1,721,213 research outputs found
Quiet ego and noisy ego: A useful distinction in the investigation of individual well-being and intergroup relations
No full textThe aim of this paper is to assess the relations of quiet ego and noisy ego, measured as psychological entitlement, with individual well-being and intergroup outcomes. After providing an initial validation of the Italian versions of the scales used to assess these ego dispositions (Study 1), we performed regression analyses of quiet ego and psychological entitlement on well-being indicators (Study 2) and on measures of intergroup emotions and evaluations (Study 3). Results showed that quiet ego was positively related to both individual well-being and positive intergroup perceptions and emotions. On the contrary, psychological entitlement showed to be a double-edged sword: It was positively related at the same time with psychological well-being and negative affect; moreover, it was related to a worsening of intergroup outcomes. These findings provide evidence for the benefit of having a quieter rather than a noisier ego for both individual well-being and intergroup relations
Dealing with the Ups and Downs of Life: Positive Dispositions in Coping with Negative and Positive Events and Their Relationships with Well-Being Indicators
Full text linkIn a four-wave, longitudinal study (N = 323), we tested the relationships between five positive dispositions—mindfulness, self-compassion, gratitude, hedonism, and eudaimonism—and time-varying negative affect, positive affect, life satisfaction, and meaning in life. These relationships were tested while controlling for the ups and downs in life across three months, operationalized as the effects, for a respondent, of having experienced more frequent and intense positive and negative events compared to other individuals in the sample (inter-individual variation) and of having experienced more frequent and intense positive and negative events than usual for that person (intra-individual variation). We also tested the interactive effects between each disposition and intra-individual variation in the frequency and intensity of negative and positive events on well-being variables. Results, obtained through multilevel models with repeated observations nested in individuals, showed that each disposition had specific associations with well-being indicators, although stronger effects were detected for eudaimonism and, especially, self-compassion. Moderation analyses showed that: mindfulness and self-compassion buffered intra-individual variation in negative events; people scoring higher on hedonism, eudaimonism, and self-compassion showed less need to rely on positive events to experience positive emotions; experiencing a negative event that was more intense than usual was associated with higher meaning in life for people with high levels of eudaimonism. Overall, findings suggest that mindfulness, self-compassion, gratitude, hedonism, and eudaimonism build well-being through different channels. Positive interventions could benefit from mixing these healthy functioning strategies and considering their roles in reactions to events
How mindfulness, decentering, nonattachment and rumination interact with the temporal associations between emotions and thoughts: An experience sampling study
Full text linkThe way emotions and thoughts affect each other in daily life deeply impacts an individual's well-being. This experience sampling study (N = 132, 24 random-schedule signals in 6 days) aimed to (a) test the bidirectionality of within-person concurrent (simultaneous) and prospective (from time t-1 to time t) associations between real-life emotions and thoughts; (b) explore the moderator roles of dispositions involving the ability to take an aware and detached perspective on inner experience (i.e., mindfulness, decentering, nonattachment and low rumination) in the abovementioned associations. Multilevel within-person and multilevel lagged models assessed concurrent and prospective links, respectively. Emotions and thoughts showed concurrent associations, and prospective associations only between same-valence emotions and thoughts. Low rumination and decentering strengthened the-respectively-simultaneous and prospective relationship between positive thoughts and positive emotions; decentering, nonattachment and low rumination suppressed the positive association between lagged negative emotions and present negative thoughts. Decentering also nullified the negative concurrent link between positive thoughts and negative emotions. Mindfulness and nonattachment strengthened the concurrent negative link between negative thoughts and positive emotions. Dispositions involving a detached perspective on inner experience improve individual abilities to deal with negative emotions and promote upward spirals between positive emotions and thoughts
A deeper look at the relationship between dispositional mindfulness and empathy: Meditation experience as a moderator and dereification processes as mediators
No full textStudies on the relationship between dispositional mindfulness and empathy reported results that vary across specific components of the constructs and employed measures. We investigated the associations between facets of mindfulness (acting with awareness, nonjudging, nonreactivity, describing, observing) and dimensions of empathy (perspective taking, empathic concern, personal distress), while considering meditation experience of respondents as a moderator (Study 1), and variables associated to the mindfulness-related dereification process (adaptive emotion regulation, decentering, reduced rumination, nonattachment, and social connectedness) as mediators (Studies 2 and 3). We hypothesized that most facets of mindfulness would be positively associated with perspective taking and empathic concern, and negatively with personal distress (H1), that the association between mindfulness facets and empathy would be stronger in meditators (H2), and that the relationship between mindfulness and empathy would be mediated by adaptive emotion regulation (H3) and by the other mindfulness-related dereification constructs (H4). Results substantially supported H1, H2, and H3, and H4 for what concerned decentering, nonattachment, and social connectedness; unexpectedly, rumination conveyed a negative indirect effect from mindfulness facets – except observing – to empathy. Findings clarify the ambivalent (positive via adaptive emotion regulation and dereification, negative via rumination) relationship between mindfulness and empathy, and the moderating role of meditation
Deprovincialization as a key correlate of ideology, prejudice, and intergroup contact
No full textThis paper aimed to examine deprovincialization, defined as a less ingroup-centric worldview fostering openness to other cultures and outgroups, and to test its relationships with personality, cognitive styles, values, political ideologies, intergroup contact, and prejudice. In Study 1, we proved the factorial validity of the Cultural Deprovincialization Scale (CDS), an instrument specifically designed to assess a growing acceptance of other peoples and cultures following intergroup encounters, and we provided evidence for its construct validity by exploring its nomological net. People scoring higher on the CDS were more extraverted, agreeable, open to experience, cognitively flexible, and scored lower on social dominance orientation, right-wing authoritarianism, and nationalism. Moreover, deprovincialized people reported higher scores on positive contact, lower scores on negative contact, better outgroup attitudes, and lower levels of prejudice. In Study 2, using a longitudinal design, we tested the within- and between-individual associations that deprovincialization had with positive and negative intergroup contact, outgroup attitudes, and prejudice. Both between-individual and within-individual variations in positive and negative contact predicted time-varying deprovincialization, whereas between-individual and within-individual variations in deprovincialization predicted time-varying outgroup attitudes and prejudice, controlling for age, gender, and social dominance orientation, and also for contact when deprovincialization was a predictor
WWIII? Management of death between new social emergencies and their solution. La gestione della morte tra le nuove emergenze sociali e la loro soluzione.
No full textA Deep Dive into Compassion: Italian Validation, Network Analysis, and Correlates of Recent Compassion Scales
No full textThe present multi-sample study (N = 723) explores in depth the construct of dispositional compassion and its assessment, relying on two recent multidimensional scales: the Sussex-Oxford Compassion Scale—toward Others (SOCS-O; Gu et al., 2020) and the Compassion Scale (CS; Pommier et al., 2020). First, we validated the two scales in Italian, finding substantial support for their original factor structures and second-order solutions aggregating first-order factors into a general dispositional compassion factor. Second, we tested the simultaneous links between SOCS-O and CS facets via network analysis to identify which facets stand at the core of dispositional compassion or are more distal. Kindness (CS) and Feeling (SOCS-O) facets were more central components of compassion, leaning on the ability to tune in to (CS Mindfulness) and understand others’ pain (SOCS-O Universality) and connected to the urge to alleviate that pain (SOCS-O Acting). Third, we explored the nomological net of correlates of dispositional compassion and examined the differences between the SOCS-O and the CS in their relationship with the correlates. Results supported the convergent and discriminant validity of the scales and showed that the SOCS-O, compared to the CS, may capture some emotionally aversive sides of compassion
Quick Self-Compassion: Italian Validation, Network Analysis, Item Response Theory Analysis, and Correlates of the Self-Compassion Scale Short Form
Full text linkObjectives: This study aimed to test the factorial structure and gender invariance of the Self-Compassion Scale Short Form (SCS-SF) in the Italian context (Aim 1), underlying relationships among SCS-SF items (Aim 2), questionnaire performance of SCS-SF (Aim 3), and correlations of SCS-SF (and its subscales) with cognitive, affective, and well-being variables (Aim 4). Method: Six questionnaires including the SCS-SF and different correlates were respectively administered to six Italian convenience samples (total n = 2068). We performed confirmatory (ULS estimator) factor analysis (Aim 1), exploratory graph analysis and network analysis (Aim 2), multidimensional item response theory (IRT) analyses (Aim 3), and correlational analyses (Aim 4). We tested Aims 1–3 on the global sample and Aim 4 on the six samples separately. Results: We found a two-factor (hierarchical) solution — which also had strict gender invariance — identifying Compassionate and Uncompassionate Self-Responding (CSR and USR), respectively composed of positive and negative items, while three- and six-factor structures did not hold (Aim 1). The SCS-SF network was structured into the CSR and USR clusters (Aim 2). CSR and — especially — USR had a satisfactory performance in terms of IRT discrimination and information (Aim 3). Correlational analyses supported the convergent and discriminant validity of the scales, showing the cognitive and emotion-regulation strategies associated with self-compassion and confirming that CSR and USR have slightly different correlates (Aim 4). Conclusions: The Italian SCS-SF and its CSR and USR subscales are valid instruments. Future research and interventions can employ CSR and USR to assess different nuances of self-kindness and self-criticism
Deprovincialization: Its Importance for Plural Societies
Full text linkDeprovincialization is a set of attitudes characterized by two sides: a nuanced and fresh perspective on the in-group culture and an open and accepting attitude toward other groups. After reviewing early research and indirect tests of the construct, we focused our attention on research investigating these two sides of deprovincialization. Studies conducted in various countries demonstrate that deprovincialization as in-group cultural nuance is a strong and reliable correlate of reduced prejudice and improved intergroup relations; moreover, it is distinct from both national identification and cultural relativism. Studies conducted in Italy show that deprovincialization as openness toward other groups is related to positive intergroup contact and intergroup harmony and has longitudinal negative effects on prejudice. Importantly, in both lines of research the beneficial role of deprovincialization goes beyond the effects of constructs such as social dominance orientation, right-wing authoritarianism, nationalism, and demographic variables. We conclude by proposing suggestions for future research and highlighting relevant issues to be considered in policy development and implementation
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