Personal Construct Research Articles

Impacts of religious faith on the mental wellbeing of young, multi-ethnic Pacific women in Aotearoa

Aim: By employing a multi-faceted approach in the disciplines of Theology and Pacific Studies; three key areas of investigation were examined and included: how young Pacific women perceived images of God and faith; how it impacted upon their mental resilience and their responses to mundane and significant life events; and their personal constructs of mental wellbeing.
 Method: Qualitative group interviews (talanoa) were conducted with participants aged between 17-24 years old; identified with multiple ethnicities, with at least one being Pacific; identified as Roman Catholic, with varying degrees of faith practice; and were based in Auckland, Aotearoa. The Praxis Model methodology was employed throughout the research process and speaks to the interdisciplinary nature of the project. The theory of Intersectionality was utilized as the lens to view each research participants’ multi-layered self-identities.
 Findings: There were a total of 64 research participants. Out of the 64 participants, 82% (n=52), generally agreed that their image of God aided a positive state of mental wellbeing, five women were unsure and six stated, that it was something else in their faith practice which primarily supported their mental wellbeing. Part of the reason women felt their image of God offered hope for their future, derived from their belief in an afterlife beyond physical death, which they felt, reduced anxiety about their family members who had died or experienced sickness and trauma throughout their lives
 Conclusions: There is a need for more denomination-specific and culturally responsive foci around mental wellbeing, therefore recognising the unique experiences of faith traditions and the challenges faced, particularly, by multi-ethnic young Pacific women.
 Key words: Mental wellbeing, Pacific, Theology

"I Know It's Hard to Believe, But the Monster Who Abused Me is My Mother:" Experiences of Being Sexually Abused as a Child by a Female.

In the present study we sought to shed light on the experience of adults who were sexually abused by females. Narratives in the current study were chosen from a large set of narratives (n = 505) that were submitted to the Israeli Independent Public Inquiry on CSA. Twenty-eight (n = 28) narratives of adults who experienced CSA committed by females were included in the study and analyzed using inductive thematic analysis. Two main themes were identified: (1) adults who as children experienced CSA committed by females, and (2) personal, interpersonal, and social constructions of the abuse. Most of the narratives included intrafamilial abuse, with half of the participants reporting that their mother was the one who committed the CSA, which often occurred during daily routine activities, with the main abuse scene being the shower/bathroom. Participants described various abuse experiences including the experience of powerlessness, "standing together," and captivity. Finally, participants discussed how social constructions of gender impacted how they understood and experienced the abuse. Child sexual abuse committed by females was described by the participants as having serious consequences for their lives. Participants shared how perceived gender roles and social scripts have an important role in casting doubt on the existence and reliability of CSA experiences committed by females. Findings from the current study help to identify key characteristics of sexual abuse that was conducted by females, and suggests social mechanisms that may help explain why perpetration by females is understood and treated differently than perpetration by males.

Re-examining the relationship between mindfulness facets, attentional control, and dispositional reinforcement sensitivity

This study re-examines the relationships between the five mindfulness facets of observing, describing, acting-with-awareness, non-judging, and non-reactivity, and the affective personality measures inspired by the revised Reinforcement Sensitivity Theory (rRST). The rRST measures assess behavioural inhibition sensitivity, fight-flight-freeze sensitivity, and the behavioural approach sensitivity components of reward interest, goal-drive-persistence, reward reactivity, and impulsivity. Research has suggested that relationships exist between specific mindfulness facets and specific rRST constructs. However, some non-significant relationships were reported, possibly due to the small sample used. Also included in the analyses is (self-reported) attentional control, a variable that has not been accounted for in rRST and mindfulness research, but is inter-correlated with mindfulness and anxiety. In a sample of 641 participants, behavioral inhibition sensitivity shared a negative relationship with the describing, acting with awareness, non-judging, and non-reactivity components of mindfulness, and the impulsivity component of behavioural approach sensitivity shared a negative relationship with the acting with awareness facet of mindfulness. This is consistent with previous research. Attentional control shared a positive relationship with the describing, acting with awareness. and non-judging facets of mindfulness. In conclusion, specific reinforcement sensitivity personality constructs and attentional control relate to specific mindfulness components. Trait mindfulness and/or the efficacy of mindfulness interventions could be affected by variations in reinforcement sensitivity and attentional control ability.

АНАЛІЗ МЕТОДІВ НАВЧАННЯ МУЗИЧНОМУ МИСТЕЦТВУ В ПАРАДИГМІ КОНСТРУКТИВІСТСЬКОГО ПІДХОДУ

The article considers the problem of choosing methods of teaching music in educational institutions in the paradigm of constructivist approach to the organization of educational activities. The purpose of the article is to provide an overview of some general approaches and strategies for teaching music based on the constructivist theory of learning in secondary school. Among the analyzed methods are a lecture, demonstration and modeling, opening method, video showing, tour, role play, project, survey technique, opening method. The article also highlights the factors that determine the choice of teaching method. The main tasks are as follows: to determine the key characteristics of the constructivist approach to learning, to analyze the key provisions of the basic theories of cognitive cognition; to analyze the main methods of teaching music in terms of their coordination with the constructivist approach to learning. Theoretical and empirical methods were used in the study. During the study, theoretical and methodological sources on the research problem were analyzed, the potential of teaching methods was practically assessed in order to organize the educational process in the discipline «musical art» in the context of constructivism theory, the factors determining the choice of teaching methods were identified. Analysis of the problem of selection of methods of teaching music in the paradigm of the constructivist approach allows us to note that the theory of constructivism provides for the possibility of personal construction of knowledge and educational activities by students. Under such a system of teaching, students' knowledge is an individual, variable interpretation of the presented and assimilated information, which provides a conscious perception of music and deep reflection during the educational process. The novelty of the study lies in the study and application of the theory of social constructivism in order to optimize the selection of teaching methods for the successful implementation of the educational process of music art in educational institutions. Key words: constructivism, cognitive cognition, cognitive development, lecture, method of demonstration and modeling, method of video showing, method of interrogation, method of exercises, method of learning through discovery, discussions and debates, role play, project, excursion.

Advancing the use of the repertory grid technique in the built environment: A systematic review

Since the development of personal construct theory, the repertory grid technique (RGT) has been the most recognized tool to elicit personal constructs. Although RGT was found to be a viable scientific and practical method in different fields, its utilization in the built environment has been extremely limited. Therefore, this study aimed to explore RGT as a research method and advance its use in the built environment field. Following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines, this study conducted a systematic review to identify studies on Scopus that have used RGT before 2021. These studies were investigated according to subject area, location, year of publication, aim, and research design. Among the 782 studies contributing to more than 24 subject areas, 30 used RGT within the built environment scope. Results indicated the validity of RGT to the built environment by exploring different ways it may be employed. This review strongly recommends advancing the use of RGT in the built environment and taking advantage of its potential.

Insecure yet Resourceful: Psychological Capital Mitigates the Negative Effects of Employees' Career Insecurity on Their Career Satisfaction.

The COVID-19 pandemic has increased employee career concerns (i.e., insecurity), and many people face difficulties with their current jobs. In addition, employees have struggled with their health due to COVID-19. Based on the psychological capital (PsyCap) and the conservation of resource theories, we suggest that personal resources, such as resilience, can mitigate the adverse effects of employee career insecurity on their career-related outcomes, such as career satisfaction, as well as on their health. In a German-speaking sample (N = 185) and a two-wave design, we investigated the role of employees' career insecurity on their career satisfaction. We employed PsyCap as a moderator in these relationships. Results showed a negative relationship between career insecurity and career satisfaction. In addition, moderation analyses revealed that PsyCap significantly moderates the effects of career insecurity on employee career satisfaction. Specifically, for high PsyCap the effect of career insecurity on employee career satisfaction does not hold significant, while it does for low PsyCap, showing that PsyCap can mitigate the negative effects of career insecurity on employee career satisfaction. With a robust personal construct in career research, our study contributes to this field by investigating the role of PsyCap for employee careers, especially in a crisis context (i.e., COVID-19). We discuss implications for employees and organizations.

Mentorship Interventions as Predictors of Discipline among Public Secondary School Students in Kiambu County, Kenya

Mentorship interventions could be a panacea to indiscipline in schools. This paper examines the influence of mentorship interventions on discipline among public secondary school students in Kiambu County, Kenya. Founded on the Personal Construct Theory (PCT), the study adopted the correlational research design, the study targeted the 227 principals 3,479 guidance and counseling teachers and the 89,065 students in Kiambu County. From these, the study sampled 23 principals, 97 teachers and 398 students using the simple random sampling technique. Data was collected using questionnaires, interview guides, and observation schedules. Piloting was conducted to assist in determining the accuracy, clarity, and suitability of the research instruments. The data was analysed using descriptive statistics (mean, frequency and percentages) and inferential statistics (Pearson correlation and multivariate regression analysis at a significance level of 0.05). Data from interviews and secondary data sources were subjected to content analysis procedures. The findings show that there was a positive and significant correlation between students' discipline and mentorship interventions (r=0.403, p<0.05). These findings indicate that mentorship interventions indeed influence students’ discipline in the study area. The study recommends that mentorship programs should be initiated where they lacked to tap into the potential they offered in enhancing students’ discipline.

Impersonal Constructions Between Personae and ‘Personlessness’. Strategies of Language Manipulation in Aeschines and Demosthenes

Abstract This paper investigates the distribution of different types of impersonal constructions in Attic oratory and focuses on the data taken from two political speeches, i. e., Aeschines’ Against Ctesiphon (speech 3) and Demosthenes’ On the Crown (speech 18). The topic of impersonal constructions in Ancient Greek has not yet received much attention from scholars, with the exception of some studies devoted to singular aspects, e. g., the semantics and morphosyntax of impersonal verbs and the comparison with other Indo-European languages. No attention has been paid to the analysis of textual distribution of impersonal constructions and to the effects that impersonal constructions produce in communicative terms. This paper aims at filling the gap, by analysing different types of clauses under the umbrella of impersonal constructions. Some of them are usually recognised as impersonal constructions, while others are not. Constructions are of three types: the first includes constructions with impersonal verbs, e. g., δεῖ, δοκεῖ, etc., which are to be compared with the corresponding personal constructions. The second group contains some non-personal uses of grammatical persons, namely the non-referential uses of the first person plural and the clauses with indefinite subject τις. Finally, the third type includes constructions with non-human subjects, which display no-agreement in number between the verb and its external argument. The purpose of the paper is twofold. On the one hand, it aims at contributing to the debate on ancient Greek impersonal constructions; on the other hand, it investigates the role played by impersonal linguistic strategies in building the contents of forensic speeches and conveying the messages that orators wanted to communicate to the audience.

УНЕСТИ С СОБОЙ РОДНОЕ: К 135-ЛЕТИЮ МАРКА ШАГАЛА

The article discusses several works by Mark Zakharovich Chagall, created in the first Parisian period and in Vitebsk. The choice of works connected with the purpose of studying the relationship with the world-famous native painter and poet. The Parisian works presented by «Birth» (1911) and «Self-Portrait with Seven Fingers» (1913) give a self-reflection idea of one's own destiny and the author's personal mythology construction. Also attracted one of the large Vitebsk paintings by Marc Chagall – "Over the City" (1914-1918), left by him in Russia before his emigration. In this work, the attitude to the motherland is concentrated, carried by him in many ways through all the subsequent years of creativity.

Abstract 14896: A Study of the Relationship Between Big Five Personality Traits, Ultra-Processed Diet, and Obesity, and Implications for Cardiovascular Disease

Introduction: The incidence of cardiovascular events is progressively higher with ultra-processed food consumption. With 7.5, 13, and 18 weekly servings, cardiovascular disease incidence is 8.1%, 12.2%, and 16.6% (Kouvari, 2021). However, the relationship between Ultra-processed Foods and Big Five personality traits in adolescents is understudied, despite ultra-processed foods now making up over 67% of adolescents' diets (Wang, 2021). Methods: The study collected the data for 342 participants aged 14-19 years in Florida, US. Consumption of ultra-processed food intake was calculated using a combined PIE score (Processed Intake Evaluation score, scale 0-100) averaged for different ultra-processed foods. Additionally, we collected data for each participant on personality domains using the Big-5 Inventory (Rammstedt, 2007). Results: The mean age of participants was 16.4±0.9 years, with 53% females. The participants’ personality was assessed on five dimensions- Neuroticism, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, and Openness to new experiences. The ultra-processed food intake did not significantly differ between participants on Neuroticism and Extraversion dimensions and was elevated in high Conscientiousness participants characterized as hardworking and diligent (49.9 vs. 40.6, p<0.01) possibly due to the perceived convenience of ultra-processed food. A significantly lower intake of processed food was associated with participants who demonstrated high Agreeableness, characterized by a willingness to cooperate, empathize, and share (45.3 vs. 52.1, p<0.01). Also, participants with high Openness to New Experiences, characterized by curiosity, creativity, and a range of interests, were significantly less likely to consume ultra-processed foods (43.8 versus 50.1, p<0.01). Conclusion: Based on these results, Big Five personality constructs are significantly associated with adolescents' ultra-processed food intake. These findings support the inclusion of Openness and other Big Five personality factors in interventions aiming to curb obesity and ultra-processed food consumption among adolescents to mitigate risk factors and reduce the burden of cardiovascular disease.

Internet impropriety: Moral identity, moral disengagement, and antisocial online behavior within an early adolescent to young adult sample.

Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) are the most popular medium for social communication amongst adolescents and young adults. However, there is growing concern surrounding heightened ICT use and the activation of influential social constructs such as moral identity and moral disengagement. The importance of moral ideals to oneself (i.e., moral identity) and the distancing of oneself from these moral ideals (i.e., moral disengagement) are often contextual and were tested for differences in online domains compared to face-to-face interactions. Three hundred and ninety-two early adolescent to young adult participants (Mage = 19.54 years, SD = 4.48) completed self-report questionnaires that assessed online and face-to-face behavior in this cross-sectional study. Moral identity in an online context was significantly lower when compared to family and friend contexts. Further, moral disengagement was significantly higher in an online context when compared to face-to-face contexts and online moral disengagement significantly mediated the relationship between online moral identity and antisocial online behaviors (i.e., pirating, trolling, andhacking, etc.,). Both of these contextual differences remained stable across early adolescence to young adulthood. Moral identity and moral disengagement exhibit sociocognitive effects within online contexts across ages of early developmental importance. These results may account for high prevalence rates of antisocial online behavior such as trolling, pirating, and hacking within this sample. As social interaction for younger demographics continues to gravitate online, these results highlight that online contexts can influence important personality constructs.

Repertory Grid Methodology to Research Tacit Knowledge in Construction

Quality and buildability are important issues in construction, and both emerge at the earliest stages of design. However, neither are well-defined concepts. Our premise is that behaviour, values and culture impact on quality and buildability in the design stage, but these are also vulnerable to precise definition and difficult to investigate within a typical hypothesis-driven positivist approach. A better method may lie in a theory of personal constructs or ‘constructivism’ which takes the human experience as a whole. Qualitative research methods and data collection techniques are critically reviewed to assess those methods best fitted for purpose in approaching the research problem. Personal Construct Psychology (PCP), using repertory grids emerges as a suitable candidate and is applied in two pilot studies in Australia and Singapore. Preliminary results show the appropriateness of the approach for engaging in buildability studies.

Articulating a Māori educator’s pedagogical constructs: a co-constructed case study

We agreed, as a non-Māori manager and a Māori educator, to use personal construct theory (PCT) methods to articulate and reflect on the second author’s (SA’s) pedagogical meaning-making which she had intentionally aligned with a tikanga Māori approach to teaching a mixed group of non-Māori and Māori learners on a new – and by all accounts successful - foundation-level programme, Te Tuapapa Hauora (translated: firm foundation in health). We elicited SA’s pedagogical constructs, using four role titles she was positively disposed to, and four she viewed as opposites. We included SA’s choice of 10 constructs in a repertory grid. Her ratings allowed us to generate grid-based probes for reflecting on her pedagogy. We analysed post-grid interview data, identifying several key themes in her meaning-making which were consistent with key factors perceived as enabling Māori learners’ success (Chauvel & Rean, 2012). We arrived at a dual outcome: a co-constructed account of SA’s tikanga Māori pedagogy and an exemplar of how educators could use repertory grid analysis for reflective purposes

Atti creativi: dialoghi tra PCP e Improvvisazione teatrale

Exploring and re-elaborating the meanings and implications of a personal experience of “improvisation” I arrived at Theatrical Improvisation, a discipline that I feel is close to the Personal Construct Psychology (PCP) approach and psychotherapy for some basic constructions. Starting from a quick introduction on the world of Theatrical Improvisation, I will try to bring out and dialogue the elements of commonality that can be traced between the qualities of the Improviser and those of the PCP Psychotherapist, as well as the further possible scenarios resulting from the encounter of these two contexts. I’m concluding my reflections with some research hypotheses for future explorations on the subject.

Exploring the Feasibility of Assessing Cultural Competence in Police Officers

Pathology, personality, and integrity-related construct assessments have been widely used in the selection of police officers. However, the incidence of police brutality and misconduct is still concerning. The present study explored the feasibility of the assessment of cultural competence in police officers. We explored the extent to which the change to the agency’s first ever Black CEO would affect cultural competence of the officers as well as incidence of misconduct. Results showed that scores on a cultural competence factor of an in-basket simulation used for promotional assessments at a state highway patrol agency were not predictive of either supervisor-rated performance or incidence of misconduct. Whereas results showed that misconduct was not predicted by the agency’s first Black CEO, cultural competence of the officers did increase after the change in command. Practical implications for law enforcement agencies and suggestions for future research are discussed.

THE ACCURACY DISTORTIONS IN SELF-ASSESSMENT

This article presents the results of two algorithms analysis to verify how clear and sound could be a particular personality self-assessment. The first algorithm validated the convergence between different multidimensional personality constructs by applying the nomological network method. Central network criteria are betweenness, centrality degree, and extended influence at the matrix. On the other hand, a parallel hierarchical cluster analysis specifies the proximity between personality measures divided into two types of “strengths” and “weaknesses”. The second analytic algorithm applied is focused on socially desirability biases. By classifying twelve groups with results that are below, fit to or are above the normal distribution (M ± 1SD) compared to K-means centering coefficients two types of ranges were investigated using Receiver Operating Characteristics (ROC) parameters. This method was applied to assess the probability of false-positive/false-negative measurement errors. The ecological validation of the ROC analysis is also elaborated by considering “vignettes” of the eight high-schoolers that took part in the experimental self-assessment. Their final SDR scores and the measurement error risk was distributed helping evaluate the probability rate results to be overly self-enhancing or misleading

Up-Close and Personal: Conceptualizing the Self as Dementia Caregiver: a Study in Soweto, South Africa.

The aim of this study was to understand how dementia caregivers in the township of Soweto, South Africa interpret their role in the context of caregiving through the personal constructs identified using the Self- Characterization technique. Thirty family caregivers were recruited via purposive sampling methods and completed a Self-Characterization Sketch during semi-structured interviews. Content analysis of construct pairs was thematically coded using the Classification System for Personal Constructs (CSPC) - a reliable method to analyse personal constructs that are generated by constructivist assessments. Findings revealed that caregivers' interpretations of themselves was characterized by moral, emotional and cognitive attributes. Specifically, a sense of mastery, self-efficacy, strength, selflessness and unconditional positive regard characterized the most meaningful constructs of care within caregiver narratives in response to their loved ones with dementia. These adaptive outcomes, despite the challenging, pervasive, complex nature of dementia and its manifestations, suggest psychological and emotional resilience, higher levels of adjustment and caregiver well-being. However, it is important to consider possible consequences such as physical fatigue and burnout despite adaptive outcomes. Therefore, it is recommended that approaches to psychoeducational initiatives, emotional and psychological interventions and awareness campaigns include teaching caregivers how to self-care encourage the importance of consistent exercise, rest, sleep, nutrition as well as reaching out for social support. Lastly, empowering caregivers to use their personal resources would prove valuable in support groups, and individual to facilitate self-awareness, sustained coping and mental health.

Some critical comments on the paper titled “Some critical considerations in applying the construct of psychopathy to research and classification of childhood disruptive behavior disorders”

Frick (2022) presented a narrative review of some literature and made several critical comments regarding the extension of the full psychopathy construct to research and classification of childhood disruptive behavior disorders (DBDs). His arguments cautioned against the use of the multicomponent concept of psychopathy for specification of DBDs for several reasons including definitional issues, symptom sequencing, specifier versus risk factor considerations, potential overlap with other disorders and criteria (e.g., ADHD), and concerns regarding harm. While I agree with Frick (2022) that we need to be cautious when extending personality constructs to the DBDs, the remaining arguments in his paper fall short of calling for the exclusion of psychopathy components in the examination of DBDs. Rather, the counterpoints in this paper further convince that the multidimensional model of psychopathy, when applied to the DBDs, could better facilitate understanding of the etiology and mechanisms for Conduct Disorder (CD), and, it may help us to predict the prognosis and treatment outcomes of children with various forms of DBDs such as CD and Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD). To have the most informative designs, future research should examine the broad construct to glean a better understanding of psychopathy and the DBDs. Further, research should continue to examine sequencing and external correlates at the component level and to test the incremental value of the multicomponent model of psychopathy to help us better comprehend how each component may facilitate our understanding of the types and severity of conduct problems exhibited by youth with DBDs (i.e., CD, ODD).

How do we deal with our daily tasks? Precrastination and its relationship to personality and other constructs

Putting off a task until the last second, whether in academia, school, or work is called procrastination and is widely researched. However, there are also many people who prefer to complete their tasks immediately instead of postponing them. There is hardly any research in this area and no instruments to measure this behaviour of so-called “precrastination”. The present study aims at exploring whether it is a separate construct or is it just the opposite of procrastination. To investigate this, data from a sample of (N = 324) German adolescents were collected including a repeated measurement for a subsample (N = 201). Based on existing work, a scale of 10 items was created to measure the precrastination. An initial classification of precrastination was made by analyzing associations with procrastination and Big 5 personality dimensions. Results indicate that precrastination is more than simply the opposite of procrastinating. Model comparisons including precrastination show a significant increase in the explained variance of personality traits over procrastination alone, which shows the independent contribution of the construct.

Lived experience perspectives of factors that influence mental health recovery in Singapore: a thematic analysis

Purpose Contemporary interpretations of mental health recovery emphasize the need to understand better the lived experience of people with mental health conditions and how they define the idea of recovery. While traction for such ideas has been building in many western countries, the recovery movement is still in its early stages within most Asian countries. Hence, this study aims to add to this growing effort by understanding various factors that influence the recovery of people with mental health conditions in Singapore. Design/methodology/approach Braun and Clarke’s thematic analysis was used on the qualitative data provided by 21 participants. Findings Four themes were revealed: double-edged nature of social support, challenges accessing mental health support, personalized coping strategies and societal influences. As a result, the authors could better understand various factors that influenced the recovery process of people with mental health conditions in Singapore, such as the high costs and low levels of literacy regarding pathways to mental health services. In addition, the importance of societal influences on mental health recovery was highlighted, and their impact could be seen through the participants’ sharing. Research limitations/implications These findings form a foundation from which future research and recovery-oriented interventions can work from to provide more tailored approaches to supporting people with mental health conditions. Originality/value This study identified cultural nuances to notions of recovery that are commonly found in personal recovery constructs that need to be considered when working within culturally diverse populations.