Liza Day

Failure to forgive self and others: a replication and extension of the relationship between forgiveness, personality, social desirability and general health

The aim of the present study was to examine the relationship between forgiveness of self, forgiveness of others, and personality and general health measures. Three hundred and twenty-four undergraduate students (100 males, 224 females) completed measures of forgiveness of oneself, forgiveness of others, the Abbreviated form of the Revised Eysenck Personality Questionnaire, and the General Health Questionnaire-28. Failure to forgive oneself is accompanied by personality and general health scores that reflect individual psychopathology, with men and women scoring higher in neuroticism, depression and anxiety. A failure to forgive others is accompanied by personality and general health scores that reflect social introversion among men (low extraversion scores) and social-pathology among women (social dysfunction, psychoticism). Further, a failure to forgive others is accompanied by higher depression scores among men and women. The findings suggest that the concept of forgiveness can be related to individual and social psychopathology.

Religious orientation and psychological well-being : The role of the frequency of personal prayer

Objectives. The aim of the present study was to examine the role of religious acts within the relationship between measures of religious orientation and psychological well-being, to examine the theoretical view that religion can act as a coping mechanism. Design. Correlational statistics, principal components analysis with oblimin rotation and multiple regression were used to examine the relationships between a number of religiosity and psychological well-being measures. Method. A sample of 474 UK students (251 males, 223 females) were administered questionnaire measures of three aspects of religious orientation (intrinsic, extrinsic, Quest), frequency of personal prayer and church attendance, alongside measures of depressive symptoms, trait anxiety and self-esteem. Results. Though a number of significant correlations were found between measures of religiosity and psychological well-being, a multiple regression analysis using identifiable religious components suggests that frequency of personal prayer is the dominant factor in the relationship between religiosity and psychological well-being. Conclusions. The results suggest two points: (1) that the correlations between a number of measures of religiosity and psychological well-being may be mediated by the relationship between frequency of personal prayer and psychological well-being; (2) that personal prayer may be an important variable to consider within the theory of religious coping.

Forgiveness of self and others and emotional empathy.

ALTHOUGH THERE IS STILL CONSIDERABLE DEBATE about definitions of forgiveness (Worthington, 1998), some commonality regarding the psychological constituents of the process of forgiveness is emerging from intervention models designed to promote forgiveness. All of those models focus on the victim’s development of empathy toward the perpetrator as a necessary step in forgiveness (Doyle, 1999; Enright & the Human Development Study Group, 1996; Gartner, 1988; Hunter, 1978; McCullough & Worthington, 1995; McCullough, Worthington, & Rachal, 1997; Worthington, 1998). According to all models, individuals with higher levels of trait empathy find it easier to work toward forgiveness than do those with lower levels, and individuals incapable of empathy find it very difficult to forgive. Two arguments merit further consideration. First, there has been no empirical examination, outside clinical samples, with standardized measuresof the relationship between forgiveness and empathy (Worthington, 1998). Second, because of the lack of a consensual definition of forgiveness, consideration of correlates

The relationship between exercise motives and psychological well-being.

Abstract The aim of the present study was to use the self-determination model of exercise motives to examine the relationship between extrinsic and intrinsic motives for exercise and a number of measures of psychological well-being. Undergraduate students purporting to exercise regularly (N = 227; 102 men, 125 women) were split into 2 groups: those exercising for less than 6 months and those exercising for 6 months or more. The respondents were asked to complete measures of exercise motivation, self-esteem, psychological well-being, and stress. Among individuals exercising for less than 6 months, a number of extrinsic motivations for exercise were significantly related to poorer psychological well-being. Among individuals exercising for 6 months or more, a number of intrinsic motivations were significantly related to better psychological well-being. The present findings suggest that researchers can use self-determination theory to understand the relationship between exercise motivation and psychological well-being.

Religious orientation, religious coping and appraisals of stress: assessing primary appraisal factors in the relationship between religiosity and psychological well-being

Two studies were used to assess cognitive appraisal factors in religious orientation, religious coping and psychological well-being. In study one, 466 (239 men and 227 women) United Kingdom adults were administered measures of religious orientation (Intrinsic, Extrinsic, Quest), religious coping, and appraisals of stress. Correlational and multiple regression analysis suggested a number of models to be tested that suggested stress appraisals involved in the relationship between religiosity and psychological well-being. In study two, 360 UK adults (187 men, 173 women) were administered measures of religious orientation, religious coping, appraisals and psychological well-being to test these models. Analysis of good-fit of these models suggests confidence in developing a model that views the relationship between religious coping and psychological well-being involving individuals’ use of challenge appraisals. The findings emphasise the importance of cognitive variables that stress personal development and growth in understanding the relationship between religious coping and psychological well-being.

Depressive symptoms and religious orientation: examining the relationship between religiosity and depression within the context of other correlates of depression

Abstract The role of cognitive, personality and social variables to explain the relationship between religious orientation and aspects of psychological well-being is often speculated at a theoretical level, but tends not to be explored empirically. The aim of the present study was to examine the relationship between religious orientation and depressive symptoms among cognitive, personality and social correlates of depression. A total of 360 (172 males, 188 females) English University students completed measures of depressive symptoms, religious orientation, anxiety, neuroticism, coping style, attribution style and self-esteem. Among men and women, depressive symptoms are significantly associated with higher scores on the measures of extrinsic-social and extrinsic personal religious orientation, neuroticism, attribution style, wish and avoidance coping; and lower scores on the measures of intrinsic religious orientation, optimism, self-esteem and problem-focussed and support seeking coping. A multiple regression shows that, among men, all three religious orientations, and among women, two of the three religious orientations (intrinsic, extrinsic-social), represent separate dimensions that are important in accounting for unique variance in depression within the context of a number of cognitive, social and personality explanations of depression.

Belief in Good Luck and Psychological Well-Being: The Mediating Role of Optimism and Irrational Beliefs

Abstract The authors examined the relationship of belief in good luck with depression and anxiety within the context of a number of cognitive and personality variables used to explain depression and anxiety. Undergraduate students (46 men, 98 women) were administered measures of belief in good luck, depression, anxiety, optimism, neuroticism, attribution style, self-esteem, and irrational beliefs. The results showed that belief in good luck was significantly related to optimism and irrational beliefs. A number of models were tested to determine whether irrational beliefs or optimism mediated the relationship between belief in good luck and depression and anxiety. The findings suggested that negative relationships between belief in good luck and both depression and anxiety are best addressed by the theory that belief in good luck engenders optimistic traits and a reduced level of irrational beliefs.

Personality and coping: A context for examining celebrity worship and mental health

The adaptational-continuum model of personality and coping suggests a useful context for research areas that emphasize both personality and coping. The present paper used Fergusons (2001) model integrating personality and coping factors to further conceptualize findings around celebrity worship. Three hundred and seventy-two respondents completed measures of celebrity worship, personality, coping style, general health, stress, positive and negative affect and life satisfaction. Celebrity worship for intense-personal reasons is associated with poorer mental heath and this relationship can be understood within the dimensions of neuroticism and a coping style that suggests disengagement. Such findings suggest the utility of examining the relationship between celebrity worship and mental health within both personality and coping variables, which have practical implications for understanding and addressing mental health problems that may occur as the result of engaging in celebrity worship for intense-personal reasons.

Amending a measure of the Quest Religious Orientation : applicability of the scale's use among religious and non-religious persons

Abstract Amendments to the Quest religious orientation scale are proposed to enable its use among religious and non-religious samples. The original and amended versions of the scale were administered to 474 (251 males, 223 females) English undergraduate students. The present findings suggest that the amended version of the scale demonstrates a clearer component structure consistent with theoretical views of the religious orientation, than the original version. It is suggested that researchers may benefit from using the revised version, particularly when they are unsure of the salience religion has to their potential sample.

Spiritual involvement and belief: the relationship between spirituality and Eysenck’s personality dimensions

Abstract To examine the generalizabilty of the finding that low psychoticism underpins religiosity, the present study sought to examine the relationship between Eysenck’s personality dimensions and four indices of spirituality. Three hundred undergraduate students (140 males, 160 females) completed the Spiritual Involvement and Beliefs Scale and the abbreviated form of the Revised Eysenck Personality Questionnaire. The results suggest that when applying Eysenck’s model of personality to spirituality, it is extraversion that accounts for most variance (between 9% and 14%) in spirituality scores. The present findings suggest a new avenue of empirical investigation in which wider concepts of spirituality and religion can be examined within Eysenck’s model of personality.