Transforming Shame in the Pandemic: An International Study.

Shame is an unconscious, somehow unattended and neglected emotion and occurs when individual and socio-cultural norms are violated. It often impacts negatively on the self and others across cultures. During the Covid-19 crises, shame has become an important emotion with a powerful effect, depending on how it is experienced within the socio-cultural context. This article explores shame in international perspectives in the context of Covid-19 and addresses the question how shame is transformed from an existential positive psychology (PP2.0) perspective. The study uses a qualitative research paradigm and explores shame and its transformation during Covid-19. Purposeful and snowball sampling was used. The sample consisted of 24 individuals (16 female, 8 male), of 13 different nationalities. Data were collected from written interviews and analyzed through thematic analysis. Ethical considerations were followed; ethical approval was given by a university. Findings show that participants become very worried, anxious, scared, sad, and shocked when they or individuals in their close relationships contracted Covid-19. Shame plays an important role during the Covid-19 pandemic. However, the meaning and experience of shame during Covid-19 is strongly dependent on the socio-cultural background of the individual who is experiencing the disease. Individuals use different strategies and mechanisms to deal with and transform shame in the context of Covid-19.

The love of pets in managing remote work challenges during Covid-19.

In response to the Covid-19 pandemic, a large number of employed individuals all over the world were obliged to work remotely during lockdown. This article focuses on the coping mechanisms which individuals used to manage this difficult situation, specifically the impact which loving and caring for pets had on the way in which people dealt with the challenges of the remote-working environment. Methodologically, this qualitative study used a phenomenological research design to understand the lived experience of the participants in the study. Ten qualitative semi-structured interviews were conducted with pet owners during the Covid-19 lockdown period in South Africa. The sample was recruited using purposeful and snowball sampling techniques. Data were analysed through content analysis while qualitative quality criteria were applied. Findings show pets supported their owners in many different ways during the pandemic and only the animal's presence supported the owners at home physically, psychologically and emotionally. They helped to reduce the stress of their owners and create a homely atmosphere. Pets played a specific role in providing love, companionship, strong emotional and affective bonds and by creating experiences of comfort, positive as well as negative distraction from work, and physical presence. The experience of love was one major aspect of the relationships between pets and humans. Conclusions are drawn and recommendations are given with regard to future research, highlighting how organisations and consultants can use the positive influences of pets in remote-working scenarios.

Women experiencing and transforming terror and death anxiety during COVID-19

During times of crises, humanistic-existential experiences can become extreme in terms of how individuals cope with negative emotions. Research during the year 2020 has shown that on the one hand, women are more challenged on different levels than men with regard to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. On the other hand, women leaders have shown high-quality leadership to guide nations through the crisis. This study sought to explore the humanistic-existential experiences of women through the terror management theory and from a qualitative perspective. It used a qualitative research paradigm with a hermeneutical research approach and purposeful and snowball sampling. The sample consisted of 16 women aged between 22 and 81 years and of 10 different nationalities who encountered COVID-19 themselves or experienced it in their family, colleagues, or friends. Data were collected from qualitative questionnaires/written interviews and analyzed through content analysis. Data are reported in a qualitative reporting style;quality criteria are presented and limitations discussed. Ethical considerations are addressed. Findings show that women are impacted by negative emotions, in particular anxiety and fear, which they cope with in different ways and which contribute to their meaning making. Conclusions and recommendations for future research and psychological practice are given. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

Albert Camus - A Psychobiographical Approach in Times of Covid-19.

Albert Camus (1913-1960) stands as one of the famous pioneers in the French history of existentialism. He was a novelist, political activist, essayist and editor, as well as a journalist and playwright. Although he was described as philosopher, he often denied this ascription. Through his professional and creative expressions, Camus focused on questions of existentialism, the aspect of the human fate, and meaning in life, death and suicide. These existential questions have experienced a strong revival during the Covid-19 occurrence. This psychobiographical approach aims at understanding Albert Camus' life and work in the context of the terror management theory of Becker and Wong's 4 pillars of PP2.0 theory, namely virtue, meaning, resilience and well-being. Both theories have gained importance during the pandemic. Based on the findings of the research study, implications for future research in the context of the pandemic are given. Finally, this article provides recommendations and best practices on how to approach the Covid-19 pandemic from a terror management theory and PP2.0 perspective in the light of Albert Camus' philosophy. The contribution of this psychobiography is two-fold: first, it expands psychobiographical research on Albert Camus from absurdist and existentialist theories and thereby expands the theoretical framework of psychobiographies. Second, it aims at strengthening the importance of theoretical psychobiographical investigations and their application in real-world scenarios to address complex contemporary challenges on the basis of existentialist positive psychology theories.

The influence of the Fourth Industrial Revolution on organisational culture: An empirical investigation.

The Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) is known to transform and create opportunities for the world of work. However, little is known about how the future workforce, such as university students, are being equipped and exposed to 4IR technologies and ways of thinking in a South African (SA) context. This study's findings contribute to understanding the influence of organisational culture on the uptake of 4IR technology within higher education (HE) in SA during a pandemic. The study uses Edgar Schein's theoretical framework to explore the organisational culture at a university in the Gauteng province. The article responds further to the questions on how 4IR technology and principles are understood and applied within the context, and how to investigate to what extent the 4IR is reflected upon or embedded in the university's culture. A qualitative research design is used, and data are gathered through in-depth, semi-structured interviews from seven purposively selected academic and senior management staff members. Thematic analysis uncovered that the university's ambitious and competitive culture contributed to a positive uptake of 4IR technology and principles, even pre-COVID-19. Furthermore, the specific influence of the university's Vice-Chancellor to build 4IR thinking into the university helped shape more 4IR thinking and technologies, such as artificial intelligence, whilst still considering the existing disparities of SA, as a developing country.

Fear, depression, and well-being during COVID-19 in German and South African students: A cross-cultural comparison.

Various studies have shown a decrease in well-being and an increase in mental health problems during the COVID-19 pandemic; however, only a few studies have explored fear, depression, and well-being cross-culturally during this time. Accordingly, we present the results of a cross-cultural study that (1) compares these mental health scores for German and South African students, (2) compares the correlations among them, and (3) identifies COVID-19 fear, well-being, and depression predictors. German and South African societies differ from each other socio-culturally, politically, and economically. Their university systems also differ to a large extent. University students in both countries completed the Fear of COVID-19 Scale, the World Health Organization-Five Well-Being Index (WHO-5), and the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9). Welch's t-test, correlation, and multiple regression analyses were performed. (1) German students were found to have statistically lower levels of COVID-19 fear and depression, but lower levels of general well-being than South African students. (2) In both samples, fear of COVID-19 was negatively correlated with well-being and positively associated with female gender and depression. (3) Additionally, female gender, depression, and lower well-being were identified as predictors of COVID-19 fear in both samples. The findings indicate that the fear of COVID-19 is associated with and varies according to gender, depression, and well-being across cultures, and that the difference in the intensity of fear between German and South African students may be partly explained by cultural and contextual differences. These findings can create a deeper understanding of the pandemic's impact on student communities and may be used by mental health practitioners and researchers to develop and apply culture-specific interventions.

Women experiencing and transforming terror and death anxiety during COVID-19

During times of crises, humanistic-existential experiences can become extreme in terms of how individuals cope with negative emotions. Research during the year 2020 has shown that on the one hand, women are more challenged on different levels than men with regard to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. On the other hand, women leaders have shown high-quality leadership to guide nations through the crisis. This study sought to explore the humanistic-existential experiences of women through the terror management theory and from a qualitative perspective. It used a qualitative research paradigm with a hermeneutical research approach and purposeful and snowball sampling. The sample consisted of 16 women aged between 22 and 81 years and of 10 different nationalities who encountered COVID-19 themselves or experienced it in their family, colleagues, or friends. Data were collected from qualitative questionnaires/written interviews and analyzed through content analysis. Data are reported in a qualitative reporting style;quality criteria are presented and limitations discussed. Ethical considerations are addressed. Findings show that women are impacted by negative emotions, in particular anxiety and fear, which they cope with in different ways and which contribute to their meaning making. Conclusions and recommendations for future research and psychological practice are given. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

Humour as a coping strategy for employees in remote workspaces during COVID-19

COVID-19 has put a mental strain on many people globally in the short- and long-term perspective. It is extremely important to stay mentally healthy in times of pandemic challenges during social distancing, repeated lockdowns and social isolation, remote work, and home office and home-schooling practices. Humour is a coping strategy to deal with difficult situations and has a positive effect on mental health and well-being.This study uses a qualitative design and a hermeneutical research paradigm to explore the humour used in the professional WhatsApp communications of colleagues working in a consultancy organisation in Gauteng, South Africa, during a hard lockdown in March and April 2020. Findings show that humour was used to cope with the highly challenging situation of working remotely during these times. Humour could be identified in terms of five themes: women professionals and work-life challenges, individual change from professional to "savage", new lifestyles, marital relationships during social isolation, and the cure of COVID-19. Conclusions are drawn and recommendations for future research and practice are given. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

The Palgrave handbook of humour research

This Handbook provides new perspectives on humour from transdisciplinary perspectives. It focuses on humour as a resource from different socio-cultural and psychological viewpoints and brings together authors from different cultures, social contexts and countries. The book will enable researchers and practitioners alike to unlock new research findings which give new directions for contemporary and future humour research. By employing transdisciplinary and transcultural perspectives, the volume further discusses humour in regard to different cultural and political contexts, humour over the lifespan, in therapy and counselling, in pedagogical settings, in medicine and the workspace. The contributions also highlight the connections between humour and the COVID-19 pandemic and promise new inspiring insights. Researchers, practitioners and students in the fields of industrial and organisational psychology, positive psychology, organisational studies, future studies, health and occupational science and therapy, emotion sciences, management, leadership and human resource management will find the contributions highly topical, insightful and applicable to practice. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

Positive and Existential Psychology in Times of Change: Towards Complex, Holistic, Systemic, and Integrative Perspectives.

This Special Issue, entitled "Positive and Existential Psychology in Times of Change: Towards Complex, Holistic, Systemic and Integrative Perspectives", addresses the urging questions and challenges of our times from the latest positive and existential psychology perspectives [...].

"Who could breathe without hope..." Shame and shaming 4.0 during COVID-19 and beyond

The aim of this text is to develop specific theses on the interrelation between shame and shaming in the face of the corona pandemic. It refers to global and diverse cultural contexts and, from the perspective of Positive Psychology 2.0, pays particular attention to the efforts made by individuals and collectives to constructively manage and transform this crisis. As pointed out by different scholars during the previous year, the crisis evolved an immense physical, mental, emotional, social and economic challenge and has contemporarily massive legal socio-economic, cultural, political and humanitarial consequences. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

Understanding Wildlife Crime from Eco-Existential and African Perspectives: A Psycho-Philosophical Investigation.

Wildlife crime has huge consequences regarding global environmental changes to animals, plants and the entire ecosystem. Combatting wildlife crime effectively requires a deep understanding of human-wildlife interactions and an analysis of the influencing factors. Conservation and green criminology are important in reducing wildlife crime, protecting wildlife and the ecosystem and informing policy-makers about best practices and strategies. However, the past years have shown that wildlife crime is not easy to combat and it is argued in this article that there are underlying existential "givens" and culture-specific aspects that need to be investigated to understand why wildlife crime is still on the rise. This theoretical article explores (eco-)existential perspectives, Greening's four givens and selected African philosophical concepts, aiming to understand the complexities behind the prevalence of wildlife crime within global and African contexts.

Sense of Coherence in Managers during COVID-19 and the New World of Work: A Mixed-Method Study.

During COVID-19, the working world has changed inevitably, and many managers experience extreme strain and stress. This study determines how managers cope with the changes during COVID-19 from a positive psychology and salutogenic perspective. It employs a hermeneutical research design and an interpretivist paradigm by using a mixed-method research approach in which managers' sense of coherence (SOC) is investigated quantitatively through the 29-item Life-Orientation scale and qualitatively through semi-structured interviews. Purposeful and snowball sampling techniques are used. The sample consists of 17 managers. Data were collected in different organizations within South Africa and analysed through content analysis, linking quantitative and qualitative data in a holistic, integrated and complex way. In terms of the quantitative findings, the managers scored at the medium and higher end of the SOC-scale in comprehensibility, followed by manageability and finally meaningfulness. Male managers in the age group 47-57 scored highest. Female and younger managers scored lower on average. Lowest scores in comprehensibility and manageability were scored by a young female manager, while in meaningfulness the oldest male participant scored lowest. The qualitative findings show that high scoring SOC managers apply complex thoughts to the present and future workplace scenario. Individuals with lower SOC scores do not present as much knowledge, complex thinking and argumentation structures during the interview in comprehensibility scores as high scoring SOC managers, yet still acquire resources to manage the workplace (manageability). High meaningfulness scores are associated with creating meaningful workplace interaction (human-human and machine-human), knowledge distribution through technology, impactfulness, experiencing the job as meaningful, including helping others, and achievements. Managers have a complex view of the world and findings show the complex connections of a high/low SOC scores and the managers' explorations and systemic understanding regarding their managerial world. Conclusions and recommendations for theory and practice are given.

Cross-Cultural Comparison of Mental Health Between German and South African Employees: Shame, Self-Compassion, Work Engagement, and Work Motivation.

The negative impact of the coronavirus disease outbreak 2019 (COVID-19) on work mental health is reported in many countries including Germany and South Africa: two culturally distinct countries. This study aims to compare mental health between the two workforces to appraise how cultural characteristics may impact their mental health status. A cross-sectional study was used with self-report measures regarding (i) mental health problems, (ii) mental health shame, (iii) self-compassion, (iv) work engagement and (v) work motivation. 257 German employees and 225 South African employees have completed those scales. This study reports results following the Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) guidelines. T-tests, correlation and regression analyses were performed. German employees had lower mental health problems and mental health shame, and higher self-compassion than South Africans. Mental health problems were positively associated with mental health shame and amotivation, and negatively associated with work engagement and intrinsic motivation in both groups. Lastly, self-compassion, a PP 2.0 construct, was the strongest predictor for mental health problems in both countries. Our results suggest (i) that German culture's long-term orientation, uncertainty avoidance and restraint may help explain these differences, and (ii) that self-compassion was important to mental health in both countries. While the levels of mental health differed between the two countries, cultivating self-compassion may be an effective way to protect mental health of employees in those countries. Findings can help inform managers and HR staff to refine their wellbeing strategies to reduce the negative impact of the pandemic, especially in German-South African organizations.

Women Leaders Transcending the Demands of Covid-19: A Positive Psychology 2.0 Perspective.

This article explores selected speeches of three global women leaders during the time of the Covid-19 pandemic from positive psychology perspectives. It focuses on speeches to address and manage the pandemic of global women leaders, such as Angela Merkel (Germany), Jacinda Ardern (New Zealand), and Tsai Ing-Wen (Taiwan). This study explores the question what global women leaders' leadership actions and responses are and how they address their nations with regard to the four pillars of PP2.0 and the PURE model during Covid-19. The study uses a post-modernist qualitative research design. It is anchored in the hermeneutical-phenomenological research paradigm, using leadership theories and PP2.0 as a lens to explore and understand their strengths with regard to the Covid-19 pandemic. The authors use thematic analysis to analyse the selected speeches made by the three women leaders at the onset of the pandemic in Germany, New Zealand and Taiwan. The study contributes to improve the understanding of global women leadership during Covid-19. Conclusions are drawn. Recommendations will be made accordingly.