Suchergebnisse

Psychological approaches often conceptualize "free will" as self-determined decision-making. However, the functional mechanisms potentially underlying volitional freedom or its limitations have barely been elaborated. Starting from a functional definition of volition, we illustrate how personality systems interactions (PSI) theory may contribute to explaining underlying mechanisms of volitional freedom. Specifically, based on neurobiological evidence, this theory postulates that degrees of volitional freedom increase with an increasing involvement of more complex levels of psychological functioning (e.g., from habits and affective impulses toward motives, specific goals, intentions, and more global, personal goals). We will demonstrate how, at a psychological level, demand-related stress limits the pursuit of specific goals, whereas threat-related stress limits self-congruent choice of specific goals. Empirical evidence will be reported that relate to these two possible ways of losing volitional ("top-down") control. In addition, we report on neurobiological findings supporting the present view of volitional freedom and its limitations.

Abstract. Based on the framework of Personality Systems Interactions theory, this article addresses the functional mechanisms by which positive affect influences motivational and self-regulatory determinants of health-relevant behavior on an elementary level of processing. Research encompassing experimental procedures such as the Stroop task will be presented which suggest that positive affect is necessary not only to facilitate self-regulation of negative emotions but also to facilitate self-motivation, i.e., the enactment of difficult intentions that entail the risk of procrastination. We also highlight the role of state and trait accessibility of self-referential information ("self-access") in generating such positive affect. The relevance of the findings for health maintenance is addressed.

Zusammenfassung. Die Befriedigung grundlegender psychischer Bedürfnisse ist eine wichtige Voraussetzung für subjektives Wohlbefinden und psychische Gesundheit. In der Theorie der Persönlichkeits-System-Interaktionen (PSI) wird angenommen, dass negativer Affekt den Zugriff auf integrierte Repräsentationen von eigenen Bedürfnissen und Handlungsoptionen reduziert, wenn Personen negativen Affekt nicht selbstgesteuert herabregulieren können (d.h. lageorientiert sind). Eine lageorientierte Perseveration negativen Affektes sollte daher die Wahrnehmung und Umsetzung eigener Bedürfnisse erschweren und zu einer Frustration eigener Bedürfnisse führen. Diese Bedürfnisfrustration wird als tiefgreifender Stressfaktor angesehen, der den Zusammenhang zwischen Selbststeuerungsdefiziten und psychosomatischen Symptomen vermitteln kann. In einer Untersuchung an N = 53 Probanden zeigte sich erwartungsgemäß ein signifikanter Zusammenhang zwischen Lageorientierung und Bedürfnisfrustration. Der Zusammenhang zwischen Lageorientierung und vielfältigen psychosomatischen Symptomen wurde durch Bedürfnisfrustration vermittelt. Bedürfnisfrustration kann damit als ein symptomübergreifender Krankheitsfaktor angesehen werden. Implikationen für die gesundheitspsychologische Forschung und Praxis werden diskutiert.

Ajuts: This work was partially made possible through a grant from the Templeton Rlg. Trust (TRT 0119) supporting MQ; by the National Council for Science and Technology of Mexico (CONACyT) and the Spanish Government (under Grant PSI2016-76411-R) supporting GPH. ; In everyday life, affective processes occur spontaneously and typically go along with an automatic activation of action tendencies and physiological responses. Because self-reports of affect are also known to be biased by various factors, including deficits in introspection or impression management strategies, an indirect measure, the Implicit Positive and Negative Affect Test (IPANAT), was developed to assess implicit affect and to circumvent these difficulties. In this review, findings from neurobiological and clinical studies administering the IPANAT are revised, we focus on the link between implicit affect and psychophysiological reactions to affective stimuli and stressors. Specifically, implicit affect as measured by the IPANAT was found to predict cardiovascular, endocrine, and functional neuroimaging correlates of stress or fear beyond explicit affect. The present evidence strongly suggests the usage of implicit affect measures in future research on stress and psychopathology.