Amyotrofisk lateralskleros (ALS) är en obotlig, neurologisk sjukdom som karaktäriseras av en progressiv nedbrytning av det motoriska nervsystemet. Symtomen är tilltagande muskelsvaghet som slutligen orsakar förlamning och andningssvikt. Överlevnadstiden från sjukdomens debut är två till fem år. Det finns i dagsläget ingen botande behandling mot ALS, istället läggs fokus på att lindra symtom. Syftet med studien var att belysa livskvalitét och välbefinnande hos patienter med den obotliga sjukdomen ALS. Metoden som användes var en litteraturstudie baserad på tretton vetenskapliga artiklar som analyserades och sammanställdes. I resultatet framkom fyra teman; Betydelsen av fysisk försämring och förlust av kroppslig funktion, Betydelsen av stöd från familj, vänner och vårdgivare, Betydelsen av att leva i nuet och blunda för framtiden samt Betydelsen av att känna hopp och upprätthålla en positiv syn på livet. Det är angeläget att det genomförs fler kvalitativa studier som undersöker patienters individuella upplevelser av att leva med sjukdomen ALS. / Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is an incurable, neurological disease characterized by a progressive degeneration of the motor nervous system. The symptoms of the disease are progressive muscle weakness that eventually causes paralysis and respiratory failure. The survival time from the onset of the disease is two to five years. There is currently no cure for ALS and treatment consists of symptomatic relief. The aim of the study was to illuminate quality of life and well-being in patients with the incurable disease ALS. The method used was a literature review based on thirteen scientific articles that were analyzed and compiled. The results revealed four themes; the importance of physical deterioration and loss of bodily function, the importance of support from family, friends and caregivers, the importance of living in the present and ignore the future and the importance of feeling hope and maintain a positive outlook on life. It is significant that more qualitative studies are being made, studies that explore patients' individual experiences of living with the disease ALS.

Teachers play a pivotal role in the education system and in society at large. With this in mind, the government should address their particular needs. In the context of positive psychology, issues of happiness and subjective well-being could lead to increased educational outcomes and general health. The purpose of the research was to determine the relationship between orientations to happiness and subjective well-being and to determine whether the orientations to happiness hold predictive value for satisfaction with life. A cross-sectional survey design was used for the study. A sample of 175 (N=175) teachers in Swaziland was used. Three demographic questionnaires were used: the Orientations to Happiness Questionnaire (OHS) (Peterson, Park, & Seligman, 2005), Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS) (Diener, Emmons, Larsen, & Griffin, 1985) to measure subjective well-being, General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28) (Goldman & Hillier, 1979) as well as a biographical questionnaire. Results indicated that pleasure and engagement (subscales of orientations to happiness) were positively correlated with satisfaction with life. General health subscales, somatic symptoms, anxiety/insomnia, and severe depression had a negative relationship with satisfaction with life. Of the three orientations, pleasure was found to have predictive value for life satisfaction. Implications of the findings on the relationships between orientations and subjective well-being for helping teachers to promote a more satisfying life are discussed. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2011.

Bakgrund: Övervikt blir allt vanligare vilket även resulterat i ett ökat antal Gastric Bypass (GBP) operationer. Dessa individer påverkades inte bara fysiskt negativt, det var även en påfrestning för välbefinnandet. För vissa individer sågs GBP som deras sista möjlighet till ett hälsosamt liv Syfte: Syftet med studien är att belysa vad patienter upplever ökar hälsan i sin vardag efter en Gastric Bypass. Metod: Fem självbiografier analyserades med hjälp av en kvalitativ analys beskriven av Dahlborg-Lyckhage. Resultat: Analysen visade på vikten av ett adekvat stöd för en känsla av ökat välbefinnande. Det fanns tre typer av stöd: närstående, stödgrupper och religion. Operationen ses som en möjlighet att börja om med ett nytt ”jag” och en ny hälsosammare livsstil. Dessvärre försvann inte alltid matbegäret. För att tillfredställa begäret vände sig vissa till alkohol och droger. För att undvika detta beteende behövde patienten realistiska mål för att säkerställa en hälsosam återhämtning. Diskussion: För att försäkra sig om patientens välbefinnande var ett adekvat stöd viktigt. Sjuksköterskan bör informera patienten om stödgrupper samt beteenden som kunde orsaka beroende. Slutsats: Resultatet gav en bra grund för förståelse av vad GBP patienter var i behov av efter operationen för att uppnå en god känsla av hälsa. / Background: Obesity has been rapidly increasing and so has the number of Gastric Bypass (GBP) surgeries. Not only was the individuals’ physical health affected negatively, the perceived health took its toll as well. For some individuals GBP was a last resort to a healthy life. Aim: The aim of this study is to illustrate what patients perceive increase health in their daily life after Gastric Bypass. Method: Five autobiographies were analyzed using a qualitative analysis described by Dahlborg-Lyckhage. Result:  The analysis showed the importance of support after GBP. It consisted of three different types: acquaintances, support groups and religion. The surgery was considered a new beginning, with a new “you” and a new healthier lifestyle. Unfortunately the food urges didn’t always disappear. To satisfy the urges some turned to alcohol and drugs. To avoid this kind of behavior patients needed realistic goals to ensure a healthy recovery. Discussion: To ensure the patient well-being it was important to ensure the patient has proper support. The nurse should inform the patient about support groups as well as the risks of addiction. Conclusion: The result illustrated what GBP patients need in order to obtain health after surgery.

Over a long time psychology was focusing on human frailties and mental diseases. In 1998, positive psychology was introduced - the scientific study of strengths, well-being and optimal functioning. Theory and research in the area has identified 24 character strengths, in which each individual owns and celebrates a number of top strengths, signature strengths. These strengths have been shown to be important in achieving happiness and well-being. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between character strength and psychological well-being, job satisfaction, harmonious- and obsessive passion and stress. The results showed that wisdom, kindness, social intelligence, curiosity, hope, creativity, spirituality and love was positively correlated with psychological well-being. Few strengths correlated with job satisfaction and harmonious passion. No strengths were significantly correlated with obsessive passion. The results from the study provide little support for the theory. Some support was found for the relationship between character strengths and psychological well-being. It seems like character strengths are not important for job satisfaction, harmonious passion, obsessive passion and stress. An explanation for the few correlations, can be that this research examined each of the 24 character strengths compared with previous research that has investigated the use of individual signature strengths. More basic research is needed to confirm the theory. / Efter psykologins långa period av fokusering på mänskliga svagheter och psykiska sjukdomar, introducerades år 1998 positiv psykologi - den vetenskapliga studien av styrkor, välmående och optimal funktion. Teori och forskning inom området har identifierat 24 olika karaktärsstyrkor, av vilka varje individ besitter ett antal toppstyrkor, signaturstyrkor. Dessa styrkor har visat sig vara viktiga för att uppnå lycka och välbefinnande. Syftet med studien var att undersöka karaktärsstyrkors relation till psykologiskt välbefinnande, arbetstillfredsställelse, harmonisk- respektive tvångsmässig passion och stress. Resultatet visade att styrkorna vishet, vänlighet, social intelligens, nyfikenhet, hopp, kreativitet, andlighet och kärlek var positivt korrelerade med psykologiskt välbefinnande. Få styrkor var korrelerade med arbetstillfredsställelse och harmonisk passion. Inga styrkor var signifikant korrelerade med tvångsmässig passion. Studiens resultat ger lite stöd åt teorin. Ett visst stöd hittades för kopplingen mellan karaktärsstyrkor och psykologiskt välbefinnande. Karaktärsstyrkor verkar inte vara betydande för arbetstillfredsställelse, harmonisk- respektive tvångsmässig passion och stress. En förklaring till de få korrelationerna som uppkom, kan vara att studien undersökte var och en av de 24 karaktärsstyrkorna jämfört med tidigare forskning som har undersökt en användning av individuella signaturstyrkor. Mer grundläggande forskning är därför i behov av att utföras för att bekräfta teorin.

Adequate assessment of the needs of HIV-positive individuals in the South African context is essential, as it may provide insight concerning limitations in healthcare. This study focuses on the subjective experience of nine HIV-positive individuals, in order (a) to investigate their needs; (b) to gain knowledge and understanding of the strengths available to them; (c) to investigate their coping strategies; and (d) to generate a set of guidelines for the development of a secondary prevention programme to improve their psychological well-being and immune functioning. This article employs a qualitative research method, utilising hermeneutic thematic analysis to gain a greater understanding of the subjective psychological functioning of HIV-positive individuals in the South African multicultural context. To a great extent, this research focuses on the salutogenic/fortigenic perspective, where the focus is on strengths, capacities and emotional/psychological well-being. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with nine asymptomatic HIV-positive individuals. The needs identified during this study involved the psychological, economical, informational and social categories. The strengths available to HIV-positive individuals in order to make sense or construct meaning in their lives, consisted of four themes, namely internal, social, self-regulative and spiritual strengths. The study further indicates that the psychological strengths utilised by HIV-positive individuals are closely related to the concept of meaningfulness, the mechanisms of coping and psychological resilience. A broad range of coping strategies was identified that participants employed in the management of the disease and in dealing with the negative emotions associated with an HIV-positive diagnosis. These strategies could be conceptually grouped into five categories based on the functions these strategies served, namely self-management coping strategies, cognitive coping strategies, social support coping strategies, religious coping strategies, and avoidance coping strategies. The implications of this study are that the various identified concepts related to needs, strengths and coping strategies, may contribute to the development of a secondary prevention programme, in order to improve HIV-positive individuals' psychological well-being and immune functioning. The concept of "Sense of Coherence" which consists of three elements, namely Comprehensibility, Manageability and Meaningfulness, could be successfully incorporated into an intervention programme in order to achieve a positive redefinition of participants' subjective feeling that life is meaningful, as well as to improve their comprehensibility and manageability of their illness. / Thesis (M.Sc.)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2004.

Die doel van hierdie ondersoek was om die interpersoonlike komponent van psigologiese welsyn te verhelder. Vanuit die literatuur is dit duidelik dat psigologiese welsyn 'n interpersoonlike komponent bevat, maar ook dat dit op verskillende wyses gekonseptualiseer word. Die aard van interpersoonlike welsyn is dus nog nie duidelik nie, en dit is ook nie duidelik in watter mate indikatore van interpersoonlike welsyn oorvleuel met indikatore van algemene psigologiese welsyn nie. In 'n empiriese ondersoek het 'n multi-kulturele beskikbaarheidsteekproef van 384 persone, 8 rneetinstrumente of hul sub-skale voltooi ter meting van algemene psigologiese welsyn en konstrukte wat interpersoonlike welsyn verteenwoordig. Interpersoonlike welsyn is geoperasiodi met behulp van die BarOn Emotional Quotient Inventory (EQ-i) van Bar-ON (1997), die Fortitude Questionnaire (FORQ) van Pretorius (1998), die Revised NEO Personality Inventory (NEO-PI-R) van Costa & Mc Crae (1992) en die Attachmeat Style Questionnaire (AS) van Feeney, Noller & Hanrahan (1994). Psigologiese welsyn is geoperasionaliseer vanuit 'n fortigene persperktief met die Sense of Coherence Scale (SOC) van Antonovsky (1989), die Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS) van Diener, Emmons, Larsen en Griffen (1985), en die Affectometer 2 (AFM) van Kammann en Flett (1983), sowel as vanuit 'n patogene perspektief, met behulp van die General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) van Goldberg en Hillier (1979). Goeie betroubaarheidsindekse is vir alle skale en subskale gevind. Gemiddeldes van alle skale en subskale was vergelykbaar met die wat in die literatuur gerapporteer is vir ander soortgelyke groepe. Die resultate toon dat interpersoonlike welsyn in 'n mate oorvleuel met algemene psigologiese welsyn, maar as dit ook 'n afsonderlike komponent of dimensie van van psigologiese welsyn vorm. Bevindings toon ook twee onderskeibare patrone van interpersoonlike welsyn. Die eerste een word primer uitgedruk in die uitreiking na ander, omgee-gedrag, 'n houding van nederigheid in nabye verhoudings asook verantwoordelikheid teenoor ander in die groter sosiale konteks. Die tweede patroon word gekenmerk deur 'n geniet van sosiale interaksie en 'n houding van gemak en assertiwiteit in nabye sowel as wyer sosiale kontekst Hierdie onderskeid hou moontlik verband met persoonlikheidsverskille soos inskiklikheid versus ekstraversie. Implikasies van die bevindinge vir psigoterapie en lewensvaardigheidsontwikkeling word aangedui. / Thesis (M.A. (Clinical Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2004.

The aim of the research was to design and assess the effectiveness of a hope enhancement programme for a group of adults and the resulting influence on their general psychological well-being. The purpose of the programme was to increase hope, as conceptualised by Snyder et al. (1991), by enhancing participants' abilities to set feasible goals, planning ways to reach those goals (pathways) and increasing determination and motivation (agency) towards goal achievement. The workshop-format programme, presented by the researcher, consisted of six two-hour sessions spread over five days. The programme was developed through incorporating suggestions from existing Hope literature together with health psychological and positive psychology principles. In order to determine the impact of the programme, four measurement instruments were used, namely the Hope Scale, the Hunter Opinions and Personal Expectations Scale (HOPES), the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS) and the Sense of Coherence scale (SOC-29). A pre and post-test design included an experimental group (n = 8), control group (n = 8) and 'chat' group (n = 8). Prior to group compilation, screening interviews were conducted with interested participants to exclude those who had recently experienced trauma or displayed overt signs of psychological pathology. The control group received no intervention, while the 'chat' group, of which the researcher was also a member, was allowed to discuss topics of their choosing. The study groups comprised both men and women of different ages and socio-economic status. All participants were White and Afrikaans speaking. Descriptive statistics, psychometric analysis of the measuring instruments and significant differences between groups were calculated with the assistance of the STATISTICA (version 6) computer programme (Statsoft Inc., 2003). Reliability indices compared well with those recorded in the literature for the various scales. For the experimental group, the findings indicated an increase in the hope levels as reflected by significant improvement on the Hope Scale and the Hopefulness subscale of the HOPES. Subjective feedback from the group confirmed these findings. Psychological well-being improved, as shown by a significant increase in Sense of Coherence (SOC-29) along with a positive change in Satisfaction with Life (SWLS). Neither the control nor experimental groups revealed any significant changes. It was established that the hope enhancement programme is effective in increasing the levels of hope and general psychological well-being of a group of adults relatively free of psychological pathology. Considering the findings, it is recommended that future wellness intervention should not focus solely on individuals with established psychological pathology, but also consider a preventative approach within the average population. / Thesis (M.A. (Clinical Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2005.

Call centre employees in the insurance industry constantly interacts and negotiates with strangers, and are confronted with the unknown, unfamiliar and the unpredictable. They use interactive display terminals during telephone calls and thus perform multiple-tasks with frequent interruptions. Their jobs are also characterised by repetitive movements, while complex information is processed. In addition, call centre employees often work in noisy environments under time pressure, and their performance is usually monitored on line. Job demands and job resources can influence the well-being of call centre employees. Emotional intelligence is deemed to aid in the conceptualisation of psychological well-being and can be applied as a means to successfully cope with daily demands and pressures. The objective of this research was to determine the relationship between job demands, job resources, emotional intelligence (EQ) and work-related well-being of call centre employees. A cross-sectional survey design was used. The study population (n = 141) consisted of call centre employees in a corporate insurance environment in Gauteng. The Bar-On EQ-i, Maslach Burnout Inventory-General survey, UWES, Job characteristics scale and a biographical questionnaire were used as measuring instruments. Cronbach alpha coefficients, inter-item correlation coefficients, factor analysis, Pearson product moment correlation coefficients and structural equation modelling were used to analyse the data. Principal component analysis resulted in a fifteen factor model of emotional intelligence namely emotional self-awareness, assertiveness, self-regard, self-actualisation, independence, empathy, interpersonal relationship, social responsibility, problem-solving, reality testing, flexibility, stress tolerance, impulse control, happiness and optimism. Regarding the Job Characteristics Scale, eight factors were extracted, namely role clarity, supervision, pay and benefits, workload, job security, colleague support, opportunity to grow and social contact between the call centre agents. For the MBI-GS two factors were extracted namely: exhaustion and cynicism and for the UWES one factor was extracted, namely vigour/dedication. The correlation coefficients indicated that exhaustion was statistically a significant positive correlation (practically significant, large effect) with cynicism and a statistically significant positive correlation (practical1y significant, medium effect) with workload. Exhaustion was also a statistically significant negative correlation (practical1y significant, large effect) with engagement and a statistically significant negative correlation (practically significant, medium effect) with role clarity, col1eague support, self-regard, self-actualisation, flexibility, stress tolerance, impulse control, and happiness. Cynicism showed a statistically significant negative correlation (practical significant, large effect) with engagement and a statistically significant negative correlation (practical significant, medium effect) with role clarity, supervision, opportunity to grow, engagement, emotional self-awareness, self-regard, self actualisation, flexibility, and happiness. The results indicated that EQ directly influences the experience of burnout (main effect), however, no results could be obtained supporting the moderating effect of EQ between emotional demands and burnout. Recommendations were made for cal1 centre management in the insurance industry and for future research purposes. / Thesis (M.Com. (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2007.

There is a lacuna in the field of positive psychology as far as the conceptualisation of influences of environmental contexts on psychological well-being is concerned, and there is also a lack of credible empirical findings on the dynamics of processes involved. The aim of the current study was to test various models on the possible mediating role of subjective perceptions of health, personality factors and spirituality in the dynamics of context and psychological well-being. Psychological well-being was conceptualised and measured multi-dimensionally as defined from a general psychological well-being, hedonic, and eudaimonic perspective. Context was defined in terms of the historical stratification in South African society by socioeconomic differentials pertaining to race, socioeconomic indices and infrastructural resources. An availability sample of 5 14 participants from Potchefstroom (n=384) and Mafikeng (n=130) completed questionnaires on psychological well-being, subjective perceptions of health, personality factors and spirituality after informed consent was obtained. Psychological well-being was measured with the Affectometer 2 (Kammann & Flett, 1983), the Sense of Coherence Scale (Antonovsky, 1987) and Satisfaction with Life Scale (Diener, Larsen and Griffin, 1985). General psychological well-being was defined and operationalised in terms of the degree of sense of coherence, satisfaction with life and affect balance; hedonic well-being in terms of the degree of satisfaction with life and affect balance, and eudaimonic well-being in terms of the degree of sense of coherence and satisfaction with life. Subjective perceptions of physical health was measure with the General Health Questionnaire of Goldberg and Hillier (1979); Agreeableness and Extraversion as personality factors with the NEO- Personality Inventory - Revised of Costa and McCrae (1992); and Spirituality with the Spiritual Well-being Scale of Paloutzian and Ellison's (1979). The findings indicate, firstly, that perceptions of physical health (article I), personality factors (article 2) and spirituality (article 3) mediate the relationship between contexts and psychological well-being. Secondly, that the hedonic model of psychological well-being (albeit variably conceptualised in article 1 and articles 2 and 3) overall, yielded the highest amounts of variance. Thirdly, the results also indicated differences among the two predominantly black and white samples in terms of the roles played by subjective perceptions of health, personality factors and spirituality in the relationship between contexts and psychological well-being. It is concluded that due consideration must be given to social context and the dynamics of interaction between social ecology and individual factors in order to make a meaningful contribution to the understanding and promotion of psychological well-being. Theoretical and practical implications of these findings are indicated. / Thesis (Ph.D. (Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2006.

This dissertation combines three contributions to the literature on the determinants of well-being and the social nature of preferences. Departures from self-centred, consumption-oriented decision making are increasingly common in economic theory and are empirically well motivated by a wide range of behavioural data from experiments, surveys, and econometric inference. The first two contributions are focused on the idea that reference levels set by others’ consumption may figure prominently in both experienced well-being and in decision making. In the first paper, the well-being question is addressed empirically through the use of self-reported life satisfaction and high-resolution census and survey data in Canada. Strong income externalities are found at multiple spatial scales after controlling for various confounding factors. The second paper explores the general equilibrium consequences of a utility function having an explicit comparison with neighbours’ consumption. The question is investigated in a model in which decision makers knowingly choose their neighbours — and hence their consumption reference level — as well as their own consumption expenditure, thereby helping to set the reference level for nearby others. For both discrete and continuous distributions of types in an economy with a heterogeneous population undergoing such endogenous formation of consumption reference groups, there exist general equilibria in which differentiation of neighbourhoods occurs endogenously. The novel welfare implications of growth in such economies are described. The final paper addresses econometric reservations about the use of subjective reports as dependent variables. The date and location of survey interviews are combined with weather and climate records to construct the random component of weather conditions experienced by respondents on the day of their interview. Standard inferences about the determinants of life satisfaction remain robust after taking into account this significant source of affective bias.