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Thrill and Adventure Seekers: Affective Organization of Personal Meaning of Extreme Weather

Received: 4 December 2013     Published: 20 December 2013
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Abstract

The aim of the article is the analysis of the personal meaning of extreme weather among a Thrill and Adventure Seekers. There are two affective motives, which play an important role in the analysis of personal meaning of extreme weather: (1) the striving for self-enhancement, (2) the longing for the unification with nature. Furthermore, the process of meaning construction can be examined on the basis of two types of emotions: positive and negative ones. In the research on the personal meaning of extreme weather a modified version of H. Herman's Self-Confrontation method and the Thrill and Adventure Seeking Scale of M. Zuckerman`s were used. 130 students (M = 20.40; SD = 1.5) were asked about personal experiences concerning the elements of nature: the thunderstorm, the fog, the heavy rain, the strong wind and the snowstorm. The results have indicated that a Thrill and Adventure Seekers in contact with severe weather conditions tend to reveal: score higher on the level of desire for self-enhancement, the level of positive emotions or the level of the longing for the unification with nature and score lower on the level of negative emotions than controls.

Published in American Journal of Applied Psychology (Volume 2, Issue 6)
DOI 10.11648/j.ajap.20130206.12
Page(s) 75-79
Creative Commons

This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.

Copyright

Copyright © The Author(s), 2013. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Risk Taking, Sensation Seeking, Valuation Theory, Weather

References
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[3] Denissen, J. J. A., Butalid, L., Penke, L., & van Aken, A. G. (2008). The effects of weather on daily mood: A multilevel approach. Emotion, 8(5), 662-667.
[4] Hermans, H.J.M., & Hermans-Jansen, E. (1995). Self-Narratives: The Construction of Meaning in Psychotherapy. New York: Guilford Press.
[5] Hermans, H. J. M., & Oleś, P. (1996). The personal meaning of values: Continuity-discontinuity of value experience. Polish Psychological Bulletin, 27, 4, 301-317.
[6] Hermans, H. J. M. & Oleś, P. K. (1999). Midlife crisis in men: Affective organization of personal meanings. Human Relations, 52, 1403-1426.
[7] Jack, S. J., & Ronan, K. R. (1998). Sensation seeking among high- and low-risk sports participants. Personality and Individual Differences, 25, 1063-1083.
[8] James, W. (1980). The principles of psychology. London: McMillan
[9] Oleszkiewicz-Zsurs, E. (1986). Zapotrzebowanie na stymulację a preferencje wyboru zawodu. Przegląd Psychologiczny, 29, 509 - 525.
[10] Oleś, P. (1992). Metoda Konfrontacji z Sobą Huberta J. M. Hermansa, Warszawa: Pracownia Testów Psychologicznych PTP.
[11] Kobasa, S. C. (1982). The hardy personality: Toward a social psychology of stress and health. In: G. Sanders, J. Suls (eds.), Social psychology of health and illness (pp. 3-32). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.
[12] Merleau-Ponty, M. (1945). Phenomenologie de la perception. Paris: Gallimard.
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[14] Schultz, P. W. (2002). Inclusion with nature: The psychology of human-nature relations. In: P. Schmuck, & W. P. Schultz (eds.), Psychology of sustainable development. Dordrecht: Kluwer Academic Publishers.
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[16] Zuckerman, M. (1994). Behavioral expressions and biosocial bases of sensation seeking. Nh York, Cambridge: University Press.
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  • APA Style

    Piotr Próchniak. (2013). Thrill and Adventure Seekers: Affective Organization of Personal Meaning of Extreme Weather. American Journal of Applied Psychology, 2(6), 75-79. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajap.20130206.12

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    ACS Style

    Piotr Próchniak. Thrill and Adventure Seekers: Affective Organization of Personal Meaning of Extreme Weather. Am. J. Appl. Psychol. 2013, 2(6), 75-79. doi: 10.11648/j.ajap.20130206.12

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    AMA Style

    Piotr Próchniak. Thrill and Adventure Seekers: Affective Organization of Personal Meaning of Extreme Weather. Am J Appl Psychol. 2013;2(6):75-79. doi: 10.11648/j.ajap.20130206.12

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  • @article{10.11648/j.ajap.20130206.12,
      author = {Piotr Próchniak},
      title = {Thrill and Adventure Seekers: Affective Organization of Personal Meaning of Extreme Weather},
      journal = {American Journal of Applied Psychology},
      volume = {2},
      number = {6},
      pages = {75-79},
      doi = {10.11648/j.ajap.20130206.12},
      url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajap.20130206.12},
      eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ajap.20130206.12},
      abstract = {The aim of the article is the analysis of the personal meaning of extreme weather among a Thrill and Adventure Seekers. There are two affective motives, which play an important role in the analysis of personal meaning of extreme weather: (1) the striving for self-enhancement, (2) the longing for the unification with nature. Furthermore, the process of meaning construction can be examined on the basis of two types of emotions: positive and negative ones. In the research on the personal meaning of extreme weather a modified version of H. Herman's Self-Confrontation method and the Thrill and Adventure Seeking Scale of M. Zuckerman`s were used. 130 students (M = 20.40; SD = 1.5) were asked about personal experiences concerning the elements of nature: the thunderstorm, the fog, the heavy rain, the strong wind and the snowstorm. The results have indicated that a Thrill and Adventure Seekers in contact with severe weather conditions tend to reveal: score higher on the level of desire for self-enhancement, the level of positive emotions or the level of the longing for the unification with nature and score lower on the level of negative emotions than controls.},
     year = {2013}
    }
    

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    AB  - The aim of the article is the analysis of the personal meaning of extreme weather among a Thrill and Adventure Seekers. There are two affective motives, which play an important role in the analysis of personal meaning of extreme weather: (1) the striving for self-enhancement, (2) the longing for the unification with nature. Furthermore, the process of meaning construction can be examined on the basis of two types of emotions: positive and negative ones. In the research on the personal meaning of extreme weather a modified version of H. Herman's Self-Confrontation method and the Thrill and Adventure Seeking Scale of M. Zuckerman`s were used. 130 students (M = 20.40; SD = 1.5) were asked about personal experiences concerning the elements of nature: the thunderstorm, the fog, the heavy rain, the strong wind and the snowstorm. The results have indicated that a Thrill and Adventure Seekers in contact with severe weather conditions tend to reveal: score higher on the level of desire for self-enhancement, the level of positive emotions or the level of the longing for the unification with nature and score lower on the level of negative emotions than controls.
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Author Information
  • Department of Psychology, Pomeranian University, Poland

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