Paul T. P. Wong

Bio: Paul T. P. Wong is an academic researcher from Trent University. The author has contributed to research in topics: Meaning (existential) & Positive psychology. The author has an hindex of 48, co-authored 167 publications receiving 9963 citations. Previous affiliations of Paul T. P. Wong include Trinity Western University & University of California, Los Angeles.

When people ask "why" questions, and the heuristics of attributional search.

Abstract: Five experiments making use of a self-probe methodology in both simulated and real conditions demonstrated that individuals do engage in spontaneous attributional search. This search is most likely when the outcome of an event is negative and unexpected. Content analysis of attributional questions also suggested that causal search is biased toward internality after failure but toward externality following success. This reverse of the oft-reported hedonic bias implicates the adaptive function of causal search. The data also revealed that the most commonly used heuristic in attributional search is to center on the locus and control dimensions of causality. The importance of heuristics in causal search and the advantages of the self-probe methodology employed in these investigations are discussed.

The human quest for meaning : a handbook of psychological research and clinical applications

Abstract: Contents: R.C. Barnes, Foreword. Introduction. Part I:Theoretical Approaches to Personal Meaning. S.R. Maddi, Creating Meaning Through Making Decisions. E. Klinger, The Search for Meaning in Evolutionary Perspective and Its Clinical Implications. D. Korotkov, The Sense of Coherence: Making Sense Out of Chaos. D.R. Beike, P.M. Niedenthal, The Process of Temporal Self-Comparison in Self-Evaluation and Life Satisfaction. P.S. Fry, The Development of Personal Meaning and Wisdom in Adolescence: A Reexamination of Moderating and Consolidating Factors and Influences. P.T.P. Wong, Implicit Theories of Meaningful Life and the Development of the Personal Meaning Profile. Part II:Research in Personal Meaning. K.L. Sommer, R.F. Baumeister, The Construction of Meaning From Life Events: Empirical Studies of Personal Narratives. R.A. Emmons, P.M. Colby, H.A. Kaiser, When Losses Lead to Gains: Personal Goals and the Recovery of Meaning. P. Ebersole, Types and Depth of Written Life Meaning. B.R. Little, Personal Project Pursuit: Dimensions and Dynamic of Personal Meaning. C.D. Ryff, B. Singer, The Role of Purpose in Life and Personal Growth in Positive Human Health. D.L. Debats, Measurement of Personal Meaning: The Psychometric Properties of the Life Regard Index. P.T.P. Wong, Academic Values and Achievement Motivation. Part III:The Role of Personal Meaning in Counseling and Psychotherapy. J. Fabry, The Calls of Meaning. E. Lukas, The Meaning of Life and the Goals in Life for Chronically Ill People. H.J.M. Hermans, Meaning as an Organized Process of Valuation: A Self-Confrontational Approach. C.J. Farran, D.R. Kuhn, Finding Meaning Through Caring for Persons With Alzheimer's Disease: Assessment and Intervention. P.T.P. Wong, Spirituality, Meaning, and Successful Aging. P.T.P. Wong, Meaning-Centered Counseling.

Meaning and Purpose in Life and Well-being: a Life-span Perspective

Abstract: Three hundred men and women at five developmental stages from young adulthood to the old-old completed measures of life attitudes and well-being. Significant age differences were found on five life attitude dimensions: Life Purpose (LP), Death Acceptance (DA), Goal Seeking (GS), Future Meaning (FM), and Existential Vacuum (EV). LP and DA increased with age; GS and FM decreased with age; EV showed a curvilinear relationship with age. Significant sex differences were found for Life Control (LC) and Will To Meaning (WM). Women viewed life as more under their control and expressed a stronger will to find meaning as compared with males. FM, LP, and LC were found to predict psychological and physical well-being; EV, GS, and DA predicted psychological and physical discomfort. Preliminary findings attest to the importance of various life attitudes in promoting health and wellness.

Positive psychology 2.0: Towards a balanced interactive model of the good life.

Abstract: This paper first describes the growing pains and challenges of the positive psychology (PP) movement and identifies the four pillars of the good life as meaning, virtue, resilience, and well-being, which are all shaped by culture. I then introduce three issues that characterise the second wave of PP (referred to as PP 2.0). The first concerns the need for a comprehensive taxonomy of PP. The second involves the hypothesis that meaning-orientation and happiness-orientation represent two different visions of the good life with profound practical implications. Eudaimonia is viewed as meaning plus virtue. The third issue concerns a dual-systems model as a way to integrate the complex interactions between the negatives and positives to optimise positive outcomes in various situations. I conclude that PP 2.0 is characterised by a balanced, interactive, meaning-centered, and cross-cultural perspective. Keywords: meaning, subjective well-being, resilience, virtue, eudaimonia Positive psychology (PP) has been all the rage since Martin Seligman's APA president address in 1998. In spite of its controversial nature (Carstensen & Charles, 2003; Held, 2002, 2004; Lazarus, 2003), PP has effectively changed the language and landscape of mainstream psychology and it continues to grow exponentially in the teaching, research, and applications of PP. The potential of applying PP to enhance well-being is almost unlimited; it has already opened up new career opportunities for psychologists in coaching, counselling, and consultation (Linley & Joseph, 2004; Linley, Joseph, Harrington, & Wood, 2006). The PP movement has been spreading like a forest fire with no sign of abating: research articles, books, and academic conferences on PP continue to multiply. The formation of the International Association of Positive Psychology is one of the many recent developments attesting to the global appeal of PP. The vitality and creativity of PP research can be found in mainstream psychology journals as well as specialized journals such as the Journal of Positive Psychology and the Journal of Happiness Studies. By all indications, the prospects of PP are bright, but there is a need to take stock and assess its future direction, now that the dust has settled after the initial explosive growth. The present paper represents both a reassessment and a reformulation of PP from a Canadian vantage point. Seligman's (1998a) primary reason for launching the PP movement is to address the imbalance in mainstream psychology. He emphasizes what is good about people to counteract psychology's preoccupation with psychopathology. This premise is correct with respect to applied psychology and the study of emotions, but it becomes questionable if one considers the totality of mainstream psychology research. For example, numerous PP topics were already well researched prior to Seligman's (1998a) APA presidential address. Hart and Sasso (2011) have found evidence of substantial growth of several PP sub domains, especially resilience. Given the above, would PP become superfluous when an analysis of publication rates of all the growth-oriented research topics fail to show a negativity bias in mainstream psychology? I think not. I propose that a stronger argument in support of the legitimacy of PP is that PP is much more than a corrective reaction to the perceived imbalance in the literature. Properly understood, the overarching mission of PP is to answer the fundamental questions of what makes life worth living and how to improve life for all people ? this is also the heart and soul of the mission of both APA and CPA. The Growing Pains and Challenges of Positive Psychology Like any new movement, PP has attracted both supporters and detractors. Some of the criticisms are caused by overstatements, resulting in unnecessary controversies and criticisms. For example, the controversy regarding humanistic psychology's contribution to PP remains unresolved (Bohart & Greening, 2001; Robbins & Friedman, 2008). …

User acceptance of information technology: toward a unified view

Abstract: Information technology (IT) acceptance research has yielded many competing models, each with different sets of acceptance determinants. In this paper, we (1) review user acceptance literature and discuss eight prominent models, (2) empirically compare the eight models and their extensions, (3) formulate a unified model that integrates elements across the eight models, and (4) empirically validate the unified model. The eight models reviewed are the theory of reasoned action, the technology acceptance model, the motivational model, the theory of planned behavior, a model combining the technology acceptance model and the theory of planned behavior, the model of PC utilization, the innovation diffusion theory, and the social cognitive theory. Using data from four organizations over a six-month period with three points of measurement, the eight models explained between 17 percent and 53 percent of the variance in user intentions to use information technology. Next, a unified model, called the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT), was formulated, with four core determinants of intention and usage, and up to four moderators of key relationships. UTAUT was then tested using the original data and found to outperform the eight individual models (adjusted R2 of 69 percent). UTAUT was then confirmed with data from two new organizations with similar results (adjusted R2 of 70 percent). UTAUT thus provides a useful tool for managers needing to assess the likelihood of success for new technology introductions and helps them understand the drivers of acceptance in order to proactively design interventions (including training, marketing, etc.) targeted at populations of users that may be less inclined to adopt and use new systems. The paper also makes several recommendations for future research including developing a deeper understanding of the dynamic influences studied here, refining measurement of the core constructs used in UTAUT, and understanding the organizational outcomes associated with new technology use.

Happiness is everything, or is it? Explorations on the meaning of psychological well-being.

Abstract: Reigning measures of psychological well-being have little theoretical grounding, despite an extensive literature on the contours of positive functioning. Aspects of well-being derived from this literature (i.e., self-acceptance, positive relations with others, autonomy, environmental mastery, purpose in life, and personal growth) were operationalized. Three hundred and twenty-one men and women, divided among young, middle-aged, and older adults, rated themselves on these measures along with six instruments prominent in earlier studies (i.e., affect balance, life satisfaction, self-esteem, morale, locus of control, depression). Results revealed that positive relations with others, autonomy, purpose in life, and personal growth were not strongly tied to prior assessment indexes, thereby supporting the claim that key aspects of positive functioning have not been represented in the empirical arena. Furthermore, age profiles revealed a more differentiated pattern of well-being than is evident in prior research.

Childhood and Society.

Abstract: 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

Posttraumatic Growth: Conceptual Foundations and Empirical Evidence

Abstract: This article describes the concept of posttraumnatic growth, its conceptual founda tions, and supporting empirical evidence. Posttraumatic growth is the experience of positive change that occurs as a result of the struggle with highly challenging life cri ses. It is nmanifested in a variety of ways, including an increased appreciation for life in general, more meaningful interpersonal relationships, an increased sense ofpersonal strength, changed priorities, and a richer existential and spiritual life. Although the term is new, the idea thatgreatgood can comefrom great suffering is ancient. We pro pose a modelfor understanding the process ofposttraumatic growth in which individ ual characteristics, support and disclosure, and niore centrally, significant cognitive processing involving cognitive structures threatened or nullified by the trauniatic events, play an important role. It is also suggested that posttraumatic growth mutually interacts with life wisdom and the development of the life narrative, and that it is an on going process, not a static outcome.

Target Article: "Posttraumatic Growth: Conceptual Foundations and Empirical Evidence".

Abstract: This article describes the concept of posttraumatic growth, its conceptual foundations, and supporting empirical evidence. Posttraumatic growth is the experience of positive change that occurs as a result of the struggle with highly challenging life crises. It is manifested in a variety of ways, including an increased appreciation for life in general, more meaningful interpersonal relationships, an increased sense of personal strength, changed priorities, and a richer existential and spiritual life. Although the term is new, the idea that great good can come from great suffering is ancient. We propose a model for understanding the process of posttraumatic growth in which individual characteristics, support and disclosure, and more centrally, significant cognitive processing involving cognitive structures threatened or nullified by the traumatic events, play an important role. It is also suggested that posttraumatic growth mutually interacts with life wisdom and the development of the life narrative, and t...