1,721,084 research outputs found
Civic and moral disangagement, weak personal beliefs and unhappiness: A survey study of the "famiglia lunga" phenomenon in Italy
No full textIn Italy, the transition from adolescence to adulthood has been lengthening. There is disagreement about whether this is a healthy adaptation to current socioeconomic conditions or a sign of excessive dependency and insecure anxious attachment (Flett, Endler, & Besser, 2009; Maione & Franceschini, 1999; Scabini & Cigoli, 1997; Scabini & Marta, 1996). We report a study of 1570 Italian undergraduates at the University of Padova, exploring relations between: living choice; attachment style; religious, spiritual, and personal beliefs; civic and moral disengagement; and perceived happiness. Living on one’s own was associated with avoidant or secure attachment, being more engaged in society, and stronger personal and spiritual beliefs. Living both with parents and in other living conditions was associated with anxious attachment, weaker personal beliefs but stronger religious beliefs, greater civic and moral disengagement, and greater unhappiness. Regardless of living arrangements, anxious attachment was related to civic and moral disengagement, weaker personal beliefs, and greater unhappiness. Insecure avoidant attachment was related to civic and moral disengagement and weaker religious and spiritual beliefs
The contribution of caregiving orientations to volunteering-related motives, costs, and benefits
No full textIn four studies, we adopted a behavioral system approach to understanding prosocial behavior and examined the contribution of caregiving orientations (hyperactivation, deactivation) to various aspects of volunteerism. In Studies 1 and 2, conducted in Italy, we assessed engagement in volunteer activities and motives for volunteering. In Studies 3 and 4, conducted in Israel, we assessed compassion fatigue and changes in life satisfaction and meaning following sustained volunteer service. Caregiving deactivation was associated with less engagement in volunteer activities and more compassion fatigue. Caregiving hyperactivation was also associated with compassion fatigue, but accompanied by heightened engagement and motivation for volunteering, as well as volunteering-related increases in life satisfaction and meaning. The findings were discussed from a behavioral system perspective
Evolutionary personality psychology
No full textThe field of psychology historically has been split between those who focus on human nature or species-typical characteristics and those who focus on the major ways in which individuals differ. This split is reflected within personality psychology, within evolutionary psychology, and within the broader field of psychology writ large. Evolutionary personality psychology provides a unifying framework within which both important approaches—individual differences and species-typical characteristics—can be integrated successfully. We argue that evolutionary psychology cannot ignore important individual differences because they are omnipresent, somewhat stable over time, show moderate heritability, and have known empirical links to components of functioning that recurrently contribute to reproductive fitness. At the same time, the field of personality psychology cannot afford to ignore evolutionary psychology: It provides the only cogent metatheory for the broader field of psychology and provides a powerful set of conceptual tools, such as life-history theory and evolutionary genetics, for transforming personality psychology into an explanatory rather than merely descriptive science
Validation and psychometric properties of the Italian version of the Power Behavioural System Scale
No full textThe power behavioural system is a neurobehavioral system that motivates a person to acquire and control resources that are important for survival and reproductive success. When activated, its function is to protect or restore the sense of power, influence, or dominance. Repeated experiences of failure in achieving this goal may result in hyperactivation or deactivation of power-oriented behaviours (analogous to the secondary strategies observed with respect to the attachment behavioural system). Gaining a reliable and valid measure of hyperactivation and deactivation of the power system can be important for understanding an individual’s responses to different social contexts and, in clinical settings, can help the therapist identify the client’s difficulties that may undermine the therapeutic process. In the present study, we developed the Italian version of the Power Behavioural System Scale (PBSS), a self-report measure developed by Shaver et al. (2011) to assess individual differences in hyperactivation and deactivation of the power system. Results indicated an adequate fit to the expected two-factor model, and the measure proved to be reliable and had good convergent and structural validity, allowing the quantification of individual differences in power system hyperactivation and deactivation
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Get PDFThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Variations on the Author
Get PDF“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
Appropriate Similarity Measures for Author Cocitation Analysis
Get PDFWe provide a number of new insights into the methodological discussion about author cocitation analysis. We first argue that the use of the Pearson correlation for measuring the similarity between authors’ cocitation profiles is not very satisfactory. We then discuss what kind of similarity measures may be used as an alternative to the Pearson correlation. We consider three similarity measures in particular. One is the well-known cosine. The other two similarity measures have not been used before in the bibliometric literature. Finally, we show by means of an example that our findings have a high practical relevance.information science;Pearson correlation;cosine;similarity measure;author cocitation analysis
A ‘Problematic’ Pattern of Power-system Functioning and its Association with psychopathological Symptoms
No full textFollowing the well-researched two-dimensional model of attachment-system functioning, based on the concepts of hyperactivation and deactivation, a two-dimensional model of the power behavioral system has recently been proposed. The power system is aimed at activating, organizing, and implementing action patterns that protect or restore a sense of power or dominance. Here, we tested predictions derived from the two-dimensional model of power-system functioning regarding the contribution of a ‘problematic’ high-high pattern, characterized by the coexistence of both hyperactivating and deactivating strategies, to psychopathological symptoms. A non-clinical sample of Italian adults (N = 385) completed the Power Behavioral System Scale together with self-report measures of anxiety and depression symptoms and difficulties in executive control. Multiple regression analyses showed that higher deactivation and hyperactivation scores, characteristic of the ‘problematic’ pattern, significantly predicted anxiety and depression symptoms as well as executive function difficulties. These results provide initial support for the pathogenic implications of the ‘problematic’ high-high pattern of power-system functioning
The Caregiving System Scale: Factor Structure, Gender Invariance, and the Contribution of Attachment Orientations
No full textAccording to attachment theory, the propensity of human beings to care for others is governed by an inborn caregiving behavioral system that aims to promote welfare and reduce the distress of other people through effective provision of care. However, some individuals may develop non-optimal caregiving strategies, such as anxious hyperactivation and avoidant deactivation. These two non-optimal caregiving strategies can be evaluated in adults using the Caregiving System Scale (CSS). Recent findings suggested that the factor structure of the instrument may be more complex than was intended. The present work examines in-depth the factor structure of the CSS to provide a clearer understanding of the underlying dimensions. Gender invariance and the contribution of attachment orientations to CSS scores are also examined. Findings reveal that, whereas the CSS-deactivation subscale is unidimensional, the CSS-hyperactivation subscale is better represented by two distinct yet related constructs—caregiving-related worries/doubts and intrusive/coercive caregiving. Partial strict gender invariance is supported. The contribution of attachment orientations to non-optimal caregiving strategies is consistent with theoretical expectations. Results and future research directions are discussed in the final section
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