Wisdom can be understood as a resource for adaptation and adjustment that contributes to well-being in various demanding life circumstances, including aging as both a biological process and a sociohistorical phenomenon. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between wisdom and subjective well-being and ill-being in individuals over 60 years of age, using two independent groups assessed a decade apart. Well-being included self-esteem, self-rated health, and life satisfaction, while ill-being encompassed anxiety and depression symptoms. One group consisted of 113 participants aged 60–89 in 2012 and the other included 118 participants in 2022. Wisdom was assessed using the Self-Assessed Wisdom Scale (SAWS), which provided a total score and scores on five subscales: experience, emotional regulation, reminiscence/reflectiveness, humour, and openness. No significant differences were found between the two groups regarding life satisfaction, health, and overall wisdom, except that openness was slightly higher in 2022. Self-esteem, anxiety, and depression symptoms were higher in the 2022 group. When the groups were combined, age was weakly negatively associated with health and positively associated with anxiety symptoms, and women reported marginally higher anxiety levels. Controlling for age, gender, and group, wisdom dimensions modestly contributed to higher life satisfaction and self-esteem, to better health, and fewer anxiety and depression symptoms. Except for reminiscence/reflectiveness, the other four wisdom dimensions individually predicted at least one well-being variable, with emotional regulation and humour showing the strongest effects. These findings suggest that fostering wisdom throughout life may enhance well-being in old age.
The construct of mindfulness has gained significant prominence in psychological and neuroscientific research; however, its definition remains inconsistent across academic literature. This systematic review, guided by the PRISMA methodology, aimed to examine how mindfulness is currently conceptualized in relation to executive functions (EFs). A purposive search of Google Scholar identified 36 eligible studies published between 2019 and 2024 that provided explicit definitions or conceptual frameworks for mindfulness. Through qualitative content analysis, nine distinct EF categories were used to code 102 extracted definitions. The most frequently represented functions were attention regulation, self-monitoring, and emotional and behavioral self-regulation, suggesting that mindfulness is primarily defined as a metacognitive capacity for present-moment awareness and adaptive control. Less commonly referenced functions included planning, organization, and working memory. A co-occurrence analysis revealed dominant EF clusters, while a temporal analysis showed increasing complexity in definitions over time. Notably, the study identifies a conceptual gap between the definitional emphasis on attentional and affective regulation and empirical findings that highlight higher-order cognitive mechanisms such as psychological flexibility and inhibitory control. These findings underscore the need to integrate executive and neurocognitive processes into future theoretical models of mindfulness to enhance conceptual clarity, improve measurement, and inform intervention design.
A person can be engaged not only at work but also in other areas of life. Studies have shown that people can be engaged in sports, academia, or daily family activities. In fact, family engagement appears to be an important construct that lacks attention and a valid measurement tool. This paper aims to present the modification of the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale, the most widely used scale developed for measuring work engagement, to measure family engagement. Two quantitative, cross-sectional studies were conducted in Lithuania. Study 1, a pilot study, confirmed good internal reliability of the newly modified 9- and 17-item versions of the scale and found a positive relationship with positive affect, providing preliminary evidence for construct validity. Study 2 confirmed the discriminant, convergent, and structural validity of the Family Engagement Scale. Based on the findings from exploratory graph analysis and confirmatory factor analysis, a one-factor solution for the scale was chosen as the best fit for the data. Strengths, limitations, directions for future research, and implications for practice are discussed.
Pristranost u citiranju literature ponajprije se odnosi na tendenciju citiranja pozitivnih i jasnih empirijskih rezultata i tvrdnji naspram onih negativnih i nejasnih. Iako je taj tip pristranosti opisan za različite literature, postoje pokazatelji koji ukazuju i na razlike u stupnju pristranosti među raznim disciplinama. Stoga je važno analizirati pristranosti u citiranju u specifičnim istraživačkim područjima. Cilj je ovoga rada bio istražiti pristranost u citiranju u komparativnoj psihologiji u području koje se bavi ispitivanjem fizičke kognicije životinja. Testirana je pristranost u citiranju radova objavljenih između 1994. i 2019. godine (ukupno 57 radova), uzimajući u obzir kategoriju kojoj je glavna tvrdnja iz izvornoga članka bila dodijeljena („pozitivna”, „negativna”, „nejasna”) i čimbenik odjeka časopisa u kojemu je članak objavljen. Ukupno je pronađen 2991 citirajući rad. Rezultati ukazuju na to da ne postoji jasan učinak kategorizacije glavne tvrdnje na stopu citiranosti, kao ni jasna uloga čimbenika odjeka časopisa kao medijatora. Ti rezultati upućuju na to da za to područje istraživanja u komparativnoj psihologiji ne postoji jasna pristranost u citiranosti radova koja se temelji na prirodi rezultata i tvrdnji.
Organisms, including humans, would have disproportionately descended from ancestors who, over generations, captured fitness benefits and are therefore expected to be well-designed to procure those benefits. When individuals cannot directly obtain benefits, they may still secure them by seeking assistance from others. Emotional tears may serve as signals through which people influence others to act on their behalf in ways that benefit them, in situations in which their bargaining power is relatively low. Here, we test the hypothesis that, in a conflict between two individuals, people expect the individual with lower bargaining power to be more likely to tear up. We conducted an online experiment with participants from the United States (N = 410) and India (N = 276). Participants read vignettes depicting conflicts between an individual with relatively low fighting ability (a wife, a daughter, or a physically weak man) and another individual with higher fighting ability (a husband, a mother, or a physically strong man), accompanied by images of their faces. Consistent with the hypothesis, participants expected target individuals to tear up more when they perceived them as less physically formidable. However, participants did not consistently expect tears from the weaker individual in a dyad. Overall, the findings suggest that perceived fighting ability may represent an important cue in judgments about the likelihood of tearing up in others. Tears may serve as a bargaining tactic when one’s bargaining potential is low.
The experience, expression, and exploration of emotions are central to the psychotherapeutic process, and crying is a frequent part of it. Yet, its role remains surprisingly under-researched. In the absence of established theories or guidelines on adult crying in psychotherapy, therapists rely on their own working models - likely shaped by factors such as clinical experience, specific training, and personal beliefs. This study explores therapists’ assumptions about crying in therapy, its perceived roles and functions within the therapeutic process, and the interventions used in response. We conducted a total of N = 33 interviews with therapists from psychodynamic, cognitive-behavioral, and systemic orientations. Data were analyzed using an iterative qualitative approach based on the principles of Grounded Theory. From this, we developed a consensual, integrative category system that synthesizes therapists’ diverse working models and highlights their shared foundation across orientations. This cross-orientation framework captures common assumptions and strategies while also accommodating orientation-specific nuances. Findings indicate that therapists commonly view crying as a marker of pivotal therapeutic moments, often emphasizing its role in relationship building. At the same time, they distinguish between different forms of crying, with varying assessments of whether it supports the process or signals resistance and avoidance. The resulting integrative category system provides a conceptual basis for future research and theory development on crying in psychotherapy.
This study analyzed the lyrics of songs that respondents (N = 2060) reportedly cried over. We first characterized these lyrics by comparing them to those of popular chart music. We then examined relationships between linguistic markers and themes for the most frequently reported emotions when crying over music: being moved, sadness, and their combination. We expected crying-song lyrics to be sadder than those of chart music. For specific song emotions, we anticipated the most negative language in sad songs, and the most positive in being-moved songs, with songs evoking both falling somewhere in between. Compared to chart music, crying songs are sadder and more sincere. Regarding the three emotion subcategories, minimal but significant differences in the use of first-person pronouns, words expressing sadness, and time focus indicate that the lyrics of songs evoking sadness are more self-focused and sadder than those associated with being moved. Lyrics of songs that evoked both sadness and being moved were also sadder than those that evoked only being moved. The thematic analysis revealed that the high levels of second-person pronouns across all crying songs reflect an emphasis on social bonds. In addition to social bonds, themes include major life events and the emotions associated with these people and events. There is considerable overlap among the three investigated song emotions in these themes. Listeners are likely to cry when their pains and most cherished experiences are put into words and combined with music. The minimal differences between the emotional subcategories for themes and linguistic markers suggest that personal associations and contexts may matter more for the emotional outcomes investigated when crying over music.
Following the COVID-19 pandemic, new norms known as the “new normal” were developed and moralized worldwide. Adherence to these moralized norms has been studied as a function of individual differences, such as moral values. Moral Foundations Theory identifies five domains of moral judgment. The Care and Fairness foundations are collectively referred to as the individualizing foundation, while the Ingroup, Authority, and Purity foundations are classified as the binding foundation. However, even when the content of the norms is identical, their effectiveness may depend on how they are presented. Message senders should tailor the communication of norms to align with the values of potential receivers, thereby increasing the likelihood that more individuals will adhere to these norms. This study tested the effects of moral values on the acceptance of moralized norms presented in different frames during the COVID-19 pandemic in Japan. Grounded in the theoretical framework of the Model of Moral Motives, Studies 1a and 1b each investigated a single type of framing—prescriptive in 1a and proscriptive in 1b. In Study 2, we employed the same set of norms as in Study 1 but tested both framing types and incorporated additional control variables. The findings examined whether individuals’ focus on individualizing or binding moral foundations selectively predicted norm acceptance as a function of message framing. The findings suggest that individual moral values moderate acceptance of norms in different frames. This has implications for how message senders reach appropriate targets.
The construct of mindfulness has gained significant prominence in psychological and neuroscientific research; however, its definition remains inconsistent across academic literature. This systematic review, guided by the PRISMA methodology, aimed to examine how mindfulness is currently conceptualized in relation to executive functions (EFs). A purposive search of Google Scholar identified 36 eligible studies published between 2019 and 2024 that provided explicit definitions or conceptual frameworks for mindfulness. Through qualitative content analysis, nine distinct EF categories were used to code 102 extracted definitions. The most frequently represented functions were attention regulation, self-monitoring, and emotional and behavioral self-regulation, suggesting that mindfulness is primarily defined as a metacognitive capacity for present-moment awareness and adaptive control. Less commonly referenced functions included planning, organization, and working memory. A co-occurrence analysis revealed dominant EF clusters, while a temporal analysis showed increasing complexity in definitions over time. Notably, the study identifies a conceptual gap between the definitional emphasis on attentional and affective regulation and empirical findings that highlight higher-order cognitive mechanisms such as psychological flexibility and inhibitory control. These findings underscore the need to integrate executive and neurocognitive processes into future theoretical models of mindfulness to enhance conceptual clarity, improve measurement, and inform intervention design.
Cilj je ovoga istraživanja bio ispitati odnos između crta Mračne tetrade i strategije online samoprezentiranja povezane s perfekcionističkim selfom, uz ispitivanje medijacijskoga učinka straha od negativne evaluacije na taj odnos. Na uzorku od 320 sudionika iz Srbije (63.4 % ženskoga spola) u ranoj odrasloj dobi (18 – 25 godina) primijenjene su srpske adaptacije Kratke Mračne tetrade, Kratke skale straha od negativne evaluacije i Skale perfekcionističkoga online samopredstavljanja. Rezultati medijacijske analize pokazuju da makijavelizam i (grandiozni) narcizam imaju izravne pozitivne učinke na sklonost perfekcionističkomu online selfu i pokazuju neizravne učinke preko straha od negativne evaluacije. Narcizam je pozitivno povezan s perfekcionističkim online selfom preko nižega straha od negativne evaluacije. Drugim riječima, što je narcizam viši, to je strah od negativne evaluacije niži, ali istodobno je izraženija i sklonost perfekcionističkomu online samopredstavljanju. S druge strane, makijavelizam je pozitivno povezan s perfekcionističkim online selfom preko izraženijega straha od negativne evaluacije. Usto, psihopatija je negativno povezana s perfekcionističkim online selfom preko nižega straha od negativne evaluacije, dok sadizam nije ostvario značajan ni izravni ni neizravni učinak. Rezultati pokazuju diferencirane obrasce povezanosti crta Mračne tetrade sa strategijama perfekcionističkoga online samopredstavljanja te ističu diferenciranu regulatornu ulogu straha od negativne evaluacije u kreiranju digitalnoga identiteta.
Wisdom can be understood as a resource for adaptation and adjustment that contributes to well-being in various demanding life circumstances, including aging as both a biological process and a sociohistorical phenomenon. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between wisdom and subjective well-being and ill-being in individuals over 60 years of age, using two independent groups assessed a decade apart. Well-being included self-esteem, self-rated health, and life satisfaction, while ill-being encompassed anxiety and depression symptoms. One group consisted of 113 participants aged 60–89 in 2012 and the other included 118 participants in 2022. Wisdom was assessed using the Self-Assessed Wisdom Scale (SAWS), which provided a total score and scores on five subscales: experience, emotional regulation, reminiscence/reflectiveness, humour, and openness. No significant differences were found between the two groups regarding life satisfaction, health, and overall wisdom, except that openness was slightly higher in 2022. Self-esteem, anxiety, and depression symptoms were higher in the 2022 group. When the groups were combined, age was weakly negatively associated with health and positively associated with anxiety symptoms, and women reported marginally higher anxiety levels. Controlling for age, gender, and group, wisdom dimensions modestly contributed to higher life satisfaction and self-esteem, to better health, and fewer anxiety and depression symptoms. Except for reminiscence/reflectiveness, the other four wisdom dimensions individually predicted at least one well-being variable, with emotional regulation and humour showing the strongest effects. These findings suggest that fostering wisdom throughout life may enhance well-being in old age.
Prvi razred strukovnih škola razdoblje je u kojemu su učenici i dalje u sustavu obrazovanja, a istovremeno se od njih očekuje da oblikuju svoj profesionalni identitet. To zahtijeva visoku razinu angažiranosti i prilagodbe te što bolje uvjete za ispunjavanje razvojnih zadataka. Cilj je ovoga istraživanja bio provjeriti kakva je uloga socioekonomskoga statusa obitelji, objektivnoga i subjektivnoga osnovnoškolskog uspjeha te roditeljske podrške u objašnjenju karijerne adaptabilnosti i školske angažiranosti učenika strukovnih škola. Istraživanje je provedeno na 1126 učenika i učenica prvoga razreda strukovnih srednjih škola u Hrvatskoj. Uz mjere karijerne adaptabilnosti i školske angažiranosti, učenici su ispunjavali pitanja o socioekonomskom statusu, objektivnome i subjektivnome osnovnoškolskom uspjehu te percipiranim roditeljskim ponašanjima povezanima s karijerom učenika. Socioekonomski status imao je značajnu, ali minimalnu ulogu u objašnjenju varijance karijerne adaptabilnosti, a neznačajnu u slučaju školske angažiranosti. Iako je uvođenje objektivnoga i subjektivnoga osnovnoškolskog uspjeha rezultiralo povećanjem objašnjenja varijance obaju kriterija, najznačajniji doprinos objašnjenju angažiranosti i adaptabilnosti daje percipirana roditeljska podrška. Roditeljska podrška, zajedno sa subjektivnim školskim uspjehom, objasnila je 25.1 % varijance karijerne adaptabilnosti te 14.5 % varijance školske angažiranosti. Na temelju dobivenih rezultata može se zaključiti da bi roditelji, kao važne figure u životu učenika, trebali stvoriti podržavajuću okolinu u kojoj učenici mogu ispuniti svoje obrazovne zadatke i razviti buduće karijere.
A person can be engaged not only at work but also in other areas of life. Studies have shown that people can be engaged in sports, academia, or daily family activities. In fact, family engagement appears to be an important construct that lacks attention and a valid measurement tool. This paper aims to present the modification of the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale, the most widely used scale developed for measuring work engagement, to measure family engagement. Two quantitative, cross-sectional studies were conducted in Lithuania. Study 1, a pilot study, confirmed good internal reliability of the newly modified 9- and 17-item versions of the scale and found a positive relationship with positive affect, providing preliminary evidence for construct validity. Study 2 confirmed the discriminant, convergent, and structural validity of the Family Engagement Scale. Based on the findings from exploratory graph analysis and confirmatory factor analysis, a one-factor solution for the scale was chosen as the best fit for the data. Strengths, limitations, directions for future research, and implications for practice are discussed.
Subjektivna dobrobit definira se kao kognitivna evaluacija života ispunjenoga pozitivnim emocijama te sa što manje negativnih emocija. Uloga životnih ciljeva i osnovnih psiholoških potreba u subjektivnoj dobrobiti ispituje se u okviru teorije samoodređenja, a rezultati ukazuju na važnost intrinzičnih ciljeva koji su kongruentni sa psihološkim potrebama, dok se za ekstrinzične ciljeve uglavnom navodi da nisu važni, no tu rezultati nisu u potpunosti konzistentni. Za razliku od većine prethodnih istraživanja koja su provedena s odraslim sudionicima, u ovome su istraživanju ispitani odnosi ciljeva, potreba i dobrobiti kod adolescenata i mladih odraslih. U istraživanju je sudjelovalo 1318 ispitanika, od čega 61 % djevojaka, u dobi od 15 do 25 godina. Sudionici su ispunili Skalu zadovoljstva životom, Skalu pozitivnoga i negativnog afekta, Skalu osnovnih psiholoških potreba i Upitnik životnih ciljeva. Dobiveni rezultati u skladu su s postavkama teorije samoodređenja: za dobrobit su važni intrinzični ciljevi, dok je uloga ekstrinzičnih zanemariva. Konkretnije, intrinzični ciljevi izravno doprinose zadovoljstvu životom i pozitivnomu afektu, a njihov posredan doprinos putem zadovoljenja psiholoških potreba značajan je i za negativan afekt. U radu se raspravlja o dobivenim rezultatima i njihovim implikacijama za buduća istraživanja i praksu.
Early exposure to maltreatment and traumatic experiences may contribute to the development of negative interpersonal relationships and aggressive behaviors in adulthood. Childhood trauma is considered one of the fundamental psychosocial variables that predict relational aggression. Attachment theory and schema therapy perspectives suggest that these early experiences may lead individuals to form dependent relationships with others, resulting in the emergence of relational aggression behaviors. This study aimed to test the hypothesized relationships between childhood trauma, relational aggression, and interpersonal dependency. Mediation analyses were conducted using PROCESS Macro (Model 4) with 5,000 bootstrap resamples. The study included 696 students (505 women and 191 men) aged 18 to 49 years (M = 21.86) enrolled at a university. The analyses revealed significant positive relationships between childhood trauma, interpersonal dependency, and relational aggression. Additionally, interpersonal dependency was found to play a significant mediating role in the relationship between childhood trauma and relational aggression. Childhood trauma accounted for approximately 2% of the variance in relational aggression, and the full mediation model explained 3% of the variance, indicating small effect sizes. Findings from the current study indicate that childhood trauma is statistically associated with relational aggression and that this association may be partially mediated by interpersonal dependency. Interpersonal dependency may therefore represent a relevant relational factor to consider when understanding relational aggression among individuals with experiences of childhood trauma.
Suvremena su društva sve složenija, a zadaća učitelja/nastavnika prilagodba takvomu kontekstu te priprema učenika/studenata na život s mnogobrojnim kulturnim različitostima i izazovima koji iz njih proizlaze. Za razvoj interkulturnih kompetencija (IK) veoma je važno stjecanje višekulturnih iskustava, ali i neke psihološke odrednice koje utječu na razvoj njihova afektivnog dijela, tzv. interkulturne osjetljivosti (IO). Cilj je ovoga istraživanja bio ispitati odnos i doprinos psiholoških odrednica (osobina ličnosti i emocionalne kompetentnosti) te višekulturnih iskustava kao prediktora samoprocijenjene razine IO-a kao kriterija. U istraživanje je bilo uključeno 235 sudionika, uglavnom ženskoga spola, studenata učiteljskih studija sa šest sveučilišta u Republici Hrvatskoj. Sudionici su ispunili niz upitnika kojima su ispitani stavovi o pripadnicima drugih kultura, osobine ličnosti, sposobnosti emocionalne kompetentnosti, višekulturna iskustva i sociodemografska obilježja. Dobiveni rezultati pokazuju da sudionici istraživanja visoko procjenjuju vlastitu razinu IO-a te je ona veća kod onih sudionika koji su trenutno u kontaktu s pripadnicima drugih kultura, koji su više puta putovali izvan zemlje, koji poznaju više stranih jezika i onih sa završenom gimnazijom. Bivarijatne analize pokazale su značajne povezanosti među svim ispitanim varijablama, a multivarijatnom hijerarhijskom regresijskom analizom utvrđeno je da osobine ugodnosti i ekstraverzije, sposobnost uočavanja i razumijevanja emocija, poznavanje više stranih jezika (kao najjači prediktor), veći broj prijatelja i školovanje s pripadnicima drugih kultura značajno doprinose samoprocijenjenoj razini IO-a kao kriterija (objašnjeno je 32 % varijance). Poticanjem i poučavanjem u smjeru dobivenih rezultata moglo bi se utjecati na povećanje razine IO-a, a time šire i IK-a, kako kod učitelja/nastavnika, tako i kod učenika/studenata.
Maternal-foetal bonding represents a bond that a mother has with her foetus. This study aimed to examine the psychometric properties of the Prenatal Attachment Inventory (PAI) in Croatian pregnant women. Adult pregnant women (N = 850) between 13 and 28 weeks of pregnancy filled out the PAI, Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS), anxiety subscale of the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS-21), and Pregnancy Concerns Scale (PCS). Confirmatory factor analyses (CFA) have shown that the hypothesised factor structures from previous studies demonstrated poor model fit. Subsequently, exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was conducted on half of the sample (n = 425) and revealed a two-factor structure. However, this was not confirmed by the CFA on the other half of the sample. Because the items mainly referred to baby movement, the process was repeated in a sub-sample of women pregnant 20 weeks or more (n = 502), with EFA and CFA conducted on half of the sub-sample. In the EFA, 21 items were reduced to 13, with three factors identified. In the CFA, we accepted the higher-order factor model with three first-order factors: Affection towards the foetus, Familiarity with foetal movement and behaviour, and Fantasising about the foetus. The total scale and three subscales demonstrated high reliability, good divergent validity, and adequate discriminant validity. Prenatal Attachment Inventory with 13 items has good psychometric properties when applied after 20 weeks of pregnancy. Further research is needed to establish valid measures for early maternal-foetal bonding
This paper validates the Croatian version of a new instrument for assessing burnout syndrome at both the individual and group level – the Burnout Assessment Tool (BAT-23). The Croatian version of the BAT-23 was applied to a representative sample of the Croatian working population (n = 768) with the aim of testing its construct validity and obtaining national statistical norms. The results indicated high internal consistency for the BAT-23 total score as well as its subscales: Exhaustion, Emotional Impairment, Cognitive Impairment, and Mental Distance (coefficients ranged from .81 to .90). Additionally, the subscales demonstrated the expected positive intercorrelations, ranging from .49 to .66. The best-fitting model was a bifactor latent model containing the four factors describing core symptoms, along with a general factor of burnout encompassing all items. Furthermore, the theoretical validity of the model was tested by applying the basic tenets of the Job Demands-Resources Model. The results demonstrated a positive association between an individual’s level of burnout (total score and four specific dimensions) and perceived job demands, reported secondary symptoms of impaired mental health, and turnover intention, as well as a negative association with self-rated job resources and in-role performance. Statistical norms are provided for the working population of Croatia.
Parentification can be defined as the collapse of boundaries within the family system where the child assumes the parental role and begins to perform parental tasks. There are several definitions and dimensions of parentification, its operationalisations, and the measurement instruments used. The primary objective of this scoping review is to explore and clarify the multifaceted concept of parentification, encompassing its various definitions, types, dimensions, and implications within family dynamics, as well as its association with related concepts. The second objective is to critically evaluate the existing tools and methods used to measure parentification, focusing on their effectiveness in capturing the diverse aspects of parentification, including the differentiation between its types and dimensions. The Scopus and Web of Science databases were searched, and a total of 112 articles were analysed following PRISMA guidelines. The research analysed in this review conceptualises parentification through different dimensions: relationships and roles, forms of parentification, and predominantly negative consequences that affect a child’s mental health. Regarding measurement instruments, we can divide them into two groups. The first group consists of instruments that measure parentification as a separate construct with various aspects. The second group includes instruments that measure parentification as one dimension of the parent-child relationship, measured through the reversal of roles and the emotions connected with it. This review enhances understanding of parentification by offering a comprehensive synthesis of its definitions and dimensions. In addition, this review provides recommendations on which measurement instruments would be beneficial to use in research on parentification.
Bogat istraživački korpus percepcije međugrupne prijetnje pokazatelj je njezine bitne uloge u dinamici međugrupnih odnosa. Međutim, percepcija prijetnje kao glavni uzrok predrasuda i nepoželjnih međugrupnih ishoda sistematično se počela istraživati tek pojavom teorije međugrupne prijetnje u okviru koje su integrirane postavke ranijih relevantnih teorija. Ovaj rad ima nekoliko ciljeva od kojih je prvi pružiti kritički osvrt na konceptualizaciju konstrukta međugrupne prijetnje kako ga određuje teorija međugrupne prijetnje. U okviru toga bavimo se pitanjem definiranja različitih tipova prijetnje i potrebom za revizijom prvotnoga modela, a potom i složenošću koju u istraživanja unose recipročnost i dinamičnost konstrukata u modelu. Drugi je cilj ukazati na poteškoće povezane s mjerenjem međugrupne prijetnje kojima se bavimo kroz prikaz eksperimentalnih i korelacijskih istraživanja međugrupne prijetnje. U okviru toga te da bismo upoznali druge istraživače s mogućnostima različitih metodoloških pristupa, ukazujemo na njihove prednosti i ograničenja, donosimo pregled dosad provedenih istraživanja te povezujemo njihove znanstvene i praktične doprinose. Teorija naglašava važnu ulogu kontekstualnih specifičnosti pri procjeni važnosti različitih tipova prijetnje, što ponekad dovodi do neujednačenosti u njihovim nazivljima te u radu ističemo i kako to može biti metodološki izazov. Konačno, baveći se metodološkim izazovima i neriješenim pitanjima u istraživanjima međugrupne prijetnje, treći nam je cilj bio ponuditi i potencijalna rješenja postojećih problema te dati smjernice za buduća istraživanja.
