This thesis is focused on economic returns to education in China. It takes education as a key point to develop three aspects: earnings returns to education, the influence of education as one of the social-economic factors associated with the Body Mass Index (BMI) related to health, and the determinants of subjective well-being. A panel databased analysis including continuous and discrete dependent variables (ordered probit/probit) is used in this research. The first part examines the earnings returns to education in urban China for four years covering the period 1989 to 2000. We find, in common, with others that such returns were small in 1989, but have increased steadily since then. We also find that the returns for women exceed those for men and go some way to reducing the gender earnings gap. Crucially, however the returns to education decline with the length of time since the individual left school which is consistent with the hypothesis that education enhances ability and skills which in turn enhances earnings, but that the value of such skills deteriorates over time. Finally we find evidence for gravity effects by which earnings decline as distance from Beijing, and more noticeable, Shanghai increases. The aim of the second part is to examine the impact of socio-economic status (SES) on the BMI, a formula based on the ratio of height to weight, linked to health, using a fouryear (1991, 1993, 1997 and 2000) panel data set. To an extent we confirm the results with respect to the linkage between SES and health found for other countries. However, instead of using the existing specification of BMI, we explore the healthy BMI range based on a self-reported measure of health in China. This leads to a slightly different formulation for the BMI and a substantially different healthy range. We also find that this healthy BMI has a significant impact on health together with SES. Because of potential simultaneity between education and health we estimate a relationship between SES and health change. We find a significant relationship between education and changes in health status. The final part studies both happiness and life satisfaction in mainland China. We explore the extent to which SES and social capital influence subjective well-being. The results for happiness and life satisfaction are similar, but not identical. To an extent we confirm the results of others with respect to other countries. Hence we find a U-shaped relationship with respect to age and positive influences of income and health on well-being. We also include a variable which reflects the degree of choice/control over their lives people feel they have. Crucially, for social capital variables, we find that individuals who are involved in more voluntary organizations have higher levels of happiness, and those who are a member of Communist party are also more satisfied with their lives. Finally, education has a limited positive impact on subjective well-being, however, it is also the most significant determinant of social capital variables across individuals. In the thesis we specifically discuss the problem of endogeneity which is traditionally tackled by the use of some instrumental variable method. Recently much of the work in this genre including work relating to education, has been criticised from the perspective of weak instruments. Throughout we suggest alternative approaches and each is specific to the context in which it is used. Each of these alternatives is in itself based on certain assumptions which can in turn be questioned. Their value lies more in that they present extra evidence on the impact of education, rather than they unambiguously provide a solution to the endogeneity problem. Economics is not an exact science and it is the accumulation of evidence which is important. In our case our evidence is that education matters, and it matters not just with respect to earnings, and by implication productivity, but also with respect to health and subjective well-being.

Introduction: Care professionals suffering with poor wellbeing is a phenomenon that has been found to have a damaging effect upon individual employees, service users and organisations. Employees working in forensic settings are believed to be at increased risk of damaged wellbeing due to the unique demands of their working environment, including exposure to violence and aggression. This issue was addressed in two ways. Firstly, a systematic review of the literature on the effectiveness of person-centred interventions to improve the wellbeing of forensic professionals was prepared. Following this, an empirical study was completed which examined the ability of demands related to violence and aggression, and resources of two types (cognitive and contextual behavioural) to predict the wellbeing of employees in a high secure forensic mental health (FMH) hospital. Method: For the systematic review, relevant databases were systematically searched and 7 papers that met the inclusion criteria were identified. The included studies were quality assessed to identify strengths and weaknesses. For the empirical study, 142 employees at a high secure FMH hospital completed self-report questionnaires which examined their wellbeing, perceptions of the prevalence of aggression, beliefs about safety, attitudes towards aggression, and psychological flexibility. Results: The reviewed studies included psychological, educational and mixed type interventions. Evidence for the effectiveness of interventions was mixed, and problems with methodological quality common. The results of the empirical paper suggested that exposure to violence and aggression was not a good predictor of wellbeing. However, the beliefs staff held about safety and staff‘s level of psychological flexibility were predictive of wellbeing. Conclusions: The review concluded that the existing evidence for the effectiveness of person-centred wellbeing interventions for forensic professionals was generally of poor quality, and inadequate to provide firm recommendations. Further research to assess the effectiveness of interventions and the underlying mechanisms of wellbeing change in forensic settings was advised. The empirical paper concluded that job demands related to staff‘s cognitive appraisal of safety, and the contextual behavioural resource, psychological flexibility, were predictive of staff wellbeing. It was recommended that future interventions to improve the wellbeing of forensic professionals consider the psychological processes staff encounter in the workplace, with a particular focus on contextual behavioural resources, which have an existing evidence base in broader occupational fields. Further research using contextual behavioural interventions within forensic settings is recommended in order to develop the limited research on forensic professionals‘ workplace wellbeing.

This thesis explores the interaction between well-being and environmental volunteering. Focusing on five case study groups across Scotland, the emotional, social and physical well-being impacts of active environmental volunteer work are examined. Through an extensive ethnographic approach incorporating in-depth interviewing, participant observation and focus group work the thesis highlights the importance of studying the initial and continuing motivations for individuals to participate in environmental volunteering. This retains a particular focus on emotional and embodied volunteer experiences, exploring the importance of tasks and landscapes on the volunteering encounters. In considering the meaning of volunteering, the thesis also explores linkages of community and citizenship and how individuals frame and understand their volunteering, especially in relation to the environmental aspects of the work. This speaks directly to academic themes of embodiment, human-nature interactions, emotional geographies and social capital. The studentship was an ESRC-CASE funded project, with the CASE partner being Forestry Commission Scotland. The research takes place within a dynamic political context that encompasses current research and work on volunteering and natural environment encounters within Scotland and the UK as a whole. The thesis looks to inform ongoing policy relevant debates on environmental volunteering within both the Forestry Commission Scotland and the Scottish Government.

The core principle underlying this research program is that places can contribute to identity, and that like other elements of identity they may be subject to the same psychological processes. One way in which personal and social identity have been characterised is by their provision of a psychologically significant sense of identity continuity. The overarching question addressed throughout each chapter of this thesis is whether places are significant aspects of identity because they too provide a sense of temporal endurance: place identity continuity (PIC). Four empirical studies aimed to address this question using insights from social psychological theory. They also aimed to reveal the structure of place identity continuity, its psychological significance, and whether variation in its expression could be accounted for using social context. Following an introduction to the core themes of the thesis in Chapter One, Chapters Two and Three provide reviews of the literature connecting place, identity, and continuity: the first from disciplines outside psychology and the second from psychology itself. Chapter Four describes the research methods to be used, and ends Part I of the thesis. Part II presents the empirical studies. Chapter Five reports the results from Study 1, an interview study conducted with residents of Tayside, exploring their place experiences and perceptions of identity continuity in relation to places. It reveals that place relationships can be characterised by connections with past and future selves, and a sense of fit between place and self, but that they can also vary according to strength of place identification and social context. Chapter Six reports the results of Study 2, a large student survey study leading to the development of a three-dimensional scale to measure PIC, and confirmation that PIC is connected with place attachment and place identity. Chapter Seven reports the results of Study 3, a cross-validation of the PIC measure and examination of the varying connections between PIC dimensions and psychological well-being in a large general public survey study. Finally, Chapter Eight reports the results of Study 4, an experiment showing that PIC can vary according to self-categorisation such that those categorising themselves as a family member will generally rate PIC higher than those primed with a student identity. Chapter Nine draws the results of each study together to conclude that PIC is a significant aspect of place identity, and that it is characterised by connections with past place identity, present place and self congruency, and future place identity, thus extending the existing place identity literature. It is also concluded that the use of social psychological approaches enriches previously static and deterministic understandings of place identity, and provides an opportunity to integrate social and environmental psychology. Limitations, future studies, and theoretical and practical implications are then provided before concluding remarks are offered.

El objetivo de la investigación es describir el bienestar psicológico en profesores que enseñan hatha yoga en la ciudad de Lima. Se contó con la participación de 10 instructores, 4 varones y 6 mujeres entre 21 y 58 años de edad, nacidos en Lima y con residencia en la ciudad. Se utilizó un enfoque cualitativo fenomenológico y la información se obtuvo mediante una entrevista estructurada. Los participantes fueron seleccionados mediante un muestreo intencional y se aplicó un análisis de contenido. Los resultados presentan concordancia entre todos los ejes analizados y por ende se obtuvo un alcance psicológico que describe la teoría de bienestar psicológico en la experiencia de la práctica del hatha yoga. Por último, los profesores concluyen que el hatha yoga brinda un sentido en sus vidas y a estar más involucrados en su trabajo por recompensas intrínsecas. / The objective of the research is to describe the psychological well-being in teachers who teach hatha yoga in the city of Lima. It was attended by 10 instructors, 4 males and 6 women between 21 and 58 years old, born in Lima and residing in the city. A phenomenological qualitative approach was used and the information was obtained through a structured interview. Participants were selected by intentional sampling and content analysis was applied. The results are consistent between all the axes analyzed and therefore a psychological scope was obtained that describes the theory of psychological well-being in the experience of the practice of hatha yoga. Finally, teachers conclude that hatha yoga provides meaning in their lives and to be more involved in their work for intrinsic rewards. / Tesis

No description available.

This thesis investigates the structure of job-related well-being; the identification of variables that contribute to either psychological well-being or distress; and the causal connections among elements of job-related well-being and intrinsic job satisfaction.Two large samples (n=3,044 and 3,709) from a white-collar public sector organisation were used to test a four monopolar model of affective well-being, and the two bipolar model (enthusiasm-depression and anxiety-contentment) proposed by Warr (1990). Structural equation modelling (LISREL) was used to test both models, and results strongly supported a monopolar structure of affective well-being (enthusiasm, depression, anxiety and relaxation). Following the testing of the models, canonical correlation analyses related the set of the four affective variables and intrinsic job satisfaction to a set of predictors. The predictors were drawn from Wan's (1994) sub-categories of nine features of jobs that purport to enhance psychological well-being at work. Two dimensions were extracted from this analysis. The first dimension was mainly defined by intrinsic job satisfaction (from the dependent variable set) and supervisory support and skill utilisation (from the independent variable set). The second dimension was defined mainly by anxiety (dependent variable set) and job demands (independent variable set). From these results a model was developed based on the additive influences of the independent variables on the outcome variables (i.e., affective well-being and intrinsic job satisfaction) that helped explain psychological well-being and distress at work. Finally, a model was also developed that assumed a causal direction from intrinsic job satisfaction to affective well-being. Using a longitudinal sample (n=220) these causal relations were tested with USREL. Results supported the hypothesis that intrinsic job ++ / satisfaction leads to affective well-being, rather than the alternative model that had the causal connections in the opposite direction. It was also possible to demonstrate with the same data set that one objective organisational variable, namely tenure, affects intrinsic job satisfaction over time, thus arguing against the proposition that intrinsic job satisfaction is dispositional.

The nature of human well-being has been debated in psychological research since the beginning of the study of human behaviour. Mechanistic perspectives regard humans to be independent objects motivated by external contingencies, with needs to be both self sufficient and self-enhancing. Organismic perspectives describe humans as having innate self-organisational tendencies, which partly depend on qualities of relationships with others. Basic needs for well-being include being self-determined and socially integrated. Both perspectives claim empirical support. Drawing on Self-Determination Theory (SDT), the present study proposed that basic needs for well-being include autonomy and relatedness, and ego-defensive needs that undermine health include independence, control and narcissism. To compare the effects of different needs on well-being, the present study measured people's perceived needs and the satisfaction of those needs, within the context of interpersonal interactions. Participants were sourced from the student population at a Melbourne university (N = 82), and various internet website forums (N= 171). Included were 82 participants who had received a diagnosis of social anxiety in the past two years. A new measure, the Interpersonal Needs Scale (INS) was developed to tap the strength of values for the five needs of interest, and the degree to which needs are satisfied. Factor analysis on the INS produced four value subscales: these were named Authenticity and Belonging, comprising autonomy and relatedness items, and Independence and Narcissism, both including Control items. The fmal version of the INS showed satisfactory reliability and validity. Results for Study 1 indicated that for the present sample, Authenticity and Belonging values were associated with overall interpersonal need satisfaction and with well-being. Conversely, Independence and Narcissistic values were associated with dissatisfaction of interpersonal needs and compromised well-being. For Study 2, cluster analysis was used to group participants according to their INS profiles: that is, similarities in their perceived needs and their degree of satisfaction of needs. In line with predictions, the groups included: the Selfother Balanced (N = 42), who reported significantly greater values for authenticity and belonging over independence and narcissism, and overall need satisfaction; the Slightly Lonely (N = 53), who reported similar value ranking but some dissatisfaction of needs; the Satisfied Narcissists (N = 45), who reported high values for ego-defensive needs and satisfaction of narcissistic needs only; the Needy Narcissists (N= 81), who also reported high values for ego-defensive needs but high overall need dissatisfaction; and the Individualists (N = 27), who reported low values for belonging and unsatisfied independence needs. The characteristics of each group were analysed and compared with each other according to a range of self-concept measures (autonomous-self, relational self, independent-self, and narcissistic personality), indicators of psychological wellbeing (depression, anxiety, stress, and self-esteem), and social well-being (alienation). The Self-other Balanced group reported the highest well-being scores and a predominantly autonomous self-concept, while those who reported low values for belonging needs (Individualists), and those who reported the least satisfaction of interpersonal needs (Needy Narcissists), reported the most compromised well-being. A large proportion of respondents with social anxiety belonged to the latter group. The implications of these results for understanding the impact of values and the satisfaction of interpersonal needs on well-being were discussed.

<p>How are you today? The question was asked on a website by the artist Erik Krikortz, and the answers were displayed as a light show on a building complex in central Stockholm. In this thesis more than 20000 people have rated their subjective well-being on their own chosen occasions, on a seven graded scale of smileys in different colours. Results from November 2007 were analysed. The most frequently chosen colour was yellow, symbolising slightly better moods than average. Comparing means between days of the week showed that people feel the best on Sundays and are least happy on Tuesdays. Posthoc tests indicated significant dips in well-being on two days of the month. After answering the main question participants could also choose to rate their subjective experience of how well their sleep, family and friends, physical activity, stress levels and inspiration had been that day. The variables with the highest correlation with well-being were found to be “inspiration” and “family and friends”. Lowest were correlations for “sleep” and “physical activity”. The last variable was blank, for people to fill out for themselves and rate. The most frequently used word here was by far “love”, followed by “work” and “weather”. Summing up the results it seems social activities means most for the subjective well-being.</p>

This project evaluated the effect of religious symbols on self-control and self-monitoring. Based on psychological priming research and evidence demonstrating a correlation between religious conviction and self-control, it was hypothesized that exposure to subtle religious primes would increase self-control and self-monitoring. Assuming religious primes increased both variables, it was also hypothesized that self-monitoring would mediate the effect of the religious primes on self-control. In line with study hypotheses, exposure to religious primes did increase self-control, however no support was found for the effect of the religious primes on self-monitoring. As a result, a mediational model could not be tested. Study implications and directions for future research are discussed.