JOURNAL OF BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES
Year:2011 | Volume:3 | Issue:8|Papers Count:12

The research purpose is to investigate the relationship between happiness, personality traits (introversion and extroversion) and mental health among the university students of IAU, Science and Research Branch. For this purpose, 364 students (181 male and 183 female) were selected using multi- stage cluster sampling. The tools employed to gather data were the personality traits (introversion and extroversion) questionnaire, mental health and Oxford & Argil happiness questionnaires inventory. The data analyzed by multi- variable regression analysis showed that there is a significant correlation between demographic variables (age, sex, educational level, number of children) and happiness; this was the case also between psychological variables (introversion and extroversion) and comfort with the self, others; and between mental health and happiness. The variable of extroversion was a predictor to happiness through mental health.

The aim of the present study was to determine the relationship between personality factors and work ethic among Islamic Azad University, Abhar Branch Staff Members to provide effective strategies for promoting their work ethic. In this research, 120 subjects were selected by random sampling method. Using correlation methodology, data were collected by questionnaires of personality factors and work ethic and were analyzed by co-variance regression analysis, correlation coefficient and test of significance of correlation. The research findings showed a significant relationship among personality factors and work ethic among the university staff members (r=0.516). As such, partial correlations showed negative significant relationship between extroversion and work ethic but no significant relationship between other variables and work ethic. The results of the research showed that interaction of components of personality explain %26/6 of the variance of work ethic. But each component is not independently a determiner for work ethic. The research findings provide some evidence to suggest that the interaction of personality traits explain work ethic in staff members through influencing psychological needs.

The objectives of this study were to compare traits of depressed and nondepressed cancer patients; to compare personality characteristics in cancer types; to explain the role of personality traits in cancer patients' depression, and to investigate personality differences in cancer patients. The study was ex-post facto. Participants were 88 cancer patients selected from gastrointestinal, breast, head and neck cancer patients who were referred to Pars hospital in Tehran from September 2010 to March 2011. They were selected using convenience sampling method. Instruments used in this study were semi-structural interview, Beck depression inventory (BDI-II), five factor personality inventory (NEO) and the brief form (NEO-FFI). Data of depressed and non depressed patients were compared and analyzed based on personality characteristics. Results showed Neuroticism (N) in depressed patients was more than non depressed patients and extroversion in depressed cancer patients was less than non depressed cancer patients (P<0.01). Depression degree was not different in cancer patients and they were different in some personality traits, in this manner gastrointestinal cancer patients showed more neurotic trait compared to head and neck cancer patients (P<0.01). Openness trait (O) in head and neck cancer patients was more than gastrointestinal cancer patients (P<0.05) while in breast cancer patients it was more than gastrointestinal cancer patients (P<0.01). Agreeableness (A) in breast cancer patients was more than gastrointestinal cancer patients while in head and neck cancer patients it was more than gastrointestinal patients(P<0.01). Conscientiousness in gastrointestinal cancer patients was more than breast cancer patients (P<0.05).

The aim of the current investigation was studying personality traits of mothers with more than one exceptional child. 100 mothers from among mothers with more than one exceptional child, 150 mothers from among mothers with one exceptional child and 200 mothers from among mothers with more than one normal child were randomly selected. To gather data, NEO personality Inventory was used. One- way analysis of variance, homogeneity of variance test, Tamhanes T2 and LSD tests were used for data analysis. Results showed that there were significant differences among the three groups in personality traits. It seems that there is a correlation between having an exceptional child in the family and mothers' personality characteristics.

The aim of this study was to predict students’ family functioning through stress coping styles. Using cluster sampling, 317 students of Abhar Islamic Azad University were selected. To collect data, Roger et. al’s Coping Style Questionnaire (CSQ) and Family Assessment Device (FAD) were used. Using Pearson Correlation Coefficient and stepwise regression, the data were analyzed. The results of this research showed that there was significant negative relationship between cognitive coping styles and conflict in family functioning. There was significant positive relationship between emotional coping styles and conflict in family functioning. There was no significant relationship between avoidance and detachment coping styles and family functioning. The students reflected the difference in their quality of life. Also the results showed that emotional and cognitive stress coping styles explained about 26 percent of students’ quality of life variance.

The aim of this research was to compare male students’ creativity in gifted, non-profit and public schools. For this purpose, 164 boys from three kinds of school in Tehran in the academic year 2009 –2010 were selected by means of clustering sampling method. These participations completed Reivan progressive matrix for measuring IQ and Torrance Test of Creativity Thinking (Figural form). The data were analyzed through ANOVA. The results showed that there was a significant difference in creativity among the gifted male students. The analysis of male students’ creativity scores in schools for the gifted, public and nonprofit indicated that there was no significant difference between extension and mobility factors. But, in originality, adaptability factors and the total creativity scale, there was a significant difference among students in different kinds of schools. In general, creativity scores in public school gifted male students were higher than their counterparts in non-profit schools. Nevertheless, there was no significant difference between creativity scores of public school gifted students and the total creativity scores. The data analysis indicated that the school type is not a single factor to the degree of students’ creativity.

The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between internal motivation and happiness among high school students in Karaj city. Using cluster random sampling, 318 students were selected. Then, internal motivation and happiness questionnaires were administrated. The collected data were analyzed using Pearson correlation coefficient, stepwise regression analyses and Z test. The results showed that there was positive relationship between internal motivation and happiness (P<0.01). Also, there was positive relationship between interest, perceived competence, lack of tension, selection and happiness (P<0.01). Among the components of internal motivation, lack of tension and interest together explained about %15 of happiness variability. The relationship between internal motivation and happiness among female students was stronger.

The present research sought to investigate the relationship between thinking styles and the emotional intelligence among students of Shiraz University during the 2009-2010 academic year. For this purpose, a sample of 201 students (123 females, 78 males) was chosen by cluster random sampling method. To collect data, Shchutte’s emotional intelligence questionnaire and Sternberg –Vagner’s questionnaire were used. The research data were analyzed by descriptive statistics (central tendency and dispersion) and inferential statistics (multi-factor regression analysis, Pearson’s correlation, t-test and f-test) which led to the following findings: 1) There was a significant relationship between thinking styles and emotional intelligence; 2) Thinking styles can predict emotional intelligence.