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Doktorska disertacija z naslovom »Povezava psihosocialnega razvoja s stili starševske vzgoje ter njegovo spodbujanje v relacijski družinski terapiji« raziskuje povezavo psihosocialnega razvoja s stili starševske vzgoje ter spodbujanje psihosocialnega razvoja znotraj procesa terapije po paradigmi relacijske zakonske in družinske terapije. Teoretični del se nanaša na sledeče ugotovitve: * Razvoj osebnosti poteka z vidika 8 stadijev in faz po Eriksonu * Vzgojni stili staršev so pomembni z vidika lažjega razumevanja notranjih konstruktov primarnih odnosov, ki so ključni za analizo temeljnega afekta. * Navezanost, partnerski odnos, družinsko okolje in dinamika v njem so ostali pomembni dejavniki, ki pripomorejo k psihosocialnemu razvoju posameznika. * RZDT gleda na posameznika celostno, kar pomeni, da obravnava njegovo osebnost, doživljanje in delovanje. Odnosi so ključni segment za analizo psihične strukture posameznika. Spodbujanje psihosocialnega razvoja znotraj paradigme relacijske zakonske in družinske terapije tako služi kot temelj za drugi del raziskave. Raziskovalni del naloge vsebuje dva kvantitativna dela. V prvem delu raziskave sta sodelovala 502 udeleženca, vključena v splošni del, v katerem raziskujemo povezanost med psihosocialnim razvojem posameznika in primarno starševsko vzgojo. Uporabili smo dva vprašalnika, od tega eden meri tri vzgojne stile: permisivni, avtoritarni in avtoritativni vzgojni stil staršev (angl. Parental Authority Questionnaire for the Mother's and Father's Parenting Style-PAQ) avtorja J. R. Burija (1991). Drugi vprašalnik pa se nanaša na stadije psihosocialnega razvoja dveh avtorjev, Wessmana in Ricksa (1966 po Lamovec 1994). Pri zasledovanju materinega in očetovega starševskega vzgojnega stila (avtoritaren, permisiven ali avtoritativen) v povezavi s fazami psihosocialnega razvoja in specifičnimi značilnostmi posamezne faze smo ugotovili, da pri posamezniku, ki je bil deležen avtoritarnega vzgojnega stila s strani matere, obstaja večja verjetnost, da težje preide posamezne razvojne faze in se v naslednjih fazah sooča z več nezaupanja, sramom, dvomom, krivdo v zgodnjem otroštvu, difuznostjo vlog v puberteti in izolacijo v fazi mlade odrasle osebe. Posamezniki s permisivnim maternim vzgojnim stilom imajo več možnosti, da se pri psihosocialnem razvoju skozi faze soočajo z večjim nezaupanjem, krivdo, manjvrednostjo, difuznostjo vloge ter izolacijo v fazi mlade odrasle osebe. Obstaja trend, da posamezniki s permisivnim vzgojnim stilom matere v ranem otroštvu gradijo zaupanje, v nadaljnjem psihosocialnem razvoju pa se soočajo z nezaupanjem. Posamezniki z avtoritarnim vzgojnim stilom očeta imajo večjo možnost oteženega prehoda med posameznimi fazami psihosocialnega razvoja. V ranem otroštvu imajo posamezniki s permisivnim vzgojnim stilom večjo verjetnost razvoja povečanega zaupanja, hkrati pa v nadaljnjem razvoju možnost razvoja občutka nezaupanja, sramu, dvoma, manjvrednosti, difuznost vloge, izolacije ter povečane iniciative in hkrati krivde posameznika v lokomotorno-genitalni fazi. Obstaja trend, da posamezniki z avtoritativnim vzgojnim stilom očeta imajo optimalen prehod v oralno-senzorni fazi, kar pomeni, da obstaja možnost za lažji razvoj zaupanja z manjšim občutkom krivde ter lažjim prehodom skozi obdobje pubertete. Drugi del kvantitativne raziskave zajema 86 udeležencev, razdeljenih na dve skupini po 43 oseb. Prva skupina je bila vključena v proces relacijske in družinske terapije, druga pa ni bila vključena v nikakršno obravnavo. V tem delu doktorske disertacije raziskujemo spodbujanje psihosocialnega razvoja znotraj terapevtskega procesa relacijske in družinske terapije pri posameznikih, ki so vključeni v kontinuirani tedenski proces dvanajstih srečanj, ki jih zagovarja model. V raziskavi smo ugotovili, da se je od začetka do konca terapevtskega procesa psihosocialni razvoj skozi faze, merjene z vprašalnikom psihosocialnega razvoja dveh avtorjev, Wessmana in Ricksa (1966 po Lamovec 1994), pomembno izboljšal, razen v fazi mlade odrasle osebe, kjer pa ni prišlo do statistično pomembnih oz. zaznanih sprememb. Posamezniki, ki niso bili vključeni v proces terapije, so na začetku in na koncu merjenja dosegali podobne vrednosti psihosocialnega razvoja, posamezniki, ki so bili vključeni v proces relacijske zakonske in družinske terapije, pa so imeli na začetku bistveno nižji psihosocialni razvoj kot posamezniki v kontrolni skupini, ki pa se je po procesu izenačil ali celo izboljšal. Primerjava med skupino, ki je bila vključena v relacijsko zakonsko in družinsko terapijo in kontrolno skupino, pokaže statistično pomembne razlike, razen v obdobju mlade odrasle osebnosti. Skupina, ki je bila vključena v proces relacijske družinske in zakonske terapije, je v smislu spodbujanja psihosocialnega razvoja presegla kontrolno skupino, za katero je na začetku procesa precej zaostajala. To nakazuje, da RZDT predeluje in spodbuja psihosocialni razvoj v večini faz oz. na večini psihosocialnih področij. Interpretacija rezultatov prvega dela raziskave kaže statistično pomembne povezave med starševskimi vzgojnimi stili in psihosocialnim razvojem posameznika, pri čemer imajo udeleženci pri avtoritativnem pristopu, v zgodnjem otroštvu pa tudi pri permisivnem, največjo možnost za zagotavljanje optimalnega psihosocialnega razvoja. V drugem delu ugotavljamo statistično pomembne razlike med začetkom in koncem merjenja pri posameznikih, ki so bili deležni RZDT, kar pomeni, da se zazna učinek terapevtskega pristopa pri spodbujanju psihosocialnega razvoja posameznika, ki je vključen v proces RZDT. Skupina RZDT in kontrolna skupina se bistveno razlikujeta pri vzgojnem stilu – avtoritarna in permisivna vzgoja matere, pri čemer ugotavljamo, da sta navedena vzgojna stila matere zastopana v bistveno večjem deležu pri skupini, vključeni v RZDT proces. Skupina RZDT je ob prvem merjenju na nižji stopnji psihosocialnega razvoja, po drugem merjenju pa na vseh nivojih psihosocialnega razvoja dohiti kontrolno skupino. Ob koncu drugega merjenja je v muskolarno-analni fazi, lokomotorno-genitalni fazi, v obdobju pubertete – v dimenziji difuznost vlog in v mladi odrasli dobi – dimenzija izolacija zaznati večje odstopanje RZDT skupine v primerjavi s kontrolno. The doctoral dissertation entitled »Encouragement of Psychosocial Development and its Relation to Parenting Styles in the Scope of Relational Family Therapy« explores the link between psychosocial development and parenting styles and the promotion of psychosocial development within the therapy process, following the paradigm of relational marriage and family therapy. The theoretical part relates to the following findings: * Personality development takes place in terms of 8 stages and phases according to Erikson. * Parental parenting styles are important in terms of facilitating an understanding of the internal constructs of primary relationships, which are crucial for the analysis of the underlying affect. * Attachment, the partner relationship, the family environment and the dynamics within it are other important factors that contribute to the psychosocial development of the individual. * RMFT takes a holistic view of the individual, which means that it looks at his or her personality, experience and functioning. Relationships are a key segment for analysing the psychological structure of an individual. Promoting psychosocial development within a relational marriage and family therapy paradigm thus serves as the foundation for the second part of the research. The research part of the thesis contains two quantitative parts. The first part of the research involved 502 participants included in the general part, in which the relationship between the psychosocial development of the individual and primary parenting is explored. Two questionnaires were used, one of which measures three parenting styles: permissive, authoritarian and authoritative (Parental Authority Questionnaire for the Mother's and Father's Parenting Style-PAQ) by J. R. Buri (1991). The second questionnaire refers to the stages of psychosocial development according to two authors, Wessman and Ricks (1966 after Lamovec 1994). When tracing the mother's and father's parenting styles (authoritarian, permissive or authoritative) in relation to the stages of psychosocial development and the specific characteristics of each stage, we found that for the individual, who has been exposed to an authoritarian parenting style by his/her mother is more likely to have difficulty in passing through each developmental stage and to face more mistrust, shame, doubt, guilt in early childhood, role diffusion in puberty and isolation in young adulthood. Individuals with a permissive parenting style are more likely to experience more mistrust, guilt, inferiority, role diffusion and isolation in the young adult phase of psychosocial development. Individuals with an authoritarian parenting style of the father are more likely to have difficulties in the transition between the different stages of psychosocial development. Individuals with a permissive parenting style are more likely to develop increased trust in early childhood, but at the same time are more likely to develop feelings of mistrust, shame, doubt, inferiority, role diffusion, isolation and increased initiative as well as guilt in the locomotor-genital phase. There is a trend for individuals with an authoritative parenting style to have an optimal transition in the oral-sensory phase, which means that there is a potential for easier development of trust with a reduced sense of guilt and an easier transition through puberty. The second part of the quantitative research involved 86 participants divided into two groups of 43. The first group was included in the relational and family therapy process, while the second group did not receive any treatment. In this part of the PhD thesis, we investigate the promotion of psychosocial development within the therapeutic process of relational and family therapy in individuals involved in a continuous weekly process of twelve sessions advocated by the model. The study found that from the beginning to the end of the therapeutic process, psychosocial development improved significantly across the phases measured by the Psychosocial Development Questionnaire by the authors Wessman and Ricks (1966 adapted from Lamovec 1994), with the exception of the young adult phase, where there were no statistically significant or perceived changes. Individuals who were not involved in the therapy process had similar psychosocial development scores at baseline and at the end of the measurement, whereas individuals who were involved in the relational marriage and family therapy process had significantly lower psychosocial development than the control group at baseline, but this development levelled off or even improved after the process. A comparison between the RMFT group and the control group shows statistically significant differences, except for the young adult personality period. The RMFT group outperformed the control group in terms of promoting psychosocial development, after having lagged far behind at the beginning of the process. This suggests that relational marriage and family therapy processes and promotes psychosocial development in most stages or in most psychosocial domains. Interpretation of the results of the first part of the study shows statistically significant associations between parenting styles and psychosocial development, with participants experiencing authoritative and permissive approaches in early childhood having the best chance of ensuring optimal psychosocial development. In the second part, we find statistically significant differences between the beginning and end measurements for the individuals who received RMFT, which means that the effect of the therapeutic approach in promoting the psychosocial development of the individual involved in the RMFT process is detected. The RMFT group and the control group differ significantly in terms of the parenting style - authoritarian and permissive mothering - and we note that these two parenting styles are represented in a significantly higher proportion in the group involved in the RMFT process. The RMFT group is at a lower level of psychosocial development at the first measurement, but catches up with the control group at all levels of psychosocial development at the second measurement. At the end of the second measurement, the RMFT group shows a greater discrepancy with the control group in the muscular-anal, the locomotor-genital, and the puberty stages - in the dimension of role diffusion, and in the young adulthood stage - in the dimension of isolation.

Telesne zaznave so entiteta, ki vznikajo, spremljajo, zorijo in skozi obdobje mladostništva dobivajo svoj pomen kot same zase ali v povezavi z notranjim čustvenim svetom mladostnika in njegovo regulacijo. V zgodnjem obdobju adolescence mladostnik nima izoblikovanih mehanizmov, ki bi mu pomagali pri prepoznavanju in uravnavanju telesnih sprememb, težje opredeljuje telesne zaznave in jih težje povezuje s svojim čustvenim doživljanjem. V splošnem se predvideva, da se mlajši mladostniki od starejših razlikujejo glede na zmožnosti zaznavanja telesnih zaznav in zmožnostjo povezovanja tega vidika s čustvi. Dotično delo skuša prikazati, kaj so telesne zaznave, kako jih mladostniki prepoznavajo in kako se področje povezuje s čustvi. Avtorico je posebej zanimalo, kakšne strategije uporablja terapevt inovativnega modela relacijske družinske terapije pri delu s telesom in telesnimi zaznavami pri mladostnikih. V kvantitativnem delu raziskave je sodelovalo 792 mladostnikov med 15. in 25. letom starosti, razdeljenih v skupino mlajših (15–25 let N = 591) in starejših mladostnikov (20–25 let N = 201). Kvantitativna raziskava je bila dopolnjena še s kvalitativnim delom. V njem je sodelovalo 18 mladostnikov iz obeh skupin. Za preverjanje zmožnosti zaznavanja telesnih zaznav je bil uporabljen vprašalnik Multidimensional assessment of interoceptive awareness (MAIA), izraženost psihosomatskih pritožb je bila merjena z vprašalnikom Psychosomatic complaints scale (PCS), za preverjanje zmožnosti čustvenega procesiranja je bil uporabljen vprašalnik Emotional processing scale (EPS), Alexithymia questionnaire for children (AQC) pa je meril zmožnost prepoznavanja in ubesedenja občutkov. V kvalitativnem delu, kjer so bile raziskovane intervencije v povezavi s procesiranjem telesnih zaznav pri mladostnikih, je sodelovalo 10 udeležecev med 17. in 25. letom starosti. Rezultati kvantitativnega dela raziskave na izbranem vzorcu niso potrdili predvidevanja o obstoju razlike med skupinama v izbranih dimenzijah ocene notranjega zavedanja (MAIA). Pri obeh skupinah je bila stopnja izraženosti psihosomatskih pritožb (PCS) obratno povezana z izbranimi dimenzijami ocene notranjega zavedanja (MAIA). Skupini sta se razlikovali v stopnji izraženosti psihosomatskih pritožb (PCS): starejši mladostniki so jih izražali manj. Na izbranem vzorcu se je pokazala povezanost med skoraj vsemi izbranimi dimenzijami ocene notranjega zavedanja (MAIA) in dimenzijami čustvenega procesiranja (EPS). Potrdila se je obratna povezanost med čustveno stabilnostjo (EPS) in splošno izraženostjo telesne simptomatike (PCS). Enako se je pokazala povezanost med težavnostjo prepoznavanja občutkov (AQC), težavnostjo opisovanja občutkov (AQC) in stopnjo izraženosti telesne simptomatike (PCS). Rezultati kvalitativne raziskave, ki je dopolnjevala kvantitativni del za prvo raziskovalno vprašanje, se kažejo v zmožnostih mladostnikov za opredelitev vrst fizioloških zaznav v telesu, opredelitev lokacije telesnih zaznav v telesu, opredelitev možnih načinov opisovanja telesnih zaznav v telesu s pomočjo fizikalnih kategorij, opredelitev načinov telesnega odgovarjanja na telesne zaznave in reflektiranje telesnih zaznav v duševnosti. V kvalitativnem delu, ki se je nanašal na oblikovanje nabora terapevtskih strategij pri obravnavi telesnih senzacij, so opredeljene identifikacija terapevtskih strategij rokovanja s telesnimi zaznavami in telesom pri mladostnikih, identifikacija strategij rokovanja s telesnimi zaznavami pri terapevtu v navezavi na telesne zaznave pri mladostniku in identifikacija korakov v procesu predelovanja telesnih zaznav pri mladostnikih. Pri dobljenih rezultatih je treba upoštevati tudi omejitve raziskave: način pridobivanja udeležencev, način pridobivanja podatkov, neprilagojenost postavk vprašalnikov populaciji mladostnikov, dolgotrajnost zbiranja kvalitativnih podatkov. Throughout the course of adolescence, bodily perceptions become entities that arise, accompany and mature, acquiring their meaning on their own or in connection with the adolescent’s inner emotional world and its regulation. In the early period of adolescence, adolescents have no established mechanisms to help them recognize and regulate bodily changes, they find it hard to define bodily perceptions, and also to relate bodily states to their emotional experience. It is generally assumed that younger adolescents differ from older ones in terms of their ability of perceiving bodily perceptions (sensations) and in the ability to associate this aspect with emotions. The present dissertation attempts to define bodily perceptions, how adolescents recognize them, and how the field of feelings relates to emotions. The author was also particularly interested in strategies the therapists of an innovative model of relational family therapy use when working with the body and body perceptions in adolescents. The quantitative part of this research included 792 adolescents between 15 and 25 years of age. They were divided into a group of younger (15–25 years N = 591) and older adolescents (20–25 years N = 201). Quantitative research was supplemented by qualitative research in which 18 adolescents from both age groups participated. The Multidimensional assessment of interoceptive awareness (MAIA) was used to measure the ability of perceiving bodily sensations, the expression of psychosomatic complaints was measured with the Psychosomatic complaints scale (PCS), the Emotional processing scale (EPS) was used to measure the ability of emotional processing, Alexithymia questionnaire for children (AQC) measured the ability to identify and verbalize bodily feelings. Ten participants between 17 and 25 years participated in the qualitative part of the research which identified developed categories of theurapeutic interventions related to processing of bodily perceptions in adolescents. The results of the quantitative part of this research failed to confirm the hypothesis of the existence of statistically significant differences between the groups on the selected dimensions of the MAIA in the selected sample. In younger adolescents, there is an inverse statistically significant degree of association between some selected dimensions of the MAIA and the dimension of PCS. In older adolescents, the prediction of an inverse statistically significant degree of correlation between selected dimensions of the MAIA and the overall expression of psychosomatic complaints was confirmed. There is a statistically significant difference in the rate of overall dimension of PCS between the two groups, with the rate of expression of psychosomatic complaints being statistically significantly lower within the group of older adolescents. There is also a statistically significant degree of correlation between almost all selected dimensions of the MAIA and the EPS. There is an inverse statistically significant degree of association between emotional stability (EPS) and expression of physical symptoms (PCS) in the selected sample. The existence of a statically significant degree of association between the dimensions of difficulty recognizing feelings, difficulty describing feelings (AQC), and level of expression of physical symptoms (PCS) was confirmed. The results of the qualitative research supplementing the quantitative part of the first research question, define the types of possible physiological perceptions in the body, location of bodily perceptions in the body, definition of possible ways of describing bodily perceptions in the body with the help of physical categories, and definition of bodily responses to bodily perceptions. Categories of therapeutic interventions emerging from the use of ground theory research method are identification of: therapeutic strategies of handling bodily perceptions and the body in adolescents, strategies of handling bodily perceptions in the therapist in relation to bodily sensations in adolescents, and identification of the steps in the therapeutic process of processing bodily sensations in adolescents. The results of this research have to be interpreted in the context of its limitations, including: the participant recruitment method of obtaining, the method of data acquisition, and inadequacy of questionnaire items when applied to the adolescent population.

Spoprijemanje s sprejetjem novice, da ima otrok Downov sindrom, je težka preizkušnja za starše v življenju. Ti se morajo spoprijeti z veliko različnimi občutji in informacijami, ki jih dobijo ob diagnozi. V tem obdobju doživljajo veliko stisko, zato je še toliko pomembnejše, da imajo podporo partnerja, bližnjih sorodnikov in širše okolice. Namen magistrskega dela je razumeti doživljanje staršev ob prejetju novice, da ima njihov otrok Downov sindrom. Izvedena je bila kvalitativna raziskava, katere cilj je bil, da udeleženci opišejo svoja čustvena stanja in telesne senzacije, ki so jih občutili ob prejetju novice. Prav tako nas je zanimalo njihovo doživljanje podpore bližnje in širše okolice. V raziskavi smo uporabili fenomenološki pristop, prek katerega je bilo opravljenih šest intervjujev s šestimi različnimi pari staršev, ki imajo otroka z Downovim sindromom. Intervjuji so bili izvedeni med letoma 2019 in 2020. Poglobljen in usmerjen intervju je zajemal vprašanja, ki so se nanašala na naša področja raziskovanja, in sicer na časovni okvir prejetja novice, doživljajski vidik posameznika ob prejetju novice, doživljanje podpore bližnje in širše okolice, pomen in zadostnost podpore v dani situaciji, spremembo vlog v družinskem sistemu, doživljanje izkušnje zdaj in pogled na življenje skozi doživeto izkušnjo. Rezultati so pokazali, da lahko starši zelo različno doživljajo izkušnjo prejetja novice o Downovem sindromu. Nekateri lahko občutijo različna čustvena stanja in telesne odzive ob prejetju novice. Za starše je lahko zelo pomembna podpora bližnje in širše okolice, saj jim ti lahko dasta občutek moči, upanja, varnosti. Po določenem časovnem obdobju, ko starši sprejmejo diagnozo, pa se lahko pri njih pojavijo tudi pozitivna občutja. Takšna izkušnja lahko nekaterim družinam spremeni življenje, medsebojne odnose, vloge v družini in njihov pogled na življenje. For all parents is a difficult ordeal in their life when receiving the news that their child has Down syndrome. After a child is diagnosed, the parents are faced to deal with many various emotions and information’s about it. During distress periods parents require the support of each other, close relatives, and the wider community. The purpose of the master's thesis is to understand the emotions of parents when receiving the news that their child has Down syndrome. Qualitative research has been carried out during which participant’s emotional states and bodily sensations were described when they obtained the news. Their inner perception of the support from close relatives and the wider community was also included. A phenomenological psychological approach was used through six two-parent family interviews that have a child with Down syndrome. Interviews were conducted in years, 2019 and 2020. An in-depth, focused interview was referring to the area of research when getting the news, such as time frame, sensational aspect, experiencing support from the closer and wider community, the importance and adequacy of support in a given situation, changing roles in the family system and emotional experience through different time periods. The results have shown that parents might have a very a different way of the emotional experience when they were confronted with child diagnosis. Some might experience various emotional states and bodily responses. For parents, support of each other, close and wider community could be extremely important as it gives them strength, hope, and security. After a certain period of time, when parents accept their child's diagnosis, they might also experience positive feelings. Such an experience can change their lives, relationships, roles in the family, and their view on life.

Namen magistrskega dela je bil preučiti povezanosti med diferenciacijo jaza, psihološko odpornostjo in prisotnostjo oziroma iskanjem smisla v življenju, tako teoretično kot empirično. Raziskavo smo izvedli na vzorcu 307 udeležencev (13 % moških, 87 % žensk) s povprečno starostjo 35,92 leta (SD = 8,17). Udeleženci so izpolnili Vprašalnik diferenciacije jaza, Connor-Davidsonovo lestvico psihološke odpornosti 25 in Vprašalnik smiselnosti življenja. Na podlagi pridobljenih rezultatov so bile opravljene korelacijske analize. Ugotovitve so pokazale, da obstaja pozitivna povezanost med diferenciacijo jaza, psihološko odpornostjo in prisotnostjo smisla ter negativna povezanost omenjenih konstruktov z iskanjem smisla v življenju. Vse spremenljivke so statistično pomembno povezane na nivoju 1-% tveganja med korelacijami dimenzij Vprašalnika diferenciacije jaza na eni strani in psihološke odpornosti ter prisotnosti oziroma iskanja smisla v življenju na drugi. Pri obeh merjenih lastnostih, psihološki odpornosti in prisotnosti smisla v življenju, v povezanosti z diferenciacijo jaza najbolj izstopa dimenzija jaz-pozicija, saj je omenjena dimenzija dosegla najvišjo korelacijo (0,649 in 0,474) Spearmanovega rho korelacijskega koeficienta v primerjavi z ostalimi dimenzijami diferenciacije jaza. Rezultati kažejo na to, da obstaja velik trend, da če ima posameznik bolje diferenciran jaz, je lahko tudi bolj psihološko odporen in ima lahko v življenju prisotnega tudi več smisla. Iz rezultatov je razvidno tudi to, da obstaja srednje močan trend, da takrat, ko ima posameznik višjo stopnjo diferenciacije jaza, išče manj smisla v življenju. Nadalje rezultati nakazujejo, da obstaja majhen trend, da takrat, ko je posameznik bolj psihološko odporen, išče manj življenjskega smisla. Rezultati kažejo tudi na to, da obstaja velik trend, da so posamezniki, ki imajo visoko prisotnost smisla, bolj psihološko odporni. Raziskava ponuja nov pogled in spoznanja o povezanosti konstruktov ter pušča odprt prostor za nadaljnje raziskave in za lažje razumevanje teh kompleksnih področij. The purpose of the master's thesis was to study the correlations between the differentiation of the self, psychological resilience and the presence or search for meaning in life, both theoretically and empirically. The study was conducted on a sample of 307 participants (13% men, 87% women), with an average age of 35.92 years (SD = 8.17). Participants completed the Differentiation of Self Questionnaire, the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale 25, and the Meaning in Life Questionnaire. Based on the obtained results, correlation analyses were performed. The findings showed that there were correlations between the differentiation of the self, psychological resilience and the presence or search for meaning in life. All correlations were statistically significantly related at the 1% risk level. Between the correlations of the dimensions of the differentiation of self questionnaire on the one hand and the psychological resilience and the presence or search for meaning in life on the other. In both measured characteristics, psychological resilience and the presence of meaning in life, the I-position dimension stood out most in relation to differentiation of self, as this dimension reached the highest correlation (0.649 and 0.474) of Spearman's rho correlation coefficient compared to other dimensions of differentiation of self. The results suggest that there is a large trend that if an individual has a better differentiated self, he or she may also be more psychologically resilient and may also have more meaning present in their life. The results also suggest that there is a medium-strong trend that when an individual has a higher degree of differentiation of self, that is when he or she seeks less meaning in life. Furthermore, the results suggest that there is a small trend that when an individual is more psychologically resilient, he or she seeks less meaning in life. In addition, the results also suggest that there is a large trend that individuals with a high presence of meaning are more psychologically resilient. The research offers a new perspective and insights into the interconnectedness of constructs and leaves room for further research and easier understanding of these complex areas.

Na prehodu v odraslost in v zgodnji odraslosti osebe običajno oblikujejo trajne romantične odnose. Kljub pomembnosti romantičnih odnosov in prevladujočim družbenim pričakovanjem imeti partnerja nekatere osebe ostajajo samske iz različnih razlogov, med drugim zaradi zunanjih okoliščin, psiholoških primanjkljajev ali osebne odločitve. Neuspeh pri vzpostavljanju ali vzdrževanju zveze v tem obdobju lahko resno ogrozi posameznikovo zadovoljstvo z življenjem, kar kaže na to, da je lahko izkušnja dlje trajajoče samskosti čustveno zelo obremenjujoča in lahko pri posamezniku pusti številne negativne posledice. Namen magistrskega dela je razumeti doživljanje izkušnje samskosti na prehodu v odraslost in v zgodnji odraslosti, cilj pa z uporabo kvalitativne metodologije in fenomenološkega pristopa poglobljeno raziskati in opisati izkušnjo samskosti z vidika udeležencev raziskave. V raziskavo so bile vključene tri udeleženke in dva udeleženca, ki že več kot leto dni niso v zvezi in s katerimi so bili izvedeni polstrukturirani intervjuji. Udeleženci poročajo o občasnem doživljanju osamljenosti in množici negativnih občutkov, doživljajo pa lahko tudi pozitivne občutke. Različno intenzivno lahko hrepenijo po zvezi in jih je strah, da nikoli ne najdejo življenjskega partnerja. Oporo lahko najbolj zaznavajo znotraj svojih družin, precej tudi od prijateljev. Svoje zadovoljstvo z življenjem lahko povezujejo z zadovoljstvom s svojim spoprijemanjem s trenutno življenjsko situacijo. Obdobje samskosti jim lahko predstavlja čas, ki ga lahko izkoristijo neodvisno od drugih oseb, vendar lahko njihov čas ostaja tudi neizkoriščen, nekatere potrebe pa nezadovoljene. Pri spoprijemanju z negativnimi občutki se pogosto osredotočajo na pozitivne možnosti samskosti, kot so čas za druženje, dejavnosti in osebno rast, spoprijemajo pa se lahko tudi prek religioznosti. Poročanje o odnosih v primarnih družinah udeležencev nudi številne uvide v možno dinamiko njihovega današnjega vključevanja v odnose in možne razlage njihovega vzdrževanja samskosti. Ugotovitev raziskave zaradi uporabljene metodologije ni mogoče posplošiti na širšo populacijo, vendar je možno, da tudi druge samske osebe svojo izkušnjo doživljajo podobno, kot jo opisujejo udeleženci. In periods of emerging adulthood and early adulthood people typically form permanent romantic relationships. However, some people remain single despite the importance of romantic relationships and prevalent social expectations of having a romantic partner, which occurs for several reasons such as external circumstances, psychological deficits or personal decisions. Failure to establish and maintain romantic relationships in this period could seriously threaten an individual’s life satisfaction, indicating that the experience of long-lasting singlehood may be very emotionally burdening and may have several negative consequences for an individual. The goal of the master's thesis is to understand the experience of singlehood in periods of emerging adulthood and early adulthood, and the aim is to profoundly examine and describe the experience of singlehood from the aspect of participants, using a qualitative methodology and phenomenological approach. Three female and two male participants who have not been in a romantic relationship for more than a year were included and took part in the semi-structured interviews. Participants report on occasional experiencing loneliness and variety of negative as well as positive feelings. There are differences in the intensity of their longing for romantic relationships and their fear of never finding a life partner. They can perceive the most support within their families and a lot by their friends. Their life satisfaction can depend on how satisfied they are with their coping with the current life situation. In the period of singlehood, they have time which can be used independently of others. However, their time can remain unspent and their needs may not be met. When coping with negative feelings, they often focus on positive possibilities of singlehood, such as having time for socializing, activities and personal growth, and as another coping mechanism can also be religiousness. Reports on relationships in the participants’ primary families offer numerous insights into possible dynamics of their current engaging in relationships and possible explanations of maintaining singlehood. Research findings are not generalizable to the wider population due to the choice of methodology used, but rather single people may have similar experiences to those reported by the participants.

Humor ima veliko vlogo v partnerskih odnosih in je ena bolj iskanih lastnosti, ki jo posamezniki iščejo v svojih partnerjih. Na odnos pa lahko humor vpliva tako koristno, kot tudi škodljivo. Avtorji so opredelili dve skupini humorja, pozitivnega in negativnega. Med pozitivne spadata družabni in samovarovalni humor, ki se pozitivno povezujeta z zadovoljstvom in vztrajnostjo v zvezi ter z indikatorji psihičnega in socialnega blagostanja. Obratne vzorce pa kažeta negativna stila humorja, agresivni in samouničevalni. Namen naše raziskave je bil pokazati povezanost med uporabo štirih tipov humorja in zadovoljstvom v partnerski zvezi. Predvidevali smo, da se pozitivna povezujeta pozitivno, negativna pa negativno. V raziskavi je sodelovalo 841 udeležencev, od tega 662 žensk in 179 moških. Pri zbiranju podatkov smo uporabili Vprašalnik stilov humorja (HSQ) in Lestvico zadovoljstva s partnerskim odnosom (RAS). Izkazalo se je, da samovarovalni humor pozitivno korelira z zadovoljstvom v partnerski zvezi, samouničevalni humor pa negativno. Pri poročenih udeležencih smo našli še korelacijo družabnega humorja z zadovoljstvom v partnerski zvezi. Tisti, ki so bili neporočeni oziroma v partnerski zvezi, pa so pokazali korelacijo s samovarovalnim humorjem. Pričakovano smo v raziskavi ugotovili, da moški statistično pomembno pogosteje uporabljajo vse štiri tipe humorja. Samovarovalni in samouničevalni humor sta dala tudi dobro napovedno vrednost zadovoljstva v partnerski zvezi. Rezultati so dokaj sklepčni s pregledano literaturo, vendar bi za še boljše rezultate v raziskavi morali uporabiti bolj specifično obliko vprašalnika stilov humorja. Tokrat smo namreč merili uporabo humorja na splošno, za raziskovanje povezanosti z zadovoljstvom v partnerski zvezi, pa bi bilo bolje uporabiti verzijo, ki meri prav specifično uporabo humorja v partnerski zvezi. Humor plays a big role in romantic relationships and is one of the more sought after personality traits that individuals are searching for in their partners. Humor can have both useful or harmful effect on a relationship. Researchers have defined two groups of humor, positive and negative. Positive include affiliative and self-enhancing humor, which are positively correlated to relationship satisfaction and perseverance, and with indicators of psychological and social well-being. Negative humor styles, aggressive and self-defeating, show reverse patterns. The purpose of our research was to show the connection between the use of four humor styles and relationship satisfaction. We assumed, that positive styles would be positevely correlated and negative styles negatively. Our study involved 841 participants, 662 women and 179 men who were asked to complete an online survey consisting of Humor Styles Questionnaire (HSQ) and Relationship Assessement Scale (RAS). We found positive correlation between relationship satisfaction and self-enhancing humor and negative correlation between relationship satisfaction and self-defeating humor. Furthermore, we found a positive correlation between affiliative humor and relationship satisfaction in married couples. In couples, that were not married, we found positive correlation between self-enhancing humor and relationship satisfaction. As expected, the study found that men significantly more commonly use all four humor styles. Self-enhancing and self-defeating humor also showed good predictive value of relationship satisfaction. The results are fairly consistent with the reviewed literature, but for even better results, a more specific form of Humor Styles Questionnaire should be used. In this study, we measured the use of humor in general and in would be better to use a version that measures specific use of humor in romantic relationships.

Čuječnost je relativno nov psihološki konstrukt. Veliko raziskav dokazuje pozitivne učinke njegove uporabe tako v vsakdanjem življenju kot v svetu terapije. Raziskave poudarjajo, da je čuječnost sposobnost osredotočanja posameznika na sedanji trenutek in na boljše sprejemanje izkušnje takšne, kot je, ne da bi obsojali in ji pripisovali različne pomene. To omogoča boljša samoregulacija emocionalnih ter vedenjskih stanj, ki velikokrat povečuje pozitivno emocionalnost (Mishra 2017). V magistrskem delu smo želeli raziskati povezavo med čuječnostjo kot osebnostno lastnost v vsakdanjem življenju in pozitivno in negativno emocionalnostjo ter zadovoljstvom v družini. V raziskavi je sodelovalo 109 udeležencev, od katerih je bilo 30 moških (27,5 %) in 79 žensk (72,5 %). Najnižja starost je bila 16 let, najvišja pa 60 let. Konstrukt čuječnosti smo merili z vprašalnikom čuječnosti KIMS (Baer idr. 2004). Izraženost pozitivne in negativne emocionalnosti smo ocenjevali z vprašalnikom pozitivne in negativne emocionalnosti PANAS (Watson, Clark in Tellegen, 1988), zadovoljstvo v družini pa z lestvico za ocenjevanje zadovoljstva v družini KFLS (Corcoran and Fischer 2013). Rezultati raziskave so pokazali pozitivno zmerno povezanost med čuječnostjo in pozitivno emocionalnostjo. Vse dimenzije vprašalnika KIMS (»opazovanje«, »opisovanje«, »delovanje z zavedanjem«), razen dimenzije »sprejemanje brez presojanja«, so se povezovale statistično pomembno s »pozitivno emocionalnostjo«. Višja stopnja izraženosti čuječnosti naj bi pomenila bolj pogosto doživljanje pozitivnih emocij. V naši raziskavi je bila negativna povezava med negativno emocionalnostjo in čuječnostjo v skladu z večino svetovnih raziskav, ki pravijo, da bolj čuječi posamezniki verjetno poročajo o manj negativnih občutkih in obratno. Po drugi strani pa naj bi pozitivna korelacija med čuječnostjo in zadovoljstvom v družini pomenila, da je višja stopnja izraženosti čuječnosti povezana z višjim zadovoljstvom v družini. Pozitivna korelacija se je pokazala tudi med pozitivno emocionalnostjo in zadovoljstvom v družini. Dobljena korelacija pomeni, da verjetno bolj zadovoljni posamezniki v družini bolj pogosto izražajo pozitivne občutke. Ob razumevanju rezultatov je treba upoštevati omejitve raziskave. Mindfulness is a relatively new psychological construct for which a lot of research shows the positive effects of its use, as in everyday life, also in the world of therapy. Many of the studies conducted, emphasizes that mindfulness is the ability that enables a person to focus on the present moment and accept the nature of the experience as it is, without condemning and adding different meanings to it. This encourages better emotional and behavioral self-regulation that often leads to increasing positive affect (Mishra 2017). In our research, we wanted to present the connection between mindfulness as a personality trait and other constructs such as positive and negative affect and family satisfaction. The study involved 109 participants, of which 30 were men (27.5%) and 79 women (72.5%). The minimum age was 16 years and the maximum age was 60 years. The construct of mindfulness was measured with the KIMS Mindfulness Questionnaire (Baer et al., 2004). The expression of positive and negative emotionality was assessed with the Questionnaire for measuring positive and negative affect PANAS (Watson, Clark in Tellegen, 1988). Family satisfaction was assessed with the Kansas Family Satisfaction Scale KFSL (Corcoran and Fischer 2013, 364). The results of the study showed a positive, moderate connection between mindfulness and positive emotionality. All scales of the KIMS questionnaire (»observing«, »describing«, »acting with awareness«), with the exception of dimension »acceptance without judging«, showed statistically significant correlation with the positive affect scale. A higher level of mindfulness supposed to mean more frequent experiencing of positive emotions. In our study, the negative correlation between negative affect and mindfulness is consistent with most of the world's research. People with a higher degree of mindfulness are more likely to report less negative feelings and vice versa. On the other hand, the positive correlation between mindfulness and family satisfaction means that a higher level of mindfulness may be connected with higher level of satisfaction in the family. Positive correlation has also been shown between positive affect and family satisfaction. This correlation shows that individuals who show higher degree of satisfaction in the family are more likely to express more positive feelings. When understanding the results, the research limitations must be taken into account.

V magistrskem delu je avtorica raziskovala povezanost med čustvenim procesiranjem, stopnjo empatije ter pozitivnimi in negativnimi čustveno-kognitivnimi razsežnostmi odnosa s starši oz. značilnostmi navezanosti na starše. Slednji so komunikacija, zaupanje, odtujenost in jeza. V raziskavo je vključila 210 udeležencev, starih med 20 in 65 let. Za namen raziskave je uporabila vprašalnik čustvenega procesiranja (EPS), ki meri poddimenzije čustvena izraznost, čustveno presojanje in čustvena stabilnost. Uporabila je tudi vprašalnik količnik empatije (EQ). Za merjenje pozitivnih in negativnih čustveno-kognitivnih razsežnosti odnosa s starši je uporabila vprašalnik starševske in vrstniške navezanosti (IPPA), kjer je uporabila del, ki se navezuje na starše, za očeta in mamo. Empatija in mere navezanosti s starši so se v raziskavi povezovale v zelo majhni meri, prav tako povezanosti niso statistično pomembne. Med čustvenim procesiranjem in merami navezanosti na očeta in mamo se je za statistično pomembno izkazala povezanost na strani matere, medtem ko povezanost z očetom obstaja, vendar ni statistično pomembna. Poddimenzija čustvena stabilnost in mere navezanosti za oba starša se statistično pomembno povezujejo, prav tako pa se pomembno povezujejo čustvena izraznost in komunikacija ter odtujenost na strani matere. Ostale poddimenzije čustvenega procesiranja se povezujejo z merami navezanosti, vendar te povezanosti niso statistično pomembne. Nadalje je avtorica raziskovala povezanost čustvenega procesiranja in empatije ter ugotovila, da se vse poddimenzije čustvenega procesiranja pomembno povezujejo z empatijo, zato lahko rečemo, da obstaja trend, da posamezniki, ki doživljajo boljšo čustveno izraznost, boljše čustveno presojanje in večjo čustveno stabilnost, izražajo večjo stopnjo empatije. Zaradi načina zbiranja udeležencev je reprezentativnost vzorca vprašljiva. Vprašanje se poraja tudi, ali so udeleženci pri intimnejših vprašanjih odgovarjali resnično. In this master’s thesis, the author researches the link between emotional processing, level of empathy, and positive and negative cognitive-emotional aspects of relationships with parents or the characteristics of parent attachment. The following are communication, trust, anger, and alienation. The research included 210 participants aged 20-65. For the purpose of this research, the Emotional Processing Scale (EPS) was used, which measures the following subdimensions: emotional expression, appraisal of emotions, and emotional stability. The author also used the Empathy Quotient (EQ) questionnaire. To measure positive and negative cognitive-emotional aspects of a relationship with parents, the author used the Inventory of Parent and Peer Attachment (IPPA) questionnaire, from which she used the part concerning parents. Empathy and the level of attachment to parents proved to be linked only minimally and the links are thus not statistically significant. For emotional processing and levels of attachment to fathers and mothers, attachment to mothers proved to be statistically important, whereas even though attachment to fathers does exist, it is not statistically significant. There is a significantly important link between the subdimension of emotional stability and the level of attachment to both parents, as well as a link between emotional expression and communication and alienation from the mother. Other subdimensions of emotional processing are linked to levels of attachment, but these are not statistically significant. The author continued with researching the link between emotional processing and empathy and discovered that every subdimension of emotional processing has a significant link to empathy, which is why it can be concluded that there is a trend that individuals who experience better emotional expressiveness, better appraisal of emotions and higher emotional stability, also express a higher level of empathy. Nevertheless, due to the mode of participant selection, the representation of the sample is questionable. Another question that arises is if participants replied to more intimate questions truthfully.

Ko človek izve za diagnozo rak se pojavi veliko vprašanj in čustev, ki pretresejo tako posameznika kot njihove svojce. Intenzivna čustva lahko kar preplavljajo posameznika, zato lahko njegovo razmišljanje, vedenje in odločitve na začetku delujejo precej zmedene. Vendar v to intenzivno čustveno dogajanje postopoma vstopajo prebliski razumskega ocenjevanja položaja in iskanje možnega ravnanja. Namen magistrskega dela je razumeti doživljanje onkoloških pacientov v odnosu z njihovimi družinskimi člani. Cilj raziskave je bil, da se opišejo čustvena stanja, ki jih pacienti doživljajo, telesne senzacijo, na kakšen način se soočajo z boleznijo, ter kako doživljajo svoje najbližje. Z uporabo kvalitativna metode dela in fenomenološkega pristopa je bilo opravljenih sedem polstrukturiranih intervjujev z udeleženci, ki so imeli lastno izkušnjo bolezni rak. Intervjuji so bili opravljeni v letu 2016 do 2018. Sodelovalo je 6 žensk in en moški. Udeleženci intervjujev so opisovali, da je bilo sprejetje raka za njih zelo težko, prisotni so bili občutki zanikanja, žalosti, krivde, jeze in agresije., ter obupa. Nekateri intervjuvanci so opisovali nemoč, predvsem s strani družinskih članov, kar jim je predstavljalo najtežjo stvar celotnega procesa zdravljenja. Po končanem zdravljenju so intervjuvanci navajali, da je njihovo življenje pridobilo smisel. Razvila so se globlja čustva hvaležnosti. Kljub podobnim odgovorom pa ne moremo posploševati dejstva, da tako doživljajo vsi onkološki pacienti, temveč je potrebno razumeti, da je numerus naše raziskave zelo majhen. Lahko pa, da so občutki, ki so jih opisovali udeleženci prisotni tudi pri drugih onkoloških pacientih When a person learns about their cancer diagnosis, a lot of questions and feelings that shake both the individual and their relatives arise. Such intense emotions can be overwhelming for the individual, so their thinking, behaviour and decisions may seem quite confusing. However, during the times of emotional stress, rational assessment of the situation and the search for possible actions gradually appear. The goal of the master's thesis is to understand what oncological patients experience in relation to their family members. The aim of the thesis is to describe the emotional conditions that patients experience, their body sensations, how they are dealing with the disease, and how they experience their loved ones. Using the qualitative method and the phenomenological approach, seven semi-structured interviews with participants who had an experience with cancer were conducted. The interviews were conducted between 2016 and 2018, and include six women and one man. Participants claim that acceptance of the cancer diagnosis was very difficult for them, and report feeling denial, sadness, guilt, anger, aggression, and despair. Some interviewees describe helplessness, especially that of their family members, which was the most difficult aspect of the entire treatment process for the patient. The interviewees state that their life became meaningful after completing the treatment. Deeper feelings of gratitude developed. Despite similar answers we, however, cannot generalize while it is possible that the feelings described by the participants may also be present in other oncological patients, it is necessary to understand that the number of participants in our research is very small.

Smrt bližnega je lahko ena izmed najtežjih in najbolj bolečih izkušenj, ki lahko doleti posameznika v življenju. V tem času lahko žalujoči doživlja veliko stisko, ki ga naredi ranljivega. Pri tovrstni travmi se posameznik sooča z zelo intenzivnimi emocijami, občutki, spremembami in prilagoditvami v življenju. Doživljanje izkušnje nenadne smrti je individualna izkušnja, zato je pomembno, da so svojci in ostali žalujoči v času žalovanja strpni in spoštljivi drug do drugega. Takšno doživljanje stiske lahko pusti posamezniku razne duševne in fizične motnje, če posameznik ne uloži lastnega truda v sam proces izžalovanja izgube ali ni deležen optimalne podpore z okolja. V kvalitativni fenomenološki raziskavi, ki jo je avtorica izvedla na vzorcu 8 žalujočih udeležencih, je za namene ugotavljanja posameznikovega doživljanja izkušnje nenadne smrti družinskega člana uporabila v naprej pripravljen poglobljeni usmerjeni intervju, ki je zajemal deset vprašanj, katera so se nanašala na vsebinsko področje raziskave. Osnovna vprašanja so se navezovala na pokojno osebo (kje, kdaj in kako se je zgodila nenadna smrt), čustveno in telesno doživljajnje izkušnje žalujočega, doživljanje podpore v ožjem ter širšem okolju žalujočega, možne spremembe v družinskem sistemu (menjava vlog, prilagoditve), razliko v njihovem doživljanju izkušnje nekoč in danes ter pozitiven in negative vidik takšne izkušnje v življenju. Rezultati so pokazali, da lahko vsak žalujoči drugače doživlja izkušnjo nenadne smrti. Pri udeležencih se kaže, kako pomembna je lahko družinska, socialna in strokovna podpora pri izkušnji nenadne smrti bližnjega, saj lahko ta žalujočemu daje občutek pripadnosti in upanja na boljše. Kažejo se spremembe njihovega vrednostnega sistema medsebojnih odnosov in optimističnega pogleda na življenje. The death of a loved one may be one of the most difficult and painful experiences that an individual can experience in life. During this time, the mourner can experience a lot of distress that makes him vulnerable. In this kind of trauma, an individual faces very intense emotions, feelings, changes, and adjustments in their life. Experiencing sudden death is an individual experience, so it is important that relatives and other mourners are tolerant and respectful to one another at that time. If the individual does not put his own effort into the process of mourning a loss or does not receive optimal support from the environment, such distress can leave the individual various mental and physical disorders. In a qualitative phenomenological research, carried out on a sample of 8 grieving participants, for the purpose of determining an individual's experience of the experience of sudden death of a family member, the author used a pre-prepared in-depth targeted interview, which covered ten questions that related to our content area. The basic questions were related to the deceased person (where, when and how the sudden death occurred), emotional and physical experience of the grieving experience, experiencing support in the narrower and wider environment of the grieving person, possible changes in the family system (changing roles, adjustments), the difference in their experiencing experience once and today, and a positive and negative aspect of such an experience in life. The results showed that each mourner can experience a sudden death experience differently. The participants show the importance of family, social and professional support in the experience of the sudden death of a loved one, because it gives individuals the feeling of belonging and hope for the better. They show changes in their value system of mutual relationships and an optimistic view of life.

In order to achieve goals and wishes regarding one’s own psychophysical wellbeing, humans use different strategies of emotional balancing. One of these is also the use of psychoactive substances (hereinafter PAS). In case of individual’s common use of PAS, dependency can develop where individual’s various brain mechanisms and functions, which are essential in balancing affect conditions, can be altered. The concept of alexithymia, which is characteristic for addicts, includes deficits in the cognitive-experiential domain of emotional responses and on the level of interpersonal regulation of emotions. Incapable of distinctly recognizing their own subjective feelings, the addicts communicate their own emotional distress to other people very unsatisfactory. Consequentially, they cannot obtain others as sources of help or comfort. The master’s thesis tries to answer the research question whether the persons being treated for the dependency of PAS are different from the persons who are not treated for the dependency of PAS, i.e. in the field of the painful affects regulation, on the level of the risk of the abuse of PAS, and on the level of alexithymia. The master’s thesis is divided into three theoretical chapters, which represent the concept of regulation of the positive and negative affect, the collection and the efficiency of various affect regulation strategies. The master’s thesis represents various PAS and also the syndrome of dependency of PAS as well as emotions in the addicts. The methodology of research, the results, and the discussion on the acquired results are presented in the empirical part. The results of the research showed statistically significant differences between the groups on the level of the risk of the abuse of PAS, on the level of alexithymia, and in painful affects regulation strategies. The master’s thesis contributes to better understanding of the role of the affective dis/regulation in persons treated for the dependency of PAS. It presents inner, personal factors which contributed to the emergence of the dependency. It shows the importance and the role of emotional regulation in the process of treating persons addicted to PAS. In order to achieve goals and wishes regarding one’s own psychophysical wellbeing, humans use different strategies of emotional balancing. One of these is also the use of psychoactive substances (hereinafter PAS). In case of individual’s common use of PAS, dependency can develop where individual’s various brain mechanisms and functions, which are essential in balancing affect conditions, can be altered. The concept of alexithymia, which is characteristic for addicts, includes deficits in the cognitive-experiential domain of emotional responses and on the level of interpersonal regulation of emotions. Incapable of distinctly recognizing their own subjective feelings, the addicts communicate their own emotional distress to other people very unsatisfactory. Consequentially, they cannot obtain others as sources of help or comfort. The master’s thesis tries to answer the research question whether the persons being treated for the dependency of PAS are different from the persons who are not treated for the dependency of PAS, i.e. in the field of the painful affects regulation, on the level of the risk of the abuse of PAS, and on the level of alexithymia. The master’s thesis is divided into three theoretical chapters, which represent the concept of regulation of the positive and negative affect, the collection and the efficiency of various affect regulation strategies. The master’s thesis represents various PAS and also the syndrome of dependency of PAS as well as emotions in the addicts. The methodology of research, the results, and the discussion on the acquired results are presented in the empirical part. The results of the research showed statistically significant differences between the groups on the level of the risk of the abuse of PAS, on the level of alexithymia, and in painful affects regulation strategies. The master’s thesis contributes to better understanding of the role of the affective dis/regulation in persons treated for the dependency of PAS. It presents inner, personal factors which contributed to the emergence of the dependency. It shows the importance and the role of emotional regulation in the process of treating persons addicted to PAS.