Anishka Jain, Rameshbabu Tamarana, Uvashree Santosh and Ritik Singh
Christ University, Bengaluru, India
Toxic positivity refers to the practice of constantly presenting oneself as optimistic while
disregarding negative emotions. When positivity is frequently employed to minimise or
conceal negative experiences, it becomes toxic, like anything carried out in excess.
Denial, minimisation and invalidation of the genuine human emotional experience
are the adverse outcomes of toxic positivity (Gross et al., 1997). This study aimed
to investigate the relationship between dominant personality traits, toxic positivity,
and the mediating effect of intrapersonal and interpersonal control in young adults. A
cross-sectional design was used, and data were collected from 278 participants using
four questionnaires measuring dominance, intrapersonal control, interpersonal control,
and toxic positivity. The data were analyzed using the structural equation model and
Hayes’ Macro Process Model 6, which revealed an indirect positive correlation between
dominance and toxic positivity through intrapersonal and interpersonal control. The
findings of this study have important implications for clinical psychology, counseling
psychology, workplace psychology, and other areas where personality assessments
are useful. The findings may aid psychologists in developing interventions for people
who have a high level of toxic positivity. The findings can be used by corporations and
policymakers to build management and screening strategies. Additionally, it provides
insights into the effects of toxic positivity and can assist young adults in identifying and
addressing toxic patterns to enhance their mental health.
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