Europe’s Journal of Psychology (PsychOpen)
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Item Analysis of C, D and E Series from Raven’s Standard Progressive Matrices with Item Response Theory Two-Parameter Logistic Model
No full textThe present report is focused on the Item Response Theory research methodology and descriptive potential. Its purpose is to present the item analysis of C, D and E Series from Raven’s Standard Progressive Matrices which were given to 506 Bulgarian high school students. The basic concepts and underlying assumptions of IRT are briefly reviewed. The latent variable is defined after a short check of some intelligence theories and a detailed examination of the used items. After the verification of IRT assumptions, the Two-parameter logistic model is selected for the analysis. The estimated item parameters are interpreted in accordance to suggested guidelines. Item Characteristic Curves and Item Information Functions are plotted and their features are also discussed
Positive and Negative Self-Worth Beliefs and Evaluative Standards
No full textThis study examined several different types of self-worth beliefs and evaluations as predictors of depression and self-esteem. Based upon a self-schema model of emotion, some of these beliefs and evaluations had a traditional negative focus (e.g., “I am failing at work”), whereas others focused specifically on positive aspects of self-worth (e.g., “I am able to give, as well as receive, in relationships”). Findings indicated that positive self-worth evaluations were one of the main predictors of greater self-esteem and less depression, thus indicating a need for further exploration of the role of positive evaluative components of the self-schema on psychological well-being. Our findings also revealed that self-worth beliefs and evaluative standards pertaining to independence and a sense of mastery over one’s environment were generally better predictors of well-being than those pertaining to relationships with others. This pattern was particularly evident for self-esteem, and supports the distinction made in the self-schema model between self-worth based upon individualism versus relatedness themes. Finally, we compared the relative predictive utility of the self-schema model with a self-worth contingency model advanced by Crocker. Here, the beliefs and evaluations specified in the self-schema model were significant predictors of well-being, above and beyond the specific content domains specified in the self-worth contingency model
The Beauty of Self-Actualisation: Linking Physical Attractiveness and Self-Fulfilment
No full textThe current study examined the relationship between physical attractiveness and self-actualisation. It was hypothesized that higher levels of physical attractiveness lead to higher levels of self-actualisation, as physically attractive and self-actualised people share certain characteristics, such as inner-directiveness, sociability and self-acceptance. To investigate this hypothesis, 119 participants completed the Personal Orientation Inventory (POI) questionnaire as a measure of self-actualisation and six professional judges rated the participants’ level of physical attractiveness. The study revealed that participants in the high attractiveness group scored significantly higher on 7 of the 12 POI scales in comparison to the participants in the low attractiveness group: Inner-Directed, Self-Actualising Value, Feeling Reactivity, Spontaneity, Self-Regard, Self-Acceptance, and Capacity for Intimate Contact. The role of self-esteem and the self-fulfilling prophecy effect were discussed as possible explanations for the findings
Psychology and the Problem of Evil
No full textProfessor of Psychology at the University of Delhi (North Campus) Dr. Ashok Nagpal with his mentor Dr. Sudhir Kakar made pioneering efforts in developing psychology into a culturally sensitive and socially relevant discipline. Using psychoanalysis as a model they sought to understand the rich and diverse tradition of healing in India, and revealed how that knowledge could be integrated with the mainstream psychotherapies to bring about a synthesis: a synthesis which would enhance the scope of mystical cults and broaden the reach of psychology. In this short interview Dr. Nagpal addresses three core issues: manic self interest, passive indifference and fear of labeling, and using the concept of evil offers invaluable insights into the nature of urban living and why it’s failing humanity
Workaholism types among Turkish physicians: Potential antecedents and consequences
No full textThis study examined potential antecedents and consequences of workaholism types among 431 male and female physicians in Turkey. Three workaholism types (Work Enthusiasts, Work Addicts, Enthusiastic Addicts) and one non-workaholic type (Unengaged workers) previously identified by Spence and Robbins (1992) were compared. Antecedents included personal and work situation characteristics and personality factors; consequences included work experiences, work outcomes and indicators of psychological well-being. Unengaged workers were significantly different from the three workaholism types reporting less positive work experiences, work outcomes and psychological well-being. There were fewer differences among the three workaholism types than have been reported in previous research, but when type differences were present, Work Addicts were disadvantaged, consistent with earlier work. These findings highlight a need to further study the work and health consequences of disengagement from work among professionals. Unengaged workers may be in greater distress than workers that are more heavily invested in their workplaces
Regulating the Psychological Therapies – From Taxonomy to Taxidermy
No full textDenis Postle’s new book, ‘Regulating the Psychological Therapies – From Taxonomy to Taxidermy, is for anyone with an interest in counseling, psychotherapy and the human psyche. The book is addressed not only to people who are directly affected by or working with regulation issues of psychotherapeutic practice, but also to those of us who live and work in the consumer society and are concerned and unsure that the human spirit could be institutionalized
Migrant men: managing gay and European identities in London
No full textLondon and its multicultural arena provide the socio-geographical niche for the qualitative analysis of identity processes. In this report I explore the psychological strategies adopted by migrant gay men to manage multiple identities. Grounded theory was used to discover dominant themes emerging from respondents’ narratives about the interplay between European, national, migrant and gay identities. My analysis suggests that multiple identities are managed as a form of resistance against the oppression inflicted by mainstream heteronormative structures. The ‘self in action’, the major emergent theme, downplays fixed identities, chooses amongst the available social scripts, and strives to generate new forms of cultural and social capital. Despite a favourable socio-political climate, respondents’ narratives reflect the crisis of the London gay community in providing ‘positive gay visibilities’ that go beyond the commercial scene. The implications of multiple identities for research, as well as the risks involved with qualitative analysis of small samples, are also discussed
Semiotic mediation, psychological development process and social representations: towards a theoretical and methodological integration
No full textThis article proposes the integration of the subjective, developmental and cognitive aspects of the semiotic processes in a psychological context, and the historical, institutional and ideological fundamentals of sign systems in a sociocultural context. It revisits certain arguments for the rejection of the mind-body dichotomy, investigates the implications of this rejection in terms of the relations thought / language, individual / collective and cognition / emotion, and establishes relations between the process of semiotic mediation and the theory of social representations. It proposes, both theoretically and methodologically, a psychosocial synthesis for human psychological development, forming the basis for psychological intervention in social interaction situations, based on three main points. The focus group is used not simply in order to treat and develop a particular object through conversation, but as a procedure for psychological intervention and a locus of change, presupposing a sequence of group situations, each based on what was produced the previous time. The analysis of the speech acts produced in this sequence of focused conversations reveals participants’ personal paradigms and allows their foundation to be studied. In addition, the Piagetian focus on the grasp of consciousness reveals both the cognitive and metacognitive regulations that occur during the sequence of conversations together with their role in the reelaboration of the premises that form the basis for the personal paradigms and in the grasp of consciousness regarding the possibility of transformation
Cultural Psychology: A Once and Future Discipline
No full textUndoubtedly we are now witnessing the dawns of a new era in the theory and practice of Wundt’s “second psychology”, an era of re-discovery and re-assessment of all key issues that concern the maturation of a discipline. At such times proposing integrated and viable approaches to the study of mind and culture is both daring and praiseworthy