The aim of this study was to come to a better understanding of possible
neuropsychological mechanisms underlying psychosocial well-being and therefore to
determine whether a relationship between neuropsychological executive functions and
psychosocial well-being does indeed exist. Research was conducted in the domains of
neuropsychology and positive psychology. This thesis consists of three articles,
namely I ) Neuropsychological executive functions and psychosocial well-being: A
review, 2) Attentional switching and psychosocial! well-being, and 3) The relationship
between generativity as neuropsychological process and psychosocial well-being.
The first article argued the possibility of a relationship between neuropsychological
and psychosocial aspects, with reference to a pluralistic ecosystems perspective,
neuropsychological and other positive psychological theories, such as Miller's
neuropsychodynamic model and Frederickson's broaden-and-build theory, as well as
existing empirical studies. Numerous neuropsychological studies have indicated that
the prefrontal cortex is involved in executive functions, with its main function to
regulate both cognitive and affective functioning. Analyses of existing empirical
studies indicated an established relationship between prefrontal lobe / executive /
regulatory dysfunction and psychopathology, but also that the relationship between
normal or optimal prefrontal executive functions and psychosocial well-being is still
unclear. The first article concluded that evidence correlating neuropsychological
functioning with human flourishing, or indicating possible neuropsychological
mechanisms involved in psychosocial well-being, is sparse, presenting a serious
lacuna in scientific knowledge.
The following two articles focused on contributing to filling this lacuna.
"Attentional switching and psychosocial well-being" and "The relationship between
generativity, as neuropsychological process and psychosocial well-being" focused on
attentional switching and generativity, as part of neuropsychological executive
functions, as potential mechanisms associated with psychosocial well-being. These
studies aimed to determine whether the capacity to switch attention, as measured by
the Color Trails Test (CTT) and Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST), and the
capacity to generate novelty, as measured by the Controlled Verbal Fluency Task
(CVFT) (Benton, 1967) and Uses of Objects Test (UOT) (Getzels & Jackson, 1962),
are related to the degree of psychosocial well-being experienced. As part of the interdisciplinary
POWIRS (Profiles of Obese Women with Insulin Resistance Syndrome)
project, black African women (article 2 n=66; article 3 n=72) completed the above
mentioned neuropsychological measures, as well as indices of psychosocial wellbeing,
in a cross-sectional design. The psychosocial measures included the
Affectometer (AFM) 2 (Kammann & Flett, 1983); Constructive Thinking Inventory
(CTI) abbreviated version (Epstein & Meier, 1989); Sense of Coherence Scale (SOC-
29) (Antonovsky, 1987, 1993); The Fortitude Questionnaire (FORQ) (Pretorius,
1998); JAREL Spiritual Well-being Scale (SWS-H) (Hungelman et al., 1989);
Psychological Well-being Scales (SPW-B) (Ryff & Singer, 1998); and the Cognitive
Appraisal Questionnaire (CAQ) (Botha & Wissing, 2003).
The main findings of these studies were hat the ease of attentional switching and
generativity correlates statistically (p<0.5) and practically significantly with higher
levels of psychosocial well-being. From a micro-deterministic perspective it can be
concluded that frontal lobe executive functions may play a role in the regulation
higher-order adjusting psychosocial functions related to quality of life. From a micro-deterministic
perspective it can be concluded that psychosocial well-being, while
being influenced by executive functions, may also influence the continuous
development of neuropsychological executive functions. / Thesis (Ph.D. (Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2005.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:nwu/oai:dspace.nwu.ac.za:10394/865 |
| Date | January 2005 |
| Creators | Peters, Elizabeth |
| Publisher | North-West University |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
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