This study uses imagined-interaction theory as an interpretive lens for understanding three psychological resources that may be associated with teacher resilience and well-being: cultural identity affirmation, daily spiritual experience, and metacognitive cultural intelligence. We are explicit that imagined interactions themselves were not measured; the tradition instead supplies a vocabulary for interpreting why these culturally situated resources matter for occupational adaptation. A cross-sectional survey of 312 in-service Indian school teachers was analysed using structural equation modelling and conditional process analysis. Cultural identity and spirituality predicted resilience; metacognitive cultural intelligence predicted well-being; and a three-way interaction indicated that teachers high on all three resources reported the strongest resilience. Spirituality partially mediated the identity–resilience path, and cultural intelligence moderated the indirect effect of identity on well-being. We interpret these associations cautiously, as consistent with a view of resilient teaching as a narrative and imaginal accomplishment, not only a behavioural one.
The study aims to identify cognitive and behavioural factors influencing the transformation processes of educational institutions in the context of modern environmental and social responsibility requirements. A comprehensive analysis was conducted across fifteen universities in Kazakhstan using a mixed methodology, including semi-structured interviews with top-level executives and a large-scale survey of administrative staff. The findings reveal a dominance of cognitive resistance among 87% of executives, manifested in a lack of understanding regarding the practical application of new managerial approaches. Emotional resistance to change was identified in 73% of respondents, while behavioural constraints were characteristic of 68% of participants. Factor analysis of quantitative survey data (n = 320) confirmed a four-factor resistance structure, accounting for 72.4% of the total variance. Correlation analysis revealed significant negative relationships between cognitive barriers and material incentives (r = −0.71, p < 0.01). Regression analysis demonstrated that organisational incentives explain 47% of the variation in resistance levels (R 2 = 0.47, F = 28.4, p < 0.001).
Alexithymia is characterized by difficulties in identifying and describing feelings and a tendency toward externally oriented thinking. This study investigated the relationship between alexithymia and dream emotions among 282 Japanese adults using the 20-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20), the Japanese version of the Mannheim Dream Questionnaire (MADRE), and a Most Recent Dream report including subjective ratings of eight specific emotions. The analysis revealed that higher alexithymia scores were modestly but consistently associated with a more negative overall emotional tone of dreams, higher nightmare frequency, greater nightmare distress, and a higher frequency of dreams affecting daytime mood. Subjective ratings of the Most Recent Dream further indicated that individuals with higher alexithymia tendencies experienced more intense negative emotions, such as anger, sadness, and confusion/shock,whereas no significant association was found with positive dream emotions. These findings may be explained by the continuity hypothesis and the affect network dysfunction model, suggesting that waking emotional tendencies may be reflected in dream content and emotional processing during sleep.
Internal dialogue (ID) may play a key self-regulatory function in creative thinking. This study extends previous research by contrasting the contributions of trait-level ID—reflecting general tendencies—and state-level ID, reported retrospectively after completing divergent thinking (DT) tasks. Three hundred fifty adults completed two DT tasks, which were scored for fluency and originality. After accounting for individual differences in openness to experience (OE), trait-level ID was inconsistently related to originality. In contrast, state-level ID was consistently related to originality, even after controlling for trait-level ID and OE. Contrary to our hypothesis, however, this association was negative. Higher levels of ID during DT were related to lower originality. This unexpected pattern suggests that ID may not always support original ideation. Individual differences in ID were not associated with fluency, suggesting that its potential role applies more to idea quality than to quantity. Alternative explanations for these findings, limitations, along with discrepancies with prior research, are examined to guide future studies into the potential role of ID in creative thinking.
The neuroscientific study of creativity began in earnest half a century ago with the founding of the field of neuroscience and the development of the first tools to measure brain-related activity. Over the ensuing decades, tremendous advances have been made in our understanding of how various neural structures and circuits underpin different psychological functions. This opinion paper presents an overview of what we know about human creativity thus far from adopting a physiology-based approach, and, in doing so, describes three broad insights that can be inferred from the existing body of evidence. First, the dynamic and heterogenous engagement of multiple brain networks during creative thinking necessarily reflects both interindividual and intraindividual differences in the ideation process. Second, compared to other psychological functions, creativity is a relatively disorder-resistant capacity of the human brain. And third, creative arts-based practices have neuroprotective effects and serve as effective intervention tools for neurorehabilitation.
This study delves into the transferability of aesthetic judgment influences from analog art viewing to a Virtual Reality (VR) setting, recognizing that art expertise typically enhances aesthetic judgement through increased positive affect. Additionally, it was anticipated that the relationship between art expertise and positive affect would be moderated by the type of textual information provided, positing that different types of texts (affective vs. stylistic) would activate different processing routes in novices versus art experts. Our findings reveal that while expertise continues to play a crucial role in shaping aesthetic judgment through positive affect, the anticipated moderation by textual information type did not materialize. The VR context might amplify the impact of affective texts on positive affect, or likewise decrease the impact of stylistic information, irrespective of expertise levels. These results underline how virtual art could leverage human emotions to enhance the viewer's experience.
Grounded in Albert Camus's (1955) writings, the authors developed and evaluated the four-item Existential Absurdism Scale (EAS). Using two samples ( n 1 = 956 college students; n 2 = 346 patients with chronic illness; total N = 1,302), exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses supported a single-factor structure. The EAS demonstrated construct validity and acceptable reliability. As expected, it correlated positively with existential meaninglessness concern and negatively with meaning judgment. The EAS also positively correlated with suicide ideation and uniquely predicted suicide ideation after controlling for existential meaninglessness and meaning judgment. Supplemental model-based analyses further showed an indirect positive association with suicide ideation via meaninglessness concern. Together, these findings offer preliminary empirical support for Camus's (1955) theorizing on the absurd and identify future directions for research on existential absurdism.
Dissociation has been proposed to disrupt memory processing, including source monitoring. Conceptualized by some as a defense mechanism, dissociation may impair memory particularly for negative stimuli. The present study tested whether trait dissociation is associated with reduced source monitoring performance, and whether this association is stronger for negatively valenced stimuli. A self-other source monitoring paradigm was administered to 197 students. During encoding, participants read aloud positive, neutral, or negative sentences that were either experimenter-generated or self-completed. One week later, they classified previously presented and new sentences as self-generated, other-generated, or new. Trait dissociation was assessed using the Curious Experiences Survey. Dissociation was not associated with source monitoring performance for negative stimuli, nor for positive stimuli. These findings do not support a selective link between dissociation and impaired source monitoring for negative information. Dissociation-related deficits may emerge only under conditions involving greater emotional intensity, higher cognitive demands, or more ecologically valid stimuli, or they may not be a defining feature of high dissociators.
This study aimed to determine the association between social exclusion and need satisfaction by examining the interaction effects of cognitive flexibility and well-being. A total of 93 university students (Mage = 21.43, SD = 2.90) completed the Cognitive Flexibility Scale, Need Threat Scale, PERMA Profiler, and Brief Symptom Inventory. The findings indicated that cognitive flexibility moderated the linkage between social inclusion/exclusion and need satisfaction depending on the level of well-being (β = −.05, p < 0.05, 95% CI [−.09, −.01]). The need satisfaction increased as cognitive flexibility increased only in the inclusion group with low well-being. However, the moderator impact of cognitive flexibility was not significant in the exclusion group with low well-being. Consequently, given that cognitive flexibility is thought to increase need satisfaction even in states of low well-being, it is argued that intervention programs aimed at enhancing flexible thinking skills may be effective in increasing basic need satisfaction.
We investigated the biological and evolutionary significance of shape- and color-based traits—signals, elements, and markings—and asked what functions they serve across animals and plants. Within a framework grounded in perceptual organization, we combine experimental phenomenology with comparative analyses to examine how specific morphological and chromatic features (e.g., appendages, horns, elongated tails, spots, stripes, and other patterns) structure visual appearance and support recognition, communication, camouflage, and sexual signaling. The results support the principle of accentuation as a plausible perceptual mechanism that can be exploited by both natural and sexual selection, helping to explain why conspicuous traits cluster in particular body regions and why similar organizational solutions recur across species. Overall, the study clarifies the biological and psychological roles of shape and color in the evolution of visual appearance.
This study provides experimental evidence suggesting that hindsight bias functions as a reconstructive mechanism that increases the endorsement of schema-consistent lures. Integrating text-memory paradigms with Signal Detection Theory (SDT), the present research tests how an event's definitive outcome restructures the memory of antecedent details. One hundred eighty university students read an ambiguous narrative regarding a startup company. Using a hypothetical hindsight paradigm, participants were randomly assigned to a positive outcome (success), a negative outcome (bankruptcy), or a control group. Results demonstrated that participants exposed to outcome information endorsed significantly more valance-consistent “decoy” items than control participants. Corrected SDT analyses revealed that this effect was driven by both a substantial decrease in memory discriminability (d’) and a highly liberal, valence-specific shift in response criterion (c), while neutral false-alarm rates remained stable. These findings bridge the hindsight bias and misinformation paradigms, demonstrating that outcome knowledge induces a schema-congruent response bias consistent with reconstructive accounts of memory. Implications for forensic testimony and medical diagnostics are discussed alongside recommendations for future hierarchical modeling.
Background Thought control ability refers to the ability to effectively remove unwanted thoughts from one's consciousness. This study aimed to translate and validate the 7-item Thought Control Ability Questionnaire-Short Version (TCAQ-SV-7) into Arabic in several Arabic-speaking countries. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted during November-December 2023 among 2131 participants. Results Confirmatory Factor Analysis using WLSMV estimation supported the one-factor structure of the Arabic TCAQ-SV-7, with acceptable model fit indices. Internal reliability was very good (ω = .88; α = .87). Configural, metric, and scalar invariance across genders and nations were supported, with partial support for scalar invariance. There was no significant difference between male and female TCAQ-SV-7 results. Higher psychological distress (r = −.20; p < .001) and difficulties in emotion regulation scores (r = −.16; p < .001) were significantly linked with lower TCAQ-SV-7 scores. Conclusion The validation of the Arabic version of the TCAQ-SV-7 enriches the toolkit available for practitioners in Arabic speaking regions and lays the groundwork for studies of thought control abilities within this cultural context.
Imagery is used in intellectual disability education; however, previous findings on imagery abilities in intellectual disabilities are inconsistent. This study examined the visual and multisensory imagery abilities of individuals with intellectual disabilities and assessed their response reliability. Twenty-six individuals with mild intellectual disabilities (ID) and 34 with typical development (TD) completed the questionnaire on vividness of visual imagery (VVIQ) and multisensory imagery (QMI) twice (first and second sessions). The results showed significant group differences in the VVIQ total score and some VVIQ subfactors only in the first session, but not in the QMI. These VVIQ subfactors showed poor or borderline moderate reliability in ID; however, other VVIQ subfactors and the QMI showed moderate or good reliability. The poor or borderline moderate reliability of the VVIQ may result from language expression/comprehension issues. This study suggests that caution is needed when interpreting the response reliability of some VVIQ subfactors in ID.
Shyness, as a personality trait, needs further investigation, especially as it relates to maladaptive daydreaming. This cross-sectional Institutional Review Board (IRB) approved study investigated a sample of college students ( N = 423). The Multivariate Analysis of Covariance (age, sex, ethnicity covariates) findings indicated that, compared to moderate (67%) and low (16%) shy groups, the high shy (17%) group had significantly greater maladaptive daydreaming (kinesthesia, yearning, impairment), imaginational overexcitability, and poorer emotional expressivity. Maladaptive daydreaming and emotional overexcitability were positive predictors of shyness, whereas psychomotor overexcitability and emotional expressivity were negative predictors of shyness ( R 2 = .17). Imaginational overexcitability, shyness, and sensual overexcitability (negative) were predictors for maladaptive daydreaming ( R 2 = .40). It is recommended that maladaptive daydreaming, overexcitability, and emotional expressivity be addressed when educating or treating shy individuals. Gaining socio-emotional competence may enhance self-esteem in shy individuals, especially if they also engage in more maladaptive daydreaming.
Reality Shifting (RS) is a practice that gained traction recently, particularly after the COVID-19 Pandemic. Reality Shifters believe in the existence of multiple realities. Considering that no empirical research has studied this topic, this study emphasizes the exploration of the phenomenology of RS among social media users. Focus Group Discussions were conducted with two groups: a RS Group (6 individuals) and a Non-RS Group (10 individuals). Thematic Analysis was conducted, and a Data Sheet was developed and administered online with other standardised tools to 19 Reality Shifters and 40 Non-Reality Shifters (aged 17 to 30). It indicates that RS may help serve novelty seeking needs through fantasy proneness and parasocial relationships. Social media helps understand and seek resources (like subliminals) for the practice, but seems to have negative consequences (excessive use and adverse online experiences). It has implications to see the role of social media in accessing alternate experiences which could also have an impact on pattern and frequency of social media use.
Visual stimuli have a profound impact on the inhabitants of architectural spaces, although individuals’ susceptibility to these stimuli varies. Thought patterns in receiving and interpreting information manifest as aspects of personality. This study evaluates the relationship between personality types and the perception of visual architectural stimuli. The aim of this research is to investigate the relationship between thought patterns and architectural preferences. In the initial phase, eleven environmental factors were selected. Participants (N = 58) completed the MBTI personality type index test. Subsequently, images of architectural spaces were presented to them, and eye-tracking (ET) indicators were recorded while they viewed the images. Raw data were collected using MATLAB software. Both ANOVA and correlation analyses were conducted in SPSS 27.0. Significant correlations and effect sizes were found between ET indicators and personality types (r = 0.64–0.91; η² = 0.45–0.68), revealing distinct perceptual patterns among the bipolar personality types. The findings highlight how personality-based information-processing tendencies shape architectural preferences and provide useful guidance for designing psychologically responsive spaces.
ADHD has a high comorbidity with affective and anxiety disorders. While core ADHD symptoms may contribute to negative psychological outcomes, characteristic experiences of individuals with ADHD should also be considered. This study investigated the relationships between ADHD symptoms, hyperfocus, procrastination, and adverse psychological outcomes, with maladaptive daydreaming (MD) examined as a potential mediating factor. A sample of 512 adults with formal or self-reported ADHD diagnoses completed online questionnaires assessing ADHD symptoms, hyperfocus, procrastination, MD, depression, anxiety, and stress. Results indicated that MD significantly mediated the associations between ADHD symptoms and negative outcomes. When ADHD symptoms and hyperfocus were included in the model, procrastination no longer showed a direct association with anxiety and stress, whereas hyperfocus demonstrated no direct link with depression. The proposed model explained 15% of MD variance, 22% of depression variance, and 18% of the variance in both anxiety and stress. These findings highlight the pivotal role of MD in shaping the connections between ADHD-related behaviors and adverse psychological outcomes.
The present study investigated individual differences in relation to two neurobiological systems in people who engage in maladaptive daydreaming (MD). Data was collected from 242 self-identifying probable Maladaptive Daydreamers, who satisfied the cut off score of 40 or above on the Maladaptive Daydreaming Scale (MDS-16). They were asked to complete the Behavioural Activation and Behavourial Inhibition Scales (BAS/BIS) (BAI-20) and the Short International Personality Item Pool (IPIP – BFM-20). Participants were also asked to disclose any pre-existing mental health conditions. A significant positive relationship was found between MD and the trait of Neuroticism and negative relationships were found between the traits of Conscientiousness, Openness and MD. The BAS Reward Responsiveness subscale appeared to be most prevalent in those who engaged in MD. High levels of BIS also emerged as a significant predictor of MD. No association between MD and existing pre-diagnosed mental health conditions were found. Findings suggest that MD is associated with traits linked to avoidance, emotion regulation and motivational tendencies towards reward seeking. It is important for future studies to continue to explore aetiology from a psychophysiological basis to inform therapeutic interventions.
