<p>An area within psychology that looks at the strengths and positive sides of human life has emerged the last decade. It is called positive psychology and one area related to that is positive adaptation. The main purpose of this paper is to describe the natural history of females’ positive extrinsic and intrinsic adaptation from childhood to adulthood, with a focus on typical positive patterns of adaptation and how these patterns develop within the same individual. The sample consisted of about 500 Swedish girls and data were taken at age 13, 15, and 43 from the longitudinal research program Individual Development and Adaptation (IDA). Variable-oriented methods were used to study basic relationships among factors both within age and between childhood and adulthood and person-oriented methods were used to study typical patterns of adaptation and how these patterns develop, using cluster analyses and cross-tabulation of clusters. The overall results show, as expected, more distinct typical positive adaptation patterns in the intrinsic than the extrinsic area in both childhood and adulthood. Significant longitudinal developmental streams between typical positive adaptation patterns in childhood and adulthood were found and these are discussed from a dynamic system perspective suggesting the interaction between factors thru reinforcing feedback processes.</p>

An area within psychology that looks at the strengths and positive sides of human life has emerged the last decade. It is called positive psychology and one area related to that is positive adaptation. The main purpose of this paper is to describe the natural history of females’ positive extrinsic and intrinsic adaptation from childhood to adulthood, with a focus on typical positive patterns of adaptation and how these patterns develop within the same individual. The sample consisted of about 500 Swedish girls and data were taken at age 13, 15, and 43 from the longitudinal research program Individual Development and Adaptation (IDA). Variable-oriented methods were used to study basic relationships among factors both within age and between childhood and adulthood and person-oriented methods were used to study typical patterns of adaptation and how these patterns develop, using cluster analyses and cross-tabulation of clusters. The overall results show, as expected, more distinct typical positive adaptation patterns in the intrinsic than the extrinsic area in both childhood and adulthood. Significant longitudinal developmental streams between typical positive adaptation patterns in childhood and adulthood were found and these are discussed from a dynamic system perspective suggesting the interaction between factors thru reinforcing feedback processes.

abstract: Statistical inference from mediation analysis applies to populations, however, researchers and clinicians may be interested in making inference to individual clients or small, localized groups of people. Person-oriented approaches focus on the differences between people, or latent groups of people, to ask how individuals differ across variables, and can help researchers avoid ecological fallacies when making inferences about individuals. Traditional variable-oriented mediation assumes the population undergoes a homogenous reaction to the mediating process. However, mediation is also described as an intra-individual process where each person passes from a predictor, through a mediator, to an outcome (Collins, Graham, & Flaherty, 1998). Configural frequency mediation is a person-oriented analysis of contingency tables that has not been well-studied or implemented since its introduction in the literature (von Eye, Mair, & Mun, 2010; von Eye, Mun, & Mair, 2009). The purpose of this study is to describe CFM and investigate its statistical properties while comparing it to traditional and casual inference mediation methods. The results of this study show that joint significance mediation tests results in better Type I error rates but limit the person-oriented interpretations of CFM. Although the estimator for logistic regression and causal mediation are different, they both perform well in terms of Type I error and power, although the causal estimator had higher bias than expected, which is discussed in the limitations section. / Dissertation/Thesis / Masters Thesis Psychology 2019

The role of emotional regulation as a predictor for forthcoming sleep disturbances was investigated within the Prospective Investigations on Psychological Processes for Insomnia (PIPPI) study. Participants were classified to one of four sleep groups in accordance with a classification algorithm based on self report-data on nighttime symptoms, daytime symptoms, and sleep disorders other than insomnia. Measures of baseline emotional regulation were then examined as a predictor for follow-up sleep group affiliation. The results indicate that emotional regulation is a non-significant predictor of forthcoming sleep disturbances, also when individual sleep group-movements are controlled for. It is suggested that models on how sleep disturbances evolve are revised, that measures of emotional regulation are refined, and that a person oriented approach is adopted. / Betydelsen av emotionell reglering som prediktor för kommande sömnstörningar undersöktes inom projektet "Prospektiva undersökningar på psykologiska processer rörande insomni". Baserat på självrapporteringsdata för nattidssymptom, dagtidssymptom och andra sömnstörningar än insomni, klassificerades deltagarna till en av fyra sömngrupper i enlighet med en klassificeringsalgoritm. Baslinjedata för emotionell reglering undersöktes sedan som prediktor för sömngruppstillhörighet vid uppföljningsmätningen. Resultatet indikerar att emotionell reglering inte är en signifikant prediktor för kommande sömnstörningar, detta även när individuella förflyttningar mellan sömngrupper tas i beaktande. Det föreslås att modeller för hur sömnstörningar utvecklas revideras, att mått för emotionell reglering förfinas samt att en personorienterad ansats antas.

Abstract The military is the foundation of a nation¡¦s safety. To ensure the safety, prosperity and a continuous development of a country, the commanding officer of each troop in the armed forces should adopt a kind of leadership which can meet the needs of a country and its people thus fulfilling the mission of defending a country and protecting its people. The writer thoroughly observed and interviewed two commanding officers who were the subjects of this case study. The study is aimed to discuss the leadership behavior of the air-force colonels who are commanding officers. The study discusses the organization structure, the characteristics of missions and the number of people in troops, the difference between the leadership behavior between the commanding officers. The study tries to find a suitable leadership behavior which can be served as a reference for commanding officers in different troops in the future. The study has found the following phenomenon: 1. To lead a huge organization which has many people and facilities and units, the most important job is to know how to control. To lead an organization which has less people and it has a professional unit, the most important job is to plan and to know how to communicate to the subordinates. 2. There are many unnecessary meetings in the troops. The meetings are too long. Only a few items need to be discussed are relevant to the units, so it is a waste of time. 3. Due to different units, some commanding officers have too much work, some have less work. Some can not fully use his talents. Responsibility and power do not match. 4. If the unit has less people and resources, the conflict between subordinates are less. If the leader has better skill of eloquence, he can persuade his subordinates and convince them easily. 5. The leadership behavior at this stage in the military is ¡§people-centered¡¨ which produces good effects in leadership. In summary, the leadership behavior of the commanding officer can directly influence the behavior and attitude of his subordinates. The more the commanding officer cares his subordinates, the better meets the psychological needs of his subordinates. Key Words: Leadership behavior and effectiveness, 4 diagrams of leadership behavior,System and person-oriented, Initiating and consideration structure,Situational factors.

The overall aim of the thesis was to explore everyday functioning in six year-old children born preterm, from the children’s perspectives and from their parents’ perspectives. The relation between everyday functioning and neonatal risk factors, behavioural characteristics was studied with descriptive and correlational statistics, ANOVA and multiple linear regression (I). Patterns of everyday functioning were explored in a cluster analysis following a person-oriented approach (II). In a mixed method approach, the children’s and their parents’ perceptions on children’s competence in everyday activities were explored with a pictorial instrument and analysed with descriptive statistics and qualitative content analysis (III). The children’s perceptions of meaningful everyday life situations were explored in a photo voice study, analysed with qualitative content analysis. In total, 144 children born preterm and 222 children born at term and their parents were involved. The results indicated that from the parents’ perspective most children born preterm and full-term were perceived with strong everyday functioning featuring strong motor, process and communication skills, a positive interaction pattern and low levels of behaviour problems. As a group, the children born very preterm were perceived weaker in their everyday functioning than the full-term group but the pattern of performance skills, interaction and behaviour varied similar to that of children born full-term. Further, it was found that preterm birth was not the main predictor, instead hyperactivity had most influence on everyday functioning. Moreover, the children born preterm perceived themselves to be overall strong performers of everyday activities. They wanted to be active and do things and for that they wanted to have skills and significant others i.e. siblings, parents, friends and pets to interact with and to feel safe and loved. Further, the children born preterm expressed a will to develop, improve and gain new skills and to have more opportunities to do meaningful things. In conclusion, the results in this thesis indicate that young children born preterm are able to reflect on their everyday functioning, and express needs and desires for their participation in meaningful everyday life situations. Moreover, preterm birth is not the sole predictor of everyday functioning more critical is the interaction of individual, behavioural and contextual factors.

This thesis investigates long-term cognitive outcome in two cohorts of adolescents and young adults exposed to stressors during the perinatal period: one group born preterm (&lt;37 weeks of gestation and birth weight &lt;1,500 g); one group exposed to two or more courses of antenatal corticosteroids (ACS), to stimulate lung maturation in the face of threatening preterm birth. In fetal life the brain undergoes dramatic growth, and a disruption to the early establishment of functional neural networks may interrupt development in ways that are difficult to predict. Executive function refers to a set of cognitive processes that are important for purposeful regulation of thought, emotion, and behavior, and even a subtle depreciation may influence overall functioning. Study I investigated the stability of executive function development after preterm birth. Executive functions were differentiated into working memory and cognitive flexibility. Both components were highly stable from preschool age to late adolescence. In Study II, we identified subgroups within the group of children born preterm with respect to cognitive profiles at 5½ and 18 years, and identified longitudinal streams. Outcome after preterm birth was diverse, and insufficiently predicted by perinatal and family factors. Individuals performing at low levels at 5½ years were unlikely to improve over time, while a group of individuals performing at or above norm at 5½ years had improved their performance relative to term-born peers by age 18. Studies I and II pointed to the need for developmental monitoring of those at risk, prior to formal schooling. Study III investigated long-term cognitive outcome after repeat ACS treatment. The study did not provide support for the concern that repeat ACS exposure will have an adverse impact on cognitive function later in life. In sum, exposure to perinatal stressors resulted in great variation in outcome. However, for many, their rough beginnings had not left a lasting mark. / <p>At the time of the doctoral defense, the following paper was unpublished and had a status as follows: Paper 1: Submitted.</p>

<p>Existing career theories are largely based on a stable working environment and have focused excessively on men and single work roles. In the postindustrial era, however, women’s careers, characterized by the constant negotiation of multiple roles and more frequent job changes, have had implications on the changing nature of careers. The general purpose of this thesis is to increase knowledge about the process of career development of women. The focus is on two aspects: Life Career (characterized by multiple role constellations over the life course) and Occupational Career (characterized by different shapes of occupational movement over the life course). Three sets of questions addressed these two aspects of career: trajectory patterns, interrelationships, and antecedents and consequences. Career biographies covered ages 16 to 43. Antecedents reflecting individual agency (e.g., life role value, aspiration, and early experiences) were investigated. The impact of family context on occupational choice was also examined. Among the consequences examined were midlife work wellness and stress, health, and wellbeing.</p><p>Results showed that (1) Career patterns were highly diverse, including nine distinct life career patterns and ten occupational career patterns. (2) Occupational and life careers were significantly related, indicating that the paid work career is embedded in the overall life role structure throughout the life course. (3) Individual agency factors predicted life career. Occupational career was related to life career more than family context. (4) Occupational career did matter in work wellbeing. In terms of stress, health, and wellbeing at midlife, there was little difference among life career patterns, but more significant differences among occupational career patterns. The thesis indicates career theory can benefit from taking multiple roles and career development into account. Implications for career counseling, social policy, and organizations are discussed.</p>

Existing career theories are largely based on a stable working environment and have focused excessively on men and single work roles. In the postindustrial era, however, women’s careers, characterized by the constant negotiation of multiple roles and more frequent job changes, have had implications on the changing nature of careers. The general purpose of this thesis is to increase knowledge about the process of career development of women. The focus is on two aspects: Life Career (characterized by multiple role constellations over the life course) and Occupational Career (characterized by different shapes of occupational movement over the life course). Three sets of questions addressed these two aspects of career: trajectory patterns, interrelationships, and antecedents and consequences. Career biographies covered ages 16 to 43. Antecedents reflecting individual agency (e.g., life role value, aspiration, and early experiences) were investigated. The impact of family context on occupational choice was also examined. Among the consequences examined were midlife work wellness and stress, health, and wellbeing. Results showed that (1) Career patterns were highly diverse, including nine distinct life career patterns and ten occupational career patterns. (2) Occupational and life careers were significantly related, indicating that the paid work career is embedded in the overall life role structure throughout the life course. (3) Individual agency factors predicted life career. Occupational career was related to life career more than family context. (4) Occupational career did matter in work wellbeing. In terms of stress, health, and wellbeing at midlife, there was little difference among life career patterns, but more significant differences among occupational career patterns. The thesis indicates career theory can benefit from taking multiple roles and career development into account. Implications for career counseling, social policy, and organizations are discussed.

Mental health reflects an array of causal influences that span biological, psychological, and social circumstances, with resultant underlying causal pathways to poor mental health outcomes in childhood that are complex. Key features of this complexity are reciprocal interactions between person and environment that take place over time. The core of this thesis seeks to attend to the complexity of development to move the field of developmental health forward toward greater explanation, and more successful prediction and prevention. The focal point of the thesis is the psychosocial determinants of childhood mental health, the resource domain of the developing child, and the interplay between characteristics of the individual child, the family, and the community. The eventual goal is to better understand why and how socioeconomic circumstances impact on developmental health. One component of this thesis focuses on the expansion of extant developmental theory. The other component focuses on the development of an analytic strategy that more appropriately reflects the intricacies of this theoretical expansion. In the process, data are analysed, principally as a heuristic strategy, to illustrate the analytical approach needed to support the theoretical framework. The specification of a bioecological conceptual framework suitable to guide research and policy in developmental health is the first principal objective of the thesis. A critical examination of the resource framework proposed by Brooks-Gunn, Brown, Duncan, and Anderson Moore (1995) reveals it to be centred on family and community resources, but otherwise silent with respect to the physical and psychological resources of the child. The quintessential point of this thesis is that theory in developmental health must be able to account for the contribution individuals make to their own development. A modified resource framework is proposed that acknowledges financial, physical, human, and social capital, within the domains of the individual child, the family, and the community. The second principal objective of the thesis, the development of analytical methods that focus on the individual child and the complexity of data generated by this theoretical approach, is then introduced. Theory and method are thus integrated when comprehensive measures of characteristics in multiple domains across developmental periods are modeled using longitudinal data from the Western Australian Pregnancy Cohort (Raine) Study (Newnham, Evans, Michael, Stanley, & Landau, 1993). The mothers of 2,860 children were enrolled at 18 weeks in pregnancy and the children have been followed at birth, one, two, three, five, and eight years of age. Eighty-nine per cent (2,537 /2,860) of families were available for follow-up at eight and 74 per cent (2,126/2,860) of families responded. Extensive demographic, psychological, and developmental data were available for the children and their families and a limited amount of data were available for the communities in which they reside. A measure of mental health morbidity, the Child Behaviour Checklist (Achenbach, 1991), was available for the children at two, five, and eight years of age. In the first instance, dichotomous summary variables are derived for the demographic, psychological, and developmental variables of interest. Variables are then selected for inclusion in one of several explanatory models. To create a mathematical representation of resource characteristics, the information for each child is concatenated as a series of binary strings. Frequency tabulation is then used to aggregate the data and odds ratios are calculated to determine the degree of risk associated with each string of code, or pattern of factors relative to a nominated mental health outcome. The results provided a scaffold from which this theoretical and analytical approach is compared and contrasted with the reviewed literature. Two principal themes of investigation are pursued. The first theme to be examined is the interplay between characteristics of the child, family, and community and the contribution children make to their own development. The specific approach models the interaction between selected characteristics of the child, family and community in each of four developmentally significant time periods. The theoretical position adopted in the present study suggests that the effect of any personal or contextual factor on later development, if a relationship does truly exist, is most likely to be differential. That is, it is a combination of influences that determines developmental outcomes for children, not any single factor acting independently. The modelling process demonstrates that, for the children involved, personal and contextual factors impact mental health differentially depending on various other individual, family and/or community characteristics. The modelling process identifies patterns of factors that impact relatively small, but significant, numbers of children because the models focus on the effect for individual children rather than the effect for the group. For example, one model suggests that the effect of intra-uterine growth restriction for the group as a whole may be minimal, but the impact for some children could be critical depending on the combination of family and community influences, such as the mothers level of education, the family’s experience of significant life stress, and residence in a relatively disadvantaged community. The second theme to be examined is the possibility that the accumulation of resource deficits or risk characteristics, over time, amplifies the likelihood of mental health problems in childhood. The approach models selected characteristics of the child in each of the four periods of development collectively, and it also models selected characteristics spanning each of the four time periods discretely. The results suggest that latency, pathway, and recency effects may operate simultaneously, and that timing and accumulated burden may both be important determinants of risk. For example, with regard to children whose family experienced life stress, these three effects operated in a systematic way to increase the degree of risk of a mental health problem. In summary, the aggregation of data at the individual level is a productive approach in seeking to explain population level social phenomena. While seemingly paradoxical, the identification of the joint, interactive effects between individual, family, and community characteristics, better allows for the quantification of family and community characteristics operating through multiple causal pathways.