Current deficits in the rehabilitation psychology literature involving longitudinal studies investigating positive outcomes following acquired disabilities have deserved research attention. In the current study, data on happiness as an enduring mood tone, as measured by the Life Satisfaction Index (LSI) was collected from 1271 individuals (“insiders”) having incurred either a traumatic brain injury (TBI), spinal cord injury (SCI), severe burn, or intra-articular fracture (IAF) or from someone who felt close enough to speak on their behalf (“outsiders”). Data on happiness, functional independence as measured by the Functional Independence Measure (FIM), and other variables of interest were collected at 12 months, 24 months, 48 months, and 60 months after being medically discharged. Hierarchical Linear Modeling (HLM) analyses showed that trajectories of happiness remained stable across participants and did not change significantly over five years post-discharge regardless of injury type, FIM, or insider/outsider status. Happiness was significantly predicted by FIM, injury type, and whether the respondent was an insider or outsider. Those who were more impaired and less functionally independent were less happy. Those with a TBI were consistently less happy than those with an IAF or SCI and outsiders reported greater happiness on behalf of the insider than did the insiders themselves. This study shows that there is stability in happiness levels that can be sustained at least five years post-discharge and that there are discrepancies between insider and outsider reports of subjective happiness. Proxy reports can be used as valuable and valid secondary sources of information but should not be used as substitutes for first hand reports unless absolutely necessary.

The aim of the research was to investigate the aspects of happiness and the way they are expressed through Lithuanian and English zoomorphic idioms. The research focused on the theoretical background of idiom peculiarities, establishment of the aspects of happiness, their investigation and comparison within the zoomorphic idioms of both languages. To carry out the research, 135 zoomorphic idioms were collected: 50 English idioms and 85 Lithuanian idioms. Qualitative, descriptive and quantitative methods of analysis were mainly employed in the research. The analysis revealed that 45 animal names were employed to express happiness in both languages. English idioms comprised 25 animal names, and 33 animal names were found in Lithuanian idioms. Despite the fact that 13 animal names (bull, calf, cat, cow, dog, horse, sheep, eagle, bird, dove, fish, bee, and duckling) coincided in both languages, the patterns of equivalence expressing the same aspect of happiness were not abundant. Ten semantic groups of happiness were distinguished:joy,wealth, good health, relationships,knowledge,longevity,easy life, optimism, acknowledgement, and positive traits. Although there were 3 total and 12 partial equivalents distinguished among 10 semantic groups of happiness, zero equivalence was prevailing. This confirms the fact that Lithuanian and English cultures are different. Despite this fact, both the Lithuanians and the English employ the concepts of a horse and a cat to express the aspects of... [to full text] / Šio darbo tikslas yra ištirti laimės aspektus bei jų reiškimo būdus lietuviškuose ir angliškuose zoomorfiniuose frazeologizmuose. Tyrime yra naudojami kokybinis, kiekybinis ir aprašomasis analizės metodai. Teorinėje dalyje yra apžvelgiama frazeologizmų definicijos problema, jų struktūrinė bei semantinė klasifikacija, formavimosi subtilybės bei kultūros įtaka. Šiame darbe skiriamas didelis dėmesys šiuolaikinei ir praėjusių šimtmečių laimės sampratai bei ryšio tarp žmogaus ir gyvūnų aptarimui. Praktinės dalies analizei buvo surinkta 135 zoomorfiniai frazeologizmai: 50 anglų kalboje ir 85 lietuvių kalboje. Iš viso 45 gyvūnai buvo pasitelkti reikšti laimės aspektus abiejų kalbų frazeologizmuose: 25 iš jų anglų kalboje ir 33 lietuvių kalboje. Tik 13 gyvūnų sutampa abiejose kalbose (jautis, veršis, katė/katinas, karvė, šuo, arklys, avis, erelis, paukštis, balandis, žuvis, bitė ir ančiukas). Dauguma jų yra naminiai gyvūnai, vieni iš anksčiausiai prijaukintų bei būdingi abiem šalims. Vienas iš svarbiausių praktinės dalies akcentų buvo išskirti laimės aspektų semantines grupes. Remiantis mokslininkų darbais bei statistiniais tyrimais buvo išskirta 10 semantinių grupių: džiaugsmas/sėkmė, turtas/gerovė, gera sveikata/fizinė būklė, santykiai/sutarimas, žinios/patirtis, ilgaamžiškumas/energija, lengvas gyvenimas, optimizmas/pozityvios permainos, pripažinimas, teigiami bruožai/buvimas geresniu už kitus. Remiantis šiais kriterijais, frazeologizmai buvo klasifikuojami, lyginami ir... [toliau žr. visą tekstą]

Livstillfredsställelse är vår kognitiva bedömning av vårt liv. Studier har visat att affekter påverkar vår kognition, samtidigt ses livstillfredsställelse som en stabil disposition. Syftet med denna studie var att undersöka om vår bedömning av vår livstillfredsställelse tillfälligt förändras efter att ha exponerats för negativ respektive positiv information. Hypotesen var att vi uppskattar vår livstillfredsställelse olika högt beroende på om vi exponeras för negativ eller positiv infomation. Satisfaction With Life Scale delades ut till 50 studenter på en högskola efter exponering av negativ respektive positiv information under en föreläsning. Resultatet visade att det inte fanns någon statistiskt signifikant skillnad mellan negativ och positiv information med avseende på livstillfredsställelse. Avsaknaden av skillnad skulle dock exempelvis kunna bero på en för svag exponering av negativ information. Keywords: life satisfaction, happiness, subjective well-being, current mood

The current economic situation has reconfirmed the importance of researching job insecurity and the impact it has on the individual as well as the organisation. An individual outcome which is normally negatively affected is general health. Engagement, although an experience on individual level, is an organisational outcome affected by job insecurity. With the introduction of positive psychology, emotions in the workplace created new research grounds. It seems that hope and happiness have a positive influence on negative consequences, which can assist managers in finding a competitive advantage in their human capital. The objectives of this study were to investigate the relationship between job insecurity, general health, work engagement, hope and happiness of employees (N = 286) of a co-operation in the North-West Province by using a cross-sectional survey design. The measuring instruments used were Job Insecurity Scale (JIS), General Health Questionnaire (GHQ), Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES), Hope Scale (HS), Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWL), and a biographical questionnaire. The measuring instruments were translated into Afrikaans which is the language mostly used by the target population. Four articles explained the study through a brief literature review and empirical study in each. Factor analyses were done to determine construct validity, and Cronbach's alphas and inter-item correlation coefficients assessed the internal consistency of the instruments. Descriptive statistics was used to analyse the data and Pearson product moment correlation coefficient as well as regressions, MANOVA and ANOVA was done to determine relationships between variables. Hierarchical regression was performed to test for moderation and mediation. JIS, GHQ, HS and SWLS confirmed their structural models and proved good internal consistencies. Gender, cultural group and qualification were found to have statistically significant influence on job insecurity. Females regarded the importance of job features and importance of changes to total job higher than their male colleagues. The cultural group 'other' indicated higher levels of job insecurity with regard to likelihood to loose a job feature. This fear was also experienced by participants with a qualification Grade 7 and lower as well as likelihood to changes in total job. No correlation was found between job insecurity and general health, but job insecurity did show correlations with engagement and hope. Hope and happiness were also positively correlated and hope was found to predict happiness. Hope did not moderate the job insecurity general health relationship, but did moderate the relationship between job insecurity and engagement. Hope explained 7% of the variance in general health and 14% of the variance in engagement. Happiness moderated the effect of job insecurity on general health but not of job insecurity on engagement. Happiness also showed a main effect of 13% on general health and predicted 10% of the variance in engagement. When tested, a partial mediation of happiness on the relationship between job insecurity and engagement was found. Recommendations for the organisation and future research were made. / Thesis (Ph.D. (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2010.

The current economic situation has reconfirmed the importance of researching job insecurity and the impact it has on the individual as well as the organisation. An individual outcome which is normally negatively affected is general health. Engagement, although an experience on individual level, is an organisational outcome affected by job insecurity. With the introduction of positive psychology, emotions in the workplace created new research grounds. It seems that hope and happiness have a positive influence on negative consequences, which can assist managers in finding a competitive advantage in their human capital. The objectives of this study were to investigate the relationship between job insecurity, general health, work engagement, hope and happiness of employees (N = 286) of a co-operation in the North-West Province by using a cross-sectional survey design. The measuring instruments used were Job Insecurity Scale (JIS), General Health Questionnaire (GHQ), Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES), Hope Scale (HS), Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWL), and a biographical questionnaire. The measuring instruments were translated into Afrikaans which is the language mostly used by the target population. Four articles explained the study through a brief literature review and empirical study in each. Factor analyses were done to determine construct validity, and Cronbach's alphas and inter-item correlation coefficients assessed the internal consistency of the instruments. Descriptive statistics was used to analyse the data and Pearson product moment correlation coefficient as well as regressions, MANOVA and ANOVA was done to determine relationships between variables. Hierarchical regression was performed to test for moderation and mediation. JIS, GHQ, HS and SWLS confirmed their structural models and proved good internal consistencies. Gender, cultural group and qualification were found to have statistically significant influence on job insecurity. Females regarded the importance of job features and importance of changes to total job higher than their male colleagues. The cultural group 'other' indicated higher levels of job insecurity with regard to likelihood to loose a job feature. This fear was also experienced by participants with a qualification Grade 7 and lower as well as likelihood to changes in total job. No correlation was found between job insecurity and general health, but job insecurity did show correlations with engagement and hope. Hope and happiness were also positively correlated and hope was found to predict happiness. Hope did not moderate the job insecurity general health relationship, but did moderate the relationship between job insecurity and engagement. Hope explained 7% of the variance in general health and 14% of the variance in engagement. Happiness moderated the effect of job insecurity on general health but not of job insecurity on engagement. Happiness also showed a main effect of 13% on general health and predicted 10% of the variance in engagement. When tested, a partial mediation of happiness on the relationship between job insecurity and engagement was found. Recommendations for the organisation and future research were made. / Thesis (Ph.D. (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2010.

This paper is a framework for the pursuit of happiness. It uses psychological data, philosophical theories, and trends in neuroscience to support the idea that anyone can be happy. It first discusses personality psychology, biology of personality, and the relationship between personality and happiness. From there it explains positive illusions and Depressive Realism to show how one can implement both to increase personal happiness.

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2005. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 103-105). / v, 105 leaves, bound ill. 29 cm

The previous research on student debt indicates that the financial concerns associated with being in debt have a significant effect on the individual's academic performance. In the present study, a sample of 328 current students at the University of Canterbury was questioned to identify the effects of student debt on students' course selection, motivation, happiness and academic performance. Students' debt levels increased with the level of university study, and the largest form of student borrowing was from the Student Loan Scheme. While students with no debt performed better academically than those with debt, students' attitudes towards debt were found to influence the relationship between debt level and academic performance. Students who were tolerant towards debt performed better as they accumulated more debt while students who were intolerant performed worse. In general, there is little indication that student debt has a direct effect on students' course selection, motivation, happiness and academic performance. Implications of current findings are mentioned. Limitations and directions for future research are discussed.

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Notre Dame, 2009. / Thesis directed by David Sikkink for the Department of Sociology. "April 2009." Includes bibliographical references (leaves 31-35).

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Canterbury, 2007. / Typescript (photocopy). Includes bibliographical references (leaves 79-89). Also available via the World Wide Web.