Locomotion (Empowering) and Assessment (Disempowering) Self-Regulatory Dimensions as a Function of Affective Profile in High School Students

Abstract

The purpose of the present study was to examine high school adolescent pupils' self-regulatory strategies in relation to psychological well-being and subjective well-being (i.e., temporal life satisfaction and affect) using the affective profiles model as the backdrop for the analysis. Participants were categorized into Self-fulfilling (high positive, low negative), High affective (high positive, high negative), Low affective (low positive, low negative) and Self-destructive (low positive, high negative) profiles according to their responses on the Positive Affect and Negative Affect Schedule. The participants also self-reported self-regulation ("assessment" and "locomotion"), temporal life satisfaction (past, present and future) and psychological well-being (e.g. Self-acceptance, environmental mastery, personal growth). Self-fulfilling adolescents, in contrast to Self-destructive adolescents, expressed high levels of temporal life satisfaction and psychological well-being. The self-regulatory "locomotion" dimension was associated to high positive affect profiles, higher life satisfaction and psychological well-being whereas the self-regulatory "assessment" dimension was associated with high negative affect profiles, lesser life satisfaction and psychological well-being. Taken together, the well-being outcomes linked to the "locomotion" dimension seem to contribute to an upward 'spiral of empowerment', reinforcing approaching or agentic behavior; while the outcome linked to the "assessment" dimension appear to consist of a downward 'spiral of disempowerment' or inaction.

The affective profiles, psychological well-being, and harmony: environmental mastery and self-acceptance predict the sense of a harmonious life

“…This suggests that a harmonious life might come from accepting all parts of the self and one’s past as well as from the individual’s ability to fit in with environments suitable for their strengths. This is actually a good description of the process of empowerment, a process in which the individual is strengthened to be proactive, non-judgemental, responsible for his own actions, in control of her/his own life, and responsible by helping others ( Jimmefors, Garcia & Archer, i n p r e s s ). It is worth pointing out that as a concept, harmony stresses accepting and adapting to the surroundings while environmental mastery emphasizes creating and choosing surroundings.…”

“…, 2010 ; Garcia & Siddiqui, 2009 a ; Garcia & Siddiqui, 2009 b ; Nima et al. , 2013 ; Jimmefors, Garcia & Archer, i n p r e s s ). Importantly, this approach provides a more informative and detailed picture of the nature of positive and negative affect as compared with simply treating them as two separate variables or adding them together to one mean value ( Garcia, 2011 ).…”

Self-regulatory mode (locomotion and assessment), well-being (subjective and psychological), and exercise behavior (frequency and intensity) in relation to high school pupils’ academic achievement

“…Moreover, there is a positive relationship between locomotion and extrovert behavior (e.g., the ability to socialize with others, positive affectivity), motivation, Type–A behavior, readiness for action, and vitality ( Higgins, 1997 ; Kruglanski et al, 2000 ), and higher affective well-being ( Giacomantonio, Mannetti & Pierro, 2013 ). In other words, the tendency to constantly evaluate oneself, which is typical for the assessment-oriented person, prompts a sense of inadequacy, negative emotions, lower self-esteem and less optimism ( Kruglanski et al, 2007 ; Jimmefors et al, 2014 ). Locomotion, on the other hand, implying activation, proactivity, and forward-striving, is linked with lesser reflection and more goal-oriented movement, thereby providing more positive emotions, higher optimism and self-confidence ( Kruglanski et al, 2007 ; Pierro et al, 2013 ; Jimmefors et al, 2014 ).…”

“…In other words, the tendency to constantly evaluate oneself, which is typical for the assessment-oriented person, prompts a sense of inadequacy, negative emotions, lower self-esteem and less optimism ( Kruglanski et al, 2007 ; Jimmefors et al, 2014 ). Locomotion, on the other hand, implying activation, proactivity, and forward-striving, is linked with lesser reflection and more goal-oriented movement, thereby providing more positive emotions, higher optimism and self-confidence ( Kruglanski et al, 2007 ; Pierro et al, 2013 ; Jimmefors et al, 2014 ). This suggests that the two self-regulatory modes are differently related to well-being.…”

The Swedish version of the Regulatory Mode Questionnaire

“…assessment: ‘I often critique work done by myself or others’; locomotion: ‘I am a “doer”). The Swedish version (see Appendix 1) has been used in previous studies [1] , [6] , [7] ). In the present study, Cronbach's alphas were 0.75 for assessment and 0.74 for locomotion.…”