Electronic Library of Scientific Literature - © Academic Electronic Press



STUDIA PSYCHOLOGICA



Volume 45 / No. 2 / 2003


QUALITY OF LIFE: A PARADIGMATIC CHALLENGE TO PSYCHOLOGISTS

Damián KOVÁÈ

Institute of Experimental Psychology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Dúbravská cesta 9, 813 64 Bratislava, Slovak Republic

Abstract: In implicit psychology, Western culture primarily equates quality of life with good health, a well-functioning family and then with the possession of material goods or mammon - money. According to the political élite in advanced countries, the quality of life is ensured mainly by economy - height of the GDP symbolized mainly by the cost of the shopping basket. But what about the sick, the handicapped and the aging? The non-quality of their life was first noticed by medical experts in the early 30s of the 20th century. They primarily underlined relief from pain - discomfort, independence from medicaments, medical aids, the milieu. More or less in parallel with them, the quality of life also came to be noted by psychologists. Their principal criteria for it came to be subjective experiencing of satisfaction, well-being and happiness. Gradually, the phenomenon of quality of life became a subject of scrutiny by sociologists, environmentalists, political scientists; their numerous criteria for the quality of life are selectively dealt with here. The present study understandably lays stress on the psychological concepts of the quality of life. The principal terms are delimitated in confrontation with the views of various authors, methodical procedures are dealt with as problematic issues and certain methods.
The author gives an outline of his own model of the quality of life which, in comparison with existing concepts, and underlines especially the basal (universal) plane, from the individual-specific (civilizing) and meta (cultural-spiritual) level.
Quality of life represents a mega-problem for the oncoming epoch of mankind, bringing along paradigmatic changes in psychology, both on the theoretical plane and in application: from psycho-correction, psychotherapy, to optimization and prevention. These are the aims of the new challenge to psychologists for developing positive psychology.

Key words: quality of life, satisfaction, well-being, happiness, meaning of life, spirituality, positive psychology

pp. 81-101


MEANING AND HOPE - TWO FACTORS OF POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGICAL FUNCTIONING IN LATE ADULTHOOD

Peter HALAMA

Institute of Experimental Psychology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Dúbravská cesta 9, 813 64 Bratislava, Slovak Republic, E-mail: Peter.Halama@savba.sk

Abstract: The collaborative role of life meaning and hope in positive human functioning is investigated. The research sample consisted of 94 persons in late adulthood (50-79). Reker's Personal Meaning Index (PMI) was used for measuring life meaningfulness and Snyder's Hope Scale for measuring the level of hope. As indicators of mental functioning use was made of Rosenberg's Self-Esteem Scale (SES), Spielberger's State-Trait Personality Inventory (STPI), which measures one positive characteristic (curiosity) and three negative characteristics (depressiveness, aggressiveness and anxiousness) of mental health, Rotter's internality-externality scale, and dimension neuroticism from NEO Five Factor Inventory. A model with three latent variables was set up: positive life regard (created by meaningfulness and hope), positive mental functioning (self-esteem, curiosity and internality) and negative mental functioning (depressiveness, aggressiveness, anxiousness and neuroticism). The model with a suggested statistical causal influence of positive life regard to positive and negative functioning was tested by LISREL analysis. This analysis showed a strong positive causal influence of positive life regard on positive functioning and a negative causal influence on negative functioning. The discussion deals with the possible contribution of internal locus of control to positive life regard index, as ensued from the results.

Key words: meaning, hope, positive life regard

pp. 103-110


COGNITIVE PERFORMANCE AND POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER IN PERSONS EXPOSED TO WAR AND IMPRISONMENT

Jasminka BOBIÆ, Lukrecija PAVIÆEVIÆ, Milica GOMZI

Institute for Medical Research and Occupational Health, Ksaverska c. 2, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia

Abstract: A short set of cognitive tests was applied twice to a sample of 57 ex-prisoners of war, who had been exposed to war conditions before imprisonment. They were all right-handed men diagnosed as PTSD or partial PTSD on their first arrival. Their average age was 33.6 years, and they had been imprisoned from 30 to 720 days. The overall mean test and retest scores on Digit Span, Benton Visual Retention Test, Word Fluency Test and Complex Reactionmeter Drenovac were within the expected values for age and education. The differences between test and retest results show a significant decrease in psychomotor speed. Furthermore, younger ex-POWs with partial or full PTSD are more likely to show increased performance in recent memory, psychomotor speed and visual retention over time.

Key words: PTSD, prisoners of war, post-traumatic stress disorder, cognitive ability, neuro-psychological test performance

pp. 111-119


MINOR DEPRESSIONS IN ADVANCED AGE

O¾ga ÁROCHOVÁ, Alena POTAŠOVÁ

Institute of Experimental Psychology, Slovak Academy of Sciences

Dúbravská cesta 9, 813 64 Bratislava, Slovak Republic

Abstract: In a research on a group of senior citizens (N = 101, aged 60-87 yrs), the highly loaded items in the Anxiety-Insomnia Subscale of the General Health Questionnaire-28 imply that advancing age is a risk factor for the onset of the so-called minor depressions. In addition, it was found that the symptoms anxiety/insomnia are more highly loaded among senior citizens than in a group of patients with rheumatoid arthritis, thus giving support to the view that there may be considerable discrepancy between real indicators of the quality of life and that experienced by an individual.

Key words: quality of life, aging, depression

pp. 121-130


EFFECTS OF KIND OF DYAD AND OF SELF-SCHEMA ON PROBLEM SOLVING: AN EXPLORATORY STUDY

Nadege SOUBIALE1, Karine CARPENTIER2, Sandra JHEAN3

1 Centre Interdisciplinaire de Recherche en Linguistique et en Psychologie cognitive - Université de Reims Champagne Ardenne (CIRLEP - EA 2071), U.F.R. de Lettres et Sciences Humaines, 57 rue Pierre Taittinger, 51 096 Reims Cedex, France, E-mail: nsoubiale@9online.fr
2
Université de Reims Champagne Ardenne, U.F.R. de Lettres et Sciences Humaines, 57 rue Pierre Taittinger, 51 096 Reims Cedex, France
3
Laboratoire Déterminants culturels et sociaux des processus cognitifs et des conduites (Equipe 4) - Université Paris X Nanterre, 200 Avenue de la République, 92 001 Nanterre Cedex, France, E-mail: sandra.jhean@wanadoo.fr

Abstract: In this exploratory study, we compared the cognitive (cf. Tudge, Winterhoff, Hogan, 1996) and the psychosocial approaches to learning (cf. Mugny, 1985; Perret-Clermont, Nicolet, 1988; Monteil, 1988). We studied the effects of peer interactions among pupils aged 7-8 (n = 56) on performance in additive problem solving. We predicted that the rise or the drop in performance depends on the kind of dyad (symmetrical: expert/expert; novice/novice vs. asymmetrical: novice/expert; expert/novice). Academic self-schema was a second independent variable (cf. Monteil, 1988; Martinot, Monteil, 1995). The results supported both the cognitive and the psychosocial postulates. First, in accordance with the cognitive approach, there was a rise in performance among target pupils working with a partner more competent than themselves. Second, in accordance with the psychosocial postulates, performance rose in the conflict of incompetence situation (novice/novice dyad), and dropped in the conflict of competence (expert/expert dyad) and in the absence of conflict (expert/novice dyad) situations. There was no simple effect of the self-schema, nor any interaction effect between the two independent variables on performance. The discussion bears on the cognitive benefits to pupils collaborating in a solving problem activity (Tudge, 1992; Lomov, 1979, 1982).

Key words: school learning, cognitive and psychosocial approaches of learning, co-operation between peers, socio-cognitive conflict, academic self-schema, activity theory, communication and cognitive processes

pp. 131-149


MASCULINITY AND FEMININITY PERSONALITY TRAITS AND SELF-CONSTRUAL

Andreja AVSEC

Department of Psychology, University of Ljubljana, Askerceva 2, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia, E-mail: andreja.avsec1@guest.arnes.si

Abstract: A number of research findings has been reported recently regarding independent and interdependent self-construals as an individual difference variable within one culture. There were also some theoretical attempts to examine possible connections between interdependent or relational self and gender, but distinction between masculinity and femininity personality dimensions and self-construal has not been fully determined yet. Present research (N = 469 students) has been carried out in order to reveal the possible connections between these variables. We hypothesized that they reflect two general orientations. One is orientation toward interpersonal relatedness, referring to the participation of an individual in a group community of which he or she is a part (femininity and interdependent self). The other is orientation toward self, which relates to one's existence as an individual (masculinity and independent self). Results confirmed our expectations. The meaning of our findings for the theory of self- and gender-schema is discussed as well as the implications for future research, especially about discriminant validity of the constructs.

Key words: masculinity, femininity, interdependent self-construal, independent self-construal

pp. 151-159


ARE THERE EMOTIONAL ASPECTS IN THE WORK OF C.E. SPEARMAN (1863-1945)?

Juan Antonio MORA-MÉRIDA, Rosa María RUÍZ-DOMÍNGUEZ

Departamento de Psicología Básica, Facultad de Psicología, Universidad de Málaga, 29007 Malaga, Spain, E-Mail: mora_merida@uma.es

Abstract: Maybe one of the most important lines in present-day psychological research is that dedicated to Emotional Intelligence (EI). Over the last ten years we have witnessed a substantial increase in the production of works devoted to this topic. Daniel Goleman's work Emotional Intelligence (1995) is normally cited as one of the most successful works in this area for having introduced the theory of EI as if it were a complete novelty to the Psychology of Intelligence: a fast-evolving field with links between educational and evolutionary or social psychology and many other branches. Recently some authors, such as Stephen Jay Gould (1997) The Mismeasure of Man, have questioned if Spearman offers an excessively rationalistic frame to understand Intelligence. Centered mainly on three classic works by C.E. Spearman, The Nature of Intelligence and the Principles of Cognition (1923), The Abilities of Man: Their Nature and Measurement (1927) and A History of Psychology in Autobiography (1930), we can discover some emotional aspects in his conception of Intelligence. Finally, we introduce a debate about why an important theory may go unnoticed if it does not appear in a critical historic period or in an adequate social context (Mora, 1995; Danzinger, 1997; Rappard, 1997).

Key words: emotional intelligence, intelligence, C.E. Spearman, human intelligence, theories of intelligence

pp. 161-168


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