Browsing by Subject "Optimism"
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Item An Examination of the Relationship Between Death Anxiety, Optimism, Depression, and Anxiety(2011-08) Brown, Ashlee G.; Harter, Stephanie; Richards, Steven; Austin, Kathy; Cukrowicz, Kelly C.Although the topics of death anxiety and optimism have been studied extensively in the literature, there is a limited amount of research addressing both of these concepts together. Furthermore, there has not yet been an attempt to formulate a model to explain the relationship between these two variables. Death anxiety and optimism have also been shown to relate differentially to other measures of well-being, such as indices of psychopathology (e.g., Ayub, 2009; Fotiadou, Barlow, Powell, & Langton, 2008; Gilliland & Templer, 1985-1986; Kurdek & Siesky, 1990; Moreno, De La Fuente Solana, Rico, & Fernandez, 2008-2009; Neimeyer & Fortner, 1995; Peleg, Barak, Harel, Rochberg, & Hoofien, 2009; Pollak, 1979). When conceptualized through Kelly‘s Personal Construct Theory (1955), depression and anxiety are emotions signaling transition within constructs, the presence of which may affect the relationship between optimism and death anxiety. This study examined whether depression and anxiety were mediators in the relationship between death anxiety and optimism through the use of Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). This study demonstrates that depression/anxiety mediate the relationship between optimism and death anxiety, and that the fully mediated model is the preferred model.Item Cognitive, affective, and behavioral correlates of relationship satisfaction and commitment: a test of the investment model(Texas Tech University, 2001-05) Dowd, Duane AlanThis study examined the relationships between individual characteristics and components of the Investment Model. More-specifically, associations between cognitive (attributions and distressed partner thinking), affective (empathy and optimism), and behavioral (positive and negative socioemotional behaviors) factors and Investment Model components (rewards, costs, comparison level, alternatives, investments, and barriers) were tested. This study also examined whether the relationship between individual characteristics and marital quality (satisfaction and commitment) was mediated by the Investment Model components. A community sample of 226 married individuals completed questionnaires which assessed these individual characteristics, the Investment Model components and relationship quality. Factor analysis on the Investment Model components revealed a three factor solution that represented relationship benefits, detriments and hindrances. Benefits were negatively related to attributions, and positively related to optimism (for women) and positive behaviors (for men). Detriments r were positively related to attributions and to distressed partner thinking (for women), and negatively related to empathic concern (for women) and to positive behaviors (for men). Hindrances were positively related to empathic concern and to negative behaviors (for women). Regression analysis indicated that the relationship between (a) attributions and quality was fully mediated for men and women and (b) empathic concern and quality was partially mediated for men by the Investment Model factors. This research provided overall support for the mediational role of the Investment Model components, and suggested future directions for relationship research.Item Exploring the Role of Positive Psychology Constructs as Protective Factors Against the Impact of Negative Environmental Variables on the Subjective Well-being of Older Adults(2011-08-08) Pezent, Ginger DianeThe present study explored how older adults adapt to the negative changes that often occur as people age. This study sought to provide a comprehensive investigation of how the positive psychology variables of hope, optimism, resilience, and self-efficacy might work together to serve as protective factors against the potentially deleterious impact of negative environmental variables on the subjective well-being of older adults. The negative environmental variables examined in this study included declining health status, lower social support, and negative life events (e.g., loss of spouse, reduced income, etc.). In this study, the subjective well-being in older adults is defined as an overall sense of satisfaction with life, high positive affect, and low negative affect. This study examined three primary hypothesized models, each investigating how positive internal dispositional factors (as measured by taking the composite of hope, optimism, resilience, and self-efficacy), work together to mediate the relationship between the components of subjective well-being and a different environmental variable for each model. Several alternative path analyses models were also run based on modifications to the model that achieved good fit, with the goal of evaluating whether the individual positive psychology constructs either fully or partially mediated between certain environmental variables and each of the components of subjective well-being. Although no adequate fits were attained for the models evaluating social support and negative life events, results of this study showed an adequate fit for the model evaluating the positive psychology cluster as a mediator between health status and the subjective well-being components; more specifically, the positive psychology cluster was shown to mediate the relationship between perceived health and two of the three components of subjective well-being (life satisfaction and positive affect). In addition, correlation analyses revealed that the positive psychology variables were all significantly correlated with each other, as well as with the participant reports of life satisfaction, positive affect, and perceived health. These findings suggest that participants who reported higher levels of the positive psychology constructs experienced higher satisfaction with life and positive affect, and perceived themselves as having a lower occurrence of health problems. Overall, these results provide additional evidence for the protective role that hope, optimism, resilience, and self-efficacy may play in maintaining the well-being of older adults.Item Individual and family protective factors for depression in pre- and early adolescent girls(2013-08) Moody, Nicole Lynn; Stark, Kevin Douglas; Sander, Janay BoswellResearch has documented the age of first onset of depression is commonly in adolescence and young adulthood and that prepubertal onsets are occurring at an increasing rate. Thus, targeting interventions prior to this period of increased risk would maximize the opportunity to reduce the incidence of depression. To date, however, the limited research that has been done on protective factors has lacked some consensus and generalizability. This study focused on investigating potential individual and family protective factors and their roles in the development of depressive symptoms in early adolescent girls. More specifically, optimism was investigated as a possible mediator of the relationship between attributional style and depression. Furthermore, attributional style and family environment were hypothesized to moderate the effect of stress on depressive symptomatology. The participants of this study were 120 girls that were part of a school based cognitive behavioral group treatment study for girls with depression aged 9-14. Based on the ratings of symptoms by the girls and their caregivers, on a semi-structured diagnostic interview, two groups were identified: 1) girls that met the diagnostic criteria for a depressive disorder (n= 81), and 2) those that did not (control group; n= 39). Both samples also completed self-report measures of attributional style and family environment (i.e., cohesion, communication, and sociability), in addition to a projective measure which was coded for dispositional optimism. The results of this study suggested higher levels of optimism and more positive attributional styles independently predicted lower levels of depressive symptom severity; however, optimism did not impact the relationship between attributional style and depression. The results also demonstrated that girls who reported their families engage in more social/recreational activities had lower levels of depressive symptoms. Finally, increased life stress was not associated with increased levels of depression. The study's limitations, implications of the results, and recommendations for future research were discussed.Item Optimism and its effect on romantic relationships(Texas Tech University, 1997-12) Dicke, Amy KristineTwo studies examined the role of an optimistic or pessimistic outlook on life in romantic relationships. Study I proposed that two optimistic partners will have a more satisfying relationship than either an optimist and a pessimist, or two pessimists. In addition, it was hypothesized that the two optimists would predict that they will be together longer and be more successful at conflict resolution than would the other two partner combinations. It was also hypothesized that two pessimists would be the least successful at conflict resolution and that they would predict that they will be together for the least amount of time, as compared to two optimists or to an optimist and a pessimist. Also, an optimist and a pessimist will be more successful at conflict resolution when the optimist is a female and the pessimist is a male. The results generally found that optimist-optimist couples exhibited the highest satisfaction, and solved conflicts using integrating and obliging conflict strategies. The optimist-pessimist couples were less satisfied than the optimist-optimist couples, but more satisfied than the pessimist-pessimist couples. The pessimistpessimist couples were thus the least satisfied. They solved conflicts by using dominating conflict tactics, results offering only partial support for the hypotheses. Optimists, as individuals, perceived that they would be together longer than pessimists. The second study attempted to determine whether optimists and pessimists prefer to be in romantic relationships with people sharing their same optimistic or pessimistic outlook on life, or if they would rather be with an optimist, since that quality is socially desirable. Results suggested that people tended to prefer the optimist, regardless of their own optimism level, lending support for one of the research questions. Pessimists did rate the pessimistic stimulus person more favorably than did optimists. People tended to prefer similar others as friends, lending support to the literature on friendship in social psychology, but optimists were preferred to pessimists in general as romantic partners.Item A strength based approach examining resiliency in college students from single-parent family structures(2013-12) Linton, Brittany Anne; Sherry, Alissa RenéAccording to recent data, approximately eighteen percent of children under age 18 live in single-parent households. The majority of research has focused on negative outcomes associated with one-parent households in comparison with their two-parent counterparts, including poor academic performance and increased delinquency rates in children. The current literature neglects to evaluate potentially advantageous factors resultant of being raised in a single-parent home. The proposed study utilizes an exploratory positive psychology approach to investigate levels of resiliency and adaptive skill sets present in college students raised in single-parent households in comparison to degree of cumulative risk encountered. Analyses of these variables will be completed through ordinary least squares multiple regression. Furthermore, parenting style will be examined as a potential moderator of resiliency. Finally, this study proposes the adoption of a new paradigm in ongoing investigation of this unique population.Item The Effects of Automatic Emotion Regulation on the Desirability Bias(2011-08-08) Bench, Shane WilliamThe goal of the present investigation was to explore the effects of automatic emotion regulation on the desirability bias. The desirability bias is the tendency to believe that one will experience desirable outcomes and not experience undesirable outcomes. Previous research has demonstrated that the desirability bias is due to affective reactions to potential events. Further, deliberate emotion regulation has been shown to reduce the desirability bias. The present investigation explored whether the desirability bias can be reduced by priming a nonconscious goal to regulate emotion before experience of affective reactions to an event. Participants were primed to either express or regulate their emotions before playing a game of chance where cards could result in positive, negative or neutral outcomes. Results showed that the method of priming emotion regulation or expression did not effectively elicit nonconscious goals. Because the manipulation was not effective, the effect of automatic emotion regulation on the desirability bias could not be examined and there was no effect of the prime on bias. Despite the failed manipulation, the findings are still beneficial to the desirability bias literature in that they demonstrate a clear desirability bias in participants' predictions with the use of a within-subjects design. A follow up study using a stronger prime of regulation to test the influence of automatic emotion regulation in reducing the desirability bias is discussed.