Gabriel Olaru
Biographic Data
| ID | 107632 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Gabriel Olaru |
| GIVEN NAMES | Gabriel |
| FAMILY NAME | Olaru |
| SIGNATURE | OLARU G |
| AFFILIATIONS | Tilburg University |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-7430-7350 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 19 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 17 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 19 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2015 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 2 |
Social roles and role importance in later life: A longitudinal analysis of stability and change
Older adults hold various social roles that are assumed to change over time due to life transitions. The (relative) importance assigned to these roles is proposed as a distinct and relevant component of later-life social functioning, yet longitudinal research is lacking. This exploratory study examined the stability and change in the (relative) importance of various social roles, as well as potential predictors of individual differences in change…
Forgivingness Across Social Relationships and Family Generations Over Time
INTRODUCTION: This study addressed individual differences in forgivingness, or the tendency to forgive others, across multiple social relationships and family generations over time. METHODS: We used longitudinal data over 4 years across three family generations, including young adults (n = 501; M = 20.4 years), their parents (n = 350; M = 50.9 years), and grandparents (n = 199; M = 76.1 years). Participants were asked to respond on their willingn…
Grandchild Contact and Grandparents’ Positive and Negative Emotions in Daily Life: An Analysis Using Self-Report and Language Use Data
Our findings, based on multiple assessment methods (self-report and language use), indicate that grandchild contact is associated with increases in specific self-reported emotions, which are also mirrored in the language used in daily life. These particular emotions (love and pride) may highlight the unique relationship between grandchildren and grandparents, marked by affection and opportunities to express generativity
How to Cultivate Sense of Purpose and Life Engagement: An Integrative Intervention Framework
Sense of purpose is associated with numerous positive life outcomes. This chapter therefore addresses intervention efforts to cultivate and promote sense of purpose and life engagement. We first introduce a recent conceptual model that claims that purpose can manifest in different ways: as a relatively enduring trait, as a habit, or as a momentary state. We explain how these three levels are linked and what implications they may have for interven…
Purpose in Life As Ancient but Nascent: Perspectives from Psychology, Philosophy, and Human Development
Since the pandemic, many have been reflecting on their path, direction, and identity, all tied to a deeper question: What is one's purpose in life? Research reveals that understanding this purpose can significantly impact well-being, health, and personal development. This volume offers fresh insights by bringing together scholars from various fields to explore purpose from different angles. Each contributor delves into what purpose means and why …
All Identity Content Domains are Equal, but Some are More Equal Than Others: An Investigation of the Adaptiveness of Different Identity Content Domains
Identity development is an important task throughout adulthood and is linked to adjustment. Yet, past quantitative research has often focused on global processes, such as commitment and exploration, without taking identity domains into account. The present study captures characteristics of 21 identity content domains, building on past quantitative and qualitative research. In two samples of Dutch adults (N = 507, Mage = 48.37; N = 437, Mage = 20.…
Measuring Global Character Dimensions: An Ant Colony Optimization Approach toward Three Core Strength Scales
The Values in Action (VIA) framework encompasses 24 universally valued character strengths. Recent factor-analytic work has identified three global core strengths (metatraits) that proved to be well-interpretable and cross-culturally replicable: positivity , dependability , and mastery . However, there are no short scales to economically measure these core strengths that would encourage (large-scale) survey-based research on the global level of t…
Model Specification Searches in Structural Equation Modeling Using Bee Swarm Optimization
Metaheuristics are optimization algorithms that efficiently solve a variety of complex combinatorial problems. In psychological research, metaheuristics have been applied in short-scale construction and model specification search. In the present study, we propose a bee swarm optimization (BSO) algorithm to explore the structure underlying a psychological measurement instrument. The algorithm assigns items to an unknown number of nested factors in…
Is There a Link Between Older Adults’ Frequency of (Face-to-Face and Remote) Contact With Grandchildren and Cognitive Functioning Over 12 Years
Objectives Past research has linked more frequent social contacts with better cognition and slower cognitive decline in older adults. An open question is whether face-to-face and remote contact with one’s grandchildren can be beneficial. Methods We analyzed data from the Swedish National Study on Aging and Care in Kungsholmen covering a span of 12 years and 2 age cohorts (young–old <78, N = 1100; old–old ≥78 years, N = 705). We used latent growth…
Personality trait similarity in recently cohabiting couples: Partner choice, convergence, or selective breakup
Romantic partners tend to be more similar in self-reported personality traits than would be expected by chance. This similarity can be due to the choice of a similar partner, partners becoming more similar to each other over time, or dissimilar couples breaking up. To examine whether these processes (choice, convergence, or breakup) explain personality trait similarities in couples, we followed a sample of 1,180 German couples ( N = 2,360 individ…
Purposeful and purposeless aging: Structural issues for sense of purpose and their implications for predicting life outcomes
Despite the value of sense of purpose during older adulthood, this construct often declines with age. With some older adults reconsidering the relevance of purpose later in life, the measurement of purpose may suffer from variance issues with age. The current study investigated whether sense of purpose functions similarly across ages and evaluated if the predictive power of purpose on mental, physical, cognitive, and financial outcomes changes wh…
Examining sense of purpose and conscientiousness as unique correlates of health: A bifactor examination
Conscientiousness and sense of purpose consistently predict health, wellbeing, and health behavior. However, it remains an open question whether they are unique or overlapping predictors of health and wellbeing. The current study considered this question using the MOSAiCH study, a nationally representative sample of 2305 Swiss adults ( M: 52.33 years old; SD = 17.36). Participants reported on sense of purpose and conscientiousness, in addition to…
The effects of a personality intervention on satisfaction in 10 domains of life: Evidence for increases and correlated change with personality traits
418), which included participants who wanted to increase their Emotional Stability, Conscientiousness, or Extraversion. Bivariate latent change score models were used to examine correlated change between the targeted personality traits and satisfaction domains. We found that global life satisfaction and satisfaction with oneself as a person increased in all three intervention groups. In addition, increases in specific satisfaction domains were re…
The link between personality, global, and domain-specific satisfaction across the adult lifespan
9,110; age range 16-95). Across age, emotional stability showed the strongest associations with both global and domain-specific satisfaction. After emotional stability, conscientiousness was the strongest correlate of work satisfaction (WS), and extraversion and agreeableness were the strongest correlates of social satisfaction (SS). Longitudinal changes in personality and satisfaction across the 11 years covered in this study were moderately cor…
The HEX-ACO-18: Developing an Age-Invariant Hexaco Short Scale Using Ant Colony Optimization
short scale showed adequate model fit and scalar measurement invariance across age. Furthermore, the usefulness and versatility of the item and person sampling procedures ACO and LSEM is demonstrated
Examining the Factor Structure and Validity of the Multidimensional Assessment of Interoceptive Awareness
The goal of this study was to psychometrically evaluate the Multidimensional Assessment of Interoceptive Awareness (MAIA), a popular self-report questionnaire claimed to assess the most important subjective aspects of interoception. We collected data in two samples (N = 644 and N = 1,516) and focused on the factor structure and validity of MAIA, as well as its associations with personality traits. Confirmatory Factor Analysis suggested that six o…
The immediate impact of lockdown measures on mental health and couples' relationships during the Covid-19 pandemic - results of a representative population survey in Germany
A confirmatory examination of age‐associated personality differences: Deriving age‐related measurement‐invariant solutions using ant colony optimization
OBJECTIVE: The goal of this study was to examine age-associated personality differences using a measurement-invariant representation of the higher-order structure of the Five-Factor Model. METHOD: We reanalyzed the German NEO-PI-R norm sample (N = 11,724) and applied ant colony optimization in a multigroup confirmatory factor analysis setting in order to select three items per first-order factor that would optimize model fit and measurement invar…
Methods matter: Testing competing models for designing short-scale Big-Five assessments
The immediate impact of lockdown measures on mental health and couples' relationships during the Covid-19 pandemic - results of a representative population survey in Germany
The effects of a personality intervention on satisfaction in 10 domains of life: Evidence for increases and correlated change with personality traits
418), which included participants who wanted to increase their Emotional Stability, Conscientiousness, or Extraversion. Bivariate latent change score models were used to examine correlated change between the targeted personality traits and satisfaction domains. We found that global life satisfaction and satisfaction with oneself as a person increased in all three intervention groups. In addition, increases in specific satisfaction domains were re…
Purposeful and purposeless aging: Structural issues for sense of purpose and their implications for predicting life outcomes
Despite the value of sense of purpose during older adulthood, this construct often declines with age. With some older adults reconsidering the relevance of purpose later in life, the measurement of purpose may suffer from variance issues with age. The current study investigated whether sense of purpose functions similarly across ages and evaluated if the predictive power of purpose on mental, physical, cognitive, and financial outcomes changes wh…
Methods matter: Testing competing models for designing short-scale Big-Five assessments
Examining sense of purpose and conscientiousness as unique correlates of health: A bifactor examination
Conscientiousness and sense of purpose consistently predict health, wellbeing, and health behavior. However, it remains an open question whether they are unique or overlapping predictors of health and wellbeing. The current study considered this question using the MOSAiCH study, a nationally representative sample of 2305 Swiss adults ( M: 52.33 years old; SD = 17.36). Participants reported on sense of purpose and conscientiousness, in addition to…
The link between personality, global, and domain-specific satisfaction across the adult lifespan
9,110; age range 16-95). Across age, emotional stability showed the strongest associations with both global and domain-specific satisfaction. After emotional stability, conscientiousness was the strongest correlate of work satisfaction (WS), and extraversion and agreeableness were the strongest correlates of social satisfaction (SS). Longitudinal changes in personality and satisfaction across the 11 years covered in this study were moderately cor…
Methods matter: Testing competing models for designing short-scale Big-Five assessments
A confirmatory examination of age‐associated personality differences: Deriving age‐related measurement‐invariant solutions using ant colony optimization
OBJECTIVE: The goal of this study was to examine age-associated personality differences using a measurement-invariant representation of the higher-order structure of the Five-Factor Model. METHOD: We reanalyzed the German NEO-PI-R norm sample (N = 11,724) and applied ant colony optimization in a multigroup confirmatory factor analysis setting in order to select three items per first-order factor that would optimize model fit and measurement invar…
Examining the Factor Structure and Validity of the Multidimensional Assessment of Interoceptive Awareness
The goal of this study was to psychometrically evaluate the Multidimensional Assessment of Interoceptive Awareness (MAIA), a popular self-report questionnaire claimed to assess the most important subjective aspects of interoception. We collected data in two samples (N = 644 and N = 1,516) and focused on the factor structure and validity of MAIA, as well as its associations with personality traits. Confirmatory Factor Analysis suggested that six o…
The immediate impact of lockdown measures on mental health and couples' relationships during the Covid-19 pandemic - results of a representative population survey in Germany
The HEX-ACO-18: Developing an Age-Invariant Hexaco Short Scale Using Ant Colony Optimization
short scale showed adequate model fit and scalar measurement invariance across age. Furthermore, the usefulness and versatility of the item and person sampling procedures ACO and LSEM is demonstrated
The effects of a personality intervention on satisfaction in 10 domains of life: Evidence for increases and correlated change with personality traits
418), which included participants who wanted to increase their Emotional Stability, Conscientiousness, or Extraversion. Bivariate latent change score models were used to examine correlated change between the targeted personality traits and satisfaction domains. We found that global life satisfaction and satisfaction with oneself as a person increased in all three intervention groups. In addition, increases in specific satisfaction domains were re…
The link between personality, global, and domain-specific satisfaction across the adult lifespan
9,110; age range 16-95). Across age, emotional stability showed the strongest associations with both global and domain-specific satisfaction. After emotional stability, conscientiousness was the strongest correlate of work satisfaction (WS), and extraversion and agreeableness were the strongest correlates of social satisfaction (SS). Longitudinal changes in personality and satisfaction across the 11 years covered in this study were moderately cor…
Measuring Global Character Dimensions: An Ant Colony Optimization Approach toward Three Core Strength Scales
The Values in Action (VIA) framework encompasses 24 universally valued character strengths. Recent factor-analytic work has identified three global core strengths (metatraits) that proved to be well-interpretable and cross-culturally replicable: positivity , dependability , and mastery . However, there are no short scales to economically measure these core strengths that would encourage (large-scale) survey-based research on the global level of t…
Model Specification Searches in Structural Equation Modeling Using Bee Swarm Optimization
Metaheuristics are optimization algorithms that efficiently solve a variety of complex combinatorial problems. In psychological research, metaheuristics have been applied in short-scale construction and model specification search. In the present study, we propose a bee swarm optimization (BSO) algorithm to explore the structure underlying a psychological measurement instrument. The algorithm assigns items to an unknown number of nested factors in…
Is There a Link Between Older Adults’ Frequency of (Face-to-Face and Remote) Contact With Grandchildren and Cognitive Functioning Over 12 Years
Objectives Past research has linked more frequent social contacts with better cognition and slower cognitive decline in older adults. An open question is whether face-to-face and remote contact with one’s grandchildren can be beneficial. Methods We analyzed data from the Swedish National Study on Aging and Care in Kungsholmen covering a span of 12 years and 2 age cohorts (young–old <78, N = 1100; old–old ≥78 years, N = 705). We used latent growth…
Personality trait similarity in recently cohabiting couples: Partner choice, convergence, or selective breakup
Romantic partners tend to be more similar in self-reported personality traits than would be expected by chance. This similarity can be due to the choice of a similar partner, partners becoming more similar to each other over time, or dissimilar couples breaking up. To examine whether these processes (choice, convergence, or breakup) explain personality trait similarities in couples, we followed a sample of 1,180 German couples ( N = 2,360 individ…
Purposeful and purposeless aging: Structural issues for sense of purpose and their implications for predicting life outcomes
Despite the value of sense of purpose during older adulthood, this construct often declines with age. With some older adults reconsidering the relevance of purpose later in life, the measurement of purpose may suffer from variance issues with age. The current study investigated whether sense of purpose functions similarly across ages and evaluated if the predictive power of purpose on mental, physical, cognitive, and financial outcomes changes wh…
Examining sense of purpose and conscientiousness as unique correlates of health: A bifactor examination
Conscientiousness and sense of purpose consistently predict health, wellbeing, and health behavior. However, it remains an open question whether they are unique or overlapping predictors of health and wellbeing. The current study considered this question using the MOSAiCH study, a nationally representative sample of 2305 Swiss adults ( M: 52.33 years old; SD = 17.36). Participants reported on sense of purpose and conscientiousness, in addition to…
How to Cultivate Sense of Purpose and Life Engagement: An Integrative Intervention Framework
Sense of purpose is associated with numerous positive life outcomes. This chapter therefore addresses intervention efforts to cultivate and promote sense of purpose and life engagement. We first introduce a recent conceptual model that claims that purpose can manifest in different ways: as a relatively enduring trait, as a habit, or as a momentary state. We explain how these three levels are linked and what implications they may have for interven…
Purpose in Life As Ancient but Nascent: Perspectives from Psychology, Philosophy, and Human Development
Since the pandemic, many have been reflecting on their path, direction, and identity, all tied to a deeper question: What is one's purpose in life? Research reveals that understanding this purpose can significantly impact well-being, health, and personal development. This volume offers fresh insights by bringing together scholars from various fields to explore purpose from different angles. Each contributor delves into what purpose means and why …
All Identity Content Domains are Equal, but Some are More Equal Than Others: An Investigation of the Adaptiveness of Different Identity Content Domains
Identity development is an important task throughout adulthood and is linked to adjustment. Yet, past quantitative research has often focused on global processes, such as commitment and exploration, without taking identity domains into account. The present study captures characteristics of 21 identity content domains, building on past quantitative and qualitative research. In two samples of Dutch adults (N = 507, Mage = 48.37; N = 437, Mage = 20.…
Social roles and role importance in later life: A longitudinal analysis of stability and change
Older adults hold various social roles that are assumed to change over time due to life transitions. The (relative) importance assigned to these roles is proposed as a distinct and relevant component of later-life social functioning, yet longitudinal research is lacking. This exploratory study examined the stability and change in the (relative) importance of various social roles, as well as potential predictors of individual differences in change…
Forgivingness Across Social Relationships and Family Generations Over Time
INTRODUCTION: This study addressed individual differences in forgivingness, or the tendency to forgive others, across multiple social relationships and family generations over time. METHODS: We used longitudinal data over 4 years across three family generations, including young adults (n = 501; M = 20.4 years), their parents (n = 350; M = 50.9 years), and grandparents (n = 199; M = 76.1 years). Participants were asked to respond on their willingn…
Grandchild Contact and Grandparents’ Positive and Negative Emotions in Daily Life: An Analysis Using Self-Report and Language Use Data
Our findings, based on multiple assessment methods (self-report and language use), indicate that grandchild contact is associated with increases in specific self-reported emotions, which are also mirrored in the language used in daily life. These particular emotions (love and pride) may highlight the unique relationship between grandchildren and grandparents, marked by affection and opportunities to express generativity
Psychology (12 works) · Personality (9 works) · Social Psychology (9 works) · Developmental psychology (8 works) · Big Five personality traits (7 works) · Personality Traits and Psychology (6 works) · Aging and Gerontology Research (5 works) · Computer Science (5 works) · Conscientiousness (5 works) · Extraversion and introversion (5 works)