The present study set out to examine the relationships between ‘bright’ and ‘dark’ personality traits and three different types of jealousy: reactive jealousy (negative emotions in reaction to a partner’s infidelity), anxious jealousy (worrying about a partner’s infidelity), and preventive jealousy (the need to prevent a partner from having contact with others). In so doing, we used both a general broad personality questionnaire and a Dark Triad questionnaire for the assessment of personality. In a heterogeneous sample of 680 participants, it was found that neuroticism was positively related to anxious and preventive jealousy, and introversion and hostility to all three types of jealousy. Structure was related positively to reactive jealousy, and Machiavellianism and narcissism to preventive jealousy. These results are largely in line with our hypotheses. The Dark Triad traits were found to have incremental validity in the prediction of preventive jealousy, with Machiavellianism being the best predictor of preventive jealousy. This suggests that preventive jealousy might be a bit ‘darker’ than previously thought. Practical implications for dealing with jealousy in relationships are discussed.

The present study investigated the structure of the Spanish version of the Iowa-Netherlands Comparison Orientation Measure (INCOM-E), an 11-item measure that assesses individual differences in social comparison orientation (SCO), i.e., the extent to which people compare themselves with others. Data came from samples from Spain (n = 1,133) and Chile (n = 2,757). Confirmatory Factor Analyses and Mokken Scale Analyses supported in both samples not the assumed two-factor structure, but a single factor structure, consisting of eight items. The resulting eight-item version of the INCOM-E was reliable in both samples, according the Gutmann's lambda-2 (.82 in Spain and .83 in Chile), and correlated very strongly with the full-length INCOM-E (.93 in Spain and .97 in Chile). In both samples, there were significant sex differences, ps < .001 with small effect sizes, n(2) in both samples = .01,but in the Spanish sample women scored higher, and in the Chilean sample men scored higher in SCO. The relationship with age was negative and significant (ps < .001) in both samples, albeit small (r = .22 in Spain and .13 in Chile) Based on the present research, it is advised to use the shortened eight-item version of the INCOM-E in Spanish speaking countries.

The present study examined differences in three types of jealousy (reactive, anxious, and preventive jealousy) between the major ethnic groups in Surinam (Maroons, Creoles, Hindustani, Javanese, and Mixed). About 100 participants from each ethnic group (total n = 500) were interviewed. Results showed differences between the groups in anxious and preventive jealousy, but not in reactive jealousy. More specifically, Maroons reported most anxious and preventive jealousy, followed by Creoles, and Javanese. The Hindustani and Mixed groups reported the lowest levels of anxious and preventive jealousy. These results did not alter after controlling for demographic variables. In addition, differences in jealousy could not be explained by differences between the groups in intrasexual competitiveness and attitudes toward multiple sexual relationships. Findings suggest that whereas preventive jealousy and anxious jealousy are sensitive to cultural influences, reactive jealousy is not. Future studies may further explore the variables that may explain differences in jealousy between ethnic groups in Surinam.

The importance of assessing affect to facilitate a better understanding of the relationship between feelings and sexual behaviors, attitudes, and norms has been highlighted by the findings of several researchers. As such, the First Coital Affective Reaction Scale (FCARS) was developed to assess subjects’ reported affective reactions to their first coital experience. Scales used by Byrne et al. and Weis, in their assessment of affect, stimulated the development of the FCARS. The FCARS was developed as part of a cross-cultural research project comparing first coital experiences of American and Swedish women from an affective, behavioral, and attitudinal perspective. The Society for the Advancement of Sexual Health has offered a list of outcomes that may occur if a person or behaviors are sexually compulsive. This outcomes-based understanding of sexual compulsivity would suggest that individuals and their behaviors could lead to negative consequences in various domains, including social, emotional, physical, legal, financial/occupational, and spiritual areas of life.

Background: Social comparison is a basic human process, which may change dependent of one’s age. The purpose of this study was to examine how Social Comparison Orientation (SCO), i.e., the tendency to engage in social comparisons, varied across the lifespan. Method: A representative sample of 1613 adults from the Netherlands filled out the widely used 11-item scale for Social Comparison Orientation (SCO). Age was categorized in terms of decades, including both 19 years or younger and 80 years or older as categories. Results: The results showed a strong curvilinear effect of age: SCO was highest among people 19 years or younger, decreased substantially with increasing age until the age of 60, after which it increased moderately. Women were somewhat higher in SCO than men. Conclusion: The tendency to engage in social comparisons changes considerably over the life span, which may be due to the different challenges and insecurities that people may face in different stages of the life span.

The present study's primary aim was to examine the effect of an imbalanced sex ratio on the Dark Triad traits, three types of jealousy, and their relations. For this purpose, data were collected in the Netherlands (n = 297) and Curacao (n = 199). Curacao is a constituent part of the Netherlands, but has, contrary to the Netherlands, a highly imbalanced sex ratio. We expected the Dark Triad traits to be positively related to anxious and preventive jealousy, but not to reactive jealousy (Hypothesis 1), and, in addition, these relations to be more pronounced in Curacao than in the Netherlands (Hypothesis 2). Furthermore, it was expected that Curacaoan men would score higher on the Dark Triad traits than Dutch men (Hypothesis 3), and that Curacaoan men and women would, overall, report higher levels of jealousy than Dutch men and women (Hypothesis 4). Results largely supported Hypotheses 1, 2, and 4, but not Hypothesis 3. Results are discussed in relation to the role of sex ratio and the cultural beliefs that may accompany it. The current study's findings may provide new insights into the role of the Dark Triad traits in mating psychology.

Individuals differ considerably in their social comparison orientation (SCO), that is, the extent to which and the frequency with which they compare themselves with others. In this chapter, the major findings with the scale assessing SCO are discussed. After presenting the basic psychometric properties of the scale and the relationships with various personality variables, the authors discuss how SCO is related to, among others, seeking upward and downward social comparison information, to establishing one’s risk, and to assessing one’s future prospects. Next, we present particularly the role of SCO in moderating the effects of upward and downward social comparison information with respect to a variety of contexts and dimensions, including close relationships, ageing, work and organizations, depression, health, and physical attractiveness. Special attention is paid to the question if SCO fosters identification and assimilation rather than contrast.

The present study examined the presence of two prerequisites for intrinsic academic motivation among secondary school students in Curacao: the degree to which students show a growth mindset and the degree to which students’ needs for competence, autonomy and relatedness are fulfilled at school. A total of 177 males and 272 females, enrolled in VSBO (theoretical and advanced vocational track) and HAVO/VWO schools (higher general secondary education/pre-university education), filled out a paper and pencil questionnaire in Papiamento. Results showed that both a growth and a fixed mindset were present among both students from VSBO and HAVO/VWO schools. Students’ needs were met to some degree, with relatively low levels of fulfillment of the need for Autonomy. Students’ mindset (both growth and fixed) and degree of need fulfillment were weakly correlated, suggesting that growth mindset and need fulfillment pose two relatively independent routes to intrinsic academic motivation. Practical implications of the results are discussed.

Based on the assumptions of self-discrepancy theory, the present study examined the degree of overweight, weight-related body images, and the relation between these images and body mass index (BMI) among two samples of young people from Curaçao (secondary school students, n = 176; undergraduate students, n = 205). In addition to BMI, participants reported their current, ideal, and most feared body sizes, the thinnest and largest body sizes still acceptable to them, and the body size they considered the healthiest by means of the Contour Drawing Rating Scale. We expected females to show a larger discrepancy between current and ideal body size than males (Hypothesis 1) and that this discrepancy (as an indicator of body dissatisfaction) would be related more strongly to BMI among females than among males (Hypothesis 2). Results yielded support for Hypothesis 1 among secondary school students only. Only in the undergraduate sample, BMI and body dissatisfaction were related, but equally so for males and females. Possible explanations are discussed as well as implications for weight management interventions.

This chapter discusses sex differences in intersexual competition and describes particularly the consequences of such competition for conflict between the sexes, as well as for sex differences in mate guarding and, relatedly, in the types of infidelity that evoke jealousy, including online infidelity. It also discusses individual differences in jealousy as related to attachment styles and describes the effects of height, hormones, and the menstrual cycle on jealousy. Next, the chapter moves on to intrasexual competition and discusses, among other topics, intrasexual competition among men and among women, the role of sex differences in rival characteristics in evoking jealousy, the role of attachment styles and hormones, and individual differences in intrasexual competitiveness.

The present study examined rival characteristics that may evoke jealousy in the workplace, differences between men and women in this regard, and the relationship between jealousy responses and intrasexual competitiveness and social comparison orientation. Participants were 426 male and female employees. By means of a questionnaire, participants were presented with a jealousy-evoking scenario after which jealousy responses to 24 rival characteristics were assessed. Findings showed that a rival's social communal attributes evoked highest levels of jealousy, and that, compared to men, women reported more jealousy in response to a rival's physical attractiveness. Overall, as individuals had higher scores on intrasexual competitiveness and social comparison orientation, they also experienced more jealousy in response to their rival, regardless of his or her characteristics. These findings suggest that those characteristics that are highly valued in employees may backfire when employees perceive co-workers as rivals.

Een praktijkondersteuner of -verpleegkundige moet niet alleen over medische vaardigheden beschikken. Ook communicatie en andere persoonlijke vaardigheden zijn essentieel in het vak. In deze serie vertelt psycholoog Pieternel Dijkstra over deze belangrijke vaardigheden. Dit eerste deel gaat over omgaan met tijd, een belangrijke competentie.

Social comparisons are important determinants of subjective well-being. That is, subjective well-being depends not on only on one's absolute position in terms of, for instance, status and health but also on one's position relative to others. The present chapter provides a review of the most important literature on the relationships between social comparison processes and subjective well-being, in terms of, for example, positive affect and a positive self-image. More specifically, the identification-contrast model is used to understand how and why social comparisons may affect well-being. Special attention is paid to the role of social comparisons in times of adversity, since, in times of need, individuals often feel an enhanced need for making social comparisons. In times of difficulty and stress social comparisons may enhance feelings of well-being by providing information about how others, in similar situations, are coping and may offer reassurance if one concludes that one is better off than others. Finally, several implications of social comparison research are discussed that may help develop interventions aimed at raising individuals' well-being.

Given the importance of interethnic intimate relationships for the integration of minority groups, the present study examined attitudes toward marriages and sexual relationships with in-group and out-group members among young second-generation immigrants in the Netherlands compared with the Dutch. A sample of 95 ethnically Dutch, 68 Moroccan, and 68 Turkish individuals aged between 15 and 25, living in the Netherlands filled out an online questionnaire. Overall, individuals showed a preference for a marital partner from the same ethnic group as themselves, but a less pronounced preference for a sexual partner from their own ethnic group. Turkish and Moroccan, but not Dutch, men would rather engage in a sexual relationship than in a marriage with a Dutch woman, and rather in a marriage than in a sexual relationship with a woman from their own ethnic group. In contrast, women, especially Moroccan women would rather engage in a marriage than in a sexual relationship, preferably with someone of their own ethnic group. Finally, the more religious they were, the more Turkish and Moroccan women preferred a marital partner from their own ethnic group. Findings are discussed in the light of the integration of different ethnic groups in society.

The current study examined the relations between the three Dark Triad (DT) traits and three types of jealousy, among both heterosexual and homosexual men and women involved in a romantic relationship (n=439). It was hypothesized that the three DT traits would be related positively to those types of jealousy that have the potential to become delusional, that is anxious and preventive jealousy, but not to the relatively ‘healthy’ type of jealousy, that is reactive jealousy. In addition, differences were examined between men and women, and between homosexuals and heterosexuals with regard to the DT traits, the three types of jealousy, and the relationships between these variables. Results largely confirmed the hypothesis. In addition, moderation analyses showed that the relationships between the three DT traits and the three types of jealousy were not moderated by participant sex or sexual orientation. The current study's findings may deepen our understanding of the role of the DT in the mating psychology of both heterosexuals and homosexuals.

The aim of this study was to examine the relations between mindfulness on the one hand and two types of job stress general job stress and telepressure and five types of irrational beliefs on the other hand. It was expected that mindfulness would negatively relate to both types of job stress (Hypothesis 1) and irrational beliefs (Hypothesis 3), that both types of job stress would be positively related to irrational beliefs (Hypothese 2), and that the relationship between mindfulness and the two types of job stress would be mediated by irrational beliefs (Hypothesis 4). To test these hypotheses, 195 employees at a large insurance company filled out an online questionnaire. Results largely confirmed Hypotheses 1, 2 and 3. Mediation analyses conducted to test Hypotheses 4 found that the effect of mindfulness on general job stress was mediated by the irrational 'rumination' belief, and that the effect of mindfulness on telepressure was mediated by the irrational 'need for approval' belief. The study's results suggest that mindfulness interventions may contribute to improving the management of work-related stress and, thereby, to the sustainable employability of employees.

The present study examined ten cognitive distortions, as assessed by the Cognitive Distortions Scale (CDS), and their relations to body satisfaction among young women living in The Netherlands (n = 152) and Curacao (a former colony of the Netherlands; n = 160). Findings showed that, in general, Curacaoan women reported higher body satisfaction than Dutch women, and that Dutch women scored higher on five out of ten cognitive distortions. Particularly among Dutch women, negative relationships were found between cognitive distortions and body satisfaction. In addition, mediational analyses suggest that cognitive distortions mediate the effect of culture on body satisfaction. Findings are discussed in light of cultural differences in ideal body shape and the supportiveness of women's social networks.

Doel van het huidige onderzoek is om na te gaan welke verbanden er bestaan tussen mindfulness enerzijds en twee typen werkstress – algemene werkstress en teledruk – en vijf soorten irrationele gedachten anderzijds. Verwacht werd dat mindfulness negatief samen zou hangen met beide typen werkstress (Hypothese 1) en met irrationele gedachten (Hypothese 3), dat beide typen werkstress positief zouden samenhangen met bepaalde soorten irrationele gedachten (Hypothese 2), en dat de relatie tussen mindfulness en de twee typen werkstress zou worden gemedieerd door bepaalde soorten irrationele gedachten (Hypothese 4). Om de hypothesen te toetsen vulden 195 medewerkers van een grote organisatie in de verzekeringsbranche een online vragenlijst in. Hypothese 1, 2 en 3 werden grotendeels bevestigd. Mediatie-analyses in het kader van Hypothese 4 wezen uit dat het effect van mindfulness op algemene werkstress werd gemedieerd door de irrationele gedachte Piekeren, terwijl het effect van mindfulness op teledruk gemedieerd werd door de irrationele gedachte Behoefte aan waardering. De bevindingen van het huidige onderzoek lijken erop te wijzen dat mindfulnessinterventies kunnen bijdragen aan een beter management van werkstress en daarmee aan de duurzame inzetbaarheid van medewerkers.