Field Of Positive Psychology Research Articles

Adaptation of the self-compassion scale for Bangladeshi culture

Self-compassion is a raising construct in the field of positive psychology. Evidence supported that self-compassion is an important factor in increasing psychological well-being and reducing symptoms of anxiety, depression and rumination. In the present study, authors determined the psychometric properties of the Bangla version of Self-Compassion Scale (SCS). The study was carried out in a sample of 160 adults, ranging from 18 to 28 years old. Although the original scale has 26 items, in item-total correlation analysis it was found that 24 items in the questionnaire were significantly correlated with total items, the rest two items consumed negative/low correlation (below 0.30). So, these two items were excluded from the Bangla version and 24 items were selected for the final version of the SCS. The internal consistency of the SCS was computed by Cronbach’s Alpha which was 0.83 and the split-half coefficient of the scale was 0.84. Thus the results support the Bangla SCS is suitable for use in Bangladeshi culture.
 Dhaka Univ. J. Biol. Sci. 29(1): 37-44, 2020 (January)

Life Crafting as a Way to Find Purpose and Meaning in Life.

Having a purpose in life is one of the most fundamental human needs. However, for most people, finding their purpose in life is not obvious. Modern life has a way of distracting people from their true goals and many people find it hard to define their purpose in life. Especially at younger ages, people are searching for meaning in life, but this has been found to be unrelated to actually finding meaning. Oftentimes, people experience pressure to have a “perfect” life and show the world how well they are doing, instead of following up on their deep-felt values and passions. Consequently, people may need a more structured way of finding meaning, e.g., via an intervention. In this paper, we discuss evidence-based ways of finding purpose, via a process that we call “life crafting.” This process fits within positive psychology and the salutogenesis framework – an approach focusing on factors that support human health and well-being, instead of factors that cause disease. This process ideally starts with an intervention that entails a combination of reflecting on one’s values, passions and goals, best possible self, goal attainment plans, and other positive psychology intervention techniques. Important elements of such an intervention are: (1) discovering values and passion, (2) reflecting on current and desired competencies and habits, (3) reflecting on present and future social life, (4) reflecting on a possible future career, (5) writing about the ideal future, (6) writing down specific goal attainment and “if-then” plans, and (7) making public commitments to the goals set. Prior research has shown that personal goal setting and goal attainment plans help people gain a direction or a sense of purpose in life. Research findings from the field of positive psychology, such as salutogenesis, implementation intentions, value congruence, broaden-and-build, and goal-setting literature, can help in building a comprehensive evidence-based life-crafting intervention. This intervention can aid individuals to find a purpose in life, while at the same time ensuring that they make concrete plans to work toward this purpose. The idea is that life crafting enables individuals to take control of their life in order to optimize performance and happiness.

Joy: An introduction to this special issue

ABSTRACTJoy has been curiously omitted from the purview of Positive Psychology. I present an overview and introduction of the articles appearing in The Journal of Positive Psychology’s special issue on Joy. I describe the purpose of this special issue and articulate why greater attention to joy is warranted within the field of Positive Psychology.

Struktura czynnikowa wdzięczności. Wstępne badania adaptacyjne nad skalą SGRAT-PL

Celem niniejszego artykułu jest prezentacja wyników pilotażowych badań adaptacyjnych
 nad skróconą (16-itemową) wersją skali GRAT. W badaniach pilotażowych udział wzięło
 124 respondentów w wieku 20–50 lat (M = 33,55, SD = 5,84). Narzędzie służy do oceny
 poziomu wdzięczności traktowanej jako dyspozycja jednostki do doświadczania tej emocji.
 W badaniach użyto polskiej wersji kwestionariusza wdzięczności SGRAT-PL, skali empatii
 Davisa – IRI oraz ankiety z metryczką na temat zmiennych socjodemograficznych,
 tj. wieku, płci, statusu związku osoby badanej czy posiadania dzieci. Wyniki analizy statystycznej
 mające na celu sprawdzenie walorów psychometrycznych polskiej wersji skali
 SGRAT-PL wskazały na zasadność wykorzystywania skróconej wersji narzędzia w badaniach
 naukowych z zakresu psychologii pozytywnej. Analiza interkorelacji między wynikami
 uzyskanymi w skali SGRAT-PL potwierdziła trafność pomiaru wdzięczności. Wyniki
 przeprowadzonej analizy rzetelności również wskazały na wysoką spójność wewnętrzną
 skróconej wersji skali GRAT i możliwość jej stosowania w empirycznych opracowaniach.
 16-itemowa wersja narzędzia w polskiej adaptacji, podobnie jak wersja pełna, stanowi
 wiarygodny wskaźnik poziomu trzech wymiarów wdzięczności: poczucia obfitości, doceniania
 innych oraz doceniania prostych przyjemności.

Edutainment Strategies in Enhancing Reading Comprehension among Undergraduate Students

Although the term edutainment itself seems to be new in teaching – learning process, it is quite popular in the entertainment industries especially in the developments of entertaining programs such as amusement parks, television shows, and computer games in the tardy of twentieth century. There also an immense paradigm shift in the teaching – learning process from teacher- centred instruction in to learner- centred instruction with more interactive, engaging, experiential method. Learning theorists such as John Dewey and others who have imbibed the concepts of cognitive psychology for their doctrines of pedagogy emphasised the importance of initiative and excitement of learners to learn and affirmed learning as a lifelong activity which is a primary to human subsistence. Nel Noddings, one of the notable contemporary education theorists, argued education to be instrumented towards the basic aim and / or life of mankind and its happiness. ( Happiness and Education,2003). Johan Huizinga (1872-1945) advocated that play and joyfulness are essential to all learners’ performance. Hence, it can be conceived that play, or playfulness are an important factors in education too. Theorists like Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi from the field of positive psychology argued that human beings could perform better when they are engrossed in joyful activities (Flow, 1975). Thus, it can be generalised that learners also could perform better when learning engrossed with joyful activities. In the same way, despite the concept edutainment is often used in the computer based games and gamifying endeavours, this concept also applies to other aspects of human life. Out of the many activities of instructional processes, the reading followed by comprehension among the students is considered to be the most difficult activity. Hence, an attempt has been made to examine the efficacy of edutainment strategies in enhancing reading comprehension among undergraduate students through an experimentation administered over 50 undergraduate students. The results indicated that edutainment strategies effective in enhancing all types of selected comprehension among undergraduate students.

The Reciprocal Relationship Between Gratitude and Life Satisfaction: Evidence From Two Longitudinal Field Studies.

Gratitude and life satisfaction are associated with several indicators of a good life (e.g., health, pro-social behavior, and relationships). However, how gratitude and life satisfaction relate to each other over time has remained unknown until now. Although a substantial body of research has tested the link from gratitude to life satisfaction, the reverse association remains unexplored. In addition, recent cross-cultural research has questioned the link between gratitude and subjective well-being in non-Western countries, suggesting that the benefits of gratitude may only prevail in Western societies. However, previous cross-cultural studies have only compared western (e.g., American) and eastern (e.g., Asian) cultures, but this simple contrast does not adequately capture the diversity in the world. To guide further theory and practice, we therefore extended previous cross-sectional and experimental studies, by testing the bi-directional longitudinal link between gratitude and life satisfaction in a Latin American context, aiming to establish temporal precedence. We assessed two adult samples from Chile, using three-wave cross-lagged panel designs with 1 month (Study 1, N = 725) and 3 months (Study 2, N = 1,841) between waves. Both studies show, for the first time, that gratitude and life satisfaction mutually predict each other over time. The reciprocal relationships suggest the existence of a virtuous circle of human well-being: higher levels of gratitude increase life satisfaction, which in turn increases gratitude, leading to a positive spiral. Key theoretical and practical implications for the dynamics of human flourishing and field of positive psychology are discussed.

Musical Humility: An Ethnographic Case Study of a Competitive High School Jazz Band

Abstract For this research, I utilized an ethnographic case study to examine the role of humility within a competitive high school jazz band in the western United States. The current study draws from recent humility research stemming from the field of positive psychology and offers an initial understanding of these perspectives in music education. From this research, a 5-component definition of humility particular to musical participation was established, resulting in an emergent construct presently referred to as musical humility: (a) purposeful musical engagement and collaboration, (b) lack of superiority, (c) acknowledgement of shortcomings and learnability, (d) other-orientedness, and (e) healthy pride. This initial step in musical humility research contributes to the growing ontology of “humilities” currently identified within social psychology, including general humility, intellectual humility, cultural humility, and others. Through this study, I posit that musical experiences rooted in humility enable the enhancement of both musical and social relationships, which serve to cultivate other-oriented and prosocial ways of being both within music participation and society more broadly.

28.2 BEYOND HAPPINESS: CHARACTER STRENGTHS AND VIRTUES

Engagement is one of the essential components of well-being, as defined by Martin Seligman’s PERMA (Positive Emotion, Engagement, Relationships, Meaning, Achievement) theory. In defining the field of positive psychology, Seligman and Peterson saw the need for a compendium to the DSM-5. Just as mental illness can be defined, the qualities that show our strengths and virtues can be defined as well. An extensive group of researchers observed cultures, societies, philosophies, and religions from around the world. From this work they developed the Character Strengths and Virtues Handbook. The goal of this presentation is to orient participants to the origins and goals of the study of strengths and to clarify its value in talking to patients about well-being. We will review the Values in Action (VIA) assessment and exercises that take advantage of our strengths to increase our well-being.

Single nucleotide polymorphism rs11191454 in arsenite methyltransferase is associated with flow in Chinese students: a genetic study on flow experience

Abstract Flow has been widely studied in the field of positive psychology. However, little is known regarding its biological mechanism. This study aimed to ascertain flow-related gene loci. We investigated the association between flow and five single nucleotide polymorphisms associated with common mental disorders among a sample of 870 healthy 1st year students of Jining Medical University, Shandong Province, China. This study was approved by the Ethics Committee of Jining Medical University (approval No. JNMC-2016-KY-001) on June 1, 2016. rs11191454 demonstrated significant statistical association with flow after adjusting for age and gender (P = 0.004). The allele carriers achieved higher scores in all four dimensions of flow: merging of action and awareness, challenge-skill balance, sense of control, and clear goals. This biological research article indicates that rs11191454 in the arsenite methyltransferase (AS3MT) gene might be associated with flow in a Chinese Han population, and that might result from altered arsenic metabolism.

Resiliencia psicológica a través de la edad y el sexo

Es la resiliencia un tópico de gran interés científico en el ámbito de la psicología positiva.Resiliencia es la capacidad que tiene el ser humano de superar la adversidad y salir fortalecido de ella. El objetivo de este trabajo fue averiguar las diferencias en resiliencia en función de la edad y el sexo. Los participantes fueron 858 personas, de 16 a 65 años, de León (España), el 52% eran mujeres. Se establecieron cuatro grupos en función de la edad: 1) adolescentes, 2) jóvenes, 3) adultosjóvenes y 4) adultos. Se les aplicó la Connor-Davidson Escala de Resiliencia-25 (CD-RISC) de Connor y Davidson (2015). Los datos se introdujeron en el SPSS para realizar análisis comparativos univariados (ANOVAs) con resiliencia como variable dependiente y grupos de edad y sexo como factores fijos. Los resultados indican que existen diferencias en resiliencia en función de la edad: son los adolescentes menos resilientes que los adultos. También se hallaron diferencias por sexo en los adolescentes y en los adultos. Podemos concluir que, aunque las diferencias no son significativas, la variabilidad en resiliencia es considerablemente diferente entre los adolescentes: los varones son más resilientes que las mujeres en este grupo. Por el contrario, en el grupo de adultos aparecen las mujeres como más resilientes que los varones.

Determinants of frontline employee service innovative behavior

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to examine the influence of workplace happiness and work engagement on employee service innovative behavior from the perspective of positive psychology. The study also examines if work engagement mediates the relationship between workplace happiness and employee service innovative behavior. Finally, it investigates how co-worker socializing and the service climate of the organization moderate the relationship between work engagement and employee service innovative behavior.Design/methodology/approachThe study used survey data from 321 frontline employees working in the service sector in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Six major hypotheses were established and examined using the SPSS Statistics V22.0 Process. The measurement model was analyzed using Amos 22.FindingsWorkplace happiness and work engagement are found to be important factors affecting employee service innovative behavior. Workplace happiness influences employee service innovative behavior directly and indirectly through work engagement. Both service climate and co-worker socializing play a significant moderating role in the relationship between work engagement and employee service innovative behavior among frontline employees. Interestingly, service climate erodes this relationship while co-worker socializing enhances it.Practical implicationsThis study provides guidelines for managers and practitioners in the service industry to promote frontline employee service innovative behavior. Specifically, the findings provide guidance for decision-makers on how to use workplace happiness to trigger the innovative service behaviors of frontline employees, taking into consideration the conditional role of service climate and co-worker socializing.Originality/valueThe literature on factors affecting the service innovative behavior of frontline employees in the service sector from the perspective of positive psychology is limited, especially in the context of the UAE. The data, framework and outcomes of this research address this gap and contribute to the current body of knowledge. Specifically, the study contributes to the broaden-and-build theory of positive emotions in the field of positive psychology by validating the applicability of the theory in a wider organizational context.

Positive Psychology and Mastery of the L2 Academic Self


 In order to determine how best to prepare students for university and to participate meaningfully in the activities of their intended academic discourse community (ADC), the influential model proposed by Anne Beaufort in 2007 suggests that this can only occur once a learner has mastered the domains of knowledge pertaining to the target ADC, including those of subject matter, genre, rhetorical techniques and the writing process. However, this article will argue that mastery of a domain and entry into an ADC involves more than this; both of these things can occur only once a student has been able to ‘master’ him/herself. In order to address the question of the nature of ‘self-mastery’ and how to guide students towards achieving it, this article draws upon theories from the emerging field of positive psychology, showing how notions such as self-efficacy, mindfulness and flow can be interwoven with concepts more commonly associated with English for Academic Purposes or ‘EAP’ (e.g. learner autonomy, motivation and noticing) to provide insights into how mastery of the second/additional language learning (L2) academic self can be facilitated. The application of these proposed strategies in the classroom is intended to give students the tools to not only to enter their chosen ADC but also to leave their mark on it.

German Translation of the Satisfaction With Life Scale for Children and Adolescents

The research in the field of positive psychology is alive for children and adolescents, and especially the effects of intervention studies are promising. While a large number of instruments exist for adults, there is a need for greater attention to basic measurement work of constructs for children. The Satisfaction With Life Scale is one of the most common questionnaires used in the field of positive psychology. Whereas the adult version is translated into many languages, the child version has only been translated into a few languages yet. This is a limitation for countries where young students are not familiar with the English language. The aim of the present study was to translate the Satisfaction With Life Scale–child version (SWLS-C) into German with the use of a backtranslation-proceeding (Study 1) and to validate the questionnaire with a sample of 1,099 students aged 8 to 17 years (Study 2). This included retesting of reliability as well as concurrent and discriminant validity by additionally measuring several established constructs of positive psychology. Model fit indices, internal consistencies, retest reliability as well as concurrent and discriminant validity evidence were satisfying. The German version of the SWLS-C can be used in future studies, but to compare SWLS-C data of different nationalities more translations of the questionnaire as well as crosscultural measurement invariance studies are needed.

Easy as (Happiness) Pie? A Critical Evaluation of a Popular Model of the Determinants of Well-Being

An underlying principle behind much of the research in positive psychology is that individuals have considerable leeway to increase their levels of happiness. In an influential article that is frequently cited in support of such claims, Lyubomirsky et al. (Rev Gen Psychol 9:111–131, 2005. https://doi.org/10.1037/1089-2680.9.2.111) put forward a model (subsequently popularized under the name of the “happiness pie”) in which approximately 50% of individual differences in happiness are due to genetic factors and 10% to life circumstances, leaving 40% available to be changed via volitional activities. We re-examined Lyubomirsky et al.’s claims and found several apparent deficiencies in their chain of arguments on both the empirical and the conceptual level. We conclude that there is little empirical evidence for the variance decomposition suggested by the “happiness pie,” and that even if it were valid, it is not necessarily informative with respect to the question of whether individuals can truly exert substantial influence over their own chronic happiness level. We believe that our critical re-examination of Lyubomirsky et al.’s seminal article offers insights into some common misconceptions and pitfalls of scientific inference, and we hope that it might contribute to the construction of a more rigorous and solid empirical basis for the field of positive psychology.

Why We Should Empty Pandora’s Box to Create a Sustainable Future: Hope, Sustainability and Its Implications for Education

(1) Hope and optimism are strongly connected to physical and psychological health and have been much researched in the field of positive psychology. Research has shown that hope is connected to pro-environmental behavior and plays an important role in ESD. (2) In order to operationalize hope and optimism, in a survey, 2564 young people and 525 teachers in Germany assessed the probability and desirability of predefined future scenarios. (3) Only every fourth respondent is optimistic regarding the global future. The biggest discrepancy between expectation and desirability exists with regard to climate change. Latent class analysis revealed four classes, whereby 50% of the participants are “sustainability-affine but disillusioned”. This half of the sample has great potential to promote a sustainable future: For them, a positive socio-ecological future has by far the highest value. They report the strongest emotions regarding SD and want to take the most responsibility for SD. Surprisingly, they do not disclose more sustainable behavior in comparison to the other classes. (4) The low expectation of positive socio-ecological developments might be a central factor in preventing half of the sample from behaving more sustainable and indicating a strong potential for hope. The implications for Education for Sustainable Development are discussed.

‘Salting’: preserving, seasoning, savouring, purifying and transforming through ‘marine adventuring’

ABSTRACTThis article explores, from a personal perspective, ageing and adventure in the context of the outdoor environment. Employing an autoethnographic sensibility, and drawing on fields of positive psychology, life course development, Outdoor and Adventurous Learning, and leisure studies, the paper discusses a range of motivations that contribute to my personal pursuit of a ‘fulfilled life’ now and in the future through ‘marine adventuring’. Adventuring is used to refer to my engagement with challenging physical outdoor activities; but also to my pursuit of learning; and, moreover, in my ‘existential’ quest for meaning. The specific activities under consideration are: seakayaking, SCUBA-diving and sailing.

Challenges Associated With the Civilian Reintegration of Soldiers With Chronic PTSD: A New Approach Integrating Psychological Resources and Values in Action Reappropriation.

Background: In light of the psychological changes in an individual suffering from chronic Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), questions are being raised in order to understand and facilitate recovery and a return to work. This is particularly challenging for soldiers suffering from chronic PTSD, who are often young individuals suffering from moral conflicts. A French military rehabilitation program proposes the broadening of the relationships between recovery and reintegration by incorporating approaches from the field of positive psychology for soldiers with chronic PTSD. The aim of the study was to evaluate (i) the psychological resources which remain sustainable for these trauma exposed soldiers according to their PTSD symptoms, (ii) the dynamics of resource reappropriation after the military rehabilitation program, which focuses on values in action (VIA) as character strengths, and (iii) how these resources and their reappropriation facilitate civilian professional reintegration.Method: We conducted a prospective study with 56 trauma exposed soldiers with a clinical diagnosis of chronic PTSD. PTSD severity and psychological resources (optimism, mindfulness, well-being, motivation, self-esteem, and VIA) were assessed before and after the rehabilitation program. After the identification of resource profiles, we analyzed the impact of the program on resource levels and successful reintegration into a civilian job.Results: 3 profiles were identified based on the psychological resources of the soldiers. Profiles 1, 2, and 3 differed in terms of clinical severity (PCL5). Profile 1 exhibited both the highest level of resources and the lowest clinical severity of PTSD but did not modify its resources after the intervention program when compared to profile 3. Profile 3 was characterized by the lowest level of resources, the highest clinical severity of PTSD and the highest reappropriation in all VIAs. This profile was associated with the highest rate of reintegration success 1 year after the intervention.Conclusions: This paper aims to broaden the relationship between recovery and reintegration by incorporating approaches from the field of positive psychology for soldiers with PTSD. VIA appears to be an important factor for reintegration. Our results highlight the importance of taking into account the existing needs of the patient and the optimization of the modalities of individual, collective, and institutional rehabilitation for patients suffering from PTSD in order to better understand the dynamics of the recovery process of a chronically afflicted individual.

The social construction of character

AbstractThere has been increased interest in character strengths or virtues in recent years in social research and in various policy domains. However, while the notion of virtue has gained credibility in the fields of positive psychology and moral philosophy, it has yet to be satisfactorily considered from the perspective of social theory – in spite of the ongoing calls of researchers who have identified the need for further investigation into the role of culture and social context in the development of individuals' characters. In order to consider how good character and excellence in specific virtues are formed and sustained in social context, this article gives a theoretical account of character and virtue using well‐known microsociological concepts. It is argued that whereas virtues are often understood as psychological ‘traits’ or ‘dispositions’, they are also socially practiced and represented. Analyses of their related social processes are therefore appropriate and empirically promising, particularly in institutional settings, and can complement other theoretical and methodological approaches.

Considering multiple methods for differentiating conceptually close constructs: Examples from the field of positive psychology

AbstractThe field of positive psychology has sparked significant interest for researchers, in part given the apparent potential for individuals higher on “positive” dispositions to experience better health and well‐being. However, as the field has grown, so too have the number of conceptually similar dispositions identified by researchers as important to study. As such, there is an increasing need for researchers to understand whether and how conceptually similar “positive” dispositions are actually unique, an issue that may not be unique to positive psychology but has worsened with the field's prominence. The current manuscript provides a roadmap for one approach to differentiating conceptually close constructs in psychology, with examples couched within positive psychology. We will discuss the importance of combining quantitative and qualitative inquiries, as well as the adoption of techniques from multiple psychology disciplines, in order to better distinguish characteristics frequently studied in positive psychology.

Rational beliefs, happiness and optimism: An empirical assessment of REBT's model of psychological health.

This study sought to test the validity of the psychological health model of Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy (REBT). Specifically, this study sought to investigate if rational beliefs were associated with happiness and optimism. A multinational sample of 397 university students completed self-report measures of rational beliefs, happiness and optimism. Structural equation modelling (SEM) was used in order to test the validity of the REBT model of psychological health. The result of the SEM analysis provided empirical support for REBT's psychological health model of happiness and optimism. The model as a whole explained 33% of variance in levels of happiness and 40% of variance in levels of optimism. Self-acceptance beliefs were positively and directly associated with happiness and optimism. Preference beliefs were positively and indirectly associated with happiness and optimism via self-acceptance beliefs. REBT may offer a viable psychotherapeutic method to not only alleviate psychological distress, but also build positive emotion. Current findings may help to bridge the divide between the fields of positive psychology and clinical psychology.