O bem-estar subjetivo, ou felicidade, consiste na maneira como as pessoas avaliam suas próprias vidas, tanto de forma afetiva como cognitiva. Este juízo terá grande importância nas diversas esferas da vida, influenciando o desempenho social e profissional da pessoa. De forma agregada, níveis maiores, ou menores, de bem-estar subjetivo possuem impactos tanto no sistema político quanto na economia. Este estudo aplicou três diferentes questionários de mensuração de bem-estar subjetivo: o Oxford Happiness Questionnaire, com 29 itens; a Escala Geral de Felicidade, com 4 itens e uma escala única em uma amostra de 498 pessoas que trabalham no comércio de Ribeirão Preto e duas cidades vizinhas, e conduziu as análises destes instrumentos. Além destas análises, foram estudadas as diferenças entre os diversos indivíduos que compõem a amostra, no intuito de investigar se idade, sexo, etnia, estado civil, escolaridade, número de filhos, atividade profissional (comerciantes / comerciários), emprego efetivo / temporário, renda, religião, atividade sócio política e saúde poderiam influenciar o nível de bem-estar subjetivo. Algumas destas características mostraram-se significativas. / The subjective well-being, or happiness, consists on the way people see their own lives, in affective or cognitive way. This judgment is very important in the different ambits of life, influencing the social and professional aspects of people. In different levels, the subjective well-being has impact on political and economical systems. This study used three different questionaries to measure the subjective well-being: Oxford Happiness Questionnaire with 29 items; Subjective Happiness Scale, with 4 items, and a single scale with 498 subjects who work in Ribeirão Preto commerce including two other cities. Structural analyses of Oxford Happiness Questionnaire and Subjective Happiness Scale were done. Besides these analyses, we assessed the difference among several subjects from the study group, aiming to investigate if age, gender, ethics, civil status, educational level, number of children, professional activity (salespeople), temporary job or regular job, income, religion, political participation, and health, could influence their level of subjective well-being. Some of these characteristics are significant.

Esta pesquisa objetiva analisar as experiências de flow (Teoria do Flow, de Csikszentmihalyi) alcançadas pelos Auditores Públicos Externos (APEs) do Tribunal de Contas do Estado do Rio Grande do Sul (TCE-RS), a partir da sua percepção. Tem como objetivos específicos: identificar e descrever as condições, as características e as experiências de flow alcançadas pelos Auditores Públicos Externos do TCE-RS, com base em sua percepção; verificar os fatores determinantes para a ocorrência das experiências de flow por parte dos APEs; identificar os níveis de satisfação de vida e de autoestima dos APEs; sugerir questões para futuras pesquisas; fornecer feedback para que o TCE-RS possa melhorar suas políticas de gestão de pessoas. Como principal base teórica utiliza a Teoria do Flow, de Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (1989, 1991, 1997, 2000, 2004), que foca na experiência máxima. Contextualiza a teoria dentro da Psicologia Positiva. Aborda aspectos teóricos de motivação em Maslow (1970, 1976, 1986, 2001) e Csikszentmihalyi (2004), satisfação de vida (Hewitt, 2009, Diener e Diener, 1995) e autoestima (Rosenberg, 1973, Diener et al, 2005). Contextualiza o trabalho no setor público com base em autores clássicos e contemporâneos como Weber (2000, 2010), Kalberg (2005), Crozier (1981), Motta (1984), Bresser Pereira (1996, 2009), Bergue (2010, 2011, 2014), Paludo (2013), Paes de Paula (2005). A pesquisa é exploratória-descritiva (Gil, 2008), com abordagem quanti-qualitativa. Aplicou-se questionário online com questões de identificação (adaptado de Gouveia, 2011; Oliveira, 2013), Escala de Satisfação de Vida, Escala de Autoestima de Rosenberg (Hutz et al., 2014) e Escala de Flow (adaptado de Gouveia, 2011; Oliveira, 2013) para uma amostra não probabilística de 122 APEs do TCE-RS. Realizou-se entrevistas com dez APEs selecionados a partir do critério de acessibilidade. Os dados coletados a partir do questionário foram analisados por meio de análise fatorial confirmatória, análise de variância, correlação de Pearson e regressão linear. O conteúdo das entrevistas foi analisado pela análise de conteúdo (Bardin, 2010) por meio de doze categorias: metas claras; feedback imediato; equilíbrio entre capacidades e desafios; concentração profunda; controle sobre si mesmo e sobre a tarefa; noção de tempo alterada; fusão ação-consciência; personalidade autotélica; trabalho considerado significativo pela sociedade; satisfação de vida; autoestima. Dentre os participantes da etapa quantitativa, 86,9% afirmaram vivenciar experiências de flow durante o trabalho, 23% estão entre os mais satisfeitos, 60% apresentaram satisfação de vida acima da média; 30,3% estão entre os com autoestima mais elevada, 42,7% apresentaram autoestima acima da média. Foram verificadas diferenças de percepções que podem ser analisadas pela instituição para que sejam elaboradas políticas de gestão de pessoas para suprimir as lacunas apresentadas principalmente quanto à satisfação de vida e condições para a experiência de flow. Há correlação positiva entre satisfação de vida, autoestima e experiência de flow. A experiência de flow é mais influenciada pela autoestima do que pela satisfação de vida. Dos dez APEs entrevistados, oito sentem ou já sentiram flow no trabalho. Todas as condições para a experiência de flow foram citadas, com ênfase para o equilíbrio entre capacidades e desafios. A maioria afirmou gostar da atividade e de desafios. Todos sentem flow fora do trabalho, principalmente ao viajar e ler. Há alta rotatividade dos APEs entrevistados entre as áreas de atividade. A área de atividade influencia na percepção de flow. / This research aims to analyze the flow of experiences (Flow Theory, by Csikszentmihalyi) gained by the Auditors Public External (APEs) of the Court of Rio Grande South State (TCERS), from your perception. Its specific objectives: identify and describe the conditions, characteristics and flow of experiences gained by the Public External Auditors of TCE-RS, based on their perception; verify the determining factors for the occurrence of flow experiences by the APEs; identify life satisfaction levels and self-esteem of the APEs; suggest questions for future research; provide feedback to the TCE-RS can improve their people management policies. As the main theoretical basis using the Flow Theory, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (1989, 1991, 1997, 2000, 2004), which focuses on maximum experience. Contextualizes the theory within Positive Psychology. Covers theoretical aspects of motivation Maslow (1970, 1976, 1986, 2001) and Csikszentmihalyi (2004), life satisfaction (Hewitt, 2009 Diener and Diener, 1995) and self-esteem (Rosenberg, 1973 Diener et al., 2005). Contextualizes the work in public administration based on classic and contemporary authors such as Weber (2000, 2010), Kalberg (2005), Crozier (1981), Motta (1984), Bresser Pereira (1996, 2009), Bergue (2010, 2011, 2014), Paludo (2013), Dasso Júnior (2014), Paes de Paula (2005). Research is exploratory and descriptive (Gil, 2008), with quantitative and qualitative approach. Applied online questionnaires with identification questions (adapted from Gouveia, 2011; Oliveira, 2013), Life Satisfaction Scale, Self-Esteem Scale Rosenberg (Hutz et al., 2014) and Flow Scale (adapted from Gouveia 2011; Oliveira, 2013) for a nonprobabilistic sample of 122 APEs of TCE-RS. We conducted interviews with ten APEs selected from the accessibility criteria. The data collected from the questionnaire were analyzed using confirmatory factor analysis, analysis of variance, Pearson correlation and linear regression. The content of the interviews was analyzed by content analysis (Bardin, 2010) through twelve categories: clear goals; immediate feedback; balance between capacity and challenges; deep concentration; control over himself and the task; modified notion of time; fusing action-awareness; autotelic personality; work considered significant by the company; life satisfaction; self-esteem. Among the participants of the quantitative stage, 86.9% reported experiencing flow experiences at work, 23% are among the most satisfied, 60% were above average life satisfaction; 30.3% are among those with higher self-esteem, 42.7% had above average self-esteem. Differences in perceptions were found that can be analyzed by the institution for people management policies are designed to take away the gaps presented mainly as the satisfaction of life and conditions for the flow of experience. There are positive correlation between life satisfaction, self-esteem and flow experience. The flow experience is more influenced by the self-esteem than the life satisfaction. Of the ten APEs interviewed eight feel or have felt flow at work. All the conditions for the flow experience were cited, with emphasis on the balance between skills and challenges. Most said like activity and challenges. Everyone feels flow out of work, especially when traveling and reading. There is high turnover of APEs respondents between the areas of activity. The activity area influences the perception of flow.

Os estudos desenvolvidos nesta dissertação estão inseridos no campo da Psicologia Positiva, definida como o estudo científico de características positivas. O objetivo geral desta dissertação, composta por um artigo teórico e um empírico, foi adaptar um instrumento de avaliação do otimismo em crianças no formato papel-e-lápis para o formato informatizado. O primeiro artigo se trata de uma revisão de literatura, que teve como objetivo identificar de forma sistemática os instrumentos de avaliação do otimismo na infância. Como resultados, identificou-se 11 instrumentos, incluindo escalas, questionários e entrevista. Dentre esses, quatro escalas possuem estudos de validação para o Brasil e apenas um instrumento encontrado foi construído a partir de uma amostra de crianças brasileiras. Essa lacuna indica que essa área ainda tem muito a se desenvolver no país. O segundo estudo teve como objetivo adaptar o instrumento Tarefas Preditoras de Otimismo em Crianças para uma versão de uso em tablet, nomeada TAPOC-i (Tarefas Preditoras de Otimismo em Crianças informatizada), e buscar evidências de validade desta versão. Participaram 238 crianças, 105 de Teresina - Piauí e 133 de Porto Alegre – Rio Grande do Sul (RS) (57,9% meninas), de quatro a 10 anos de idade. A dimensionalidade do instrumento foi mantida na versão informatizada. A TAPOC-i apresentou propriedades psicométricas adequadas, o que fornece indicadores de validade do instrumento. O uso de um aplicativo nesta pesquisa possibilitou uma diminuição no tempo de aplicação do instrumento, além de ter se mostrado uma ferramenta lúdica e atrativa na avaliação de crianças. / The studies developed in this dissertation are inserted in the field of Positive Psychology, defined as the scientific study of positive characteristics. The aim of this dissertation, composed by a theoretical paper and one empirical, it was to adapt an optimism assessment instrument in children in paper-and-pencil format into computerized one. The first study was about a literature review that has aimed to identify in a systematic form the optimism assessment instruments in childhood. As results, 11 instruments were identified, including scales, questionnaires and interviews. Among these, four scales have validation studies for Brazil and only one instrument was found based on a sample of Brazilian children. This gap indicates that this area still has much to develop in the country. The second one aimed to adapt the instrument Optimism Predictor Task in Children (TAPOC) into a version to be used in tablet, the TAPOC-I (Computerized Optimism Predictor Task in Children), and to seek validity evidence of this version. 238 children participated, 105 from Teresina – Piauí and 133 from Porto Alegre – Rio Grande do Sul (RS) (57,9% girls), from four to ten years old. The dimensionality of the instrument and its psychometric characteristics was maintained in the computerized version. TAPOC-i presented TAPOC-i presented adequate psychometric properties, which provide indicators of instrument validity. The use of an application in this research allowed a reduction in the time of the instrument management, besides being a playful and attractive tool in the evaluation of children.

The ability to find positive meaning and in turn generate positive emotions in the face of negative life circumstances is a protective factor against the harmful effects of stress, and a critical pathway to resilience and growth. Despite its clear importance, little is known about the brain mechanisms that support this ability, the processes that underlie decisions to implement it, or the long-term effects it has on memories of negative life experiences. Study 1 shows that finding positive meaning in negative experiences engages the brain’s system for reward valuation, whereas minimizing negative emotions dampens activity in a region involved in generating emotional arousal. Study 2 shows that spontaneous brain responses to aversive stimuli can be used to prospectively predict decisions to regulate emotion, and the predictive value of these responses is comparable across finding positive meaning and minimizing negative emotions. Study 3 shows that finding positive meaning and minimizing negative feelings can bring about distinct lasting effects on the content and affective impact of memories of negative experiences.

Denna studie är en undersökning av hur människor beskriver mening utifrån sig själva i förhållande till vår samtid. För detta ändamål berörs psykologiska områden som existentiell-, positiv- och religionspsykologi samt delar av religion och existentiell filosofi. Studiens empiri har framställts via intervjuer med fyra informanter som rekryterats genom ett bekvämlighetsurval på ett universitet i södra Sverige. Materialet har därefter tolkats och analyserats utifrån hermeneutisk metodik och tematiska analys. Vad som framkom i studien som betydelsefullt för uppfattningen av mening var frihet och informanternas föresats att ha en framtida familj, däremot uppfattades inte mening som en slutdestination eller ett mål utan det beskrevs som ett föränderligt förlopp där flera faktorer spelar in. / This study is a research on how people describe meaning from themselves in relation to our time. For this purpose, psychological areas such as existential, positive and religious psychology as well as parts of religion and existential philosophy has been utilized. The study’s empirical data has been gathered from interviews with four informants who have been recruited through a convenience sample at a university in southern Sweden. The material has subsequently been interpreted and analyzed based on hermeneutic methodology and thematic analysis. What emerged from the study as important for the perception of meaning was freedom and the informants' intention to have a future family, on the other hand, meaning was not considered a final destination or a goal, but it was described as a changing process in which several factors play a role.

Lai Mei Fung. / "June 2012." / Thesis (M.Div.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2012. / Includes bibliographical references. / Abstracts in English and Chinese. / ABSTRACT --- p.ii / Chapter CHAPTER ONE: --- INTRODUCTION --- p.1 / Chapter I. --- Problem Statement and Research Question --- p.1 / Chapter II. --- Statement of Purpose --- p.3 / Chapter III. --- Methodology and Delimitation --- p.4 / Chapter IV. --- "Definition of the Term: Hope, Pastoral Care and Positive Psychology" --- p.4 / Chapter V. --- Significance of this Study --- p.8 / Chapter VI. --- Overview: Structure of this Thesis --- p.8 / Chapter CHAPTER TWO: --- LITERATURE REVIEW --- p.10 / Chapter I. --- Historical Development of Hope Construct: No Consensus on Hope --- p.10 / Chapter II. --- Theological Approach: Pastoral Literature of Hope --- p.15 / Chapter III. --- Psychological Approach: Positive Psychology of Hope --- p.17 / Chapter IV. --- Literature About the Interdisciplinary Discussion on the Topic of Hope … --- p.19 / Chapter V. --- Summary --- p.20 / Chapter CHAPTER THREE: --- THEORETICAL FOUNDATION --- p.21 / Chapter I. --- Why are Charles Rick Snyder and Andrew D. Lester chosen? --- p.21 / Chapter II. --- Psychological Perspective: Snyder's Hope Theory in Positive Psychology --- p.23 / What is Hope? Looking Hope Through a Psychological Lens --- p.23 / "Context: Making Excuses, Cognitive Influence and Fritz Heider" --- p.24 / "Content: Goal, Pathway and Agency" --- p.26 / Chapter III. --- Theological Perspective: Lester's Notion of Hope in Pastoral Care --- p.29 / What is Hope? Looking Hope Through a Theological Lens --- p.29 / Context: Experience of Struggling and Existential Influence --- p.29 / Content: Future and Transfinite Hope --- p.32 / Chapter IV. --- Summary --- p.35 / Chapter CHAPTER FOUR: --- COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS IN PRACTICE --- p.36 / Chapter I. --- Common Ground: Hope is a Virtue --- p.36 / Positive Psychology: Hope is a Virtue for Human Flourishing --- p.37 / Pastoral Care: Hope as a Theological Virtue --- p.39 / Chapter II. --- Tension in the Practical Life Context: Daily Life and End-of-Life Context --- p.41 / Hope in Daily Life: Empirical Research and Operative Measurement --- p.41 / Hope in the End-of-life Context: Cognitive vs Existential Approach --- p.44 / Chapter CHAPTER FIVE: --- "FINDING, SUGGESTION AND CONCLUSION" --- p.51 / Chapter I. --- Finding and Discussion --- p.51 / "Whether: Yes, Positive Psychology Contributes Hope-nurturing" --- p.51 / How: Pastoral Theology Should Maintain its Indispensable Role --- p.52 / Chapter II. --- Limitation and Suggestion for Further Research --- p.55 / Chapter III. --- Conclusion --- p.56 / BIBLIOGRAPHY --- p.58

The study of stress on police task performance is important as this relationship can positively or negatively impact encounters with the public. This study focused on protective factors of positive psychology within the measured construct of dispositional optimism as a possible mediator of stress effects on physical task performance. The cognitive processing models used were the performance efficiency theory and attentional control theory as they apply in perceptual motor skill. Using a mediation model, the research question asked whether dispositional optimism mediated the relationship between stress and a pistol performance accuracy task. This study used a limited data set collected by a law enforcement training center (N = 80). The survey instruments used to measure stress and dispositional optimism were the Perceived Stress Scale and the Life Orientation Test - Revised, respectively. Correlation and multiple regression were used to analyze the significance of the mediation model. Ultimately, the results were unable to detect significance between dispositional optimism (p > .05) and stress (p > .05) on pistol accuracy outcomes. However, a significant relationship was found between dispositional optimism and stress (p < .05). Future research recommendations include an intervention protocol with several levels of pistol shooting difficulty and biological stress measurements. Implications for social change include further understanding of how to better manage stress for increased accuracy in pistol performance tasks along with increased mental processing and increased positive outcomes. Overall, better education and training for the officer will contribute to more positive encounters with the public.

Savoring, or the process of prolonging a specific experience of positive emotions, is associated with positive health outcomes and feelings of interpersonal connectedness. Few studies have examined the process of savoring in a family context, and even fewer studies have explored the extent to which it may vary across cultures. In a sample of mother-child dyads (n = 66; White = 33 and Latinx, non-White = 30), we investigated the effect of savoring on verbal and behavioral indicators of maternal responsiveness as compared to a control condition, a reflecting exercise about daily routines. The results suggest an interaction effect of experimental condition and race on verbal maternal responsiveness, such that White moms who savored were more responsive than those who had reflected. Unexpectedly, Latina moms who reflected were more responsive than those who had savored. This effect may be explained by Latinx cultural values of collectivism and familism interacting with participants’ interpretation of the experimental tasks. These findings suggest the use of savoring and positive emotion to improve parent-child relationships and highlight the importance of studying the role of culture in psychological interventions.

Positive psychologists have published hundreds of empirical studies correlating positive personality traits with improved outcomes in mental health, physical health, academic and career success, resilience, relationships, and personal happiness. But there remains a dearth of research on the emergence and development of positive personality traits. This grounded theory, qualitative research sought to discover whether positive personality traits can be developed in adult mentoring relationships. Sixteen participants responded in structured interviews about the benefits of their mentoring experiences, and in addition to performing coding analysis as described by Strauss and Corbin (1990), the researcher also compared the answers to Peterson and Seligman's taxonomy of positive traits (2004). Unprompted participant responses overwhelmingly asserted increase of positive traits, as well as five other benefit categories. Improved traits appeared across a wide range of mentee characteristics, and situations, including negative ones, as long as mentors communicated unconditional positive regard and possessed desirable competencies. Social considerations of this research include the possibility that, in combination with therapies to address negative aspects of a client situation, therapists using intentional positive trait development could support recovery, resilience, hope, wisdom, thriving, and all of the benefits positive psychology has correlated to the presence of positive personality traits. Future studies building on this research may include a longitudinal study to understand what situations and character types are most conducive for positive trait development, as well as questions regarding which traits appear in which mentoring situations.

This qualitative study examined the phenomenology of advanced breast cancer (ABC) among 7 female participants between the ages of 20 and 45. Oral data were collected to extract participants' interpretations of their spiritual and psychosocial experiences of living with ABC. Findings suggest that these women experienced a dichotomous relationship with regard to their bodies and their relationships with others; this served as a means of making sense of their experiences and as a coping mechanism. Positive psychology and the theory of reasoned action and planned behavior provided the theoretical framework for examining the role of social reinforcements, beliefs, and attitudes and intentions on the health behavior of pre-menopausal African American women with ABC in Northern and Southern Delaware. Additionally, the theoretical framework provided answers to the overarching questions of how pre-menopausal African American women with advanced breast cancer applied meaning-making and spirituality to find purpose in their diagnosis. Inductive analysis of their narrative data suggested a set of themes: the body as a medical object, the body as a feminine object, honesty in relationships, missed opportunities from healthcare professionals, from wounded to mended, and the joy of purposeful living. The participants reported that an intimate relationship with God helped them feel supported in a way that family and friends could not. The findings in this study support potential spiritual and meaning-making interventions as well as promote a more positive quality of life for pre-menopausal women living with advanced breast cancer.-¬-¬-¬