Europe’s Journal of Psychology (PsychOpen)
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On curiosity and passion for science: Interview with Emily Holmes
No full textIn this interview Prof. Emily Holmes addresses some of the most recent developments in the area of experimental psychopathology. At the core of her interest for this field stands a pervasive preoccupation for unpacking the importance of the imaginary in terms of our mental functioning and, in particular, the relationship between the mental imagery and emotion. Prof. Holmes explores, in this context, several important issues for academics and practitioners alike, from methodological aspects to the broader concern for making research results directly applicable and disseminating them effectively to different groups and audiences. In this respect much can be learned from Prof. Holmes’s career trajectory and, towards the end, she offers students and early career researchers some valuable advice about the importance of curiosity and passion for science in succeeding as a researcher, as a psychologist and, overall, as a successful “academic citizen”
Predicting the intention to quit smoking: A comparative study among Spanish and Norwegian students
No full textThe purpose of the present study was to explore the role of an extended version of the theory of planned behaviour (TPB) in predicting intentions to quit smoking among Norwegian smoking students (N=211) and Spanish students (N=205). As hypothesised, subjective norm predicted quitting intentions more strongly in Spain (a collectivistic culture) than in Norway (an individualistic culture). Group identity predicted quitting intentions more strongly in Norway than in Spain. Consistent with the predictions the predictive role of self-identity and moral norm did not differ between the countries. Self-identity did not predict intention significantly, while this was the case for moral norm. Thus the study provided evidence of the moderating role of culture in the TPB, and indications of a stronger conflict between smokers and non-smokers in countries with high level of regulatory anti-smoking measures
Psychology, domination and resistance
No full textPsychology — social psychology in particular, group psychology especially — needs to address both domination and resistance, stasis and movement, social reproduction and social change. Any approach which emphasizes the one to the exclusion of the other will necessarily be deficient in its ability to explain both. It may be that, over long periods of time, our social worlds seem stable and set and that their inequalities are destined to last. But change — underpinned by collective action — is always possible and should warn us against eternalizing what is generally only a temporary lull. Perhaps right now, when seemingly strong states like Tunisia and Egypt have folded like a pack of cards and who knows how many others will follow in their wake, this point should be easier to make than at other times. But the same might have been said in 1789, 1830, 1848, 1871, 1917, 1968, 1989. Yet we seem to have short memories. This point at least tends regularly to be forgotten
Evaluating Sorensen´s Therapy for Instability in Mood (STIM) in the case of bipolar disorder
No full textThis study’s aims were to evaluate the effects of Sorensen’s Therapy of Instability in Mood (Sorensen, 2005; Sorensen, Done & Rhodes, 2007), an intervention based on a short relapse-prevention program for clients suffering from Bipolar Disorder (BD), delivered within a clinical setting, by an assistant psychologist with limited training in CBT. The experimental treatment consisted of four individual sessions in addition to treatment as usual. Twelve clients with diagnoses of BD participated. Outcomes were measured across four domains: symptom severity, perceived hopelessness, perceived control over symptoms and level of insight. Measures of client satisfaction were also collected. Statistical analysis of the data revealed significant improvements to depression and perceived control levels at both one and three month follow-ups. In addition, clients reported significantly lower levels of hopelessness at three months follow-up. The study also considered the clinical significance of the research findings with the Jacobson-Truax (Jacobson & Truax, 1991) method. A substantial number of clients attained clinically significant changes with regards to depression, hopelessness and perceived control at one and three months follow-ups. Recovery rates at three months were 50%, 41.6% and 25% respectively. Neither statistically nor clinically significant changes were found with regards to mania or insight at either one or three month follow-ups. All clients reported high levels of satisfaction
Happiness, growth, and the life cycle
No full textRichard A. Easterlin Edited by H. Hinte and K.F. Zimmermann Oxford University Press, 2010 The human being in pursuit of happiness is an ancient philosophical theme, revealing perhaps a perennial truth about us as individuals, as a species, and also about our societies. Consumerism, capitalism, globalisation. Terms we use to define the economic order in today’s world, or at least a ‘Western model’ of it. Where does happiness fit into this money-based equation? Can wealth or growth make us happy, or, better said, are they sufficient to make us happy? These are all questions situated at the core of Richard Easterlin’s concerns and reflected in the volume ‘Happiness, Growth, and the Life Cycle’ (Oxford University Press, 2010; edited by H. Hinte and K.F. Zimmermann). What is important to know about this book from the start is the fact that it addresses a variety of audiences beyond those purely interested in economic science. Its approach reflects a social science perspective and, as such, it is of interest for students of many disciplines, and, significantly for us here, for psychologists at large. Easterlin’s work represents an exemplary attempt to integrate economic and social psychological knowledge resulting in the enrichment of both. Unsurprisingly, the author is considered a founding father of behavioural economics and the economics of happiness. ‘Happiness, Growth, and the Life Cycle’ is a book that summarises key findings in these areas and leaves us not only with answers, but also with some important questions to think about
Role of arousal states in susceptibility to accept misinformation
No full textThe fragile nature of eyewitness memory makes the witnesses susceptible to various sources of post event information. Many factors of individual differences further moderate the impact of misinformation. The experiment reported here attempts to explore the effects of post event information on recognition accuracy of witnessed events, as moderated by the arousal states of energetic arousal, tense arousal, hedonic tone and anger/frustration. Experiment used those participants who scored high on four arousal states and average on rest of the three arousal states. Participants viewed a video clip, depicting a murder, followed by presentation of one week delayed post event information and recognition test for details of the event. Results indicated that participants who were misled retained less number of details of the event than did the participants who were given either consistent or no post event information. High scorer energetic arousal and hedonic tone participants retained more details of the event than did the high scorer tense arousal and anger/frustration participants under all the three post event information conditions. However, high tense arousal and anger/frustration participants’ eyewitness retention dropped more sharply when they were given misleading post event information in comparison to the high energetic arousal and hedonic tone participants. Thus, results of the study indicated a moderating effect of post event information by the arousal states
Emotion regulation difficulties in alexithymia and mental health
No full textAlexithymia, characterized by difficulty in identifying and describing feelings and a deficit in the cognitive modulation of emotions, has been linked with health related problems. Indirect empirical evidences suggest the possibility that alexithymia may potentially also relate with emotion regulation difficulties. However, the exact nature of the relationship between the two constructs has not been fully explored. The relationship between the two constructs may reflect the overlap of the content domains or dependence of one (e.g., emotion regulation difficulties) on the other (e.g., alexithymia). Given the link between the two constructs, it is also likely that alexithymics’ health related difficulties may result from their impaired ability to regulate emotions. The present study tested the above theoretical propositions on 27 alexithymic and 26 non-alexithymic participants who were assessed on self-report measures of emotion regulation difficulties and general mental health. The findings revealed that compared to non-alexithymics, the alexithymics showed greater emotion regulation difficulties and such affective difficulties differentiated the two groups with a very high accuracy. Further, the observation of two orthogonal components (emotion regulation difficulties and alexithymia) with a minimum overlap suggests that these constructs represent two independent domains of behavior. Findings also revealed that alexithymics reported more health related problems as compared to non-alexithymics and the health problems of alexithymics are likely to be an outcome of their emotion regulation difficulties (indicated by a non-significant health difference after controlling for emotion regulation difficulties). The findings imply that alexithymia is associated with emotion regulation difficulties and such difficulties largely contribute to health related problems
From icon to person: Findings from a qualitative study of motherhood in Crete
No full textAn exploratory study sought to reconcile certain contradictions regarding the role of mothers as presented in the social science literature through probing subjective accounts of mothers in the rapidly changing social milieu of Greece. Previous research that has focused on motherhood in Greek society has highlighted how women who become mothers have been given iconic status. However, modern Cretan mothers are increasingly faced with novel challenges. The subjective perceptions of motherhood of Cretan women attending a community group which focused on parenting were probed. Qualitative analysis was carried out on the written narrative accounts. Participants’ responses corresponded to the following levels of narrative analysis: personal, interpersonal/transgenerational, and societal-ideological. Narratives revealed that mothers were experiencing high levels of personal and interpersonal dissonance which impinged upon their identities and challenged them in their roles as mothers. The women’s narrative accounts underscored the emotional and social importance of having achieved the coveted role of being a mother, the stressful and pressure inducing social context which mandates how the mothering role should be enacted, and dialectics between the personal, intergenerational and social levels of experience. The implications of these findings are discussed with regard to identity and relatedness within the family and how social and professional constructs of mothering lag behind social changes
What’s stopping you? The contribution of gender essentialism to sex differences in subject choice
No full textThe present study considered the impact of gender essentialism on sex differences in subject choice. Secondary school children, aged 11-12 years (N = 30) and 15-16 years (N = 26), were randomly assigned to one of three experimental conditions, and completed a thought experiment requiring them to make inferences about two gendered attributes; academic subject ability and gender-stereotyped properties, of a hypothetical male and female; (a) raised in an opposite sex environment; (b) following a brain transplant from a member of the opposite sex and (c) a 'normal' male or female, acting as a baseline response. Results from the experiment indicated that children do hold essentialist beliefs about gender. However, such beliefs vary as a function of both the age of participants, and the gendered attribute considered. We conclude that gender essentialism may account for the persistence of sex differences in subject choice
Effects of manipulating optimal challenge in a music intervention program on situational intrinsic motivation among people with intellectual disability
No full textOptimal challenge refers to the balance between the challenge level of an activity and the skill level of an individual involved in the activity. A number of intrinsic motivation theories assume that optimal challenge is an influential facilitator of intrinsic motivation. Some researchers attempted to prove this assumption among people without any disability, using problem solving strategies or computer game playing activities. This study was aimed at determining its effectiveness among people with mild or moderate intellectual disability, using a music intervention program with three conditions. The results of one way repeated measure ANOVA and subsequent comparisons in pairs revealed that the high level of situational intrinsic motivation in the first condition of the intervention program where optimal challenges were provided for the first time significantly decreased to a low level in the second condition, where no optimal challenges were provided. It significantly increased again to a high level in the third condition, where optimal challenges were provided for the second time. The findings confirmed the importance of optimal challenge in promoting situational intrinsic motivation, as mentioned by intrinsic motivation theories, among people with intellectual disability in a music intervention program. For implementing guidelines, some practical implications are mentioned