Counseling in the Philippines: Past,Present, and Future

The history of colonization and persistent attempts at self‐governance in the Philippines parallel the beginnings of counseling in the country, which were largely influenced by the United States. Because of the Guidance and Counseling Act of 2004 and the Psychology Act of 2009, counseling is on its way to professionalization and regulation. Counseling is growing in depth and credibility, as evidenced by applications in practice that are not only indigenous but powerfully relevant.     

Support Means Direct Help: Filipino Adolescents’ Multidimensional Conceptualization of Social Support

This study investigated Filipino adolescents?? conceptualization of social support. While Western literature suggests that adolescents, in their developmental task of growing towards independence and individuality, prefer emotional support and acceptance in achieving these goals, it is worthwhile to discover what Filipino adolescents define as supportive in their lives, given a collectivist and interdependent cultural background. In-depth interviews were done with 89 male adolescents. Results reveal that social support among Filipino adolescents is conceptualized mainly as hands-on support. Advice, personal assistance, and being challenged are conceptualized as expressions of care and concern, rather than as intrusive acts. Furthermore, Filipino adolescents have a wide source of social support, with different social support providers perceived as having a particular niche in terms of the kind of social support they provide. Theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed.     

The rise and fall of the Pacquiao Effect: Contrastive priming and national identification

We demonstrate in a series of field and controlled experiments that assimilative and contrastive priming effects can be observed in the pattern of self‐concept change in response to a major cultural event. Study 1 used the brief implicit association test (BIAT) to measure national identification of Filipinos online across a period of time that encompassed a national sporting event. The pattern of scores support the hypothesis that while people who were ambivalent about identifying with Filipino concepts exhibited an assimilation effect (i.e. a slight rise in identification after the fight), people who already highly identified with being Filipino experienced a contrast effect (i.e. a slight drop in identification). Study 2 replicated this result five months later with a new sample and ruled out several possible alternative hypotheses. A subsequent controlled experiment and a qualitative investigation consistently supported the hypothesis that the pattern observed in the previous studies is more consistent with assimilative and contrastive priming effects rather than disidentification.     

A Grounded Theory of Filipino Wellness (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Kaginhawaan</Emphasis>)

The purpose of this study was to develop a theory to explain Filipino wellness (kaginhawaan). Open-ended and semi-structured face-to-face interviews were conducted among 18 Filipinos. Nine resided in the city and the rest lived in the rural areas. The participants were also representative of the low, middle, and high levels of family income prescribed by the Philippine’s National Statistics Office. Glasser and Strauss’ (The discovery of grounded theory: strategies for qualitative research. Aldine Publishing Company, Chicago, 1967) grounded theory approach was used to guide the process of investigation. The findings suggest that Filipino wellness is a condition where an individual enjoys economic freedom and security and psycho-emotional wellness within the context of the family. In the absence of family, an individual may turn to occupation to provide a semblance of Filipino wellness. On the other hand, when the individual faces economic difficulties, one turns to spirituality as a source of wellness.     

Supervisor Support for Employee Performance in Australia: Mediating Role of Work‐Life Balance,Job, and Life Attitude

Drawing on the job‐demands resources model, we investigated the relationship between supervisor support and employee performance and the mediating effects of work‐life balance (WLB), job and life satisfaction, and organizational commitment in a sample of 305 financial‐sector employees in Sydney, Australia. Results reveal that supervisor support is positively related to employee performance, WLB, job and life satisfaction, and organizational commitment. In turn, WLB, job and life satisfaction, and organizational commitment are positively linked to employee performance. The findings indicate a significant mediation between supervisor support and employee performance only through WLB and organizational commitment. Implications for theory and practice are discussed.     

Difficulties in emotion regulation are associated with panic symptom severity following a quit attempt among cannabis dependent veterans

Background and Objectives: Prior research suggests that difficulties in emotion regulation are associated with elevations in panic symptoms. The present study aimed to extend this work by prospectively examining the relation between difficulties in emotion regulation and panic symptoms over the course of a self-guided cannabis cessation attempt. Design and Method: One hundred and four cannabis-dependent military veterans participated in the study. Difficulties in emotion regulation and panic symptoms were assessed at baseline and at each week during a four-week cessation attempt for a total of five time-points. Results: Fewer difficulties in emotion regulation were associated with a greater reduction in panic symptoms during the self-guided cannabis cessation period. Results remained significant after statistically adjusting for mean substance use (i.e., cannabis, alcohol, and tobacco) during the study period. Conclusions: Results are discussed in terms of integrating adaptive emotion regulation skills training into existing evidence-based treatments for cannabis dependence.     

Personality predictors of creative achievement and lawbreaking behavior

Current Psychology - This article investigates how Big Five personality traits are related to creative achievements and lawbreaking behavior in a large sample (N = 1669) of Polish...