The impact of daily weather conditions on life satisfaction: Evidence from cross-sectional and panel data

Life satisfaction has been widely used in recent years for evaluating the effect of environmental factors on individuals’ well-being. In this study, using two major health surveys in Canada, we show that after controlling for individuals’ socioeconomic characteristics as well as local and seasonal climate, temporal weather variations have an impact on satisfaction with life. This effect is identified in a number of alternative specifications. Women and individuals with poor health condition are more affected by weather conditions. Although being statistically significant, the effect of weather on life satisfaction is small compared with major socioeconomic determinants of well-being. We cannot confirm the results of past studies which find an effect of long term climate variables on life satisfaction.     

Adolescent love and well-being: the role of dating relationships for psychological adjustment

Love has been identified as one of the most important aspects of interpersonal strength. During adolescence, the main social contexts in relation to love are friendships and dating relationships. The aim of this study was to measure the link between romantic relationship experience and personal adjustment, taking into account effects of age and sex, and to analyse the effect of adolescent dating relationship quality on personal adjustment. A total of 3258 Spanish adolescents were surveyed. The results indicated that dating status does not affect adolescent self-esteem, but has a significant effect on internalizing and externalizing behaviours and sexist beliefs. Regarding relationship quality, those adolescents who had a very good-quality relationship reported higher levels of psychological adjustment in terms of the variables measured. Results are discussed according to their utility for positive social development and its links to dating relationship quality during adolescence.     

Trying to understand: promoting the psychosocial well-being of separated refugee children

This paper explores a holistic relationship-based approach to promoting the well-being of separated refugee children in the UK. Based on children's testimonies and case examples gathered over the past 10 years, it provides an overview of the practical and emotional support needs of separated children, including the asylum process, education, social services support, accommodation and health, from the point of arrival in the UK and through the transition to adulthood. Reflecting on practice, the paper explores strategies for supporting children suffering mental distress and considers the critical role that practitioners can play in the healing process by helping children to make sense of their experiences. Finally, the paper discusses the importance of both professional and personal relationships in enabling children to develop a sense of belonging and providing opportunities to share and create positive memories, which can help them move beyond stories of loss towards a more hopeful future.     

Stress,social support and psychological well-being in British accountants

Abstract

This paper reports an exploratory study of stress, social support and psychological well-being in British chartered accountants, using data from 399 self-report questionnaires. The results suggest that the underlying structure of stress in British accountancy can be explained by three dimensions; quantitative overload stressors, professional/administrative interface stressors and nuisance stressors. The underlying structure of social support for the sample can be represented by three dimensions of help support, social dependability and esteem support. Intensity of quantitative overload stressors, intensity of professional/administrative interface stressors and all three dimensions of support were found to be related to psychological well-being in the sample. Differences between these variables, types of organization and organizational position were examined. The results are discussed with reference to stress management interventions for accountants. Possible generalizations to other professional groups are discussed.     

Transitions,Subjective Age,Wellness, and Life Satisfaction

ABSTRACT

A study of 221 midlife women, 35 to 65 years of age, was conducted to explore the relationships among transitions, subjective age, wellness, and life satisfaction for lesbian (n= 81), bisexual (n =14), and heterosexual women (n= 126). Although the sample of bisexual women was too small to permit valid statistical analyses for this group, it is noteworthy that experiencing physical signs of aging was the most frequently experienced transition by all groups. Entry into a committed relationship was the second most frequently experienced transition by the lesbian participants, and entry into perimenopause was the second most common for heterosexuals. Lesbians whose subjective age was less than or equal to their chronological age reported greater wellness, and total wellness was a significant predictor of their life satisfaction. These findings suggest that all women experience midlife as a time of change and development, and lesbian women face specific challenges that require coping to maintain a sense of well-being during the midlife years.     

美国冷战后的多边安全合作政策——基于“主观博弈论”视角的分析

传统博弈论认为成本与收益之比对理性国家政策偏好的形成起着关键的作用,然而美国20世纪90年代初至2001年间安全合作领域的政策变化却违背了成本与收益之比,无法用传统博弈论进行解释。新制度经济学家青木昌彦所发展的“主观博弈论”考虑了观念的因素,认为国家政策偏好的变化过程伴随着观念的变化,有力地解释了美国冷战后多边安全合作政策变化的原因。此外主观博弈论认为只有当观念的变化推广到所有的制度参与人形成共同认知,才可能形成制度变迁,由此可知当前美国安全合作领域采用的单边政策难以生效的原因就在于缺乏国际社会的共同认知。如果缺乏共同认知,即使是通常得到积极评价的多边安全合作制度,也并不一定能真正向更完善的制度方向发展。     

论弗鲁塞尔的责任人道主义

弗鲁塞尔的责任人道主义体现为一种对主体的伦理关怀,它以技术手段和理论批判相结合的方式维护人的尊严和主体意识,捍卫人的自由权利,实现对最近者的爱,以此消除媒体和网络可能导致的话语霸权乃至于极权社会的暴政。展望21世纪的文化和技术发展,人类需要切近现实的新的人道主义文化,这是人道主义进步的必然要求。     

An assessment of the construct validity of Ryff’s Scales of Psychological Well-Being: Method, mode, and measurement effects

This study assesses the measurement properties of Ryff’s Scales of Psychological Well-Being (RPWB)—a widely used instrument designed to measure six dimensions of psychological well-being. Analyses of self-administered RPWB data from three major surveys—Midlife in the United States (MIDUS), National Survey of Families and Households II, and the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study (WLS)—yielded very high overlap among the dimensions. These large correlations persisted even after eliminating several methodological sources of confounding, including question wording, question order, and negative item-wording. However, in MIDUS pretest and WLS telephone administrations, correlations among the dimensions were much lower. Past research demonstrates that self-administered instruments provide more valid psychological measurements than telephone surveys, and we therefore place more weight on the consistent results from the self-administered items. In sum, there is strong evidence that RPWB does not have as many as six distinct dimensions, and researchers should be cautious in interpreting its subscales.     

适应与超越:迟发展国家教育价值观的冲突与选择

处于社会转型期的教育 ,在价值观方面面临着适应与超越的两难选择 :教育理念的超前性和教育改革的滞后性之间的冲突使得教育的发展呈现出多元而无序的态势。中国作为迟发展国家 ,教育必须以主动适应社会发展为基本追求 ,倘若实践中的超越偏离了社会发展的需要 ,所导致的只能是教育的僭妄