Not restricted by their personality: Balanced Time Perspective moderates well-established relationships between personality traits and well-being

2016 ◽  
Vol 101 ◽  
pp. 518-519 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Stolarski
2014 ◽  
Vol 17 ◽  
Author(s):  
Umit Akirmak

AbstractPrevious research has revealed a positive association between balanced time perspective (BTP) and subjective well-being (Boniwell & Zimbardo, 2004), however mechanisms underlying BTP are yet to be determined. The goal of the present study was to examine the contributions of personality and quality of interpersonal relationships in the development of BTP. Additionally, the correlations between these measures and time perspective dimensions were evaluated as an attempt to provide further psychometric properties of the Zimbardo Time Perspective Inventory (ZTPI) in a Turkish sample. 178 undergraduates filled out a survey that included the ZTPI and measures that assessed personality characteristics, and quality of parent, peer, and adult relationships. Results showed that deviation from BTP was positively associated with romantic anxiety (r = .41, p < .001), romantic avoidance (r = .33, p < .001), and neuroticism (r = .49, p < .001) but negatively associated with self-esteem (r = –.50, p < .001) and security of the mother (r = –.38, p < .001), father (r = –.37, p < .001) and peer (r = –.27, p < .001) attachment. When personality and attachment measures were employed in a regression analysis, father attachment, romantic anxiety, self-esteem, and neuroticism were found to be significant predictors of the deviation from BTP scores (adjusted R2 = .39, f2 = .75). Finally, the inter-correlations of the ZTPI dimensions and their correlations with the personality and attachment measures provided additional support for the validity and reliability of the Turkish version of the ZTPI. These findings imply that positive perceptions of self and of interpersonal relationships are crucial in the development of BTP.


2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Danilo Garcia ◽  
Uta Sailer ◽  
Ali Al Nima ◽  
Trevor Archer

Background: A “balanced” time perspective has been suggested to have a positive influence on well-being: a sentimental and positive view of the past (high Past Positive), a less pessimistic attitude toward the past (low Past Negative), the desire of experiencing pleasure with slight concern for future consequences (high Present Hedonistic), a less fatalistic and hopeless view of the future (low Present Fatalistic), and the ability to find reward in achieving specific long-term goals (high Future). We used the affective profiles model (i.e., combinations of individuals’ experience of high/low positive/negative affectivity) to investigate differences between individuals in time perspective dimensions and to investigate if the influence of time perspective dimensions on well-being was moderated by the individual’s type of profile. Method: Participants (N = 720) answered to the Positive Affect Negative Affect Schedule, the Zimbardo Time Perspective Inventory and two measures of well-being: the Temporal Satisfaction With Life Scale and the Scales of Psychological Well-Being-short version. A Multivariate Analysis of Variance (MANOVA) was conducted to identify differences in time perspective dimensions and well-being among affective profiles. Four Structural Equation Models (SEM) were used to investigate which time perspective dimensions predicted well-being for each profile. Results: Comparisons between individuals at the extreme of the affective profiles model suggested that individuals with a self-fulfilling profile (high positive/low negative affect) were characterized by a “balanced” time perspective and higher well-being compared to individuals with a self-destructive profile (low positive/high negative affect). However, a different pattern emerged when individuals who differed in one affect dimension but matched in the other were compared to each other. For instance, decreases in the past negative time perspective dimension lead to high positive affect when negative affect is high (i.e., self-destructive vs. high affective) but to low negative affect when positive affect was high (i.e., high affective vs. self-fulfilling). The moderation analyses showed, for example, that for individuals with a self-destructive profile, psychological well-being was significantly predicted by the past negative, present fatalistic and future time perspectives. Among individuals with a high affective or a self-fulfilling profile, psychological well-being was significantly predicted by the present fatalistic dimension. Conclusions: The interactions found here go beyond the postulation of a “balanced” time perspective being the only way of promoting well-being. Instead, it presents a more person-centered approach to achieve higher levels of emotional, cognitive, and psychological well-being.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luigi Micillo ◽  
Pier-Alexandre Rioux ◽  
Esteban Mendoza Durán ◽  
Sebastian kuebel ◽  
Nicola Cellini ◽  
...  

The COVID-19 outbreak and governmental measures to keep the population safe had a great impact on many aspects of society, including well-being. Using data from N=1281 participants from six countries (Argentina, France, Greece, Italy, Japan, and Turkey), we first explored differences in anxiety, depression (measured with Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale; HADS) and time perspectives (Zimbardo Time Perspective Inventory; ZTPI), between these countries during the first weeks of the pandemic. We observed that Turkish participants reported the highest levels of anxiety, and Japanese and Greek the lowest. For depression symptoms, the Japanese scored highest and Italians lowest. Next, for each country, we investigated how well the relatively time-stable personality traits of time perspectives, chronotype (reduced Morningness-Eveningness Questionnaire; rMEQ), and Big Five personality traits (short Big Five Inventory; BFI) predicted the levels of anxiety and depression (HADS). The regression analyses showed that negative attitudes towards the past predicted the levels of both anxiety and depression in most of the countries we analyzed. Additionally, in many countries, a Past Positive orientation negatively predicted depression whereas the Present Fatalistic subscale predicted anxiety and depression. The chronotype did not contribute additionally to the models. The Big Five traits (and particularly neuroticism) showed substantial incremental explanatory power for anxiety in some countries but did not consistently predict anxiety levels. For depression, the additional variance accounted for by including the BFI as predictors was rather small. Importantly, the ZTPI subscales were retained as significant predictors in the model still when the BFI and rMEQ were considered as potential predictors. Our results yield evidence that the ZTPI time perspectives are valuable predictors for anxiety and depression levels during the first period of the pandemic.


Author(s):  
Jeffrey Dean Webster ◽  
Xiaodong Ma

RÉSUMÉCet article présente une étude qui reproduit directement l’Échelle de perspective temporelle éqilibrée (EPTE), récemment développée, et comprenait des adultes d’âge moyen et plus âgés. Parmi les participants figuraient 90 jeunes, 69 d’âge moyen, et 69 adulte âgés qui ont complété le BPTS comme une mesure de la vie sur la base de la Perspective de temps equilibrée. Une analyse factorielle a répliqué les résultats initiaux avec sous-échelles distinctes pour l’orientation au passé et à l’avenir, avec l’obtention d’une structure simple (alpha = .94 e .95, respectivenment). Une perspective de temps equilibrée prédit des scores plus élevés sur les deux mesures du bien-être, reproduisant les constations originales de J. D. Webster (2011). Comme prévu, une analyse du chi-carré a indiqué que le pourcentage de jeunes adultes avaient tendance à se trouver dans l’orientation axée sur l’avenir, et que les adultes plus âgés avaient tendance à se trouver dans l’orientation axée sur le passé. Les implications d’une perspective temporelle équilibrée sur la santé mentale au cours de la vie sont discutées.


2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 384-401
Author(s):  
Nadezhda Pavlova ◽  
◽  
Elena Sergienko ◽  

The article deals with the subjective assessment peculiarities of psychological and physical health components as indicators of life quality in correlation with psychological well-being, time perspective and subjective age in the late ontogenesis stage (58–93 years). The analysis of general patterns was carried out by age groups: 58–64, 65–74 and 75–93 years old, as well as lifestyle: elderly non-working people who receive home-based social services and elderly non-working people which lead an active lifestyle. It is shown that subjective indicators of life quality are at a rather low level and they decrease with age. However, the level of overall psychological well-being and its components correspond to a high and medium interval. The prevailing time orientations are “Positive past” and “Future” (the nearest time perspective); a balanced time perspective was found in a third of respondents. In assessing subjective age, there is a positive illusion which consists of perceiving oneself as being younger than the chronological age. An active lifestyle contributes to maintaining higher assessments of life quality level, orientation towards the future and a positive illusion of assessing subjective age. It is observed that people living with relatives or a caregiver, in comparison with those living alone, have a higher level of life quality and higher scores on the “Positive relationships with others” indicator of “Psychological well-being scale”. The period of 64–75 years is characterized by higher indicators of life quality, psychological well-being and the predominance of a balanced time perspective. Among the studied factors, psychological well-being is most closely correlated with the self-assessment of health (physical and psychological components). The time perspective is more correlated with the psychological component of health, while the subjective age is associated with the physical component. At the same time, there is a group specificity in the number and nature of correlations, depending on age and lifestyle, which indicates the role of subjective and objective factors in psychological well-being.


PeerJ ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
pp. e3801 ◽  
Author(s):  
Danilo Garcia ◽  
Alexandre Granjard ◽  
Suzanna Lundblad ◽  
Trevor Archer

Background Despite reporting low levels of well-being, anorexia nervosa patients express temperament traits (e.g., extraversion and persistence) necessary for high levels of life satisfaction. Nevertheless, among individuals without eating disorders, a balanced organization of the flow of time, influences life satisfaction beyond temperamental dispositions. A balanced time perspective is defined as: high past positive, low past negative, high present hedonistic, low present fatalistic, and high future. We investigated differences in time perspective dimensions, personality traits, and life satisfaction between anorexia nervosa patients and matched controls. We also investigated if the personality traits and the outlook on time associated to positive levels of life satisfaction among controls also predicted anorexia patients’ life satisfaction. Additionally, we investigated if time perspective dimensions predicted life satisfaction beyond personality traits among both patients and controls. Method A total of 88 anorexia nervosa patients from a clinic in the West of Sweden and 111 gender-age matched controls from a university in the West of Sweden participated in the Study. All participants responded to the Zimbardo Time Perspective Inventory, the Ten Item Personality Inventory, and the Temporal Satisfaction with Life Scale. Results A t-test showed that patients scored higher in the past negative, the present fatalistic, and the future dimensions, lower in the past positive and the present hedonistic dimensions, higher in conscientiousness, extraversion, and agreeableness, and lower in life satisfaction. Regression analyses showed that life satisfaction was predicted by openness to experience and emotional stability for controls and by emotional stability among patients. When time dimensions were entered in the regression, emotional stability and the past negative and past positive time dimensions predicted life satisfaction among controls, but only the past positive and present hedonistic time dimensions predicted life satisfaction among patients. Conclusion Anorexia patients were less satisfied with life despite being more conscientious, social, and agreeable than controls. Moreover, compared to controls, patients had an unbalanced time perspective: a dark view of the past (i.e., high past negative), a restrained present (i.e., low present hedonistic) and an apocalyptic view of the future (i.e., high present fatalistic). It is plausible to suggest that, therapeutic interventions should focus on empowering patients to cultivate a sentimental and positive view of the past (i.e., high past positive) and the desire to experience pleasure without concern for future consequences (i.e., high present hedonistic) so that they can make self-directed and flexible choices for their own well-being. Such interventions might have effects on life satisfaction beyond the patients’ temperamental disposition.


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