Esta tese é composta por cinco estudos que tiveram como objetivo geral investigar a exposição à violência direta (ser a vítima) e indireta (ser testemunha) e suas relações com bem-estar subjetivo e sintomas de depressão, ansiedade e estresse em adolescentes de escolas públicas da cidade de Porto Alegre - RS. O primeiro capítulo apresenta uma revisão sistemática de literatura sobre exposição à violência na adolescência e suas relações com saúde mental. O segundo capítulo é um estudo de adaptação e validação da Escala de Depressão, Ansiedade e Estresse para Adolescentes (EDAE-A). O terceiro capítulo, estudo empírico, teve como objetivo investigar a prevalência de exposição de adolescentes à violência direta e indireta e sua associação com idade, sexo, reprovação escolar e configuração familiar. Já o quarto estudo, também empírico, investigou as relações entre exposição à violência direta e indireta, bem-estar subjetivo e sintomas de depressão, ansiedade e estresse. Por fim, o quinto capítulo apresenta o relato da experiência de devolução dos dados da pesquisa que teve como objetivo discutir violências(s) cotidianas. Participaram 426 adolescentes de escolas públicas, de 12 a 18 anos, que responderam a uma ficha de dados sociodemográficos e aos instrumentos Triagem de Exposição à Violência de Crianças na Comunidade, Escala de Depressão, Ansiedade e Estresse para Adolescentes (EDAE-A), Escala de Afetos Positivos (AP) e Afetos Negativos (AN) e a Escala Multidimensional de Satisfação de Vida para Adolescentes (EMSVA). Análises descritivas e inferenciais foram realizadas. Os resultados desta tese indicaram a alta prevalência de exposição direta e indireta dos adolescentes à violência e a associação com sintomas internalizantes. A adaptação e validação do instrumento EDAE-A possibilitaram a avaliação conjunta das variáveis depressão, ansiedade e estresse, demonstrando boas propriedades psicométricas. A construção do Índice de Bem-Estar Subjetivo, englobando a satisfação de vida e afetos positivos e negativos, deve ser mais bem explorada em pesquisas futuras. Finalmente, a intervenção focal realizada com os adolescentes demonstrou o quanto a violência é naturalizada no contexto escolar, indicando a necessidade de trabalhos preventivos e interventivos para essa população. Limitações e sugestões para novos estudos são descritas. / This thesis is comprised of five studies that had as main objective to investigate the exposure to direct violence (being victim) and indirect (being witness) and their relationship with subjective well-being and symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress in adolescents from public schools of the city of Porto Alegre - RS. The first chapter presents a systematic review of literature on exposure to violence in adolescence and its relationship with mental health. The second chapter is a study of adaptation and validation of the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale for Adolescents (DASS-A). The third chapter (a empirical study) aimed to investigate the prevalence of adolescent exposure to direct and indirect violence and its association with age, sex, school failure and family configuration. The fourth study (which is also empirical) investigated the relationship between exposure to direct and indirect violence, subjective well-being and symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress. Finally, the fifth chapter presents a report about the experience of informing the participants about the results of the research with the aim of discussing violence(s) in the daily life. The participants were 426 adolescents from public schools, 12-18 years old, who responded the sociodemographic form and the following instruments Screening of Exposure to Violence of Children in the Community; Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale for Adolescents (DASS-A); Positive Affects (PA) and Negative Affects (NA) and the Multidimensional Life Satisfaction Scale for Adolescents (MLSSA). Descriptive and inferential analyses were performed. The results of this thesis indicated a high prevalence of direct and indirect exposure of adolescents to violence and the association with internalizing symptoms. The adaptation and validation of instrument DASS-A allowed the joint assessment of the variables depression, anxiety and stress, demonstrating good psychometric properties. The construction of the Subjective Well-being Index, encompassing life satisfaction besides positive and negative affects, should be further explored in future research. Finally, the focal intervention realized with the adolescents demonstrated how much the violence is naturalized in the school context, indicating the necessity of preventive and interventional actions for this population. Limitations and suggestions for further research are described.

A presente tese teve por objetivo avaliar diferentes aspectos do construto sentido de vida (SV) e suas relações com variáveis biossociodemográficas e outros construtos psicológicos positivos (otimismo, esperança, satisfação com a vida, felicidade subjetiva, autoestima e autoeficácia) em uma ampla amostra nacional. Para atingir os objetivos propostos, foram desenvolvidos um artigo teórico e seis artigos empíricos. O primeiro artigo apresentou o construto SV, e discutiu as potencialidades e limitações dos principais instrumentos existentes na literatura para avaliação do construto sentido de vida. Posteriormente, foram elaborados três estudos empíricos de adaptação e validação de instrumentos psicológicos para o contexto brasileiro. Os três instrumentos validados foram: 1) Questionário de Sentido de Vida (QSV); 2) Questionário de Fontes de Sentido e de Sentido de Vida (QFSSV); e 3) Escala de Felicidade Subjetiva (EFS). O quinto artigo da tese avaliou como diferentes categorias de sentido interagem com variáveis biossociodemográficas, fontes de sentido e com características psicológicas positivas. O sexto artigo investigou como o construto “busca por sentido” se relaciona com as diferentes categorias de sentido. Além disso, buscou-se compreender se a busca por sentido poderia moderar a relação entre as diferentes categorias de sentido com os índices de bem-estar subjetivo, mensurado pelos construtos satisfação com a vida e felicidade subjetiva. Por fim, o último artigo empírico investigou como diferentes características biossociodemográficas e psicológicas influenciam a intenção das pessoas em participar de futuras etapas desta pesquisa. A amostra total empregada foi de 3,034 sujeitos (63,9% mulheres), com idades variando entre 18 e 91 anos (M = 33,9, DP = 15,01), oriundos de 22 diferentes estados do Brasil. Do total da amostra, 91,4% responderam aos instrumentos em uma plataforma virtual, enquanto 8,6% o fizeram no método papel e caneta. Os três instrumentos adaptados para o contexto brasileiro apresentaram adequadas propriedades psicométricas, sugerindo sua possibilidade de uso em estudos futuros. Os resultados também demonstraram a existência de diferentes categorias de sentido de vida (realização existencial, indiferença existencial, crise existencial, conflito existencial), e que sujeitos inseridos nestas categorias apresentam importantes diferenças no que se refere a suas características biossociodemográficas e psicológicas. Foi descoberto, também, que a busca por sentido é maior entre os que apresentam conflito existencial, embora esteja positivamente relacionada com os níveis de crise existencial. Os resultados desta tese apontam para a necessidade da continuidade dos estudos acerca da temática. Esta tese pretende contribuir para a área da Psicologia Positiva ao fornecer três novos instrumentos psicométricos para uso no contextobrasileiro, e ao apresentar resultados anteriormente não discutidos na literatura da área do sentido de vida. / This dissertation aimed to evaluate different aspects of the construct “meaning in life” (MIL) and its relations with sociodemographic and other positive psychological constructs (optimism, hope, life satisfaction, subjective happiness, self-esteem and self-efficacy) in a large Brazilian sample. To attain the proposed goals, one theoretical and six empirical articles were developed. The first theoretical article presented the MIL construct and discussed the benefits and limitations of the main existing scales designed to evaluate the MIL construct. Further, three validation articles of psychological measures were developed. The three questionnaires were: 1) Meaning in Life Questionnaire (MLQ); 2) Sources of Meaning and Meaning in Life Questionnaire (SoMe); and 3) Subjective Happiness Scale (SHS). The fifth article of the dissertation aimed to show how different categories of meaning interacted with sociodemographic variables, sources of meaning and positive psychological characteristics. The sixth article sought to evaluate to what extent the construct “search for meaning” relates to the different categories of meaning. Furthermore, we aimed to assess if search for meaning moderates the relation among the different categories of meaning with subjective well-being. Finally, the last empirical paper evaluated how different sociodemographic and psychological variables influence the intention in participating in the future waves of the present study. Participants were 3.034 subjects (63.9% women) with ages varying from 18 e 91 years old (M = 33.9; DP = 15.01), originated from 22 different Brazilian states. From the total, 91.4% answered the questionnaires in a web-based platform, whereas 8.6% answered in the paper-and-pencil method. The three adapted instruments presented adequate psychometric properties, and suggests its possible use in future studies. The results also showed the existence of different categories of meaning (meaningfulness, existential indifference, existential crisis, existential conflict), and that people inserted in these categories present important differences in their bio-psychossocial and psychological variables. It was also shown that search for meaning is higher among those in the existential conflict group, although search for meaning is positively related to crisis of meaning. The results of this study point to the need for further studies on the subject. This dissertation seeks to contribute to the Positive Psychology field by offering three different psychometric scales to use in the Brazilian context, and to present empirical results not previously achieved, contributing to the knowledge on the MIL literature.

Personal well-being is a state that involves feelings and thoughts. This concept is investigated in learning area Life Orientation and integrated in the curriculum as a learning outcome for Further Education and Training learners in grades 10-12. A literature study was done to discuss/clarify dimensions of personal well-being that is general subjective, psychological, social and spiritual well-being and mental health. Perspectives, theories, principles and features pertaining to well-being were investigated from an international and local context. An exploratory study used a qualitative approach to investigate and observe perceptions of a small sample of learners of personal well-being. Data gathering used focus groups which completed structured group work activities. The results indicate that learner participants have needs to be satisfied to reach a sense of personal well-being. Based on findings, recommendations regarding coping strategies, intervention strategies and support were made. / Educational Studies / M.Ed. (Guidance and Counselling)

Submitted by Oliveira Santos Dilzaná (dilznana@yahoo.com.br) on 2014-01-20T13:03:44Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertação - Laila Carneiro.pdf: 1385298 bytes, checksum: c3f86b420c3a2de852f5b5adb2f377b4 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Ana Portela (anapoli@ufba.br) on 2014-02-03T14:35:13Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertação - Laila Carneiro.pdf: 1385298 bytes, checksum: c3f86b420c3a2de852f5b5adb2f377b4 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2014-02-03T14:35:13Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertação - Laila Carneiro.pdf: 1385298 bytes, checksum: c3f86b420c3a2de852f5b5adb2f377b4 (MD5) / A temática do bem-estar do trabalhador vem ganhando cada vez mais espaço na agenda de estudos em Psicologia Organizacional e do Trabalho. É no trabalho que o indivíduo passa a maior parte do seu tempo, por isso, torna-se necessário que ele se sinta bem em relação a este ambiente. Tendo como foco contribuir para o conhecimento sobre os benefícios da interação indivíduo-trabalho-organizações, utilizou-se como construto central desta pesquisa o bem-estar pessoal nas organizações (Paz, 2004), o qual pressupõe que a satisfação das necessidades e realização dos desejos dos indivíduos ao desempenharem seus papéis nas organizações é influenciada tanto por características contextuais quanto por características de personalidade de cada trabalhador. Adotando como objetivo geral a análise das implicações do lócus de controle no trabalho em relação ao bem-estar pessoal nas organizações, este estudo buscou avaliar se o fato de o trabalhador se perceber como controlador da situação (internalidade) ou perceber ao outro (organização, sorte ou acaso) como detentor deste controle (externalidade) interfere no seu nível de bem-estar. A pesquisa foi de caráter quantitativo e contou com a participação de 200 trabalhadores de duas organizações privadas de Salvador (BA), uma do ramo de varejo e a outra do ramo de logística de distribuição. Os indicadores avaliados através do instrumento de bem-estar pessoal nas organizações (Dessen & Paz, 2010b) foram: “salário”, “crescimento/autonomia”, “suporte ambiental”, “relação com os colegas”, “relação com os clientes”, “relação com a chefia”, “identificação com a organização”, “identificação com o trabalho” e “valorização do trabalho”. Os resultados encontrados proveram suporte para a hipótese de que o fator internalidade é capaz de prever tanto a medida global de bem-estar pessoal nas organizações (R²=.11, β=0,34, p<.001), quanto todos os seus indicadores separadamente, destacando-se o seu poder explicativo sobre o indicador “identificação com o trabalho” (R²=.18, β=0,43, p<.001). Já a externalidade, apresentou associação negativa e fraca, apenas sobre os indicadores “identificação com a organização” e “suporte ambiental”, não apresentando força explicativa sobre a medida global do bem-estar. Nesse sentido, indivíduos com maior orientação para a internalidade tendem a experimentar maiores níveis de bem-estar do que aqueles com maior orientação para a externalidade. Diante dos dados, compreende-se que o lócus de controle no trabalho deve continuar sendo estudado em sua interação com o bem-estar pessoal nas organizações, a fim de aprofundar o conhecimento sobre os antecedentes que podem influenciar a percepção dos trabalhadores quanto ao seu bem-estar, permitindo que sejam pensadas novas práticas de incentivo e promoção do bem-estar do trabalhador. The theme of worker’s well-being is receiving progressively more attention on Organizational and Work’s Psychology agenda of studies. The individual spends the most part of his time at work, so, it’s mandatory that he feels good at this place. Focusing on contribute to knowledge about the benefits of individual-work-organization’s interaction, it has been used as the central construct of this research the personal well-being at the workplace (Paz, 2004), which assumes that the satisfaction of needs and the fulfillment of desires when the individual is performing his job at the organization is influenced both by contextual characteristics and personality characteristics of each worker. Presenting as main goal the analysis of the implications of work locus of control on relation to personal well-being at the workplace, this study intended to evaluate whether the fact of the worker perceive himself as controlling the situation (internality) or perceive other (organization, luck or chance) as the holder of this control (externality) interferes with their level of well-being. This research had a quantitative nature and involved the participation of 200 workers from two private organizations in Salvador (BA), one of the retail branch and the other of the logistics distribution branch. The indicators evaluated by the instrument of personal well-being at the workplace (Dessen & Paz, 2010b) were: “salary”, “growth/autonomy”, “environmental support”, “relationship with coworkers”, “relationship with clients”, “relationship with leaders”, “identification with the organization”, “identification with work” and “appreciation of work”. The results have provided support for the hypothesis that the factor “internality” is able to predict both the overall measure of personal well-being at the workplace (R²=.11, β=.34, p<.001), as all his indicators separately, highlighting the explanatory power on the indicator "identification with the work" (R²=.18, β=.43, p<.001). On the other hand, the “externality” orientation was weakly and negatively associated only with the indicators “identification with the organization” and “environmental support”, not presenting significant explanatory power on the global measure of well-being. Accordingly to those results, individuals with greater focus on internality tend to experience higher levels of well-being than those with greater focus on the externality. From the data, it is understood that locus of control at work should continue to be studied on its interaction with personal well-being at the workplace, in order to deepen the knowledge about the antecedents that may influence the perception of workers about their well-being, enabling new practices to be designed to encourage and promote the well-being of the worker.

Submitted by Noeme Timbo (noeme.timbo@metodista.br) on 2017-11-22T15:58:16Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Sueli Ferraz.pdf: 1593845 bytes, checksum: 72082c3379f66bcaac4f4d5dd6ea1c2d (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-11-22T15:58:16Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Sueli Ferraz.pdf: 1593845 bytes, checksum: 72082c3379f66bcaac4f4d5dd6ea1c2d (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017-01-27 / The business environment has been even more competitive and demanding throughout time. Demands have to be fulfilled faster and faster. The quality of results can be measured by observing the connection between goals and indicators, which can show a tendency that defines the achievement of the company’s goals The increased competitiveness of companies and employees can lead them to a constant and permanent pressure that raises the stress levels in the organization and makes workers more suscetible to diseases.The aim of this research is to identify which resilient behaviors are common among specialist employees of a company. The people who behave in a resilient way are usually more resistant to the work-related pressure and more able to balance personal lives and professional development, while the ones who are less resilient constanly get sick and have a high number of absences at work. It can lead them to low performance and slower career development. According to some authors, resilience can be developed, so, how can we develop a resilient profile on these professionals which allows them to achieve better levels of health and well-being? This paper aims on analyzing the resilience on 17 specialists of a multinational company through QuestResiliencia (Barbosa, 2006). The methodology used is descriptive and exploratory. The tool allowed us to map the resilient behavior beliefs and describe how the answers organize the beliefs patterns while facing stress. The common beliefs are self-confidence, empathy, self-control, optimism, meaning of life, body language, conquering and mantaining / O mundo das organizações está cada vez mais competitivo e exigente. As entregas precisam ser realizadas em tempo menor. A qualidade dos resultados é medida através da observação da relação entre metas e indicadores; estes indicam uma tendência que definirá o atingimento das metas estabelecidas pela empresa. A alta competitividade entre empresas e seus indivíduos levam os recursos humanos à uma situação constante e permanente de pressão, elevando os níveis de estresse no ambiente organizacional, aumentando com isso, a probabilidade desses indivíduos adoecerem. Esta pesquisa pretende identificar quais comportamentos resilientes trabalhadores especialistas de uma empresa possuem. O individuo que possui comportamentos resilientes tem maior resistência às pressões sofridas no dia a dia de trabalho, favorecendo um melhor equilíbrio entre sua saúde física e psicológica e desenvolvimento profissional. Por outro lado, encontramos indivíduos menos resistentes que adoecem frequentemente, provocando altos índices de afastamento do trabalho, gerando demora ou impossibilidade de desenvolvimento profissional. De acordo com alguns autores, a resiliência pode ser desenvolvida; sendo assim, surge a questão: como podemos desenvolver nestes indivíduos um perfil resiliente que permita melhores níveis de saúde e bem estar. Tem este trabalho o objetivo de observar a resiliência em 17 funcionários com cargo de especialista, em diversas áreas de uma empresa multinacional de grande porte, através da aplicação do QuestResiliencia, (Barbosa, 2006). A metodologia utilizada é de cunho exploratório e descritivo. O instrumento utilizado permitiu realizar o mapeamento das crenças que organizam o comportamento resiliente e apresentou como o(a) respondente estrutura os Padrões de crenças face ao estresse. Os resultados revelaram que são eles: autoconfiança, empatia, autocontrole, otimismo para com a vida, sentido da vida, leitura corporal, conquistar e manter pessoas.

Face à l’adversité, les individus semblent se diriger vers la spiritualité et l’utiliser comme une ressource personnelle pour s’ajuster aux événements de vie difficiles. Complexe à analyser, la spiritualité est un domaine de recherche, relativement récent, qui montre un intérêt croissant dans la littérature scientifique outre-Atlantique. En France, cet objet d’étude ayant été peu exploré, il est important d’apporter une meilleure compréhension de son effet sur la santé.L’objectif de cette recherche est d’examiner les effets potentiels de la spiritualité en lien avec des indicateurs de la santé tels que les troubles anxio-dépressifs et la qualité de vie, et d’identifier les ressources spirituelles pouvant jouer un rôle sur la qualité de vie.Une double méthodologie a été utilisée. Le volet qualitatif est constitué de trois études : la première concerne une population d’étudiants (n=219), la seconde est formée d’une population souffrant d’un cancer (n=42) et la troisième vise une population cardiaque (n=46).Les instruments de recherche comprenaient l’évaluation de la spiritualité (DSES, IWSRI, SWBS), les troubles anxio-dépressifs (HADS) et la qualité de vie (WHOQOL-bref). Le volet quantitatif se base sur des entretiens semi-directifs menés auprès d’une population d’étudiants(n=14) et de malades cardiaques (n=9).De manière générale, les résultats montrent que la spiritualité, mesurée par le bien-être existentiel, indique une relation à la détresse psychologique et à la qualité de vie, et ce, dans nos trois populations. La spiritualité semble également, au travers de certains indicateurs, influencer la qualité de vie, soit seule, soit en combinaison avec la détresse psychologique. Il est à noter que la spiritualité peut influencer la qualité de vie de manière positive mais aussi de manière négative.La spiritualité indique un potentiel thérapeutique par son influence sur la qualité de vie et soulève l’importance de son étude et de son rôle dans le cadre de la santé. / Facing with adversity, individuals may turns to spirituality and use it as a personal resource to cope difficult life events. Complex to analyze, spirituality is an area of research, relatively recent across the Atlantic, revealing a growing interest in the scientific literature. In France, this matter’s being little explored, so it is worth to provide a better understanding of its effect on health.The aim of this study was to access the potential effect of spirituality in relation to health’s indicators, such as anxiety, depression and quality of life, and to identify spiritual resources that may have a role in the quality of life as well.A mixed methodology was used. The qualitative component consists in three studies: the first concerns a student population (n = 219), the second consists in a population suffering from cancer (n = 42) and the third is a cardiac population (n = 46). Research instruments included assessment of spirituality (DSES, IWSRI and SWBS), anxiety and depression (HADS) and quality of life (WHOQOL-BREF). The quantitative component is based on semi-directive interviews conducted with both student population (n = 14) and cardiac patients (n = 9).Generally, results demonstrate that spirituality, as measured by the existential well-being, involve a relationship with psychological distress and quality of life with respect to those three populations. Spirituality also seems, through some indicators, to have an impact on the quality of life, either alone or in combination with psychological distress. It should be noted that spirituality may influence the quality of life positively but negatively as well.The spirituality reveals therapeutic potential by its influence on quality of life and raise the usefulness of studying spirituality in the context of health.

Alternative Provision, as a sector, is well positioned to offer a remarkable opportunity to cultivate a young person’s humanity through care and challenge. Where practitioners embrace responsibility for young people and their environment, and honour context and complexity, they can mobilise the present as a rich source of possibility and agency. There needs to be a clear understanding of the contribution that Alternative Provision can make to young people’s lives and how this relates to practice and policy perceptions of effectiveness. Yet because it is difficult to know, track, manage and regulate, Alternative Provision remains largely uninspected and unregulated, with lack of clarity in purpose holding back the potential to inspire change in pupil perception and experience. On top of these issues, schools face the challenge of being held directly accountable for Alternative Provision they commission for their pupils, and responsible for ensuring that it is suitable, safe and effective. Research into current practice and theory is needed to help schools and policy makers fulfil their mandates at a time when policy makers are at the cusp of re-designing the field. At these key beginnings of re-design for Alternative Provision in England, this ethnographic study offers to fill that research gap through a conceptualisation of practitioner approaches in one Alternative Provision site over an academic year, that led to pupil well-being, a sense of belonging and further training or employment. These outcomes, alongside the practitioner approaches of mutually transforming empathic engagement and mission, I argue, are central to sound thinking about Alternative Provision. The process involved – licensed chaos – with its authorised release of pupils into play, immersion, risk taking and ownership, is presented as one way of embodying this journey and is offered here as a model of process on which other schools could build their own. Methodological contributions are made through the exploration of life writing as ontology and as a way of communicating the ever-present realities for many pupils attending Alternative Provision. Critical reflection and acknowledgement of the researcher’s role and transformation through the research process is shared. Reciprocal virtual ethnography is explored and put forward as an effective means of researching young people in Alternative Provision. This thesis tells a story of lives and learning that further humanises and empowers the field of Alternative Provision and its commissioning schools.

The “always on” culture of constant connectivity afforded by the ubiquity of smartphones and social media has profoundly influenced society, reorienting our sense of self and connection to others. This thesis particularly investigates the impact of these technologies on present-day college students, who are among the first to incorporate these tools into their ongoing identity development processes from adolescence into emerging adulthood. Specifically, it explores how the absence of everyday devices during a “digital detox” alters their experiences of self, socialization, and ways of being in the world. Phenomenological analysis through participant observation and interview methods reveals how the digital detox provides an opportunity for these emerging adults, who have grown up predominately using these technologies of virtual extension—values espoused in a culture of constant connection— to recognize the value of embodied experiences. The digital detox experience can encourage the cultivation of more digitally mindful media and technology use.

Choisir fait partie de notre quotidien, et la possibilité effective de choix augmente notre sentiment de contrôle et notre motivation. Cependant, il existe des différences interindividuelles dans les comportements de choix, comme le montrent Schwartz et al. (2002) qui distinguent les maximiseurs (recherche de la meilleure option) des optimiseurs (recherche de l’option suffisamment bonne). Ces comportements conduisent à des conséquences plus ou moins positives, voire négatives lorsque le nombre d’options est grand et que l’individu est maximiseur (regret, moindre satisfaction). Qu’en est-il chez les personnes âgées en institution ? A partir d’outils validés, nous soulignons que le choix, au même titre que la motivation et l’auto-efficacité, contribue à l’adaptation à la résidence et au bien-être des personnes âgées. Cependant si ces dernières ont besoin d’avoir le sentiment de pouvoir choisir, elles préfèreraient des choix limités en termes d’options. L’adaptation à la résidence et le bien-être des personnes âgées nécessiterait ainsi une attention en ce qui concerne les modalités de choix proposés, prenant en compte dans le même temps les niveaux de motivation des personnes et leur sentiment d’auto-efficacité / Making choices is a part of our everyday life. The possibility of making choices increases our feeling of control and our motivation. However, interindividual differences in choice behavior exist, as shown by Schwartz et al. (2002) who distinguish maximizers (who seek the best option) from satisficers (who seek the good enough option). These behaviours lead to more or less positive consequences, or even more negative when the variety of options is wide and when the person is maximizer (regret, less satisfaction). What about elderly people living in nursing homes? From validated tools, we stress that the choice, in the same way as the motivation and the self-efficacy, participate in the adaptation to the nursing home and in elderly people’s well-being. However if these people need to have the feeling to be able to choose, they would prefer choices limited in terms of options. The adaptation to the nursing home and the well-being of the elderly people would so require a specific attention concerning the modalities of the proposed choices, taking the people’s motivation levels and their feeling of self-efficacy into consideration at the same time

The concept of social axiom represents generalized beliefs regarding individuals, agencies and other social institutions, and the spiritual world. The relationship between social axioms and social and mental well-being has not been widely investigated. The aim of this research is to consider the role of culture in four distinct areas of study: 1) The role of social axioms and their dimensions in predicting mental well-being (subjective and psychological well-being) as well as the mechanism of the relationship between social axioms and well-being through controlling the variables of Iranian and UK students and the big five personality factors. 2) The mediation role of mindfulness and perspective taking. 3) The scope of influence of one's attachment to national or ethnic identity on well-being. 4) The understanding of the participants of various social beliefs, especially of the concept of divine providence and its impact on one's well-being. As method, the first three goals were addressed by correlational studies while the fourth goal was investigated using grounded theory. The research sample for the first study consisted of 73 Iranian students (37 females and 36 males) residing in Iran and 66 students (45 females and 21 males) living in the UK. The sample for the second study included 72 Iranian students (34 females and 38 males) who reside in Iran, and in the third study the sample was composed of 66 Iranians (35 females and 31 males) who live in the UK. In the qualitative research (fourth study), the participants were 14 Iranians living in the UK for at least 3 years (4 male and 10 female). Instruments used were the Social Axiom Survey (SAS; Leung et al., 2002), Big Five Inventory (BFI; John, Donahue, & Kentle, 1991; John & Srivastava, 1999), Psychological Well-Being Scale (Ryff, 1989), Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS; Diener, Emmons, Larsen, & Griffin, 1985), Positive and Negative Affect Scale (Mroczek & Kolarz, 1998), the perspective taking subscale of the Empathy Questionnaire (Davis, 1980), the acceptance subscale of the Philadelphia Mindfulness Scale (Cardaciotto et al., 2008), Paullhus's Balanced Inventory of Desirable Responding (BIDR; Paulhus, 1984), and the Multigroup Ethnic Identity Measure-Revised (MEIM-R; Phinney & Ong, 2007). In the qualitative research, a structured interview was used. Results show that: 1) In both samples of students who live in the UK and in Iran iv social cynicism and fate control are related with well-being. Also, in the Iranian case reward for application, social complexity, and religiosity have significant relationships with well-being but in the UK based students this is not the case. Results also showed that social axioms can predict well-being over and above the role of country and personality traits. 2) The mediation role of mindful acceptance was not endorsed in the relationship between social cynicism and subjective well-being. It was found that the predictor (social cynicism) and the mediator (mindful acceptance) were not significantly correlated with the outcome (subjective well-being). However, the mediation role of perspective taking in the relationship between social complexity and psychological well-being was endorsed. 3) The moderation role of attachment to national identity in the relationship between social axioms and subjective well-being was endorsed. 4) The qualitative study indicated that Iranian immigrants have an indigenous strategy for attaining mental well-being in the face of complications and difficulties, relying on their national identity and religious background. This strategy is based on the concepts of free will and predestination of life events. Paying attention to negative events and ignoring positive events and inefficient problem-solving strategies can account for the relationship between social cynicism and low well-being and inattention to cultural elements. However, the Iranian collective culture, optimal coping style, and excessive insistence on religious elements as a cultural attribute can explain the relationship between religiosity, reward for application, and well-being in the Iranian sample. On the other hand, surrendering to divine will and the belief in divine will and predestination of life events along with the belief in human free will account for the role of attachment to national identity in the relationship between social axioms and well-being in the Iranian sample. In conclusion, it seems that though social axioms are related to well-being, different aspects of social axioms seem to be related to different aspects of well-being in different ways and this relationship is influenced by cultural attributes.