Exploring the role of humor in the management of existential anxiety

Abstract The current study addressed a topic that has both theoretical and applied importance, by examining the potential existential anxiety-buffering function of humor. Participants (N = 556; 55% female; M age = 37 years) completed a measure of trait coping humor before being randomly assigned to a mortality salience condition and a humor induction condition and then completing a measure of death-thought accessibility. ANOVA revealed main effects of trait coping humor, mortality salience and humor induction on death-thought accessibility in the expected directions. Coping humor interacted with mortality salience (F(1,439) = 14.47, p < 0.01) showing that low coping humor participants were more affected by the mortality salience manipulation. Coping humor also interacted with humor induction (F(1,439) = 8.94, p < 0.01) showing that low coping humor participants were more affected by the humor induction. Findings suggests that whilst trait coping humor appears to buffer the effects of mortality salience, those low in trait coping humor may benefit the most from interventions aimed at reducing existential anxiety via humor. The apparent beneficial effect of humor induction for individuals low in coping humor holds a promise of advancing our understanding of existential threat and, ultimately, providing a basis for interventions to improve mental health.

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Meditation-Induced Psychosis: Trigger and Recurrence

Case Reports in Psychiatry ◽

10.1155/2021/6615451 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 2021 ◽

pp. 1-4

Author(s):

Sulochana Joshi ◽

Anusha Manandhar ◽

Pawan Sharma

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Beneficial Effect ◽

Male Patient ◽

Self Regulation ◽

Negative Effects ◽

The Past ◽

Regulation Approach ◽

General Wellbeing ◽

Precipitating Factor

Meditation is regarded as a self-regulation approach to manage emotions. Meditation has a beneficial effect on mental health. Different kinds of meditation are practiced in many religions and cultures for the general wellbeing of an individual. However, meditation-related experiences and negative effects of meditation are not uncommon. Meditation-induced psychosis has been reported in the past. Here, we present a case of a 33-year-old male patient who developed acute and transient psychosis twice after meditation and discuss the role of meditation as a precipitating factor to psychosis.

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Greek host community acculturation expectations towards immigrants from Albania and Pakistan: The role of existential parameters

The European Journal of Counselling Psychology ◽

10.5964/ejcop.v7i1.151 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 7 (1) ◽

pp. 181-199

Author(s):

Georgios Tsouvelas ◽

Vassilis Pavlopoulos

Keyword(s):

Mortality Salience ◽

Host Community ◽

Control Group ◽

Post Mortem ◽

Ontological Security ◽

Existential Anxiety ◽

Tv Watching ◽

The Universe ◽

Experimental Group

The idea of personal death causes a sense of uncertainty and threat against our ontological security. Terror management theory proposes that, when confronted with existential anxiety, we tend to seek safety through explicit (post-mortem expectations) and implicit/symbolic immortality (cultural worldviews). This study aims to explore the role of existential parameters in the Greek host community acculturation expectations towards immigrants from Albania and Pakistan. Participants were 208 Greek university students. Exposure to mortality salience was introduced in the experimental group by administering the Mortality Attitudes Personality Survey, while participants of the control group responded to a questionnaire about TV watching. Measures for both groups included the Host Community Acculturation Scale and the Connection of the Soul Scale. It was found that host community acculturation expectations were not affected by experimental exposure to mortality salience but they were related to post-mortem expectations. Specifically, post-mortem expectations for connection with God were associated with acculturation expectations for individualism (positively), segregation and marginalization (negatively) of immigrants from Albania, while post-mortem expectations for connection with the universe were linked to expectations for integration of this immigrant group. With regards to immigrants from Pakistan, segregation was positively related to the connection with God. The findings suggest that host community acculturation expectations of Greeks are related to existential anxiety as a trait rather than as a state.

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On the role of tin underlays for the prevention of thermal grooving in thin gold films

Proceedings, annual meeting, Electron Microscopy Society of America ◽

10.1017/s0424820100145030 ◽

1986 ◽

Vol 44 ◽

pp. 732-733

Author(s):

Jin Young Kim ◽

R. E. Hummel ◽

R. T. DeHoff

Keyword(s):

Thin Film ◽

Free Surface ◽

Grain Boundary ◽

Beneficial Effect ◽

Failure Mechanism ◽

Failure Mechanisms ◽

Distinct Advantage ◽

Gold Films ◽

Gold Thin Film

Gold thin film metallizations in microelectronic circuits have a distinct advantage over those consisting of aluminum because they are less susceptible to electromigration. When electromigration is no longer the principal failure mechanism, other failure mechanisms caused by d.c. stressing might become important. In gold thin-film metallizations, grain boundary grooving is the principal failure mechanism.Previous studies have shown that grain boundary grooving in gold films can be prevented by an indium underlay between the substrate and gold. The beneficial effect of the In/Au composite film is mainly due to roughening of the surface of the gold films, redistribution of indium on the gold films and formation of In2O3 on the free surface and along the grain boundaries of the gold films during air annealing.

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The Role of Positive and Negative Affectivity in Healthy and Unhealthy Work-Related Behavior and Experiences

European Journal of Health Psychology ◽

10.1027/2512-8442/a000030 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 26 (2) ◽

pp. 56-67 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Hanna Hofmann ◽

Carl-Walter Kohlmann

Keyword(s):

Negative Affectivity ◽

Coping Behavior ◽

Common Method ◽

Positive Affectivity ◽

Work Related ◽

Teacher Students ◽

And Behaviors ◽

Main Effects ◽

Positive And Negative Affectivity

Abstract. Positive affectivity (PA) and negative affectivity (NA) are basic traits that affect work-related perceptions and behaviors and should be considered in any assessment of these variables. A quite common method to assess healthy or unhealthy types of work-related perceptions and behaviors is the questionnaire on Work-Related Coping Behavior and Experience Patterns (WCEP). However, the association of PA and NA with WCEP remained unclear. In a sample of teachers, physiotherapists, and teacher students ( N = 745; Mage = 35.07, SD = 12.49; 78% females), we aimed to identify the relevance of these basic traits. After controlling for age, gender, and type of occupation, we found main effects of PA and NA, with the specific combination of PA and NA being decisive for predicting the assignment to a WCEP type. The results highlight the need to include PA and NA in future assessments with the WCEP questionnaire.

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