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- ItemConstructive non-conformity for eco-social change: a conceptual framework and application to organic waste management in Chile(2025) Amo Grez, Claudia Oriana; González Gutiérrez, Roberto; Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile. Escuela de PsicologíaThe current eco-social crisis demands deep societal transformation, including changes in unsustainable social norms. While efforts to promote pro-environmental actions have often focused on encouraging conformity to new sustainable practices, less attention has been paid to what drives individuals to question or resist socially normalized but detrimental practices. This thesis explores constructive non-conformity as a meaningful and underexamined form of engagement in sustainability transitions. Constructive non-conformity refers to behaviours through which individuals challenge prevailing social norms—not from social detachment, disloyalty, or disregard for their community, but from a sense of care, responsibility, and commitment to the common good.The thesis pursued two main goals. The first was to lay the conceptual groundwork for studying constructive non-conformity in eco-social contexts—a phenomenon largely undertheorized and underexplored in the psychological literature. A critical review of the literature identified three core dimensions: (1) social identity, or one’s sense of belonging to a group; (2) normative conflict, defined as the internal tension individuals experience when they perceive group norms as problematic; and (3) moral motivations, including one’s self-perception as a moral agent and moral convictions regarding specific issues.The second goal was to use this framework to investigate constructive non-conformity in a real-world issue: the unsustainable practices of organic waste management (OWM) in Chile. Although approximately half of household waste is organic, it is still poorly managed. While the issue has entered public and policy agendas in Chile, efforts toward broad implementation are still underway, and unsustainable practices continue to prevail.To study what motivated people to question this situation, the thesis introduced the Normative Conflict Scale—a six-item instrument designed to assess how strongly individuals experience conflict or discomfort in relation to their community’s social norms (i.e., current national or municipal OWM practices). The first study (N = 295) provided evidence of the scale’s internal consistency and unidimensional structure. The second study (N = 330) offered evidence supporting the scale’s sensitivity to variations in normative conflict through an experimental design.This tool allowed for the examination of how normative conflict, social identification, and moral motivation shaped individuals’ willingness to change OWM practices. Findings showed that when people reported high discomfort with the current state of OWM—i.e., high normative conflict—they were more willing to engage in actions promoting change, regardless of their socio-territorial identification. In contrast, when they reported moderate levels of normative conflict, stronger identification with national or municipal communities became a significant predictor of people’s willingness to engage, through its connection with moral drivers. These results suggest two motivational pathways for constructive non-conformity: one grounded in experienced conflict with the norm, and another in identification-based moral engagement.By offering both a conceptual and empirical contribution, this thesis expands the tools for understanding and fostering citizen engagement in sustainability transformations. It highlights the importance of not only promoting new behaviours but also enabling people to critically assess and challenge normalized unsustainable practices. As such, this thesis offers valuable insights for researchers, practitioners, and policymakers working to build more sustainable futures.
- ItemRole of Emotion Regulation in the Genetic Vulnerability to Conditioned(2023) Miño Orellana Viviana Violeta; Quezada Scholz Vanetza Estela; Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile. Facultad de Ciencias Sociales. Escuela de Psicología; Universidad de Chile. Facultad de Ciencias Sociales. Escuela de PsicologíaFear conditioning serves as a model for understanding fear and anxiety acquisition and extinction, with exposure therapy being the primary approach for anxiety disorders. However, some patients do not fully recover, leading to concerns about fear recurrence. Recent research has turned its focus to genetic factors, particularly the serotonin transporter gene (5-HTT), and emotion regulation as potential determinants of treatment outcomes. This study examines the role of the 5-HTT gene-linked polymorphic region (5-HTTLPR), with a focus on individuals carrying the S allele known for heightened fear acquisition and reduced extinction. Additionally, cognitive reappraisal, an emotion-regulation technique, is explored for its potential to enhance exposure therapy. The primary objective is to investigate how individuals with the S allele of 5-HTTLPR respond to cognitive reappraisal during fear acquisition, extinction, and reinstatement. A social conditioning task using still faces as conditioned stimuli and insulting videos as unconditioned stimuli is employed. It is hypothesized that S allele carriers can effectively regulate fear through reappraisal, despite their increased fear acquisition and reduced extinction. Findings reveal that S-allele carriers exhibit higher trait, state, and social anxiety, along with an increased expectation of unpleasant interactions in social situations. They also demonstrate a delay in fear extinction. However, when all participants, regardless of their genetic makeup, utilize cognitive reappraisal, fear extinction improves significantly, as evidenced by reduced expectancy of aversive outcomes. This suggests that training individuals with anxiety disorders in cognitive reappraisal techniques, particularly S-allele carriers, may compensate for deficits in fear extinction in anxiety-provoking social contexts. This study deepens our understanding of the interplay between genetic factors, emotion regulation, and fear conditioning, with potential implications for enhancing exposure therapy effectiveness for anxiety disorders, especially in individuals with a genetic predisposition for heightened fear responses.
- ItemParental personality traits and emotion regulation difficulties: their relationship with early triadic interactions and infant’s socioemotional development(2024) Muzard Costa, Antonia María; Olhaberry Huber, Marcia; Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile. Escuela de PsicologíaBackground: socioemotional development is a pivotal aspect of human life, particularly during infancy, and is intricately woven within the personal and interpersonal dynamics of caregiver- infant interactions. This longitudinal study represents a pioneering exploration into the associations between mothers’ and fathers’ personality traits, emotion regulation difficulties, triadic interactions, and infants’ socioemotional development during the perinatal period. Objective: The primary objective was to investigate the complex interplay between parental personality traits and emotion regulation difficulties in mother-father-baby triads with its impact on early triadic interactions and infants’ socioemotional development. Methods: In this non-experimental, longitudinal study, 55 Chilean mother-father-baby triads were assessed from pregnancy until infant’s sixth month after birth. Additionally, parental levels of personality functioning, relationship satisfaction, depressive symptomatology and childhood adverse experiences were considered as potential covariables. Results: Findings revealed that maternal and paternal attributes have particular predictive values and exert distinct influences on both triadic interactions as well as infant’s socioemotional development from pregnancy until infants’ 6-months postpartum. Notably, maternal emotionality and paternal agreeableness, as well as both significant caregiver’s emotion regulation difficulties emerged as significant factors when fostering collaborative triadic interactions and enhancing infant’s socioemotional development. Additionally, when cofounding variables were included, maternal depressive symptomatology emerged as a significant predictor of infant’s socioemotional difficulties at 6-months postpartum. Moreover, the study highlights the moderating role of triadic interactions, emphasizing their significance in influencing the relationship between maternal emotion regulation difficulties and infant’s socioemotional development. Discussion: This research stresses the need for a comprehensive longitudinal perspective in understanding the impact of significant caregivers’ characteristics upon early triadic interactions and infant’s socioemotional development. Therefore, it acknowledges the unique dynamics of the perinatal period, while considering the individualities within each family triad which is crucial for unraveling the complexities inherent in the intricate fabric of family relationships and infant’s socioemotional development.
- ItemGuided internet-based intervention for postpartum depression symptoms: Development and feasibility trial(2024) Franco Vivanco, Pamela Verónica; Olhaberry Huber, Marcia; Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile. Escuela de PsicologíaPostpartum depression (PPD) represents a significant concern in Chile due to its high prevalence and considerable treatment gap. Amidst this challenge, the prevalent use of digital technologies and parenting applications offers new avenues for delivering Internet-based psychological interventions (IBIs), which have shown effectiveness in mitigating depression symptoms and hold potential for addressing PPD. This doctoral thesis project embarked on developing and assessing an IBI tailored for PPD, named “Mamá, te entiendo” (“Mom, I get you”). This 8-week guided intervention, aiming to diminish depressive symptoms among postpartum women, is rooted in cognitive-behavioral therapy, incorporating insights from mentalization and attachment theories, and delivered through a web app. Developed in line with the CeHRes Roadmap framework, this human-centered approach involved a systematic review, online surveys, focus groups, usability tests, interviews, and a technical pilot for its creation. To assess the intervention’s feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy, a pilot randomized controlled trial with 65 postpartum women diagnosed with minor to major depression was conducted. Participants were allocated to either the intervention or a waitlist control group, with assessments at the baseline, post-intervention (8 weeks), and one-month post-intervention (12 weeks). This mixed-methods approach combined quantitative and qualitative analyses to gain insights into participant experiences. Primary outcomes focused on feasibility and acceptability measures like recruitment rates, attrition, and participant satisfaction and engagement. Secondary outcomes examined depression symptoms, perceived social support, mother-infant bonding, and maternal self-efficacy. “Mamá, te entiendo” showed promising feasibility and acceptability, characterized by high satisfaction and engagement levels, although adherence posed a challenge. Participants highlighted several strengths: emotional support, beneficial content, practical exercises, empathetic e-coach feedback, and a user-friendly interface. However, some faced barriers like extensive texts, difficulty tracking progress, and time constraints. Initial efficacy findings indicated no significant differences across outcomes between the intervention and control groups. Nonetheless, both groups experienced improvements in PPD symptoms, mother-infant bonding, and maternal self-efficacy, which could be attributed to spontaneous recovery or concurrent mental health treatments. This study marks the first attempt in Chile to evaluate a psychological IBI for PPD symptoms, underscoring the potential and acceptability of technology-driven mental health solutions.
- ItemCIVIC ENGAGEMENT AMONG OLDER ADULTS IN CHILE(2023) Caro Puga, Sara; Martínez Guzmán, María Loreto; Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile. Escuela de PsicologíaDespite the importance of civic engagement in old age, few studies analyze this phenomenon in the Chilean context. Mainly, civic engagement among older adults in Chile has been studied from the associativity and social participation (UC-Caja Los Andes 2007, 2010, 2013 and 2016; Herrera, Elgueta and Fernández, 2014; Gallardo- Peralta, Conde-Llanes and Córdova-Jorquera, 2016; Romero, Gallardo-Peralta, and Moreno, 2019; Gallardo-Peralta, Raymond and Gálvez-Nieto, 2022), but not making visible spaces of more outstanding agency or leadership.As research evidence is scarce, in Chile, we still do not know whether the motivations for or the civic behaviours configure different patterns that can characterize the civic engagement of older adults, not only by age groups but also by their socio-demographic conditions and, above all, by the ways of assessing citizenship and of living civic life, amplifying this heterogeneity.This thesis aims to analyse the civic engagement of older adults in Chile from a Life Course perspective, examining its relationship with the conditions of social inequality in which these people live. Specifically, it will identify profiles of civic engagement among men and women 60 years or older in Chile and the association between profile membership and indicators of active ageing (i.e., empowerment, proactive ageing, and generativity).