Self-perceived strengths among people who are homeless

This study examined self-perceived strengths among 116 people who were homeless. Those who had experienced a longer period of current homelessness tended to report fewer personal strengths (r?=??0.23). Nonetheless, in spite of their marginalized position in society, the vast majority of participants (114 out of 116) perceived personal strengths. A prior diagnosis with mental illness was not associated with the number of strengths reported, but self-perception of strengths was associated with altruistic orientation. The Values in Action (VIA) taxonomy of character strengths captured many of the responses generated by this population. The most frequently mentioned character categories included social intelligence, kindness, persistence, authenticity and humour. The most frequently mentioned other strengths included personal skills (e.g. music, sports), job skills, intelligence and education. The results have relevance for efforts to build self-perceptions that facilitate escape from homelessness.     

Hope and emotional well-being: A six-year study to distinguish antecedents,correlates, and consequences

Hope is a motivational factor that helps initiate and sustain action toward long-term goals, including flexible management of obstacles that get in the way of goal attainment. Despite an abundance of research on the benefits of hope, little attention has been given to this aspect of youth development via longitudinal studies. In this study, we collected ratings of hope and positive and negative affect from 975 adolescents over a six-year assessment period (Grades 7–12). Using cross-lagged structural equation modeling, we found that hope led to greater positive affect, with little evidence for the reverse direction. In contrast, hope and negative affective states were reciprocally related. Hope predicted future well-being particularly well in years when the young people where in transition (e.g. starting high school and transitioning to senior high school). Our data support the position that hope is a malleable attribute that fosters positive youth development.     

The buffering effect of awe on negative affect towards lost possessions*

Abstract

Although the positive emotion of awe is of growing interest, past research has not directly examined its buffering effect in negative circumstances. As awe has been theoretically linked to experiences of vastness and spirituality, the present study proposes that awe helps individuals alleviate their negative affect, in the context of possession loss. Study 1 manipulated awe and examined participants’ responses in an imagined situation in which they lost a cherished possession. Study 2 manipulated awe and happiness and compared their effects on participants’ response to an actual loss in the form of points obtained and deducted during a laboratory task. In Study 3, daily experiences of awe, other positive emotions, and affect in response to actual loss, were measured using event sampling. In all studies, awe predicted lower negative affect towards loss of possessions. Implications of the function of awe in coping with loss and other future directions are discussed.     

The left side of courage: Three exploratory studies on the antecedents of social courage

Abstract

Courage has been linked to important workplace outcomes, but little is known about the antecedents of courage. To identify possible methods to develop a more courageous workforce, the current article provides initial evidence regarding the antecedents of behavioral social courage from five broad categories: personality, job characteristics, leadership, culture, and demographic characteristics. Three exploratory studies show that certain antecedents from these categories have a significant relationship with behavioral social courage, including grit, proactive personality (personality), social support (job characteristics), empowering leadership (leadership), power distance (culture), and age (demographics). Perceived courage benefits and risks did not mediate the effect of most antecedents on behavioral social courage. These results suggest that certain antecedents may influence behavioral social courage, but the mediators of these relationships remain unknown. Further implications and directions for future research are discussed.     

Youth purpose during the great recession: A mixed-methods study

ABSTRACT

Although research reveals purpose can buffer youth from negative states in other contexts, little is known about how youth with purpose function amidst significant economic challenges. This sequential explanatory mixed-methods study, conducted with a sample of Greek youth during the Great Recession, sought to determine (1) if the presence of purpose buffered youth from the potentially demoralizing effects of the economic crisis, and if so, (2) how it managed to do so. Survey results suggest youth with high purpose scores were resilient enough to look past the present challenges and envision a positive future. Qualitative findings suggest youth with purpose remained hopeful about the future by focusing on commitments to their friends, families, communities, and country, and at times, by tuning out the negative economic news. Implications of these findings for positive youth development are discussed.     

Recalling courage: An initial test of a brief writing intervention to activate a ‘courageous mindset’ and courageous behavior

ABSTRACT

Though theoretical models propose that courage can be ‘activated,’ little experimental work exists to support this idea. The current study examines a writing intervention that asks individuals to reflect on experiences in which they faced their fears (thus demonstrating courage) to determine if such reflection would promote more approach-oriented cognition (Study 1) and behavioral intentions (Study 2). As expected, when asked to decide if they could/would engage in various approach behaviors related to their fear, participants in the courage condition chose ‘yes’ more often and were comparatively faster to choose ‘yes’ and slower to choose ‘no.’ Furthermore, participants in the courage condition demonstrated greater intentions of approach behavior toward feared situations in the laboratory. These results, though small in effect, suggest that the writing intervention can activate a ‘courageous mindset’ and can promote more courageous behavioral intentions.     

The relation between elevation and self-reported prosocial behavior: Incremental validity over the Five-Factor Model of Personality

With the development of the field of positive psychology, new constructs have made their way into the literature. One such construct, elevation, represents a positive moral emotion that is experienced when one witnesses the kind, moral behavior of others (Haidt, 2003 Haidt, J. 2003. “Elevation and the positive psychology of morality”. In Flourishing: Positive psychology and the life well-lived, Edited by: Keyes, CL and Haidt, J. 275–289. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association. [Crossref] , [Google Scholar]). To date, few researchers have examined this construct. The current study examined elevation by locating it in the factor space of the Five-Factor Model of Personality, and determined its relation to the constructs of spiritual transcendence and self-reported prosocial behavior. A total of 188 student participants were recruited. Results indicated that Extraversion, Openness to Experience, Agreeableness, spiritual transcendence, and self-reported prosocial behavior were all positively correlated with elevation. Moreover, the results indicated that elevation provided significant incremental validity in predicting self-reports of prosocial behavior over and above the Five-Factor Model of Personality and spiritual transcendence. Clinical implications, limitations, and suggestions for future research are considered.     

The time course of positive and negative emotion in dysphoria

Prior research has demonstrated attenuated reactivity to positive stimuli among depressed and dysphoric individuals, and inconsistent evidence regarding attenuated reactivity to negative stimuli. However, such research has measured experiential reactivity to emotion stimuli in one static moment, which may obscure important information regarding the time course and dynamics of emotion. The current study employed continuous measurement of experiential emotion during and following the presentation of emotion eliciting film clips. Results revealed that dysphoric individuals (n = 16), as compared to nondysphoric controls (n = 31), were equally responsive to positive and negative film clips in terms of peak reactivity during and following the clip. The most striking difference between groups was that dysphoric individuals showed a shortened time course of positive emotion. These emotion dynamics suggest that perhaps the most important aspect of positive emotion regulation in the context of depressed mood is not the inability to initially react to a positive experience, but rather the inability to maintain positive emotion. Possible underlying mechanisms of positive emotion regulation are discussed, and implications for intervention are highlighted.     

Assessment of preschoolers’ positive empathy: concurrent and longitudinal relations with positive emotion,social competence,and sympathy

The purpose of this study was to examine a new measure of children's dispositional positive empathy (i.e., reactions to others’ positive emotions) and its concurrent and longitudinal relations with positive emotion, social competence, and empathy/sympathy with negative emotions. At Time 1, 192 3.5-year-olds (88 girls) participated; at Time 2, 1 year later, 168 4.5-year-olds (79 girls) participated. Children's positive empathy was reported by mothers and observed in the laboratory at Time 2. Additionally, mothers, fathers, and non-parental caregivers completed questionnaires at Time 1 and Time 2 regarding children's positive emotion, empathy/sympathy, and social competence. Children's positive emotion was observed at both assessments. There was evidence of reliability of the new reported measure of positive empathy. Additionally, there were numerous positive relations between positive empathy and social competence and between positive empathy and empathy/sympathy with negative emotions. This study provides unique insight into children's positive empathy and relations to socio-emotional functioning.     

Pretend play and positive psychology: Natural companions

In this article we posit that (1) research on pretend play fits under the umbrella of the positive psychology movement, (2) pretend play involves a multitude of processes that are linked to adaptive functioning, and (3) understanding and implementing knowledge of pretend play processes in therapy or interventions may lead to more optimal functioning in children. We review five areas of positive psychology in relation to pretend play: (1) creativity, (2) coping, (3) emotion regulation, (4) empathy/emotional understanding, and (5) hope. Implications for interventions and future research questions are discussed.