In this article, the author describes a new theoretical perspective on positive emotions and situates this new perspective within the emerging field of positive psychology. The broaden-and-build theory posits that experiences of positive emotions broaden people's momentary thought-action repertoires, which in turn serves to build their enduring personal resources, ranging from physical and intellectual resources to social and psychological resources. Preliminary empirical evidence supporting the broaden-and-build theory is reviewed, and open empirical questions that remain to be tested are identified. The theory and findings suggest that the capacity to experience positive emotions may be a fundamental human strength central to the study of human flourishing.

http://www.elaborer.org/cours/A13/lectures/Fredrickson2001.pdf

The role of positive emotions in positive psychology. The broaden-and-build theory of positive emotions.

Attachment--and loss.

Erik Eriksen is a remarkable individual. He has no college degrees yet is Professor of Human Development at Harvard University. He came to psychology via art, which explains why the reader will find him painting contexts and backgrounds rather than stating dull facts and concepts. He has been a training psychoanalyst for many years as well as a perceptive observer of cultural and social settings and their effect on growing up. This is not just a book on childhood. It is a panorama of our society. Anxiety in young children, apathy in American Indians, confusion in veterans of war, and arrogance in young Nazis are scrutinized under the psychoanalytic magnifying glass. The material is well written and devoid of technical jargon. The theme of the volume is that it is human to have a long childhood which will leave a lifelong residue of emotional immaturity in man. Primitive groups and

Childhood and Society.

We are in the midst of a technological revolution whereby, for the first time, researchers can link daily word use to a broad array of real-world behaviors. This article reviews several computerized text analysis methods and describes how Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count (LIWC) was created and validated. LIWC is a transparent text analysis program that counts words in psychologically meaningful categories. Empirical results using LIWC demonstrate its ability to detect meaning in a wide variety of experimental settings, including to show attentional focus, emotionality, social relationships, thinking styles, and individual differences.

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The psychological meaning of words: LIWC and computerized text analysis methods

Policy-makers are considering large-scale programs aimed at self-control to improve citizens’ health and wealth and reduce crime. Experimental and economic studies suggest such programs could reap benefits. Yet, is self-control important for the health, wealth, and public safety of the population? Following a cohort of 1,000 children from birth to the age of 32 y, we show that childhood self-control predicts physical health, substance dependence, personal finances, and criminal offending outcomes, following a gradient of self-control. Effects of children's self-control could be disentangled from their intelligence and social class as well as from mistakes they made as adolescents. In another cohort of 500 sibling-pairs, the sibling with lower self-control had poorer outcomes, despite shared family background. Interventions addressing self-control might reduce a panoply of societal costs, save taxpayers money, and promote prosperity.

/pdf/a-gradient-of-childhood-self-control-predicts-health-wealth-5fdg5ylocq.pdf

A gradient of childhood self-control predicts health, wealth, and public safety

Many of the links of religiousness with health, well-being, and social behavior may be due to religion's influences on self-control or self-regulation. Using Carver and Scheier's (1998) theory of self-regulation as a framework for organizing the empirical research, the authors review evidence relevant to 6 propositions: (a) that religion can promote self-control; (b) that religion influences how goals are selected, pursued, and organized; (c) that religion facilitates self-monitoring; (d) that religion fosters the development of self-regulatory strength; (e) that religion prescribes and fosters proficiency in a suite of self-regulatory behaviors; and (f) that some of religion's influences on health, well-being, and social behavior may result from religion's influences on self-control and self-regulation. The authors conclude with suggestions for future research.

Religion, self-regulation, and self-control: Associations, explanations, and implications.

Spirituality and religion have been seen as beneficial, harmful, and irrelevant to health. We examine the recent research on this topic. We focus on (a) defining spirituality and religion both conceptually and operationally; (b) the relationships between spirituality/religion and health; and (c) priorities for future research. Although the effect sizes are moderate, there typically are links between religious practices and reduced onset of physical and mental illnesses, reduced mortality, and likelihood of recovery from or adjustment to physical and mental illness. The three mechanisms underlying these relationships involve religion increasing healthy behaviors, social support, and a sense of coherence or meaning. This research is based on religion measures, however, and it should be emphasized that spirituality may be different.

Spirituality and Health: What We Know, What We Need to Know

1. The Psychology of Forgiveness: History, Conceptual Issues, and Overview, Michael E. McCullough, Kenneth I. Pargament, and Carl E. Thoresen I. Conceptual and Measurement Issues 2.Religious Perspectives on Forgiveness, Mark S. Rye, Kenneth I. Pargament, M. Amir Ali, Guy L. Beck, Elliot N. Dorff, Charles Hallisey, Vasudha Narayanan, and James G. Williams 3.The Meaning of Forgiveness in a Specific Situational and Cultural Context: Persons Living with HIV/AIDS in India, Lydia R. Temoshok and Prabha S. Chandra 4. What We Know (and Need to Know) about Assessing Forgiveness Constructs, Michael E. McCullough, K. Chris Rachal, and William T. Hoyt II. Basic Psychological Research 5. The Neuropsychological Correlates of Forgiveness, Andrew B. Newberg, Eugene G. d'Aquili, Stephanie K. Newberg, and Verushka deMarici 6. Developmental and Cognitive Points of View on Forgiveness, Etienne Mullet and Michele Girard 7. Expressing Forgiveness and Repentance: Benefits and Barriers, Julie Juola Exline and Roy F. Baumeister 8. Personality and Forgiveness, Robert A. Emmons III. Applications in Counseling, Psychotherapy, and Health 9. Forgiveness as a Process of Change in Individual Psychotherapy, Wanda M. Malcolm and Leslie S. Greenberg 10. The Use of Forgiveness in Marital Therapy, Kristina Coop Gordon, Donald H. Baucom, and Douglas K. Snyder 11. Group Interventions to Promote Forgiveness: What Researchers and Clinicians Ought to Know, Everett L. Worthington, Jr., Steven J. Sandage, and Jack W. Berry 12. Forgiveness and Health: An Unanswered Question, Carl E. Thoresen, Alex H. S. Harris, and Frederic Luskin 13. Forgiveness in Pastoral Care and Counseling, John Patton IV. Conclusion 14. The Frontier of Forgiveness: Seven Directions for Psychological Study and Practice, Kenneth I. Pargament, Michael E. McCullough, and Carl E. Thoresen

Forgiveness: Theory, research, and practice.

The investigators proposed that transgression-related interpersonal motivations result from 3 psychological parameters: forbearance (abstinence from avoidance and revenge motivations, and maintenance of benevolence), trend forgiveness (reductions in avoidance and revenge, and increases in benevolence), and temporary forgiveness (transient reductions in avoidance and revenge, and transient increases in benevolence). In 2 studies, the investigators examined this 3-parameter model. Initial ratings of transgression severity and empathy were directly related to forbearance but not trend forgiveness. Initial responsibility attributions were inversely related to forbearance but directly related to trend forgiveness. When people experienced high empathy and low responsibility attributions, they also tended to experience temporary forgiveness. The distinctiveness of each of these 3 parameters underscores the importance of studying forgiveness temporally.

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Forgiveness, forbearance, and time: the temporal unfolding of transgression-related interpersonal motivations.

Because forgiveness theory has tended to neglect the role of dispositional factors, the authors present novel theorizing about the nature of vengefulness (the disposition to seek revenge following interpersonal offenses) and its relationship to forgiveness and other variables. In Study 1, vengefulness was correlated cross-sectionally with (a) less forgiving, (b) greater rumination about the offense, (c) higher negative affectivity, and (d) lower life satisfaction. Vengefulness at baseline was negatively related to change in forgiving throughout an 8-week follow-up. In Study 2, vengefulness was negatively associated with Agreeableness and positively associated with Neuroticism. Measures of the Big Five personality factors explained 30% of the variance in vengefulness.

/pdf/vengefulness-relationships-with-forgiveness-rumination-well-10smk9r679.pdf

Michael E. McCullough

Papers

Religion, self-regulation, and self-control: Associations, explanations, and implications.

Spirituality and Health: What We Know, What We Need to Know

Forgiveness: Theory, research, and practice.

Forgiveness, forbearance, and time: the temporal unfolding of transgression-related interpersonal motivations.

Vengefulness: Relationships with Forgiveness, Rumination, Well-Being, and the Big Five