This dissertation, "Functional Similarities and Differences Between Online and Offline Social Support on Psychological Well-being" by Ting-yan, Ho, 何庭欣, was obtained from The University of Hong Kong (Pokfulam, Hong Kong) and is being sold pursuant to Creative Commons: Attribution 3.0 Hong Kong License. The content of this dissertation has not been altered in any way. We have altered the formatting in order to facilitate the ease of printing and reading of the dissertation. All rights not granted by the above license are retained by the author. Abstract: The present study aims to investigate whether online social support could function in the same way as the offline social support to protect our well-being from stress, and to examine how different Internet activities affected Hong Kong adolescents' online and offline social support, and their subsequent well-being.305 Hong Kong students from grade 10 and 11 participated in the present study. Descriptive statistics found that female adolescents had a higher level of perceived offline social support than male adolescents. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses were conducted to test the buffering effect of both perceived offline and online social support on the relationship between stress and anxiety. Results found that perceived online social support could not buffer stress for Hong Kong adolescents. The buffering effect of perceived offline social support was only found in female adolescents. On the other hand, present results suggested that the actual impact of Internet depended on the types of Internet activities and their corresponding impact on offline and online social support. Implications on the importance of offline social support, gender difference on reactions towards social support and education on Internet usage were discussed. DOI: 10.5353/th_b5394237 Subjects: Well-being Online social networks - Psychological aspects Social networks - Psychological aspects

This book will change the way we understand the future of our planet. It is both alarming and hopeful. James Gustave Speth, renowned as a visionary environmentalist leader, warns that in spite of all the international negotiations and agreements of the past two decades, efforts to protect Earth's environment are not succeeding. Still, he says, the challenges are not insurmountable. He offers comprehensive, viable new strategies for dealing with environmental threats around the world. The author explains why current approaches to critical global environmental problems - climate change, biodiversity loss, deterioration of marine environments, deforestation, water shortages, and others - don't work. He offers intriguing insights into why we have been able to address domestic environmental threats with some success while largely failing at the international level. Setting forth eight specific steps to a sustainable future, Speth convincingly argues that dramatically different government and citizen action are now urgent. If ever a book could be described as essential, this is it.

Over the past 15 years, internet and phone technologies have introduced new ways to communicate. Substantial research has shown that social support can positively impact psychological well-being. However, few studies have explored the varying impacts of online and offline social support. This study measures how offline and online social support differentially influence psychological well-being. To do this, the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS) was adapted for both offline and online contexts. To validate these altered scales, the Social Support Questionnaire was administered to see how strongly the measures correlate. To measure well-being, the Ryff Scales of Psychological Well-being was administered as well. Finally, the Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability scale was administered to see if participants presented themselves in an overly positive light. Results confirmed the reliability and validity of both offline and online versions of the MSPSS. Both offline and online social support predicted increased well-being. There were no significant differences in online social support between online game players and those who spent little time playing online games. Those who spent less time playing online games with friends did not have any meaningful difference in offline support compared to those who spent more time playing games. Finally, online support was a slightly better predictor of well-being than offline support.

Psychology, focusing on processes that occur inside the individual and Sociology, focusing on social collectives and social institutions, come together in Social Psychology to explore the interface between the two fields. The core concerns of social psychology include the impact of one individual on another; the impact of a group on its individual members; the impact of individuals on the groups in which they participate; the impact of one group on another. This book is a successor to Social Psychology: Social Perspectives and Sociological Perspectives in Social Psychology. The current text expands on previous handbooks in social psychology by including recent developments in theory and research and comprehensive coverage of significant theoretical perspectives.