When meaning in life protects against fear of death: The moderating role of self-alienation.

OBJECTIVE: A sense of meaning in life (MIL) is thought to help protect people against experiencing explicit anxiety about death. However, the experience of meaning is complex and subjective and may relate to death anxiety in nuanced ways. We examine how self-alienation-a feeling of not knowing/being disconnected from one's self-might moderate the relationship between MIL and death anxiety. METHOD: Across five studies, we tested the hypothesis that MIL would negatively predict death anxiety more strongly for people relatively low in self-alienation. These studies were similar in design and included exploratory, confirmatory, and pre-registered tests. RESULTS: A meta-regression across our five studies (N = 2001) provided clear evidence that MIL was most strongly associated with lower death anxiety at low self-alienation. We also observed that MIL was positively associated with death anxiety at high self-alienation. These effects were consistent in direction but inconsistent in strength. CONCLUSIONS: We interpreted these results as evidence that MIL is existentially protective when experienced in combination with a relatively strong, clear, and connected sense of self. In contrast, MIL may be existentially problematic when people feel relatively unaware and disconnected from themselves. These findings align with aspects of terror management theory and highlight the potentially complex ways that MIL might relate to death anxiety.

Negative Bias or Positive Deficiency, or Both? The Relationship Between Individual Authenticity and Depression Among Preschool Teachers: The Sequential Mediation Effects of Mindfulness and Self-Alienation.

Objective: Depression has become a topic of widespread concern around the world, and teachers' depression has also had an important impact on the healthy development of education. However, there are differences in the cognitive theory of depression and positive psychology about the mechanism of depression. This study attempts to verify the related viewpoints of the two viewpoints through empirical research. Methods: Three hundred and twenty eight preschool teachers were measured with authenticity scale, five facet mindfulness questionnaire, center for epidemiologic studies depression scale, and general alienation scale. Results: Individual authenticity negatively predicted depression. Mindfulness can mediate the relationship between individual authenticity and depression. Self-alienation mediates the relationship between individual authenticity and depression. In addition, mindfulness and self-alienation played a sequential mediating role between individual authenticity and depression. Conclusion: Mindfulness and self-alienation play a sequential mediating role between individual authenticity and depression. This study not only confirms the relevant theoretical viewpoints of positive psychology on depression, but also believes that individual depression is not only affected by one's own negative bias but also by one's own positive factors. At the same time, the individual's own positive factors will affect the negative factors. This perspective will provide new literature references to existing relevant theories about depression. In addition, this study will also provide literature reference for early childhood education practice.

Development and validation of a scale of self-alienation-related attributes for the early diagnosis of schizophrenia.

BACKGROUND: The onset of schizophrenia is often preceded by a prodromal phase. However, it is difficult to predict the future transition to schizophrenia from the prodromal symptoms. Based on the diagnostic significance of Schneider's first rank symptoms (FRS), especially those representing "ego disorders (Ichstörungen)", we developed a scale of self-alienation-related attributes (Self-A) to assess the psychological characteristics associated with ego disorders for the early diagnosis of schizophrenia. METHODS: In total, 153 schizophrenia (Sz) patients, 83 at-risk mental state (ARMS) subjects, and 154 healthy control (HC) subjects participated in this study. The Self-A scale was constructed by items from the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) based on the differences between schizophrenia patients with and without FRS representing ego-disorders designated as "self-alienation symptoms". The Self-A scale was tested for its reliability and validity in a different sample of schizophrenia patients, and was then applied to different cohorts including first-episode schizophrenia (FES) patients, ARMS individuals, and HC subjects. RESULTS: The Self-A consisting of 27 items exhibited good internal consistency reliability. The validity was well demonstrated by the high correlation of the Self-A scores with the self-alienation symptom scores. The ARMS and FES groups had higher Self-A scores than the HC group. The Self-A score in the ARMS individuals who later developed schizophrenia was higher than that in the ARMS subjects who did not, and was comparable with that in the FES group. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that the newly developed Self-A scale assessing the self-alienation-related attributes can improve the early diagnosis of schizophrenia.

True self-alienation positively predicts reports of mindwandering.

Two studies assessed the relationship between feelings of uncertainty about who one truly is (i.e., true self-alienation) and self-reported task-unrelated thoughts (i.e., mindwandering) during performance tasks. Because true self-alienation is conceptualized as the subjective disconnect between conscious awareness and actual experience, we hypothesized that greater feelings of true self-alienation would positively relate to subjective reports of mindwandering. Two convergent studies supported this hypothesis. Moreover, this relationship could not consistently be accounted for by the independent influence of other aspects of authenticity, negative mood, mindfulness, or broad personality dimensions. These findings suggest that individual differences in true self-alienation are reliably associated with subjective reports of mindwandering. The implications of these findings for the true self-alienation construct, the ways that personality relates to mindwandering, and future research directions focused on curtailing mindwandering and improving performance and achievement are discussed.

Downshifting: foundations and dynamics of personal choice / «Downshifting»: fundamentos y la dinámica de la elección personal / «Downshifting»: fundações e dinâmica de escolha pessoal

Downshifting phenomenon is regarded as a process of inner choice between two options of personal actualization: personalization and personification. Cultural and social background of such choice is historically described. Some aspects of psychological dynamics of choice are illustrated by examples of different downshifting strategies.(AU)

El fenómeno "Downshifting" es considerado como un proceso de elección interna entre dos opciones de actualización personal: personalización y la personificación. Antecedentes culturales y sociales de dicha opción se describe históricamente. Algunos aspectos de la dinámica psicológica de elección se ilustran con ejemplos de estrategias de downshifting diferentes.(AU)

O fenômeno Downshifting é considerado como um processo de escolha interna entre duas opções de realização pessoal: personalização e personificação. Formação cultural e social de tal escolha é descrita historicamente. Alguns aspectos da dinâmica psicológica de escolha são ilustradas por exemplos de estratégias de downshifting diferentes.(AU)

Downshifting: foundations and dynamics of personal choice / ®Downshifting¼: fundamentos y la dinámica de la elección personal / ®Downshifting¼: fundações e dinâmica de escolha pessoal

Downshifting phenomenon is regarded as a process of inner choice between two options of personal actualization: personalization and personification. Cultural and social background of such choice is historically described. Some aspects of psychological dynamics of choice are illustrated by examples of different downshifting strategies...

El fenómeno "Downshifting" es considerado como un proceso de elección interna entre dos opciones de actualización personal: personalización y la personificación. Antecedentes culturales y sociales de dicha opción se describe históricamente. Algunos aspectos de la dinámica psicológica de elección se ilustran con ejemplos de estrategias de downshifting diferentes...

O fenômeno Downshifting é considerado como um processo de escolha interna entre duas opções de realização pessoal: personalização e personificação. Formação cultural e social de tal escolha é descrita historicamente. Alguns aspectos da dinâmica psicológica de escolha são ilustradas por exemplos de estratégias de downshifting diferentes...