adaptation and team performance. Each of 20 teams performed a dynamic team task and was suddenly confronted with a simulated partial system breakdown. Results show that a methodological framework designed to describe performance adaptation to an unforeseen change in individuals can also be used to model performance adaptation in teams. The system failure was followed by a performance drop and a subsequent period of gradual performance recovery. Accuracy of teams’ shared knowledge correlated positively with performance before and after the change, confirming and extending the literature on shared mental models. However, the amount of knowledge similarity did not aid teams in adapting to the unforeseen system breakdown. In addition, improving teams’ standardized communication had no damping effect on the sudden performance drop and neither helped them during the subsequent recovery period. These results show that even though shared knowledge and efficient communication are of high value to team performance and success, these characteristics are limited in aiding adaptive team performance after unforeseen unique changes that force team members to update their strategies.     

Configurations of unemployment,reemployment, and psychological well-being: A longitudinal study of unemployed individuals in Portugal

This study examined how four different configurations of unemployment and reemployment (defined by history of past unemployment and unemployment/reemployment 3 years later) related to changes in psychological well-being. The longitudinal sample consisted of 566 Portuguese men and women who were unemployed at the beginning of the study. Using true change score models, we found that individuals who reported a long period of unemployment at T1 but were reemployed at T2 showed meaningful gains in positive affect and life satisfaction compared to those who had a shorter history of unemployment and were reemployed. An examination of gender differences revealed that the women who were reemployed after a long history of unemployment showed the greatest relative gains in positive affect. We conclude by noting limitations of this research and suggesting future research to address these limitations.     

变革型领导对员工绩效和满意度的影响：心理资本的中介作用及程序公平的调节作用

通过对国内一家企业共785位员工及其直接主管的问卷调查, 考察了下属心理资本在变革型领导与下属工作绩效及满意度之间关系的中介作用以及程序公平对该关系的调节作用。研究结果显示：1)下属的心理资本与其工作绩效和满意度正向相关; 2)下属的心理资本部分中介了变革型领导对下属工作绩效及满意度的正向关系; 3) 下属的程序公平调节了变革型领导对下属心理资本的影响。具体而言, 下属的程序公平感越高, 变革型领导与下属心理资本的正向关系越强, 反之越弱; 4) 进一步地, 程序公平调节了下属心理资本对变革型领导－工作绩效和满意度的中介作用, 即：程序公平感越高, 变革型领导通过心理资本对下属的工作绩效和满意度所产生的作用就越强, 反之越弱。最后讨论了该研究的理论意义和应用价值。     

The relative contributions of subjective and objective measures of body shape and size to body image and disordered eating in women

This research explored the relative contributions of subjective perceptions of body weight and body shape/proportion, as well as objective measures of body mass index (BMI) and waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) to disordered eating, exercise involvement, and body image. One hundred and fifty-eight female university students completed questionnaires and provided body measurements for this study. Although an interaction between BMI and WHR was found for some measures (i.e., Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire total and subscale scores), results indicated that BMI was consistently the better objective predictor of disordered eating and body image. Subjective perceptions of body weight and, to a lesser extent, body shape, were found to account for the greatest proportion of variance in the dependent measures (disordered eating, body esteem, and body dissatisfaction). Overall, these results offer more support for sociocultural theories emphasizing the importance of thinness for women, than evolutionary theories emphasizing the role of WHR.     

Beliefs About the True Self Explain Asymmetries Based on Moral Judgment

Past research has identified a number of asymmetries based on moral judgments. Beliefs about (a) what a person values, (b) whether a person is happy, (c) whether a person has shown weakness of will, and (d) whether a person deserves praise or blame seem to depend critically on whether participants themselves find the agent's behavior to be morally good or bad. To date, however, the origins of these asymmetries remain unknown. The present studies examine whether beliefs about an agent's “true self” explain these observed asymmetries based on moral judgment. Using the identical materials from previous studies in this area, a series of five experiments indicate that people show a general tendency to conclude that deep inside every individual there is a “true self” calling him or her to behave in ways that are morally virtuous. In turn, this belief causes people to hold different intuitions about what the agent values, whether the agent is happy, whether he or she has shown weakness of will, and whether he or she deserves praise or blame. These results not only help to answer important questions about how people attribute various mental states to others; they also contribute to important theoretical debates regarding how moral values may shape our beliefs about phenomena that, on the surface, appear to be decidedly non‐moral in nature.