| 291. |
- Moreno, Funes, et al.
(författare)
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Work Climate and Virtues Predict Positive Emotions and Performance at Call Centres
- 2013
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Ingår i: Third World Congress on Positive Psychology. June 27-30, 2013, Westin Bonaventure, Los Angeles.
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Konferensbidrag (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Background: Most call centres define performance as the percentage of the scheduled “time on the phone”. This specific type of work-design might imply unfavourable working conditions for employees affecting learning and well-being. The aim was to test work climate variables and character strengths that are related to positive emotions and performance at work. Method: In Study 1, agents (N = 280) self-reported emotions at work (Positive Affect, Negative Affect Schedule) and their perception of the work climate (Learning Climate Questionnaire). In study 2, agents (N = 104) self-reported character strengths (Virtues in Action), work climate, and five months later agents reported emotions at work. Performance (average percent of time on the phone each day) was assessed by the same system handling the calls over the five months period Results: Study 1 showed that all work climate variables were positively related to the experience of positive emotions at work. In Study 2, with the exception of Temperance, all virtues (Wisdom and Knowledge, Courage, Humanity and Love, Justice, and Transcendence) predicted positive emotions even when controlling for work climate. However, only Temperance predicted high performance. Conclusions: The study highlights different character strengths and virtues related to well-being and performance at call centres
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| 292. |
- Mousavi, Fariba, et al.
(författare)
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Agency, Communion, and Intelligence among Twins
- 2014
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Ingår i: 26th Association for Psychological Science Annual Convention. San Francisco, California, USA.
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Konferensbidrag (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Background: Recent research suggests that agentic (e.g., self-acceptance, self-control, goal-directed behavior) and communal (e.g., social affiliation, social tolerance, empathy and helpfulness) meta-cognitive strategies and principles are connected to higher levels of well-being and lower levels of dysfunction and suffering among adolescents. Using Cloninger’s model of personality, comprising 4 temperament (Harm Avoidance, Novelty Seeking, Reward Dependence, and Persistence) and 3 character (Self-directedness (i.e., agency), Cooperativeness (i.e., communion) and Self-transcendence) dimensions, it has been suggested that interventions targeting Self-directedness and Cooperativeness can lead to alleviation of destructive behaviour patterns, mental disorders and increased positive emotions, life satisfaction, sense of meaning, and well-being as a whole. Moreover, in contrast to the temperament dimensions, shared environmental effects influence Self-directedness and Cooperativeness during adolescence; this may not be the case earlier in childhood or later in adulthood. Hence, as environmental influences shift from adolescence to adulthood, interventions during this period in the life span might be successful. Nevertheless, using other models of personality, personality traits associated to agency have been linked to intelligence and academic performance. If so, interventions aimed to increase agency and communion might be constrained by fluid intelligence. The present study uses twin data from the Child and Adolescent Twin Study in Sweden (CATSS) to test the relationship between personality and cognitive ability. Method: Data was from a normal population sample of 370 15-year-old twins from the CATSS (159 girls and 211 boys), enriched for various types of mental health problems. Personality was measured using the Temperament and Character Inventory and intelligence with the fourth version of the Wechsler Intelligence Scales for Children (WISC-IV). Correlation analyses were conducted using random-selected twins from each dyad and separately for monozygotic and dizygotic twins, as well as for girls and boys. Results: There were no significant correlations between character and WISC-IV scales. The only significant, if weak, correlations between intelligence and personality dimensions were those between the temperament dimension of Persistence and different WISC-IV scales: Verbal Comprehension (r = .29, p < .01), Perceptual Reasoning (r = .22, p < .01), Working Memory (r = .20, p < .01), and the Full WISC-IV scale (r = .26, p < .01). This relationship could also be discerned between Persistence and the WISC-IV sub-scales: Vocabulary (r = .27, p < .01), Similarities (r = .24, p < .01), Comprehension (r = .22, p < .01), Matrix Reasoning (r = .23, p < .01), Digit Span (r = .16, p < .05) and Letter-Number Sequencing (r = .18, p < .05). The strength of these correlations was not significantly different between monozygotic and dizygotic twins (zobs between -0.19 and 0.13) or between girls and boys (zobs between -0.77 and 0.03). Conclusions: Persistence, a temperament dimension that measures heritable individual differences in eagerness of effort, ambition, perfectionism, and resistance to discouragement despite frustration and fatigue, is weakly linked to measures of cognitive abilities. This link does not seem to be moderated by zygocity or gender. More importantly, no relevant relationships were found for agency nor communion (i.e., Self-directedness or Cooperativeness) and cognitive ability. Hence, interventions aimed at improving Self-directedness and Cooperativeness should not be limited by variations in intelligence.
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| 293. |
- Mousavi, Fariba, et al.
(författare)
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Personality and intelligence: persistence, not self-directedness, cooperativeness or self-transcendence, is related to twins’ cognitive abilities
- 2015
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Ingår i: PeerJ. - : PeerJ. - 2167-8359. ; 3
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background. A person-centered approach focusing on the interaction of an individual’s temperament-character-life events is essential in the path of individuals’ well-being. In this context, three character traits, Self-directedness (e.g., self-acceptance, self-control, goal-directed behavior), Cooperativeness (e.g., social affiliation, social tolerance, empathy and helpfulness) and Self-transcendence (e.g., spiritual acceptance, transpersonal identification), measured using Cloninger’s model of personality are suggested to help the individual to regulate and resolve the conflicts derived from her/his temperament combinations as a reaction to life events. However, if character is related to the individual’s cognitive ability, then this association might limit any intervention that focuses on character development. We used data from the Child and Adolescent Twin Study in Sweden (CATSS) to investigate the relationship between personality and cognitive ability. Method. The sample consisted of 370 15-year-old twins (159 girls/211 boys), 192 of whom screen-positive with various types of mental health problems. We used the Temperament and Character Inventory to measure personality and the Wechsler Intelligence Scales for Children (WISC-IV) to measure intelligence. The relationship was investigated using correlation analyses using random-selected twins from each dyad and separately for monozygotic and dizygotic twins. Additional analyses investigated the genetic and environmental effects on personality and cognitive ability in this specific sample. Results. There were no significant correlations between the WISC-IV indices and any of the character traits (i.e., Self-directedness, Cooperativeness, and Self-transcendence). Persistence was significantly related, if weak, to four WISC-IV indices: Verbal Comprehension, Perceptual Reasoning, Working Memory, and the Full WISC-IV Scale. Post-hoc cross-twin/cross-trait analyses showed that the Persistence-cognitive ability correlation might depend on common genetic effects. The WISC-IV indices showed a relatively large genetic influence, while earlier findings about the etiology of temperament and character traits using the whole CATSS sample were replicated in this sub-sample of twins. Conclusions. The results indicate that what individuals make of themselves intentionally (i.e., their character) was not associated to intelligence. Persistence, a temperament dimension that measures heritable individual differences in eagerness of effort, ambition, perfectionism, and resistance to discouragement despite frustration and fatigue, was weakly linked to intelligence. Suggesting that, at least during adolescence, interventions targeting character development are not limited by the individual’s intelligence.
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| 294. |
- Mousavi, Fariba, et al.
(författare)
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Swedish high-school pupils’ attitudes towards drugs in relation to drug usage, impulsiveness and other risk factors
- 2014
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Ingår i: PeerJ. - : PeerJ. - 2167-8359. ; 2, s. e410-
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background. Illicit drug use influences people’s lives and elicits unwanted behaviour. Current research shows that there is an increase in young people’s drug use in Sweden. The aim was to investigate Swedish high-school pupils’ attitudes, impulsiveness and gender differences linked to drug use. Risk and protective factors relative to drug use were also a focus of interest.Method. High school pupils (n = 146) aged 17–21 years, responded to the Adolescent Health and Development Inventory, Barratt Impulsiveness Scale and Knowledge, and the Attitudes and Beliefs. Direct logistic, multiple regression analyses, and Multivariate Analysis of Variance were used to analyze the data.Results. Positive Attitudes towards drugs were predicted by risk factors (odds ratio = 37.31) and gender (odds ratio = .32). Risk factors (odds ratio = 46.89), positive attitudes towards drugs (odds ratio = 4.63), and impulsiveness (odds ratio = 1.11) predicted drug usage. Risk factors dimensions Family, Friends and Individual Characteristic were positively related to impulsiveness among drug users. Moreover, although boys reported using drugs to a greater extent, girls expressed more positive attitude towards drugs and even reported more impulsiveness than boys.Conclusion. This study reinforces the notion that research ought to focus on gender differences relative to pro-drug attitudes along with testing for differences in the predictors of girls’ and boys’ delinquency and impulsiveness. Positive attitudes towards drugs among adolescents seem to be part of a vicious circle including risk factors, such as friendly drug environments (e.g., friends who use drugs) and unsupportive family environments, individual characteristics, and impulsiveness.
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| 295. |
- Mousavi, Fariba, et al.
(författare)
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The Dark Side (Machiavellianism, Narcissism, and Psychopathy) of The Affective Profiles
- 2015
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Ingår i: 27th Association for Psychological Science Annual Convention. New York, New York, USA.
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Konferensbidrag (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- We studied differences in Dark Triad traits among affective profiles. The high positive affect/high negative affect profile scored higher in Machiavellianism, Narcissism, and Psychopathy. Also those with a low positive affect/ high negative affect profile scored higher in Dark Triad traits.
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| 296. |
- Nilsson, Thomas, 1954, et al.
(författare)
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Temperament and Character in Childhood-Onset Neurodevelopmental Disorders (Autism Spectrum Disorders and ADHD)
- 2019
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Ingår i: Personality and Brain Disorders: Associations and Interventions. - Cham, Switzerland : Springer. - 9783319900650 ; , s. 101-142
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Bokkapitel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Neurodevelopmental disorders, such as Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) and Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), express aberrant neurocognitive functions in social communication, flexibility, and executive control from an early age, not seldom casting extensive consequences long into adulthood. They exist along a continuum from severe disorders to broader phenotypes or “shadow syndromes”. In recent years, several studies have assessed the relation between these conditions and associated personality traits in terms of Cloningers’ temperament and character model in both children and adults. The aim has been to clarify to what extent neurodevelopmental challenges are associated with adult personality and elucidate the link between symptom severity and specific personality traits. Findings give support for specific temperaments (previously known as constitutions) with high Novelty Seeking in ADHD and low Reward Dependence with high Harm Avoidance in ASD , while low scores on the character dimensions of Self-Directedness and Cooperativeness is a shared feature of both disorders (and more so the more severe the disorder is). This replicates previous findings of the same character deficits across adult mental disorders, forming a common ground for mental health problems. This pattern is proposed to be a window of opportunity for treatment interventions aiming at enhancing agency, communion, resilience and well-being.
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| 297. |
- Nima, Ali Al, et al.
(författare)
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Adolescents’ happiness-increasing Strategies, Temperament, and Character: Mediation models on Subjective Well-Being
- 2012
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Ingår i: Health. - : Scientific Research Publishing, Inc.. - 1949-4998 .- 1949-5005. ; 4:10, s. 802-810
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In order to predict Subjective Well-Being (SWB) or happiness two of the major determinants may be 1) A genetic set point (which reflects person- ality) and 2) Current intentional activities (be- havioral, cognitive, and motivational). In this con- text, personality can be considered as psycho- biological—composed of temperament (i.e., what grabs our attention and how intensely we react) and character (i.e., a reflection of personal goals and values). The present study examined how adolescents’ personality and intentional happi- ness-increasing strategies, measured at one point in time, are related to SWB measured one year later. Results show that temperament (Harm Avoidance) and character dimensions (Self- directedness) predicted SWB. Moreover, strate- gies such as active leisure (e.g., engaging in sports) and instrumental goal pursuit (e.g., study) also predicted SWB at the end of the school year. The strategy of Mental Control (i.e., an ambivalent effort to both avoid and contem- plate negative thoughts and feelings), which was related to Harm Avoidance and Self-Directed- ness, mediated the relationship between these two personality dimensions and SWB.
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| 298. |
- Nima, Ali Al, et al.
(författare)
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Anxiety, Affect, Self-Esteem, and Stress: Mediation and Moderation Effects on Depression
- 2013
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Ingår i: PLoS ONE. - : Public Library of Science (PLoS). - 1932-6203. ; 8:9
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Mediation analysis investigates whether a variable (i.e., mediator) changes in regard to an independent variable, in turn, affecting a dependent variable. Moderation analysis, on the other hand, investigates whether the statistical interaction between independent variables predict a dependent variable. Although this difference between these two types of analysis is explicit in current literature, there is still confusion with regard to the mediating and moderating effects of different variables on depression. The purpose of this study was to assess the mediating and moderating effects of anxiety, stress, positive affect, and negative affect on depression. Methods: Two hundred and two university students (males =93, females =113) completed questionnaires assessing anxiety, stress, self-esteem, positive and negative affect, and depression. Mediation and moderation analyses were conducted using techniques based on standard multiple regression and hierarchical regression analyses. Main Findings: The results indicated that (i) anxiety partially mediated the effects of both stress and self-esteem upon depression, (ii) that stress partially mediated the effects of anxiety and positive affect upon depression, (iii) that stress completely mediated the effects of self-esteem on depression, and (iv) that there was a significant interaction between stress and negative affect, and between positive affect and negative affect upon depression. Conclusion: The study highlights different research questions that can be investigated depending on whether researchers decide to use the same variables as mediators and/or moderators.
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| 299. |
- Nima, Ali Al, et al.
(författare)
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Factor Structure of the Happiness-Increasing Strategies Scales (H-ISS)
- 2015
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Ingår i: 27th Association for Psychological Science Annual Convention. New York, New York, USA.
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Konferensbidrag (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- We investigated the factor structure of the happiness-increasing strategies scales (H-ISS) and their relationship to positive and negative affect. After small modifications we obtained a good model containing the original eight scales. The H-ISS explained significantly the variance of positive affect and the variance of negative affect.
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| 300. |
- Nima, Ali Al, et al.
(författare)
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Factor Structure of the Happiness-Increasing Strategies Scales (H-ISS): Activities and Coping Strategies in Relation to Positive and Negative Affect
- 2015
-
Ingår i: PeerJ. - : PeerJ. - 2167-8359. ; 3
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background. Previous research (Tkach & Lyubomirsky, 2006) shows that there are eight general happiness-increasing strategies: social affiliation, partying, mental control, goal pursuit, passive leisure, active leisure, religion, and direct attempts. The present study investigates the factor structure of the happiness-increasing strategies scales (H-ISS) and their relationship to positive and negative affect. Method. The present study used participants’ (N = 1,050 and age mean = 34.21 sd = 12.73) responses to the H-ISS in structural equation modeling analyses. Affect was measured using the Positive Affect Negative Affect Schedule. Results. After small modifications we obtained a good model that contains the original eight factors/scales. Moreover, we found that women tend to use social affiliation, mental control, passive leisure, religion, and direct attempts more than men, while men preferred to engage in partying and clubbing more than women. The H-ISS explained significantly the variance of positive affect (R2 = .41) and the variance of negative affect (R2 = .27). Conclusions. Our study is an addition to previous research showing that the factor structure of the happiness-increasing strategies is valid and reliable. However, due to the model fitting issues that arise in the present study, we give some suggestions for improving the instrument.
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