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There is a popular lay-belief that consumers always strive to repair their negative mood. However, one can think of contrary instances where people seek out melancholic music when they feel sad, or choose to remain miserable when something frustrates them. My dissertation proposes that people vary considerably in the degree to which they need to feel better when they experience negative feelings. Specifically, my dissertation advances current understanding of why certain individuals do not engage in mood repair. It also allows us to decipher when people would form judgments and decisions in a mood-congruent versus mood-incongruent manner, thereby accounting for the lack of robustness of mood repair effects. To this end, I advance a construct called the "Need to Feel Better" (NFB), and propose four distinct facets of NFB that individuals differ on: 1) behavioral tendency to repair bad moods, 2) aversion to negative feelings, 3) pleasure derived from negative feelings, and 4) tendency to reflect on negative feelings. I also propose a scale that measures this construct and the four facets it encompasses. My dissertation shows that NFB is associated with stronger preference for common mood repair activities such as leisure shopping and exercise. It is also associated with certain demographics (e.g., age and gender), personality traits (e.g., extraversion and agreeableness), and self-regulation constructs (e.g., promotion-focus). NFB also predicts people's tendency to engage in mood repair when they experience negative moods and their attitudes towards mood lifting appeals. From a managerial standpoint, this work provides insights for the marketing of "feel-good" products (e.g., aromatherapy and vacation packages) and the use of mood repair appeals (e.g., Volkswagen's "Get Happy" Super Bowl commercial and the "Look Good Feel Better" campaign for women with cancer by the cosmetics industry).

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Typescript (photocopy). / Digitized by Kansas Correctional Industries

Call number: LD2668 .T4 1984 S27 / Master of Science

The purpose of this study was to examine how chronic renal failure or cancer patients felt about their bodies during treatment. The sample was comprised of 22 subjects; 10 hemodialysis, six continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD), and six chemotherapy patients. The settings included an outpatient dialysis center and an inpatient/outpatient chemotherapy treatment center. Two instruments, the Body Attitude Scale and the Body Cathexis Scale, were used to describe the patients' feelings about their bodies. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the data. A significant difference on the Body Cathexis Scale among the subjects indicated that the chemotherapy patients had the most positive body attitude. The implications of the study for nursing are related to how nurses can provide anticipatory guidance to their clients. Both cancer and renal failure treatment require significant adaptation by the client. Therefore, appropriate nursing interventions must be instituted.

The aim of the study was to assess specific psychological aspects of the premenstrual syndrome, such as stress, attitudes towards menstruation, and past history of psychosomatic illnesses. Thirteen PMS subjects, were compared with 8 control subjects, who reported only minimal or no premenstrual symptoms. In comparison to controls, PMS subjects regarded menstruation as significantly more debilitating. No significant differences were found between the groups in levels of stress. However, the PMS group evidenced a significantly greater tendency to react to emotional stress, with overcontrol, i.e. the need to control and suppress emotions. In addition, the PMS group evidenced a significantly greater history of psychosomatic illnesses, than controls. Finally, there was a significant group reduction in symptom severity, within the PMS group, over the two month period of daily monitoring of symptoms. The results of this study suggest that certain psychological factors may be implicated in premenstrual symptom severity. / Psychology / M.A. (Social Science (Psychology))

Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2000. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: In the present study the psychological skills of professional and social basketball players were compared. A literature review has highlighted the need for domain specific and sport specific psychological skills research, from countries outside the United States of America. The Athletic Coping Skills Inventory-28 (ACSI-28) was administered to professional (n=60) and social (n=67) basketball players. The ACSI-28 is a multidimensional scale that measures seven specific psychological skills and also yields a global psychological skills score. The results showed that professional basketball players rated their global psychological skills significantly higher than social basketball players. The results also showed that the professional basketball players scored significantly higher on five of the seven specific psychological skills namely: coping with adversity, peaking under pressure, goal setting, concentration and self-confidence. Cross-cultural differences were found between South African and Greek basketball players. The assumption that psychological skills is domain specific was not verified as baseball and basketball players from different countries showed remarkably similar ACSI-28 profiles. The results can be used to develop a psychological skills training programme which is relevant for elite and pre-elite basketball players in South Africa. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die sielkundige vaardighede van professionele- en sosiale basketbalspelers is in die huidige studie onderling vergelyk. 'n Literatuurstudie het die behoefte aan domeinspesifieke, sowel as sport-spesifieke sielkundige-vaardigheidsnavorsing beklemtoom, veral vir lande buite die Verenigde State van Amerika. Die Athletic Coping Skills Inventory-28 (ACSI-28) is toegepas op professionele (n=60) en sosiale (n=67) basketbalspelers. Die ACSI-28 is 'n multidimensionele skaal wat sewe spesifiek sielkundige vaardighede meet. Hierdie vaardighede kan gekombineer word om 'n globale sielkundige vaardigheidstelling te kry. Volgens die resultate het die professionele basketbalspelers hul globale sielkundige vaardighede beduidend hoër as sosiale basketbalspelers geëvalueer. Die professionele basketbalspelers het hoër tellings as sosiale basketbalspelers behaal op vyf van die sewe spesifiek sielkundige vaardighede naamlik: hantering van terugslae, prestasie onder druk, doelwitstelling, konsentrasie vermoë en self vertroue. Kruis-kulturele verskille is gevind tussen Suid-Afrikaanse en Griekse basketbalspelers. Die aanname, dat sielkundige vaardighede domein-spesifiek is, is nie ondersteun nie, aangesien bofbal en basketbalspelers van verskillende lande ooreenstemmende ACSI-28 profiele getoon het. Die resultate kan aangewend word om 'n sielkundige vaardigheidsopleidingsprogram te ontwikkel wat relevant vir elite and preelite basketbalspelers in Suid Afrika is.

published_or_final_version / Social Work / Master / Master of Social Work

This study examined the associations between video gaming, sleep, and neuropsychological functioning. A total of 143 mother-children dyads were included in the study. The children’s neurocognitive functions were measured using the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children– Fourth Edition (Hong Kong), the Test of Everyday Attention for Children (TEA-Ch), and the Grooved Pegboard Test. Sleep quality was measured by the Children's Sleep Habits Questionnaire (CSHQ) and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). Problematic behaviors were measured using the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL). It was found that (1) more video gaming was associated with poorer subjective sleep quality and shorter total bed time, but not any actual reported sleep time or any domains of problematic sleep in children, (2) playing video games before bed was not associated with more sleep problems in children, (3) children with more sleep problems were perceived to have more internalizing and externalizing behaviors, (4) sleep problem was negatively associated with tests of perceptual reasoning abilities, and had a moderating effect on the relationship between video-gaming and a hand-eye coordination task. Results implied video gaming might not be predominantly bad for children, and the use of it as a training tool must target specific cognitive skills in order to be effective. Children’s sleep problems should be part of a clinical computation and adequately addressed. / published_or_final_version / Clinical Psychology / Master / Master of Social Sciences