Europe’s Journal of Psychology (PsychOpen)
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The Future of Cultural Psychology: An Interview With Jaan Valsiner
No full textJaan Valsiner (JV) has been the foremost cultural psychologist in the world for the last 30 years. In 2021 professor Valsiner turned seventy, and he agreed to do an interview with colleagues and students on his understanding of cultural psychology, its potential for innovation and its connection to his many interesting experiences from around the world. The interview was conducted by the three directors of the Center for Cultural Psychology in Aalborg Denmark: Carolin Demuth (CD), Brady Wagoner (BW), and Bo Allesøe Christensen (BA). For an extensive discussion of the different sides of Valsiner work, readers can consult the recently published Festschrift (Wagoner, B., Christensen, B., & Demuth, C. [Eds.]. [2021]. Culture as process: A tribute to Jaan Valsiner. Springer.)
Does Perfectionism Lead to Well-Being? The Role of Flow and Personality Traits
No full textPerfectionism is a personality trait that plays an important role in understanding human behavior and functioning. There has been a focus on the negative aspects and outcomes of perfectionism, and less is known about whether and how perfectionism relates to adaptive characteristics of personality and normal functioning. We investigated associations between different aspects of perfectionism and psychological well-being in two studies by determining the role of dispositional flow and personality traits in this relationship. In Study 1, participants completed questionnaires for perfectionism, psychological well-being and flow. In Study 2, personality traits from the HEXACO model of personality were additionally measured. We found that psychological well-being had a positive correlation with conscientious perfectionism and a negative correlation with self-evaluative perfectionism. Flow mediates the relationship between conscientious perfectionism and psychological well-being. There was no correlation between self-evaluative perfectionism and dispositional flow. After controlling for relevant personality traits, dispositional flow remains the mediator between conscientious perfectionism and psychological well-being, but the relation becomes negative. Implications for the understanding of how different components of perfectionism are related to psychological well-being and how flow experience contributes to this relationship are discussed
Are Dimensions of Gender Inequality Uniformly Associated With Human Values?
No full textA previous work of Schwartz and Rubel-Lifschitz (2009, https://doi.org/10.1037/a0015546) highlighted the association between human values and gender equality. However, gender equality is not a monolith. Indeed, it is a multidimensional phenomenon. We started from this multidimensionality to understand how the relative importance of human values varies through the different dimensions of Gender Equality Index (GEI)—namely work, money, knowledge, time, power, and health. We have designed a cross-national study based on secondary data analysis from international databases (i.e., European Social Survey [ESS] and GEI). Through the Bayesian correlational analysis of 18 European countries, findings revealed that 1) universalism, benevolence and self-direction are strongly and positively correlated to gender equality; 2) security, power and achievement are strongly and negatively correlated to equality while 3) conformity, tradition, stimulation, and hedonism have weak/non-significant correlation coefficients with gender equality. Relevance to cultural values and ideologies that support social equality are discussed. Furthermore, we find that some values are related to certain specific gender equality dimensions. Our results provide a more fine-grained analysis compared to previous findings, by outlining a more complex scenario
What Makes It Difficult to Start an Intimate Relationship: A Taxonomy of the Reasons
No full textWithin the context of an evolutionary theoretical framework, the current research attempted to study the reasons that cause difficulties in starting an intimate relationship in the Greek cultural context. In particular, using qualitative research methods (interviews and open-ended questionnaires), Study 1 (N = 205) identified 58 reasons that make it difficult for people to start an intimate relationship. Using an online sample of 1,095 Greek-speaking participants (N = 1,095), Study 2 classified these reasons in 12 factors. More than 80% of the participants indicated that they faced above moderate or severe difficulties in at least one factor, while about 40% faced difficulties in three or more factors. Significant gender and age effects were found across the different factors. Using second order principal components analysis, the 12 factors were classified in three broader domains of difficulties in starting a relationship
Little Praise for "In praise of forgiveness"
No full textThis is a review of Massimo Recalcati's book "In Praise of Forgiveness" (Polity Press, 2020). It outlines Recalcati’s position on the process of forgiveness and offers a critique of various aspects of this book
Employability and Job Insecurity: The Role of Personal Resources on Work-Related Stress
No full textThis study is aimed to assess the effect of both employability and personal resources, in terms of pro-activity and self-efficacy, on the relationship between job insecurity and psycho-social distress. Using survey data from 211 participants, among employed, unemployed and workers in transition, we analyzed the incidence of employability, pro-activity and self-efficacy on psycho-social distress. Our results showed that the above-mentioned variables significantly differed by participants’ gender and age. The structural theoretical model proposed to assess the significance of the hypothesized paths exhibited good fit with the data. Thus, all our hypotheses were supported. Findings are in line with previous research, and practical implications may give significant effects when applied in new labor policies undertaken by local governments
The Spiritual Wellness of an Intellectual, Novelist, Journalist and Politician: The Meaningful Life of Sol Plaatje
No full textThe study investigates Sol Plaatje’s (1876–1932) spiritual wellness across his lifespan. He was purposively sampled due to his impact upon South African society. As an intellectual, novelist, journalist, and politician, Plaatje was also a founder member of the South African Native National Congress, which later became the African National Congress. His life history reflected a significant degree of spiritual wellness, which was uncovered through the systematic analysis of publicly available life-history materials, including primary and secondary sources. The Wheel of Wellness (WoW) model by Sweeney and Witmer was applied to interpret the biographical evidence of spirituality and meaning in his life. Spirituality, as the central life task of the WoW, and regarded as the most influential domain of a healthy individual, incorporates religious beliefs and other individualised aspects of meaning-making. Findings indicate that spirituality characterised Plaatje’s childhood years and continued to play a role throughout his adult years. His sense of meaning and purpose was personified in the promotion and preservation of human rights and dignity, which embraced inter-racial respect, compassion, and service to others
Two Sides of Workplace Interactions: How Appreciation and Social Stressors Shape the Relationship Between Job Insecurity and Well-Being
No full textJob insecurity has frequently been shown to have a dysfunctional impact on well-being. Based on the conservation of resources (COR) theory, the aim of this study was to investigate how the experience of appreciation at the workplace and the occurrence of social stressors shape the relationship between job insecurity and three indicators of well-being: (a) job satisfaction, (b) (emotional) irritation, and (c) engagement (dedication to the job). In an online study with 117 psychologists, we found that appreciation buffered the relationship between job insecurity and irritation. Social stressors further qualified the moderating effect of appreciation on job satisfaction and dedication, but not fully in the proposed direction. Theoretical implications about the role of more or less social contacts at work (reflected in the experience of appreciation as well as social stressors) when dealing with job insecurity will be discussed
Comparing Theoretical Models for the Understanding of Health-Risk Behaviour: Towards an Integrative Model of Adolescent Alcohol Consumption
No full textThe aim of the present manuscript is to test and compare the theory of reasoned action (TRA), theory of planned behaviour (TPB) and prototype-willingness model (PWM) in predicting risky alcohol consumption among adolescents and to build an integrative model to get a more comprehensive understanding of such risky behaviour. A total sample of 518 adolescents (55% females; 13-19 aged) recruited from Italian schools (7th to 12th grade) participated in a cross-sectional research study and completed an online questionnaire. Risky alcohol use assessed through the AUDIT-C was the dependent variable; whereas, variables from the TRA, TPB, and PWM (i.e. attitude, subjective norms, perceived behavioural control, intention, prototype favourability and similarity, and willingness to alcohol use) were used as predictors. Data were analysed using structural equation modelling (SEM). The findings show that the integrative model had greater explanatory power and provided a better fit to the data, compared to the TRA, TPB, and PWM, indicating attitudes and subjective norms as the best predictors. In conclusion, perceived social approval from significant others and the volitional component have a central role in understanding adolescents’ alcohol consumption
New Mobilities and Psychology: Why are We Still Not on the Move?
No full textThe new mobilities paradigm has been influential within the social sciences for the past two decades. And yet, psychology is undoubtably slow to incorporate mobility as a key lens through which to consider its subject area. In this editorial, I will make the case that we would benefit greatly from focusing more on personal, collective and psychological mobilities and the kinds of conceptual, methodological and practical challenges they raise. To illustrate this, I briefly discuss the notions of self and identity, learning, and imagination and creativity. Final conclusions are offered regarding a late but welcomed ‘mobilities turn’ in psychological science