The Resilient Personality Prototype

2017 ◽  
Vol 38 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marcus Roth ◽  
Philipp Yorck Herzberg

Abstract. Typologies based on Big Five questionnaire data always include the resilient prototype, which is defined by low scores on neuroticism and above-average scores on extraversion, agreeableness, and conscientiousness. When measurement of the criterion domains is based on self-reports, this type evidences superior psychological adjustment and well-being in nearly all domains. In the present study, we tested whether the personality profile constituting the resilient prototype is an artifact of self-deceptive enhancement in answering questionnaires. Therefore, we contrasted self-reports of resilients with objective data that we collected during an actual stressful event. A total of 112 pupils (15–19 years) were examined via questionnaires and asked to complete a speech task in front of a video camera. Stress reactions were measured by self-reports as well as by nonverbal behavior, achievement, and physiological responding. Results showed that resilients differed from the other personality prototypes only when self-reports (coping, affectivity) were used. By contrast, no differences between personality prototypes emerged when the three objective stress indicators (speech performance, behavior, and physiological arousal) were used. These findings call into question the superior psychological adjustment attributed to the resilient prototype and stress the necessity of multimethod assessment in personality prototype research.

2010 ◽  
Vol 34 (4) ◽  
pp. 330-338 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xinyin Chen ◽  
Hennis Chi-Hang Tse

This study examined social and psychological adjustment of immigrant and Canadian-born Chinese children in Canada. Participants included a sample of elementary school children (N = 356, M age = 11 years). Data on social functioning, peer relationships, school-related social competence, perceived self-worth, and loneliness were collected from peer assessments, teacher ratings, and self-reports. The results indicated that immigrant and Canadian-born Chinese children had different experiences of social and psychological adjustment in the school. Among aspects of acculturation, English proficiency and participation in Chinese cultural activities were positively associated with social competence and negatively associated with adjustment problems, particularly in immigrant Chinese children. These results indicate the involvement of contextual factors in children’s social functioning and psychological well-being.


2008 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. 146-149 ◽  
Author(s):  
Meinrad Perrez ◽  
Michael Reicherts ◽  
Yves Hänggi ◽  
Andrea B. Horn ◽  
Gisela Michel ◽  
...  

Abstract. Most research in health psychology is based on retrospective self reports, which are distorted by recall biases and have low ecological validity. To overcome such limitations we developed computer assisted diary approaches to assess health related behaviours in individuals’, couples’ and families’ daily life. The event- and time-sampling-based instruments serve to assess appraisals of the current situation, feelings of physical discomfort, current emotional states, conflict and emotion regulation in daily life. They have proved sufficient reliability and validity in the context of individual, couple and family research with respect to issues like emotion regulation and health. As examples: Regarding symptom reporting curvilinear pattern of frequencies over the day could be identified by parents and adolescents; or psychological well-being is associated with lower variability in basic affect dimensions. In addition, we report on preventive studies to improve parental skills and enhance their empathic competences towards their baby, and towards their partner.


2006 ◽  
Vol 27 (3) ◽  
pp. 172-182 ◽  
Author(s):  
Y. Hamama-Raz ◽  
Z. Solomon

The study examines the contributions of hardiness, attachment style, and cognitive appraisal to the psychological adjustment of 300 survivors of malignant melanoma: The findings show that the survivors' adjustment is by far better predicted by their personal resources and cognitive appraisal than by their sociodemographic features (with the exception of marital status) and features of their illness. Of all the variables, their adjustment was best predicted by their attachment style, with secure attachment making for greater well-being and less distress. These findings add to the ample evidence that personal resources help persons to cope with stressful or traumatic events.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francesco Rigoli

Research has shown that stress impacts on people’s religious beliefs. However, several aspects of this effect remain poorly understood, for example regarding the role of prior religiosity and stress-induced anxiety. This paper explores these aspects in the context of the recent coronavirus emergency. The latter has impacted dramatically on many people’s well-being; hence it can be considered a highly stressful event. Through online questionnaires administered to UK and USA citizens professing either Christian faith or no religion, this paper examines the impact of the coronavirus crisis upon common people’s religious beliefs. We found that, following the coronavirus emergency, strong believers reported higher confidence in their religious beliefs while non-believers reported increased scepticism towards religion. Moreover, for strong believers, higher anxiety elicited by the coronavirus threat was associated with increased strengthening of religious beliefs. Conversely, for non-believers, higher anxiety elicited by the coronavirus thereat was associated with increased scepticism towards religious beliefs. These observations are consistent with the notion that stress-induced anxiety enhances support for the ideology already embraced before a stressful event occurs. This study sheds light on the psychological and cultural implications of the coronavirus crisis, which represents one of the most serious health emergencies in recent times.


Author(s):  
Débora Godoy-Izquierdo ◽  
Raquel Lara ◽  
Adelaida Ogallar ◽  
Alejandra Rodríguez-Tadeo ◽  
María J. Ramírez ◽  
...  

This study explored intraindividual multidimensional profiles integrating psychosocial factors, namely, body image and satisfaction, weight-related self-stigma, positivity, and happiness, and behavioural-lifestyle factors, namely, adherence to a healthy diet, among Spanish adults with overweight or obesity. We further aimed to investigate the association of excess weight (i.e., measured body mass index, BMI) with the abovementioned multidimensional configurations. A convenience sample of 100 adult individuals (60% females) with excessive weight (69% overweight; 31% obesity) was recruited. They completed self-reports regarding the study variables, and their weight and height were measured. With a perspective centered on the individual, a cluster analysis was performed. Three distinct intraindividual psychosocial and diet-related profiles were identified: a group of healthy individuals with excess weight (46%); a group of individuals who were negatively affected by their excessive weight and showed the most distressed profile (18%); and a group of dysfunctional individuals who seemed to be excessively unrealistic and optimistic regarding their excessive weight and unhealthy lifestyles, but were troubled by their weight (36%). Furthermore, individuals in the affected cluster had higher obesity (mean BMI ± SD = 32.1 ± 3.7) than those in the clusters of healthy (28.0 ± 3.0) and dysfunctional individuals (28.1 ± 3.3) (p < 0.05). The results showed that there are specific psychosocial and lifestyle profiles in the adult population with excess weight and that there are relationships among psychological, behavioural, and body-composition factors. For clinical application purposes, it is important to account for the heterogeneity within individuals who are obese and to individualize the interventions, with a focus from weight change to the individual’s overall well-being.


2008 ◽  
Vol 32 (2) ◽  
pp. 137-144 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhengyan Wang ◽  
Xinyin Chen ◽  
Richard Sorrentino ◽  
Andrew C. H. Szeto

The purpose of this study was to examine uncertainty orientation and its relations with school and psychological adjustment in Chinese children. A sample of elementary school children in P.R. China, aged 10 to 12 years, participated in the study. Data concerning uncertainty orientation, academic performance and socio-emotional adjustment were obtained from multiple sources including projective assessments, teacher ratings and self-reports. It was found that children in grade 6 had higher scores on uncertainty orientation than those in grades 4 and 5. Uncertainty orientation was positively associated with school-related competence, academic achievement and self-perceptions of competence, and negatively associated with learning problems and loneliness. The results suggest that uncertainty orientation is an adaptive characteristic in Chinese children.


2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 17-31
Author(s):  
Gökmen Arslan

Loneliness is a serious risk factor for healthy development and flourishing. Although loneliness has been revealed to play an important role in psychological health and well-being, little is known about moderating and mitigating mechanisms underlying this association, especially during adverse experiences (e.g., COVID-19 pandemic). The current study purposed to explore whether subjective vitality mediated the association of loneliness with psychological adjustment and whether college belongingness moderated the mediating effect of subjective vitality on students’ adjustment in the context of loneliness. The study sample comprised 333 undergraduate students (69% female) from a public university in Turkey. They ranged in age between 19 and 41 years (M= 21.94, SD= 4.15). Findings from mediation analysis revealed that loneliness had a significant predictive effect on subjective vitality and psychological adjustment challenges. Subjective vitality also mediated the effect of loneliness on the psychological adjustment of college students. Further, college belongingness moderated the mediating effect of subjective vitality on adjustment and had a protective effect on the association between loneliness and subjective vitality in college students. These results indicate that subjective vitality and college belongingness are important mechanisms that may help develop prevention and intervention strategies to foster students’ psychological health and well-being in university settings.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Claire W. Jin ◽  
Ame Osotsi ◽  
Zita Oravecz

AbstractStress management is a pervasive issue in the modern high schooler’s life. Despite many efforts to support adolescents’ mental well-being, teenagers often fail to recognize signs of high stress and anxiety until their emotions have escalated. Being able to identify early signs of these intense emotional states and predict their onset using physiological signals collected passively in real-time could help teenagers improve their awareness of their emotional well-being and take a more proactive approach to managing their emotions. To evaluate the potential of this approach, we collected data from high schoolers with Empatica E4 wearable health monitors (wristband) while they were living their daily lives. The data consisted of stressful event reports and physiological markers over the course of 4 weeks. We developed a random forest model and a support vector machine model and systematically assessed their performance in terms of predicting the onset of stress events and identifying physiological signals of stress. The models showed strong performance in terms of these measures and provided insights on physiological indicators of adolescent stress.


2021 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexander Wettstein ◽  
Sandra Schneider ◽  
Martin grosse Holtforth ◽  
Roberto La Marca

Teachers report elevated levels of stress and psychosomatic illnesses compared to other professions. Teacher stress has far-reaching consequences on their health outcomes, the student's motivation, and the economy. However, research on teacher stress relies mainly on self-reports, hence, assesses stress on purely subjective perception. Personal or subjective aspects can strongly influence these measures, and biological stress may even be unnoticed. It is, therefore, necessary to include both subjective and objective measures to investigate stress, preferably in real-life situations. This review aims to demonstrate the importance of a psychobiological ambulatory assessment (AA) approach to investigate teacher stress, in contrast to purely subjective measures. We discuss classroom disruptions as the primary stress factor within the classroom and how a multimethod AA approach using psychological measures while simultaneously recording classroom disruptions and biological stress reactions of teachers would enable a much deeper understanding of stressful transactional processes taking place in the classroom that has not been achieved before.


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