Emotional intelligence is a growing area of behavioural research; it recently grabbed the attention of some of the major organisations worldwide. The objective of this study was to determine the relationship between wellness and emotional intelligence in order to develop a structural model of psychological well-being. The following constructs were looked at, Optimism, Sense of Coherence, Life Satisfaction, Emotional Intelligence are all seen as good indicators of Psychological well-being. A cross-sectional design was used for this study. The participants (N=324) were students within the field of economic science. The Schutte Emotional Intelligence Scale, the Life Orientation Test Revised, the Satisfaction with Life Scale and the Orientation to Life scale were administered. Using a principal component analysis, a six-dimension factor structure for emotional intelligence among students emerged, explaining 45,24% of the variance. These factors were labelled positive affect, emotions-others, happy emotions, emotions-own, nonverbal emotions and emotional control. The most significant correlations found in this study was that Sense of Coherence is significantly positively related to Emotions Management and Life Satisfaction and significantly positively related to Emotions-Own, Happy Emotions, Positive Affect and Optimism. Sense of Coherence was negatively related to Pessimism. Emotions Management is significantly positively related to Emotions-Own, Happy Emotions, Positive Affect, Optimism and Life Satisfaction. Positive affect is significantly positively related to Optimism. Pessimism is significantly negatively related to Life Satisfaction. Optimism is significantly positively related to Life Satisfaction. After conducting a second factor analysis on the factors of the SEIS, LOT-R, SOC and SWLS, two factors were extracted, namely interpersonal and intrapersonal mastery. Using these factors, along with the results of the product-moment correlations, a psychological well-being model was designed and compiled. The results showed that Interpersonal mastery consisted of Positive Affect, Emotional Management, Sense of Coherence, Life Satisfaction and Optimism. Intrapersonal mastery consisted of Emotions-Others, Emotions-Own, Happy Emotions and Non-Verbal Emotions. It is evident from the above that the psychological well-being model consisted of intrapersonal mastery and environmental mastery. Recommendations for future research were made. / Thesis (M.A. (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2007

The new world of work has an enormous impact on the work-life of employees. Retrenchment, early retirement, unemployment and the demand for better performance are the result of massive restructurings, outsourcing, mergers and acquisitions. The old Psychological contract, as well as lifelong employment, is becoming obsolete in a changing world of work. This leads to increased job insecurity in the workplace. There is substantial evidence in the literature that job insecurity is damaging to psychological health. Job insecurity in not only damaging the individual but impacts negatively on the organisation. Job insecurity leads to mistrust, lack of commitment and general dissatisfaction. In the end it will have a definite impact on organisational performance. The empirical objective of this research was to investigate the relationship between job insecurity, psychological well-being and the relationship with future literacy. A cross-sectional design with an availability sample (n =. 459) was used. The sample was subjected to a specific programme of future literacy training (Map Your Life). Questionnaires were completed prior to the training programme. The reliability and construct validity of the measuring instruments acceptable. (Cronbach alpha coefficients adhere to the cut-off point of > 0,70) with the exception of the Dispositional Optimism Questionnaire (Cronbach alpha coefficient of 0,64). Future literacy is an unknown concept and it was necessary to conceptualise the concept. No instrument to measure future literacy existed and it was necessary to compile such an instrument. A questionnaire consisting of 18 items was compiled to measure future literacy. Factor analysis revealed two factors that measured future literacy. Factor One was named Positive Mindset Towards Future Possibilities and Factor Two, Anticipating, Planning and Preparing for Future Changes. The Cronbach alpha for Factor One was 0,76 and 0,8 1 for the second factor. Results indicated statistical signiticant correlations (of a medium effect) between job insecurity, self-efficacy, dispositional optimism and work locus of control. Self-efficacy and dispositional optimism correlated negatively with job insecurity, indicating that job insecurity decreases as self-efficacy and dispositional optimism increases. The results also indicated a significant negative correlation (medium effect) between job insecurity and future literacy. This implies that as job insecurity decreases future literacy increases. The negative correlation between future literacy and job insecurity indicates that candidates who are future literate experience less job insecurity. When candidates with high and low scores on future literacy were compared with one another, candidates who scored low on all the scales of future literacy experienced high levels job insecurity. Candidates who demonstrated high levels of future literacy experienced significantly lower job insecurity. Black employees experienced significantly higher levels of future literacy when compared to White employees. Multiple regression analysis indicated that self-efficacy, dispositional optimism, work locus of control and future literacy predicted job insecurity when controlling for biographical variables. Limitations and recommendations regarding future research, as well as recommendations for the organisation were made. / Thesis (Ph.D. (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2006.

Background: Despite advances in cancer prognosis and increased survival rates for childhood cancer, having a child diagnosed with cancer can be considered one of the most stressful life events in a parent’s life. The adverse psychological impact of childhood cancer on parents has been found to be higher than in any other childhood chronic illness. Parents can find it difficult to adjust and use effective coping strategies to deal with the illness-related demands. Dispositional optimism (i.e. positive outcome expectancies for the future) has become a key theoretical component in positive and health psychological research, aiming to explain adjustment and coping in distressing life situations. However, optimism in the context of caregiving for a child with chronic illness and especially cancer has received little research attention, but may be important as optimistic people tend to show greater psychological adjustment and effective coping. Aims: To identify the characteristics of optimistic parents of children with cancer. To examine the relationship between optimism, anxiety, depression, life satisfaction, coping and subjective health perception in parents of children with cancer and parents of healthy children. Also, to provide a more in-depth understanding of the needs and experiences of parents in relation to their level of optimism/pessimism. Methods: A mixed methodological approach (quantitative and qualitative methods) was adopted to study optimism as well as the impact and the experiences of parents caring for their child with cancer. The mixed method design comprised two phases of data collection and analysis. In Phase I, quantitative methods were used. 100 parents of children with cancer were recruited during attendance at Oncology Out-patients Clinics at a UK regional Cancer Centre. A comparison group of 117 parents of healthy children were also recruited. All parents completed a questionnaire, providing demographic and medical information relating to their child, dispositional optimism, psychological distress, life satisfaction, coping and subjective health perception. Descriptive statistics, unrelated t-tests and x2 tests were used where appropriate to examine differences on optimism, psychological distress, life satisfaction and coping variables between the SG and CG. Bivariate Pearson correlations were used to identify any possible differences between the two groups. In Phase II, qualitative data were collected and analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). 10 semi-structured interviews were conducted with 5 high optimistic and 5 high pessimistic parents of children with cancer given their optimism score in the quantitative study. Results: In the Phase I of the study, findings showed that the parents of children with cancer had higher levels of anxiety, depression, lower levels of optimism, satisfaction with life and subjective health perception than the comparison group. Optimism was significantly correlated with satisfaction with life, subjective health perception, anxiety and depression in both groups. The interviews in Phase II of the study explained better the role of optimism and pessimism in parental experience of adjusting to and coping with childhood cancer. Interviewees described the way that their child’s diagnosis of cancer had affected their lives and their journey from shock to acceptance and adjustment for the optimistic parents or despair and feelings of helplessness and inability to cope for the pessimistic parents. Regardless of level optimism/pessimism, interviews underlined the importance and parents’ need for social support, ongoing communication with health professionals and contact with other parents of children with cancer. Conclusion: The findings highlight the importance of optimism and pessimism in relationship to psychological distress in parents of children with cancer. Interventions targeting parents’ optimism are recommended as a potential source of coping with adversity within this population.

Health Locus of Control (HLOC) and other predictors of Quality of Life (QL) were examined for women with an initial versus recurrent breast cancer diagnosis. Twenty-eight women with an initial breast cancer (IBC) diagnoses and twenty-eight women with recurrent breast cancer (RBC) diagnoses were recruited from doctors' offices and cancer support groups. Correlational analyses were used to assess the relationships between variables. No significant differences were found between women with IBC and RBC on Psychological QL. Doctor HLOC and Psychological QL were related for women with RBC (r = .481, p = .01) and marginally so for women with IBC (r = .329, p = .09). A positive correlation was also found between Doctor HLOC and Functional QL for both women with IBC (r = .464, p = .01) and women with RBC (r = .390, p = .04). After controlling for stage of cancer, women with RBC reported higher Functional QL than did women with IBC. Advanced (stages III or IV) versus early (stages I or II) cancer stage related to lower Functional QL, controlling for initial versus recurrent diagnosis (r = -.283, p = .01). A marginally significant relationship was also found for cancer stage, regardless of initial versus recurrent diagnosis, with higher Overall QL for women with early stages of breast cancer (r = -.157, p = .09). No significant differences in Optimism or Overall QL were found between women with IBC versus RBC. No differences were found between married and single women. This research begins to explore differences in Quality of Life for women with a new versus a recurrent breast cancer diagnosis.

Cette étude examine l'impact de l'incertitude sur l'optimisme et l'excès de confiance des analystes financiers. Les données de l'étude, portant sur 1758 entreprises européennes et concernant la période 1997-2007, sont extraites de la base de données IBES. Étant donné que notre période d'étude comporte un krach boursier en 2000-2001, nos tests ont été conduits avec une comparaison pré- et post-krach. L'incertitude informationnelle est approximée par l'intensité technologique. Les firmes technologiques se caractérisent par une forte incertitude liée à l'aboutissement de leurs projets d'innovations, à la forte rapidité de l'évolution technologique et au traitement comptable spécifique des immatériels. La dispersion de prévision a été utilisée aussi comme deuxième mesure de l'incertitude pour tester la robustesse des résultats fondés sur le caractère technologique. A travers les études antérieures, nous avons montré que l'optimisme des analystes est, d'une part, rationnel, justifié par des incitations économiques et, d'autre part, comportemental expliqué par le phénomène de sur-réaction aux bonnes informations et la sous-réaction aux mauvaises informations. L'excès de confiance implique une sur-réaction aux informations privées et une sous-réaction aux informations publiques. Les résultats obtenus, en se basant essentiellement sur les méthodologies développées par Amir et Ganzach (1998), Easterwood et Nutt (1999) et Bessière et Kaestner (2008), montrent un optimisme plus fort pour les firmes technologiques qui s'atténue et même disparait lorsque l'horizon de prévision décroit. Le phénomène de sur-réaction aux bonnes informations et de sous-réaction aux mauvaises informations est plus fort pour les firmes de haute technologie lorsque l'horizon de prévision est lointain. Ce phénomène s'affaiblit plus pour ces firmes et même s'inverse lorsque la date d'annonce du bénéfice estimé s'approche. Les erreurs de prévisions deviennent moins optimistes pour ces firmes voir même pessimiste. L'analyse pré- et post-krach montre un optimisme plus fort pour les entreprises de haute incertitude avant le krach. Cet optimisme disparait après le krach essentiellement chez les firmes technologiques. L'étude montre aussi que les analystes sur-réagissent plus aux informations privées et sous-réagissent plus aux informations publiques relatives aux entreprises de haute technologie par rapport à celles de faible technologie. L'excès de confiance disparait progressivement à mesure que l'on s'éloigne de la date d'annonce de l'information publique. Il s'atténue significativement après le krach plus précisément pour les firmes de haute technologie. Les résultats trouvés avec la distinction haute/faible dispersion sont globalement similaires à ceux trouvés avec la décomposition haute/faible technologie. / This study examines the impact of uncertainty on optimism and overconfidence of the financial analysts. The data of the study, concerning 1758 European firms and covering the period 1997-2007, are extracted from the IBES database. Given that our period of study includes a stock market crash in 2000-2001, our tests were driven with a comparison pre- and post-crash. Informational uncertainty is approximated by technological intensity. The high-tech firms are characterized by a strong uncertainty linked to the culmination of their innovation projects, to the strong speed of technological evolution and to the specific accounting treatment of the intangible investments. The forecast dispersion was also used as second measure of uncertainty to test the robustness of results based on the technological characteristic.Across the previous studies, we showed that the optimism of the analysts is, on the one hand, rational justified by economic instigations and, on the other hand, behavioral explained by the phenomenon of over- reaction to good information and under-reaction to bad information. The overconfidence implies an over- reaction to private information and under-reaction to public information. Our results, principally based on the methodologies developed by Amir and Ganzach (1998), Easterwood and Nutt (1999) and Bessiere and Kaestner (2008), show a stronger optimism for the high-tech firms compared to low-tech firms. This optimism reduces and even disappears when the forecast horizon decreases. The phenomenon of over-reaction to good information and under-reaction to bad information is stronger for the high-tech firms when the forecast horizon is distant. This phenomenon decreases more for these firms and is even reversed when the expected earnings announcement date approaches. The forecast error becomes less optimistic for these firms and even pessimistic with the reduction of forecast horizon. The analysis pre- and post-crash shows a stronger optimism for the high-uncertainty firms before crash. This optimism disappears after crash principally to the high-tech firms.Study shows also that the analysts over-react more to the private information and under-react more to the public information related to the high-tech firms in comparison with low-tech firms. The over confidence disappears progressively as one moves away from the announcement date of public information. It decreases significantly after crash especially for the high-tech firms. The results found with the differentiation high / low dispersion are on the whole similar to those found with the decomposition high/low-tech.

The purpose of the present study was to examine if childhood sexual abuse (CSA) was associated with decreases in mean telomere length (TL), and if social support and/or optimism moderated this association. The study included 99 Caucasian female monozygotic twins, ranging in age from 19-48 (Mage = 30.5, SD = 7.8) at Time 1. Linear mixed effects models were employed to test study hypotheses. Analyses with all participants did not detect an effect of CSA exposure or severity on mean TL, nor were there effects with optimism. However, in analyses that only included women exposed to abuse, increases in social support were associated with increases in mean TL. Further, for women who experienced non-genital abuse, social support was positively associated with mean TL. Findings from the current study clarify the role of CSA in telomere attrition, and factors that may protect against the negative biological effects of CSA.

It is the purpose of this paper to demonstrate the nature of Thoreau's use of organic imagery by tracing recurrent symbols that represent key concepts and provide unity and coherence throughout Walden. By charting the patterns of imagery in Walden, one can observe Thoreau's movement from an initially pessimistic view of man's present state to one of transcendental optimism and hope for freedom in the future.

For adolescents with cancer, a population notably neglected in the literature, maintaining and strengthening academic and social self-efficacy is especially salient in terms of promoting positive adaptation on key developmental indices. Based on prior research citing their potential roles among adolescents adapting to cancer, treatment modality, dispositional optimism, and perceived vulnerability were chosen as variables likely related to social and academic self-efficacy. Forty-two adolescents diagnosed with cancer and at least six months post-treatment completed questionnaire packets. Analyses indicated that although treatment modality did not relate to academic or social self-efficacy, prognosis should be considered as a covariate. Hierarchical regression analyses indicated that dispositional optimism and perceived vulnerability predicted the change in academic (ΔR2=.25, F(2,27)=6.88, p=.004) and social self-efficacy (ΔR2=.21, F(2, 27)=4.97, p=.015) beyond the influence of prognosis. Independently, there was a main effect of perceived vulnerability on academic self-efficacy (Bacademic self-efficacy= -.64, p=.02) with perceived vulnerability accounting for 12% of the unique variance (sr2=.12,p=.02). A main effect of dispositional optimism on social self-efficacy (Bsocial self-efficacy=.65,p=.03) was also observed with dispositional optimism accounting for 10% of the unique variance (sr2=.l0, p=.03). These results lend themselves to future intervention studies promoting academic and social skills through the integration of positive dispositional traits, like optimism, and enhancing realistic perceptions of vulnerability.

This cross-sectional study examined the associations among perceived parental behavior and personality on work behaviors of undergraduate students from a large Southeastern university. Past research suggests that children who perceive their parents to be workaholics are more likely to exhibit workaholic behavior themselves (Chamberlin & Zhang, 2009). Moreover, personality factors including conscientiousness and neuroticism, have been categorized as antecedents of workaholic behavior in previous studies (Andreassen, Hetland, & Pallesen, 2010; Aziz & Tronzo, 2011; Burke, Matthiesen, & Pallesen, 2006). Students (N = 209) completed questionnaires assessing Big Five personality factors, dispositional optimism, and perceptions of parental work drive, parental work involvement, and parental work enjoyment. Hypotheses regarding parental work behaviors and their ability to predict undergraduate student work behavior were not supported. Conscientiousness and extraversion were significant predictors of work drive, involvement and enjoyment. Neuroticism was also significant in predicting work drive among students included in the sample. Findings and recommendations for future study are discussed.

The study focused on claims workers in the short-term insurance industry and on whether their working conditions, such as dealing with traumatised clients and traumatic materials, are affecting them adversely. Equivalent attention fell on underwriting clerks, the comparison group, to ascertain whether they differ significantly from claims workers along the dimensions of compassion satisfaction, burnout, secondary traumatic stress as well as self-esteem and optimism/pessimism. These constructs were measured by the ProQOL-RIII - , the Mehrabian MSE – and MOP Scales, after which the scores were analysed. These scores were then compared across the two groups and also in terms of mode of interaction, using parametric statistical procedures. Although no significant differences were found between the two study groups, interesting interaction effects and other findings were nevertheless revealed that shed valuable light on these groups of workers.