Emotional Competency in Education: Special Issue on Emotional Intelligence and Creativity.

According to Salovey and Mayer (1990), having high EI allows individuals to think clearly, supports intuition and insight, and ultimately enhances creative thinking [...].

Understanding students' motivations for participating in a mindfulness course: a qualitative analysis of medical students' views.

OBJECTIVES: Improving medical students' wellbeing and empowerment through curricular activities is a topic of interest worldwide. Mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) are increasingly implemented in medical education often as part of elective courses. To better understand training outcomes and adjust curriculum to students' needs, we will explore why will medical students participate in meditation-based education? METHODS: We analyzed 29 transcripts from the first session of an 8-week MBSR program offered to medical students in French. Transcripts were coded and analyzed using a qualitative content thematic analysis and the constant comparison method. RESULTS: Analyses resulted in three themes describing students' motivation: (1) Medical education and the physician's role, i.e. improving interpersonal skills, acquiring skills oriented toward a more integrative medicine, being more productive in a highly competitive context. (2) Caring for my health i.e. aiming at stress reduction, emotion regulation, and improving self-compassion. (3) A quest for meaning, i.e. optimizing meaning of care, and meaning of life. CONCLUSION: The results highlight the congruence between the perceived motivations and the evidence on the effect of mindfulness on self-care, the development of humanistic medical skills, and the meaning of care. Some findings raise the issue of the limits of using mindfulness to enhance one's productivity. Notably, participants articulated the need for self-care as in mindfulness training, with the ability to care for others.

Consistent or inconsistent? The effects of inducing cognitive dissonance vs. cognitive consonance on the intention to engage in pro-environmental behaviors.

How do individuals rationalize the cognitive dissonance between their environmental awareness and the maintenance of environmentally unfriendly behaviors? The main goal is to explore the rationalization strategies used by individuals in order to maintain their current behaviors. The secondary goal is to understand if it is possible to induce cognitive consonance, and how this influences intention to change. We present a study (N = 222) with three experimental conditions: inconsistency, control, and consistency. The method to induce inconsistency and consistency was inspired by the paradigm of induced hypocrisy. Results demonstrated that induced inconsistency elicits two main barriers in participants: considering the change as unnecessary, and perceiving to lack knowledge about how to change. Induced consistency elicits tokenism, resulting in a licensing effect. However, behavioral intentions did not differ among experimental groups. Results are discussed considering methodological limitations and possible intervening variable.

How perspective-taking underlies creative thinking and the socio-emotional competency in trainings of drama pedagogy / Como a tomada de perspetiva está subjacente ao pensamento criativo e à competência sócio-emocional na formação em pedagogia dramática

Policy-makers and scholars agree that creativity and socio-emotional competencies can be taught, learned, and enhanced through creative arts like theatre. Nevertheless, few authors have studied the processes underlying both constructs in artistic education, which would permit to understand how children develop them and re-create adapted methodologies. Thus, we proposed to observe a drama pedagogy training for elementary school children, evaluating their creative thinking and theory-of-mind. To understand perspective-thinking as a process underlying creative thinking and theory-of-mind in the context of drama pedagogy training. Quasi-experimental pre-post-test design. Standardized tests analysis, plus thematic analysis from observation of 240 minutes recording of drama pedagogy training. Higher increase in creative thinking with a strong effect of drama pedagogy training on divergent thinking. Thematic analyses showed that drama pedagogy training activities focus mainly on socio-emotional competency (linked to theory-of-mind). Perspective-taking appears as an underlying process that explains both creative thinking and the development of socio-emotional competencies by permitting the child to see from another person's perspective, providing several ideas-solutions for a problem (creative thinking), as well as understanding other people's emotions and motivations (theory-of-mind).

Os legisladores e estudiosos concordam que a criatividade e a competência socioemocional podem ser ensinadas, aprendidas e aprimoradas através das artes criativas, como o teatro. No entanto, poucos autores estudaram os processos subjacentes a ambas as construções na educação artística, o que permitiria compreender como as crianças as desenvolvem e, assim, recriar metodologias adaptadas. Assim, propõe-se, através deste estudo, observar um Treinamento de Pedagogia Teatral para crianças do ensino fundamental, avaliando no pensamento criativo e teoria da mente ds crianças. Tem por objetivo entender o pensamento prospectivo como um processo subjacente ao pensamento criativo e à teoria da mente no contexto do Treinamento da Pedagogia Teatral. Foi utilizado o método da abordagem mista: Projeto de pré-teste quase experimental. Análise de testes padronizados mais análise temática a partir da observação de 240 minutos de registro do Treinamento da Pedagogia Teatral. Os resultados demonstraram aumento do pensamento criativo com um forte efeito do Treinamento da Pedagogia Teatral sobre o pensamento divergente. As análises temáticas mostraram que as atividades do Treinamento da Pedagogia Teatral se concentram principalmente na competência socioemocional (ligada a teoria da mente). Conclui-se que o pensamento de perspectiva aparece como um processo subjacente que explica tanto o pensamento criativo quanto o desenvolvimento de competências socioemocionais, permitindo que a criança veja da perspectiva alheia, fornecendo várias ideias-soluções para um problema (pensamento criativo), assim como a compreensão das emoções e motivações alheias (teoria da mente).

Developing Children's Socio-Emotional Competencies Through Drama Pedagogy Training: An Experimental Study on Theory of Mind and Collaborative Behavior.

Drama pedagogy training (DPT) is a drama-based-pedagogy focused on socio-emotional-learning (SEL) development, over academic or artistic. This study aims to see if DPT promotes theory of mind (ToM) and collaborative behavior in 126 French children aged 9-10 years old, randomly assigned to an experimental group (DPT), either a control group for 6 weeks. Post-tests showed large effects of training on ToM, F(1, 124) = 24.36, p < .001, η² =.16, and collaborative behavior, F(1, 124) = 29.8, p < .001, η² = .19. T-test showed significant differences on ToM (t = -4.94, p < .001) and collaborative behavior (t = -5.46, p < .001), higher for DPT. Effects of type of school and grade are discussed. Results confirm the hypotheses.

Confirmation of a Two-Factor Solution to the Questionnaire of Cognitive and Affective Empathy in a French Population of Patients With Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders.

The Questionnaire of Cognitive and Affective Empathy (QCAE) is a tool for self-assessing the cognitive and emotional components of empathy. A study showed that a two-factor model fits the data of patients with schizophrenia, whereas other reports on healthy subjects have suggested a five-factor decomposition. We aimed to replicate the model of Horan et al. in a French population with schizophrenia spectrum disorders (i.e., schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorders) participating in the EVACO Study (NCT02901015). In total, 133 patients were assessed with the QCAE, the Positive and Negative Symptom Scale (PANSS), the Personal and Social Performance Scale (PSP), and the Self rating Quality of Life Scale (S-QoL). The two-factor model demonstrated an adequate fit with the data, comparable to that reported by Horan et al. Males scored higher on the Affective subscore than females. After correction for multiple tests, psychopathology (PANSS) and functioning (PSP) did not correlate significantly with the QCAE subscores. However, quality of life (S-QoL) correlated positively with the Emotional Contagion subscore. Thus, the variability of empathetic disposition in schizophrenia may be considered through the cognitive versus affective dichotomy and properly investigated with the QCAE. The results support further investigation of the relationship between QCAE scores and subjective outcome measurements, such as quality of life, and emphasize the importance of cross-cultural comparisons.

What Are the Stages of the Creative Process? What Visual Art Students Are Saying.

Within the literature on creativity in the arts, some authors have focused on the description of the artistic process (Patrick, 1937; Getzels and Csikszentmihalyi, 1976; Mace and Ward, 2002; Yokochi and Okada, 2005) whereas others have focused on the creative process (Wallas, 1926; Osborn, 1953/1963; Runco and Dow, 1999; Howard et al., 2008). These two types of processes may be, however, somewhat distinct from each other because the creative process is not always dedicated to artistic creation, and productive work in the arts may not always involve creativity, in terms of specifically original thinking. Our goal is to identify the specific nature of the artistic creative process, to determine what are the basic stages of this kind of process. This description can then be integrated in a Creative process Report Diary (CRD; Botella et al., 2017) which allows self-observations in situ when participants are creating.

Learning Empathy Through Virtual Reality: Multiple Strategies for Training Empathy-Related Abilities Using Body Ownership Illusions in Embodied Virtual Reality.

Several disciplines have investigated the interconnected empathic abilities behind the proverb "to walk a mile in someone else's shoes" to determine how the presence, and absence, of empathy-related phenomena affect prosocial behavior and intergroup relations. Empathy enables us to learn from others' pain and to know when to offer support. Similarly, virtual reality (VR) appears to allow individuals to step into someone else's shoes, through a perceptual illusion called embodiment, or the body ownership illusion. Considering these perspectives, we propose a theoretical analysis of different mechanisms of empathic practices in order to define a possible framework for the design of empathic training in VR. This is not intended to be an extensive review of all types of practices, but an exploration of empathy and empathy-related phenomena. Empathy-related training practices are analyzed and categorized. We also identify different variables used by pioneer studies in VR to promote empathy-related responses. Finally, we propose strategies for using embodied VR technology to train specific empathy-related abilities.

Fostering Children and Adolescents' Creative Thinking in Education. Theoretical Model of Drama Pedagogy Training.

Drama Pedagogy Training (DPT), as other drama-based pedagogies, has been related to several outcomes, including creativity enhancement. This enhancement is commonly proven through the measurement of different creative processes. In our review we systematize characteristics, activities and techniques of DPT that are assumed to be related to creativity in order to have a more comprehensive framework to identify the specific DPT elements that are involved in the enhancement of some of the creative processes of children and adolescents. To this end, we identified five creative processes in experimental studies using DPT: divergent thinking, fantasy and imagination, associative thinking, symbolization, and problem solving. These processes were cross referenced with DPT characteristics, activities, and techniques that were argued to be related to creativity enhancement. Our review will propose a model with two main categories and six elements as follows: (1) technical drama phases which emphasizes the role of narrative and embodiment through (a) corporal and vocal training and (b) main drama techniques (e.g., storytelling and improvisation and role-play), and (2) psycho-pedagogical framework which emphasizes the role of a dialogic space through (c) playfulness and a (d) collaborative, safe space. We also identified (e) feedback as an important element of DPT which belongs to both drama technical phases and psycho-pedagogical framework categories. Along with the model, we explain the creative outcomes associated to each of these elements as a means to attire the attention to drama-based pedagogies for the development of creativity in the educational setting.

Is the Questionnaire of Cognitive and Affective Empathy measuring two or five dimensions? Evidence in a French sample.

Although many instruments measure empathy, most of them focus on specific facets (e.g., Spreng et al., 2009) or specific contexts (e.g. Wang et al., 2003) of empathy. For this reason, the Questionnaire of Cognitive and Affective Empathy (QCAE; Reniers et al., 2011) was recently built to grasp the general construct of empathy through its Affective-Cognitive duality, although not providing clear-cut results about the bidimensionality of the scale. In this study, Confirmatory Factor Analyses were conducted on the responses of 418 adults on the French QCAE (backtranslated for this study). A total of 8 models were tested - including the models of the original investigation. The 5-correlated factors model had the best fit, and the pattern of correlations between the factors did not support the Cognitive-Affective distinction. The QCAE is discussed as showing signs of psychometrical robustness, but also as a tool that is more 5-dimensional than bidimensional.

The out-of-my-league effect.

When taking into account the chances of success, strategic mating motivations do imply a bias not toward the most attractive individuals, but toward average or mildly attractive individuals, undermining the explanation of Maestripieri et al. at a fundamental level. This leaves open the possibility of alternative explanations and calls for a full-fledged explicit model of courtship behavior.

Monitoring stress among internal medicine residents: an experience-driven, practical and short measure.

Residents experience severely high levels of stress, depression and burnout, leading to perceived medical errors, as well as to symptoms of impairment, such as chronic anger, cognitive impairment, suicidal behavior and substance abuse. Because research has not yet provided a psychometrically robust population-specific tool to measure the level of stress of medicine residents, we aimed at building and validating such a measure. Using an inductive scale development approach, a short, pragmatic measure was built, based on the interviews of 17 medicine residents. The Internal Medicine Residency Stress Scale (IMRSS) was then administered in a sample of 259 internal medicine residents (199 females, 60 males, MAge = 25.6) along with the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, Maslach Burnout Inventory, Satisfaction With Life Scale and Ways of Coping Checklist. The IMRSS showed satisfactory internal reliability (Cronbach's α = .86), adequate structural validity - studied through Confirmatory Factor Analysis (χ2/df = 2.51, CFI = .94; SRMR = .037, RMSEA = .076) - and good criterion validity - the IMRSS was notably strongly correlated with emotional exhaustion (r = .64; p < .001) and anxiety (r = .57; p < .001). Because of its short length and robust psychometric qualities, the use of the IMRSS is recommended to quickly and frequently assess and monitor stress among internal medicine residents.

Burnout, empathy and their relationships: a qualitative study with residents in General Medicine.

Some studies have shown that burnout may have a negative impact on clinical empathy during internship. However, clinical empathy may also be a protective factor, preventing residents from experiencing burnout. Although several quantitative studies have been conducted to examine these relationships between burnout and empathy, no qualitative studies have been carried out. To examine how residents in general practice evaluate the link between burnout and empathy, 24 of them participated in a semi-structured interview. A thematic analysis was carried out to examine residents' discourses and answers to closed questions. The results indicated that residents thought that empathy and burnout were clearly related in different ways. They identified five types of relationship: regulation strategy, empathy as protection, psychological balance/imbalance, fatigue and moderating factors.

Understanding The Mediating Role of Quality of Work Life on the Relationship between Emotional Intelligence and Organizational Citizenship Behaviors.

Organizational citizenship behaviors are not directly rewarded by organizations. However, they seem to contribute to excellent performance at work. The aim of this study is to test quality of working life's (QoWL) mediating role in the relationship between emotional intelligence (EI) and organizational citizenship behaviors (OCB). 203 French adults working regularly in teams completed validated self-report measures corresponding to each construct. The collected data showed that in the studied sample, a high quality of working life was associated with Sportsmanship behaviors. However, mediation was not observed for the other OCB subscales: Altruism, Helping, or Civic virtues. These behaviors tend to occur in individuals with high emotional intelligence scores, unrelated to their quality of working life. Theoretical background, practical implications, and limitations of the study are discussed.

Are emotionally intelligent students more resilient to stress? The moderating effect of emotional attention, clarity and repair / ¿Los estudiantes con una mayor inteligencia emocional son más resistentes al estrés? El efecto modulador de la atención, la claridad y la reparación emocional

The current study aims to examine the moderating effect of different dimensions of Trait Meta Mood Scale (TMMS) in the relationship between perceived stress and life satisfaction and mental health. We believe that the three TMMS dimensions (emotional attention, clarity and repair) will have different moderating effects. 835 university students from Spain, Portugal and Brazil participated in the investigation completing the short version of the trait metamood scale (TMMS24), Perceived Stress Scale, Satisfaction with life scale and General Health Questionnaire. The hierarchical regression analyses indicated different interactive effects of different TMMS-24 dimensions and stress in predicting life satisfaction and mental health. The only TMMS-24 dimension found to interact significantly with stress in predicting life satisfaction was emotional repair. When students perceive increased stress, the ones with lower emotional repair reported less satisfaction with life

El objetivo del presente estudio es examinar el efecto modulador de las diferentes dimensiones de la «Escala rasgo de metaconocimiento de los estados emocionales» (Trait Meta Mood Scale, TMMS) en la relación entre el estrés percibido y la satisfacción con la vida y la salud mental. Se espera que las tres dimensiones de la TMMS (atención, claridad y reparación emocional) tengan diferentes efectos moduladores. Participaron 835 estudiantes universitarios de España, Portugal y Brasil completando la versión abreviada de la TMMS (la TMMS- 24), la «Escala de estrés percibido», la «Escala de satisfacción con la vida» y el "Cuestionario de salud general". El análisis de regresión jerárquica muestra diferentes efectos interactivos de las dimensiones de la TMMS-24 y el estrés en la predicción de la satisfacción con la vida y la salud mental. La única dimensión de la TMMS-24 que ha interactuado de manera significativa con el estrés en la predicción de la satisfacción con la vida fue la reparación emocional. En situaciones de alto estrés, los estudiantes que tienen la reparación emocional más baja se sienten menos satisfechos con la vida

Relationship between optimism and quality of life in patients with two chronic rheumatic diseases: axial spondyloarthritis and chronic low back pain: a cross sectional study of 288 patients.

BACKGROUND: Axial Spondyloarthritis (AxSpA) and chronic low back pain are rheumatic diseases that impact patients' health-related quality of life (HRQoL). In other chronic conditions, HRQoL was positively associated with dispositional optimism, a personality trait. The objective was to explore the relationship between optimism and HRQoL in these two diseases. METHOD: A cross-sectional study was performed in 2 tertiary care hospitals and 2 private practices in France. Patients had definite AxSpA or chronic low back pain according to the rheumatologist. A generic HRQoL questionnaire (Short Form, SF-12) with physical and mental composite scores (PCS and MCS respectively) and an optimism questionnaire (the Life Orientation Test-revised, LOT-R) were collected. Analyses included non-parametric correlations and multiple regression analyses to study the effect of optimism on PCS and MCS. RESULTS: In all, 288 (199 AxSpA and 89 low back pain) patients were included: mean age, 47.3 ± 11.9 years, 48.6 % were males. Pain levels (0-10) were 4.5 ± 2.4 and 4.3 ± 2.4 in AxSpA and LOW BACK PAIN patients, respectively. HRQoL was similarly altered in both diseases, for both physical and mental composite scores (mean PCS: 43.7 ± 8.2 vs. 41.9 ± 7.1; mean MCS: 45.9 ± 7.8 vs. 46.7 ± 8.1 for AxSpA and low back pain respectively). Optimism was moderate and similar in both populations. Optimism was positively correlated to MCS in both diseases (rho = 0.54 and 0.58, respectively, both p <0.01) and these relations persisted in multivariate analyses (beta = 1.03 and 1.40, both p <0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: Optimism was similar in these 2 chronic diseases and was an explanatory factor of the mental component of HRQoL, but not physical HRQoL. Physical HRQoL may reflect more the disease process than character traits.

The Effects of Emotional Competences Training among Unemployed Adults: A Longitudinal Study.

BACKGROUND: The present study aimed at analyzing whether training in emotional competences (EC) would increase the level of perceived EC among unemployed adults, whether the unemployment duration would moderate the effects of the training and whether the changes in EC would predict changes in the levels of perceived stress, somatic complaints, mental health, and mood states. METHODS: Seventy-five participants were randomly allocated to an EC training program, or a control group. Following a controlled experimental design, the participants completed all the measures prior to the intervention (T1), one month later (T2) and six months after the first data collection (T3). RESULTS: The results showed that change in EC after the training depended on the duration of unemployment. The difference between the experimental and control groups in EC after the training was significant when the participants had been unemployed for less time. In addition, the results indicated that changes in EC were found to be significant predictors of changes in perceived stress, mental health, somatic complaints, and vigor and confusion (mood dimensions) six months after the intervention. CONCLUSION: The data suggest that unemployment duration plays a crucial role in determining the range and intensity of intervention effects.