نشریه روانشناسی معاصر
سال هشتم شماره 2 (پاییز1392)

Deficiency in emotion regulation is considered as a fundamental problem among people suffering from somatization and anxiety disorders. Difficulty in identifying and describing feelings that is termed alexithymia is the main determinant of affective dysregulation. Pathologies of identifying and describing feelings could influence the way people use cognitive emotion regulation strategies. Can patients with somatization and anxiety disorders be distinguished from normal individuals in terms of the amount of maladaptive emotion regulation strategies they use? To answer this question، the main aim of this study was to compare alexithymia and emotion regulation strategies among patients with somatization، anxiety disorders and normal individuals. A total of 90 participants (30 patients with somatization، 30 patients with anxiety، 30 normal individuals) responed to Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (CERQ) and Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20). The normal group also completed the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS-21). The results showed that the study groups were significantly different in emotion regulation strategies as well as alexithymia. Adaptive and maladaptive emotion regulation strategies showed significant negative and positive correlations with alexithymia، respectively. Based on the results of the present study، it can be concluded that alexithymia is a kind of deficiency in processing and regulation of emotions that determines the way people use adaptive or maladaptive cognitive emotion regulation strategies.

One of the most important social and intimate relationships is marriage and one of the most important aspects of marital system is the satisfaction that couples experience in marriage. Many factors affect marital satisfaction. These factors include biological factors، personality characteristics and forgiveness. The aim of this study was examination of the relation between behavioral-brain systems activity with forgiveness and couples'' marital satisfaction. Participants were 200 married people (115 women، 85 men) in the City of Marand who had participated in parents-teachers meetings held regularly in the city’s primary schools for girls. Participants completed a Forgiveness Scale (HFS)، Behavioral Activation and Behavioral Inhibition System (BIS/BAS) scales and a marital satisfaction questionnaire (Enrich). Results showed that self forgiveness had a negative correlation with behavioral inhibition system and there were positive correlations between self and other forgiveness with behavioral activation system and. Also marital satisfaction with self، other forgiveness and behavioral activation system showed positive correlations. In addition، marital satisfaction was negatively related to behavioral inhibition system. Also behavioral activation system positively predicted self and other forgiveness and marital satisfaction; and behavioral inhibition system negatively predicted self forgiveness and marital satisfaction. Findings were discussed in terms of Gray''s reinforcement sensitivity theory and forgiveness concept. These results can be helpful in designing enrichment preventive programs and therapeutic interventions for couples.

Self-compassion has been defined as being kind and understanding toward oneself when one experiences failure. The main purpose of this study was to examine psychometric properties of a Farsi version of the Self Compassion Scale (SCS) in a sample of students from university of Tehran. All participants (150 women، 150 men) completed Self-Compassion Scale (SCS)، Rosenberg Self Esteem Scale (RSES)، Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II)، and Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI). Factor analysis showed four factors explaining 47 percent of the total variance. Convergent and divergent validity of the SCS were examined by correlating scores of the SCS with those of the RSES، BDI، and BAI (p < 0/01). As expected، positive correlation with the former and negative correlation with the latter were obtained. The SCS was found to have an acceptable internal consistency as shown by a high Cronbach’s alpha of. 70. A test-retest reliability of 0. 89 was also obtained for the SCS.

Studies have shown that the length of hospital stay after surgery is an estimate of the success rate of surgery and that demographic، medical، psychological and electrophysiological factors are also important. Since the most common treatment for coronary artery disease (CAD) is coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG)، therefore، the objective of this study was to investigate five theoretical models for predicting hospital length of stay after CABG surgery as an indicator of surgical success، including variables of demographic، psychological، electrophysiological and medical، in order to find a model which is the best fit of the data. To this end، 150 patients (30 females and 120 males) were selected non randomly based on patient accessibility from among patients referred to Tehran Heart Center of Shahid Rajaie Hospital who were candidates for CABG surgery. These patients then completed the 21 item Depression، Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21) and the Stress Response Evaluation Device (SRE). Path analysis was conducted for the five models and it was shown that the second theoretical model including components of age، gender، high blood pressure، depression، anxiety and heart rate variability (HRV) was the best and most appropriate fit to the data. Therefore، this model can be used in clinical settings to identify patients for whom surgery may not be successful.

The aim of this study was to investigate the role of core self evaluations traits in the way of coping of individuals’ exposure to stressors. Two hundred and seventeen undergraduate students (81 males، 136 females) from three faculties of Islamic Azad University were selected and completed Core Self-Evaluations Scales included of Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale، Generalized Self-Efficacy Scale (GSES)، Eysenck Personality Inventory Neuroticism Scale، Internality، Powerful others and Chance Scale (IPC)، as well as Ways of Coping Questionnaire (WOCQ). The findings indicated that self-esteem، generalized self-efficacy and locus of control were positively correlated with problem-focused coping، and neuroticism with emotion-focused coping. Seeking social support also showed positive correlations with self-esteem، and generalized self-efficacy. Regression analysis demonstrated that self-esteem، generalized self-efficacy، and locus of control significantly predicted problem-focused coping، and neuroticism significantly predicted emotion-focused coping. Furthermore، Regression analysis revealed that self-esteem، and generalized self-efficacy significantly predicted seeking social support coping. Based on the results it be concluded that core self evaluations influences the ways of individuals’ appraisals of stressful situations، the frequency of exposure to stressors، and the type of stressors experienced. It does seem plausible that core self evaluations interact in determining coping responses and these traits and coping interact in determining outcomes.

One of the factors that influence learning and performance is optimal arousal. This differs from situation to situation and from person to person. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of background music، silence and noise on the performance of introverted and extraverted female students on the Academic Aptitude Test. The effect of the previous environment was studied as a moderator variable. First، Eysenck’s Personality Questionnaire (EPQ) was administered to 146 female university students. From these، 60 students (30 introverts and 30 extroverts) were chosen randomly. The results of repeated measure between subjects and inter subjects’ analysis and two way repeated measures between subjects and inter subjects’ analysis showed that the performance of introverts in silence and performance of extroverts with music was better. Moreover، results showed that performance of both groups in noisy condition were worse than music and silent conditions. Previous environment did not have a significant effect on the performance of subjects. These findings may be due to possibly innate differences in the ascending reticular activating system of introversion and extraversion resulting in the tendency of introverts towards better studying and performing in silence and also the tendency of extroverts toward better studying and performing while listening to music.

The aim of the current study was to investigate the mediation role of work alienation dimensions on the relationship between person-organization fit and organizational citizenship behaviors (OCB). The population of the study included teachers in the City of Isfahan from which 366 (191 women and 175 men) were selected. Research instruments were: Person-Organization Fit (PO-fit)، Work Alienation (WA) in powerlessness، meaninglessness and self-estrangement dimensions and Organizational Citizenship Behavior (OCB). Results showed that there was a negative correlation between person-organization fit and work alienation. Also، there were positive relations between person-organization fit and organizational citizenship behaviors directed at their organization، co-workers and students. Concept-causal model base on SEM submitted after that provided 3 models. The indicators model showed that agreeable statistics in respect of 3 models. The appropriateness of staff perception with organization has positive effect on their meta-functions، the effort of organization is beneficial in choosing them in recruitment process and also decreases the negative effect of work alienation in staff.

Gender differences in basic human values has been a controversial issue among psychologists. This study investigates gender differences in content and structure of basic human values among students. 204 university students including 98 females and 106 males were selected from Technical-Engineering، Human science، Art and Science schools of Tehran and Beheshti universities. They completed the Schwartz Values Survey (SVS). Data were analyzed using one way analysis of variance (ANOVA). Females had high scores in Tradition، Universalism and Achievement content of values whereas males had only higher scores in value of power. Females also had higher scores in Self-transcendence and Conservation structure of values comparing with male students. Females tended to attach more value to Tradition، Universalism، Achievement، Self-transcendent and conservatism whereas males tended to attach more value to Power. These findings are consistent with traditional values which have been transmitted by parents in a developing country like Iran.