Antanas Kairys

A Global Look at Time: A 24-Country Study of the Equivalence of the Zimbardo Time Perspective Inventory

In this article, we assess the structural equivalence of the Zimbardo Time Perspective Inventory (ZTPI) across 26 samples from 24 countries (N = 12,200). The ZTPI is proven to be a valid and reliable index of individual differences in time perspective across five temporal categories: Past Negative, Past Positive, Present Fatalistic, Present Hedonistic, and Future. We obtained evidence for invariance of 36 items (out of 56) and also the five-factor structure of ZTPI across 23 countries. The short ZTPI scales are reliable for country-level analysis, whereas we recommend the use of the full scales for individual-level analysis. The short version of ZTPI will further promote integration of research in the time perspective domain in relation to many different psycho-social processes.

Time Perspective and Personality

Time perspective is a phenomenon that could be differently conceptualized (e.g. as an attitude, as a flexible dynamic process, etc.) thus one of the ways to conceptualize time perspective is to consider it as a stable personality disposition. This chapter covers research studies that show a strong relationship between personality traits and time perspective. Particularly strong relations are found between future and conscientiousness, as well as past negative and neuroticism. What is more, there is sufficient evidence speaking in favour of time perspective being an independent construct that has additional prognostic value even after personality traits have been controlled for. This chapter also analyses the hypothesis that time perspective has likeliness to personality trait – is stable, broad and therefore can be considered as relatively stable dispositional characteristic.

Time Perspective and Transcendental Future Thinking

Time perspective theory states that human behavior is motivated by one’s ideas about the past, the present, and the future. But what about the extended future, life after death, separately discussed by John Boyd and Philip Zimbardo? In our chapter, we relate transcendental future thinking to the ideas about life after death in five major religions. We discuss terror management theory as a possible way to further understand and investigate the role of transcendental future thinking. We suggest a more elaborate view on transcendental future thinking and introduce an additional aspect on the other end of time’s continuum: prenatal past. Our major conclusion is that more research from a broader perspective is needed.

Senų žmonių funkcionavimo, senatvės ir senėjimo tyrimų gairės: biopsichosocialinio modelio prieiga

The application of the WHO biopsychosocial approach to the researches of senility, aging and life problems of old people (ICF) is reviewed. After a brief presentation of aging statistics in Lithuania, the semantic field of using terms in the area of life periodization is discussed and the names for each period and sub-period are proposed. The composition of the ICF model (body structures and functions, activities, participation and contextual factors) is presented, together with the usage of components of the ICF model in researches regarding senility. New conceptions of a “functioning reserve” and the “integral aspects of functioning” are proposed and incorporated in the ICF model. A review of researches of psychological well-being of old people – one of the integral aspects of functioning of old people in Lithuania – is presented. There is a very good coherence of views between the authors of this paper on the topic of senility and the misconceptions of aging and health, which were recently presented by WHO.

STUDENTŲ AKADEMINĖS MOTYVACIJOS SKALĖS (SAMS-21) STRUKTŪRA

The Student Academic Motivation Scale (SAMS-21), which was developed on the cornerstone attitudes of the self-determination theory and hierarchical model (Vallerand, 1997; 2000), while seeking to retain the suggested structure of motivation types, is presented in this article. There are suggested seven types in the Vallerand hierarchical motivation model (Vallerand, 1997; 2000) that correspond with the original proposal from Deci and Ryan: three types of intrinsic motivation (intrinsic motivation to know, to accomplish things and to experience stimulation), three types of extrinsic motivation (external regulation, introjected and identified), and amotivation. There are some scales to evaluate academic motivation, (Hegarty, 2010; Martin, Yu, Paporth, Ginns, & Collie, 2014; Moyen & Doyle, 1978), the most popular among them is the Academic Motivation Scale (AMS; Vallerand et al., 1992). There are more than a few studies that have confirmed the scale’s validity and reliability (Cokley et al., 2001; Vallerand et al., 1992). AMS is adjusted in some countries, for example, in Croatia (Koludrovic & Ercegovac, 2014), Italy (Alivernini & Lucidi, 2008), Turkey (Can, 2015) and in others. Despite the evidences of scale validity, it does have some shortages. It could be shorter; the structure of the scale is not identical with the theoretical model (Cokley, 2000; Fairchild, Horst, Finney, & Barron, 2005) and the wording of items of extrinsic introjected motivation subscales is not entirely matching the theoretical concept of introjected motivation. All those reasons, as well the opportunity to have choice of the instruments that are assessing the same construct, stimulate us to create the Student Academic Motivation Scale (SAMS-21).The aim of the research is to develop a short scale for the assessment of academic motivation and examine its structure and psychometrical properties in the sample of students. The research was conducted in two stages; 621 students that are studying in different study programs from two universities participated in it. The SAMS-21 scale was used to examine academic motivation. The Lithuanian version of the General Motivation Scale (GMS-28; Guay et al., 2003; Urbanaviciute et al., 2013) was used to evaluate the convergent and divergent validity of the SAMS-21 scale. Students were asked about their term grade averages and the satisfaction with their study programs. Obtained results confirmed the seven types of motivation that are traditionally distinguished by the authors of self-determination theories; however, the validity of second order factors (intrinsic and extrinsic motivation) was not confirmed. All subscales of SAMS-21 correlated in a statistically significant manner with corresponding GMS-28 subscales; however, a relatively higher correlation (rs = 0.74) was obtained between SAMS-21 and GMS-28 for the intrinsic motivation to know. The intrinsic motivation to experience stimulation and amotivation subscales correlated stronger not with the corresponding GMS-28 subscales, but with other GMS-28 subscales. The present findings provide adequate support for the reliability of the scale as well as the proof of scale validity.

Balanced Time Perspective: Many Questions and Some Answers

Balanced time perspective is one of the areas in time perspective research that attracts the most attention. This implies that it might be one of the mechanisms underlying well-being. Moreover, conducted analysis allows for the conclusion that there are at least two reliable ways to recognize the balanced time perspective: the method of profiles and the method of deviation from balanced time perspective. In addition, there are indications that other time perspective profiles exist, with the best investigated among them being negative time perspective profile. Despite considerable interest in this field, many issues regarding the balanced time perspective remain unaddressed. Further investigation should focus on examining the dynamic nature of the balanced time perspective, as well as the nature and significance of other suggested time perspective profiles.

Capturing Serendipity in Careers: An Evaluation of the Planned Happenstance Career Inventory With Lithuanian Undergraduates

In the contemporary world, career counseling professionals need to focus on skills that help people bring benefit from positive chances and minimize the damage of negative events. The Planned Happenstance Career Inventory (PHCI) was created to measure these skills. The main aim of the present study was to test the dimensionality and concurrent validity of the PHCI scores in a Lithuanian student sample. A heterogeneous sample of undergraduates participated in the study (N = 1,064). Confirmatory factor analyses revealed four interrelated planned happenstance skill factors. A fifth––the flexibility factor––was found to function in a separate manner. To further test for concurrent validity, the PHCI scores were correlated with a range of positive career development variables, namely, goal adjustment, academic major satisfaction, and vocational identity. The results supported the hypothesized links, thereby providing evidence on the validity of PHCI scores among Lithuanian students.