scholarly journals Generating Subjective Theories After a Disaster: The Role of Personality

2021 ◽  
Vol 30 (2) ◽  
pp. 13-26
Author(s):  
Ingrid González Palta ◽  
Pablo Castro-Carrasco ◽  
Enzo Cabrera ◽  
Paulina Jamet ◽  
Francisco Leal-Soto

The role of people's beliefs in their perception of disasters has been scarcely studied. In this study, we analyzed how people who experienced an earthquake and a subsequent tsunami employ subjective theories (ST) to explain their traumatic experience. This study aimed to interpret the explanations developed by a group of people about the earthquake and tsunami that took place in Chile in 2015.  Thirteen episodic interviews were conducted as part of a qualitative case study. The participants' theories were grouped into four categories: the impact of personality on one's reaction to hardships; the existence of a link between personality and coping styles; the limited influence of personality on one's way of coping with difficulties; and changes in personality after experiencing hardships. These findings are discussed analyzing whether the participants' explanations could foster personal growth and psychological well-being after the catastrophe.   How to cite: González-Palta, I., Castro-Carrasco, P. J., Cabrera, E., Jamet, P., & Leal-Soto, F. (2021). Generating Subjective Theories After a Disaster: The Role of Personality. Revista Colombiana de Psicología, 30(2), 13-26. https://doi.org/10.15446/rcp.v30n2.79061

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michela Marchetti ◽  
Daniele Gatti ◽  
Lucio Inguscio ◽  
Giuliana Mazzoni

During February and March 2020, the Italian government decided to provide guidelines in order to counter the spreading of Coronavirus disease (COVID-19). Several studies have shown that the first Lockdown deeply affected the psychological well-being of the individuals, but the role of possible protective variables is currently not known. In the present study we aimed to investigate the impact of several behavioral variables on individuals’ mental states and emotions experienced during the first Lockdown in Italy. Participants were 172 Italian adults and they were asked to answer several questions regarding the intensity of mental states and emotions experienced, the perceived usefulness of lockdown, the feeling of living a normal life, and the coping strategies implemented to face the pandemic. Results showed that, during the first wave of COVID-19 in Italy, only the perceived usefulness of lockdown positively affected people’s emotions. This result suggests that a better communication of the experimental findings supporting the political decisions made, and behavioral measures shaped to increase people’s commitment to the proposed rules are crucial in order to enhance people’s wellbeing. While this result is limited to the first wave and the first lockdown, future research should assess the role of rule acceptance and coping strategies in subsequent waves of COVID-19, and consequent partial or total lockdowns.


Author(s):  
Oriol Ríos-González ◽  
Mimar Ramis-Salas ◽  
Juan Carlos Peña-Axt ◽  
Sandra Racionero-Plaza

Background: Men who develop behaviors connected with the model of hegemonic masculinity present several health problems. Previous research has shown the types of problems that men commonly suffer in this regard such as chronic diseases, dietary disorders, and traffic accidents. To combat and overcome this situation, several campaigns, policies and recommendations have been undertaken, and consequently, their influence has been analyzed. However, there have been few investigations into the role of men’s friendship in the reduction of these physical health problems. The findings presented in this article are focused on this issue, illustrating the impact of male friendship on the shaping of healthy behaviors. Methods: Drawing upon a qualitative-based methodology articulated in a case study of the Men in Dialogue association, located in Spain, the study has followed the premises of the communicative approach, a total of 15 structured online open-ended questionnaires have been performed and analyzed. The median age of the participants is 37.5 years. Results: The findings show how men involved in Men in Dialogue are promoting a kind of masculine friendship that is improving men’s emotional well-being and, consequently, their physical health.


2015 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 138-155 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brendan Smith ◽  
Stephanie Hanrahan ◽  
Ruth Anderson ◽  
Lyndel Abbott

Leaving home or transitioning to another environment is a part of every individual’s personal growth and is often considered to be a significant developmental milestone. The distress that individuals experience with this transition has been identified as homesickness. Elite sporting institutions, such as the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS), have recognized that problems associated with homesickness appear to be a predominant cause of poor well-being and dropout among athletes living in a national sports institute. This study aimed to investigate if individual personality traits and coping styles could predict levels of homesickness in these athletes. Neuroticism, self-esteem, and mental escape were significant predictors of homesickness. These results suggest that athletes who are vulnerable to homesickness can be identified before the commencement of their sporting scholarships so they can be treated accordingly.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Vartika Kapoor ◽  
Jaya Yadav ◽  
Lata Bajpai ◽  
Shalini Srivastava

PurposeThe present study examines the mediating role of teleworking and the moderating role of resilience in explaining the relationship between perceived stress and psychological well-being of working mothers in India. Conservation of resource theory (COR) is taken to support the present study.Design/methodology/approachThe data of 326 respondents has been collected from working mothers in various sectors of Delhi NCR region of India. Confirmatory factor analysis was used for construct validity, and SPSS Macro Process (Hayes) was used for testing the hypotheses.FindingsThe results of the study found an inverse association between perceived stress and psychological well-being. Teleworking acted as a partial mediator and resilience proved to be a significant moderator for teleworking-well-being relationship.Research limitations/implicationsThe study is based at Delhi NCR of India, and future studies may be based on a diverse population within the country to generalize the findings in different cultural and industrial contexts. The present work is based only on the psychological well-being of the working mothers, it can be extended to study the organizational stress for both the genders and other demographic variables.Practical implicationsThe study extends the research on perceived stress and teleworking by empirically testing the association between perceived stress and psychological well-being in the presence of teleworking as a mediating variable. The findings suggest some practical implications for HR managers and OD Practitioners. The organizations must develop a plan to support working mothers by providing flexible working hours and arranging online stress management programs for them.Originality/valueAlthough teleworking is studied previously, there is a scarcity of research examining the impact of teleworking on psychological well-being of working mothers in Asian context. It would help in understanding the process that how teleworking has been stressful for working mothers and also deliberate the role of resilience in the relationship between teleworking and psychological well-being due to perceived stress, as it seems a ray of hope in new normal work situations.


2010 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 299-307 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amy L. Morgan ◽  
David A. Tobar ◽  
Lauren Snyder

Purpose:To determine whether individuals participating in a program designed to accumulate 10,000 steps/ day demonstrate health, fitness and psychological benefits.Methods:Sedentary individuals (22 F, 7 M; age 59.8 ± 5.78 yr) were randomly assigned into a walking (W, n = 14) or control (C, n = 15) group. Following baseline assessment, the W group was given a daily plan to reach 10,000 steps/day within 3 weeks and asked to maintain this level for 12 weeks; the C group was asked to maintain their current activity. Participants were evaluated for cardiovascular endurance, resting and postexercise HR, functional ability, cholesterol, psychological well-being, and exercise self-efficacy before and following the 15-week program.Results:Significant changes over time were noted between groups (G×T; P < .05) with the W group demonstrating improvements in postexercise HR (−6.51%), total cholesterol (TC: −7.74%), and personal growth (2.53%). While not statistically significant, the W group also demonstrated improvements in 6 min walk distance (2.32%), total/HDL ratio (−10.09%), 8 foot up-and-go time (−3.35%), chair stands (6.17%), flexibility (128%), and environmental mastery (4.54%).Conclusion:A 15-week program aimed at accumulating 10,000 steps/day improves cardiovascular performance and personal growth and also positively influences many variables that are indicators of health, fitness and psychological well-being.


2018 ◽  
Vol 61 (1) ◽  
pp. 33-54 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer Bond ◽  
Kennedy Mkutu

Abstract:Human–wildlife conflict (HWC) is often considered in terms of how the impact on humans can be mitigated, but in the context of the larger goal of meeting conservation goals. This article explores the hidden costs of HWC on human well-being in northern Kenya through a qualitative case study of Laikipia County. Drawing on narratives of wildlife as destructive, wildlife as inherently more important or valuable than humans, and wildlife preservation as a pathway for capturing resources, it explores the impacts of HWC on human well-being, situating the study within the HWC, political ecology, and human security literature.


Author(s):  
Fatemeh Mahmoudi ◽  
Mohammad Reza Bliad ◽  
Masoumeh Jian Bagheri ◽  
Mehdi Shah Nazari ◽  
Kianoosh Zahrakar

Aim: Students are one of the most talented and promising segments of society and future builders of their country, and their level of health and psychological well-being will have a significant impact on learning and increasing their scientific awareness and academic success. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate a structural model of psychological well-being based on negative life events and mindfulness with emphasis on the mediating role  of coping styles. Methods: The method of conducting the present study was descriptive correlational of structurequational type. The statistical population of the study were the undergraduate students of Shahid Beheshti University in Tehran, 365 of whom participated through cluster sampling. They responded to questionnaires on negative life events, mindfulness, coping styles, and psychological well-being. The reliability and validity of the instruments were confirmed using Cronbach's alpha coefficient and confirmatory factor analysis. To analyze the data, structural equation method was used with Amos software. Results: The results showed that the effect of negative life events on the problem-oriented style and psychological well-being is negative and significant. The effect of mindfulness on the problem-oriented style and psychological well-being is positive and significant. The effect of problem-oriented style on psychological well-being is positive and significant. The mediating role of problem-focused coping style in the relationship between negative life events and mindfulness with psychological well-being is meaningful. Conclusion: The results showed that the model presented among the students of Shahid Beheshti University has a good fit and confirmed the role of the variables of negative life events, mindfulness and problem-oriented coping style in psychological well-being.


2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 365-379
Author(s):  
Hamka Hamka ◽  
Ni'matuzahroh Ni'matuzahroh ◽  
Tri Astuti ◽  
Mein-Woei Suen ◽  
Fu-An Shieh

Purpose The purpose of this study is to explore the psychological well-being of people living around landfills, which constitutes a preliminary case study localized in Samarinda city, Indonesia. Design/methodology/approach This current study used a descriptive, participatory case study design. For data collection, interviews and participatory observation were used. Specifically, this case study took place in Samarinda City, Indonesia. Findings The psychological well-being of the people living around landfills was indicated very low in the light of psychological well-being such as personal growth, life’s goals and self-acceptance dimensions. Research limitations/implications Psychological well-being is part of an attitude of gratitude, thus making individuals happy and satisfied in life. The results of this study point to the fact that people who live around landfills have low psychological well-being due to lack of support from the community and government. In addition, with this research, people who live near landfills are very happy because they feel cared for and care about their condition. People who live near landfills expect the government and surrounding communities to know about their situation so that they become prosperous and well-being. In addition, providing medical team services, sending clean water and providing good solutions can help people who live near landfills. The limitation of this preliminary study was that researchers could deeply explore the lives of people in the next research. Besides, the next research can provide a camera or voice recorder in the state of only observation. In addition, the researcher can analyze more deeply in the next research. The final limitation was that participants could not have enough time to interact with, thus, the researcher could not collect the data to explore further. Practical implications Base on the result in this study, the government needs to have the policy to take care of those people who stay near landfills, for example, improving drinking water, establish the health management and giving a right to people to stay near landfills. Social implications By improving the growing environment, the people live near landfills can have some changes in their life. In addition, the negative stereotype and prejudice can be decreased and establish a more friendly society and increasing their well-being. Originality/value The participants were found to be problematic, primarily in managing their environment and influencing their personal growth. On top of that, the participants appeared to possess a lack exposure of to social interaction with other communities, which might cause them social gap and lack of caring perceived toward the surrounding environment, lack of better life’s goals, the disappointment of current conditions due to low educational and skill backgrounds. Nonetheless, the participants were still of gratefulness upon the situation for they were still granted health for studies to support their families. Besides, the participants did not show any positive attitudes toward themselves because of the disappointment of their condition and personal qualities.


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