South African organisations face the challenge of creating organisations that will engage employees in ways that allow for the optimisation of their strengths. This can be achieved by following a strength-based approach (SBA). An SBA aims to achieve optimisation of human functioning, where talents and strengths are the focus and weaknesses are understood and managed. Although previous research suggests that an SBA has positive influences on individual and organisational outcomes, no instrument exists within the South African context that measures employees’ perception of the extent to which they believe their organisation makes use of their strengths and talents. Recently, a new scale was developed to address this need. However, no studies have been done to see how well the items of this scale function. The objectives of this research were to 1) conceptualise an SBA according to literature, 2) determine whether the items in the SBA scale are unidimensional, 3) to determine the internal validity and reliability of the new SBA scale, and 4) make recommendations for future research. A cross-sectional quantitative research design was used whereby online and hardcopy versions of the questionnaire were distributed to participants. A sample of 699 participants was collected from the Gauteng and North-West provinces. Rasch analysis was used to determine the reliability and validity of the items. Acceptable item reliability was found. Both the item and person separation indices were acceptable. Mean infit and outfit indices for both person and item were acceptable. The seven-point frequency-based Likert scale worked satisfactorily overall, although categories 0, 1, and 2 were under-utilised. Finally, the infit and outfit statistics for all eight items functioned satisfactorily, except for one item. Recommendations are made for practice as well as for future research. / Thesis (MA (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2012

Empirical interest in promoting virtues has dramatically increased over the last decade. The present study will focus primarily on the warmth-based virtues of forgiveness and humility, and the conscientiousness-based virtues of patience and self-control. I introduced participants (N = 135) to a workbook intended to promote one of these four virtues, or to promote general positivity for participants in a workbook control condition. I hypothesized that virtue workbooks would produce higher levels of the target virtue, more so than in both a non-action control condition (n = 33) and in a control condition that completes a workbook that promotes general positivity. The forgiveness, humility, patience, and positivity workbooks did indeed build their respective targets. Virtue workbook participants reaped more benefits than the positivity participants, but both improved more than the control condition. These findings suggest that workbook interventions serve a valuable purpose in the promotion of goodness.

Insofar as forgiveness of oneself enables one to responsibly manage the consequences of wrongdoing, the practice of self-forgiveness may be essential to the preservation of one’s physical, psychological, relational, and spiritual health. In the present thesis, an intervention wait-list design was employed to investigate the efficacy of a 6-hour self-directed workbook designed to promote self-forgiveness. University students (N = 204) who reported perpetrating an interpersonal offense and who experienced some sense of remorse were randomly assigned to either an immediate treatment or wait-list control condition, and assessments were administered on three occasions. Participants’ self-forgiveness ratings increased in conjunction with completion of the workbook, and the effect of treatment depended upon self-administered dose and baseline levels of dispositional self-compassion in some cases. In summary, the workbook appeared to facilitate the process of responsible self-forgiveness among perpetrators of interpersonal wrongdoing, though replication trials are needed in which lower rates of attrition reduce the possibility of biased results.

Although the scientific study of forgiveness has flourished in recent years, the study of the effects of culture on forgiveness has been minimal. The present thesis reviews the literature examining the effects of individualism and collectivism on forgiveness. In Study 1, four scales are created that are hypothesized to relate to the study of culture and forgiveness. Evidence for the reliability and validity of these scales are presented. In Study 2, the effects of individualism and collectivism are empirically tested. Collectivistic forgivers understand forgiveness within the context of reconciliation, social harmony, and relational repair. Collectivistic forgiveness primarily involves a decision to forgive, but this decision often does not result in the reduction of negative emotions associated with unforgiveness.

O objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar os efeitos do programa intitulado Mindful Creative Thinking (MCT) sobre o nível da criatividade verbal de estudantes universitários de uma escola de negócios. Evidências científicas apontam efeitos positivos das práticas de mindfulness e das forças de caráter cognitivas no desenvolvimento da criatividade verbal. O programa MCT, desenvolvido no presente estudo e de autoria do próprio pesquisador, combina práticas de mindfulness e práticas das forças de caráter, integradas com práticas de treinamento do pensamento criativo. As variáveis estudadas foram fluência (número de ideias), flexibilidade (número de categorias) e originalidade (novidade estatística das respostas). O estudo exploratório utilizou métodos quanti-qualitativos e abordagem analítica de ensaio controlado antes-e-depois (before and after study) com amostra randomizada. O programa MCT foi realizado com 51 graduandos da Faculdade de Administração, Economia e Contabilidade (FEA-RP/USP) de Ribeirão Preto. Os estudantes foram divididos em dois grupos: Experimental (26 participantes) e Controle (25 participantes). Os dados foram coletados por meio da aplicação do Teste de Torrance, Questionário das Cinco Facetas de Mindfulness e de questionário com questões abertas (Questionário MCT), elaborado pelo pesquisador. O resultado da pesquisa demonstrou que o programa Mindful Creative Thinking contribuiu para o desenvolvimento das habilidades criativas e influenciou positivamente no nível de atenção plena dos graduandos. / The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of the Mindful Creative Thinking (MCT) program on the level of verbal creativity of university students in a business school. Scientific evidence points to the positive effects of mindfulness practices and cognitive character forces in the development of verbal creativity. The MCT program, developed in the present study and authored by the researcher himself, combines practices of mindfulness and practices of character forces, integrated with practices of training of creative thinking. The variables studied were fluency (number of ideas), flexibility (number of categories) and originality (statistical novelty of the answers). The exploratory study used quantitative-qualitative methods and analytical approach of a randomized sample before and after study. The MCT program was carried out with 51 graduates from the Faculty of Administration, Economics and Accounting (FEA-RP / USP) of Ribeirão Preto. The students were divided into two groups: Experimental (26 participants) and Control (25 participants). The data were collected through the application of the Torrance Test, Questionnaire of Five Facets of Mindfulness and a questionnaire with open questions (Questionnaire MCT), prepared by the researcher. The result of the research demonstrated that the Mindful Creative Thinking program contributed to the development of creative skills and had a positive influence on the level of attention of undergraduates.

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.