Psychology of Assessment

Psychology of Assessment - Week 9
Measuring Emotional Adjustment

Emotional Intelligence
means having the ability to...

Managing feelings
Managing relationship
Controlling impulses

Salovey’s Five Domains

1. Knowing one’s emotions
2. Managing emotions
3. Motivating Oneself
4. Recognizing emotions in others
5. Handling relationships

Mayer and Stevens: Three Emotional Styles

1. Self-Aware
2. Engulfed
3. Accepting

Delay of Gratification

The Marshmallow Test - At age 4, those who can delay gratification (as high as 2/3) show competence, coping and assertiveness at age 18. They are also more self-reliant, self-initiating, and trustworthy. For those 4 year olds who cannot delay gratification, they are more delinquent, externalize blame, jealousy, envy, sharp temper, mistrustful and over-reactive at age 18.

This simple test at age 4 is 200% as powerful at predicting SAT scores at age 17 then IQ is.

Optimism, Flow and Empathy

Optimism - Optimists see failure as something that they can change. Pessimists take the blame for failure, and feel helpless to change
Flow and "The Zone" - when you lose yourself and become extremely productive
Empathy - "feeling into"
Women are better than men at observing these verbal and non-verbal signs of emotion
Children who are high on measures of empathy do better in school

Defenses

People who use "healthy" or "mature" defenses are better adjusted, happier, and are less likely to experience physical and emotional problems (healthy defenses include altruism, sublimation, suppression, anticipation, humor) Vaillant (2000)

Optimism, Flow and Empathy

Optimism - Seligman. Looks at how people explain their successes and failures to themselves. Optimists see failure as something that they can change. Pessimists take the blame for failure, and feel helpless to change.
Flow and "The Zone" - when you lose yourself and become extremely productive.
Empathy - "feeling into." Women are better than men at observing these verbal and non-verbal signs of emotion. Children who are high on measures of empathy do better in school. It is estimated by Goleman that 90% of all emotional messages are non-verbal.

Hope

Agency &endash; determination that one's goals can be achieved
Pathways &endash; belief that successful plans to reach one's goals can be developed (Snyder et al, 2000)
Positive Illusions about the future protect emotional and physical health (Taylor, et al, 2000)

Happiness

Predictors of happiness
Money (very rich are slightly happier than others)
Marital status (in order: married, never married, divorced, separated)
Existence and preference for close relationships
Faith and religious attendance

Subjective Well-being

Predicts adjustment.
To test, ask the person to recall as many positive events in their life as they can in timed session. Then have them do the same for negative events. Compare the two.

Top five "Life Satisfied" countries:

1. Switzerland
2. Denmark
3. Canada
4. Ireland
5. Netherlands

Back to the Psych of Assessment Course Outline