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Or the act of fending off depression, anxiety, and panic disorders can positively influence perseverance toward life goals. That’s a just as valid conclusion fr

Or the act of fending off depression, anxiety, and panic disorders can positively influence perseverance toward life goals. That’s a just as valid conclusion from the data.

johnfn 6y ago
Yeah, absolutely. > participants were asked to rate their goal persistence (e.g., “When I encounter problems, I don’t give up until I solve them”), self-mastery (e.g., “I can do just anything I really set my mind to”) and positive reappraisal (e.g., “I can find something positive, even in the worst situations”). Diagnoses for major depressive, anxiety and panic disorders were also collected at each interval. > People who showed more goal persistence and optimism during the first assessment in the mid-1990s had greater reductions in depression, anxiety and panic disorders across the 18 years, according to the authors. Not only is your conclusion a valid one from the data, I'd say that it should very well by the default conclusion. Answering low on their goal-persistence questions would be obvious flags for being depressed. Especially because there's no casual link that can be established, the most I could say from reading this article is that if you aren't interested in pursuing goals, you may be depressed.
- qppo 6y ago
  I think causal links are hard to come by in any science, but here the important tidbit is that particular emotions (perseverance towards ones goals) were correlated with less incidence or severity of disorders, compared to others (a feeling of control of ones environment/future). The value here is that showing the existence of an emotion earlier in ones life is correlated to lessening of symptoms later is that it helps therapists know which emotions and behaviors to target during long term treatment like cognitive/behavioral therapy. At least that's how I read it, I'm not a professional
  - kayodelycaon 6y ago
    Or it could be that mental disorders compromise the ability to have perseverance. Given what we know about mental illness, this is the more likely.
- xvilka 6y ago
  It could be just both correlate independently with a third, unknown variable that represents some unknown or unaccounted psychological property of mind.
deleted 6y ago
[deleted]
danhak 6y ago
Or it's not "or" but "and," with the the two feeding each other in a positive feedback loop.

Or the act of fending off depression, anxiety, and panic disorders can positively influence perseverance toward life goals. That’s a just as valid conclusion from the data.

johnfn 6y ago

Yeah, absolutely. > participants were asked to rate their goal persistence (e.g., “When I encounter problems, I don’t give up until I solve them”), self-mastery (e.g., “I can do just anything I really set my mind to”) and positive reappraisal (e.g., “I can find something positive, even in the worst situations”). Diagnoses for major depressive, anxiety and panic disorders were also collected at each interval. > People who showed more goal persistence and optimism during the first assessment in the mid-1990s had greater reductions in depression, anxiety and panic disorders across the 18 years, according to the authors. Not only is your conclusion a valid one from the data, I'd say that it should very well by the default conclusion. Answering low on their goal-persistence questions would be obvious flags for being depressed. Especially because there's no casual link that can be established, the most I could say from reading this article is that if you aren't interested in pursuing goals, you may be depressed.

qppo 6y ago
I think causal links are hard to come by in any science, but here the important tidbit is that particular emotions (perseverance towards ones goals) were correlated with less incidence or severity of disorders, compared to others (a feeling of control of ones environment/future). The value here is that showing the existence of an emotion earlier in ones life is correlated to lessening of symptoms later is that it helps therapists know which emotions and behaviors to target during long term treatment like cognitive/behavioral therapy. At least that's how I read it, I'm not a professional
- kayodelycaon 6y ago
  Or it could be that mental disorders compromise the ability to have perseverance. Given what we know about mental illness, this is the more likely.
xvilka 6y ago
It could be just both correlate independently with a third, unknown variable that represents some unknown or unaccounted psychological property of mind.

deleted 6y ago

[deleted]

danhak 6y ago

Or it's not "or" but "and," with the the two feeding each other in a positive feedback loop.