Jakość życia w badaniach psychologicznych

Pierwsze użycie określenia .jakość życia" przypisuje się amerykańskiemu prezydentowi Johnsonowi w 1964 roku. Najwyraźniej pojęcie to zawierało w sobie treść istotną dla współczesnego człowieka, dla którego problemem jest już nie „przeżycie", a „życie na odpowiednim poziomie", ponieważ szybko się upowszechniło. Zaczęło być używane przez przedstawicieli różnych dyscyplin naukowych, przede wszystkim w naukach medycznych, społecznych i ekonomicznych, w odniesieniu do odpowiednich aspektów życia człowieka. W 1977 roku stało się słowem kluczowym w serwisie bibliograficznym Mediine i słowem tytułowym w Index Medicus, jednak prawdziwą popularność zyskało w latach osiemdziesiątych. W psychologii znajduje to wyraz nie tylko w rosnącej liczbie publikacji, ale w pewnej instytucjonalizacji Jakości życia", wykorzystywanej w tytułach czasopism (np. „Quality of Life Research. An International Journal") i nazwach konferencji (np. konferencja Europejskiego Towarzystwa Psychologii Zdrowia w 1994 roku zatytułowana była: „Health Psychology and Quality of Life Research"). W publikacjach poświęconych temu zagadnieniu nie znajdujemy jednak jednoznacznej odpowiedzi na pytanie, czym jest jakość życia (Fragment tekstu)

Humane Orientation as a New Cultural Dimension of the GLOBE Project: A Validation Study of the GLOBE Scale and Out-Group Humane Orientation in 25 Countries

We validate, extend, and empirically and theoretically criticize the cultural dimension of humane orientation of the project GLOBE (Global Leadership and Organizational Behavior Effectiveness Research Program). Theoretically, humane orientation is not just a one-dimensionally positive concept about being caring, altruistic, and kind to others as discussed by Kabasakal and Bodur (2004), but there is also a certain ambivalence to this concept. We suggest differentiating humane orientation toward in-group members from humane orientation toward out-group members. A multicountry construct validation study used student samples from 25 countries that were either high or low in humane orientation (N = 876) and studied their relation to the traditional GLOBE scale and other cultural-level measures (agreeableness, religiosity, authoritarianism, and welfare state score). Findings revealed a strong correlation between humane orientation and agreeableness, welfare state score, and religiosity. Out-group humane orientation proved to be the more relevant subfacet of the original humane orientation construct, suggesting that future research on humane orientation should make use of this measure instead of the vague original scale. The ambivalent character of out-group humane orientation is displayed in its positive correlation to high authoritarianism. Patriotism was used as a control variable for noncritical acceptance of one’s society but did not change the correlations. Our findings are discussed as an example of how rigid expectations and a lack of tolerance for diversity may help explain the ambivalent nature of humane orientatio

Stress – an underestimated hazard in water sports

Silny wiatr, niska temperatura, intensywny prąd, słaba widoczność pod wodą to najczęściej spotykane czynniki, które mogą wywoływać stres u osób uprawiających sporty wodne. Stres to stan pobudzenia organizmu, który może być wywołany czynnikami zarówno wewnętrznymi, jak i zewnętrznymi. Ma na celu mobilizować fizyczne i psychiczne możliwości, jest więc reakcją korzystną, zwłaszcza w sytuacjach kryzysowych, kiedy taka pełna mobilizacja może pozwolić na poradzenie sobie. Stres psychologiczny wywołany jest zwykle powstaniem sytuacji nietypowej, przekraczającej możliwości ludzkiego działania. Może być wywołany dostrzeganiem realnego lub wyobrażonego niebezpieczeństwa w otoczeniu, a także presją z zewnątrz na podstawie zadania do wykonania interpretowanego, jako zbyt trudne lub przekraczające umiejętności. Presja wewnętrzna, pojawia się, gdy człowiek czuje się niepewnie w danej sytuacji, kiedy nie potrafi rozwiązać problemu, oraz czuje dyskomfort, że nie spełnia oczekiwań innych, na przykład, by wykonać dane nurkowanie lub z powodu wydanych pieniędzy na ten cel czy zainwestowanego czasu. Stres fizyczny jest zazwyczaj odpowiedzią organizmu na oddziaływanie środowiska. W artykule przedstawiono i omówiono czynniki mające wpływ na nasilenie stresu oraz dokonano charakterystyki wybranych psychologicznych i medycznych teorii stresu.Strong wind, low temperature, intense current and poor visibility under water are the most common stress inducing factors in individuals practising water sports. Stress is a state of agitation, which can be caused both by external and internal factors. Its objective is to mobilise one's physical and psychological capabilities, thus it is a favourable reaction especially in crisis situations when such full mobilisation enables one to cope. Psychological stress is usually evoked by the occurrence of an atypical situation, exceeding one's handling capacity. It can be induced by seeing real or imagined danger in the surroundings, as well as by external pressure related to a task interpreted as too difficult or exceeding one's capabilities. Internal pressure appears when a person feels insecure in a given situation, when they cannot solve a problem or they feel discomfort due to their inability to meet the expectations of others, for instance, to perform a particular dive, or because of the money spent on this purpose or the invested time. Physical stress is usually an organism's response to the environmental impacts. This article presents and discusses factors which have an effect on stress intensification, as well as providing a characterisation of selected psychological and medical theories of stress

Patients' noncompliance and how doctors manage this

The purpose of this study was to examine doctors' behavior towards patients' noncompliance and to explain it within the framework of frustration theory. Two groups of physicians participated. The first group of 30 was selected from a larger group, based on tape-recordings of patients' visits where obvious examples of noncompliance were found. The 63 physicians forming the second group were interviewed to discover their attitude/behavior towards noncompliance. The tactics observed in the first study group and reported by the second group were then analysed according to the same system of categories. In the second group RPFS (Rosenzweig Picture-Frustration Study) was also applied to find determinants of the doctors' behavior. In general, 11 different tactics were identified but only five were applied by more than 10% of doctors from either group. These were: medical threat (most frequently used in both groups) carrying the doctor's point in an indulgent atmosphere, authoritarian tactics, medical information, withdrawal. There were no significant differences between the groups as to the tactics used (i.e. no differences between observed and reported behavior), on the contrary, a positive correlation was found. The doctors applied certain tactics of doubtful effectiveness which might worsen the patient's emotional state or harm him as a person. On the other hand, many valuable techniques of proved efficacy were not used. When the doctors' tactics were interpreted within the framework of frustration theory as task-oriented or ego-defensive, it was found that in both groups the ego-defensive tactics predominated. The kind of tactics adopted towards noncompliance was strongly determined by the attitude towards frustration measured by RPFS (Kendall Q COEFFICIENT = 0.92). Results obtained suggest that patients' noncompliance is a source of doctors' frustration and is perceived as an ego-threatening event by the majority of them. As a consequence, doctors' activity is aimed first of all at ego-defense, while the original goal of behavior, i.e. the management of noncompliance, is neglected.patient noncompliance doctor-patient relation frustration theory

Doctor-patient interaction, patients' health behavior and effects of treatment

Studies of doctor-patient communication and its consequences are usually limited to factors that may determine patients' compliance with doctors' instructions. But many patients besides or instead of following doctors' advice undertake additional activity in order to get well. The purpose of this study was to explore the whole range of patients' health behavior, its connection with the process of doctor-patient interaction (as an independent variable) and with the treatment results (as a dependent variable). The direct effect of doctor-patient relationship on the outcome of treatment was also examined. The subjects were 62 out-patients. Two visits of every patient to his physician were tape-recorded and analyzed. To obtain the data concerning patients' health behavior, interviews were performed twice in every case. Treatment results were evaluated by physicians. It was found that some characteristics of the doctor-patient interaction; doctors' directiveness, doctors' emotional attitude towards the patient, patients' activity, patients' partnership status had an effect on patients' health behavior (compliance with doctors' orders and patients' spontaneous health activity). Even stronger was the connection between these with the degree of patients' compliance with doctors' instructions but were positively connected with the amount of patients' spontaneous health activity. Authors analyzed these findings in the light of psychosomatic medicine.

Humane Orientation as a New Cultural Dimension of the GLOBE Project: A Validation Study of the GLOBE Scale and Out-Group Humane Orientation in 25 Countries

We validate, extend, and empirically and theoretically criticize the cultural dimension of humane orientation of the project GLOBE (Global Leadership and Organizational Behavior Effectiveness Research Program). Theoretically, humane orientation is not just a one-dimensionally positive concept about being caring, altruistic, and kind to others as discussed by Kabasakal and Bodur (2004), but there is also a certain ambivalence to this concept. We suggest differentiating humane orientation toward in-group members from humane orientation toward out-group members. A multicountry construct validation study used student samples from 25 countries that were either high or low in humane orientation (N = 876) and studied their relation to the traditional GLOBE scale and other cultural-level measures (agreeableness, religiosity, authoritarianism, and welfare state score). Findings revealed a strong correlation between humane orientation and agreeableness, welfare state score, and religiosity. Out-group humane orientation proved to be the more relevant subfacet of the original humane orientation construct, suggesting that future research on humane orientation should make use of this measure instead of the vague original scale. The ambivalent character of out-group humane orientation is displayed in its positive correlation to high authoritarianism. Patriotism was used as a control variable for noncritical acceptance of one's society but did not change the correlations. Our findings are discussed as an example of how rigid expectations and a lack of tolerance for diversity may help explain the ambivalent nature of humane orientation. © The Author(s) 2012