Having a Lot of a Good Thing: Multiple Important Group Memberships as a Source of Self-Esteem

Membership in important social groups can promote a positive identity. We propose and test an identity resource model in which personal self-esteem is boosted by membership in additional important social groups. Belonging to multiple important group memberships predicts personal self-esteem in children (Study 1a), older adults (Study 1b), and former residents of a homeless shelter (Study 1c). Study 2 shows that the effects of multiple important group memberships on personal self-esteem are not reducible to number of interpersonal ties. Studies 3a and 3b provide longitudinal evidence that multiple important group memberships predict personal self-esteem over time. Studies 4 and 5 show that collective self-esteem mediates this effect, suggesting that membership in multiple important groups boosts personal self-esteem because people take pride in, and derive meaning from, important group memberships. Discussion focuses on when and why important group memberships act as a social resource that fuels personal self-esteem.     

An in-depth look into the association between morningness–eveningness and well-being: evidence for mediating and moderating effects of personality

Morningness–eveningness and standard personality traits are associated with well-being but few studies have directly compared the two types of construct as correlates of life satisfaction. Influences on well-being common to both chronotype and personality may include shared biological bases for depression and sleep disturbance, tendencies toward social jetlag, and emotion-regulation mechanisms. The current study tested mediation and moderation hypotheses in a sample of 379 Polish adults. The first hypothesis was that conscientiousness and emotional stability traits would mediate the relationship between morningness and life satisfaction. Consistent with previous results, morningness, the two personality traits, and satisfaction tended to be mutually positively correlated. A multiple mediation analysis showed that both traits partially mediated the morningness–satisfaction association. Data are compatible with morningness influencing personality development adaptively, although other causal hypotheses could be advanced. The second hypothesis was that extraversion would moderate the association between chronotype and satisfaction. This hypothesis was supported, with extraverted evening types showing disproportionately high life satisfaction, whereas introverted evening types showed the lowest levels of satisfaction. Level of extraversion may influence whether or not evening types choose to engage in adaptive social activities that boost well-being during the evening hours. Results demonstrate the importance of investigating both chronotype and personality in studies of well-being.     

Personal and Network Dynamics in Performance of Knowledge Workers: A Study of Australian Breast Radiologists

Materials and Methods

In this paper, we propose a theoretical model based upon previous studies about personal and social network dynamics of job performance. We provide empirical support for this model using real-world data within the context of the Australian radiology profession. An examination of radiologists’ professional network topology through structural-positional and relational dimensions and radiologists’ personal characteristics in terms of knowledge, experience and self-esteem is provided. Thirty one breast imaging radiologists completed a purpose designed questionnaire regarding their network characteristics and personal attributes. These radiologists also independently read a test set of 60 mammographic cases: 20 cases with cancer and 40 normal cases. A Jackknife free response operating characteristic (JAFROC) method was used to measure the performance of the radiologists’ in detecting breast cancers.

Results

Correlational analyses showed that reader performance was positively correlated with the social network variables of degree centrality and effective size, but negatively correlated with constraint and hierarchy. For personal characteristics, the number of mammograms read per year and self-esteem (self-evaluation) positively correlated with reader performance. Hierarchical multiple regression analysis indicated that the combination of number of mammograms read per year and network’s effective size, hierarchy and tie strength was the best fitting model, explaining 63.4% of the variance in reader performance. The results from this study indicate the positive relationship between reading high volumes of cases by radiologists and expertise development, but also strongly emphasise the association between effective social/professional interactions and informal knowledge sharing with high performance.     

The study of athletes' body perception and gender role

In this study, it has been aimed to examine athletes' body perception and gender role. 120 male athletes and 120 non-athletic male university students participated in the study voluntarily. In the study, as the data collecting means, The Multidimensional Body-Self Relations Questionnaire-MBSRQ was used in order to determine males' body perception levels, BEM Sex Role Inventory-BSRI was used to determine gender roles and Personal Information Form developed by the researcher was used to ascertain personal features of the subjects. When the athletes' body perception levels are examined, the features of physical competence orientation, health orientation, appearance evaluation, fitness evaluation, health evaluation and body areas satisfaction have been found to be higher than non-athletes' (p < 0.05). On the other hand; no difference has been found between athletes and non-athletes in terms of appearance orientation (p > 0.05). When gender roles are examined, athletes have been found to have higher values than non-athletes' in terms of masculinity, femininity and social desirability (p < 0.05). To conclude; as well as considering sports as a factor increasing individuals' body perception level and gender role, it is also thought that athletes care about health, appearance and physical competence and are glad of body parts because of their muscled body structure developing due to the exercises and have flexible personality to show feminine and masculine features that the environment needs in terms of gender role.     

Weight loss goals among African-American women with type 2 diabetes in a behavioral weight control program

African‐American women with type 2 diabetes experience limited weight loss in behavioral weight control programs. Some research suggests that overly ambitious weight loss expectations may negatively affect weight losses achieved but it is unknown whether they affect weight loss among African‐American women. The current study examined personal weight loss goals and expected satisfaction with a reasonable weight loss among African‐American women with type 2 diabetes starting a behavioral obesity treatment. We also explored associations among these factors and weight loss treatment outcomes. Self‐identified African‐American women (N = 84) in a 24‐session group program were assessed at baseline and 6‐month follow‐up. At baseline, women indicated weight loss goals of 14.1 ± 6.6 kg (14% of initial weight). They also reported relatively high expected satisfaction with a reasonable weight loss (7–10%). On average, participants lost 3.0 ± 3.9 kg (3% of initial weight) and attended 73 ± 21% of group sessions. Neither weight loss goals nor expected satisfaction with a reasonable weight loss was correlated with either actual weight loss outcome or attendance. Having higher personal weight loss goals was associated with lower expectations of satisfaction with a reasonable weight loss. This suggests that African‐American women with type 2 diabetes enter treatment hoping to lose far more weight than they are likely to achieve. It is important to understand the psychosocial sequelae of failing to reach these goals on subsequent weight maintenance and future weight loss attempts within this population.     

Family background characteristics and relationship satisfaction in a native community in Canada

Abstract

Using data collected from a Native Canadian community by Embree (1993), we examine the influence of personal and family background characteristics on satisfaction with spousal relationships, both legal marriages and cohabitations. Of special interest are the quality of relationships with parents while growing up, alcohol abuse by the parent(s), and the experience of sexual abuse during childhood. Personal traits such as age, sex, and gender role attitudes and the respondent's own drinking behavior are also considered. Path analytic techniques model both the direct effects of independent variables on relationship satisfaction as well as the role of personal consumption of alcohol as an intervening variable in level of satisfaction with a relationship. The results of the analysis indicate that personal consumption of alcohol and the experience of sexual abuse during childhood are the best direct predictors of level of satisfaction with the current relationship, with higher alcohol consumption and experience of sexual abuse related to lower satisfaction. Age also has a significant direct, though smaller, positive influence on relationship satisfaction. Sexual abuse and the respondent's sex are also linked to level of satisfaction through personal alcohol consumption. With personal alcohol use, both the respondent's sex and the experience of sexual abuse during childhood have a significant effect, with males and those sexually abused as children reporting higher levels of alcohol consumption. The socialization explanation of the intergenerational consequences of parental behavior argues that parental role models are primary to the future family formation behavior of children. Consistent with this hypothesis, the findings concerning sexual abuse, in particular, as a predictor of both personal alcohol use and relationship satisfaction seem to underscore the importance of antecedent family characteristics in influencing later adjustment to adult roles and responsibilities.     

Self-Esteem and Change in Body Mass Index over 3 Years in a Cohort of Adolescents

Self-esteem has been hypothesized to be lower in obese adolescents relative to their normal weight peers and to be an important factor in preventing or reversing obesity. The present study examined the relationship between obesity and self-esteem cross-sectionally and prospectively over three years in a cohort of 1278 adolescents in grades 7 to 9 at baseline. Cross-sectional analyses revealed an inverse association between physical appearance self-esteem and body mass index in both males and females. In females, body mass index was inversely associated with global self-esteem, close friendship, and behavioral conduct self-esteem. In males, body mass index was inversely associated with athletic and romantic appeal self-esteem. Prospectively, in females, physical appearance and social acceptance self-esteem at baseline were inversely related to body mass index three years later. Baseline self-esteem was unrelated prospectively to change in body mass index in males. All associations were modest in magnitude. These results suggest that in a middle class white sample of adolescents, self-esteem specific to physical appearance is modestly associated with body mass index. Low self-esteem does not appear to predict the development of obesity over time.     

假体隆胸患者手术前后生命质量和自尊的评估

目的:通过对接受假体法隆胸患者的手术前后的生命质量和自尊水平进行主观的评价,得到真实、可靠的手术效果评价结果,最终提高隆胸手术患者的满意度。方法:选取接受假体法隆胸术患者共60例,在手术之前、术后6个月使用SF-36生命质量量表和Rosenberg自尊量表进行生命质量状况和自尊状况的测量评估,并和常模进行比较。结果:接受假体法隆胸患者术前SF-36生命质量量表中社会功能(SF)和精神健康(MH)两项得分明显低于常模(P0.01);术后6个月量表中社会功能(SF)和精神健康(MH)两项水平有显著改善(P0.01);Rosenberg自尊量表显示患者术后6个月的自尊水平较术前有明显的改善(P0.001)。结论:假体法隆胸手术能使患者的生命质量得到一定程度的改善,隆胸手术对患者的自尊水平有积极的显著的影响。     

Self‐stigma and the “why try” effect: impact on life goals and evidence‐based practices

Many individuals with mental illnesses are troubled by self-stigma and the subsequent processes that accompany this stigma: low self-esteem and self-efficacy. “Why try” is the overarching phenomenon of interest here, encompassing self-stigma, mediating processes, and their effect on goal-related behavior. In this paper, the literature that explains “why try” is reviewed, with special focus on social psychological models. Self-stigma comprises three steps: awareness of the stereotype, agreement with it, and applying it to one’s self. As a result of these processes, people suffer reduced self-esteem and self-efficacy. People are dissuaded from pursuing the kind of opportunities that are fundamental to achieving life goals because of diminished self-esteem and self-efficacy. People may also avoid accessing and using evidence-based practices that help achieve these goals. The effects of self-stigma and the “why try” effect can be diminished by services that promote consumer empowerment.     

Behavioral Interactions of Two Solitary,Halictine Bees with Comparisons among Solitary,Communal and Eusocial Species

Laboratory behavioral experiments were conducted with two solitary, halictine bee species, in the genus Lasioglossum, to examine the nature of behavioral interactions between non-nestmate females. The experimental design of this study was identical to previous work on both a communal (Kukuk 1992) and a eusocial Lasioglossum species (Breed et al. 1978), thereby providing data for comparison of female-female interactions in species within a single, very large genus that exhibit different sociality. Both solitary species exhibited low levels of aggressive behavior yet nearly all females were reproductively active, as determined by subsequent dissections. Neither ovarian width nor size was associated with aggression in either species. Interspecific comparisons reveal large differences in cooperation and aggression among the four congeneric species. The communal species exhibits significantly more cooperative and less aggressive behavior than all other species suggesting that communal social behavior in Lasioglossum is not phenetically intermediate between the behavior of solitary and eusocial species.     

Genetic variability within the innate immune system influences personality traits in women

Raised levels of inflammation markers have been associated with several mental disorders; however, studies regarding the relationship between inflammation or the immune system and various aspects of human behaviour are not numerous. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether an association exists between personality traits and two single nucleotide polymorphisms located in genes that are associated with the innate immune system. The studied population consisted of 42-year-old women recruited from the population registry that had been assessed by means of Karolinska Scales of Personality, a self-reported inventory. The first polymorphism, +1444C>T (rs1130864), is located in the gene coding for C-reactive protein (CRP), a marker of low-grade inflammation. The T-allele has previously been suggested to be linked to raised serum levels of CRP. The second polymorphism, Y402H (1277T>C, rs1061170), is located in the gene coding for complement factor H, an important regulator of the complement system. The C-allele has consistently been associated with age-related macular degeneration. While the +1444T allele was associated with higher scores in the personality traits impulsiveness, monotony avoidance and social desirability, the 1277C polymorphism was associated with higher scores in verbal aggression and lower scores in social desirability. In conclusion, the associations between the personality traits and the studied polymorphisms further support the possible influence of the immune system on mental functions.     

Loneliness,Social Integration and Consumption of Sugar-Containing Beverages: Testing the Social Baseline Theory

Objective

Social Baseline Theory (SBT) proposes that close relationships aid in metabolic resource management and that individuals without significant relationships may experience more demands on their own neural metabolic resources on a daily basis when solving problems, remaining vigilant against potential threats and regulating emotional responses. This study tests a hypothesised consequence derived from SBT: relative social isolation leads to increased levels of sugar intake.

Methods

Based on cross-sectional, self-reported data from the Norwegian Mother and Child Cohort Study (N = 90 084), information on social integration and the consumption of both sugar-sweetened and artificially sweetened sodas and juices was obtained from a large number of women in early pregnancy. Multiple regression analyses were conducted to assess whether loneliness, marital status, relationship satisfaction, advice from others than partner, and cohesion at work is associated with consumption of sodas and juices.

Results

Perceived loneliness was associated with elevated intake of all sugary beverages, while relationship satisfaction was negatively associated with all sugary beverages. Being married or cohabitating, having supportive friends, and having a sense of togetherness at work were associated with lower intake of two out of three sugar-containing beverages. These associations were significant, even after controlling for factors such as body mass index, weight related self-image, depression, physical activity, educational level, age and income. In comparison, a statistically significant relationship emerged between relationship satisfaction and artificially sweetened cola. No other predictor variables were significantly associated with any type of artificially sweetened beverage.

Conclusions

This study indicates that loneliness and social integration influence the level of consumption of sugary beverages. The results support the hypothesis derived from the Social Baseline Theory that relative social isolation leads to increased levels of sugar intake.     

Pet Ownership,Other Domestic Relationships,and Satisfaction with Life among Seniors: Results from a Canadian National Survey

ABSTRACT

Given unprecedented aging in the global population along with the physical and psychological challenges associated with aging, it is important to identify ways to protect and promote quality of life for seniors. Previous research has suggested that pet ownership may confer a variety of health and social benefits among seniors. The purpose of this analysis was to determine whether pet ownership was associated with satisfaction with life among Canadian seniors. Quantitative data were obtained from the Canadian Community Health Survey—Healthy Aging, a nationally representative survey of Canadians ≥ 45 years of age conducted between December 2008 and November 2009. Analyses were restricted to a subsample of 11,973 individuals ≥ 65 years of age, and multiple logistic regression was used to model the relationship between pet ownership and satisfaction with life while controlling for sociodemographic factors. The final model was stratified to detect interaction. Pet ownership was negatively correlated with satisfaction with life in the sample as a whole (AOR = 0.79, 95% CI = 0.72–0.87) and among those who were married, in common-law relationships, and/or lived with others, while no association was found among those who were widowed, single, or living alone. Among those who were both divorced and living alone, pet ownership demonstrated the potential for being associated with greater satisfaction with life (AOR = 1.24, 95% CI = 0.89–1.73). Overall, this analysis showed that the relationship between seniors and their pets is complex. Whether pet ownership correlates with satisfaction with life appears to depend on the presence and nature of other domestic relationships.     

Stress and the Multiple-Role Woman: Taking a Closer Look at the “Superwoman”

In the academic literature there is debate as to whether women who engage in multiple social roles experience more or less stress than women in fewer roles. For the present research we examined the relationship between levels of engagement in seven distinct roles and perceived stress and life satisfaction in a small non-random sample of women in North America (N = 308). We did not find a significant correlation between role engagement and perceived stress, though we did find a small but significant positive correlation between role engagement and life satisfaction. Similarly, in a subset of the participants (N = 31), there was not a significant relationship between the level of role engagement and physiological stress as measured by hair or urinary cortisol levels. We found a significant negative correlation between perceived stress and life satisfaction, and role satisfaction. The results from multiple regression models did not identify the level of role engagement as a significant predictor of either perceived stress or life satisfaction. Role satisfaction in addition to several life style variables such as the frequency of sex and exercise were identified as significant predictors of both outcome variables. We also examined the popularized notion of the “superwoman”, which we defined as women who fell within the 4^th quartile of role engagement, or those engaged in the wife/mother/worker/homemaker role combination. Based on popular discourses surrounding the superwoman we expected that superwomen would exhibit higher levels of perceived stress. Our results revealed that superwomen do not experience a significantly higher level of perceived stress than non-superwomen. The results of our study therefore suggest that multiple role engagement in women, even at a relatively high level as experienced by “superwomen”, is not associated with significantly higher stress, or reduced life satisfaction.     

Dominance and prestige as differential predictors of aggression and testosterone levels in men

The relationship between self-esteem and aggression has yielded mixed results and generated much recent debate in the social psychology literature. Based on an evolutionary-psychological theory of self-esteem, Kirkpatrick et al. [Kirkpatrick, L. A., Waugh, C. E., Valencia, A., Webster, G., 2002. The functional domain-specificity of self-esteem and the differential prediction of aggression. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 825, 756–767] showed that multiple, functionally distinct self-esteem mechanisms predict aggression differentially: e.g., “self-perceived superiority” is positively related, and “social inclusion” inversely related, to behavioral aggression. The present study extends this research by further differentiating two distinct forms of “superiority,” dominance and prestige [Henrich, J., Gil-White, F. J. 2001. The evolution of prestige: Freely conferred deference as a mechanism for enhancing the benefits of cultural transmission. Evolution and Human Behavior 22, 165–196], in the prediction of aggression in men and women and testosterone levels (measured in saliva samples) in men. Dominance was positively related, but prestige was either unrelated or inversely related, to self-report aggression measures. Dominance was unrelated but prestige inversely related to testosterone levels in men, perhaps suggesting a method of testosterone inhibition in individuals attaining prestige-based superiority. In addition to contributing to the growing literature on the aggression–self-esteem link, the results provide validation for the prestige–dominance distinction and support, but also suggest an important refinement to, a theory of self-esteem as a collection of functionally distinct adaptations.     

A political body of civic and communal belonging: political memories in the creation of the Australian immigrant society

Any notion of political belonging is highly contested. Ultimately though, the political body of a society is shaped by contestation of two modes of belonging: civic and communal. In Australia, the relationship between these two modes of belonging has been negotiated through political conflicts, not least in reference to immigration, since the early years of European settlement. This article traces the trajectory of these conflicts by analysing political memories, specifically those of Australia Day commemorations, to engage with the underlying tension that constitutes the country's political body. Engaging with the long-standing civic/ethnic debate, it is argued that the actual relationship between civic and ethnic/communal belonging, rather than any separate references to them, is crucial to the specific constitution of sovereign political bodies, their particular form of social and political conflicts, and the ensuing implementation of policies, not least regarding migration.     

Pets,Networks and Well-Being

ABSTRACT

This study explores two explanations for well-being among older adults: social network analysis and human–animal relations. The data are based on a stratified probability sample of community living adults, aged 60 years and over, located in several rural communities in north-eastern Oregon. The dependent variables include three distinct measures of psychological well-being: life satisfaction, locus of control, and self-esteem. The independent variables include pet ownership and various measures of the personal network of respondents, including network structural variables (range, density, and frequency of contact) and network content variables (both instrumental and expressive). Control variables include socio-demographic characteristics and a measure of physical health. Multiple regression analysis is used to estimate the effects of the independent and control variables. Pet ownership was related to two of the well-being measures – self-esteem and locus of control – but only for men. Some methodological and theoretical implications are discussed.     

Body Image Partially Mediates the Relationship between Obesity and Psychological Distress

Objective: Body image is considered as a potential mediator of the relationship between obesity and psychological distress. Research Methods and Procedures: One hundred ten men and women in a residential weight control facility completed the Multidimensional Body Self-Relations Questionnaire, the Beck Depression Inventory, the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, and the Binge Eating Scale. Results: For both men and women, body-image satisfaction partially mediated the relationship between degree of overweight and depression/self-esteem. Discussion: Sociodemographic factors that may influence the relationships among weight, body image, and depression/self-esteem are discussed.     

Clarifying the relationship between religiosity and psychiatric illness: the impact of covariates and the specificity of buffering effects.

Previous analyses in a large population-based sample of female twins indicated that three dimensions of religiosity--personal devotion, personal conservatism and institutional conservatism--were, in different ways, significantly related to current depressive symptoms and substance use and lifetime psychiatric and substance use disorders. Furthermore, personal devotion, but neither personal conservatism nor institutional conservatism, buffered the depressogenic effects of stressful life events (SLEs). We here explore further these results, using linear, logistic and Cox regression models. Eight personality and six demographic variables had distinct patterns of association with the three dimensions. Personal devotion was positively associated with years of education, age, and optimism and negatively correlated with neuroticism. Personal conservatism was negatively associated with education, income, age, mastery and positively correlated with neuroticism. Institutional conservatism was negatively correlated with self-esteem and parental education. Covarying for these 14 variables produced little change in their association with psychiatric and substance use outcomes. The impact of the dimensions of religiosity differed as a function of the SLE category. High levels of both personal devotion and institutional conservatism protected against the depressogenic effects of death and personal illness. High levels of personal conservatism were associated with increased sensitivity to relationship problems. These results suggest that the association between religiosity and low risk for symptoms of depression and substance use may be in part causal. The relationship between dimensions of religiosity and response to SLEs is complex but probably of importance in clarifying the nature of the coping process.     

Self-Esteem as a Mediator between Personality Traits and Body Esteem: Path Analyses across Gender and Race/Ethnicity

Prior literature examines the direct relationship between personality traits and body esteem. This article explores the possibility that self-esteem mediates this relationship. 165 undergraduate women and 133 men (age 18–21; 42.6% Hispanic, 28.9% Asian, 28.5% Caucasian) completed items measuring personality traits (Big Five), self-esteem, and body esteem. Path analyses were used to test for mediation. The analyses confirmed that in both men and women self-esteem mediated the relationship between three personality traits and body esteem: higher levels of conscientiousness, emotional stability, and extraversion were associated with higher self-esteem and consequently higher body esteem. Once self-esteem was included in the model the relationships between personality traits and body esteem were not significant, suggesting full mediation. In addition, the analyses revealed several racial/ethnic differences. In Asian American participants, self-esteem mediated the relationship between conscientiousness and body esteem and between emotional stability and body esteem. In Hispanic Americans, self-esteem mediated the relationship between conscientiousness and body esteem and between extraversion and body esteem. And in Caucasian Americans, self-esteem mediated the relationship between emotional stability and body esteem and between extraversion and body esteem. The most important contribution of this study is evidence for an indirect relationship between personality traits and body esteem, with this relationship being mediated by self-esteem. This has important implications for the study of personality and eating disorders in young adults, most particularly implying a need for more emphasis on self-esteem as a predictor of body image problems.