Developmental emergence and functionality of Sehnsucht (life longings): The sample case of involuntary childlessness in middle-aged women.

Sehnsucht (life longings), the intense desire for optimal (utopian) states of life that are remote or unattainable, was recently introduced into life-span psychology as a concept of self-regulation (P. B. Baltes, 2008; S. Scheibe, A. M. Freund, & P. B. Baltes, 2007). The authors propose that as a compensatory strategy to deal with nonrealizability and loss, life longings may develop out of blocked goals. Individuals would cease to invest behavioral effort into its attainment and instead maintain the goal target in imagination. In a sample of 168 middle-aged childless women, the present study investigated the circumstances under which the wish for children emerges as a goal or life longing and whether the representation of the wish for children as a life longing is beneficial for well-being. The wish for children was expressed as a goal when participants rated this wish as currently intense and attainable. In contrast, it was expressed as a life longing when participants rated it as highly intense and long-standing. The pursuit of the wish for children as a life longing was positively related to well-being only when participants had high control over the experience of this life longing and when other self-regulation strategies (goal adjustment) failed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Is longing only for Germans? A cross-cultural comparison of Sehnsucht in Germany and the United States.

Sehnsucht, the longing or yearning for ideal yet seemingly unreachable states of life, is a salient topic in German culture and has proven useful for understanding self-regulation across adulthood in a German sample (e.g., Scheibe, Freund, & Baltes, 2007). The current study tested whether findings for German samples could be generalized to the more individualistic and agentic U.S. American culture. Four samples of U.S. American and German participants (total N = 1,276) age 18 to 81 years reported and rated their 2 most important life longings and completed measures of subjective well-being and health. Measurement equivalence was established at the level of factor loadings for central life longing characteristics. German and U.S. American participants did not differ in self-reported ease of identifying personal life longings or their intensity. In comparison to Germans, however, U.S. Americans associated life longings less with utopian, unattainable states and reported less salience of the concept in everyday life. Associations with measures of adaptation suggest that life longings can be both functional and dysfunctional for development in both cultures. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

The chronic illness quality of life (CIQOL) model: Explaining life satisfaction in people living with HIV disease.

The chronic illness quality of life (CIQOL) model theorizes that life satisfaction in persons living with a chronic illness such as HIV disease is a function of illness-related discrimination, barriers to health care and social services, physical well-being, social support, and coping. The CIQOL model was evaluated using data from 275 persons living with HIV disease. Women reported less life satisfaction and confronted more barriers to health care and social services than men, and White participants reported higher perceptions of AIDS-related discrimination than non-White participants. The CIQOL model provided an excellent fit to study data (root-mean-square error of approximation = .03) and accounted for almost a third of the variance in life satisfaction scores. Barriers to health care and social services played a particularly prominent role in the model. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Environmental contingency in life history strategies: The influence of mortality and socioeconomic status on reproductive timing.

Why do some people have children early, whereas others delay reproduction? By considering the trade-offs between using one's resources for reproduction versus other tasks, the evolutionary framework of life history theory predicts that reproductive timing should be influenced by mortality and resource scarcity. A series of experiments examined how mortality cues influenced the desire to have children sooner rather than later. The effects of mortality depended critically on whether people grew up in a relatively resource-scarce or resource-plentiful environment. For individuals growing up relatively poor, mortality cues produced a desire to reproduce sooner—to want children now, even at the cost of furthering one's education or career. Conversely, for individuals growing up relatively wealthy, mortality cues produced a desire to delay reproduction—to further one's education or career before starting a family. Overall, mortality cues appear to shift individuals into different life history strategies as a function of childhood socioeconomic status, suggesting important implications for how environmental factors can influence fertility and family size. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Does life satisfaction moderate the effects of stressful life events on psychopathological behavior during adolescence?

Psychologists within a positive psychology framework have proposed the existence of a set of psychological strengths that buffer against the development of psychopathology. To date, most research efforts in positive psychology have focused on adults. This longitudinal study tested the prediction that adolescents' judgments of life satisfaction moderate the influence of stressful life events on the subsequent development of psychopathological behavior. Using a sample of 816 middle and high school students, the study demonstrated support for the moderational model for externalizing behavior outcomes, but not internalizing behavior problems. Specifically, adolescents with positive life satisfaction (vs. those who were dissatisfied with their lives) were less likely to develop later externalizing behaviors in the face of stressful life events. The study also revealed that adolescent life satisfaction reports show moderate stability across a one-year time frame and independently predict subsequent externalizing behavior even while controlling for prior levels of externalizing behavior... (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of The personal life of the psychotherapist.

Reviews the book, The personal life of the psychotherapist by James D. Guy (see record 1987-97783-000). This book is a broad-ranging discussion of the psychotherapist as a person. It is a book about the development of the psychotherapist from the time he or she enters the field through his or her life stages and significant events, including burnout, therapist impairment, and death. Guy's book is a thoroughly researched and annotated work. He certainly has done a comprehensive review of the literature. His last two sections on career satisfaction and future trends are interesting. The book has one problem which is inherent in any attempt to encompass all of the theoretical orientations in the field. That is, at times it seems too encompassing and not definitive enough. All in all, however, this is a fine book which should be of interest to beginning psychotherapists as well as therapists in the field for some time. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Work flexibility or nonwork support? Theoretical and empirical distinctions for work–life initiatives.

Although scholars and practitioners tout the merits of various work–life initiatives, little research has been conducted to determine (a) whether broad categories of initiatives exist, and (b) whether these categories are predictive of work experiences or outcomes. We postulate 2 general types of work–life initiatives: work flexibility and nonwork support. Study 1 provides a systematic review of 385 research articles. Some research focused on specific work flexibility initiatives (e.g., flextime, telecommuting), but almost no research focused on specific nonwork support benefits (e.g., time off, dependent care). Most research confounded work flexibility and nonwork support by creating an aggregate index typically weighted toward nonwork support. This means that consulting psychologists and other practitioners may have difficulty applying research results to solve real organizational problems around work–life issues. Study 2 provides an exploratory assessment of our 2-factor model (N = 328). Results indicate initial internal validity for our 2-factor solution. Participation in work flexibility had direct associations with work-to-life conflict, work engagement, and life satisfaction, along with indirect associations with life satisfaction and psychological strain. Nonwork support possessed only a direct, negative association with life satisfaction. Implications for consulting psychologists, other practitioners, and future research are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Strategies used in coping with a cancer diagnosis predict meaning in life for survivors.

The search for meaning in life is part of the human experience. A negative life event may threaten perceptions about meaning in life, such as the benevolence of the world and one's sense of harmony and peace. The authors examined the longitudinal relationship between women's coping with a diagnosis of breast cancer and their self-reported meaning in life 2 years later. Multiple regression analyses revealed that positive strategies for coping predicted significant variance in the sense of meaning in life--feelings of inner peace, satisfaction with one's current life and the future, and spirituality and faith--and the absence of such strategies predicted reports of loss of meaning and confusion (ps     

The role of positive and negative emotions in life satisfaction judgment across nations.

This study examined how the frequency of positive and negative emotions is related to life satisfaction across nations. Participants were 8,557 people from 46 countries who reported on their life satisfaction and frequency of positive and negative emotions. Multilevel analyses showed that across nations, the experience of positive emotions was more strongly related to life satisfaction than the absence of negative emotions. Yet, the cultural dimensions of individualism and survival/self-expression moderated these relationships. Negative emotional experiences were more negatively related to life satisfaction in individualistic than in collectivistic nations, and positive emotional experiences had a larger positive relationship with life satisfaction in nations that stress self-expression than in nations that value survival. These findings show how emotional aspects of the good life vary with national culture and how this depends on the values that characterize one's society. Although to some degree, positive and negative emotions might be universally viewed as desirable and undesirable, respectively, there appear to be clear cultural differences in how relevant such emotional experiences are to quality of life. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Adler's psychology (of use) today: Personal history of traumatic life events as a self-handicapping strategy.

Investigated the hypothesis that the reporting of a history of traumatic life events may serve as a strategy to control attributions about performance in an evaluative setting (i.e., self-handicapping). 140 female undergraduates completed the state form of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory and were randomly assigned to 1 of 4 experimental conditions (i.e., 2 evaluation threats by 2 traumatic history instructions). In groups of 7, Ss received specific (the project concerned development of local norms for measures of social intelligence) or innocuous information. After completion of an initial questionnaire, Ss either were told that traumatic history has no effect on task performance or received no instructions about filling out measures of the traumatic value of past life experiences and 2 manipulation checks. Results, as predicted, show that Ss emphasized the adversity of events and experiences in their background when an uncertain evaluation was expected and when a traumatic background would serve as a suitable excuse for potential failure. Results generally support the hypothesized self-protective reporting of traumatic life events. (23 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Hurricane-related exposure experiences and stressors, other life events, and social support: Concurrent and prospective impact on children's persistent posttraumatic stress symptoms.

Objective: We investigated the influence of hurricane exposure, stressors occurring during the hurricane and recovery period, and social support on children's persistent posttraumatic stress (PTS). Method: Using a 2-wave, prospective design, we assessed 384 children (54% girls; mean age = 8.74 years) 9 months posthurricane, and we reassessed 245 children 21 months posthurricane. Children completed measures of exposure experiences, social support, hurricane-related stressors, life events, and PTS symptoms. Results: At Time 1, 35% of the children reported moderate to very severe levels of PTS symptoms; at Time 2, this reduced to 29%. Hurricane-related stressors influenced children's persistent PTS symptoms and the occurrence of other life events, which in turn also influenced persistent PTS symptoms. The cascading effects of hurricane stressors and other life events disrupted children's social support over time, which further influenced persistent PTS symptoms. Social support from peers buffered the impact of disaster exposure on children's PTS symptoms. Conclusions: The effects of a destructive hurricane on children's PTS symptoms persisted almost 2 years after the storm. The factors contributing to PTS symptoms are interrelated in complex ways. The findings suggest a need to close the gap between interventions delivered in the immediate and short-term aftermath and those delivered 2 years or more postdisaster. Such interventions might focus on helping children manage disaster-related stressors and other life events as well as bolstering children's support systems. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Cognitive adaptation of female incest survivors.

A survey questionnaire was completed by 142 adult female incest survivors. It was hypothesized that the closeness between the offender and the survivor at the time of the abuse (termed perceived incestuousness) was related to adult functioning and that this relationship could be examined, in part, by the level of accomplishment of three cognitive coping tasks (S. E. Taylor; see record 1984-17824-001). These tasks are searching for the meaning of a threatening event, regaining a sense of mastery over the event and over one's life generally, and enhancing one's self-esteem by engaging in downward social comparisons. The mediational model as described was not supported because perceived incestuousness was not significantly related to the tasks or to adult functioning. Most of the tasks, however, were significantly related to adult functioning, providing some empirical support for Taylor's (1983) model. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A note on the use of the Rorschach in the assessment of analyzability.

Psychoanalytic treatment entails an intense exploration of one's beliefs about self and other as these are played out with significant others in one's life, including the therapist. This exploration requires that a person be capable of such intensive and extensive self-exploration. Ordinarily, this assessment is made by the clinician on the basis of interview. However, an interview does not match the emotional rigors of an actual psychoanalytic experience and, hence, can miss the detection of latent and subtle ego defects that can potentially have a deleterious effect on the patient and the analysis. The analysis of a person's response to the Rorschach blots can be a helpful adjunct in this assessment. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Factors affecting quality of life of the Korean aged stroke patients

Among the most prevalent disabling diseases of old age, stroke is the leading chronic condition in Korea. The physical and psychosocial complications of a stroke can result in serious limitations on all aspects of one's life that affect overall quality of life. This study examines the relative importance of and interactions among factors which affect the quality of life of 119 stroke patients aged sixty-five and older in Korea. The model uses family support, personality (specifically hardiness), economic status, and physical functioning as independent variables, and quality of life as a dependent variable. The results of this study suggest that physical functioning and physical care by the family are important factors influencing quality of life of the aged stroke patients. Hardy personality is negatively associated with financial support and physical care by the family. These findings have several implications for policy development, clinical practice, and future research in this area.     

Why Susie sells seashells by the seashore: Implicit egotism and major life decisions.

Because most people possess positive associations about themselves, most people prefer things that are connected to the self (e.g., the letters in one's name). The authors refer to such preferences as implicit egotism. Ten studies assessed the role of implicit egotism in 2 major life decisions: where people choose to live and what people choose to do for a living. Studies 1-5 showed that people are disproportionately likely to live in places whose names resemble their own first or last names (e.g., people named Louis are disproportionately likely to live in St. Louis). Study 6 extended this finding to birthday number preferences. People were disproportionately likely to live in cities whose names began with their birthday numbers (e.g., Two Harbors, MN). Studies 7-10 suggested that people disproportionately choose careers whose labels resemble their names (e.g., people named Dennis or Denise are overrepresented among dentists). Implicit egotism appears to influence major life decisions. This idea stands in sharp contrast to many models of rational choice and attests to the importance of understanding implicit beliefs. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Stressful life events, anxiety sensitivity, and internalizing symptoms in adolescents.

Anxiety sensitivity represents a robust risk factor for the development of anxiety symptoms among both adolescents and adults. However, the development of anxiety sensitivity among adolescents remains inadequately understood. In this study, the authors examined the role of stressful life events as a risk factor for the development of elevated anxiety sensitivity. Anxiety sensitivity was then examined in a longitudinal design as a mechanism linking stressful life events to changes in anxiety symptoms. Stressful life events, anxiety sensitivity, and internalizing symptoms were assessed in a diverse community sample of adolescents (N = 1,065) at 3 time points spanning 7 months. The results indicated that stressful life events were longitudinally associated with increases in anxiety sensitivity and that certain types of stressful life events, specifically events related to health and events related to family discord, were differentially predictive of increases in anxiety sensitivity. Moreover, anxiety sensitivity mediated the longitudinal relation between stressful life events and anxiety symptoms. Evidence was also found for the predictive specificity of anxiety sensitivity to symptoms of anxiety but not depression. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Self-appraisal, life satisfaction, and retrospective life choices across one and three decades.

This research investigated the relationship of a self-appraisal of having lived up to one's intellectual abilities at midlife (average age of 49 years) with life satisfaction and retrospective life choices 1 and 3 decades later among 383 participants in the Terman Study of the Gifted. Study 1 showed that participants who reported living up to their intellectual abilities were higher in satisfaction with occupational success, satisfaction with family life, and joy in living 11 years later. Study 2 showed that participants who reported living up to their abilities were higher in overall life satisfaction and were less likely to report that they would make different life choices in work or family life 3 decades later. In an integrative structural equation model, the relation between the midlife self-appraisal of having lived up to intellectual abilities and overall satisfaction at age 80 was mediated by life satisfaction discrepancy at age 61. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Friendships and adaptation in the life course.

To consider friendships and their significance through the life course requires, first, differentiation of deep structure (i.e., reciprocity) from surface structure (i.e., the social exchange) and, second, assessment within a multifaceted framework that simultaneously emphasizes having friends, the identity of one's friends, and relationship quality. Having friends is correlated with a sense of well being across the life span, but developmental outcome also depends on the identity of one's friends as well as the quality of one's relationships with them. Greater attention needs to be given to the manner in which friendships differ from one another, continuities and changes across major developmental transitions, and differentiation of developmental pathways through which friendship experience contributes to individual outcome. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Cross-validity of procedures for selecting life insurance salesmen.

(See 34: 8503) Ss were 535 financed life insurance agents. A self-concept personality assessment inventory (the Activity Vector Analysis [AVA]), 5 personal-social history items; and age were the predictors used in the study. The criteria were standards for successful and unsuccessful salesmen. "Combining AVA and personal history data enhances the predictive efficiency of these measures in determining success or failure of life insurance agents over a sustained period of time." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The Integration of Stressful Life Experiences Scale (ISLES): Development and initial validation of a new measure.

Making meaning out of life stressors has been proposed as a crucial mechanism by which individuals adjust to these experiences. However, an easy-to-use, multidimensional, and well-validated measure of the meaning made after a stressful life event has not been developed and tested. Thus, the present study tested the reliability and validity of scores for a newly developed measure called the Integration of Stressful Life Experiences Scale (ISLES). In 2 samples of young adults—1 that experienced a variety of stressors (n = 178) and another that experienced a recent bereavement (n = 150)—ISLES scores were shown to have strong internal consistency and, among a subsample of participants, also exhibited moderate test–retest reliability. In both samples, support was also found for a 2-factor structure, with 1 factor assessing one's sense of having some footing in the world following the stressful life event and the other gauging the comprehensibility of the stressor. Convergent validity analyses revealed that ISLES scores are strongly associated with other theoretically related measures and with mental and physical health outcomes, offering support for the potential utility of this measure in research and clinical settings. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)