Disentangling within-person changes and individual differences among fundamental need satisfaction, attainment of acquisitive desires, and psychological health

We explored within-person and individual difference associations among basic psychological need satisfaction (autonomy, competence, and relatedness), attainment of acquisitive desires (wealth and popularity) and indicators of well- and ill-being. Participants were 198 undergraduates (51% male) who completed an inventory multiple times over a university semester. Analyses revealed that increased satisfaction of all the needs and desires beyond participants’ normal levels, with the exception of relatedness, were associated with greater psychological welfare. Nonetheless, individual differences in well-being were only predicted by psychological need satisfaction, and not by the attainment of acquisitive desires. Hence, the realization of acquisitive desires may elicit within-person increases in psychological welfare; however, satisfying innate needs may be a better bet for long term psychological health.     

The Price of a Piece of Cheese: Value from Fit Between Epistemic Needs and a Learning Versus an Outcome Focus

In decision making, people can focus on decisional outcomes (outcome focus), but they can also focus on gaining knowledge about the decisional domain (learning focus). Furthermore, people differ in the strength of their epistemic needs—their preference for developing a rich and accurate understanding of the world. We invoke the regulatory fit theory to predict that higher epistemic needs better fit a learning focus than lower epistemic needs, resulting in a greater increase in valuation of the chosen option when a learning rather than an outcome focus is induced. This general hypothesis was tested and supported in three studies, each focusing on a different proxy to epistemic needs. Thus, individuals experienced greater value when they had lower expertise (Study 1), higher need for assessment (Study 2), and higher need for cognition (Study 3) when a learning rather than an outcome focus was induced. Implications for work on epistemic needs, regulatory fit theory, and decision‐making practice are discussed. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Validation d’une Échelle de Frustration des Besoins Psychologiques au Travail (EFBPT)

The purpose of the three present studies was to adapt in French in the work context a questionnaire developed by Bartholomew, Ntoumanis, Ryan, and Thøgersen- Ntoumani (2011) designed to assess thwarting of the needs for competence, autonomy, and relatedness. Exploratory (Study 1) and confirmatory analyses (Study were conducted among French workers. These studies demonstrated an acceptable internal consistency and confirmed the three-factor structure of the questionnaire (i.e., EFBPT). In addition, the construct validity of the scale was also corroborated in Study 3.     

Eating regulation and bulimic symptoms: the differential correlates of health-focused and appearance-focused eating regulation

Based on Self-Determination Theory, this study aimed to gain further insight in the pathway from eating regulation to bulimic symptoms by (a) examining diet-specific need frustration as an intervening mechanism, (b) investigating the associations between different types of goals underlying eating regulation and diet-specific need frustration and bulimic symptoms, and (c) considering body dissatisfaction as an antecedent of eating regulation and eating regulation goals. In a sample of 244 female adolescents, SEM analyses showed that (a) the association between eating regulation and bulimic symptoms can be accounted for by need frustration, (b) appearance-focused and health-focused eating regulation are associated differentially with need frustration and bulimic symptoms, and (c) body dissatisfaction is related positively to eating regulation and appearance-focused eating regulation. These findings suggest that the goals underlying one's eating regulation and the concept of need frustration help to understand when and why eating regulation is associated with bulimic symptoms.     

A descriptive study of emotion concepts using dimensional models of core affect / Un estudio descriptivo de los conceptos emocionales desde los modelos dimensionales de los estados afectivos

Abstract

The study of emotions from a dimensional perspective has allowed for important steps towards the understanding of human emotional experiences. However, there are still many questions to be addressed. One, of special relevance, refers to which emotion concepts we use to refer to different emotional experiences. Thus, the primary purpose of this research was to identify which emotion concepts we use in our daily life to refer to eight specific core affects identified by the combination of valance (positive and negative), arousal (activated and deactivated) and time perspective (anticipatory and retrospective). Further, we focused on the degree of specificity of those emotion concepts and whether the levels of specificity vary among different core affects. Our results evidenced that the specificity and breadth of our emotional vocabulary varies between different core affects.     

The Memory of Micro-Organisms: An Essay on the Experience of Environmental Alterations by Bacteria

Using a generalized conception of experience, from which all features characteristic for higher animals (such as consciousness and thought) have been removed, allowed relating experience to adaptive processes in lower organisms. The temporal vector character of every current experience, containing as well memories of past experiences as intentions for future activities, can then be found in the adaptive response of cyanobacteria to alterations in phosphate supply, particularly in energetic manifestations of this phenomenon. A possible analogy between adaptive events as the “atomic units” of physiological adaptation and Whitehead's actual occasion of experience is discussed.     

How a Mental Health Professional Handles Referrals and Fees

Summary

The choice of referral and the relationship between referral sources can pose clinical and ethical dilemmas, due to the potential that the relationship between the psychologist and the referral source will interfere with the treatment relationship. Once the referral has been made, the referring psychologist must be sensitive to a second, and often a more problematic level of risk: conflicts that occur between the patient and the referral recipient. The situation becomes even more problematic when a psychologist is giving or receiving any form of compensation in connection with the referral. In addition to clouding the clinical relationship, the giving or receiving of such compensation, whether it is characterized as “referral fees” or otherwise, has important legal consequences, and may well result in license revocation proceedings or even criminal liability.     

脊髓损伤者生育困难与服务需求调查

对63名18岁以上未婚或已婚未生育子女的脊髓损伤者进行问卷调查,并对其中17人进行了深入访谈,了解其生育愿望、影响因素与生育服务现状,探讨解决脊髓损伤者生育困难的方法和措施.调查发现,脊髓损伤者生育愿望普遍而迫切,受到经济水平、教育背景、生活环境、其他脊髓损伤者生育经历等多方面因素影响;同时发现社会对此问题关注不够、认识不足、服务缺失.建议从改善环境、提高认识、普及知识、专业培训、建立制度等方面对脊髓损伤者提供专业化服务,解决生育困难,保障生育权力.     

Information Needs and Behavior of Catholic Priests in Croatia

This article presents a segment of the results gathered in a doctoral study that investigated information needs and behavior of Catholic priests in Croatia. The study focused on parish priests in particular and their information needs and behavior in the liturgy and care-giving role. The research was conducted with the help of quantitative and qualitative methodology. Print questionnaires were filled out by 327 respondents, while in the follow-up interviews 20 respondents took part. Research results show that respondents, in the care-giving role and liturgy, require information about theology, general culture, psychology, and pedagogy. More than half of respondents find information for liturgy on religious websites and in their personal parish libraries. However, in their care-giving role they seek information most often from their parishers, members in parish pastoral and economic boards, and from colleagues at their regular meetings organized by the (arch)diocese. Both in liturgy and care-giving role, respondents use religious publications to a much larger degree than secular books, magazines, or newspapers. The respondents explained that in liturgy they consult colleagues and parishers in order to exchange advices and ideas, while in the care-giving role some respondents also prefer to seek an advice from an expert in specific field. The results of this study can help Catholic Church and theological faculties when preparing the information literacy courses for future parish priests.     

Career support needs of learners with historical disadvantage: an exploratory study

This study explored the career support needs of learners from a historically disadvantaged rural South African school setting. Participants were a convenience sample of 20 high school learners (females=60%; males=40%; age range 15–17 years; schools grades 9–10). They completed focus group interviews relating to their career awareness and needs. The data were thematically analysed. The results suggested learners have significant in-school career awareness and support needs. The learners accessed career related information informally from social networks they were using out of school rather than in the educational setting.