Background: Theory and research have shown that gratitude interventions have positive outcomes on measures of well-being. Gratitude listing, behavioral expressions, and grateful contemplation are methods of inducing gratitude. While research has examined gratitude listing and behavioral expressions, no study has tested the long-term effects of a gratitude contemplation intervention on well-being. Methods: The present experiment examined the efficacy of a 4-week gratitude contemplation intervention program in improving well-being relative to a memorable events control condition. Pre-test measures of cardiac coherence, trait gratitude, and positive and negative affect were collected. Preand post-test measures assessing satisfaction with life and self-esteem were also collected. Daily positive and negative affect were completed twice a week throughout the intervention period. Results: Compared to those in the memorable events condition, participants in the gratitude condition reported higher satisfaction with life and self-esteem. Trait gratitude was found to moderate the effects of the gratitude intervention on satisfaction with life. Conclusion: Grateful contemplation can be used to enhance long-term well-being.

The personality of exemplary young adults was studied in an effort to paint a portrait of moral excellence that expanded upon the traditional emphasis on moral reasoning maturity. These young adults were nominated based on their extraordinary moral commitment towards various social organizations. The sample included 40 moral exemplars and 40 matched comparison individuals who responded to a battery of questionnaires and participated in a semistructured interview. It was found that moral exemplars, in contrast to comparison individuals, were more agreeable, more advanced in their faith and moral reasoning development, further along in forming an adult identity, and more willing to enter into close relationships. These findings are discussed in the context of describing moral excellence from a multifaceted, personality perspective.

The purpose of this project was to study how Internet use relates to psychological well-being, relationships, the self and identity. University students (N = 203) completed a battery of questionnaires including measures of time spent online, "pathological" Internet use, Internet motivation, loneliness, relationship quality, self-concept clarity, and ego identity. Results showed positive relationships between measures of Internet use and loneliness. As well, face-to-face relationships were rated higher on both positive and negative quality dimensions relative to online relationships. Finally, Internet use was negatively correlated with self-concept clarity, and associated with moratorium identity status. These results suggest that the Internet may be an important aid for young adults as they searched for an adult identity.

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Although moral reasoning is able to account for some of the variability in moral behavior, much remains unexplained. Recently, a number of components of personality have been proposed as bridging the gap between moral reasoning and moral behavior. The present study investigates the role that identity integration (the extent to which one's moral values have become integrated into identity) and religious orientation (one's motivation for engaging in religious practice) play in moral functioning. A sample of 60 undergraduates was assessed on identity integration, religious orientation, moral reasoning, and self-reported altruism. We found positive correlations among moral reasoning, identity integration, intrinsic religious orientation, and self-reported altruism. A hierarchical regression analysis, however, revealed moral reasoning to be the only significant predictor of self-reported altruistic behavior. We discuss the relationship between moral reasoning and identity integration and the extent to which the intrinsic religious orientation scale may be a measure of identity integration in the religious domain.Although there is evidence to show some consistency between stage of moral reasoning and moral behavior (Blasi 1980;Jennings, Kilkenny, and Kohlberg 1983), the degree of consistency should not mask the fact that one can reason at a principled level and still remain immoral in behavior. Walker and Hennig (1997) refer to this as the "gappiness of moral life" and call for moral functioning to be viewed within the broader context of personality. A number of intermediaries have been proposed, including moral emotions (