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سال نهم شماره 2 (پیاپی 34، تابستان 1402)

This study aimed to identify the role of God Image, God Concept, self-image and self-concept in ego strength among university students. The method of this research was descriptive and correlational. The participants were 250 university students from Tehran University and Shahed University, which were selected by convenience sampling. God-image/Self-image Questionnaire for Spiritual Interventions and Ego Questionnaire was used to collect data. The data were analyzed using multiple regression analysis. The multiple regression showed that this regression model is significant and the variance percentage of change is significant for the sub-results of hope, will, purpose, competence, fidelity, love, care, and wisdom. Based on the results, the God concept and self-concept predict ego strength and its sub-scales positively. Also, self-image and God image predicted ego strength and its subscales in negatively. These findings show the importance of the discussion of God-oriented spirituality in predicting ego strength
Erikson defines ego strength as the traits that motivate people in successive stages of life. Ego strength encompasses eight qualities of hope, will, purpose, competence, fidelity, love, care, and wisdom (Markstrom et al, 1997; Markstrom & Marshal, 2007). Ego strength is related to religiosity and spirituality (Robinette & Puffer, 2018). One of the most important variables in spiritual affairs is the discussion of God image, God-concept, self-image, and self-concept (Janbozorgi, 2019).  God-image is when we imagine God from experiences and learning or an unrealistic image of God (Janbozorgi & Sarabadani, 2020) and has an emotional and experimental nature (Moriarty & Hoffman, 2013). In contrast, God concept refers to how God presents himself or the real concept of God (Janbozorgi & Sarabadani, 2020). Also, self-image is the way we perceive and internalize from the perspective of others, and self-concept is the way we perceive from the inside and is consistent with reality. (Janbozorgi & Sarabadani, 2020. The present study aimed to investigate the role of God-concept, God-image, self-concept, and self-image in ego strength and its subscales. The research hypothesis was as follows:1. God image predicts ego strength negatively. 2. Self-image ego strength negatively. 3. God concept predicts ego strength positively. 4. Self-concept predicts ego strength positively.
 
This study was an applied study in terms of its aim and descriptive-correlation design. The population of this research included all students of Tehran University and Shahed University of Tehran in the academic year 1400-1401.  Convenient sampling was used to select the participants. For the sample size, James Stevens' suggestion in multiple regression analysis is 15 items for each variable (Hooman, 2016). Thus, a number of 250 students from Shahed University and Tehran University were recruited. To enter this research, people needed to have the following conditions: being a student, agreeing to participate in the research, having patience, and having enough time to fill out the questionnaires. Data collection instruments included God-image and self-image questionnaires for spiritual interventions and ego-strength questionnaires. The participants answered the questions using the questionnaire link on the Risloo website. The data were analyzed using multiple regression with SPSS 26.
 
The mean and standard deviation of the age of the participants were 58.24 and 5.1.  Also, 56% of the participants were women and 44% were men. The distribution of the column graph of the variables was visually almost normal. The regression tests were used as the key statistical procedure.
The model of ego strength’s total score based on God-image, God-concept, self-image, and self-concept explained 47.9% of the variance of ego strength changes. Also, due to Durbin-Watson's statistic, the hypothesis of the non-existence of autocorrelation between errors was confirmed because its value was between 1.5 and 2.5. Additional information is provided in Table 1.
 
 
Table 1
 Summary of Regressions for Variables Predicting Ego Strength




Model


R


R2


Adjusted R 2


F


Sig


Durbin-Watson




1


0.692


0.479


0.471


56.318


0.000


1.952




 
 
According to Table 2, we can see that the standard coefficients of the God-concept were .22, God-image -0.1, self-image -0.33, and self-concept 0.55. Therefore, all of the hypotheses about ego strength total score were confirmed. That is, God-image and self-image predicted ego-strength negatively, while self-concept and God-concept predicted Ego strength total score positively.
 
 
Table 2
 Regressions Coefficient of Variables Predicting Ego Strength




Model


 


Unstandardized Coefficients


Standardized Coefficients


T


P




B


Std. Error


Beta




1


(Constant)


78.42


7.77


 


10.08


0.00




 


God-concept


0.98


0.24


0.22


4.03


0.00




 


God-image


-0.37


0.20


-0.1


-1.83


0.06




 


Self-image


-2.46


0.36


-0.33


-6.70


0.00




 


Self-concept


2.95


0.28


0.58


10.38


0.00




*P<0.05     ** P<0.01  

Also, the research model explained 36.1% of the variance of hope, 31.8% of the variance of will, 37% of the variance of purpose, 31.2% of the variance of competence, 29.1% of the variance of fidelity, 16.6% of the variance of love, 9.9% of the variance of care, 33/5 % of the variance of wisdom. According to the value of the Durbin-Watson regression statistic of all subscales, the hypothesis of the non-existence of autocorrelation between errors in all subscales was confirmed because its value is between 1.5 and 2.5.
According to the regression results, the first hypothesis was confirmed only for the subscales of hope, will, fidelity, and wisdom. The second hypothesis was confirmed in the prediction of all the subscales of Ego strength. Moreover, the third hypothesis was confirmed for the subscales of hope, purpose, competence, fidelity, love, care, and wisdom. The fourth hypothesis was confirmed for all subscales.
 
The results showed that God-concept and self-concept positively and self-image negatively predicted the total score of ego strength and most of its subscales. God-image negatively predicted some subscales. These findings are in line with the research of Abboud and Idri (2020), Markstrom (1999), James et al. (2020), and Robinet and Puffer (2018). Spiritual identity, which consists of a person's perception of self and God, predicted Erikson's identity, and the correct perception of God and self, which is in the form of conceptual, is a positive predictor, and imaginary perception is a negative predictor (Janbozorgi, 2019). The ego strength and identity are influenced and loyal to the ideology system and value system and religious beliefs. (Markstrom et al., 1997; Markstrom & Marshal, 2007)
 In Erikson's view, some ego strengths, such as love and hope, show the satisfactory relationship of individuals with others and are also related to the individual's satisfaction with God (Robinette & Puffer, 2018) Accordingly, the God-concept and self-concept, which is the real path of a person's perception of self and God, can predict hope and love, which shows a trusting and satisfactory relationship with others. This is because true perception of God and self creates trust and satisfaction (Janbozorgi, 2019). In other words, the God-concept and self-concept cause the formation of a healthy and real identity, while the God-image and self-image cause the formation of an imaginary and unhealthy identity. Therefore, on this basis, God-concept and self-concept predict ego strength and its sub-scales positively while self-image and God-image predict it negatively (Janbozorgi, 2019).
The limitations of the current study included the online data collection due to the Covid-19 pandemic and the fact that the research was carried out with a university student sample. Also, one of the suggestions of the present study is to retest the hypotheses in non-virtual conditions and with the presentation of pencil and paper questionnaires among non-student samples.
 
Ethical Consideration
Compliance with Ethical Guidelines: All ethical issues like informed consent and confidentiality of participants' identifications were compiled based on the ethical committee of Shahed University.
Authors' Contributions: All authors contributed to the study. The first author wrote the first draft of the manuscript. The second and third authors edited the manuscript and the second author is the corresponding author.
Conflict of Interest: The authors declare no conflict of interest for this study.
Funding: This study was conducted with no financial support and is part of the M.A. thesis of the first author.
Acknowledgment: The authors thank all participants in the study

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is a common and exhausting disease. The present study aimed to investigate the effect of integrated behavioral-emotional spiritual therapy on obsessive-compulsive disorder, obsessive beliefs, and fusion of thought and action in patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder. The study used a controlled trial with pre-test, post-test, and two-month follow-up design. In this study, 40 people suffering from OCD participated and were divided into two groups experimental and control. The experimental group received emotional-spiritual behavioral therapy in 15 ninety-minute sessions, and the control group did not receive any intervention. The data collection tools included a semi-structured interview based on DSM5 (SCID-I), the Obsessive-Compulsive Questionnaire, the Obsessive Beliefs Questionnaire, and the Questionnaire on the Fusion of Thought and Action. The participants answered to the scales at the beginning and end of the treatment and two months after the treatment. The data were analyzed using the analysis of the covariance test. The findings of the research showed that emotional-spiritual behavioral therapy significantly reduced obsessive-compulsive disorder, and obsessive beliefs including extreme responsibility, perfectionism, control of thoughts, and fusion of thought and action. According to the findings of the research, emotional-spiritual behavioral therapy was effective in reducing obsessive-compulsive disorder, obsessive beliefs, and fusion and action.
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder is characterized by obsessive thoughts or compulsive behaviors or both. Obsessions include recurrent and persistent thoughts, desires, or perceptions that are experienced in an intrusive and obnoxious manner. Compulsions are experienced in two ways of overt behaviors and hidden behaviors. Overt compulsions are like frequent hand washing, extreme order, and checking, hidden compulsions are repetitive mental activities such as counting and slowly repeating words (Najafi et al., 2022). Obsessive beliefs and fusion of thought and action are factors that perpetuate obsessive-compulsive disorder. Obsessive beliefs and fusion of thought and action are factors that perpetuate OCD. 
Cognitive-behavioral therapy and exposure and response prevention therapy are among the most important treatments for OCD. However, each of these treatments has shortcomings. Nowadays, therapists are looking to combine the effective components of different treatments and increase their efficiency to solve shortcomings. Paying attention to different and numerous variables in the explanation of OCD leads to a deeper and more comprehensive look at the dimensions of OCD and as a result, more efficient treatment formulation (Fisher et al., 2020). The past research has shown a positive relationship between religiosity and mental health (Borghei et al., 2020). Today, a wide range of therapists believe that to increase the effectiveness of psychotherapy for religious people, positive religious and spiritual attitudes and feelings should be combined with psychotherapy (Fox et al., 2020). Therefore, the question of this research was: What is the effectiveness of behavioral-emotional-spiritual therapy in reducing OCD symptoms, obsessive beliefs, and fusion of thought and action in obsessive-compulsive patients?
 
The design of the present study was a randomized controlled trial with pre-test-post-test and follow-up. The statistical population included all people suffering from OCD in the city of Qom. The sample consisted of 40 people who were selected and randomly and equally placed in two experimental and control groups based on the variables of age, marital status, education, and history of OCD.
The participants in the experimental group received the spiritual-emotional behavioral protocol in the form of 15 group therapy sessions, and the control group remained in the waiting line and received obsessive-compulsive therapy due to ethical issues after the research. The behavioral emotional-spiritual protocol for the treatment of OCD includes 15 sessions: establishing a therapeutic relationship and explaining the logic of the treatment, secondary positive spiritual evaluation of negative thoughts, accepting doubts, self-soothing, reducing the fusion of thought and action, exposure and response prevention, Acceptance of doubt and behavior management, mindfulness skills mixed with spirituality, removing barriers to exposure and response prevention therapy, increasing quality of life and modifying lifestyle.
All participants completed the research questionnaires. Analysis of variance, multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA), and univariate analysis of covariance were used to analyze the data with SPSS-24 software. 
 
The assumptions of the analysis of the covariance test were checked. Multivariate covariance analysis was performed and the results in the post-test were in the Pillai's Trace (F(5,26)=0.661, p <0.001), Wilks' Lambda (F(5,26) =0.339, p <0.001), Hotelling's Trace (F(5,26) =1.950, p <0.001), the Roy's Largest Root (F(5,26) =1.950, p <0.001) showed that the difference between the two experimental and control groups in the total variables of obsessive compulsiveness, a fusion of thought and action and obsessive beliefs was 66% significant (p<0.001). Also, the results in the follow-up test in the Pillai's Trace (F(5,26) =0.612, p <0.001), Wilks' Lambda (F(5,26) =0.388, p <0.001), and the Hotelling's Trace(F(5,26) =1.576, p <0.001), the Roy's Largest Root (F(5,26) =1/576, p<0.001) showed that the difference between the two experimental and control groups in total variables is significant by 61% (p<0.001). To determine the variables in which the post-test had a significant difference from the pre-test, a univariate analysis of the covariance test was performed. The results are presented in Table 1.
 
 
Table 1
The Results of Univariate Analysis of Covariance (ANCOA) In the Post-Test and Follow-Up with Pre-Test




Source of changes


The dependent variable


Time


Degrees of freedom


mean square


F


P


Eta squared




group


obsessive compulsive


Posttest


1


1280.796


22.69


0.001


0.400




Follow-up test


1


282.620


40.484


0.001


0.544




obsession


Posttest


1


320.280


19.187


0.001


0.361




Follow-up test


1


73.436


30.855


0.001


0.476




compulsion


Posttest


1


319.313


22.693


0.001


0.400




Follow-up test


1


62.781


24.025


0.001


0.414




Thought action fusion


Posttest


1


781.421


16.214


0.001


0.323




Follow-up test


1


608.212


6.639


0.014


0.163




likelihood thought-action fusion


Posttest


1


152.582


16.580


0.001


0.328




Follow-up test


1


101.048


4.950


0.013


0.131




Moral thought action fusion


Posttest


1


266.897


9.553


0.004


0.219




Follow-up test


1


219.149


3.916


0.014


0.123




Extreme sense of responsibility


Posttest


1


3083.484


16.750


0.001


0.330




Follow-up test


1


1844.798


12.935


0.001


0.276




Perfectionism


Posttest


1


4218.571


14.475


0.001


0.299




Follow-up test


1


2263.043


9.965


0.003


0.227




Thought control


Posttest


1


1828.083


25.772


0.001


0.431




Follow-up test


1


1661.643


22.671


0.001


0.400




*P<0.05     ** P<0.01  

The results of Table 1 shows that the participants in the behavioral-emotional spiritual group had significantly more reductions in OCD, fusion of thought and action, and obsessive beliefs in the post-test and follow-up test than the participants in the control group.
 
The research showed that behavioral-emotional spiritual therapy significantly reduced OCD and the fusion of thought and action and obsessive beliefs, and the achievements of the treatment were maintained two months after the treatment. In explaining this finding, it can be said that in religious people suffering from obsession, psychological and spiritual issues are intertwined in such a way that they cannot be separated. The behavioral-emotional spiritual therapy pays special attention to the spiritual aspects of OCD. This treatment pays attention to a person's religious values and differentiates between religious values and obsessive beliefs. It increases the client's insight into obsessional doubts and teaches him that avoidant, safe-keeping, and reassurance-seeking behaviors may be revealed in the religious context and are different from healthy religious practices and cause the persistence of obsessions. On the other hand, by reviewing the purpose of life and conceptualizing OCD as an opportunity to get closer to God, this treatment creates a sense of meaning in the person and strengthens his motivation to do exposure and response prevention exercises.
In this treatment, OCD is conceptualized as a psychological injury like a physical injury. The difference between obsessive thoughts, which are involuntary and accompanied by suffering and voluntary thoughts accompanied by pleasure, which is a kind of moral vice, was explained. Spiritual anxiety, which is due to a little faith in God, is separated from psychological anxiety, which is due to problems with hormones and neurotransmitters. Patience over doubts and trying to do exercises is conceptualized as an opportunity to get closer to God. It is explained to the person that striving in the way of God increases the capacity of existence and when a person performs his academic, job, family, and social activities despite the obsessive discomfort, he gets more reward and spiritual growth than healthy people. Creating these positive spiritual attitudes reduces obsessive beliefs.
 
Ethical Consideration
Compliance with Ethical Guidelines: All ethical issues were compiled based on ethical committee of Semnan University.
Authors’ Contributions: All authors contributed to the study. The first author administered behavioral emotional-spiritual therapy to the participants and written the first draft of the manuscript. The second author edited the manuscript.Conflict of Interest: The authors declare no conflict of interest for this study.
Funding: The study had no financial support.Acknowledgment: The authors would like to thank all participants for their time and contribution to the study.

The objective of the present study was to investigate the role of career optimism and pessimism in students’ employability perception. Particularly, this study examined the mediating role of academic performance and job search self-efficacy. The research design was descriptive and correlational. The sample consisted of 366 students studying in Shahrekord University in the academic year 2021-2022. They were selected through stratified sampling method. They filled out scales on their employability, job search self-efficacy, career optimism and career pessimism. In addition, the mean score was considered to measure academic performance. Pearson correlation and structural equation modeling analysis were used to analyze the data. The results showed a positive and significant relationship between career optimism with employability perception, academic performance and job search self-efficacy.  Moreover, there was a negative and significant relationship between career pessimism and employability perception. Also, the indirect effect of career optimism on employability perception through the mediation of academic performance and job search self-efficacy was confirmed. In general, the students’ career optimism increased their employability perception. However, the students’ career pessimism decreased their employability perception. On the other hand, career optimism could also lead to an increase in students’ employability perception by enhancing academic performance and job search self-efficacy.
In recent years, the issue of having a job has always been raised as one of the basic challenges for students (Menon & Saraswathy, 2017). With regard to the employability of the students, researchers have focused on their employability perception (Jackson & Wilton, 2017), which is defined as their perceived ability to achieve stable employment according to their conditions (Rothwell & Herbert, 2008). One of the variables related to the students’ employability perception is academic performance. It is considered as an important predictor for job performance (Brown & Campion, 1994). Graduates with high academic performance, probably get better ratings from employers (Pinto & Ramalheira, 2017). Another variable examined in this study is job search self-efficacy. Students with a high level of self-efficacy will show better employability skills (Ab Halim et al., 2019).
Other variables examined in this study include career optimism and pessimism. Optimistic individuals pay attention to the bright aspects of life and maintain their hope in difficult periods and, as a result, have high self-efficacy (Schuller & Seligman, 2008). On the other hand, pervasive negative expectations resulting from pessimism lead to a feeling of despair in individuals. As such, they refrain from engaging in activities outside their intrinsic motivation (Elliot & Church, 2003). With respect to academic performance, it can be stated that optimistic expectations often increase students’ academic performance (Icekson et al., 2020). On the other hand, an increase in pessimism can decrease academic performance (El-Anzi, 2005; Ruthig et al., 2009; Roso-Bas et al., 2016).
Regarding the relationship between career optimism and pessimism and employability perception, it can be stated that optimists have positive expectations about their career goals (Haratsis et al., 2016; Spurk et al., 2015). On the other hand, pessimists mainly focus on the problems and disadvantages of the dynamic process of change, which is the characteristic of today’s work atmosphere (Saka & et al., 2008). Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the mediating roles of academic performance and job search self-efficacy in the relationship between career optimism and career pessimism with employability perception. The main objective of this study was to present a model of the relationship between career optimism and career pessimism with students’ employability perception through the mediation of academic performance and job search self-efficacy had a suitable fit.
 
The current research study was of descriptive-correlational. The statistical population included all students of Shahrekord University in the academic year of 2021-2022. For this study, 370 students were selected through stratified sampling method. They filled out scales on their employability, job search self-efficacy, career optimism and career pessimism. It should be noted that students’ GPA was used as a measure of academic performance. Data analysis was conducted using SPSS software (version 23) and AMOS23 software, and Pearson correlation method and structural equation modeling analysis.
 
The descriptive statistics of the research variables including mean, standard deviation and correlation coefficients of the variables are reported in Table 1.

Table 1
 Mean, Standard Deviation and Intercorrelations between Research Variables




Variables


Descriptives


Intercorrelation


 


 




Mean


Std deviation


1


2


3


4


5




Employability perception


5.30


.76


1


 


 


 


 




Career optimism


3.77


.64


.57**


1


 


 


 




Job search self-efficacy


3.82


.60


55**.


.55**


1


 


 




Career pessimism


1.90


.84


-.42**


-.60**


.38**-


1


 




Academic performance


16.55


 


.23**


.17**


.13*


-.14*


1




*  p<.05  **p<.01

In addition, Table 2 shows the fit indices of the modified research model, which indicate the acceptability and approval of the assumed model.
 
 
 
Table 2
Values ​​of Structural Equation Model Generality Evaluation Indices




Indices


Perfect fit


Adaptive fit


Frugal fit


Holter




 


CMIN


GFI


TLI


CFI


PCFI


DF


CMIN/DF


RMSEA


 




Value


704.65


.85


.84


.86


.75


262


2.69


.07


143




 
 
Figure 1
The Assumed Model of the Research
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Table 3
Total, Direct and Indirect Effects Between Research Variables




 


Determination coeficient


Dependent variable


Mediation


Independent variable




Indirect


Direct


Total




P


Beta


P


Beta


P


Beta




.044


.03


.012


.50


.013


.53


 
 
 
 
.66
 
 
 


 
 
 
 
Employability perception


Academic performance


Career optimism




.596


-.01


.791


.04


.756


.03


Career pessimism




.005


.29


.012


.50


.005


.79


Job search self-efficacy


Career optimism




.398


.02


.791


.04


.499


.06


Career pessimism




-


-


.005


.15


.005


.15


Academic performance




-


-


.005


.36


.005


.36


Job search self-efficacy




 
 
 
 
According to Figure 1 and Table 3, the results considering examining the direct relationships indicated a positive and significant relationship (p ˂ 0.05) of career optimism (β=  0.50), job search self-efficacy (β= 0.36) and academic performance (β= 0.15) with employability perception. There was also a negative and significant relationship (p ˂0.05) of career pessimism (β₌ 0.04) with employability perception. In addition, regarding the investigation of indirect relationships, the results showed a positive and significant relationship (p ˂ 0.05) of career optimism on employability perception with the mediation of academic performance (β= 0.03) and job search self-efficacy (β= 0.29). Finally, the data did not confirm the effect of career pessimism on employability perception with the mediation of academic performance and job search self-efficacy.
 
This research study was conducted with the objective of investigating the roles of career optimism and pessimism on employability perception with the mediation of academic performance and job search self-efficacy. The results indicated a positive and significant relationship between career optimism, job search self-efficacy and academic performance with employability perception, and a negative and significant relationship between career pessimism and employability perception. Furthermore, there was an indirect effect for career optimism on employability perception through the mediation of academic performance and job search self-efficacy. As the findings of this study showed, academic performance, job search self-efficacy, and career optimism were important predictors of students’ employability perception. The findings are consistent with those of Spurk et al. (2015) and Tentama and Nur (2021).
Moreover, the findings of the study indicated the mediating role of academic performance and job search self-efficacy in the relationship between career optimism and employability perception, which is consistent with the findings of Hamidi Nasab et al. (2019) and Bahadori et al. (2020). Therefore, it can be explained that optimistic individuals have a positive view of the future, and have an internal source of control. As a result, optimism has a positive effect on academic performance because optimistic students consider academic performance to be influential in their future career, and CVs of individuals with higher means are evaluated as more qualified. In addition, one of the sources of employability perception is the internal factors of employability, which is the individual’s understanding of his personal capacities and skills to find a job. In regards to the content, it can be consistent with the source of internal control of optimism.
One of the most important limitations of the current research is the lack of control of the influence of other variables such as family conditions, and economic conditions. In addition, since this study is correlational (not cause and effect), the results should be interpreted with caution. In addition, future experimental research studies are recommended to the researchers.
 
Ethical Consideration
Compliance Whit Ethical Guidelines: All ethical issues such as informed consent and confidentiality of participant’s identity were respected.
Author of Contributions: All authors contributed to the study. The first author wrote the first draft of the manuscript. The second and third authors edited the manuscript and the second author is corresponding author.
Conflict of Interest: The authors declare no conflict of interest for this study.
Funding: This study was extract from the thesis of the master's course and conducted with no financial support.
Acknowledgment: The author thanks all participants in the study.

This research was conducted with the aim of evaluating the effectiveness of teaching positive thinking skills to enhance self-control and self-awareness of sixth grade elementary school students. The research method was semi-experimental with a pre-test and post-test design and a control group. Among the studied students, 57 individuals who had low positive thinking were identified by implementing a positive thinking questionnaire. After meeting the required conditions and matching, 30 people were selected as the study sample and were randomly divided into two control and experimental groups of 15 people. The positive thinking program was implemented on the experimental group in 8 sessions. After the training course was finished and the post-test were held, research data were collected using self-restraint scale and self-awareness scale. Data analyzed using covariance analysis. The results of the covariance analysis showed that positive thinking training program was effective and increased students' self-control and self-awareness, and this effect was still stable in the follow-up phase after four months. The results of the research clarify that positive thinking training can be used as a suitable interventional method to improve self-control and self-awareness of students.IntroductionHuman nature and personality have important capabilities and features which include self-control, self-awareness, and positive thinking. Self-control as an important part of human performance is one of the basic and fundamental elements in the formation of human behavior (Ka'abe et al., 2017). Research findings have shown that people who have more self-control are more successful in all areas than people who act impulsively and without self-control (Nouri, 2008 as cited in Kazemi et al., 2011). Another component that converges with human behavior is self-awareness. Self-awareness is the ability to pay attention to oneself (Carden et al., 2021). People who have self-awareness identify their feelings and become aware of them and control these feelings. They become aware of their weaknesses and strengths, and by relying on their strengths, they reduce their weaknesses (Joe, 2010).There are little research indications on the effect of teaching positive thinking skills on self-control and self-awareness has not been investigated. This research has been with the aim of showing the effectiveness of teaching positive thinking skills on students' self-awareness and self-control. To achieve this goal, two questions were formulated and tested as follows.Does teaching positive thinking skills have an effect on students' self-control? 2. Does teaching positive thinking skills have an effect on students' self-awareness? MethodThis research was conducted with a semi-experimental method with a pre-test and post-test design with a control group and a four-month follow-up. The statistical community of this study was made up of all the students of the sixth grade of Salas Babajani in the academic year (2018-2019). In order to identify the students who had low positive thinking, 222 people were first selected using the cluster sampling method. By implementing the positive thinking questionnaire of Ingram and Visnicki (1998), 57 people who had low positive thinking have been recognized, and then among the participants who had the conditions to enter the research, 30 people were selected by a simple random method and were assigned to two groups of experimental (15 people) and control (15 people). Self-awareness questionnaire and self-control questionnaire were used to collect data.Based on Seligman's positive thinking training protocol (2000), the positive thinking skill training program was presented to the experimental group for 8 ninty-minute sessions (two sessions per week) in the Adobe Connect application. To conduct the research, first in order to implement the pre-test, the self-awareness and self-control questionnaire were given to the control and experimental groups, and the data related to the pre-test were collected. Then the participants in the experimental group were trained in skills in 8 sessions of 1.5 hours in workshops through the booklet of positive thinking skills. At the end of the workshops, the mentioned questionnaires (post-test) were again presented to both groups to complete again. Finally, to evaluate the effect of the experimental intervention in the follow-up phase after 4 months, the questionnaires were implemented again and the data of this phase were collected. To analyze the data, covariance analysis tests were used.   ResultsTable 1The Average Scores of the two Groups in the Pre-test , Post-test, Follow-up and the Normality of the DataKurtosisSkewnessFollow-upPost-testpre-exam  Standard deviationAverageStandard deviationAverageStandard deviationAveragegroupVariables 765/0-066/0  908/740/83480/147/83Controlself-awareness 152/789/91216/673/90239/740/81exam  463/0794/0-  951/920/8267/1153/83Controlself-control  123/677/90443/760/9269/1613/81exam             According to the table, the average of the subjects of the control and experimental groups, in the self-awareness and self-control test in the pre-test stage did not differ significantly from each other. But the difference in the average of the subjects of the control and experimental groups was significant in the post-test so that the average of the subjects of the experimental group in the post-test was significantly higher than the average of the post-test of the control group. This shows that the experimental intervention was able to affect the studied behavior. In the follow-up phase, this difference between the experimental and control groups was also obvious and expresses the continuation of the effect of teaching positive thinking on the behavior of the participants.Levine's test was used to check the assumption of homogeneity of variances. The variables of restraint (F=2.710, p>0.064), self-awareness (F=1.928, p>0.136) were not significant; Therefore, the assumption of both variables' homogeneity of variances was confirmed.In the inferential results, the statistic F value which shows the effect of the independent variable, in the self-control variable (F=19.577, p<0.001) and the self-awareness variable (F =18.590, p<0.001) was significant. This showed that there was a significant difference between the control and experimental groups which means compared to the control group the self-control and self-awareness of the experimental group has increased after receiving positive thinking training.In the follow-up phase, the statistic F value was significant in the self-control variable (F=19.577, p<0.001) and self-awareness variable (F=18.590, p<0.001). This proved that the effect of training positive thoughts on the behavior of the participants continued after 4 months. Furthermore, the eta value verified that 44 percent of changes in self-control and 48 percent of changes in self-awareness were due to the effect of the experimental intervention in the follow-up phase. ConclusionThis research study, which was conducted with the aim of teaching positive thinking skills on students' self-control and self-awareness, showed that positive thinking education increased students' self-control and self-awareness. This result confims the results of the researches (Tawheed Fam (2019) the effectiveness of teaching positive thinking skills on self-control and social adaptation and Diener Bist et al (2018). It is consistent about the role of positive imagery training on increasing self-awareness. Teaching positive thinking enables a person to have a proper perception of behaviors, attitudes and feelings and by maintaining calmness and composure reduces anger and impulsiveness. Developing a positive view of self and life in students leads to a better association with the social environment of the school and through it students can establish a more positive and logical interaction with their classmates due to high ability of self-control. Feedback from these interactions develops students' self-awareness because, according to the defenders of Kara Demas's (Karademas, 2006) positivity approach, having positive thinking skills help individuals look at their interpersonal and social relationship with more insight and accuracy, and away from irrational emotions and impulses have more reasonable answers appropriate to the environment and social conditions.In regards to the limitations of the current research, we can refer to the research community that is geographically limited to the students of Salas Babajani, using self-report evaluation method (questionnaire) and the researcher's lack of direct access to the subjects, which could affect the results of the research. Therefore, it is suggested to carry out this research with students in other regions of the country as well. Additionally, to avoid bias answering the questionnaire, qualitative methods such as interview, checklist and observation should be used if possible. Finally, direct and face-to-face access is suggested for further research.  Ethical ConsiderationCompliance with Ethical Guidelines: All ethical issues such as confidentiality of participants' identity were attended to and informed consent were obtained from the participants.Authors’ Contributions: This article is extracted from the master's thesis of the second author. Extraction, preparation, editing and submission of the article was done by the first author of the supervisor. The third and fourth authors are thesis advisers.Conflict of Interest: The authors declare no conflict of interest for this research study.Funding: The authors received no financial support for the study.Acknowledgment: The authors thank all the participants of this study

The death of a spouse can have many psychological consequences. In such a situation, some people may experience post-traumatic growth despite facing a painful event. Therefore, it is important to identify the factors involved in this phenomenon. The present study was conducted with the aim of developing a model of post-traumatic growth based on emotional schemas with the mediating role of self-compassion among women mourning the death of their husbands due to corona disease. The design of the study was descriptive-correlation and structural equation modeling. The sample consisted of 330 women mourning the death of their husband due to corona disease, who responded to questionnaires of post-traumatic growth, emotional schemas, and self-compassion. Pearson's correlation coefficient and structural equation method were used to analyze the data. According to the results, the direct effect of uncontrollability, irrationality, non-acceptance of emotions, guilt, expressing emotions and seeking approval on self-compassion and post-traumatic growth and the direct effect of self-compassion on post-traumatic growth were significant. The indirect effect of uncontrollability, irrationality, non-acceptance of emotions, guilt, expressing emotions and seeking approval on post-traumatic growth was significant. Therefore, self-compassion had a significant role as a mediating variable in the relationship between emotional schemas and post-traumatic growth. According to the results, it can be said that in order to promote post-traumatic growth in bereaved people, it is possible to design interventions based on the modification of emotional schemas and self-compassion.