Positive Imagery Research Articles

Changes to Positive Self-Schemas After a Positive Imagery Training are Predicted by Participant Characteristics in a Sample with Elevated Depressive Symptoms

Changes to Positive Self-Schemas After a Positive Imagery Training are Predicted by Participant Characteristics in a Sample with Elevated Depressive Symptoms

Developing a functional framework for the rural technological innovation system; Emphasizing the irrigation systems in a rural community of central Iran

ABSTRACT Technological innovation systems have mostly been studied in cities and focused on specific technologies. As the villages are comparatively different in scale and socioeconomic and technical characteristics, the functional expectations of technology in rural environments are also different. In this regard, this study aims to identify the functions of the Rural Technological Innovation System (RTIS) in irrigation systems of rural areas in Taft County, central Iran. Applying the Grounded Theory Method, the research is conducted qualitatively. Data was gathered primarily, by interviewing the managers and experts of water, agriculture, and technology. Results identified 12 functions for RTIS, the Seven are overlapped with the functions previously proposed for other TISs. New distinct ones are ‘guaranteeing spatio-social justice’, ‘continuous monitoring and choosing appropriate technology’, ‘accountability and transparency’, ‘Positive imagery and raising hope’ and ‘ensuring sustainability and enhancing effectiveness’. Identifying the functions an RTIS should have, revealed some deficiencies the studied villages face in developing innovation and technology that are expected to be resolved by implementing an RTIS.

Excellence in Homelessness Services: Evidence-Based Frontline Practices

Optimizing the performance of frontline workers in homelessness services (FWHSs) is vital for delivering effective support to individuals experiencing homelessness while prioritizing worker wellness. This paper builds on a previous study applying Orlick's "Wheel of Excellence" mental success elements, originally based on research with Olympic athletes, to social services. It assessed how high-performing FWHSs used these elements, providing practical insights for tailored mental-readiness training in social service facilities. The success elements—commitment, self-belief, positive imagery, mental preparation, full focus, distraction control, and constructive evaluation—were evident in FWHSs when successfully navigating challenging situations. This study provides further analysis of the elements contributing to FWHS’s mental readiness, including quotations from “excellent” FWHSs to highlight their common best practices. It defines excellence in frontline homelessness services, illustrates the use of the seven success elements, and identifies performance blocks and coping strategies from a frontline perspective. Performance blocks include general stressors and mistakes by trainees. The accompanying motivational quotes from high performers are akin to storytelling, elevating understanding and facilitating learning. Recommendations advocate tailoring existing tools, creating online learning opportunities, and implementing an Indigenous-inspired Sharing Circle for evidence-based practice discussions in homelessness services.

Imagining Letting Go: a Preliminary Test of Written Imagery Rescripting to Facilitate Discarding in a High Hoarding Sample

AbstractMental images appear to be important mental events in hoarding that may maintain the disorder by interfering with discarding. We tested whether a novel written imagery rescripting task, focused on modifying a negative imagined outcome of discarding a hoarded object into a positive alternative, could be used to promote discarding in individuals with hoarding traits, and compared this against other cognitive-behavioural strategies used to encourage discarding. We also examined whether the success of imagery rescripting depended on imagining ability. High hoarding participants (n = 176), recruited through Cloudresearch.com, were asked to imagine a negative outcome of discarding an object they were still attached to. We then randomized them into one of four conditions: imagery rescripting, imaginal exposure, cognitive restructuring, or a positive imagery control, and presented them with a discarding task. Rescripting was associated with increased readiness and motivation to discard, and discarding frequency, compared to other conditions. Rescripting also reduced state negative emotions and increased state positive emotions relative to exposure and restructuring. We found reductions in object attachment in rescripting, restructuring, and positive imagery. The effect of rescripting on readiness and motivation to discard was moderated by imagining ability, such that higher imagining ability was associated with greater readiness and motivation to discard after rescripting. Pending replication and extension, written imagery rescripting may have promise as a clinical strategy to facilitate discarding in individuals with hoarding difficulties.

Development and Validation of the Ease of Imagery Questionnaire.

The present series of studies aimed to develop and provide initial validation of the Ease of Imagery Questionnaire (EIQ)-a measure assessing ease of imaging different positive and negative imagery content reflective of valence and engaging or disengaging in adverse situations. Five studies were conducted to collectively examine the questionnaire's factor structure and concurrent validity. Study 1 (N = 336) and Study 2 (N = 207) informed the development of 16 items of the EIQ, with a four-factor structure supported in Studies 3 (N = 219), 4 (N = 135), and 5 (N = 184) using confirmatory factor analysis. Study 3 also supported concurrent validity with significant bivariate correlations (p < .05) with the similar Sport Imagery Ability Questionnaire subscales, while studies 4 and 5 demonstrated criterion validity in the EIQ's prediction of challenge and threat appraisal tendencies, perceived stress, stress mindset, and anxiety and depressive symptoms. Overall, the EIQ demonstrates a replicable four-factor structure and appears to assess ability to image content associated with positive and negative emotions as well as demanding stress-evoking situations.

The Impact of Mental Imagery Instructions on Patients' and Therapists' Positive Affect and Strength-Based Behaviours Within Psychotherapy Sessions: A Randomized Controlled Process Study.

Increased attention has recently been paid to the well-being and flourishing of patients in psychotherapy. This study investigated the occurrence of positive affect (PA) and strength-based behaviours within psychotherapy sessions contrasting positive versus neutral imagery instructions. This is a secondary analysis of a randomized controlled trial. Seventy-eight sessions of cognitive behavioural therapy involving 26 patients (69.23% female; Mage = 40.31) treated by 13 therapists were selected. PA and strength-based behaviours of patients and therapists were coded on a minute-by-minute basis with the Resource-Oriented Microprocess Analysis. Each session started with a brief mental imagery instruction. Data were analysed using multilevel modelling. Mild levels of PA were very common, whereas stronger expressions were occasional, especially at the beginning and end of sessions. Strength-based behaviours were employed in one-fifth of the videos analysed. Therapists in the positive imagery instruction showed more strength-based behaviours in the beginning phase of sessions, p < 0.05. The two imagery instructions significantly differed in the session trajectories of PA, p < 0.05. A quadratic trend with higher initial values and a sharper decline in PA were found in the positive instruction, whereas the neutral instruction showed a flatter trend. Patients and therapists experience PA and discuss strengths in psychotherapy sessions despite patients' distress. The positive imagery instructions potentially induced a positive focus at baseline for therapists but had a negligible effect on the subsequent session progression. ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT03767101 (registered December 6, 2018).

Does Prospective Mental Imagery Predict Symptoms of Negative Affect and Anhedonia in Young People?

Adolescent depression is associated with unhelpful emotional mental imagery. Here, we investigated whether vividness of negative and positive prospective mental imagery predict negative affect and anhedonia in adolescents. 111 people from Israel completed measures of prospective mental imagery, negative affect, and anhedonia at two time-points approximately three months apart. Using three cross-lagged panel models, we showed once 'concurrent' (across-variable, within-time) and 'stability' paths (across-time, within-variable) were estimated, there were no significant cross-lag paths between: i) T1 prospective negative mental imagery and T8 negative affect (i.e. increased vividness of negative future imagery at Time 1 did not predict increased negative affect at Time 8); ii) T1 prospective positive mental imagery and T8 negative affect (i.e. reduced vividness of positive future imagery at Time 1 did not predict increased negative affect at Time 8); and iii) T1 prospective positive mental imagery and T8 anhedonia (i.e. reduced vividness of positive future imagery at Time 1 did not predict increased anhedonia at Time 8). Given high levels of attrition, future research should aim to explore these associations in a larger, more diverse population, as such data could inform on whether modifying earlier prospective mental imagery may influence later time/context-specific effects of prospective mental imagery on negative affect and anhedonia.

The Neural Basis of a Cognitive Function That Suppresses the Generation of Mental Imagery: Evidence from a Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Study.

This study elucidated the brain regions associated with the perception-driven suppression of mental imagery generation by comparing brain activation in a picture observation condition with that in a positive imagery generation condition. The assumption was that mental imagery generation would be suppressed in the former condition but not in the latter. The results show significant activation of the left posterior cingulate gyrus (PCgG) in the former condition compared to in the latter condition. This finding is generally consistent with a previous study showing that the left PCgG suppresses mental imagery generation. Furthermore, correlational analyses showed a significant correlation between the activation of the left PCgG and participants' subjective richness ratings, which are a measure of the clarity of a presented picture. Increased activity in the PCgG makes it more difficult to generate mental imagery. As visual perceptual processing and visual imagery generation are in competition, the suppression of mental imagery generation leads to enhanced visual perceptual processing. In other words, the greater the suppression of mental imagery, the clearer the presented pictures are perceived. The significant correlation found is consistent with this idea. The current results and previous studies suggest that the left PCgG plays a role in suppressing the generation of mental imagery.

Brief online negative affect focused functional imagery training (FIT) improves four-week drinking outcomes in hazardous student drinkers: A pilot randomised controlled trial replication in South Africa

BackgroundPrevious study has shown that functional imagery training (FIT) to utilise positive mental imagery in response to negative affect could improve alcohol-related outcomes. The current study aimed to replicate whether this negative affect focused FIT would improve alcohol-related outcomes in hazardous student drinkers in South Africa at four-week follow-up. Methods50 hazardous student drinkers who reported drinking to cope with negative affect were randomised into two groups. The active group (n = 25) was trained online over two weeks to respond to personalised negative drinking triggers by retrieving a personalised adaptive strategy they might use to mitigate negative affect, whereas the control group (n = 25) received standard risk information about binge drinking. Outcome measures including alcohol consumption, drinking motives, anxiety and depression, self-efficacy and use of protective behavioural strategies were obtained at baseline and four-week follow-up. ResultsFIT effects were revealed by three significant group-by-timepoint interactions in a per-protocol analysis: there was a significant decrease in depressive symptoms, drinking to cope and drinking for social reasons from baseline to follow-up in the active group, but not the control group. No effects were observed on alcohol consumption, self-efficacy, protective behaviour strategies and anxiety. ConclusionsPreliminary evidence supports that online negative affect focused FIT can improve depression as well as coping and social drinking motives in South African hazardous student drinkers who drank to cope, at four-week follow-up, suggesting that the principles of this FIT approach might be adapted and incorporated into a clinical intervention to test for efficacy in mitigating substance use problems.

Self-guided imagery rescripting for worry images: A preliminary experimental investigation.

Mental images of feared events are overactive and intrusive in generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). Imagery rescripting involves integration of positive or neutral imagery and corrective information into images to facilitate emotional processing, reduce imagery intrusions, and re-structure underlying schema. Yet only one known study has applied the technique to treatment of worry. The present study aimed firstto examine the relationship between trait worry and properties of future-oriented worry images, and secondto examine the efficacy of a self-guided imagery rescripting intervention in improving individuals' response to their worries. Participants recruited through Amazon Mechanical Turk (N = 365) identified their major worry and wrote the script of a worst-case scenario mental image. Participants were randomized to three conditions: re-writing the same worry image script (exposure), or writing scripts of either one or three positive alternative future-oriented images (rescripting conditions). In preliminary analyses, trait worry negatively predicted participants' ratings of worry images, including valence and ability to cope, and positively predicted distress, anticipated cost, and belief in their negative meaning. In experimental analyses, linear mixed-effects models revealed anxious response and cognitive appraisal of the threat were significantly lower among participants allocated to rescripting relative to exposure. There was no effect of rescripting type. This investigation demonstrated the impact of a future-oriented imagery rescripting task on anxiety and cognitive biases associated with real worries in an unselected sample. Results may contribute to the development of imagery rescripting interventions for GAD.

Targeting Anhedonia in Adolescents: A Single Case Series of a Positive Imagery-Based Early Intervention

Interventions targeting anhedonia in depression demonstrate encouraging results in adults but are lacking for adolescents. Here, we have adapted a brief imagery-based intervention (IMAGINE), which has shown promising results in reducing symptoms of depression in young people, to focus specifically on reducing symptoms of anhedonia (IMAGINE-Positive). We augment positive mental imagery generation with techniques to upregulate positive affect. Eight participants completed the four-session intervention. Data on feasibility and acceptability were collected. Questionnaires of symptomology and cognitive mechanisms (e.g. depression, anhedonia and future imagery vividness) were administered at pre-intervention, post-intervention and 3-month follow-up. The intervention was feasible to deliver and acceptable to participants. There was a large reduction in depression symptom scores from pre- to post-intervention (d = 1.12) and 63% of participants showed reliable improvement (RI), which was maintained at follow-up (d = 2.51, RI = 86%). Although there were only small reductions in anhedonia from pre to post (d = 0.38, RI = 0), there was a large reduction from pre to follow-up (d = 1.28, RI = 29%). There were also large increases in positive future imagery vividness (post, d = − 1.08, RI = 50%; follow-up, d = − 2.02, RI = 29%). Initial evidence suggests that IMAGINE-Positive is feasible and acceptable and may have clinical utility, but future randomised controlled trials are needed to further evaluate efficacy.

Does body positivity work for men as it does for women? The impact of idealized body and body positive imagery on body satisfaction, drive for thinness, and drive for muscularity

Exposure to body-positive imagery plays a positive role in women's body image. However, literature has not examined if this is the case for men too. In this study (N = 207), we examined the impact of idealized body and body-positive imagery on both men's and women's body satisfaction and body image concerns. Participants were asked to report their positive and negative mood, body satisfaction, drive for thinness, and drive for muscularity before and after being exposed to either control (landscapes and animals), idealized body, or body-positive imagery. Results showed that women were overall more dissatisfied with their bodies and reported a stronger negative mood and a higher drive for thinness than men. Men, instead, reported a higher drive for muscularity. Exposure to idealized body imagery decreased positive mood and body satisfaction in both men and women. In contrast, exposure to body-positive imagery increased body satisfaction and decreased the drive for thinness in both men and women. Drive for muscularity was not affected by the type of imagery. The findings show that idealized body and body-positive imagery have similar effects on men and women and showcase the importance of considering the effects of body-positivity content for both genders.

Extinction of negative conditioned stimulus valence in human fear conditioning

Fear conditioning is a common experimental paradigm for modelling the development, and exposure-based treatment, of anxiety disorders. Measures of fear such as threat-expectancy, physiological arousal, and fear ratings typically extinguish, however feared stimuli may still be evaluated negatively (i.e. retain negative valence). This systematic review provides the first investigation of the relationship between fear conditioning methodology and extinction of negative stimulus valence. Principal findings were that type of CS (conditioned stimulus) and the CS-US pairing (i.e. specific combination of CS and unconditioned stimulus) predicted extinction outcome. Extinction of absolute negative CS valence was always achieved with shape CSs; often achieved with low fear-relevant animals as CSs, and less frequently achieved with faces as CSs – particularly neutral faces paired with a shock US. Modified extinction procedures typically achieved the same outcome as standard extinction procedures, except for partially-reinforced extinction, which was less effective than standard extinction, and positive imagery training, which was more effective than standard extinction. Further studies are warranted to evaluate the influence of fear conditioning methodology on extinction of absolute negative CS valence.

Unleashing Transformative Potential of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Countering Terrorism, Online Radicalisation, Extremism, and Possible Recruitment

This research explores the implications of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in deciphering the multifarious manifestations of online Radicalisation, Extremism, and possible recruitment. It analyses AI's capabilities in disseminating positive representations and counter-narratives, its instrumental role in analysing positive imagery, optimising platform reach, and its pivotal contribution to global efforts to combat online extremism. However, AI's dualistic nature underscores the need for its ethical and responsible utilisation to curb extremist content effectively. It necessitates the development of balanced, nuanced, and coherent approaches, amalgamating enhanced analytical paradigms, collaborative efforts, ethical frameworks, strategic insight, and diversified applications. The formulation of such multifaceted approaches and cohesive strategies is paramount in navigating the intricate terrains of online extremism and in enhancing societal resilience against the proliferation of extremist ideologies. The study concludes that the strategic and ethical deployment of AI technologies is pivotal in reshaping digital discourse and in the collective endeavour to counterbalance extremist ideologies.

Physiological and subjective arousal to prospective mental imagery: A mechanism for behavioral change?

Emotional prospective mental imagery, in which we simulate possible future events within our minds, have a pronounced impact on behavior. For example, repeated engagement in positive prospective imagery can lead to behavioral activation, while negative prospective imagery can lead to catastrophizing and avoidance. Physiological arousal boosts memory consolidation, creating emotional memories. Thus, if emotional prospective imagery produces an arousal response, the memory consolidation of these simulations of the future may be boosted, offering a possible underlying mechanism for the impact of emotional prospective imagery on behavior. In order to examine the feasibility of arousal as a possible mechanism behind the impact of emotional prospective imagery on behavior, sixty participants produced autobiographical prospective imagery of 30 scenes (10 positive, 10 neutral, and 10 negative), during which arousal responses (skin conductance) were measured, and ratings for subjective arousal, valence, and imagery vividness were collected. Moreover, because vividness of prospective imagery has been related to anxiety and depression, the study examined this relation also for event-related autobiographical prospective imagery. The results showed that emotional prospective imagery were associated with higher subjective arousal ratings as compared to neutral imagery. Physiological arousal responses showed a similar pattern, but further data is needed for a firm conclusion. Nevertheless, arousal-boosted consolidation remains a possible contributing mechanism for the impact of emotional prospective imagery on behavior. Moreover, results suggest both anxiety and depression may entail a reduced ability to invent prospective life situations. However, only anxiety was associated with less vivid imaginations, unless the imaginations were of negative content. Hence, anxious individuals may experience negative prospective imagery more vividly than imagery with neutral and positive content.

China's soft power projection through the Chinese media: assessing the implications of Chinese media on Africans' perception of China's national image

PurposeThis article examines the effect of China's soft power projection through the Chinese media in Africa on the African audiences' perception of China's national image through a case study of the residents of Nairobi. It adopted Joseph Nye's soft power model and sought to address three fundamental questions : What is the extent and objective of China's media diplomacy in Africa? How has China's media “offensive” in Africa impacted African audiences' imagery of China? What are the implications, if any, of China's media diplomacy on the Kenyan public view of China?Design/methodology/approachThis article used a mixed-methods research design, which deployed elements of positivism and interpretivism. It used a deductive approach and deployed the survey strategy, which entailed the collection of data from Nairobi city residents. The secondary data were collected from relevant academic literature sources. The primary data were analyzed empirically using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS), while the secondary data were analyzed using discourse analysis.FindingsChina's soft power projection through the Chinese media in Africa is aimed at addressing the “misinformation” about China. China seeks its share of representation among the African public to correct negative perceptions of China. Kenyans had a generally positive attitude toward China. South Africa and Angola have “Fairly” positive perceptions of the Chinese media. However, this study did not reveal whether the perception was due to the influence of Chinese media. These findings implied that the African public's positive imagery of China cannot be fully attributed to Chinese media's influence.Originality/valueThis study is groundbreaking in that it is one of the few studies that have focused on China's public diplomacy in Africa and assessed the impact of Chinese media on the African public’s perception of China.

Motor imagery ability in baseball players with throwing yips.

The motor imagery ability is closely related to an individual's motor performance in sports. However, whether motor imagery ability is diminished in athletes with yips, in whom motor performance is impaired, is unclear. Therefore, this cross-sectional study aimed to determine whether general motor imagery ability or vividness of motor imagery specific to throwing motion is impaired in baseball players with throwing yips. The study enrolled 114 college baseball players. They were classified into three groups: 33 players in the yips group, 26 in the recovered group (previously had yips symptoms but had resolved them), and 55 in the control group. They answered the revised version of the vividness of movement imagery questionnaire (VMIQ-2), which assesses general motor imagery ability. Furthermore, they completed a questionnaire that assesses both positive and negative motor imagery vividness specific to baseball throwing. In the former, they responded to their ability to vividly imagine accurately throwing a controlled ball, whereas in the latter, they responded to the vividness of their experience of negative motor imagery associated with baseball throwing, specifically the image of a wild throw. No significant difference in the VMIQ-2 was found among the three groups. While no significant difference in the vividness of positive motor imagery for ball throwing was found in either first-person visual or kinesthetic perspectives among the three groups, the yips group exhibited significantly higher vividness of negative motor imagery than the control group in both perspectives. These results indicate that negative motor imagery specific to baseball throwing may be associated with symptoms of yips. Therefore, interventions addressing psychological aspects, such as anxiety, which are potential causes of the generation of negative motor imagery, may be necessary to alleviate the symptoms of yips.

Positive imagery in depressive suicidal patients: A randomized controlled trial of the effect of viewing loved ones’ photos on mood states and suicidal ideation

According to research, it has been suggested that individuals who are affected by depression could potentially engage in the creation and experience emotional advantages relating to positive events directed towards the past or future, with the condition that they are provided with suitable mental imagery techniques. The main aim of this study was to assess the impact of utilizing positive imagery, specifically through the utilization of photographs featuring loved ones, on mood states and suicidal ideation among individuals diagnosed with depression and exhibiting suicidal tendencies. This randomized, double-blind, controlled crossover trial was conducted among 78 hospitalized depressive patients at three psychiatric services between April and August 2019. The patients participated in four individual picture-viewing sessions on four consecutive days. The four categories of pictures were included: loved ones, neutral faces of strangers, natural landscapes, and optical illusions. Directly prior to and immediately following the observation of the visual stimuli (photographs), the Brunel Mood Scale (BRUMS) and the Beck Scale for Suicide Ideation (BSSI) were completed by the patients. Repeated measures ANOVAs conducted in this study revealed a significant main effect of time on ratings of tension, depression, fatigue, vigor, calmness, and happiness (P values < 0.001). Additionally, statistically significant interactions were identified between picture category and time in relation to the variables of tension, depression, fatigue, vigor, calmness, and happiness (P values < 0.001). The analysis did not reveal a significant main effect of time on ratings of anger, confusion, and suicidal ideation (P values > 0.05). Likewise, the interaction between picture category and time did not yield significant results for the variables of anger, confusion, and suicidal ideation (P values > 0.05). The positive imagery procedure using the presentation of loved ones’ photos showed beneficial effects on the mood states of depressed patients. The findings of this study suggest that incorporating a greater emphasis on positive imagery within the context of clinical depression may offer potential advantages. This highlights the potential for novel opportunities in the treatment of depression. Trial registrationThe study has been registered in the Iranian Registry of Clinical Trials (registration number: IRCT20180808040744N1; first registration date: December 22, 2018; website: https://en.irct.ir/trial/33186).

Longitudinal changes in human supraspinal processing after RIII-feedback training to improve descending pain inhibition

The human body has the ability to influence its sensation of pain by modifying the transfer of nociceptive information at the spinal level. This modulation, known as descending pain inhibition, is known to originate supraspinally and can be activated by a variety of ways including positive mental imagery. However, its exact mechanisms remain unknown. We investigated, using a longitudinal fMRI design, the brain activity leading up and in response to painful electrical stimulation when applying positive mental imagery before and after undergoing a previously established RIII-feedback paradigm. Time course analysis of the time preceding painful stimulation shows increased haemodynamic activity during the application of the strategy in the PFC, ACC, insula, thalamus, and hypothalamus. Time course analysis of the reaction to painful stimulation shows decreased reaction post-training in brainstem and thalamus, as well as the insula and dorsolateral PFC. Our work suggests that feedback training increases activity in areas involved in pain inhibition, while simultaneously decreasing the reaction to painful stimuli in brain areas related to pain processing, which points to an activation of decreased spinal nociception. We further suggest that the insula and the thalamus may play a more important role in pain modulation than previously assumed.

Effects of self-affirmation and positive visualization therapy for anxiety in 3rd-trimester pregnant women during the pandemic

Introduction: Adaption is required in responding to changes that can overcome the community's physical and mental health concerns, particularly adaption of pregnant women in preparation for childbirth during COVID-19 to minimize maternal mortality in Indonesia. Pregnancy during a pandemic like this may increase the risk of anxiety disorders in pregnant women. As a result, every individual must have a positive affirmation. Method: The purpose of this study is to learn more about the impact of self-affirmation and self-positive imagery on anxiety disorders in pregnant women during the COVID-19 pandemic. A quasi-experimental design was adopted in this investigation, comprising pre- and post-test groups. There are 52 people in the population. Sampling employs the Probability sampling approach in conjunction with simple random sampling. The intervention was performed four times. The respondent's degree of anxiety was assessed using the perinatal anxiety screening scale (PASS) questionnaire. Result: According to the findings, the average anxiety level prior to the intervention was 35.59, and the average anxiety level after the session was 18.72. Implementing self-affirmation and positive visualization has a significant (p = 0.000) effect on anxiety. Conclusion: During the pandemic, self-affirmation and positive imagery should be supplemented by a commitment to increasing positive thinking before to childbirth.