The Role of Passion in Psychological and Cardiovascular Responses: Extending the Field of Passion and Positive Psychology in New Directions

The present study fills a void in research on passion by examining for the first time the role of passion in physiological responses. The aim of the study was to investigate the role of passion, and the mediating role of cognitive appraisals, in the psychological and physiological responses to a stressful situation related to one’s passion. Students (43 women, 12 men, M age = 27.21 years), who were passionate for their studies, completed the Passion Scale for their studies and the Cognitive Appraisal Scale (assessing perceptions of challenge/threat). Then, they engaged in an education task under stressful conditions, and a subsequent unrelated leisure task under no-stress. Physiological reactivity was measured throughout the entire session and their perceptions of situational vitality and positive and negative emotions were assessed directly after the education task. Results showed that harmonious passion (HP) positively predicted challenge appraisals that, in turn, were positively related to positive emotions, vitality, and positive cardiovascular adaptation while engaging in the stressful education task, but less so with the leisure task (unrelated to one’s passion for academia). On the other hand, obsessive passion (OP) positively predicted threat appraisals. In turn, threat appraisals were positively related to negative emotions, negatively associated with vitality, and not related to cardiovascular reactivity. The present findings suggest that HP creates the onset of an adaptive psychological and physiological response whereas the response is less adaptive with OP.

Measuring Fear of Failure

Fear of failure (FF) is a multidimensional construct encompassing anticipated negative consequences deriving from potential failures in evaluative achievement contexts, such as education or sports. The Performance Failure Appraisal Inventory (PFAI; Conroy et al., 2002 ) assesses five threat appraisals associated with FF and has been validated in various cultures, languages, and contexts. To date, there is no instrument measuring FF in an academic context in German. Thus, this study examined the psychometric properties of a German version of the PFAI in a sample of N = 326 university students. Confirmatory factor analyses supported a correlated five-factor structure that has already been established in previous validation studies as well as a bifactor structure. All dimensions demonstrated satisfactory internal consistencies and construct validity. Within the scope of this study, the German version of the PFAI was found to be a psychometrically sound measure to assess FF in an academic context amongst university students.

The paradoxical consequences of leader feedback seeking for subordinates: a theoretical framework

Purpose Scholars in the feedback seeking domain have predominantly focused on subordinate feedback seeking. The authors still know very little about feedback seeking when the leader is the “seeker” and subordinates are the “targets” of such seeking. This paper aims to develop a theoretical framework that explores the potential benefits and costs of leader feedback seeking, specifically, leader feedback inquiry for subordinates. Design/methodology/approach The authors draw upon the transactional theory of stress to propose a framework in which leader feedback inquiry influences two subordinate behaviors (in-role and proactive skill development behaviors) via appraisal processes (challenge and threat appraisals). With insights from regulatory focus theory, the authors propose that individual characteristics, namely, the regulatory focus of subordinates (promotion and prevention focus), determine the appraisals of leader feedback inquiry, subsequently influencing subordinate behavioral outcomes. Findings The authors contend that leader feedback inquiry can be appraised as a challenge which then produces beneficial subordinate behaviors (i.e. higher in-role and proactive skill development behaviors). However, leader feedback inquiry can also be appraised as a threat which then elicits detrimental subordinate behaviors (i.e. lower in-role and proactive skill development behaviors). The authors then argue that subordinates with a high promotion focus appraise leader feedback inquiry as challenging, thereby enabling beneficial behaviors. Subordinates with a high prevention focus, by contrast, appraise leader feedback inquiry as threatening, thereby prompting detrimental behaviors. Originality/value The authors shed light on the benefits and costs of leader feedback seeking for subordinates. The resulting framework underlines the importance of including individual characteristics and cognitive appraisal processes in research investigating the effects of leader feedback inquiry on subordinate outcomes.

You read my mind: fMRI markers of threatening appraisals in people with persistent psychotic experiences

Anomalous perceptual experiences are relatively common in the general population. Evidence indicates that the key to distinguishing individuals with persistent psychotic experiences (PEs) with a need for care from those without is how they appraise their anomalous experiences. Here, we aimed to characterise the neural circuits underlying threatening and non-threatening appraisals in people with and without a need for care for PEs, respectively. A total of 48 participants, consisting of patients with psychosis spectrum disorder (clinical group, n = 16), non-need-for-care participants with PEs (non-clinical group, n = 16), and no-PE healthy control participants (n = 16), underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging while completing the Telepath task, designed to induce an anomalous perceptual experience. Appraisals of the anomalous perceptual experiences were examined, as well as functional brain responses during this window, for significant group differences. We also examined whether activation co-varied with the subjective threat appraisals reported in-task by participants. The clinical group reported elevated subjective threat appraisals compared to both the non-clinical and no-PE control groups, with no differences between the two non-clinical groups. This pattern of results was accompanied by reduced activation in the superior and inferior frontal gyri in the clinical group as compared to the non-clinical and control groups. Precuneus activation scaled with threat appraisals reported in-task. Resilience in the context of persistent anomalous experiences may be explained by intact functioning of fronto-parietal regions, and may correspond to the ability to contextualise and flexibly evaluate psychotic experiences.

The Impact of COVID-19 on the Majority Population, Ethno-Racial Minorities, and Immigrants

The COVID-19 pandemic constitutes an unprecedented threat for individuals and societies, revealing stark inequalities in preparedness, exposure, and consequences. The present systematic literature review complements extant knowledge on disasters and pandemic diseases with programmatic research on the COVID-19 pandemic. Building upon an integrative definition of threat, we merge intra-personal threat regulation with group dynamics and inter-group relations. Via streamlined methods of knowledge synthesis, we first map out a broad taxonomy of threats, as appraised by the majority population and ethno-racial and immigrant minorities. Second, we delve into research linking threat appraisals with either conflict or prosociality within and across group boundaries. To conclude, we propose some guidelines for researchers to involve ethno-racial and immigrant minorities actively and for societies to cope cohesively with the impact of COVID-19.

Opportunity or Risk? Appraisal and Affect Mediate the Effect of Task Framing on Working Memory Performance in University Students

Working memory (WM) is crucial for reasoning, learning, decision-making and academic achievement. In diverse contexts, how a task is framed pertaining to its demands and consequences can influence participants' task performance by modifying their cognitive appraisals. However, less is known about the effect of task framing on WM performance and the mechanisms. This study examined whether opportunity- and risk-focused task framing would influence university students' WM performance by altering their cognitive appraisals and affective experiences. Ninety-seven university students were randomly assigned to one of the three framing conditions (Opportunity, Risk, vs. Null), and received instructions that differed in consequences (gain for top performers, loss for poor performers, vs. null), goals (approach, avoidance, vs. neutral), and feedback on personal competence (adequate, inadequate, vs. null). Challenge and threat appraisals, affect, and WM performance were measured before and after task framing. Results showed that opportunity-focused task framing improved students' WM performance, whilst risk-focused task framing increased threat appraisal and decreased positive affect, and that challenge appraisal was not altered in any condition. Female students were influenced by task framing to a greater extent than were male students. Mediation analysis revealed that the alteration of threat appraisal and the change in positive affect mediated the effect of task framing on WM performance. Findings highlight the important role of modifying cognitive appraisals and affective responses in optimizing cognitive performance.

Predictors of Willingness to Receive the COVID-19 Vaccine after Emergency Use Authorization: The Role of Coping Appraisal

The current study aims to identify psychosocial factors based on protection motivation theory (PMT) influencing Chinese adults’ willingness to receive the COVID-19 vaccine after the emergency use authorization of the New Coronavirus Inactivated Vaccine in China. A cross-sectional online survey was conducted among Chinese residents aged 18–59 years, and 2528 respondents from 31 provinces and autonomous regions were included in the current study. Based on PMT, threat appraisals and coping appraisals were measured. Hierarchical multiple regressions and multivariate logistic regressions were used to identify the relationships between the PMT constructs and vaccination willingness after other covariates were controlled for. A total of 1411 (55.8%) respondents reported being willing to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. The PMT model explained 26.6% (p < 0.001) of the variance in the vaccine willingness. The coping appraisals, including response efficacy, self-efficacy, and response costs, were significantly correlated with the willingness to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, and response efficacy was the strongest influencing factor (adjusted OR = 2.93, 95% CI: 2.42–3.54). In conclusion, the coping appraisals for vaccination, instead of threat appraisals regarding the pandemic itself, mainly influenced people’s willingness to get vaccinated after the emergency use authorization of the COVID-19 vaccine in China. These findings are helpful for developing education and interventions to promote vaccination willingness and enhance public health outcomes during a pandemic.

What Matters? Exploring Drivers of Basic and Complex Adjustments to Tornadoes Among College Students

Scholars have produced several theories and models to explain why individuals adjust to hazards. While findings from these studies are informative, studies have not considered how threat and coping appraisals may have differential effects on varying types of hazard adjustments, or how these findings may generalize to vulnerable populations. This study expands on the Protection Motivation Theory to explore the factors that shape hazard adjustment intentions among college students, a population traditionally defined as vulnerable, in response to tornado risk. An online survey was administered to college students (n=377) at Oklahoma State University, situated in a region that experiences considerable tornado risk. While the correlations between threat appraisal and tornado hazard adjustment intentions are smaller than the correlations between coping appraisal and tornado hazard adjustment intentions, findings suggest that threat appraisals become more important for influencing college students’ adjustment intentions when adjustment activities are complex (e.g., tornado shelter, home insurance), rather than basic (e.g., flashlight, first aid kid). This suggests that while both threat appraisals and coping appraisals are important for complex hazard adjustment intentions, basic hazard adjustment intentions are almost exclusively determined by coping appraisals. These findings have several practical implications for emergency management and provide new avenues for future hazard adjustment studies.

Perceived effectiveness of public health measures and positive attitudes during a pandemic: a large cross-sectional study in Shanghai, China

ObjectivesBuilding individuals’ positive attitudes during a pandemic is essential for facilitating psychological resilience. However, little is known about how public health measures may improve people’s positive attitudes during a pandemic. We investigated the potential mechanism underlying the association between individuals’ perceived effectiveness of public health measures and positive attitudes towards the success of pandemic control during the COVID-19 pandemic, by examining the parallel mediating effects of three types of threat appraisals: concerns about contracting the virus, perceived impact of the pandemic on life and estimated duration of the pandemic.Design, setting and participantsIn February 2020 when the COVID-19 infection was spreading rapidly in China, a large cross-sectional survey was conducted among 132 054 adults from the 16 districts in Shanghai, China.Outcome measuresPerceived effectiveness of the public health measures, positive attitudes towards the success of pandemic control and threat appraisals.ResultsResults of structural equation modelling supported the hypothesised mediation model: perceived effectiveness of public health measures was associated with lower levels of concerns about contracting the virus (β=−0.20), perceived impact of the pandemic (β=−0.13) and perceived duration of the pandemic (β=−0.20), which were then associated with higher levels of positive attitudes towards the success of pandemic control (βs=−0.12 to −0.25).ConclusionsThe findings suggest that threat appraisals may be important pathways through which individuals’ evaluations of prevention strategies may influence their attitudes towards the success of pandemic control. The health authorities should consider reducing people’s inappropriate threat appraisals when designing public health policies to facilitate people’s positive attitudes during a pandemic.