Examining the Relationship between Helplessness in Change and the Expectation of Approval from others with the Gender of Tehran Students
Irrational beliefs are any thought, emotion or behavior that leads to self-destruction and self-destruction and its important consequences are impaired survival, happiness and joy. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between helplessness in change and expectation of approval from others with gender in students of Tehran Azad University. The present study was an applied correlation study. The study population was students of Tehran Azad University. 95 of whom were randomly selected. The research method was to collect field information with a questionnaire. The research instrument included the Jones irrational beliefs questionnaire and data analysis was performed using descriptive and inferential statistics in SPSS software. With0.95confidence the statistical hypothesis of zero equality of the mean of irrational beliefs and its subscales, i.e. helplessness in changing and expecting from others, is confirmed by the two groups of men and women so we can say that there is no significant difference between the means of the groups. Based on the results of the study, it can be said that each of the subscales of irrational beliefs have the same effect on both men and women and there is no significant difference between them.
One of the main characteristics of human is his extraordinary ability to think. Especially his ability to think about how he thinks and act on his thoughts. When a persons thinking and behavior is wise, he will be an efficient, happy, lively and capable being and live his life with rational and healthy thoughts and freedom of behavior makes and gives directions. Many of the thoughts that pop into peoples minds are actually beliefs that people have about themselves, others, or the world. These thoughts willy-nilly affect peoples lives and cause the formation of behavior and thinking in a certain way. From the point of view of Elliss illogical beliefs, as a person creates anxiety and worry with imaginary and irrational thoughts, he can free himself from his troubles through correct and logical thinking. "Ellice" believes that when an incident happens to a person, based on his inner and inherent tendencies, he may have two different and opposite perceptions of that incident and event: one is logical and rational thoughts, opinions and beliefs, and the other is irrational thoughts, and irrational opinions and perceptions. In a situation where a person is affected by rational and logical thoughts and opinions, he will achieve logical consequences and results and will have a healthy personality; but if a person is affected by irrational thoughts and opinions, he will face illogical and irrational consequences and results. In this case, he is an anxious and sad person who has an unhealthy personality. For example, some irrational beliefs include: I need the love and approval of significant others, to be valuable as a human being, I must succeed in everything I do without making any mistakes, People must always do the right thing. When they do something hurtful, they must be blamed and punished. Events must go according to my will or life will be unbearable. My unhappiness is caused by events beyond my control. And as a result, I cant do much for it. Tenth, I should not feel discomfort and pain, I cannot understand these and I should avoid them; That too at any price and...! Gender is also effective in the emergence of these beliefs, thoughts and behavior (Shorna et al., 2023).
Gender is a type of social role assigned to men and women. This social role, along with social behaviors and thoughts, determine what behaviors each gender (men and women) should have in society and what expectations are expected of them in society. Gender is generally an important factor for making division among people. It is the gender that determines to what extent each of the sexes, male and female, should receive social rewards such as power, wealth, freedom, social image and…According to the conceptual definition of gender, it is all the characteristics and economic, social and cultural opportunities that are determined for both men and women. Of course, this concept has changed over time, that is, being a woman or a man at different times had different concepts. In many cultures, some ideas and beliefs are imposed for male and female gender, which has a tremendous impact on behaving in the direction of that culture and reacting to non-observance of that culture and irrational belief. In many cases, these irrational beliefs are embedded in our skin and blood so much that we are hardly aware of its existence and impact, and sometimes we even fight hard against changing these beliefs. Albert Ellis, one of the people who has many researches and statements in this regard, states that when an incident happens to humans, he may have two different and opposite perceptions of that incident and event based on his internal and inherent connections. be:
If a person is affected by logical and rational thoughts and opinions, he will achieve logical consequences and results, and vice versa if predominance of the influence of illogical thoughts will also face illogical consequences and results, in such case the person will seem upset and anxious because of these false beliefs. Kohlberg is also one of the theorists of cognitive evolution who proposes the evolution of gender roles in the framework of the theory of the concept of genders low He believes that achieving the concept of gender stability plays a decisive role in acquiring a gender role. When a girl understands that she is female and will become a woman in the future, this perception is an important part of her gender identity and will lead to her self-worth. In the theory of the concept of gender, the ability to label and gender stability provides the basis for the understanding of gender in children and children acquire more knowledge about their gender, which becomes more organized over time be (Kohlberg, 1966; quoted in Zohra Vand, 2013). In the irrational belief of approval from others, a person needs the support and approval of people he knows or is interested in. These believe can cause problems for humans for many reason (Uddin et al., 2022).
For example, the request is approved by others is possible for a person to be upset and worried because of whether he can get this confirmation or not. If they definitely get this confirmation, then it will be so that they dont lose it again. Being completely concerned about the approval of others affects the decision and performance of a person in his life. It is an unattainable goal to demand the approval and reinforcement of anyone, because whatever a person does, some may approve it and others may not approve it, and some groups may be indifferent to it. Therefore, if a person continues his life and manages his life according to his desires and wishes, people will approve of him and love him, even though they may not be the same people that he wants to approve of. The fact that we must have someone stronger than ourselves to rely on, creates an irrational belief in relying on others. This belief makes him always in need of others and lacks creativity and initiative. Otherwise, if a person is left alone, he becomes helpless and anxious. In the illogical belief of being helpless to change ourselves, because we are the product of our past, it is less possible to overcome its effects. This belief causes despair and lack of effort to reach the goal, and that the person has an excuse and an excuse for the problems because he had no hand in it. Research has also been done in this field in 2019 a research was conducted in relation to the role of irrational beliefs and attitudes towards death in the quality of life of the elderly. (Basharpour, 2018) Pourmohammadrezai Tajrishi and Pahlavan Nishan conducted a research related to the relationship between irrational beliefs and marital compatibility of Isfahan couples in 2012. In 2017KATHY B BOHAN & ROBERT conducted a study on the relationship between automatic thoughts and irrational beliefs predicting anxiety and depression. In 2014, Pourshaigan, Hosseinian, and Yazdi conducted a research related to the relationship between irrational beliefs and the level of job satisfaction of high school counselors in Tehran. Considering the issues that have been stated, we are trying to determine the degree of connection between the gender of girls and boys in illogical beliefs dictated by culture which is not properly explained to check to be aware of the effects of these imposed irrational beliefs in our daily lives and behaviors. Generally, Willingly or not, some of the behaviors that we do in our daily life in the form of our gender will be because of a belief imposed by the culture, either consciously or unconsciously. Just as man provides himself with imaginary and irrational thoughts and thoughts, he can free himself from his troubles through correct and logical thinking. What if the culture injects us with these irrational beliefs? Is it easy to deal with it or make an effort to correct that irrational belief or not?
The current research was a type of applied-correlation studies. The studied population were students of Azad University of Tehran, 95 of whom were randomly selected. The research method was to collect field information and questionnaire. The research tool includes Jones irrational beliefs questionnaire. Jones Irrational Beliefs Questionnaire 100 questions it was designed by Jones in 1969 based on Elliss theory. This questionnaire is one of the most widely used tools for measuring irrational beliefs in the world. The original version of this questionnaire includes 100 closed questions, which are from 10 factors under the headings of expecting approval from others, expecting too much from oneself, blaming oneself, reacting with failure, emotional irresponsibility, over-anxiety, problem avoidance, dependence. Helplessness for change and perfectionism are formed and each factor examines a type of irrational thinking. The short form of this test was designed in Iran by Ebadi and Motamedin in 2004. After analyzing the answers of the subjects, they removed 60 items from the 100 test items and obtained a four-factor structure. According to the research conducted by Woods, it has been determined that until the spring of 1992, this tool was used in 81 articles with 25 doctoral theses. Woods during two decades of 92–1971 has used this tool in the field of research on more than 211 reference students in educational workshops and the like, which research topics were in the field of headache, psychosomatic disorders, suicide, anxiety, and anger (Woods, 1982; quoted by Dunapo, 1377; Boco DD. 2023; Tasnim et al., 2024) narrative.
This questionnaire was obtained in 3 ways:
Also, two methods of face validity and convergent validity were used to check the validity of the Jones irrational beliefs test in the preliminary norms, the coefficient of which is equal to 0.82. The validity of the questionnaire was also measured by Cronbachs alpha index and the alpha value of the questionnaire for helplessness against change and expectation of approval from others, respectively, which indicates 0.813 and 0.764It is a very suitable amount. Finally, data analysis using descriptive and inferential statistics in the SPSS software was done.
The descriptive characteristics of the sample are as described in Table 1.
Table 1: Frequency table and frequency percentage of sample members based on age.
|
Abundance |
Percent |
The cumulative percentage |
Under 20 years |
13 |
13.7 |
13.7 |
20 to 29 years |
26 |
27.4 |
41.1 |
30 to 39 years |
7 |
7.4 |
48.4 |
40 to 49 years |
23 |
24.2 |
72.6 |
More than 50 years |
26 |
27.4 |
100.0 |
Total |
95 |
100.0 |
|
In the frequency distribution of interviewees based on the age of under 20 years 13.7%, 20 to 29 years 27.4%, 30 to 39 years 7.4%, 40 to 49 years 24.2% and more than 50 years 27.4% Are.
Table 2: Descriptive statistics of the hypothesis based on gender.
Variables | Sample size | Average | standard deviation | |
Resistance to change | Female | 47 | 2.84 | 0.54 |
| Man | 48 | 2.76 | 0.64 |
Expect confirmation from others | Female | 47 | 3.02 | 0.56 |
| Man | 48 | 3.21 | 0.65 |
Irrational beliefs | Female | 47 | 2.78 | 0.48 |
Man | 48 | 2.77 | 0.56 |
According to Table 2, the average of men and women in resistance to change is 2.84 and 2.76, respectively. The average of men and women in expecting approval from others is 3.02 and 3.21, respectively. The average of men and women in irrational beliefs is 2.78 and 2.77, respectively. Kolmogorov Smirov test was used to check the normality of the data. According to Table 3 of the components, apart from expecting approval from others in women, avoiding the problem of women and men, the rest of the components are normal because their significance level is greater than 0.05.
Table 3: Kolmogorov- Smirov test table of components.
| Gender | Statistics | The significance level |
Resistance to change | Female | 0.079 | 0/200 |
Man | 0.063 | 0/200 | |
Expect confirmation from others | Female | 0/142 | 0.018 |
Man | 0/111 | 0/188 | |
Irrational beliefs | Female | 0.078 | 0/200 |
Man | 0.079 | 0/200 |
According to the central limit theorem, the average of the sample has a normal distribution because the sample size is more than 25 and using the T-TEST compares components between men and women to be. To investigate the relationship between gender and irrational beliefs, the Students t-test was used, the results of which can be seen in Table 4.
Table 4: A Students t-test for comparing men and women.
F | The significance level | t | Degrees of freedom | The significance level |
0.785 | 0.378 | 0.055 | 93 | 0.956 |
|
| 0.055 | 91.486 | 0.956 |
The value of the statistic F is equal to 0.785 and its significance level is 0.378, which is more than 0.05, it shows that there is a homogeneity of variance for irrational beliefs in terms of two groups of men and women. The value of t statistic for comparing two groups is equal to 0.055. And the probability value related to its significance check is equal to 0.956, which is more than 0.05, so with 0.95 confidence, the statistical null hypothesis that the average of irrational beliefs is equal in terms of two groups of men and women is confirmed, so it can be said that there is no significant difference between the average groups. In this section, we examine the hypothesis that there is a relationship between gender and disability in the face of change has it or not. Table 5 it shows the Students t-test for comparison between men and women.
Table 5: Students t-test for comparison between men and women.
The significance level |
Degrees of freedom |
t |
The significance level |
F |
0.510 |
93 |
0.662 |
0.424 |
0.646 |
0.509 |
91.186 |
0.663 |
|
|
The value of the statistic F is equal to 0.646 and its significance level is 0.424, which is more than 0.05, it shows that there is homogeneity of variance for resistance to change in terms of male and female groups. The value of t statistic for comparing two groups is equal to 0.662 and the probability value related to its significance check is equal to 0.51, which is more than 0.05, so with a confidence of 0.95, the statistical null hypothesis that the average disability is equal The change is confirmed in terms of male and female groups, so it can be said that there is no significant difference between the average groups. The next research hypothesis is to examine the relationship between gender and the expectation of approval from others. Table 6 shows the t-test for comparing men and women.
Table 6: Students t-test for comparison between men and women.
F |
The significance level |
t |
Degrees of freedom |
The significance level |
0.715 |
0.4 |
-1.536 |
93 |
0.128 |
|
|
-1.539 |
91.688 |
0.127 |
|
|
-1.539 |
91.688 |
0.127 |
The results show that there is no significant difference between irrational beliefs and gender. The average and standard deviation of the scores of the women group in irrational beliefs are 2.78 and 0.48, respectively, and the average and standard deviation of the scores of the men in irrational beliefs are 2.77 and 0.56, respectively, which shows a significant difference with They do not have each other. In line with the current research, a research was conducted in 2019 regarding the role of irrational beliefs and attitudes towards death in the quality of life of the elderly. Total quality of life score with death fear attitudes (r=-0.36, P<0.001), avoiding death (r=-0.16, P<0.05) has a significant negative relationship. Avoidance (r=-0.17, p<0.03), helplessness to change beliefs (r=-0.27, p<0.001), and emotional irresponsibility (r=-0.24, p<0.002). However, there was a positive and significant relationship between the overall score of quality of life and the attitude dimension of accepting the approach. In 2017, KATHY B BOHAN & ROBERT conducted a study on the relationship between automatic thoughts and irrational beliefs predicting anxiety and depression, and the results showed that irrational beliefs have a specific effect on creating automatic thoughts, and in fact, irrational beliefs are the main beliefs and They represent the medium that leads to certain automatic thoughts which is consistent with the cognitive behavioral theory provided by rational emotive behavioral therapy. In 2020, TAYLOR & FRANCIS conducted research on irrational beliefs, depression, anxiety and stress among university students in Hong Kong. The results show that students who had higher levels of irrational beliefs were more prone to depression, anxiety and stress. Male students, students from low-income families, law students, those pursuing 5-year programs or in their second year of study are likely to have more irrational beliefs. The results of analysis of variance and independent t-test showed that male students, students from low-income families, law students, those who follow 5-year programs or in the second year of education probably have more irrational beliefs. t-test showed that male students, students of low-income families, law students, those who follow 5-year programs or in the second year of study are likely to have more irrational beliefs. The results of variance analysis and independent t-test showed that Male students, students from low-income families, law students, those who follow 5-year programs or in the second year of study probably have more irrational beliefs. The results of analysis of variance and independent t-test showed that male students, students of low -income families, law students, those who follow 5-year programs or in the second year of study are likely to have more irrational beliefs. Additionally, male students, medical students, and those studying in 5-year programs had significantly higher levels of depression, anxiety, and stress. Regarding the relationship between helplessness against change and gender, the results show that there is no significant difference between helplessness against change and the gender of men and women. The mean and standard deviation of the scores of the female group in irrational beliefs are 2.84 and 0.54, and the mean and standard deviation of the scores of the male group in irrational beliefs are 2.76 and 0.64, respectively, which shows a significant difference from each other do not have Regarding the relationship between the expectation of approval from others and gender, the results show that there is no significant difference between the expectation of approval from others and the gender of men and women. The average and standard deviation of the scores of the women group in irrational beliefs are 3.02 and 0.56, respectively, and the average and standard deviation of the scores of the men in irrational beliefs are 3.21 and 0.65, respectively, which shows a significant difference from each other do not have Research results Previous studies confirm this research finding. Pourmo hammadrezai Tajrishi and Pahlavan Nishan conducted a research related to the relationship between irrational beliefs and marital compatibility of Isfahan couples in 1392.The only component of the 10 components of irrational beliefs that is related to marital compatibility is the component of dependence and reliance on others, which alone explains 6% of the variance of marital compatibility, which in 9 components Otherwise, this relationship was not observed. In 2014, Pourshaigan, Hosseinian, and Yazdi conducted a research related to the relationship between irrational beliefs and the level of job satisfaction of high school counselors in Tehran. There has been an inverse relationship between the level of job satisfaction in the subscales of rights, promotion and the nature of work with irrational beliefs in the subscales of expectation, influence from others, self-blame and perfectionism. The result about the amount and type of irrational beliefs of male and female consultants showed that in female consultants, there is a significant relationship with the total job satisfaction score in the subscales of excessive self-expectation, helplessness to failure, and helplessness to change. While in male consultants, in dependence subscales, excessive self-expectation had a significant relationship with the total job satisfaction score. There was a difference between the level of job satisfaction of male and female consultants, which means that the average job satisfaction of female consultants was higher than that of male consultants. The greatest amount of difference in relation to rights, management (supervisor) by blaming himself in irrational beliefs. But in the research findings of the relationship between irrational beliefs, depression, and anxiety among Hong Kong students, there is a significant difference between female and male students, which shows that male students have more irrational beliefs than females and experience higher levels of anxiety and depression. Also, in the research on the relationship between irrational beliefs and job satisfaction of Tehran high school counselors, the findings show that between the subscaleeIrrational beliefs that there is a difference between men and women.
Based on the results of the study, it can be said that each of the subscales of irrational beliefs have the same effect on both men and women, and no significant difference is observed between them. By examining the scale of irrational beliefs in men and women, it is possible to increase or decrease the scale of counseling sessions The subject formulated a plan so that the persons life is more balanced.
We are grateful to all the dear professors for providing their information regarding this research.
The authors of this manuscript declare their agreement with the statements and have no conflict of interest.
Academic Editor
Md. Ekhlas Uddin Dipu, Managing Editor, Universe Publishing Group (UniversePG), Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Bachelor of Psychology, Department of Psychology, Literature, Humanities and Social Sciences University, Islamic Azad University of Science and Research, Tehran, Iran.
Ghertas S. (2024). Examining the relationship between helplessness in change and the expectation of approval from others with the gender of Tehran students. Eur. J. Med. Health Sci., 6(5), 153-159. https://doi.org/10.34104/ejmhs.024.01530159