We are delighted to welcome you to the International Psychological Applications Conference and Trends 2014, taking place in Porto, Portugal, from 4 to 6 of April. Psychology, in our time, offers a large range of scientific fields where it can be applied. The goal of understanding individuals and groups (mental functions and behavioral…

This study examined individual parent personality dynamics and partner-as-parent ratings as each relate to child problem behaviors and competencies. Subjects were 30 Caucasian heterosexual couples with 6-year-old children. Data were collected with the Adult/Adolescent Type A Behavior Scale (AATABS), Parenting Alliance, Child Behavior Checklist…

Schools offer the possibility of providing safe, supportive structures for children whose lives have been marked by chaos. They can enable vulnerable children to develop competencies which can help to protect them from the effects of traumatic backgrounds. When a child's lived experience falls outside the boundaries of normative experience, as in…

Although experiential activities require minimal effort and time commitment on the part of instructors to implement, such activities capture students' interest, assist them in understanding course concepts, and generate excellent class discussions. As a test of experiential teaching techniques, several personality scales were used in a social…

This paper addresses the personological aspects relative to male and female success in two subject areas (math and science) and addresses specific concerns in the area of mentoring. Personality factors operative for success in math and science are reviewed, and teachers are advised to encourage, support, and facilitate those personality traits…

Elements leading to resilience or non-resilience in 10 undergraduate students who had been diagnosed as having a learning disability (LD) were studied. Subjects were labeled as either "resilient" or "non-resilient" depending on their grade point average in their major field. Themes which emerged as common experiences of…

Current psychological literature suggests that positive representations of self and others are associated with sensitivity of caregiving. This study was designed to examine the relationship among self-perceptions, perceptions of family functioning, and caregiving schemata in 618 undergraduates (437 females, 181 males) enrolled in Introductory…

Research indicates that children possess four important personality characteristics and abilities which define them as resilient. These characteristics and abilities are social competence, problem solving skills, autonomy, and a sense of purpose and future. In addition, several qualities of the environment of resilient youth tend to predict…

Findings of an exploratory qualitative study of personality characteristics observed to exist among a sample of new "advertising creatives" are presented in this paper. Subjects, 13 copywriters and art directors participating in a training program at an advertising agency with global billings of $4 billion, were interviewed in depth…

Little is known about the students and teachers in high schools for the visual and performing arts. This study was conducted to examine the affective dimensions, particular needs and interests, and distinct patterns of characteristics of these students and teachers. Students (N=191) and artist/teachers (N=102) in high schools for the visual and…

A field study of 29 mountain-course instructors at the Colorado Outward Bound School (COBS) explored the relationships of gender-related personality traits and soft skills to outdoor leadership styles and course outcomes. Soft skills are competencies necessary for effective interpersonal helping skills, as opposed to hard skills, which are…

This document presents a conceptual framework within which to view variability in parental alcoholism and children's exposure to alcoholism. The framework considers both individual characteristics of the children and ecological factors. A review of relevant literature on stress, coping, and adaptation among children and adolescents examines the…

This series of studies focused on Bulgarian school effects on children's creative development. The studies were based on the premise that one of the most powerful ways in which a culture encourages or discourages creativity is the way in which teachers and the school reward or punish certain personality characteristics as they develop in children…

Ways in which organizations can break free from counterproductive reactions are outlined. The text is divided into four parts and opens with a discussion on how to deal with a new reality. It details ways in which groups strive for cohesion, introducing a model that outlines the differences people have in their capacity for changing and their…

The Personal Preferences Self-Description Questionnaire (PPSDQ) (B. Thompson) was developed to measure personal preferences with regard to Jungian psychological types. Instruments in this area are among the most popular measures used in education and psychology; the measures are used in matching teaching and learning styles, in individual…