No abstract

Objective The present study sought to examine: (1) how the components of authenticity (i.e., authentic living, self‐alienation, accepting external influence) relate to one another at between‐ and within‐person levels of analysis; (2) how the authenticity facets relate to meaning in life (i.e., purpose, comprehension, mattering) and life satisfaction at these levels of analysis; and (3) whether these relationships persist when controlling for affect and self‐esteem. Method Canadian undergraduates (N = 203) completed a trait questionnaire and end‐of‐day reports on these constructs for two weeks (n = 2335). Results At between‐ and within‐person levels, authentic living was negatively associated with self‐alienation and accepting external influence, while the latter two facets were positively associated. Authentic living was positively related to well‐being and predicted greater well‐being the following day. Alternatively, self‐alienation and accepting external influence were negatively related to well‐being, and self‐alienation predicted lower well‐being the following day. Relationships involving authentic living and self‐alienation were more robust than those involving accepting external influence. Conclusion Extending research on authenticity beyond between‐person relationships, our findings show that daily states of authenticity predict well‐being in nuanced ways, depending on the facet of authenticity. This highlights the importance of distinguishing levels of analyses and facets of authenticity.

No abstract

In the face of mounting environmental issues, people around the world are reporting the experience of difficult emotions such as anxiety and worry, or what is increasingly referred to as eco-anxiety. It is often acknowledged that symptoms of eco-anxiety can range in severity or fall along a continuum. Such a proposition has important implications, as it may help to explain why some forms of eco-anxiety are more mal(adaptive) than others. In five studies (Total N = 2939) across three countries (Canada, China, United Kingdom), we examined how measures that may encompass a continuum of environment-related worry and anxiety were associated with each other and with measures of environmental concern, an older concept that may capture the less severe end of eco-anxiety responses. We also explored if these various measures were differentially linked to aspects of mental health and a pro-environmental orientation. Results revealed that measures of eco-anxiety and environmental concern were often moderately-strongly correlated. Eco-anxiety measures exhibited relatively consistent relationships with greater ill-being but mixed relationships with indices of well-being. There was some evidence of more severe eco-anxiety measures being associated with poorer mental health and environmental concern measures being associated with better mental health. Measures of both eco-anxiety and environmental concern evidenced larger and more consistent relationships with indices of a pro-environmental orientation, with the most severe eco-anxiety measure exhibiting some notably weaker relationships. Together, the present work provides preliminary insights into the nomological network of the continuum of eco-anxiety responses and its integration into future work on eco-anxiety.

No abstract