Existentialism and Higher Education: A Renewed Intersection in Well-Being

Journal of Humanistic Psychology ◽

10.1177/0022167820917231 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 002216782091723

Author(s):

Glen Lewis Sherman

Keyword(s):

Higher Education ◽

Focal Point ◽

Well Being ◽

Humanistic Psychology ◽

Existential Philosophy ◽

Nichomachean Ethics ◽

Individual Health ◽

Key Concepts ◽

Self Discovery ◽

Sense Of Justice

Enhanced well-being for students, staff, and faculty has become a focal point on many campuses across North America. Well-being promotion tends to focus on the “wellness” half of well-being, practices related to individual health, stress-management, enhanced coping, and environmental conditions. These efforts, while significant, address the symptoms, not the root causes of what has led to the degree of experienced un-wellness or ill-being. What has not yet been adequately articulated in well-being theory, as applied to the higher education setting, is a focus on the “being” half of the well-being phrase, how higher education is connected to a student’s subjectivity and the meanings they give to the objective world. This article proposes a conception of well-being in higher education that stems from existential philosophy and humanistic psychology, as well as key concepts from Aristotle’s Nichomachean Ethics. Higher education is seen as a place where students’ self-discovery informs their approach to knowledge and learning, as well as their development of an ethical sense of justice and the rights of others in the educational community. Well-being is in this way rendered more fully.

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Do Work Characteristics Mediate the Negative Effect of Transformational Leadership on Impaired Well-Being?

Zeitschrift für Arbeits- und Organisationspsychologie A&O ◽

10.1026/0932-4089/a000249 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 61 (4) ◽

pp. 167-180 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Sylvie Vincent-Höper ◽

Sabine Gregersen ◽

Albert Nienhaus

Keyword(s):

Transformational Leadership ◽

Focal Point ◽

Leadership Behavior ◽

Workplace Health Promotion ◽

Well Being ◽

Mediating Effect ◽

Equation Modeling ◽

Related Factor ◽

Work Characteristics ◽

Role Clarity

Abstract: In recent years, transformational leadership as a health-related factor has become a focal point of interest in research and practice. However, the pathways and mechanisms underlying this association are not yet well understood. In order to gain knowledge on how or why transformational leadership and employee well-being are associated, we investigated the mediating effect of the work characteristics role clarity and predictability. The study was carried out on 618 employees working in the health-care sector in Germany. We tested the mediator effect using structural equation modeling. The results indicate that role clarity and predictability fully mediate the relation between transformational leadership and negative indicators of well-being. These results give credit to the notion that work characteristics play an important role in identifying health-relevant aspects of leadership behavior. Our findings advance the understanding of how to enhance employee well-being and have implications for the design of leadership-related interventions of workplace health promotion.

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THE FACTORS OF CAREER SELF-DETERMINATION OF STUDENTS OF HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS

Baltic Journal of Career Education and Management ◽

10.33225/bjcem/19.7.9 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 7 (1) ◽

pp. 9-20

Author(s):

Inna Yeung

Keyword(s):

Higher Education ◽

Higher Education Institutions ◽

Well Being ◽

Young Person ◽

Self Determination ◽

Full Time ◽

Actual Problem ◽

The Third ◽

The Right

Choice of profession is a social phenomenon that every person has to face in life. Numerous studies convince us that not only the well-being of a person depends on the chosen work, but also his attitude to himself and life in general, therefore, the right and timely professional choice is very important. Research about factors of career self-determination of students of higher education institutions in Ukraine shows that self-determination is an important factor in the socialization of young person, and the factors that determine students' career choices become an actual problem of nowadays. The present study involved full-time and part-time students of Institute of Philology and Mass Communications of Open International University of Human Development "Ukraine" in order to examine the factors of career self-determination of students of higher education institutions (N=189). Diagnostic factors of career self-determination of students studying in the third and fourth year were carried out using the author's questionnaire. Processing of obtained data was carried out using the Excel 2010 program; factorial and comparative analysis were applied. Results of the study showed that initial stage of career self-determination falls down on the third and fourth studying year at the university, when an image of future career and career orientations begin to form. At the same time, the content of career self-determination in this period is contradictory and uncertain, therefore, the implementation of pedagogical support of this process among students is effective.

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Students’ and Applicants’ Social Perceptions of the Risks of Educational Environment at Higher Education Institution

Высшее образование в России ◽

10.31992/0869-3617-2019-28-11-56-67 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 28 (11) ◽

pp. 56-67 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

A. V. Lyalyuk ◽

O. R. Tuchina

Keyword(s):

Higher Education ◽

Education Institution ◽

Well Being ◽

Social Institution ◽

Educational Environment ◽

Expert Assessment ◽

Risk Category ◽

Subjective Well Being ◽

Higher Education Institution ◽

Investigation Methods

Educational system is the most important social institution, which provides the development of a personality and frames his/her worldview and the conception of subjective well-being. Despite the large number of studies on the issue of psychological and pedagogical security of educational environment, the sphere of higher education still remains underexplored. The available empiric material has not received sufficient methodological justification and conceptualization. This article aims to provide the conceptualization of the risk category as applied to the educational environment of a higher education institution, as well as empiric investigation of the risks within the educational environment as viewed by applicants and students.Materials and methods. 213 applicants and 547 students of the Kuban State Technological University took part in the survey. The following investigation methods were used: expert assessment, interview, questioning, content analysis, analysis of means method, cluster analysis and factor analysis.Investigation results. Comparative examination of the manifestation degree of risks within the educational environment as viewed by applicants and students of higher education institution showed significant differences in the assessment of risk by these groups of respondents. From the point of view of applicants, the main risks are connected with social and psychological aspects of the educational environment of a higher education institution, relations within student groups and interaction with teachers, as well as with the issues related to the educational management and leisure arrangement. As viewed by the students, the risks within the educational environment include external and social and psychological risk factors, motivating risks and risks arising from the learning process organization and management and the related issues. Applicants’ notion of the risks within the educational environment of a higher education institution was mainly influenced by information they received from media and by the opinion of their relatives and age mates.Consideration and conclusions. It was proved that the applicants’ idea of the risks within the educational environment of a higher education institution is determined by the opinion of people they know personally, however it changes during the process of studying in higher education institution and acquiring their own experience of being within the environment. The investigation results allow creating a model of psychological and pedagogical security within the educational environment of a higher education institution. This model makes it possible to forecast main risks of the educational environment, their development, and evolvement and find solution to them.

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IN HIGHER EDUCATION THE EFFECT OF LEADERSHIP STYLE ON THE SUBJECTIVE WELL-BEING: THE ROLE OF THE PERCEIVED SUPERVISOR SUPPORT

10.21506/j.ponte.2020.12.7 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 76 (12) ◽

Author(s):

Rukiye Celik ◽

Begum Yalcin ◽

Serife Alev Uysal

Keyword(s):

Higher Education ◽

Leadership Style ◽

Supervisor Support ◽

Well Being ◽

Subjective Well Being ◽

Perceived Supervisor Support

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A Factor Analytic Model of College Studen Development

NASPA Journal ◽

10.2202/0027-6014.1087 ◽

1999 ◽

Vol 36 (4) ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Ellen Lavelle ◽

Bill Rickford

Keyword(s):

Higher Education ◽

College Student ◽

Student Development ◽

Perspective Taking ◽

College Student Development ◽

Analytic Model ◽

Model Based ◽

Factor Analytic Model ◽

Factor Analytic ◽

Self Discovery

Models of college student development have demonstrated an insensitivity to the differences that exist among various students, although such differences are very important in a world where student bodies in higher education are increasingly diverse. The authors present a model based on The Dakota Inventory of Student Orientations, which may be useful for program developmen that fosters reflection, self discovery, perspective-taking, and collaboration among students with varying orientations towards learning.

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Positive Psychology Applications

The Oxford Handbook of Positive Psychology ◽

10.1093/oxfordhb/9780195187243.013.0005 ◽

2009 ◽

pp. 34-48 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

P. Alex Linley ◽

Stephen Joseph ◽

John Maltby ◽

Susan Harrington ◽

Alex M. Wood

Keyword(s):

Positive Psychology ◽

Organizational Behavior ◽

Employee Engagement ◽

Medical Model ◽

Well Being ◽

Humanistic Psychology ◽

Human Needs ◽

Organizational Scholarship ◽

Client Centered Therapy ◽

Good Lives

Applied positive psychology is concerned with facilitating good lives and enabling people to be at their best. It is as much an approach as a particular domain of inquiry. As shown throughout this chapter, positive psychology has applications that span almost every area of applied psychology and beyond. In clinical psychology, counseling and psychotherapy, applied positive psychology builds on the traditions of humanistic psychology and Carl Rogers' client-centered therapy. It challenges the dominant assumptions of the medical model and promotes a dimensional, rather than dichotomous, understanding of mental health and mental illness. Beyond the alleviation of psychopathology, applied positive psychology has also seen the development of specific happiness-increase interventions, including counting one's blessings, using signature strengths, and paying a gratitude visit. In education, applied positive psychology has been used to promote flow in the classroom, as well as harnessing children's strengths to aid their learning and development. Forensic applications of positive psychology are represented by the good lives model of offender management, which focuses on the adaptive satisfaction of human needs. In Industrial Organizational (I/O) psychology, positive psychology applications are represented throughout work on transformational leadership, employee engagement, positive organizational scholarship, positive organizational behavior, appreciative inquiry, and strengths-based organization. In society, more broadly, applied positive psychology is shown to influence the development of life coaching and the practice of executive coaching, while population approaches are being explored in relation to epidemiology and the promotion of social well-being. Having reviewed these diverse areas, the chapter then goes on to consider the theoretical basis for applied positive psychology; the questions of who should apply positive psychology, as well as where and how; and whether positive psychology applications could be universally relevant. The chapter concludes by considering what the future of applied positive psychology may hold and suggesting that the discipline has the potential to impact positively on people throughout the world.

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Maternal mental health and well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China

World Journal of Pediatrics ◽

10.1007/s12519-021-00439-8 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Zhuang Wei ◽

Ming-Yue Gao ◽

Mary Fewtrell ◽

Jonathan Wells ◽

Jin-Yue Yu

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Higher Education ◽

Maternal Mental Health ◽

Descriptive Analysis ◽

Fair Division ◽

Personal Space ◽

Well Being ◽

Maternal Characteristics ◽

The Impact ◽

Beijing China

Abstract Background The aim of this study is to evaluate the impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on breastfeeding women and to identify predictors of maternal mental health and coping. Methods Mothers aged ≥ 18 years with a breast-fed infant ≤ 18 months of age during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China, completed a questionnaire. Descriptive analysis of lockdown consequences was performed and predictors of these outcomes were examined using stepwise linear regression. Results Of 2233 participants, 29.9%, 20.0% and 34.7% felt down, lonely, and worried, respectively, during the lockdown; however, 85.3% felt able to cope. Poorer maternal mental health was predicted by maternal (younger age, higher education) and infant (older age, lower gestation) characteristics, and social circumstances (husband unemployed or working from home, receiving advice from family, having enough space for the baby, living close to a park or green space). Conversely, better maternal mental health was predicted by higher income, employment requiring higher qualifications, more personal space at home, shopping or walking > once/week and lack of impact of COVID-19 on job or income. Mothers with higher education, more bedrooms, fair division of household chores and attending an online mother and baby group > once/week reported better coping. Conclusion The findings highlight maternal characteristics and circumstances that predict poorer mental health and reduced coping which could be used to target interventions in any future public health emergencies requiring social restrictions.

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The Neoliberal University in Ireland: Institutional Bullying by Another Name?

Societies ◽

10.3390/soc11020052 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (2) ◽

pp. 52

Author(s):

Margaret Hodgins ◽

Patricia Mannix McNamara

Keyword(s):

Higher Education ◽

Public Management ◽

New Public Management ◽

Academic Staff ◽

Well Being ◽

The United States ◽

Decent Work ◽

New Public ◽

The Impact ◽

Health And Well Being

New managerialism and the pervasive neoliberalisation of universities is by now a well-established phenomenon. Commentaries explore the political and economic drivers and effects of neoliberal ideology, and critique the impact on higher education and academic work. The impact on the health and well-being of academic staff has had less attention, and it is to that we turn in this paper. Much academic interest in neoliberalism stems from the UK, Australia and the United States. We draw particularly on studies of public Irish universities, where neoliberalism, now well entrenched, but something of a late-comer to the new public management party, is making its presence felt. This conceptual paper explores the concept of neoliberalism in higher education, arguing that the policies and practices of new public management as exercised in universities are a form of bullying; what we term institutional bullying. The authors are researchers of workplace culture, workplace bullying and incivility. Irish universities are increasingly challenged in delivering the International Labour Organisation (ILO) principles of decent work, i.e., dignity, equity, fair income and safe working conditions. They have become exposed in terms of gender imbalance in senior positions, precariat workforce, excessive workload and diminishing levels of control. Irish universities are suffering in terms of both the health and well-being of staff and organisational vibrancy. The authors conclude by cautioning against potential neoliberal intensification as universities grapple with the economic fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic. This paper reviews neoliberalism in higher education and concludes with insight as to how the current pandemic could act as a necessary catalyst to stem the tide and ‘call out’ bullying at the institutional level.

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