Positive psychology at work: A conceptual review,state-of-practice assessment,and a look ahead

Positive psychological principles have become increasingly prevalent in the workplace in recent years. However, the field still lacks a comprehensive and practice-based overview of this important trend. The present article focuses on reviewing recent research in positive psychology as it relates to the workplace, including research regarding constructs such as resilience, appreciative inquiry, empowerment, gratitude, psychological capital, work engagement, supervisor and organizational support, positive teamwork and co-worker relations, and positive leadership. For each, we synthesize research examining the nature of the construct itself, its nomological network, individual- and organizational-level outcomes, and how organizations can enhance each within their employees for increased organizational success and enhanced employee experience. Finally, we discuss gaps in the relevant literature and make specific recommendations regarding how to ameliorate such oversights in order to enhance the rigor of positive workplace research as well as the frequency and efficacy of relevant organizational interventions.     

Going beyond ethnoracial discrimination and social support in accounting for psychological adjustment: Evidence for the importance of hope as a positive psychological construct in multiethnoracial adults

ABSTRACT

In the present study, we examined the role of ethnoracial discrimination, social support (viz., family & friends), and hope (viz., agency & pathways) in accounting for negative psychological adjustment (viz., worry & depressive symptoms) and positive psychological adjustment (viz., vitality & life satisfaction) in a sample of 203 (164 females & 39 males) multiethnoracial adults. Results of conducting a series of hierarchical regression analyses indicated that beyond ethnoracial discrimination and social support, the inclusion of hope was found to augment the prediction model of psychological adjustment. Within the hope set, agency was found to be uniquely associated with adjustment. Pathways was found to be uniquely associated with positive indices of psychological adjustment. The present findings are the first to highlight the significance of hope in multiethnoracial adults. Some implications of the present findings for understanding psychological adjustment in multiethnoracial adults are discussed.     

The Map of Relational-Cultural Theory

SUMMARY

Psychological theory-building has long been dominated by White, European-male perspectives, perspectives that fail to account for the multifaceted experiences of diverse and marginalized populations. Feminist theory seeks to explore, encompass, and understand the wide range of human experience, a territory that is viewed as broad and complex and dynamic. Relational-Cultural Theory as it addresses the critical importance of relational exchange related to development and health provides an elaboration of some of the most basic feminist principles. Perhaps not surprisingly, this evolving theoretical model has emerged out of the relational work of five women and continues now within an ever-expanding and diverse network of women. This paper will present several elements of this work, its relevance to the larger work of feminist theory, and some of the major contributions of the founding “Monday Night Group.”     

‘Pluralistic accountability’ for the psychological therapies? Holding the tension between diversity's virtues and the need for accountability

ABSTRACT

This paper argues that the field of counselling and psychotherapy needs to find values-congruent ways of managing, and creatively engaging with, the challenging tension between accountability and diversity in therapy work. The authors strongly support the preservation of pluralism and diversity in therapy practice, in the face of the increasingly urgent, anxiety-driven demands for audit, regulation and accountability typifying Late Modernity. It is argued that if accountability itself is to be ‘evidence-based’, then incorporating a relational dimension is essential; for if relationship factors are central to successful therapy, then accountability frameworks must themselves be founded on/in ‘relationship’. The arguments against formal institutional regulation of the psychological therapies in relation to the ineffectiveness of systems are rehearsed, and alternative, more values-congruent approaches considered. In making a case for ‘pluralistic accountability’, a detailed case-study of Bristol's developing local directory of therapists is offered, illustrating how local initiative can deliver good-enough accountability, avoiding the many negative side-effects of more didactic, centralised systems. The paper concludes that innovation and diversity in the field are more likely to be preserved if approaches can be found that hold and embrace the tensions between accountability and diversity, rather than seeking ‘solutions’ that prematurely and inappropriately resolve them.     

工作团队领导心理资本对成员组织公民行为的影响机制：多层次模型

本研究采用问卷调查法, 以某国有企业在10个地市的66个工作团队369名企业员工为调查对象, 在控制被试的教育程度、工作经验及人口统计学变量之后, 运用多层线性模型技术分析团队领导心理资本与团队成员心理资本及其组织公民行为的关系。结果发现：(1)工作团队领导心理资本对团队成员组织公民行为存在积极影响, 团队成员心理资本是领导心理资本与团队成员组织公民行为之间跨层次的中介变量; (2)工作团队领导心理资本对团队成员心理资本与组织公民行为关系的调节效应不显著。     

Psychological Help‐Seeking Intention Among College Students Across Three Problem Areas

The theory of planned behavior (TPB) was used to understand psychological help‐seeking intention for 3 common concerns: anxiety or depression, career choice concerns, and alcohol or drug use. Eight hundred eighty‐nine university students completed surveys for the TPB variables plus belief in personal efficacy and control to solve the problems. Path analysis demonstrated path invariance, indicating that the importance of TPB variables do not vary based on concern in the decision‐making process.     

人文关怀在消除IVF—ET患者心理压力中的作用

近年我国不少生殖医学中心在如何提高体外受精一胚胎移植（IVF—ET）治疗成功率问题上,都将注意力集中在临床用药的研究、控制性超促排卵方案的改进以及实验室条件的改善上,大多忽视IVF—ET患者心理方面的治疗。有研究表明：IVF—ET治疗的成功,不仅与患者自身的病理及生理状况有关,更与患者在治疗过程中产生的心理压力有关。因此,建议医护人员在给不孕症患者实施IVF-ET助孕治疗的全过程中,应给予患者更多人文关怀,这样不仅能够减少IVF—ET患者心理健康问题的发生,而且可以改善患者的身心状态和应对治疗能力,从而提高IVF—ET治疗成功率。     

心理资本对大学生就业能力的影响

通过对251名大学生的问卷调查,探讨了心理资本对大学生就业能力的影响.研究表明,年级、家庭所在地以及家庭所在地与是否为独生子女的交互作用对心理资本有显著影响;年级与是否为独生子女的交互作用影响大学生就业能力.另外,心理资本中的自我效能感、韧性和乐观三个维度对就业能力有积极影响.研究认为,大学生本人和高校可采取多种措施,通过培养和提升心理资本来提高大学生就业能力.     

fMRI responses to Jung's Word Association Test: implications for theory,treatment and research

Jung's Word Association Test was performed under fMRI conditions by 12 normal subjects. Pooled complexed responses were contrasted against pooled neutral ones. The fMRI activation pattern of this generic ‘complexed response’ was very strong (corrected Z scores ranging from 4.90 to 5.69). The activation pattern in each hemisphere includes mirror neurone areas that track ‘otherness’ (perspectival empathy), anterior insula (both self‐awareness and emotional empathy), and cingulated gyrus (self‐awareness and conflict‐monitoring). These are the sites described by Siegel and colleagues as the ‘resonance circuitry’ in the brain which is central to mindfulness (awareness of self) and empathy (sense of the other), negotiations between self awareness and the ‘internal other’. But there is also an interhemispheric dialogue. Within 3 seconds, the left hemisphere over‐rides the right (at least in our normal subjects). Mindfulness and empathy are central to good psychotherapy, and complexes can be windows of opportunity if left‐brain hegemony is resisted. This study sets foundations for further research: (i) QEEG studies (with their finer temporal resolution) of complexed responses in normal subjects (ii) QEEG and fMRI studies of complexed responses in other conditions, like schizophrenia, PTSD, disorders of self organization.     

Rejection of Darwinian Evolution Among Churchgoers in England: The Effects of Psychological Type

Rejection of Darwinian evolution (implying rejection of the common origin of all species, including humans) was assessed among 1,100 churchgoers from a range of Christian denominations in England. The main predictors of rejecting evolution were denominational affiliation and attendance. Individuals from Pentecostal or evangelical denominations were twice as likely to reject evolution compared with those from Anglican or Methodist churches. In all denominations, higher attendance was associated with greater rejection of evolution. Education in general, and theological education in particular, had some effect on reducing rejection, but this was not dependent on having specifically scientific or biological educational qualifications. Psychological type preferences for sensing over intuition and for thinking over feeling also predicted greater rejection, after allowing for the association of type preferences and general religiosity. Reasons for the association between psychological type and rejection of evolution are discussed in the light of the known characteristics of different function preferences.