Social comparison, the process in which individuals compare their behavior and beliefs to those of other agents, is an important process in human societies. Our aim is to utilize theories of this process for synthetic agents, for the purposes of enabling social skills, teamcoordination, and greater individual agent performance. Our current focus is on individual failure detection and recovery i...

Social rhythms are patterns of habitual daily behaviors that may impact the timing of the circadian system directly or indirectly through light exposure. According to the social rhythm hypothesis of depression, depressed individuals possess a vulnerability in the circadian timing system that inhibits natural recovery after disrupting life events. Social rhythm therapies (SRTs) support the imple...

OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to examine how informal support and community services impact the course of alcohol disorders by examining the trajectories of alcohol consumption over 5 years in dependent and problem drinkers. METHOD Alcohol dependent adults (n = 600) and problem drinkers (n = 992) were identified through probability surveys in the general population and in public and...

Objectives: This study investigated physical, psychological and social job characteristics as potential risk factors for complaints of the arms, neck and shoulders (CANS) and mediating effects of muscular tension and need for recovery. Methods: Data were collected among 105 computer workers using questionnaires and electromyography (EMG), and were analyzed with linear regression analyses. Resul...

Social comparison, the process in which individuals compare their behavior and beliefs to those of other agents, is an important process in human societies. Our aim is to utilize theories of this process for synthetic agents, for the purposes of enabling social skills, teamcoordination, and greater individual agent performance. Our current focus is on individual failure detection and recovery i...

OBJECTIVE The study explored factors to which people traumatized by war attribute their recovery from posttraumatic symptoms and from war experiences. METHODS In-depth interviews were conducted with two groups of participants with mental sequelae of the war in the former Yugoslavia: 26 people who had recovered from posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and 17 people with ongoing symptoms of PT...

This short paper outlines the concept of recovery capital and discusses the impact that the accumulation of individual success has on groups and communities. It seeks to define recovery capital, to capture its flavour and principles, and to look at the intrinsically social forces that are at play in shaping change and in growing communities of recovery. It also outlines how we will be taking fo...

Person-centered integrative diagnosis is concerned with the assessment of the whole individual in a way that facilitates their recovery of mental and physical health. The recovery of mental and physical health involves more than just the reduction of symptoms and harm. Positive health involves the promotion of a satisfying quality of life, resilience despite stress, and recovery of positive emo...

BACKGROUND Over past decades, improvements in longer-term clinical and personal outcomes for individuals experiencing serious mental illness (SMI) have been moderate, although recovery has clearly been shown to be possible. Recovery experiences are inherently personal, and recovery can be complex and non-linear; however, there are a broad range of potential recovery contexts and contributors, b...