Resiliency and Character Strengths Among College Students Item Type text; Electronic Dissertation Authors Chung, Hsiu-feng Publisher The University of Arizona. Rights Copyright © is held by the author. Digital access to this material is made possible by the University Libraries, University of Arizona. Further transmission, reproduction or presentation (such as public display or performance) of protected items is prohibited except with permission of the author. Download date 02/10/2021 04:26:47 Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/10150/195507 RESILIENCY AND CHARACTER STRENGTHS AMONG COLLEGE STUDENTS by Hsiu-feng Chung _________________________________ Copyright © Hsiu-feng Chung 2008 A Dissertation Submitted to the Faculty of the DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY In the Graduate College THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA 2008 2 THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA GRADUATE COLLEGE As members of the Dissertation Committee, we certify that we have read the dissertation prepared by Hsiu-feng Chung entitled Resiliency and Character Strengths Among College Students and recommend that it be accepted as fulfilling the dissertation requirement for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy _______________________________________________________________________ Date: 04/01/08 Mary McCaslin, Ph. D. _______________________________________________________________________ Date: 04/01/08 Thomas Good, Ph. D. _______________________________________________________________________ Date: 04/01/08 Sheri Bauman, Ph. D. _______________________________________________________________________ Date: 04/01/08 Heidi Burross, Ph. D. Final approval and acceptance of this dissertation is contingent upon the candidate’s submission of the final copies of the dissertation to the Graduate College. I hereby certify that I have read this dissertation prepared under my direction and recommend that it be accepted as fulfilling the dissertation requirement. ________________________________________________ Date: 04/01/08 Dissertation Director: Mary McCaslin, Ph. D. 3 STATEMENT BY AUTHOR This dissertation has been submitted in partial fulfillment of requirements for an advanced degree at the University of Arizona and is deposited in the University Library to be made available to borrowers under rules of the Library. Brief quotations from this dissertation are allowable without special permission, provided that accurate acknowledgment of source is made. Requests for permission for extended quotation from or reproduction of this manuscript in whole or in part may be granted by the copyright holder. SIGNED: Hsiu-feng Chung 4 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I wish to express my sincere gratitude to many people who have accompanied me throughout the journey of graduate studies. I would like to begin by expressing my deeply appreciation for my advisor, Professor Mary McCaslin for her on-going support, guidance, and confidence in me that gave me strength to complete my graduate studies. I am greatly indebted to Dr. Sheri Bauman who has always given me tremendous encouragement and assistance in my academic learning. I would also like to express my gratitude to Dr. Thomas Good who helped me with data collection for this dissertation and Dr. Heidi Burross for her support toward the end of my studies. Special thanks go to my father, Chung, Feng-sen, for his words of wisdom and wholehearted support in helping me through the most difficult times in life and fulfilling my dreams in America. I would also like to thank my family for their enduring support during the endeavor. Additionally, I would like to thank Nancy Clayton, Patricia Bauerle, Caroline Luckie, Evelyn Lorque, Kuo-Ya-fang, Hui-tzu Lu, Jizhi Zhung, Jia Zhu, Yung- chen Hsu, Kit-iu Cheong, Hui-chi Lee, Jared Wells, Mary Maduram, and Felipe Ip who were inordinately helpful to me along the way. Finally I would like to thank my religious master, Khenchen Prachhimba Dorjee Rinpoche for his kind blessings during the process. 5 DEDICATION To my Buddha and Bodhisattvas, who have been the source of my strengths and my guide to the transcendent; and To my grandmother, Chung, Huang Chuan-mei, who has been the source of my inspiration. 6 TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF FIGURES ............................................................................................................8 LIST OF TABLES ..............................................................................................................9 ABSTRACT ......................................................................................................................11 CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION ................................................................................12 Statement of the Problem ............................................................................................12 Purposes and Objectives of the Study .........................................................................15 Research Questions .....................................................................................................16 Significance of the Study.............................................................................................17 CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE REVIEW .....................................................................19 Daily Hassles and Life Satisfaction ............................................................................19 Daily Hassles ........................................................................................................19 Life Satisfaction ....................................................................................................22 Overview of Resiliency Literature ..............................................................................25 Overview of Positive Psychology Literature ..............................................................34 Appreciation of Beauty and Excellence ................................................................45 Gratitude ...............................................................................................................48 Humility/Modesty ..................................................................................................54 Love .......................................................................................................................58 CHAPTER 3 METHOD .............................................................................................65 Sample .........................................................................................................................65 Instrumentation ...........................................................................................................69 Hassles: The Revised University Student’s Hassles Scale ....................................69 Resiliency: The Ego Resiliency Scale ...................................................................71 Satisfaction with Life: The Satisfaction with Life Scale ........................................73 Appreciation of Beauty and Excellence: The Aesthetics Subscale .......................73 Gratitude: The Gratitude Questionnaire-6 ...........................................................75 Humility/Modesty: The Narcissistic Personality Inventory and The Psychological Entitlement Scale ....................................................................75 Love: Relationship Structures Questionnaire .......................................................78 Procedures ...................................................................................................................81 Data Analyses .............................................................................................................83 CHAPTER 4 RESULTS .............................................................................................88 Hassles ..................................................................................................................91 Stress and Resiliency .............................................................................................92 Hassles and Life Satisfaction ...............................................................................93 Life Satisfaction and Humility/Modesty (Narcissism) ..........................................96 7 TABLE OF CONTENTS—Continued Life Satisfaction and Humility/Modesty (Psychological Entitlement) ..................98 ANOVAs for Resiliency and the Character Strengths .........................................101 Relationships between Life Satisfaction and the Character Strengths ...............106 Life Satisfaction and Resiliency ..........................................................................108 Multiple Regressions for Resiliency ....................................................................109 Multiple Regressions for Life Satisfaction ..........................................................110 CHAPTER 5 DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS ..............................................113 Discussion .................................................................................................................113 Daily Hassles and College Students ...................................................................113 Daily Hassles and Life Satisfaction ....................................................................114 Humility/Modesty and Life Satisfaction in the Function of Hassles ..................114 Appreciation of Beauty and Excellence and Resiliency ......................................119 Gratitude and Resiliency