Personal goals and interpersonal support and hindrance as factors in psychological distress and well-being.

Abstract

This study examined psychological distress and well-being as a function of the characteristics of personal projects and project-relevant social support and social hindrance provided by the three most important people in subjects' lives. Three project factors (Project Mastery, Strain, and Self-Involvement) were found to account for significant variation in both psychological distress and well-being. Project support was generally found to be significantly related to well-being, but not to distress. However, project hindrance was found to be significantly related to both distress and well-being. Additional analyses revealed that the behavior of the most important person in a subject's life is of special significance in accounting for variations in psychological distress and well-being. Finally, evidence of the independence of support and hindrance was observed.

Cites (4)

1. Stress, social support, and the buffering hypothesis
   Cohen, Sheldon, Wills, Thomas A. · 1985 · Psychological Bulletin
2. Influence of Family Life on the Course of Schizophrenic Disorders: A Replication
   Brown, G. W., Birley, J. L. T., Wing, J. K. · 1972 · British Journal of Psychiatry
3. Effects of Different Sources of Social support and Social Conflict on Emotional Well-Being
   Abbey, Antonia, Abramis, David J., Caplan, Robert D. · 1985 · Basic and Applied Social Psychology
4. Social Relationships, Adversity and Neurosis: A Study of Associations in a General Population Sample
   Henderson, Scott, Byrne, D. G., Duncan-Jones, P., Scott, Ruth, Adcock, Sylvia · 1980 · British Journal of Psychiatry

Show all 4 references

Cited by (21)

1. The need to belong: Desire for interpersonal attachments as a fundamental human motivation.
   Baumeister, Roy F., Leary, Mark R. · 1995 · Psychological Bulletin
2. Bad Is Stronger Than Good
   Baumeister, Roy F., Bratslavsky, Ellen, Finkenauer, Catrin, Vohs, Kathleen D. · 2001 · Review of General Psychology
3. TARGET ARTICLE: Hope Theory: Rainbows in the Mind
   Snyder, C. R. · 2002 · Psychological Inquiry
4. A dark side of the American dream: Correlates of financial success as a central life aspiration
   Kasser, Tim, Ryan, Richard M. · 1993 · Journal of Personality and Social Psychology
5. A new look at social support: A theoretical perspective on thriving through relationships
   Feeney, Brooke C., Collins, Nancy L. · 2015 · Personality and Social Psychology Review

See all 205