Are there multiple channels through which we connect with beauty and excellence?

Güsewell, Angelika; Ruch, Willibald

doi:10.1080/17439760.2012.726636

Cited by 39 publications

(47 citation statements)

References 15 publications

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“…Until now, very little has been known about these emotions (Keltner & Haidt, 2003; Shiota et al., 2006; Shiota et al., 2007). In their contribution on the character strength appreciation of beauty and excellence , Haidt and Keltner (2004) mention the tendency to experience “self‐transcendent emotions such as awe, admiration, and elevation” (p. 539), and hold that these emotions are elicited by three types of stimuli, namely human‐made, natural, or moral beauty and excellence (see also Güsewell & Ruch, 2012). What exactly are these self‐transcendent emotions?…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Are only Emotional Strengths Emotional? Character Strengths and Disposition to Positive Emotions

Güsewell

Ruch

2012

Applied Psych Health & Well

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This study aimed to examine the relations between character strengths and dispositional positive emotions (i.e. joy, contentment, pride, love, compassion, amusement, and awe). A sample of 574 German-speaking adults filled in the Dispositional Positive Emotion Scales (DPES; Shiota, Keltner, & John, 2006), and the Values in Action Inventory of Strengths (VIA-IS; Peterson, Park, & Seligman, 2005). The factorial structure of the DPES was examined on item level. Joy and contentment could not be clearly separated; the items of the other five emotions loaded on separate factors. A confirmatory factor analysis assuming two latent factors (self-oriented and object/situation specific) was computed on scale level. Results confirmed the existence of these factors, but also indicated that the seven emotions did not split up into two clearly separable families. Correlations between dispositional positive emotions and character strengths were positive and generally low to moderate; a few theoretically meaningful strengths-emotions pairs yielded coefficients>.40. Finally, the link between five character strengths factors (i.e. emotional strengths, interpersonal strengths, strengths of restraint, intellectual strengths, and theological strengths) and the emotional dispositions was examined. Each of the factors displayed a distinctive "emotional pattern"; emotional strengths evidenced the most numerous and strongest links to emotional dispositions.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Are only Emotional Strengths Emotional? Character Strengths and Disposition to Positive Emotions

Güsewell

Ruch

2012

Applied Psych Health & Well

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“…The Values in Action Inventory of Strengths (VIA-IS; Peterson, Park, & Seligman, 2005a) is the standard measure for the possession of character strengths (as defined in the VIA classification) in adults for basic research. A variety of studies show its reliability and validity (e.g., Güsewell & Ruch, 2012a;Müller & Ruch, 2011;Peterson et al, 2005a).…”

Section: The Application Of Character Strengths At Workmentioning

confidence: 99%

When the job is a calling: The role of applying one's signature strengths at work

Harzer

Ruch

2012

The Journal of Positive Psychology

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Familial aggregation and the effect of parenting styles on three dispositions toward ridicule and being laughed at were tested. Nearly 100 families (parents, their adult children, and their siblings) completed subjective questionnaires to assess the presence of gelotophobia (the fear of being laughed at), gelotophilia (the joy of being laughed at), and katagelasticism (the joy of laughing at others). A positive relationship between fear of being laughed at in children and their parents was found. Results for gelotophilia were similar but numerically lower; if split by gender of the adult child, correlations to the mother's gelotophilia exceeded those of the father. Katagelasticism arose independently from the scores in the parents but was robustly related to greater katagelasticism in the children's siblings. Gelotophobes remembered punishment (espe-cially from the mother), lower warmth and higher control from their parents (this was also found in the parents' recollections of their parenting style). The incidence of gelotophilia was unrelated to specific parenting styles, and katagelasticism exhibited only weak relations with pun-ishment. The study suggests a specific pattern in the rela-tion of the three dispositions within families and argues for a strong impact of parenting styles on gelotophobia but less so for gelotophilia and katagelasticism. Strengths at WorkThe present study investigates the role of applying the individual signature strengths at work for positive experiences at work (i.e., job satisfaction, pleasure, engagement, meaning) and calling. A sample of 111 employees from various occupations completed measures on character strengths, positive experiences at work, and calling. Co-workers (N = 111) rated the applicability of character strengths at work. Correlations between applicability of character strengths and positive experiences at work decreased with intra-individual centrality of strengths (ranked strengths from the highest to the lowest). Level of positive experiences and calling were higher when four to seven signature strengths were applied at work compared to less than four. Positive experiences partially mediated the effect of the number of applied signature strengths on calling.Implications for further research and practice will be discussed.

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“…However, results also suggested that this relationship might not be simply linear, but rather needs to be differentiated. Two kinds of individuals high on responsiveness could be distinguished in this research: (a) those who displayed an overall, generally heightened sensitivity to all types of beauty and goodness (i.e., amateur musicians, soloists), which is in line with theoretical models and assumptions (Diessner et al, 2008;Güsewell & Ruch, 2012a;Haidt & Keltner, 2004), and (b) those who displayed a specific, standalone sensitivity to artistic good-"For more details about the self-oriented and object-or situationspecific emotions, see Güsewell and Ruch (2012b). Note.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 74%

Are musicians particularly sensitive to beauty and goodness?

Güsewell¹,

Ruch²

2014

Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts

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Overall, responsiveness proved to be related to the degree of involvement in musical practice. However, professional musicians displayed distinct profiles depending on their main occupational activity: Whereas music teachers and orchestra musicians showed a specific sensitivity to artistic beauty, soloists evidenced an overall high sensitivity to all types of beauty and goodness. Furthermore, results showed that the responsiveness dimensions correlated in a theoretically meaningful manner with dispositional awe, absorption, and experience seeking.Keywords: appreciation of beauty and excellence, engagement with beauty, responsiveness to the good and beautiful, personality of musicians During the last decade, two models of the sensitivity to beauty and goodness were proposed within the context of positive psychology; the appreciation of beauty and excellence model (Haidt & Keltner, 2004), and the engagement with beauty model (Diessner et al., 2008). Both models assume the sensitivity to beauty in the physical world to be linked with the sensitivity to goodness or excellence in the social world, and hypothesize a second-order factor of general sensitivity to beauty and goodness. To examine whether one or both of these models could be empirically confirmed, Güsewell and Ruch (2012a) conducted a structural equation modeling analysis in which they not only included the two already existing self-report instruments-namely, the Appreciation of Beauty and Excellence (ABE) scale of the Values in Action Inventory of Strengths (VIA-IS;Peterson et al., 2005), and the Engagement with Beauty Scale (EBS; Diessner et al., 2008)-but also a newly developed, stimulus-based instrument, the Appreciation of Beauty and Excellence Test (ABET; Güsewell & Ruch, 2012a). The resulting model, which integrated the two existing ones, was labeled responsiveness to the good and beautiful. It was comprised of a second-order factor of general sensitivity to beauty and goodness, and three distinct, but related, dimensions; respon-

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Are there multiple channels through which we connect with beauty and excellence?

Abstract: This research answers the question whether there are multiple channels through which we connect with beauty and excellence, and thus contributes to the understanding of the structure of appreciation. Two models were examined: the appreciation of beauty and excellence (ABE) model [Haidt,

Cited by 39 publications

References 15 publications

Are only Emotional Strengths Emotional? Character Strengths and Disposition to Positive Emotions

Are only Emotional Strengths Emotional? Character Strengths and Disposition to Positive Emotions

When the job is a calling: The role of applying one's signature strengths at work

Are musicians particularly sensitive to beauty and goodness?

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