Recent scholarship on purpose in life has amassed a substantial evidence base for benefits long theorized to be associated with this resource. Yet studies charting these benefits have proliferated unencumbered by comparatively scarce inquiry into how purpose is acquired in the first place.

Deficient insight about how it arises within the lifespan impedes understanding of this concept and leaves space for a colloquial view to flourish that purpose is found – an expression that implies exploration as the driver of purpose acquisition. But is purpose findable? Here, we interrogate empirical support for purpose as a findable resource and consider alternative expressions better aligned with prevailing perspectives on behavioral ecology. Such perspectives leverage multiple levels of analysis and can integrate developmental precursors of purpose, its intentional and iterative cultivation processes, and the ecological embeddedness of purposeful pursuits. We conclude that a more precise description of acquisition processes is needed for rigorous scientific assessment of purpose and designing interventions that effectively promote it.

This chapter addresses the issue of the “starving artist.” Often, creative lives are not the most remunerative and this chapter outlines how people pay their expenses while devoting themselves to their art. Some have the advantage of a spouse who is the main breadwinner, others hold a “day job” in addition to their creative work, and others have less traditional sources of income. One artist also discusses how it works when both spouses are creative workers.

The 8-item Enjoyment of Sexualization scale (ESS; Liss et al., 2011) assesses the extent to which women report enjoying sexualized attention from men. The ESS can be administered online or in person and is free to use in any setting. It was validated on heterosexual women but has also been used reliably with lesbian women. Other versions have been developed for use specifically men as well people with diverse gender identities. This chapter first discusses the development of the ESS and then provides evidence of its psychometrics. More specifically, the ESS has been found to have a single-factor structure within exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis and has been found to have high internal consistency reliability as well as convergent and discriminant validity. Next, this chapter provides the ESS items in their entirety, instructions for administering the ESS to participants, the item response scale, and the scoring procedure. Known translations are provided, and logistics of use, such as permissions, copyright, instructions for use of alternative versions, and contact information, are provided for readers.

The use of tests and assessments in employment-related decision making has the potential to benefit organizations and individuals. However, their use is frequently criticized because of their adverse potential for bias and unfairness. The saliency of and attention to these issues may also vary from one country to another. Therefore, in addition to an overview of the handbook and its objectives, the present chapter presents a synthesis of the twenty-three chapters organized around four themes pertaining to bias and unfairness in employment testing, specifically, (1) historical and/or cultural issues, (2) legal and professional guidelines and issues, (3) psychometric issues, and (4) future- and forward-looking issues. Furthermore, the theory of cultural tightness-looseness is used in an exploratory manner to gain additional insights into patterns, or the lack thereof, across countries as reported in the chapters. The patterns of associations indicated that, relative to tight countries, loose countries were generally more attune to and have in place practices and regulations addressing employment testing bias and unfairness. Finally, some thoughts and suggestions for future research are discussed.

The 10-item Female Muscularity Scale (FMS; Rodgers et al., 2018) assesses the desire for a toned and tight muscular figure, as well as the engagement in behaviors that aim to modify physical appearance and increase muscularity. The FMS can be administered online and/or in-person to college-aged young adults and older adults who identify as female and is free to use in any setting or describe cost if any. This chapter first discusses the development of the FMS and provides evidence of its psychometric properties. More specifically, the FMS has been found to have a two-factor structure within exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses. Internal consistency reliability, test-retest reliability, convergent validity, discriminant validity, and incremental validity support the use of the FMS. Next, this chapter provides the FMS items in their entirety, instructions for administering the FMS to participants, the item response scale, and the scoring procedure. Known translations are provided. Logistics of use, such as permissions, copyright, and contact information are provided for readers.

Decision-making shows great variance between individuals. In attempt to explain individual differences, the General Decision Making Style questionnaire (GDMS) was developed. The GDMS considers decision-making an individual characteristic, that can be categorised as rational, avoidant, dependent, intuitive or spontaneous. A person can move between decision-making styles, or have a primary and secondary style – it is not fixed. Personality traits and a range of environmental factors are thought to influence decision-making style.

The 14-item Body Talk Scale (BTS; Lin et al., 2021) was designed to measure both positive body talk and negative body talk in adult women and men. Body talk is defined as the ways in which people talk about their bodies. Positive body talk refers to self-accepting and self-affirming statements made about one’s body, whereas negative body talk includes self-critical statements focused on dissatisfaction with one’s body fat and/or muscularity. The BTS can be administered online or in-person and is free to use. This chapter first discusses the development of the BTS and then provides evidence of its psychometrics. More specifically, the BTS has a 3-factor structure (negative fat talk, negative muscle talk, and positive body talk) found within exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses. Internal consistency reliability, test-retest reliability, concurrent validity, and incremental validity support the use of the BTS. Next, this chapter provides the BTS items in their entirety, instructions for administration and scoring, and the item response scale. Links to known translations are included. Logistics of use, such as permissions, copyright, and contact information, are available for readers.

Recently, there has been growing awareness of the so-called ‘reproducibility crisis’ which refers to the failure to replicate the findings of many scientific studies. This may arise from the employment of questionable research practices, such as ‘p-hacking’ (conducting many statistical tests, and only reporting significant results), HARKING (hypothesising after the results are known), and outcome switching (promoting secondary outcomes to primary outcomes to fit unexpected results). Open Science practices, which encourage open methodology (including pre-registration of hypotheses and outcomes), open data (in a publicly accessible repository), and open access to publication (including pre-prints), are vital to combatting these. This chapter sets out how Open Science practices can be applied to psychiatric research, including consideration of challenges which can arise, such as how to share data safely and appropriately. The chapter includes an explanation of key principles and constructs, and explains how Open Science practises can be embedded throughout the life-cycle of a project, with practical how-to guides and sign-posting to further resources.

The 23-item Body Compassion Scale (BCS; Altman et al., 2020) is an emerging mindfulness and acceptance-based measure within positive body image that assesses one’s compassion in relationship with their body, via defusion, common humanity, and acceptance. The BCS can be administered online or in-person to adolescents and adults and is free to use in any setting. This chapter first discusses the development of the BCS within the mindfulness and acceptance-based body image literature and then provides evidence of its psychometrics. More specifically, the Body Compassion Scale has been found to have a three-factor structure within exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses in multiple samples with presentations ranging from the general population to chronic illness, across multiple countries and languages. Internal consistency reliability, convergent validity, discriminant validity, and incremental validity support the use of the BCS. Next, this chapter provides the BCS items in their entirety, instructions for administering the BCS to participants, the item response scale, and the scoring procedure. Known translations are provided. Logistics of use, such as permissions, copyright, and contact information, are provided for readers.

The 23-item Body Esteem Scale for Adolescents and Adults (BESAA; Mendelson et al., 2001) is a widely used measure of body esteem that assesses one’s self-evaluations of their body and appearance. The BESAA can be administered online and/or in-person to adolescents and adults. There is no cost associated with using the BESAA in research or clinical settings. This chapter first discusses the development of the BESAA and then provides evidence of its psychometrics. More specifically, the BESAA has been found to have a 3-factor structure within exploratory and/or confirmatory factor analyses, although the factor structure and item constitution have been found to vary across cultures and demographics. Internal consistency reliability, test-retest reliability, convergent validity, and incremental validity support the use of the BESAA. Next, this chapter provides the BESAA items in their entirety, instructions for administering the BESAA to participants, the item response scale, and the scoring procedure. Citations for known BESAA translations are provided. Logistics of use, such as permissions, copyright, and contact information, are provided for readers.

During the first year of the global COVID-19 pandemic, Ghana’s creative arts communities captured its complex facets through various art forms. In Chapter 8, I focus on how these spontaneous artistic responses afforded the opportunity to examine in real time how grassroots arts and bottom-up social responses to health crises influenced health communication. Artists channelled ‘creative practices of the imagination’ regarding COVID-19, highlighting a mutually constitutive relationship between lay responses to the pandemic and what artists produced. The COVID arts they produced functioned in three arts and health domains: health education and knowledge production, disease prevention, and (indirectly) contributing to COVID-19 policy development. These intersecting functions converged on the science, culture and politics of COVID-19. I outline the subtle and radical ways artists translated the science, culture and politics of the COVID-19 pandemic to Ghanaian communities at home and abroad. I reflect on the insights these new art forms present for health communication during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.

The 48-item Negative Physical Self Scale (NPSS; Chen, Jackson, & Huang, 2006) was created to assess general and specific physical appearance concerns relevant to Chinese cultural contexts. The NPSS can be administered to adolescents and/or adults and is free to use in any setting. In this chapter, we discuss the development of the NPSS and then summarize research evaluating its psychometrics. Specifically, the NPSS been found to have a five-factor structure comprising concerns with fatness, stature, facial appearance, and general appearance within exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses that is invariant across samples of mainland Chinese women and men. Furthermore, specific NPSS dimensions have internal consistency reliability, test-retest reliability, convergent validity, discriminant validity and predictive validity support. Subsequently, this chapter presents the NPSS items in their entirety, instructions for administration, the item response scale, and the scoring procedure. Finally, we provide logistics of use - including permissions, copyright, and contact information - for readers.

Parents can help their children develop into an artist. Some people are lucky enough to have parents who are supportive right from the start. In this chapter, artists share their experiences with their parents and how that has shaped their artistry. Some artists even had artistic parents who served as role models.

Publishing a peer-reviewed paper is an ambition for all entering academic careers, and a necessity for those remaining in it. It can feel a daunting, complex, and long process, but there is an art and skill to successfully publishing that can be learned. This chapter sets out to demystify and explain the processes involved, and how to maximise the chances of success. From writing a multi-author paper, through deciding author position, to choosing the right journal and dealing with reviewer comments.