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SELF—Driving Positive Psychology and Well-Being

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A volume in
International Advances in Self Research, Volume 6
Rhonda G. Craven, Herbert Marsh, Dennis M. McInerney, Series Editors

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SELF—Driving Positive Psychology and Well-Being

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edited by

Frédéric Guay

Université Laval and Oxford University

Herbert W. Marsh

Australian Catholic University

Dennis Michael McInerney

Australian Catholic University
and The Education University of Hong Kong

Rhonda Craven

Australian Catholic University

INFORMATION AGE PUBLISHING, INC.
Charlotte, NC • www.infoagepub.com

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

A CIP record for this book is available from the Library of Congress

http://www.loc.gov

ISBN: 978-1-64113-002-8 (Paperback)

           978-1-64113-003-5 (Hardcover)

           978-1-64113-004-2 (ebook)

Copyright © 2017 Information Age Publishing Inc.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a
retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, microfilming, recording or otherwise, without written permission
from the publisher.

Printed in the United States of America

Contents

Preface

1     The Role of Perceived Competence in the Lives of Children with ADHD, Emotional and Behavioral Disorder, Learning Disability, and Developmental Disability: A Positive Psychology Perspective

Andrew J. Martin, Iva Strnadová, Susan C. O’Neill, and Therese M. Cumming

2     Striving to Validate Competence versus Striving to Attain Normative Superiority: Two Distinct Motivational Processes With Different Implications for the Self

Yoonkyung Chung and Mimi Bong

3     The Development of Interest and Self-Related Processing

Suzanne E. Hidi, K. Ann Renninger, and Georg Northoff

4     Academic Self-Concept in the Sciences: Domain-Specific Differentiation, Gender Differences, and Dimensional Comparison Effects

Malte Jansen

5     Does Culture Matter for Grit? Mapping Cross-Cultural Directions in Grit Research Programs

Jesus Alfonso D. Datu and Dennis M. McInerney

6     The Distinctive Roles of Perceptions of Health Risks and Benefits, Self-Efficacy, and Motivation in the Awareness, Initiation, and Maintenance of Healthy Behaviors

Luc G. Pelletier, Camille Guertin, and Meredith Rocchi

7     The Role of Parents in Supporting Adjustment to School: A Motivational Perspective

Catherine F. Ratelle and Stéphane Duchesne

8     Pervasive Influences on Wellness and Thriving: Cultural, Political, and Economic Contexts and the Support of Basic Psychological Needs

Richard M. Ryan, Stefano I. Di Domenico, William S. Ryan, and Edward L. Deci

9     Leveraging Self Psychology to Strengthen Positive Psychology: Conceptual Analysis of Three Paths to Well-Being

Danu Anthony Stinson and William B. Swann Jr.

10    A Relative Cognitive Strength and Interest Model: A New Perspective for Understanding Individual and Gender Differences in STEM Fields

Ming-Te Wang and Jessica L. Degol

11    Development of Children’s Ability Beliefs and Values and School-Based Interventions to Improve Them

Allan Wigfield, Jessica R. Gladstone, and Lara Turci

About the Editors

About the Contributors

Preface

Research on the Self relates to various phenomena including self-esteem, self-concept, self-verification, self-awareness, identity, self-efficacy, passion, autonomy, goals, etc., that are predictive of optimal functioning and well-being. Such a research endeavor is consistent with the positive psychology movement focusing on the scientific study of what makes people psychologically healthy, happy, and satisfied in their lives, as well as on their strengths and virtues. The positive psychology movement cultivates a sensible approach to optimal human functioning and well-being in various life contexts. Chapters in this volume will illustrate some of the best of the research on the interplay between the self and positive psychology, to show the potential of this research for transforming our societies. Self—Driving Positive Psychology and Well-Being thus provides a unique insight into self and its fundamental role for well-being. This is an important topic because different societies around the world are facing challenges that could be less optimal for their citizens’ well-being such as poverty, health issues, school dropout, burnout, and marginalization. Trying to understand how the Self is shaped by the interpersonal and the societal milieus and how the self produce higher well-being is fundamental to increase our knowledge on well-being and to design intervention programs to help people who are the most vulnerable in our societies.

Articles in this issue address several important questions regarding the role of Self and well-being: Does perceived competence play a relevant role in at-risk children’s academic, personal, and social well-being? Why students with the same potential react differently to challenges and obstacles they face? What are the implications of these reactions for their wellness? How interests in various activities develop and how they are related to positive feelings? How self-concept is shaped in various scientific disciplines such as biology, chemistry, and physics and what are the gender differences on self-concepts? How interests and perceived ability explain choices to pursue a career in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics? How culture affects people’s capacity to maintain their interests and to pursue their effort to attain their important life goals? How perceptions of health risks and benefits, self-efficacy, and motivation affect healthy behaviors? How parents foster students’ needs satisfaction and their well-being as well as how cultures, political environments, and economic systems affect these important psychological processes? What is the optimal path to achieve well-being? Should we focus on positive illusions, embrace relationships or look at our hidden characteristics? How children’s values and abilities develop and what are the best interventions to foster these positive beliefs associated with well-being?

Self—Driving Positive Psychology and Well-Being presents a collection of ground-breaking chapters that advance our knowledge on how the self is shaped by the context and how the self is important for well-being and various positive psychological states. Chapters in this volume will stimulate new research that will advance our understanding of the role of self in well-being.

—Frederic Guay
Herbert W. Marsh
Dennis M. McInerney
Rhonda Craven