Netta Weinstein’s research while affiliated with University of Reading and other places

Despite widespread plans to embed justice, equity, decolonization, indigenization, and inclusion (JEDII) into universities, progress toward deeper, systemic change is slow. Given that many community‐based conservation (CBC) scholars have experience creating enduring social change in diverse communities, they have transferable skills that could help embed JEDII in universities. We synthesized the literature from CBC and examined it through the lens of self‐determination theory to help identify generalizable approaches to create resilient sociocultural change toward JEDII in universities. Fostering autonomous motivation (i.e., behaving because one truly values and identifies with the behavior or finds behavior inherently satisfying) is critical to inspiring enduring change in both CBC and JEDII. Based on theory and our examination of CBC, we provide 5 broad recommendations that helped motivate behavioral change in a way that was self‐sustained (i.e., even without external rewards or pressure). Guiding principles support autonomy by creating meaningful choice and different entry points for JEDII; prioritising relationships; designing payment programs that enhance autonomous motivation; developing meaningful educational opportunities that are relevant, timely, relational, and authentic; and creating institutional change by focusing efforts on critical moments.

Background: Caregiver burden can impact the mental health of family caregivers, but self-compassion may help reduce this impact. Brief self-compassion interventions have been shown to be useful but have not been tested in family caregivers of older adults.

Listening is understood to be a foundational element in practices that rely on effective conversations, but there is a gap in our understanding of what the effects of high-quality listening are on both the speaker and listener. This registered report addressed this gap by training one group of participants to listen well as speakers discuss their character strengths, allowing us to isolate the role relational listening plays in strengths-based conversations. Participants were paired and randomly assigned to a high-quality listening (experimental) or moderate- quality listening (comparison) condition manipulated through a validated video-based training. High-quality listening predicted a more constructive relational experience; specifically, positivity resonance. Intrapersonal experiences (perceived authenticity and state anxiety) were not affected. Those who engaged in high-quality listening expressed a behavioural intention to continue listening, but condition did not predict a behavioural intention for speakers to continue exploring character strengths. This is the first evidence of positivity resonance as a shared outcome between both a speaker and listener when the listener conveys high-quality (as opposed to “everyday”) listening. These early findings merit further study with stronger listening manipulations to explore the potential role of listening within interpersonal communication, and inform the applied psychological sciences (counselling, psychotherapy, coaching, organisational, education).

Background Young people with depression are met with stigma related to their mental health, which exacerbates loneliness, social isolation, and depression symptoms. While disclosing depression could improve one's mental health, stigma can also make social interactions more challenging and reduce the likelihood of receiving treatment. This research explored young people's experiences with stigma and recommendations for addressing it. Methods Semi‐structured interviews conducted with N = 35 young people aged 18–25 years (Mage = 20.09) were analyzed with thematic analysis. Participants met the criteria for clinical depression using the Mood and Feelings Questionnaire (score >27) or had recently obtained a medical diagnosis (N = 18) of depression by a medical professional. Results Participants faced stigma when deciding to disclose their depression, which fed into a vicious cycle influencing feelings of loneliness, social isolation, and withdrawal. Their recommendations for others to avoid this cycle can be summarized under three main themes: (1) Social affirmation: identify allies and build meaningful connections; (2) Self‐affirmation: build a constructive relationship with the self; and (3) Societal affirmation: structural changes are needed. Conclusions The current research indicates that social, self‐, and societal affirmation are considered important for reducing the detrimental impacts of stigma. Policies and programs are needed that provide mental health support to young people, and public awareness campaigns that guide young people to appropriate resources (i.e., support and intervention) via governmental public health bodies.

This article integrates insights from the Journal of Personality's Registered Report‐only special issue, which explores the relationship between personality and experiences within solitude. Contrary to the traditional view that solitude primarily serves those who are introverted or seeking refuge from social interactions, findings in this issue demonstrate that solitude is actively sought by, and may hold benefits for, a broad spectrum of personality types. We discuss these findings and suggest there may be more complex interactions between personality and solitude than previously recognized. We highlight the importance of conceptual and methodological clarity in studying both personality and solitude. Studies also show that the benefits of solitude for well‐being depend on contextual factors including the function and purpose of solitude, and activities undertaken (or not) when alone. Preferences for, and enjoyment of, solitude are influenced by more than just personality traits; they are shaped by how personality interacts with specific situations and contexts. We provide practical recommendations for future research to refine methods in order to better understand the nuanced experiences of solitude. These approaches will help clarify the conditions under which solitude is most beneficial and offer deeper insights into how solitude can improve well‐being for different individuals.

According to self-determination theory, speakers can communicate with listeners either in more controlling or in more autonomy-supportive ways. Whereas most previous studies focused on the lexical semantics (i.e., words) of both communication styles, the current research examined whether experimentally induced controlling versus autonomy-supportive tone of voice differentially predicts listeners’ experienced pressure, closeness, and intentions to collaborate, even when listeners are exposed to these communications only briefly. In two experimental studies (Study 1, N = 61, Mage = 31.51; Study 2, N = 111, Mage = 44.73), multilevel analyses indicated that voice quality is the most critical parameter distinguishing between controlling and autonomy-supportive prosody. That is, sentences spoken with a harsher, relative to a softer, tone of voice were perceived as more pressuring (Studies 1 and 2), with higher levels of experienced pressure following harsh voices explaining why listeners felt less close to and anticipated less intent to collaborate with controlling speakers (Study 2). Study 2 applied these principles in the parenting context and shed further light on the robustness of these findings by examining whether the tone of voice effect occurs regardless of the target of the communication (i.e., parents themselves or their children) and interacts with parents’ authoritarianism and causality orientation. Despite a few significant interactions, a vast majority of listeners interpreted controlling prosody more negatively than autonomy supportive prosody. The discussion focuses on how controlling tone of voice interferes with listeners’ motivation.

This pre-registered longitudinal study investigated the relations between basic psychological need satisfaction and motivational quality and objective measures of achievement and dropout, to extend principles of self-determination theory in the classroom to modelling of psychological need satisfaction alongside long-term objective academic outcomes. Participants were first-year and fourth-year student teachers in Norway, a demographic known for having high attrition rates. Unexpectedly, we found that autonomous motivation and amotivation were negatively related with achievement, whereas gender (males) and previous grades were positively related with it. Controlled motivation and gender (males) was, conversely, positively related with remaining on the study program. As expected, amotivation was related with dropout. Finally, the effect of autonomous motivation on remaining in education was mediated by basic psychological needs, suggesting that autonomous motivation indirectly reduces dropout through the satisfaction of the basic needs. We discuss the limitations of our study and implications for future research.

Technology in the classroom can facilitate learning, but little is known about how the motivational climate set by teachers shapes its impacts on students. Informed by self‐determination theory, the current study explored technology use in English language classrooms to understand how autonomy‐supportive and structured teaching styles influenced positive outcomes of classroom technology use. Teachers ( N = 101) reported on technology use and motivational styles, and students ( N = 550) aged 9–16 years reported on basic psychological needs satisfaction (autonomy, relatedness and competence) and academic well‐being (interest and effort). Findings of nested models showed no direct benefits for the amount of technology use; more autonomous teaching style and low structure linked to students' need satisfaction and interest. Beyond these main effects, when teachers were more autonomous, using technology enhanced student need satisfaction and interest; the combination of both was most beneficial for these student outcomes. Counter to expectations, when teachers had low structure technology use enhanced their impact on students. Findings suggest that to optimize student well‐being and interest in learning, teachers benefit from combining autonomy‐supportive education styles and technology use.