Self-Verification and Well-Being of University Students

Abstract

Research aims to contribute educational psychology in the light of understanding students’ self-evaluations and well-being needs. In our sample, 60 university students mentioned that they don’t want to be self-verified in interpersonal relations for their neither positive nor negative personal aspects. Instead, they emphasized that they want to be self-enhanced in interpersonal relations for their negative personal characteristics. The reasons might be questioning about validity of the information or the risk of rejection for friendship or any other cause meaningful for them that can be studied in further research. Logistic regression models show that there are significant attributes and aspects of well-being that explain effecting self; self-verification and enhancement. Also, they evaluated themselves high in well-being especially on self and life love and satisfaction. They didn’t point out about energy and/or motivation and pleasure aspects of well-being that might be barrier for euidomonic and hedomonic well-being. The results are discussed related with the literature.  

Keywords

• Self verification,well-being,self enhancement

References

1. Alicke, M. D. (1985). Global self-evaluation as determined by the desirability and controllability of trait adjectives. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 49 (6), 1621-1630.
2. Avey, J. B., Luthans, F., Smith, R. M. & Palmer, N. F. (2010). Impact of positive psychological capital on employee well-being over time. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 15 (1), 17-28. doi: 10.1037/a0016998.
3. Bellinger, N. (2018). Governing human well-being. Springer, 1-212.
4. Biddle, S. J. H. & Mutrie, N. (2008). Psychology of physical activity: Determinants, well-being, and interventions. Taylor and Francis.
5. Caprara, G. V., Steca, P., Gerbino, M., Paciello, M. & Vecchio, G. M. (2006). Looking for adolescents’ well-being: Self-efficacy beliefs as determinants of positive thinking and happiness. Epidemiologia e Psichiatria Sociale, 15 (1), 30-43.
6. Carpentier, J., Mageau, G. A. & Vallerand, R. J. (2012), Ruminations and flow: Why do people with a more harmonious passion experience higher well-being? Happiness Studies Journal, 13, 501-518. doi: 10.1007/s10902-011-9276-4.
7. Çalışkan, K. & Lin, S. Y. (2018). Value priorities and subjective well-being: A cross-cultural perspective. International Journal of Humanities and Applied Social Science, 3(5), 45-54.
8. Davila, M. C. & Finkelstein, M. A. (2013). Organizational citizenship behavior and well-being: Preliminary results. International Journal of Applied Psychology, 3(3), 45-51. doi: 10.5923/j.ijap.20130303.03.

9. De Witte, H. (1999). Job insecurity and psychological well-being: Review of the literature and exploration of some unresolved issues. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 8(2), 155-177. doi: 10.1080/135943299398302.
10. Diener, E., Sapyta, J. J. & Suh, E. (1998). Subjective well-being is esential to well-being. Psychological Inquiry, 9(1), 33-37. doi: 10.1207/s15327965pli0901_3.
11. Diener, E. & Tov, W. (2007). Subjective well-being and peace. Journal of Social Issues, 63, 421-440.
12. Fava, G. A. & Ruini, C. (2003). Development and characteristics of a well-being enhancing psychotherapeutic strategy: Well-being therapy. Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry, 34, 45-63.
13. Fredrickson, B. L. (2000). Cultivating positive emotions to optimize health and well-being. Prevention and Treatment, 3, 1-25.
14. Geçtan, E. (2016). İnsan Olmak. Metis Yayıncılık.
15. Gilbert, D. & Abdullah, J. (2002). A study of the impact of the expectation of a holiday on an individual’s sense of well-being. Journal of Vacation Marketing, 8(4), 352-361.
16. Gurley, V., Neuringer, A. & Massee, J. (1984). Dance and sports compared: Effects on psychological well-being. The Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness, 24(1), 58-68.
17. Haybron, D. M. (2007). Well-being and virtue. Journal of Ethics and Social Philosophy, 2(2), 1-28.
18. Herbert, J. D. & Forman, E. M. (2011). Acceptance and mindfulness in cognitive behavior therapy. Understanding and applying the new therapies. John Wiley & Sons Inc.
19. Hills, P. & Argyle, M. (2002), The Oxford happiness questionnaire: A compact scale for the measurement of psychological well-being. Personality and Individual Differences, 33, 1073-1082.
20. Holman, D., Chissick, C. & Totterdell, P. (2002). The effects of performance monitoring on emotional labor and well-being in call centers Motivation and Emotion, 26(1), 57-81.
21. Huppert, F.A. (2009). Psychological well-being: Evidence regarding its causes and consequences. Applied Psychology: Health and Well-Being, 1(2), 137-164.
22. Jewell, A. (2004). Ageing, spirituality, and well-being. Jessica Kingsley Publishers, 1-225.
23. Johnson, H. M. (2004). The story behind service with a smile: The effects of emotional labor on job satisfaction, emotional exhaustion, and affective well-being (Master’s Theses). Retrieved from: Graduate Theses and Dissertations, https://scholarcommons.usf.edu/etd/1097.
24. Kifer, Y., Heller, D., Perunovic, W. Q. E. & Galinsky, A.D. (2013). The good life of the powerful: The experience of power and authenticity enhances subjective well-being. Psychological Science, 24(3), 280-288.
25. Kwang, T. & Swann, Jr., W. B. (2010). Do people embrace praise even when they feel unworthy? A review of critical tests of self-enhancement versus self-verification. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 14(3), 263-280. doi: 10.1177/1088868310365876.
26. London, M. (2003). Antecedents and consequences of self-verification: Implications for individual and group development. Human Resource Development Review, 2(3), 273-393.
27. Lunau, T., Bambra, C., Eikemo, T. A., Van Der Wel, K. A. & Dragano, N. (2014). A balancing act? Work-life balance, health and well-being in European welfare states. European Journal of Public Health, 24(3), 422-427.
28. Malchiodi, C. A. (2003). Handbook of art therapy. The Guilford Press.
29. Maltby, J., Lewis, C. A. & Day, L. (2008). Prayer and subjective well-being: The application of a cognitive-behavioral framework. Mental Health Religion and Culture, 11(1), 119-129.
30. North, R. J. & Swann, Jr., W. B. (2009). Self-verification: Illuminating the light and dark sides. Self and Identity, 8, 131-146. doi: 10.1080/15298860802501516.
31. Ordun, G. & Akün, F. A. (2017). Self-actualization, self-efficacy, and emotional intelligence of undergraduate students. Journal of Advanced Management Science, 5(3), 170-175.
32. Özarallı, N. (2015). The impact of organizational culture and job related affective well-being on employees’ conflict resolution styles. Journal of Business Research-Türk, 7(2), 7-37.
33. Pesonen, J.A. & Komppula, R. (2010). Rural well-being tourism: Motivations and expecations. Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Management, 1-18. doi: 10.1375/jhtm.17.1.150.
34. Philippe, F. L., Vallerand, R. J. & Lavigne, G. L. (2009). Passion does make a difference in people’s lives: A look at well-being in passionate and non-passionate individuals. Applied Psychology: Health and Well-Being, 1(1), 3-22. doi: 10.1111/j.1758-0854.2008.01003.x.
35. Poulin, M. J. & Haase, C. M. (2015). Growing to trust: Evidence that trust increases and sustains well-being across the life span. Social Psychological and Personality Sciences, 6(6), 614-621.
36. Prager, K. J. & Buhrmester, D. (1998). Intimacy and need fulfillment in couple relationships. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 15(4), 435-470. doi: 10.1177/0265407598154001.
37. Robbins, S. P. & Judge, T. A. (2017). Organizational behavior. Pearson Education Limited.
38. Rook, K. S. (1984). The negative side of social interaction: Impact on psychological well-being. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 46(5), 1097-1108.
39. Ross, M., Heine, S. J., Wilson, A. E., & Sugimori, S. (2005). Cross-cultural discrepancies in self-appraisals. Society for Personality and Social Psychology, 31(9), 1175-1188.
40. Ryff, C. D., Singer, B. H., & Love, G. D. (2004). Positive health: Connecting well-being with biology. The Royal Society.
41. Ryff, C. D. & Singer, B. H. (2008). Know thyself and become what you are: A eudaimonic approach to psychological well-being. Journal of Happiness Studies, 9, 13-39.
42. Schellenberg, E. G. (2012). Cognitive performance after listening to music: A review of the Mozart effect. In R. A. R. MacDonald, G. Kreutz, & L. Mitchell (Eds.), Music, health, and wellbeing (p. 324–338). Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199586974.003.0022
43. Sin, N. L. & Lyubomirsky, S. (2009). Enhancing well-being and alleviating depressive symptoms with positive psychology interventions: A practice-friendly meta-analysis. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 467-487.
44. Sonnentag, S. (2001). Work, recovery activities, and individual well-being: A diary study. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 6(3), 196-210.
45. Sparks, K., Faragher, B., & Cooper, C. L. (2001). Well-being and occupational health in the 21st century workplace. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 74, 489-509.
46. Sternberg, E. (2009). Healing spaces. The science of place and well-being. The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 1-352.
47. Stibe, A. & Larson, K. (2016). Persuasive cities for sustainable well-being: Quantified communities. Springer International Publishing Switzerland, 271–282. doi: 10.1007/978-3-319-44215-0_22.
48. Swann, Jr., W. B. & Brooks, M. (2012). Why threats trigger compensatory reactions: The need for coherence and quest for self-verification. Social Cognition, 30(6), 758-777.
49. Swann, Jr., W. B., Polzer, J. T., Seyle, D. C. & Ko, S. J. (2004). Finding value in diversity: Verification of personal and social self-views in diverse groups, Academy of Management Review, 29(1), 9-27.
50. Swann, Jr., W. B., Stein-Seroussi, A. & Giesler, R. B. (1992). Why people self-verify? Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 62(3), 392-401.
51. Gürbüz, S. & Şahin, F. (2018). Sosyal bilimlerde araştırma yöntemleri, Felsefe-yöntem- analiz. Seçkin Yayıncılık, 1-480.
52. Thagard, P. & Wood, J. V. (2015). Eighty phenomena about the self: Representation, evaluation, regulation, and change. Front. Psychol. 6 (334). doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2015.00334.
53. Treleaven, D. A. (2018), Trauma-Sensitive Mindfulness, W.W. Norton & Company, Inc, 1-256.
54. Trevarthen, C. & Malloch, S. N. (2000). The dance of well-being: Defining the musical therapeutic effect. Nordisk Tidsskrift for Musikkterapi, 9(2), 3-17. doi: 10.1080/08098130009477996.
55. Velotti, P., Garofalo, C., Bottazzi, F. & Caretti, V. (2017). Faces of shame: Implications for self-esteem, emotion regulation, aggression, and well-being. The Journal of Psychology, 151(2), 171-184. doi: 10.1080/00223980.2016.1248809.
56. Weger, H. (2005). Disconfirming communication and self-verification in marriage: Associations among the demand/withdraw interaction pattern, feeling understood, and marital satisfaction. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships. Sage Publications, 22(1), 19-31. doi: 10.1177/0265407505047835.
57. Weinberg, M. K., Hammond, T. G. & Cummins, R. A. (2014). The Impact of Laughter Yoga on subjective well-being: A pilot study. European Journal of Humour Research, 1(4), 25-34.
58. Wiederkehr-Pollack, G. (2007). Self-effacement in the Bible. Jewish Bible Quarterly, 35(3), 179-187.
59. Wright, K. B., King, S. & Rosenberg, J. (2014). Functions of social support and self-verification in association with loneliness, depression, and stress. Journal of Health Communication: International Perspectives, 19(1), 82-99. doi: 10.1080/10810730.2013.798385.
60. Zarb, J. M. (2007). Developmental cognitive behavioral therapy with adults. Routledge Taylor & Francis Group, 1-213.
61. Zemke, R., Raines, C., & Filipczak, B. (2000). Genarations at work. Managing the clash of Veterans, Boomers, Xers, and Nexters in your workplace. Performance Research Associates Inc.