Maria Paula Paixão

Instrumental Motivation is Extrinsic Motivation: So What???

The present anticipation of future goals creates instrumental motivation for immediate actions that are expected to be instrumental for achieving those future goals. Instrumental motivation is however by definition extrinsic motivation. Based on empirical research in educational settings, it is commonly argued that extrinsic motivation is of lower quality than intrinsic motivation. More recent developments in motivational psychology – in particular the development from the Cognitive Evaluation Theory into the Self-Determination Theory – replaced the distinction between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation by the more relevant distinction between autonomous and controlled motivation or behavioral regulation. Some types of extrinsic motivation belong to the category autonomous motivation, that is the case when the individual integrates or identifies with the external reason for doing the activity. We review empirical research from our research group that shows that instrumental motivation that is based on anticipated future goals can be autonomous and hence have a high quality. What matters is the content of the future goals and how they regulate behavior. Intrinsic future goals which are not perceived by the individual as externally controlling but as creating autonomous motivation/behavioral regulation are almost as adaptive as intrinsic motivation.

Características psicométricas da versão Portuguesa da Career Decision Self-Efficacy Scale–Short Form (CDSE–SF)

In this article the authors make a synthesis of the main results obtained with the adaptation of the Career Decision Self-Efficacy Scale – Short Form (CDSE-SF: Taylor & Betz, 1983) in Portuguese samples. After giving a brief presentation of the instrument (theoretical basis, dimensions and metric properties in international samples), the authors succinctly point out the main evidences already produced concerning its precision/reliability and its validity, in Portuguese student samples attending different school grades. Then, using a non probabilistic sample of 123 9th grade students the authors also analyse the structural validity of the responses obtained to the CDSE-SF 25 items. Finally, some of the needs for future research with this scale are discussed.

Parenting Styles, Identity Development, and Adjustment in Career Transitions: The Mediating Role of Psychological Needs

Drawing from self-determination theory, this study examines how does perceived parenting and psychological needs relate to identity development and psychosocial adjustment in Portuguese 12th-grade students (N = 462) who prepare the transition to higher education or to the job market. Path model results revealed two distinct pathways: a “growth-oriented pathway” from need-supporting parenting to integrated career exploration, commitment-making and well-being via need satisfaction and a “vulnerability” pathway from need-thwarting parenting to both diminished well-being and ill-being through need frustration. Findings suggest that perceived parental support is a protective factor, and parental thwarting a risk factor for career decision-making, but this relation is mediated by the adolescents’ subjective feelings of psychological need satisfaction and frustration. Altogether, they suggest the need to customize interventions with adolescents to address “bright” and “dark” trajectories of identity development and establish a supportive counseling climate that facilitates the exploration of different aspects of self-environment in career transition periods.

Perceived Parenting and Basic Need Satisfaction among Portuguese Adolescents

We examined the psychometric properties of the Parenting Questionnaire in a sample of Portuguese high school students. Two measurement models were specified. Model 1m,f specifies a bi-dimensional structure of parental need-support and behavioral control. Model 2m,f proposes a tripartite structure of parental need-support, psychological control and behavioral control. Model 2m,f. best-fitted the data, being also supported in terms of convergent, discriminant validity. Regression results found the unique effect of autonomy-support (M2mr, b = .25 p < .001; M2fr, b = .14 p < .01), responsiveness-warmth (Model 2mr, b = .19, p .05). Notably, psychological control predicted low need-satisfaction (M2mr: b = -.10) and moderated of the positive effect of parental need-support on need-satisfaction, M2mr: F(3, 367) = 11.62, p < .001. Psychological control and need-support also moderated the positive effect of behavior control on competence satisfaction, with parental need-support amplifying this effect and psychological control buffering it. Overall the findings support the substantive distinction between the parenting dimensions, suggesting that need-satisfaction is enhanced by need-supportive and behavioural control and undermined by psychological control.

Erros de medicação reportados pelos enfermeiros da prática clínica

Background: In the United States more than 7,000 patients die per year due to medication errors. These data include errors caused by nursing action. Aim: T...

Perspectives on Guidance and Counselling as Strategic Tools to Improve Lifelong Learning in Portugal

This chapter presents a critical reflection about guidance and counselling structures and services in Portugal as a central dimension for the implementation of the European Area of Lifelong Learning. Counselling in Portugal constitutes simultaneously an emergent and an already established field of intervention, both with adolescents as well as with adults. In fact, as an educational and psychological practice, it has contributed to create well-accepted models and practices, encompassing information interventions, psycho-pedagogical interventions and career guidance and life-designing counselling. Nevertheless, the emphasis on the lifelong learning and guidance paradigm highlights the importance to attempt to integrate different services which are already in place into a coordinated structure that takes into account both the normative and nonnormative transitions, voluntary or otherwise, that the citizens face throughout their entire lifespan. Service users must be empowered to act upon an ever-changing world by developing critical career management skills, although service providers must be very attentive to the diversity of career challenges across the lifespan, when factors like age, gender, health and position in the workforce are taken into consideration. The Commission of the European Communities underlines the fact that the main mission of guidance and counselling interventions is to help reframe the relations between education, school and the larger society, by targeting specific groups (e.g. unemployed adults, working adults and older adults); facilitating access to guidance and counselling services to potential clients, in general, and to underprivileged groups, in special; and promoting the quality of these services.

Interesses e competências percebidas em crianças do ensino básico

Apesar de a infância ser considerada como a base do desenvolvimento vocacional, poucos sao os estudos desenvolvidos nesta faixa etaria acerca das variaveis implicadas e qual o papel que desempenham neste processo. Pretendendo colmatar algumas dessas lacunas procuramos explorar algumas caracteristicas estruturais e correlacionais dos interesses e competencias percebidas de criancas do ensino basico (3o, 6o e 9o anos de escolaridade), recorrendo, para o efeito, a traducao e adaptacao portuguesa do ICA-R de Tracey e Ward, que tem em consideracao os seis tipos de personalidade enunciados por Holland (R-I-A-S-E-C).

Os Mecanismos Sóciocognitivos e o Bem-Estar Psicológico: Proposta de um Modelo Integrativo

No presente artigo procedemos a apresentacao do Modelo Integrativo do Bem-estar Psicologico, conceptualizacao explicativa exploratoria do bem-estar psicologico que decorre da interseccao de duas abordagens: a Teoria da Auto-Determinacao (SDT), de Deci e Ryan e a Teoria-Sociocognitiva de Carreira (e o Modelo Normativo do Bem-Estar Subjectivo, em particular), de Lent e colaboradores. O Modelo Integrativo em questao pretende avancar com uma proposta de explicacao e integracao dos principais mecanismos (sociocognitivos) e variaveis (motivacionais) que contribuem para o bem-estar psicologico, nomeadamente atraves: a) da sistematizacao dos aspectos conceptuais do bem-estar e das relacoes que se estabelecem entre as variaveis com ele relacionadas; b) da descricao e compreensao do papel dos mecanismos sociocognitivos e da satisfacao das necessidades basicas do ser humano (autonomia, competencia e vinculo) na satisfacao global com a vida; c) do entendimento do modo como as variaveis organismicas e contextuais actuam na satisfacao num dado dominio de vida, em particular (e.g., academico), e na percepcao de desenvolvimento e crescimento pessoais, em geral.

Emerging Adults Thinking About Their Future: Development of the Portuguese Version of the Hopes and Fears Questionnaire

Nowadays, emerging adults live in a context of macroeconomic uncertainty. As the major processes of one’s identity exploration currently occur in emerging adulthood, understanding how these individuals foresee their future is of special interest. The purpose of this study was 2-fold: (i) to investigate future orientation (FO) in a sample of Portuguese emerging adults and (ii) to validate the Portuguese version of the Hopes and Fears Questionnaire. Data from 332 individuals were analyzed. Results demonstrated that participants’ future hopes and fears were mainly pertaining to education, work/career, and family/marriage. Participants also reported concerns related to their financial resources. Thus, the results showed that participants’ FO reflected major tasks associated with their development stage, as well as contextual factors, such as macroeconomic trends. This study contributed to the knowledge of emerging adulthood in Portugal, simultaneously providing a useful and reliable measure to evaluate emerging adults’ FO in that country.

Um Novo Modelo Multidimensional d a Perspetiva Temporal

EnglishTime Perspective is a cognitive - motivational dimension. Currently, Zimbardo & Boyd s (1999) model is one of the most cited, still, it doesn t consider the influence of future negative temporality, which is referred by Lewin (1965) as fundamental for human understanding. This study has three objectives, to determine i) Zimbardo Time Perspective Inventory (ZTPI) and ii) Transcendental - Future Time Perspective Scale (TFTPS) factor structures through Structural Equation Modeling and iii) to establish a new multi dimensional model which includes the negative future dimension. Results with both instruments showed a structure coherently aligned with current theory, suggesting a new model formed by seven temporal dimensions. portuguesA Perspetiva Temporal e uma dimensao cognitivo - motivacional. Um dos modelos com maior difusao na atualidade e apresentado por Zimbardo e Boyd (1999) . Contudo, e importante referir que este modelo nao considera a influencia da temporalidade futura negativa, apesar de esta ser referida como fundamental por Lewin (1965) . Sao tres os objetivos deste estudo: determinar a estrutura fatorial i) do Zimbardo Time Perspective Inventory (ZTPI), ii) da Transcendental - Future T ime Perspective Scale (TFTPS) atraves de Modelacao de Equacoes Estruturais e iii) apresentar um novo modelo multidimensional no qual seja considerada a dimensao negativa da temporalidade futura. Os resultados com ambos os instrumentos foram coerentes com a teoria estabelecida, assim como tambem permitem sugerir um novo modelo formado por sete dimensoes temporais.