Hadassah Littman-Ovadia

• Prof. PhD
• Head of Department at Ariel University

The Fear of Missing Out (FoMO) phenomenon has become increasingly prevalent in the 21st century, fueled by the rise of social media. FoMO, characterized by the apprehension that others may be having more rewarding experiences and a desire to stay continually connected, has significant implications for mental health, particularly among emerging adul...

Recognizing strengths in romantic partners is associated with relationship quality. However, is mere recognition sufficient, or does genuine appreciation play a more pivotal role? We address this question in a mixed-methods study comprising 90 heterosexual couples, randomly allocated into one of three groups: (1) intervention: six weekly 20-minute...

Recent research has utilized network analysis to identify communities of character strengths, resulting in the discovery of four communities: Discernment, Interpersonal, Responsibility, and Energy. In this study, we aimed to replicate these communities and explore their relevance to psychopathology. Prior research indicates the strengths under-over...

The benefits of paired learning, rather than individual learning, have been pointed by several studies. Although Chevruta, which has been essential in Jewish education for centuries, is arguably the original form of long-term paired learning, little empirical research has focused on exploring its components and consequences. In the current study, C...

Numerous studies examined the association between character strengths—positive traits that comprise a good personality—and satisfaction with different aspects of life. However, few studies explored the connection between character strengths and marital satisfaction. The present study, conducted on a sample of 177 married couples, aims to examine th...

There is a noticeable increase in interest in the study of spirituality within the context of positive psychology. A review of the literature shows several parallels between dimensions of spirituality as explored within psychology of religion and spirituality and those of the VIA model of character strengths (CSs) as developed in positive psycholog...

Many couples’ relationship lacks the prosperity that characterize a good marriage. To address this languishing, our study proposes an adaptation of the well-validated intervention Three Good Things, and examines its effectiveness on marital quality. This mixed-method study comprised 134 heterosexual couples, randomly allocated into one of three gro...

Character strengths (CSs) are positive traits that have been shown to efficiently and effectively promote a host of positive outcomes, outside and inside the workplace. Despite their theoretical moral basis, they have not been systematically and wholly explored as antecedents of, and correspondingly unused as, mechanisms to increase prosocial behav...

Due to increased life expectancy, the population segment of older adults has grown the fastest. The global phenomenon of population aging raises important questions regarding successful, positive, active, and meaningful aging. Given that aging is often characterized by declines in physical and mental health and increased risk for social isolation a...

Scholars over the last several decades have theorized and presented research regarding the key components of a balanced adult life. However, attempts to integrate these components are rare. This paper offers a two-dimensional model for understanding and constructing a balanced adult life: doing–being and relationship–solitude. Thriving by active do...

Prioritizing positivity (PP) has been presented as an effective mechanism to increase positive emotions and reduce negative emotions. The current mixed-method study sought to explore the role of age as a moderator and identify selected situations facilitating the likelihood of routinely experiencing positive and negative emotions. Based on a sample...

This study focused on the perception of medicine as a calling and its associations with medical training satisfaction, career certainty, career satisfaction, career commitment, and well-being among 176 Israeli medical students. Participants replied to an online questionnaire including the Brief Calling Scale (Duffy and Sedlacek in Career Dev Q 59:2...

Theoretical propositions suggesting that character strengths (CSs) may have darker sides have triggered a new wave of studies, providing novel insight into the role that misuse of CSs play in psychopathology. Pioneering research in the field has addressed the challenge of constructing an instrument for measuring over/under/optimal use of CSs, and e...

Signature strengths are individuals’ highest-ranked strengths, those that they own, celebrate, and frequently exercise. Their use has been theorized to elicit positive affect, and contribute significantly to individuals’ functioning and well-being. The present study examined two elements of these ideas in the work arena: (a) Associations of strengt...

This chapter focuses on the contribution of strengths of character and mindfulness to the sense of meaning in life across central life domains, such as work, education, and family. Our conceptualization of character strengths is based on the universal VIA Classification of 24 character strengths, which are hierarchically organized across six broade...

Despite a number of theoretical propositions suggesting that character strengths are multidimensional and may have darker sides, to date strengths have been approached strictly as a positive entity. The current study sought to (a) define and measure these darker sides of character strengths in the form of underuse-overuse, as well as their traditio...

Using character strengths at work has been associated with desirable feelings, attitudes, and functioning. However, factors promoting strengths use at work have rarely been studied. In the present study, we focused on social support, a key contributor to employees’ functioning and well-being, and examined the effects of supervisor and colleague sup...

Character strengths are hypothesized to contribute to human thriving. However, the effects of their use on individuals’ behaviors and attitudes at work, an important domain of modern life, have rarely been studied. In the present study, we examined associations of employees’ use of character strengths at work with productivity, organizational citiz...

This study focused on the manner in which a sense of calling-presence and search-is perceived by first-and final-year male and female medical students. Differences in level of calling between first-year students and last-year students were predicted, more so for women than for men due to gender bias and family-work integration challenges. A total o...

Character strengths are durable positive attributes that contribute to well-being in life and at work. They are also hypothesized to contribute to the growth and flourishing of individuals and organizations. However, their associations with work performance and counterproductive work behaviors have rarely been studied. The present study seeks to id...

In the past few decades, many studies have been conducted on the positive effects of mindfulness, a state of openness to novelty in which an individual actively constructs categories and distinctions. The authors tested the applicability of Langer's () mindfulness theory to Holland's () vocational personalities. Data from 156 Israeli full-time empl...

Character strengths, representing positive attributes of individuals, have been linked with several positive psychological qualities, such as life satisfaction and well-being. However, the effects of character strengths and their deployment on married couples, at the dyadic level, have not been studied to date. The present study focuses on married...

This study implemented an innovative model of individual Strengths-Based Career Counseling (SBCC), as carried out by vocational counseling psychologists, and measured its impact on unemployed job seekers. As part of a quasi-randomized pre-post intervention study, career counseling clients completed self-esteem, career exploration, strengths use, an...

Character strengths represent positive durable attributes of individuals, and their deployment is hypothesized to positively affect mood and well-being. Furthermore, strengths deployment may serve as a mood-repair strategy which promotes growth. Close relationships, being potential facilitators of personal growth, were hypothesized to amplify these...

Work stressors are related to poor psychological detachment (i.e., mentally switching off) from work during nonwork time, which in turn is related to low levels of recovery and health. This article examines two general personality orientations, attachment avoidance and attachment anxiety, and one vocation-specific personality tendency, overcommitme...

This research demonstrates the effectiveness of a brief daily self-applied optimism intervention in an adult normal population. Participants completed Life Orientation Test-Revised, Positive and Negative Affect Scale, Satisfaction with Life Scale, and Burnout Measure scales before, immediately after, and one month after the intervention. At baselin...

Contemporary researchers suggest that working is a relational act. Accordingly, literature reflects increasing interest in the relevance of attachment theory to vocational and organizational phenomena. In the current study, we focused on associations of avoidant attachment orientation (characterized by obsessive self-reliance), anxious attachment o...

We investigated relationships among five higher-order strengths factors, subjective well-being, and general self-efficacy in participants that live under challenging conditions. Therefore, a sample of 396 Israeli adolescents (aged 13–18 years) completed the Values in Action Inventory of Strengths for Youth, the Satisfaction With Life Scale, the Aff...

The central aim of the present study was to assess the predictive value of affective disposition and meaningful work on employee engagement. Specifically, it was proposed that meaningful work moderates the relationship between affective disposition and engagement. Questionnaires were completed by 252 white-collar employees, working in a variety of...

The relationship between vocational personalities and character strengths, and the contribution of both to life satisfaction were tested in an online sample of 302 Israeli adults. Hierarchical regressions indicated that love of learning explained 9.8% of the investigative personality, creativity and appreciation of beauty explained 19.6% of the art...

Abstract The model of effort-reward imbalance (ERI) received considerable research attention in the job stress literature. However, very scarce research investigated individual differences as moderators between ERI and stress. The present study is aimed at examining the combined effects of ERI, overcommitment (OVC), and the interaction between ERI...

This longitudinal study examines the effects of Israeli counselors’ and clients’ ratings of their working alliance on clients’ career exploration (CE), using a sample of 94 three-session career counseling processes. Results reveal that both clients’ and counselors’ working alliance ratings increased over time; yet, clients’ ratings remained constan...

The Values in Action Inventory of Strengths (VIA-IS) has been extensively used to assess character strengths. We adapted a Hebrew translation and analyzed its psychometric properties and associations with life satisfaction, personality traits, and positive and negative affect, and examined its factorial structure in 635 Israeli adults. Results indi...

Several studies link attachment insecurities with lower levels of life satisfaction. Positive psychology studies link character strengths, especially those associated with social interactions (i.e., love and gratitude) or optimism (hope and zest), with higher levels of life satisfaction. We hypothesized that the negative associations between insecu...

The endorsement and deployment of character strengths in occupational contexts are two promising components for understanding how people create well-being. In this study, a model integrating character strengths, satisfaction with occupational activities, and meaning and well-being was proposed and tested in two samples of volunteers and a sample of...

This longitudinal research investigated the interactive effect of social attachment style and perceived-counselor behavior on exploratory behavior exhibited by clients during and after career counseling. Results from 96 clients in career counseling indicated that social confidence and comfort, and the perception that the counselor had created socia...

Strengths are presumed to be universal characteristics that are possessed by all people and explain wellbeing. However, a few previous studies have demonstrated cultural differences in endorsement of certain strengths and in the contribution of certain strengths to well-being. These studies suggest that sociological factors may differentially affec...

This paper reports results of a quantitative study of occupational adjustment and personal well-being in a sample of Israeli college graduates (N = 85). We hypothesized that character-strength deployment and the congruence between previous academic studies and current occupation will be positively correlated with occupational adjustment and with pe...