Thriving through adversity: The role of passion and emotions in the resilience process.

OBJECTIVES: Two cross-sectional (Studies 1, N = 283 and 2, N = 275) and one prospective (Study 3, N = 238) studies investigated the role of passion (for academia) and emotions in the process of resilience in the education domain and in life in general. METHOD: Participants were examined when facing a stressful situation related to their passion for academia (end-of-term exam period and a timed education task). RESULTS: All three studies showed that harmonious passion, through its positive relationship with positive emotions, was positively associated with high positive outcomes in the education domain (satisfaction with one's studies, subjective and objective performance in one's studies) and in life in general via the subjective evaluation of one's life and general health indicators (subjective vitality and fewer negative physical symptoms). On the other hand, obsessive passion was related to mixed effects on resilience. Specifically, obsessive passion related to low levels of functioning (Studies 1 and 3) and also hindered the positive outcomes (Studies 1-3) through its positive relationships with positive and negative emotions, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: In sum, under stress, harmonious passion facilitates high resilience across life domains, whereas obsessive passion yields low resilience across the life or no resilience at all.

Development of a Dualistic Model of Sexual Passion: Investigating Determinants and Consequences.

In empirical research, sexual passion has frequently been conceptualized as the interdependent dynamics experienced with a partner and as following a unidimensional continuum of intensity. A recent theoretical model conceptualized sexual passion as an intrapersonal motivation, which can energize both partnered and non-partnered sexual behaviors (Philippe, Vallerand, Bernard-Desrosiers, Guilbault, & Rajotte, 2017). This model also departs from the typical unidimensional continuum by positing the existence of two types of sexual passion: harmonious sexual passion (HSP) and obsessive sexual passion (OSP). The purpose of the present research was to extend the development of such a dualistic model by examining key theoretical determinants and consequences of each type of sexual passion. Study 1 provided empirical evidence of discriminant validity for such a model with respect to key-related constructs in the sex literature (e.g., sexual desire, hypersexuality, self-determined motives). The results of Study 2 showed that both types of sexual passion were associated with a high engagement in various sexual activities, but that only HSP combined it with couple adjustment. Finally, Study 3 indicated that both HSP and OSP were associated with common as well as distinct determinants, while being conducive to different personal and interpersonal consequences. Overall, there were very few moderations by biological sex. The results of these three studies provide empirical support for the sexual passion model and pave the way for new research directions.

Testing the dualistic model of passion using a novel quadripartite approach: A look at physical and psychological well-being.

OBJECTIVE: Passion research has focused extensively on the unique effects of both harmonious passion and obsessive passion (Vallerand, 2015). We adopted a quadripartite approach (Gaudreau & Thompson, 2010) to test whether physical and psychological well-being are distinctly related to subtypes of passion with varying within-person passion combinations: pure harmonious passion, pure obsessive passion, mixed passion, and non-passion. METHOD: In four studies (total N = 3,122), we tested whether passion subtypes were differentially associated with self-reported general health (Study 1; N = 1,218 undergraduates), health symptoms in video gamers (Study 2; N = 269 video game players), global psychological well-being (Study 3; N = 1,192 undergraduates), and academic burnout (Study 4; N = 443 undergraduates) using latent moderated structural equation modeling. RESULTS: Pure harmonious passion was generally associated with more positive levels of physical health and psychological well-being compared to pure obsessive passion, mixed passion, and non-passion. In contrast, outcomes were more negative for pure obsessive passion compared to both mixed passion and non-passion subtypes. CONCLUSIONS: This research underscores the theoretical and empirical usefulness of a quadripartite approach for the study of passion. Overall, the results demonstrate the benefits of having harmonious passion, even when obsessive passion is also high (i.e., mixed passion), and highlight the costs associated with a pure obsessive passion.

Passion and moral disengagement: Different pathways to political activism.

OBJECTIVE: Four studies examined the relationship between motivational imbalance-the degree to which a goal dominates other goals-and political activism. METHOD: Based on the dualistic model of passion (Vallerand, 2015) and recent theorizing on violent extremism (Kruglanski, Jasko, Chernikova, Dugas, & Webber, 2017), we predicted that obsessive passion (OP), which facilitates alternative goal suppression, would increase support for violent political behaviors. In contrast, we predicted that harmonious passion (HP), which facilitates the integration of multiple goal pursuits, would increase support for peaceful political behaviors. RESULTS: Study 1a demonstrated that OP for environmentalism was positively associated with moral disengagement, which in turn predicted violent behaviors. HP was positively associated with peaceful behaviors. Political activism among Democrats yielded similar findings in Study 1b. Study 2 replicated Studies 1a-1b using an implicit measure of moral disengagement. Study 3 replicated Studies 1-2 by demonstrating that experimentally inducing a harmonious (vs. obsessive) passion mindset indirectly reduced violent behaviors through the attenuation of moral disengagement while directly promoting peaceful behaviors. Study 4 conceptually replicated Studies 1-3 by experimentally manipulating moral disengagement. CONCLUSIONS: These results offer insights into the workings of radicalization and suggest theory-driven methods of reducing political violence.

Making the Final Shot: The Role of Passion and Integrated Temporal Positivity in Last-Second Sport Performance.

The new construct of integrated temporal positivity-defined as the positive, adaptive, and dynamic use of the past, the present, and the future-is posited to promote optimal functioning. Based on the dualistic model of passion, the present research sought to test the hypothesis that harmonious passion, more than obsessive passion, triggers a higher use of integrated temporal positivity that, in turn, leads to one crucial type of sport performance, namely last-second performance. The results of 3 studies conducted with team-sport athletes (Study 1, n = 625; Study 2, n = 285; and Study 3, n = 263) provided clear support for the hypothesis. The results pave the way for future research focusing on the role of adaptive temporal processes in support of sport performance.

"The Thrill of Victory . . . and the Agony of Defeat": Passion and Emotional Reactions to Success and Failure Among Recreational Golfers.

The dualistic model of passion proposes two distinct forms of passion: obsessive (OP) and harmonious (HP). The purpose of this research was to test if emotional reactivity following athletic successes and failures was related to one's levels of HP and OP for sport. The authors recruited recreational golfers (N = 115) to report how they typically felt after they experienced successes and failures on the golf course. Results of multilevel modeling analyses supported the hypotheses and revealed that OP moderated the effects of success and failure on both positive and negative affect: OP was associated with higher levels of positive affect following success, as well as higher levels of negative affect following failure. These results suggest that OP, but not HP, is associated with greater emotional reactivity to the experience of success and failure in sport.

Obsessive Passion: A Compensatory Response to Unsatisfied Needs.

The present research investigated the role of two sources of psychological need satisfaction (inside and outside a passionate activity) as determinants of harmonious (HP) and obsessive (OP) passion. Four studies were carried out with different samples of young and middle-aged adults (e.g., athletes, musicians; total N = 648). Different research designs (cross-sectional, mixed, longitudinal) were also used. Results showed that only a rigid engagement in a passionate activity (OP) was predicted by low levels of need satisfaction outside the passionate activity (in an important life context or in life in general), whereas both OP and a more favorable and balanced type of passion, HP were positively predicted by need satisfaction inside the passionate activity. Further, OP led to negative outcomes, and HP predicted positive outcomes. These results suggest that OP may represent a form of compensatory striving for psychological need satisfaction. It appears important to consider two distinct sources of need satisfaction, inside and outside the passionate activity, when investigating determinants of optimal and less optimal forms of activity engagement.

Passion for a Cause: How It Affects Health and Subjective Well-Being.

Using the dualistic model of passion (Vallerand et al., 2003), this research investigated how harmonious passion (HP) or obsessive passion (OP) for a cause can affect volunteers' health and subjective well-being. Three studies with volunteers for local (local emergency crises and community help) and international (humanitarian missions) causes assessed physical and psychological health using cross-sectional and longitudinal designs. Study 1 (N = 108) showed that HP was positively related to satisfaction with one's involvement in the cause and unrelated to physical injuries due to cause involvement. OP was unrelated to satisfaction but positively associated with injuries. Findings were replicated in Study 2 (N = 83). Moreover, self-neglect mediated the positive and negative effects of HP and OP, respectively, on injuries. Study 3 (N = 77) revealed that HP predicted an increase in satisfaction and health over a 3-month mission. OP predicted an increase in physical symptoms and a decrease in health. Furthermore, OP before a mission was positively related to self-neglect that was positively associated with physical symptoms after a mission. OP also positively predicted rumination that was conducive to posttraumatic stress disorder. HP was unrelated to these variables. Findings underscore the role of passion for a cause in predicting intrapersonal outcomes of volunteers.

Perfectionism, disordered eating and well-being in aesthetic sports: The mediating role of passion.

Aesthetic athletes face higher risks of disordered eating, and perfectionism is one of the determinants involved. While research suggests that perfectionism in sport may play a role in physical and psychological well-being, its influence remains to be confirmed. As such, further examination of the influence of perfectionism on health is warranted as it could lead to better interventions. This preregistered research sought to shed new light on these relationships by investigating the mediating role of passion in the perfectionism-disordered eating relationship as well as physical and psychological well-being in aesthetic sports. In Study 1, 229 American recreational and competitive athletes practicing either gymnastics (n = 150) or artistic swimming (n = 79) were recruited on MTurk to complete an online questionnaire. The same recruitment procedure was used for Study 2, with 107 American gymnasts (n = 69) and artistic swimmers (n = 38) completing the questionnaire at two timepoints, one year apart. Results from path analyses showed that socially prescribed perfectionism was associated with obsessive passion, which in turn was associated with disordered eating. Self-oriented perfectionism was associated with both obsessive and harmonious passion, the latter being more adaptative as it was associated with physical and psychological well-being. Thus, the way one engages in aesthetic sports matters, as engaging with obsessive passion may take a toll on one's health and lead to disordered eating. Conversely, fostering harmonious engagement seems to temper the negative associations between perfectionism and health outcomes and promote positive relationships with athlete's well-being, but requires further study.

Passion and performance anxiety: How it affects the incidence of musculoskeletal disorders in dancers.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to examine the association between the incidence of musculoskeletal disorder episodes (MDEs) and obsessive and harmonious passion as well as performance anxiety throughout a dance season, which lasted 38 weeks. DESIGN: Prospective cohort study. METHODS: A total of 118 professional and preprofessional dancers were recruited and assessed at baseline, while 88 completed the follow-up. Their levels of passion and performance anxiety were assessed at the beginning of a dance season using the Passion Scale and the Kenny Music Performance Anxiety Inventory, respectively. To monitor the incidence of MDEs throughout a dance season, dancers were asked to complete a weekly electronic diary. RESULTS: A higher level of obsessive passion was associated with a higher incidence of MDEs causing an interruption of dance activities (ß = 0.264, p = 0.022). Harmonious passion and performance anxiety were not associated with MDEs throughout the season. CONCLUSIONS: Findings of this study support the role of obsessive passion in the development of MDEs in dancers.

The Role of Passion in Self-Oriented Versus Team-Oriented Decision-Making in Team Sports.

This study investigated the role of passion and achievement goals in making self-oriented and team-oriented decisions. Based on the Dualistic Model of Passion, it was hypothesized that in the context of collective sports, harmonious passion should lead to the adoption of mostly mastery goals, which in turn should lead to a more team-oriented decision-making. Conversely, obsessive passion should be related to the adoption of all three types of goals but mostly to performance-approach and performance-avoidance goals, which in turn should lead to a more self-oriented decision process. A total of 253 basketball players completed measures of passion and achievement goals in sport. They then were exposed to basketball scenarios and indicated their likelihood to act in a self-oriented or team-oriented manner. Results from structural equation modeling supported the hypotheses and lead to several implications for future research.

Psychometric properties and measurement invariance of the Rigid and Flexible Persistence Scale in a Brazilian professional sample.

Persistence involves the intention to maintain efforts when faced with obstacles and challenges, in order to achieve a specific goal. The Rigid and Flexible Persistence Scale (RFPS) is a self-report measure that assesses persistence that is theoretically derived from the premises of the Dualistic Model of Passion. The aim of the present research was to adapt the RFPS to Brazilian Portuguese and to estimate its evidence of validity and reliability in the context of work. Participants were 400 professionals, 55.8% women, aged between 18 and 68 years. The results indicate that the RFPS presented validity evidence based on the content. Corresponding to the theoretical expectations, exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses demonstrated adequacy of the structure composed of two factors, explaining 75% of the data variance, with good levels of reliability. The RFPS also revealed strong invariance across gender and work conditions (in-person vs remote). Flexible persistence showed positive association with harmonious passion and occupational self-efficacy. Conversely, rigid persistence showed positive association with obsessive passion. It was observed a mediational role of occupational self-efficacy in the relationship between harmonious passion and flexible persistence. Overall, the findings suggest that the RFPS is an adequate measure of persistence in a Brazilian occupational sample.

Toward a tripartite model of intrinsic motivation.

Intrinsic motivation (IM) refers to engaging in an activity for the pleasure inherent in the activity. The present article presents a tripartite model of IM consisting of IM to know (i.e., engaging in an activity to experience pleasure while learning and trying to understand something new), IM toward accomplishment (i.e., engaging in an activity for the pleasure experienced when attempting task mastery), and IM to experience stimulation (i.e., engaging in an activity for feelings of sensory pleasure). The tripartite model of IM posits that each type of IM can result from task, situational, and personality determinants and can lead to specific types of cognitive, affective, and behavioral outcomes. The purpose of this research was to test some predictions derived from this model. Across 4 studies (Study 1: N = 331; Study 2: N = 113; Study 3: N = 58; Study 4: N = 135), the 3 types of IM as well as potential determinants and consequences were assessed. Results revealed that experiencing one type of IM over the others depends in part on people's personality styles. Also, each type of IM was found to predict specific outcomes (i.e., affective states and behavioral choices). The implications of the tripartite model of IM for motivation research are discussed.

Motivation and goal attainment. The role of compensatory beliefs.

It was recently proposed that one cognitive strategy people might employ to find a balance between fulfilling their immediate desires and adhering to their long-term goals is to activate compensatory beliefs (CBs). CBs are convictions that the negative effects of a behavior can be compensated for by the positive effects of another behavior (e.g., "I can eat this piece of cake now because I will go to the gym tonight".). The purpose of the present research was to examine the motivational determinants and consequences of CBs in weight-loss dieting. It was proposed that autonomous motivation would lessen the activation of CBs. It was further proposed that activating CBs would decrease goal adherence, which, itself, would facilitate the attainment of one's dieting goals. Results of a prospective study using path analysis provided support for the model.

Passion for a cause, passion for a creed: on ideological passion, identity threat, and extremism.

Passion energizes and directs both peaceful and violent ideologically inspired movements. The type of ideological passion that underlies people's political or religious commitment was proposed to moderate the effect of social identity-threatening circumstances on their choice of activist tactics. Ideological passion was defined as a strong inclination toward a loved, valued, and self-defining cause, ideology, or group in which people invest considerable time and energy. Harmonious ideological passion was expected to promote peaceful activism and nonviolence partly because it is anchored in a strong and secure sense of identity-one that facilitates nondefensiveness in identity-threatening circumstances. Obsessive ideological passion, in contrast, was expected to engender hatred and aggressive extremism in identity-threatening circumstances partly because it is anchored in a strong, but insecure, sense of identity. Results from 2 studies, conducted with nationalist activists (N = 114) and devout Muslims (N = 111), supported these hypotheses. Implications for the motivation/passion and intergroup literatures are discussed.

Passion for Violently Themed Music and Psychological Well-Being: A Survey Analysis.

While the benefits to mood and well-being from passionate engagement with music are well-established, far less is known about the relationship between passion for explicitly violently themed music and psychological well-being. The present study employed the Dualistic Model of Passion to investigate whether harmonious passion (i.e., passionate engagement that is healthily balanced with other life activities) predicts positive music listening experiences and/or psychological well-being in fans of violently themed music. We also investigated whether obsessive passion (i.e., uncontrollable passionate engagement with an activity) predicts negative music listening experiences and/or psychological ill-being. Fans of violently themed music (N = 177) completed the passion scale, scale of positive and negative affective experiences, and various psychological well- and ill-being measures. As hypothesised, harmonious passion for violently themed music significantly predicted positive affective experiences which, in turn, predicted psychological well-being. Obsessive passion for violently themed music significantly predicted negative affective experiences which, in turn, predicted ill-being. Findings support the Dualistic Model of Passion, and suggest that even when music engagement includes violent content, adaptive outcomes are often experienced. We propose that the nature of one's passion for music is more influential in predicting well-being than the content or valence of the lyrical themes.

The Role of Passion in Psychological and Cardiovascular Responses: Extending the Field of Passion and Positive Psychology in New Directions.

The present study fills a void in research on passion by examining for the first time the role of passion in physiological responses. The aim of the study was to investigate the role of passion, and the mediating role of cognitive appraisals, in the psychological and physiological responses to a stressful situation related to one's passion. Students (43 women, 12 men, M age = 27.21 years), who were passionate for their studies, completed the Passion Scale for their studies and the Cognitive Appraisal Scale (assessing perceptions of challenge/threat). Then, they engaged in an education task under stressful conditions, and a subsequent unrelated leisure task under no-stress. Physiological reactivity was measured throughout the entire session and their perceptions of situational vitality and positive and negative emotions were assessed directly after the education task. Results showed that harmonious passion (HP) positively predicted challenge appraisals that, in turn, were positively related to positive emotions, vitality, and positive cardiovascular adaptation while engaging in the stressful education task, but less so with the leisure task (unrelated to one's passion for academia). On the other hand, obsessive passion (OP) positively predicted threat appraisals. In turn, threat appraisals were positively related to negative emotions, negatively associated with vitality, and not related to cardiovascular reactivity. The present findings suggest that HP creates the onset of an adaptive psychological and physiological response whereas the response is less adaptive with OP.

Passion among breast cancer survivors: A 12-month prospective study.

We examined the prospective relationship between harmonious passion and post-treatment health outcomes among female breast cancer survivors. Participants reported passion toward a favorite activity, physical pain symptoms, and mental health after their final breast cancer treatment (Time 1, N = 188). Twelve months later (Time 2, N = 148), participants reported their physical pain symptoms and mental health. Harmonious passion at Time 1 predicted fewer physical pain symptoms and higher levels of mental health at Time 2. These results show that breast cancer survivors benefit from being harmoniously passionate toward a meaningful activity following treatment.

The Role of Passion and Achievement Goals in Optimal Functioning in Sports.

This study aimed to test the role of passion in the cognitive goals pursued in sport and the level of Optimal Functioning in Society (OFIS) derived from such sport engagement. A total of 184 competitive water polo and synchronized swimming athletes completed a questionnaire assessing their passion for their sport, achievement goals, and various scales assessing their level of OFIS (e.g., subjective well-being, relationship with their coach, sport performance, and intentions to continue in sport). It was hypothesized that harmonious passion (HP) would be positively associated with mastery goals while obsessive passion (OP) would be positively associated with mastery, performance-approach, and performance-avoidance goals. In turn, mastery goals were expected to positively lead to the four components of OFIS, whereas performance-approach and performance-avoidance goals should display less adaptive relationships with OFIS. The results of a path analysis generally supported the proposed model. As hypothesized, these findings suggest that HP leads to a more adaptive cognitive engagement in sport (than OP) that, in turn, fosters higher levels of optimal functioning.

On the psychology of extremism: How motivational imbalance breeds intemperance.

We present a psychological model of extremism based on the concept of motivational imbalance whereby a given need gains dominance and overrides other basic concerns. In contrast, moderation results from a motivational balance wherein individuals' different needs are equitably attended to. Importantly, under moderation the different needs constrain individuals' behaviors in prohibiting actions that serve some needs yet undermine others. Those constraints are relaxed under motivational imbalance where the dominant need crowds out alternative needs. As a consequence, the constraints that the latter needs exercise upon behavior are relaxed, permitting previously avoided activities to take place. Because enactment of these behaviors sacrifices common concerns, most people avoid them, hence their designation as extreme. The state of need imbalance has motivational, cognitive, behavioral, affective and social consequences. These pertain to a variety of different extremisms that share the same psychological core: extreme diets, extreme sports, extreme infatuations, diverse addictions, as well as violent extremism. Evidence for the present model cuts across different domains of psychological phenomena, levels of behavioral analysis and phylogeny. We consider the model's implications for further research and explore the tradeoffs between extremism and moderation. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).