Eva Traut-Mattausch

Differential effects of anxiety and depression on interoceptive accuracy

Background: Feedback from the body is assumed to be altered in depression. Nevertheless, empirical studies investigating this assumed relationship remain sparse. This study aimed to examine interrelations between the ability to perceive heartbeats accurately (interoceptive awareness), depressive symptoms, and anxiety in healthy participants. Methods: A well‐validated heartbeat perception task to measure interoceptive awareness together with two questionnaires indexing anxiety and depression were administered to 119 participants. Results: As main results we observed a negative correlation between heartbeat perception and depression. Only when focussing on high anxiety levels this negative correlation coefficient between depression and interoception remained significant. Conclusions: Our results highlight the possible relationship between depressive symptoms and interoceptive awareness and may have further implications for theoretical models of anxiety disorders and their treatment. Further research is required to examine the potential consequences of altering interoceptive awareness in healthy subjects in relation to depression and anxiety. Depression and Anxiety, 2009.

How to ameliorate negative effects of violent video games on cooperation: Play it cooperatively in a team

The present research tests the idea that playing a team-player video game in which players work together as teammates and assist each other in achieving a common goal ameliorates the negative effects of violent video game play on cooperative behavior. In fact, two studies revealed that, relative to a single-player mode, playing a cooperative team-player violent video game increased cooperation in a decision dilemma task. Importantly, cooperative behavior generalized across targets in that the decision dilemma was played with a partner who was not the video game play partner. Mediation analyses revealed that cooperative team-play promoted feelings of cohesion, which activated trust norms, which in turn increased cooperative behavior.

Do physicians' recommendations pull patients away from their preferred treatment options?

Context and objective  Shared decision making is especially advocated for preference‐sensitive decisions. We investigated whether physicians’ recommendations pull patients away from their preferred treatment option when making a preference‐sensitive decision.

Understanding Psychological Reactance: New Developments and Findings

Abstract. Since Brehm first proposed reactance theory in 1966, many studies have explored the remarkable psychological phenomenon of reactance, which Miron and Brehm reviewed in 2006. We present an overview of research that has been done since then. A variety of studies have provided interesting new insights into the theory, adding to what is known about the phenomenon of reactance and the processes activated when people are confronted with threats to their freedom. Nevertheless, many issues that have not been clarified remain to be examined. We therefore close with proposing some suggestions for future research.

How Should Politicians Justify Reforms to Avoid Psychological Reactance, Negative Attitudes, and Financial Dishonesty?

Necessary changes through political reforms meant to solve current problems can be justified in different ways. Politicians can focus on the communication of increased limitations resulting from the changes (limitation justification) or they can communicate improvements of the institutional setting, e.g., with respect to more equitable rules (improvement justification). Based on reactance theory we argued that a limitation justification threatens one’s freedoms, and, therefore, leads to direct and indirect reactance effects compared to an improvement justification. Study 1 showed that the participants reacted with more negative attitudes when the changes were justified through limitations compared to improvements. This difference was mediated by the experience of reactance. Study 2 revealed that a limitation justification had a negative impact on financial honesty through a lower identification with one’s country. The implications of our results for the communication of political reforms are discussed.

An Inner Barrier to Career Development: Preconditions of the Impostor Phenomenon and Consequences for Career Development

The impostor phenomenon (IP) is increasingly recognized as an important psychological construct for career development, yet empirical research on how it functions in this domain is sparse. We investigated in what way impostor feelings are related to the fear of failure, fear of success, self-esteem, and the career-development aspects career planning, career striving, and the motivation to lead. We conducted two studies with independent samples of university students (N = 212) in a laboratory study and working professionals (N = 110) in an online study. In both samples, impostor feelings were fostered by fear of failure, fear of success, and low self-esteem and they decreased career planning, career striving, and the motivation to lead. A path analysis showed that impostor feelings had the most negative effects on career planning and career striving in students and on the motivation to lead in working professionals. The results suggest that the IP is relevant to career development in different ways at different career stages. Practical implications and interventions to reduce the negative effects of impostor feelings on career development are discussed.

Psychologie, Wachstum und Reformfähigkeit

1 Einleitung . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43 2 Zwei unterschiedliche Erklärungsansätze für Reformwiderstände . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .44 3 Reformstau und Grundeinsichten der „Behavioural Economics“ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45 4 Empirische Einsichten über reformbegünstigende Faktoren . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .48 5 Erzeugen Reformen Optimismus bei Konsumenten und Investoren? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .49 6 Reformakzeptanz im Sozialstaat und die Bedeutung sozialer Normen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .50 7 Reformakzeptanz im Steuersystem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .52 8 Reformstrategie und Kommunikationspolitik . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .53 9 Schlussfolgerungen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .55

Leading to Effectiveness Comparing Dyadic Coaching and Group Coaching

Although numerous studies have shown that coaching works, the search for “active ingredients” of successful coaching is ongoing. We argue that the coach’s transactional and transformational leadership behavior contributes to coaching effectiveness. In an experimental study on reducing procrastination, participants (N = 108) defined individual goals related to procrastination. They were then randomly assigned to a dyadic coaching session, a group coaching session, or a control group. Procrastination was reduced in all conditions, but participants in the two coaching conditions were better at attaining their individual goals. Furthermore, compared with participants who received group coaching, participants in the dyadic coaching had a higher increase in goal commitment and showed more goal reflection and higher intrinsic goal motivation. Mediation analyses further revealed that the differences between dyadic and group coaching were explained by the coach’s transformational and transactional leadership behavior.

Salzburger State Reactance Scale (SSR Scale)

Abstract. This paper describes the construction and empirical evaluation of an instrument for measuring state reactance, the Salzburger State Reactance (SSR) Scale. The results of a confirmatory factor analysis supported a hypothesized three-factor structure: experience of reactance, aggressive behavioral intentions, and negative attitudes. Correlations with divergent and convergent measures support the validity of this structure. The SSR Subscales were strongly related to the other state reactance measures. Moreover, the SSR Subscales showed modest positive correlations with trait measures of reactance. The SSR Subscales correlated only slightly or not at all with neighboring constructs (e.g., autonomy, experience of control). The only exception was fairness scales, which showed moderate correlations with the SSR Subscales. Furthermore, a retest analysis confirmed the temporal stability of the scale. Suggestions for further validation of this questionnaire are discussed.

How psychiatrists inform themselves and their patients about risks and benefits of antipsychotic treatment

Objective:  In order to choose the best treatment option, physicians have to inform themselves and their patients about both the benefits and risks of available treatment options equally. Our study aims to investigate whether psychiatrists actually do conduct such a balanced information search and presentation.