Showing posts with label positive psychology. Show all posts
Showing posts with label positive psychology. Show all posts

Thursday, January 4, 2024

Micro Praise in psychology

 

A Note of Praise 2024
Geoffrey W Sutton & Bing AI

Micro praise is a term for small units of praise. The power of positive praise appears as a two-way benefit. The receiver appreciates the compliment and the giver feels uplifted too.

A finding from Gallup makes an important point.

Considering the power of team-level recognition, it's alarming that no more than a third of western European and U.S. employees, according to recent Gallup research, strongly agree that their organization recognizes team achievements (33% in the U.K., 33% in Germany, 25% in the U.S., 24% in Spain and 19% in France).

Erica Boothby and Vanessa Bohns (2021) found that people underestimate the value of complimenting others.

Kakinuma and others (2020) observed that praise has a positive impact on effort but praise focused on ability has a negative impact. In their own studies, they found that those who offered ability-focused praise negatively impacted those who gave praise. When combined with previous studies, it appears that praising a person's ability doesn't work well for either the giver or the receiver.

Psychologist David Myers  summarized recent research on micro praise and gave a personal example. He benefitted from a note from billionaire Rich DeVos. Myers responded to the compliment by inviting DeVos to coffee. DeVos invested in his efforts to promote the use of hearing loops to help the hearing impaired. His post inspired this post.

In summary, micro praise has the potential to strengthen effort and encourage the giver as well. Thus, in some cases, micro praise functions as a positive reinforcer. Of course, if the praised effort declines, then the characteristics of the praise and situational factors should be examined.

Potential applications of two-way praiseworthy moments and a path to an uplifting culture.

Student <> teacher at all levels of education

employee <> supervisor

spouse <> spouse

parent <> child

friend <> friend

person <> person


Cite this post

Sutton, G. W. (2024, January 4). Micro praise. Psychology Concepts and Theories. Retrieved from https://suttonpsychology.blogspot.com/2024/01/micro-praise.html


Geoffrey W. Sutton, PhD is Emeritus Professor of Psychology. He retired from a clinical practice and was credentialed in clinical neuropsychology and psychopharmacology. His website is  www.suttong.com

 

See Geoffrey Sutton’s books on   AMAZON       or  GOOGLE STORE

Follow on    FACEBOOK   Geoff W. Sutton    

   TWITTER  @Geoff.W.Sutton    


You can read many published articles at no charge:

  Academia   Geoff W Sutton     ResearchGate   Geoffrey W Sutton 

 

Dr. Sutton’s posts are for educational purposes only. See a licensed mental health provider for diagnoses, treatment, and consultation. 

Wednesday, January 3, 2024

Resilience in Psychology

 


Resilience is the term for the complex intrapersonal process of successfully coping with difficult experiences or challenges that have required considerable adaptation. (Sutton, 2024)

 

The complex intrapersonal processes place demands on oneself and include cognitive, emotional, and behavioral adaptations, which are moderated by one’s physiological status within a social context. (See the SCOPES model of functioning.)

Successful coping is evident when a person has returned to a level of functioning that is as good as or better than their functioning before the challenges or adverse experiences began.

When a person has overcome a traumatic experience and they function better than before the experience, the new status represents post-traumatic growth, which is different from resilience. See post-traumatic growth.

Community groups, including faith-based groups, can help strengthen resilience.


Resilience research notes

A review and meta-analysis found a moderate positive effect of resilience interventions (Joyce et al., 2018). The study suggests that resilience interventions based on a combination of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and mindfulness techniques appear to have a positive impact on individual resilience.

Improvements in resilience in humans have been reported as a result of psychological and cognitive therapies, such as child caregiver advocacy resilience (Li et al., 2017), a life skills education-based program (Sarkar et al., 2017), the iNEAR programme (Tunariu et al., 2017), intensive mindfulness meditation training (Hwang et al., 2018) and stress inoculation training (Horn et al., 2016). Although all the above achieved good outcomes, the same method may have different therapeutic effects in different individuals. (Liu et al., 2018)

Factors associated with childhood resilience were summarized in The Science of Resilience (2015).

Research has identified a set of factors that help children achieve positive outcomes in the face of significant adversity. Individuals who demonstrate resilience in response to one form of adversity may not necessarily do so in response to another. Yet when communities and families strengthen these factors, they optimize resilience across multiple contexts. Factors include:

providing supportive adult-child relationships;

scaffolding learning so the child builds a sense of self-efficacy and control;

helping strengthen adaptive skills and self-regulatory capacities; and

using faith and cultural traditions as a foundation for hope and stability.

 Cite this post

Sutton, G. W. (2024, January 3). Resilience in psychology. Psychology Concepts and Theories. Retrieved from https://suttonpsychology.blogspot.com/2024/01/resilience-in-psychology.html


References

Center on the Developing Child (2015). The Science of Resilience (InBrief). Retrieved from www.developingchild.harvard.edu.

Joyce, S., Shand, F., Tighe, J., et al. (2018). Road to resilience: a systematic review and meta-analysis of resilience training programmes and interventions. BMJ Open, 8:e017858. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2017-017858

Liu, H., Zhang, C., Ji, Y., & Yang, L. (2018). Biological and Psychological Perspectives of Resilience: Is It Possible to Improve Stress Resistance?. Frontiers in human neuroscience, 12, 326. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnhum.2018.00326

Sutton, G. W. (2024, January 3). Resilience in psychology. Psychology Concepts and Theories. Retrieved from https://suttonpsychology.blogspot.com/2024/01/resilience-in-psychology.html


Geoffrey W. Sutton, PhD is Emeritus Professor of Psychology. He retired from a clinical practice and was credentialed in clinical neuropsychology and psychopharmacology. His website is  www.suttong.com

 

See Geoffrey Sutton’s books on   AMAZON       or  GOOGLE STORE

Follow on    FACEBOOK   Geoff W. Sutton    

   TWITTER  @Geoff.W.Sutton    


You can read many published articles at no charge:

  Academia   Geoff W Sutton     ResearchGate   Geoffrey W Sutton 

 

Dr. Sutton’s posts are for educational purposes only. See a licensed mental health provider for diagnoses, treatment, and consultation.


Monday, September 18, 2023

Intellectual Humility

 


Intellectual humility involves an appreciation of one’s own abilities and respect for the thoughts and capabilities of others. 

Intellectual humility may be general or specific.

Intellectual humility is a type of humility, which is a virtue found in religion and philosophy.

Those who are strong in intellectual humility engage respectfully with people who have other ideas. This type of humility contrasts with bragging, arrogant statements, challenging another’s intellectual ability, and overclaiming one’s own skills. However, publicly expressing intellectual humility by admitting mistakes or lack of knowledge is not always appreciated in certain contexts (e.g., see Porter & Cimpian, 2023).

Hodge et al. (2019) examined the relationship of religious intellectual humility (RHI) to spirituality and morality. The authors conceptualized RHI as an openness to various religious traditions. RHI was associated with openness to different religious views and beliefs as well as a liberal pattern of moral foundations. In contrast, spiritual humility predicted religious fundamentalism and a conservative pattern of moral foundations.

Specific intellectual humility

Hoyle et al. (2016) "define specific intellectual humility as the recognition that a particular personal view may be fallible, accompanied by an appropriate attentiveness to limitations in the evidentiary basis of that view and to one's own limitations in obtaining and evaluating information relevant to it." (p. 165)


References


Hodge, A. S., Melian, K., Hook, J. N., Gazaway, S., Zhang, H., Farrell, J. E., Mosher, D. K., Captari, L. E., Coomes, S. P., Van Tongeren, D. R., & Davis, D. E. (2019). Exploring religious intellectual humility and spiritual humility. Journal of Psychology and Christianity, 38(1), 22–34.

Hoyle, R. H., Davisson, E. K., Diebels, K. J., & Leary, M. R. (2016). Holding specific views with humility: Conceptualization and measurement of specific intellectual humility. Personality and Individual Differences, 97, 165–172. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2016.03.043


Porter, T., & Cimpian, A. (2023). A context’s emphasis on intellectual ability discourages the expression of intellectual humility. Motivation Science, 9(2), 120–130. https://doi.org/10.1037/mot0000289

Sutton, G. (2024). Assessing spirituality & religiosity: Beliefs, practices, values, & experiences. Springfield, MO, Sunflower.

Sutton, G. W. (2023, September 18) Intellectual humility. Assessment, Statistics, & Research. Retrieved from https://suttonpsychology.blogspot.com/2023/09/intellectual-humility.html

Worthington, E. J., & Allison, S. T. (2018). Heroic humility: What the science of humility can say to people raised on self-focus (pp. 91-103). Washington, DC, US: American Psychological Association. doi:10.1037/0000079-006

Read more about Humility


Links to measures of humility

Specific Intellectual Humility Scale

Theistic Intellectual Humility Scale

See subscale H of HEXACO

Contrast with Workplace Arrogance Scale

Geoffrey W. Sutton, PhD is Emeritus Professor of Psychology. He retired from a clinical practice and was credentialed in clinical neuropsychology and psychopharmacology. His website is  www.suttong.com

 

See Geoffrey Sutton’s books on   AMAZON       or  GOOGLE STORE

Follow on    FACEBOOK   Geoff W. Sutton    

   TWITTER  @Geoff.W.Sutton    


You can read many published articles at no charge:

  Academia   Geoff W Sutton     ResearchGate   Geoffrey W Sutton 

 

Dr. Sutton’s posts are for educational purposes only. See a licensed mental health provider for diagnoses, treatment, and consultation.



Thursday, May 25, 2023

Courage in Psychology




Courage is a virtue marked by inner strength, which enables people to confront the challenges of life even when they experience fear and anxiety. Researchers have identified different types of courage such as physical, moral, social, task, vital, and spiritual.

Courage involves the interaction of several dimensions of psychological functioning represented in the COPES initialism of Cognition, Observable Behavior, Physiology, and Emotion within a Social context (See the SCOPES model).

PHYSICAL COURAGE

Physical courage is evident when we learn about soldiers who risked their lives to defend their comrades on the world’s battlefields. But closer to home we learn of first responders rescuing people from a blazing fire or a bystander diving into a freezing cold river to save a fallen child.

Uri Nili and his colleagues (2010) documented biological changes in the brain when people attempt to overcome fear. They brought a live snake into a lab where volunteers, who were afraid of snakes, agreed to have their brain responses examined (fMRI). When presented with snakes, the known fear circuits in the brain registered fear. Brain differences (changes in the subgenual anterior cingulate cortex) were evident between their efforts to overcome fear compared to times when they succumbed to fear.

MORAL COURAGE

Moral courage involves taking a stand for that which is right and just when such a stand involves some element of risk. Rosa Parks and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. are examples of people displaying moral, social, and physical courage when they violated the norms, policies, or laws that denied them access to the same privileges their government provided to others.

VITAL COURAGE

Some thinkers have commented on the special courage (sometimes called vital courage) required to cope with severe illness. While some may be tempted to give up, others courageously struggle to cope with such difficulties as loss of mobility, hearing, and sight, or difficulty managing pain. Even treatment for some illnesses can be painful and cause disabling side-effects. Faustine Williams and Stephen Jeanetta (2016)  interviewed breast cancer survivors to understand their challenges. They discovered several fears that arose during the process from diagnosis to treatment and aftercare. Examples of fears to overcome included potential losses of appearance, sexuality, quality of life, and a return of the cancer.

SOCIAL COURAGE

Social courage is the kind of courage people need when taking a public stand against social injustice or unethical behavior that puts them at risk for harmful social consequences. Social courage overlaps with moral courage when the issue is framed in terms of a moral principle. But not every problem with governments, businesses, or social organizations is a moral concern. For example, workers who seek better wages or benefits can be at risk for reprisal in companies that do not welcome criticism.

TASK COURAGE

Task courage is the personal strength to persevere with a daunting task that involves apprehension. Andrew Martin (2011) of the University of Sydney studied courage to face challenging academic tasks in a sample of 7,637 high school students. Such tasks can produce measurable fear and anxiety. Martin 
found that courage and confidence were similar in some ways but the presence of courage was very important compared to students whose fears led to avoidance or helplessness.

SPIRITUAL COURAGE
Spiritual courage is the act of persevering against challenging situations that make life seem to meaningless or purposeless. Spiritual courage involves finding a meaningful answer to the question, Why go on living? Spiritually courageous people create meaning, reframe life events, and exercise the will to live. For some, spiritual courage comes from a stalwart religious faith often illustrated in scriptural stories like David and Goliath (Sutton, 2019).


Measure Courage

See the 23-item Woodard Pury Courage Scale


References


Martin, A. J. (2011). Courage in the classroom: Exploring a new framework predicting academic performance and engagement. School Psychology Quarterly, 26(2), 145–160. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0023020

Nili, U., Goldberg, H., Weizman, A., & Dudai, Y. (2010). Fear Thou Not: Activity of Frontal and Temporal Circuits in Moments of Real-Life Courage. Neuron, 66 (6), 949-962 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2010.06.009

Sutton, G.W. (2019). Living well: 10 big ideas of faith and a meaningful life. Springfield, MO: Sunflower. (On AMAZON). ISBN-10 1796320161  ISBN-13 978-1796320169

Williams, F. & Jeanetta, S.C. (2016). Lived experiences of breast cancer survivors after diagnosis, treatment and beyond: qualitative study. Health Expectations, 19 (3), 631-42. doi: 10.1111/hex.12372. 


See chapter 2, Discovering Courage, in Living Well to find ideas to develop courage.


Stories illustrating courage

Miep Geis in A Small Light. Miep helped save Anne Frank and her family for years.

Odette Samson in Code Name: Lise. Odette was a spy for the allies in World War II.

Louis Zamperini in the book and film, Unbroken. Olympian Louis Zamperini survived being shot down in the Pacific Ocean followed by severe abuse in a Japanese prison camp.




Monday, January 9, 2023

Altruism in Psychology

 


Altruism is a generally adaptive strategy for meeting one’s own needs by fulfilling the needs of others. Some altruistic acts may help a person cope with past experiences when they needed help, which was not available.

Altruism is a Level 7 Defense Mechanism.

Resources

A- Z List of Defense Mechanisms with descriptions

 

Psychotic Defense Mechanisms described

 

Defense Mechanisms Rating Scales

            Form Self-Report 30

            Q-Sort Version

 


Geoffrey W. Sutton, PhD is Emeritus Professor of Psychology. He retired from a clinical practice and was credentialed in clinical neuropsychology and psychopharmacology. His website is  www.suttong.com

 

See Geoffrey Sutton’s books on   AMAZON       or  GOOGLE STORE

Follow on    FACEBOOK   Geoff W. Sutton    

   TWITTER  @Geoff.W.Sutton    

You can read many published articles at no charge:

  Academia   Geoff W Sutton     ResearchGate   Geoffrey W Sutton 

Dr. Sutton’s posts are for educational purposes only. See a licensed mental health provider for diagnoses, treatment, and consultation.

Monday, November 28, 2022

Joy - Psychology of Joy

 Joy is a positive emotion and a disposition.

Watkins and his colleagues summarized their review of Joy in 2017 as follows:

Summarizing the important theoretical proposals of the appraisal structure of joy, we have seen that joy results from construals of: an intentional good object that is ‘unowed’, something that one has been longing for, something that indicates we have been blessed or favored, something that indicates a turning of fortune, and that life is working out well and that life is being well lived.  (Page 3).

In the SCOPES model, Joy as a state is a component in the Emotional (E) dimension of human functioning. As a disposition, joy aspects of joy include cognition (C), emotion (E), and Observable behavior patterns (O). See Sutton (2021).

Like other variables such as anger and forgiveness, joy may be considered as either a mood / emotional state or a disposition / personality trait.


Measures of Joy- Click below for links to the scales

State Joy Scale

Dispositional Joy Scale


 References


Sutton, G. W. (2021). Creating surveys: Second Edition| How to create and administer surveys, evaluate workshops & seminars, interpret and present results. Springfield, MO: Sunflower.   AMAZON   Paperback ISBN-13:  9798712780327     website

Watkins, P.C., Emmons, R. A., Greaves, M. R. & Bell, J. (2018) Joy is a distinct positive emotion: Assessment of joy and relationship to gratitude and well-being, The Journal of Positive Psychology, 13:5, 522-539, DOI: 10.1080/17439760.2017.1414298


Friday, November 4, 2022

Narrative Therapy- Writing Our Stories

Woman typing by a fireplace 2023
Geoffrey Sutton and Bing AI



Narrative Therapy developed by Michael White and David Epston offers people a way to separate their self-identity from their problems and difficulties, which can become the identity stories that dominate their lives.

Psychotherapists learn to listen to patients' stories and collaborate with patients to identify their skills,  competencies, abilities, values, and beliefs that can help patients view their problems in a different life context.

In everyday life, people tell snippets of their lives as short stories on social media, in conversations, in books, and in diaries. Our stories reveal what is meaningful. In psychotherapy, people may learn to rework or edit their narratives of past experiences and take a new approach to current and future stories. Changing past stories has been called re-authoring or re-storying. The analysis of older and problematic identity stories is called deconstruction.

Psychotherapists may use a position map technique to name and list the details of a problem and identify the effects in a patient's life contexts such as school, work, and relationships. Patients then evaluate the effects in each domain and consider their values in view of the effects they have identified.

My Life Story is a psychotherapy technique to organize one's life into chapters. The chapters may represent highlights or key issues of a particular time frame such as My High School Years. People may learn to recognize their history and how it may have shaped them but realize that their past does not have to determine their future.


Narrative Therapy and Transgender Identity

In Gender Identity and Faith, Mark Yarhouse and Julia Sadusky (2022) recommend the use of narrative therapy as a way to explore gender identity.

Narrative Therapy and Spiritual Identity

Most people in the world are religious and many religious people consider their religion or their faith as highly important to their identity. People often refer to their faith journey or spiritual journey. In some Christian groups, members are asked to share their testimony, which is a life story. In these testimonies, they may interpret positive and negative life events in terms of their beliefs using phrases like God's will, God's protection, and so forth. Narrative Therapy may be useful in helping people with spiritual struggles.

Narrative Therapy and Career Counseling

Many people identify their occupation as important. It's common to ask a new acquaintance, "What do you do?" We expect the person to tell about their work or how they spend their time such as I'm a psychologist, I'm retired, I'm a teacher, I'm a student, and so forth. During periods of transition, narrative therapy may be helpful in thinking about the past, evaluating one's strengths and values, and beginning a new life chapter.

Narrative Therapy and the SCOPES model

Narrative Therapy is highly relevant to the SCOPES model because both the therapy and SCOPES model focus on the interaction of the Core Self-Identity and the interaction of the self with other dimensions of functioning, including the highly important social contexts.

How to Cite this article

Sutton, G. W. (2022, November 4). Narrative therapy--Writing our stories. Psychology Concepts and Theories. Retrieved from https://suttonpsychology.blogspot.com/2022/11/narrative-therapy-writing-our-stories.html


Narrative Therapy Books

Maps of Narrative Therapy by Michael White (co-founder)


Please check out my website   www.suttong.com

   and see my books on   AMAZON       or  GOOGLE STORE

Also, consider connecting with me on    FACEBOOK   Geoff W. Sutton    

   TWITTER  @Geoff.W.Sutton    

You can read many published articles at no charge:

  Academia   Geoff W Sutton     ResearchGate   Geoffrey W Sutton 


Narrative Therapy Founders

Michael White 1949-2008, Adelaide, Australia.

David Epston, Auckland, New Zealand.

Photo credit: Mystic Arts/ Bing search- Free to use and share

Tuesday, February 16, 2021

Microfriendships



Microfriendships are brief friendly interactions with others characterized by kindness and resulting in happy feelings. Examples include pleasant conversations with a stranger in a subway, a taxi driver, a store clerk, or restaurant waitstaff.

Learn more in an essay on this topic by David Myers "The Happy Science of Micro-Friendships."

Please check out my website   www.suttong.com

   and see my books on   AMAZON       or  GOOGLE STORE

Also, consider connecting with me on    FACEBOOK   Geoff W. Sutton    

   TWITTER  @Geoff.W.Sutton    

You can read many published articles at no charge:

  Academia   Geoff W Sutton     ResearchGate   Geoffrey W Sutton 

Wednesday, January 13, 2021

Psychology of Flow


 Flow is a positive psychology concept described by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi as a pleasant mental state experienced when performing intense but enjoyable activities requiring full deployment of a person's skills or abilities. Flow is a peak experience involving high levels of concentration during which a person loses an awareness of things around them as well as self-consciousness.

See Csikszentmihalyi's book titled Flow for more details (Link to UK Book).








Several measures have been developed to assess flow. Lonczak summarised these at this link: https://positivepsychology.com/how-to-measure-flow-scales-questionnaires/


Csikszentmihalyi has a TED talk on Flow. It is not exciting but he does present the concept and provides stories to illustrate people in a state of flow.


In his talk, Csikszentmihalyi illustrates flow with a diagram. The picture at the top of this post is a rendition of that illustration.

Cite this post

Sutton, G.W. (2021, January 13). Flow. Psychology Concepts and Theories. Retrieved from https://suttonpsychology.blogspot.com/2021/01/psychology-of-flow.html

Note: Csikszentmihalyi died 20 October 2021 at age 87 in California. Obituary link.

Links to Connections

Checkout My Website   www.suttong.com

  

See my Books

  AMAZON       

 

  GOOGLE STORE

 

FOLLOW me on

   FACEBOOK   Geoff W. Sutton  

  

   TWITTER  @Geoff.W.Sutton

 

   PINTEREST  www.pinterest.com/GeoffWSutton

 

Read published articles:

 

  Academia   Geoff W Sutton   

 

  ResearchGate   Geoffrey W Sutton 




Wednesday, February 19, 2020

Gratitude psychology


Gratitude is an attitude of appreciation experienced as a pleasant feeling with thoughts about good people, experiences, things, or benefits in response to a gift or experience. Gratitude also includes behavioral responses such as a smile and an expression of thankfulness.

Gratitude is associated with indicators of better health such as lower blood pressure, longer and more refreshing sleep, and better self-care. Grateful people report less aches and pains.

High levels of gratitude are correlated with other positive emotions. People with high levels of gratitude feel more alert, joyful, optimistic, and happy.

High levels of gratitude are linked to better social relationships characterized by forgiveness, generosity, compassion, and helpfulness. People high in gratitude feel less lonely and tend to be more outgoing.

As a feeling, gratitude is associated with the E or emotional domain of functioning in the SCOPES model. Grateful thoughts are part of C (cognition) and expressions of gratitude are part of O (Observable Behavior). The improved health factors are part of the P (Physical domain). Of course, gratitude may be a component of self-identity--including the link  with spirituality thus, the core Self. Finally, gratitude occurs in a Social Context.

Several researchers are associated with gratitude science.

Robert Emmons is the leading expert. He is professor at the University of California, Davis. He has published many articles and books on the subject.

Michael McCullough, Professor of Psychology, University of Miami

See also the names in the references below.


Read more about gratitude, which is chapter 4 in Living Well available on AMAZON and other fine booksellers in many countries.














Related Posts

How to measure gratitude

Grateful People: The Psychology of Gratitude 

         *Big 12 features of Gratitude
         *How to develop gratitude - journals and more

Connections

   My Page    www.suttong.com
   My Books   AMAZON     GOOGLE PLAY STORE
   FACEBOOK   Geoff W. Sutton
   TWITTER  @Geoff.W.Sutton

Publications (many free downloads)
  Academia   Geoff W Sutton   (PhD)     
  ResearchGate   Geoffrey W Sutton   (PhD)



Some Gratitude References


Algoe, S.B. & Stanton, A.L. (2012). Gratitude when it is needed most: Social functions of gratitude in women with metastatic breast cancer. Emotion, 12, 163-168. DOI: 10.1037/a0024024

Emmons, R. A., & Crumpler, C. A. (2000). Gratitude as a human strength: Appraising the evidence. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 19, 56-69.

Emmons, R. A., & Kneezel, T. T.(2005). Giving thanks: Spiritual and religious correlates of gratitude. Journal of Psychology and Christianity, 24, 140-148.

Emmons, R. A., & McCullough, M. E. (2003). Counting blessings versus burdens: Experimental studies of gratitude and subjective well-being in daily life. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 84, 377-389.

Froh, J. J., Bono, G., & Emmons, R. A. (2010). Being grateful is beyond good manners: Gratitude and motivation to contribute to society among early adolescents. Motivation and Emotion, 34, 144-157.

Froh, J., Sefick, W. J., & Emmons, R. A. (2008). Counting blessings in early adolescents: An experimental study of gratitude and subjective well-being.  Journal of School  Psychology, 46, 213-233.

Kashdan, T.B., Mishra, A., Breen, W. E., & Froh, J.J. (2009). Gender differences in gratitude: Examining appraisals, narratives, the willingness to express emotions, and changes in psychological needs. Journal of Personality, 77, 691-730. DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-6494.2009.00562.x

McCullough, M. E., Emmons, R. A., & Tsang, J. (2002). The grateful disposition: A conceptual and empirical topography. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 82-112-127.
 
Rash, J.A., Matsuba, M.K., & Prkachin, K.M. (2011). Gratitude and well-being: Who benefits the most from a gratitude intervention? Applied psychology: Health and well-being, 3, 350-369. DOI: 10.1111/j.1758-0854.2011.01058.x

Toepfer, S.M., Cichy, K., & Peters, P. (2012). Letters of gratitude: Further evidence for author benefits. Journal of Happiness Studies, 13, 187-201. DOI: 10.1007/s10902-011-9257-7

Toussaint, L. & Friedman, P. (2009). Forgiveness, gratitude, and well-geing: The mediating role of affect and beliefs. Journal of Happiness Studies, 10, 635-654. DOI: 10.1007/s10902-008-9111-8

Tsang, J., Ashleigh, S., & Carlisle, R.D. (2012). An experimental test of the relationship between religion and gratitude. Psychology of Religion and Spirituality, 4, 40-55.  DOI: 10.1037/a0025632