Counterfactual thinking about one’s birth enhances well-being judgments

Previous research demonstrates that thinking counterfactually about life experiences facilitates meaning making about those events. Two studies extend this work into the well-being domain by examining the effects of writing factually or counterfactually about one’s birth on well-being. In Study 1, participants (N?=?252) were randomly assigned to write factually or counterfactually about their births or the election of Barack Obama and then completed measures of meaning in life and life satisfaction. Writing counterfactually about one’s birth led to higher evaluations of life relative to all other groups. In Study 2, (N?=?98) participants wrote factually or counterfactually about their births and again completed well-being measures. Fate attributions, probability estimates, and feelings of luck were explored as potential mediators. The effect on well-being from Study 1 replicated, but was not driven by any of the measured variables. Implications for existential psychology and well-being research are discussed.     

Positive expectancies and mental health: Identifying the unique contributions of hope and optimism

Contemporary theories of hope and optimism provide two explanations for how positive expectancies can shape human behavior and promote well-being. Scheier and Carver's theory of optimism focuses on generalized expectations of positive outcomes, whereas Snyder's hope theory focuses on how evaluations of personal agency can facilitate goal attainment. Although the theoretical distinctions between these constructs have previously been articulated, few studies have jointly examined the two constructs in order to determine unique effects, and some have questioned whether the constructs are truly distinct. This study therefore examines whether hope and optimism (1) are distinct latent constructs, (2) have unique effects on components of flourishing mental health, and (3) differentially relate to the components of flourishing mental health. Confirmatory factor analysis results and a bootstrapped structural equation model indicate that hope and optimism are distinct latent constructs that each uniquely predict a moderate proportion of variance of the components of well-being.     

初中生偶像崇拜及其与生活目标和主观幸福感的关系:性别的调节作用

本研究以3587名初中生为对象,采用问卷测量法,考察了初中生偶像崇拜在性别和年级上的差异,及其与生活目标和主观幸福感的关系,并探究了性别在其中的调节作用。研究发现：（1）女生的偶像崇拜水平显著高于男生的,且偶像崇拜高水平组中女生人数显著多于男生,偶像崇拜低水平组中则相反;初一与初二年级间偶像崇拜的水平及在不同水平上的人数分布均无显著差异。（2）外在生活目标能够正向预测初中生的偶像崇拜水平,其中性别起调节作用,外在生活目标对女生偶像崇拜水平的影响大于男生。（3）性别对偶像崇拜影响初中生主观幸福感上也具有调节作用,即偶像崇拜水平负向预测初中女生的主观幸福感,对男生的主观幸福感则影响不显著。     

Humanness in times of uncertainty: On the link between perceived job insecurity,self-objectification and well-being

The current work scenario is pervaded by widespread perceptions of job insecurity, which is one of the main stress factors for workers and their well-being. This article aims to investigate the link between these perceptions and a most inner dimension, that is, people's tendency to self-objectify (i.e., self-viewing as objects rather than fully human beings). Furthermore, we aim to verify the role of this self-objectifying process in explaining the well-established relation between perceived job insecurity and well-being. Across four studies and a single-article meta-analysis (total N = 684), we show that perceived job insecurity is consistently linked with self-objectification. Furthermore, this objectifying self-perception is associated with decreased well-being and plays a mediational role in the link between perceived job insecurity and this latter variable.     

Transfer of newly acquired stimulus valence between identities in dissociative identity disorder (DID)

Patients with Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) frequently report episodes of interidentity amnesia, that is amnesia for events experienced by other identities. The goal of the present experiment was to test the implicit transfer of trauma-related information between identities in DID. We hypothesized that whereas declarative information may transfer from one identity to another, the emotional connotation of the memory may be dissociated, especially in the case of negative, trauma-related emotional valence. An evaluative conditioning procedure was combined with an affective priming procedure, both performed by different identities. In the evaluative conditioning procedure, previously neutral stimuli come to refer to a negative or positive connotation. The affective priming procedure was used to test the transfer of this acquired valence to an identity reporting interidentity amnesia. Results indicated activation of stimulus valence in the affective priming task, that is transfer of emotional material between identities.     

主观幸福感的结构及其与人格特质的关系

以239名大学生为被试,考察了主观幸福感(SWB)的结构及其与人格特质的关系。分析表明,SWB由生活满意度、积极情感和消极情感三个相关的维度构成,而且它们可以共同负荷于一个高阶因子。外倾和神经质是SWB的重要预测指标,积极情感的主要预测指标是外倾,神经质则是消极情感最有力的预测指标,而外倾和神经质对消极情感和生活满意度有相同的预测力。情感平衡是外倾和神经质影响生活满意度的中介变量。     

社会认知基本维度与主观幸福感：未来时间洞察力的中介作用

基于社会认知双视角模型和人类适应机制,探讨能动性和表达性与主观幸福感的关系及其作用机制,采用社会认知基本维度形容词词库、未来时间洞察力问卷和幸福感指数量表对全国21个省市居民进行调查,共回收有效问卷4071份,其中男性1714人（42.1%）,女性2342人（57.5%）。结果表明：（1）能动性、表达性显著正向预测主观幸福,且能动性的预测效力大于表达性;未来时间洞察力显著正向预测主观幸福感;（2）能动性、表达性能通过未来时间洞察力的中介作用间接预测个人主观幸福感。本研究结果有利于揭示能动性、表达性如何影响个体主观幸福感体验,以及能动性、表达性对主观幸福感的影响程度,对于提升个人主观幸福感有一定启示意义。     

社会支持、学习观和自我效能感对学习主观幸福感的影响

通过对469名初中生的问卷调查,考察社会支持、学习观、自我效能感与学习主观幸福感的关系。结果表明:(1)初中生学习主观幸福感总体在中等水平以上,不存在性别差异;非重点学校学生学习主观幸福感低于重点学校的学生;学习主观幸福感随年级的升高而逐渐降低。(2)控制了人口学变量的影响后,社会支持、学习观和自我效能感对学习主观幸福感仍有显著影响,其中自我效能感对学习主观幸福感的影响作用较大。(3)社会支持对初中生学习主观幸福感既具有直接影响,同时也具有间接影响;初中生学习观和自我效能感在社会支持和学习主观幸福感之间起着部分中介作用。     

大学生自我复杂性与主观幸福感的关系

对188名大学生采用生活满意度量表和情感量表测量主观幸福感,运用与Linville相近的方式测量自我复杂性,并探讨两者的关系。研究发现:(1)积极自我复杂性与消极自我复杂性相互独立。(2)积极自我复杂性和消极自我复杂性与主观幸福感有着不同的关系。(3)自我复杂性测量时积极词汇与消极词汇的比例以及幸福感测量工具的不同都可能使两者关系出现不同结果。