HP1100 Semester 1 AY15/16 Assignment 1
Ebenezer Chan Jia Jun HSS, Psychology Year 1
A more optimistic life orientation would result in higher resilience.
Introduction
The fundamentals of this empirical study is to test the hypothesis that optimistic life orientation would result in higher resilience, to see if it can be falsified to give confidence to the hypothesis and whether a causal inference can be drawn between the two variables.
One of the construct that the study is trying to measure is the optimism to life orientation. Optimistic and pessimistic life orientations can be defined as positive and negative perspectives that one would take in looking at life events, respectively. The other construct is the level of resilience defined by the extent to which one would persist in the face of failure.
The independent variable (IV) which is the variable we are manipulating, is the optimism towards life orientation. The dependent variable (DV) that we are trying to measure is the level of resilience.
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The variables are operationalized by firstly, randomly assigning participants to two conditions - optimistic and pessimistic, creating a between-subject design.
The next step involves manipulating participants' optimism towards life orientation by answering a set of 20 true-or-false questions. One group's questions referred to a hopeful, positive event in life and the other referred to a potentially regretful life event in the past. Next, the participants are required to complete a survey from Adolescent Resilience Scale (Oshio et al.,2003) which measures their resilience as a personality trait. Lastly, participants are tasked to complete an almost-impossible task of making two 10-cent coins stand on the table with their edges touching each other's. The number of tries and amount of time taken are recorded before the participant gives up. This measures their situation-induced
resilience. Instruments Adolescent Resilience Scale. The ordinal scale is used to measure the psychological features of resilient individuals as a personality trait. Number of tries taken before completion or giving up of an almost-impossible task. This task is used to measure the situation-induced behaviour of resilience. Evaluation Part 1 in the manipulation of participant's life orientation Strengths They are randomly assigned as a control of possible confounds as it balances systematic differences between the groups. The problem of order and sequence effect can also be eliminated. This is essential for causal inference and ensures group equivalence. By subjecting them to true-or-false questions, the participants are forced to take a stand instead of being neutral. The participants will think of possible happy or regretful events to justify their answer thus successfully manipulating optimism and pessimism. Furthermore, the result will be easy to use for statistical analyses as it gives scoring efficiency and accuracy. Weaknesses The weakness of this survey is that there are hidden assumptions. The manipulation is most effective when we assume that the participants in the optimistic condition have something hopeful to look forward to and those in the pessimistic condition have potentially regretful life events in the past. For example, if an individual do not have any potentially regretful life event in the pessimistic condition, then he would tend to have an optimistic view on life orientation. Even though the participant is optimistic, he is still considered under the pessimistic group hence making the manipulation inaccurate. Additionally, there might be the effect of social desirability present in both conditions. For example, in the pessimistic condition, there is a question "I have done something with the intention to benefit myself from others' suffering". Participants might answer this question in a way to appear likeable thus rendering the result inaccurate.
Echterling, Presbury and McKee (2005) define crisis as a turning point in one’s life that is brief, but a crucial time in which, there is opportunity for dramatic growth and positive changes, as well as the danger of violence and devastation. They further state that whatever the outcome, people do not emerge from a crisis unchanged; if there is a negative resolution, the crisis can leave alienation, bitterness, devastated relationships and even death in its wake; on the other hand, if the crisis is resolved successfully a survivor can develop a deeper appreciation for life, a stronger sense of resolve, a mature perspective, greater feelings of competence, and richer relationships.
In the field of Psychology, more specifically health-behavioral research, there has been resounding interest in the structure and measurement of, what the psychological community refers to as, affect. Affect refers to how we, as humans, “experience emotion” and can be broken down into two dominant affective state dimensions, positive and negative affect (Hogg, Abrams, & Martin, 2010)(Watson, Clark, & Tellegen, 1988). According to Watson, Clark, & Tellegen (1988), positive affect (PA) refers to how enthusiastic and active a person is and negative affect (NA) refers to a general dimension of distress and displeasure. Tellegen (1985) claims that not only do these terms refer to affective state, but also affective trait dimensions, indicating that, “Trait PA and NA roughly correspond to the personality factors of extraversion and neuroticism,” respectively. While many PA and NA scales have been developed, however, these scales were unable to develop items for PA and NA that were statistically independent of each other. In an attempt to operationalize the orthogonal dimensions of positive and negative affect, Watson, Clark & and Tellegen (1988) developed The Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (i.e. PANAS). In the following review, I will evaluate and critique the PANAS, as a measure of trait affect, focusing on the reliability and validity of scores, test content, and the manner in which it is used.
When one has a positive outlook in difficult circumstances, it is the most important predictor of resilience; how quickly people recover from adversity. People who are resilient tend to be more optimistic and positive compared to less-resilient people. Resilient people are capable of preserving their optimism and controlling their emotions through some of the most difficult circumstances ("The Benefits of Optimism"). The dean of Mount Sinai School of Medicine Dr. Dennis Charney found resilience in 750 Vietnam War veterans. He examined these war veterans who were held as prisoners of war for six to eight years. These 750 men were remarkably resilient throughout these tortured years. Unlike many of their fellow veterans, they did not develop depression or PTSD after they were released. Even though they experienced enormous stress, they kept a positive attitude. It was found that their secret was ten characteristics that distinguished them from the other men; and the top one was optimism ("The Benefits of Optimism"). These men endured painful conditions and could have ended up with a l...
Taking the following questionnaire: Satisfaction with Life Scale, Approaches to Happiness Scale, and Authentic Happiness Inventory, helped me evaluate my life. Many times due to circumstance we forget in what positon our life is standing at the moment. We forget how much we have accomplished in the past and how much we have invested to make our future a good one. For the Satisfaction with life scale, I score a 33(love their life and feel that everything is going very well). People may might say well she is living a perfect life, but to be honest is not that is being perfect, is that one day years ago I made a decision of not letting anything take away what I have worked hard for. According to Earl & Carol Diener, because positive moods energize approach tendencies, it desirable that people on average be in a positive mood (1996). If I make a mistake, which is possible because am human, what I do is learn from it. It’s like what the Apostol from the church I go to says” you control life, not life controlling you.”
Personality predispositions can determine levels of extraversion, which determine the levels to which one seeks social support, thus determining positive affect. Similarly, personality predispositions can determine levels of neuroticism that may influence one’s style of coping in the face of both positive and negative external factors which can determine negative affect (Diener, 1996). Happiness, a core aspect of positive subjective wellbeing, involves maintaining a superior level of positive affect in comparison to negative effect, based on specific positive or negative emotions linked to the recent experiences in one’s life (Emmons & Diener, 1985). Positive emotions such as joy and pride must trump negative emotions such as frustration and sadness in the recent past or present in order for an individual to feel happy. Life satisfaction builds on this and is a cognitive valuation of the quality of an individual’s experiences as a sum throughout their entire life (Emmons & Diener, 1985). Individual personality traits have been found to influence the different patterns and levels of life satisfaction, positive and negative affects and simply general, overall happiness (McCrae, 1983).
Richardson, G. E. (2002). The Metatheory of Resilience and Resiliency. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 58(3), 307-321. doi:10.1002/jclp.10020
Firstly, people who show an optimism bias feel more happy and satisfied with their life. These people are also more in control of and engaged in their life’s goal, they will not just think about happy thoughts and wait for life to pass, instead they will be engaged in a meaningful life and do whatever it takes to accomplish their goals. They are also less likely to give up on a difficult situation and will cope with it. These are people who will not wait for the rain to pass but who learn to dance in the rain in order to fulfil their life’s goal. Unrealistic optimism shows an increased well-being and happiness. With this increased well-being, unrealistically optimistic people are also more able to pick themselves up after a major life
It has become widely accepted that optimism serves as a predictor of positive health outcomes (Rasmussen, H., Scheier, M., & Greenhouse, J., 2009). One particular study assessed the role of optimism and pessimism in children and adolescents. This study revealed the importance of developing optimism in children as it serves as a protective factor, not just in daily life hassles, but in medical complications as well. Furthermore, having an optimistic outlook on the future serves as a predictor of better medication and medical treatment adherence in children and adolescence with chronic illnesses. The development of an optimistic mindset development in childhood is particularly important in that it also serves to promote adult well-being (Ey et al., 2004). An additional study assessed the roles of optimism and pessimism on mental health and physical health. The findings from this study emphasize the importance of optimism on mental and physical well-being, which is particularly important for understanding the role of optimism in chronic illnesses, such as HIV
Tugade, M., Fredrickson, B., & Barrett, L. F. (2004). Psychological resilience and positive emotional granularity: examining the benefits of positive emotions on coping and health. Journal of Personality, 72(6). Retrieved from http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1467-6494.2004.00294.x/full
“You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something- your gut, destiny, life, home, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life” (Steve Jobs, 1955). Throughout all of my 25 years blessed on planet earth, my personality have somewhat been compared to that of a roller coaster, filled with many ups and downs, positives and negatives, rewards and punishments. As such, I have frequently embarked on numerous journeys in a dyer attempt to discover and recollect the shattered fragments left of me. With this being said, the term personality however, could be defined as “the patterns of behavior and ways of thinking and feeling that are distinctive for each individual” (Tischler, 2007). At the completion of this paper, I intend to achieve answers to some pertinent questions for instance how has the development of personality affected or impacted on human nature. I also hope to discover the various transitions of my personality starting from infancy to present and the reason or motives behind such changes. Finally, I would like to be able to gain an in-depth understanding of a variety of Personality Theories especially the Psychoanalytical Theory of
than just "doing," then you can have the joy of not only being in the
B. Cade Massey once said, “It 's gotten to the point where people really feel pressure to think and talk in an optimistic way” (Massey). Optimism is generally seen as healthy, while pessimism is generally seen as dangerous. The difference between optimism and pessimism is a difference in perspective and mindset. An optimist has a positive perspective and cheerful mindset, while a pessimist has a negative perspective and a gloomy mindset. There are consequences to both perspectives. But which has better consequences for one’s health? Assuming that it is moderated, pessimism is healthy for a person’s well-being. Pessimism is more realistic than optimism because it prepares people for an unpredictable and possibly negative life. Pessimism is also better for expectations compared to future surprises. Pessimists are either proven right or pleasantly surprised. Pessimism is a healthier mindset to have than optimism.
However, few studies focus solely on the plasticity of personality in the elderly, as they too are confronted by various life changes (Maiden, Peterson, & Caya, 1999). A longitudinal study conducted by Maiden, Peterson, & Caya (1999), is significant in measuring personality change among the elderly through a sample of elderly women, averaging eighty years old. Maiden, Peterson, & Caya (1999) hypothesized that personality change takes place predominantly in times when the conditions of one’s existence change dramatically, anticipating moderate change. Participants were sampled multiple times, revealing that as negative life changes were made, personality followed suit. For example, Maiden, Peterson, & Caya (1999) found that participants felt they were less extroverted when suffering poorer health. Likewise, participants indicated that nervousness and irritability intensified, also owing mainly to undesirable life changes. The conclusions drawn by Maiden, Peterson, & Caya (1999) allow the confirmation of their hypothesis. Therefore, the plasticity of an individual’s personality throughout their life, even in it’s final stages, is undeniably
Park, N., & Peterson, C. (2006); Methodological issues in positive psychology and the assessment of character strengths. In A.D. Ong & M. van Dulmen (Eds.), Oxford Handbook of Methods in Positive Psychology (pp.292-305). Oxford: Oxford University Press; available from [Book]. Retrieved on 28 February 2014
These phycologists have wondered if there are more optimist or pessimists in the world. They have made an attempt to find out what approach is greater or better. There are some advantages to optimism because it makes people feel better about life, however, there are also some advantages to pessimism in that looking at the unfortunate side of things can help some pessimists cope better with the world. Both optimism and pessimism have important roles to play the lives of everybody. Being optimist permits people to go after their goals in a positive way, to dream bigger and better dreams, which they can strive to work towards. Optimist also tend to respond better to positive feedback, and a part of being an optimist may be producing this feedback for themselves, example, thinking positive thoughts. While on the other hand, being pessimistic may help people to better acknowledge negative feedback and reduce their natural anxiety to perform better. Once again, part of the reason why pessimist generates negative thoughts is that it helps them perform a lot better. People tend to utilize both optimism and pessimism in order for them gain out of their advantages. People who are mainly concerned with growth or advancement often manifest an optimistic view, whereas those who are concerned with safety and security, or avoiding negative outcomes, focus more on pessimism in order to improve their