The Influence of Toxic Positivity To The Purpose in Life and Environmental Mastery of Laid-Off Young Adult Workers During Pandemic

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BACHELOR OF SCIENCE IN PSYCHOLOGY

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THE INFLUENCE OF TOXIC POSITIVITY TO THE PURPOSE

IN LIFE AND ENVIRONMENTAL MASTERY OF
LAID-OFF YOUNG ADULT WORKERS
DURING PANDEMIC
A Research Study Presented to the

Faculty of Psychology
Arellano University
Legarda, Manila
In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements of the Degree

Bachelor of Science in Psychology
By
Fralia Grace D. Castro
Sofia Lyka Gatus
Lyra Dale Guerra
May 2022
Electronic copy available at: https://ssrn.com/abstract=4094808

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APPROVAL SHEET
This research output here entitled:
“The Influence of Toxic Positivity to the Purpose in Life and
Environmental Mastery of the Laid-off Young Adult Workers during Pandemic”
prepared and submitted by: Castro, Fralia Grace D., Gatus, Sofia Lyka, Guerra,
Lyra Dale G.in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Bachelor of
Science in Psychology, has been examined and recommended for acceptance
and approval for ORAL EXAMINATION.
PAULO MANUEL L. MACAPAGAL,PhD, RPm, RPsy

Adviser
Approved by the Committee on Oral Examination with a grade of ______.
BENEDICT ANTAZO
Chairman
JOAN SAN JUAN, MA, RPm, RPSy MYLENE T. SANGINES, MA

Member Member
JENNIFER BOYERO, MA AMOR MIA H. MIRANDA, MA, RPm, RpSY

Member Member
Accepted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Bachelor of
Science in Psychology.
PAULO MANUEL L. MACAPAGAL, PhD, RPm, RPsy

Program Chair

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ABSTRACT
TITLE: “The Influence of Toxic Positivity to the Purpose in Life and

Environmental Mastery of Laid-off Young Adult Workers
During Pandemic”
NAME: Castro, Fralia Grace D., Gatus, Sofia Lyka, Guerra Lyra Dale G.,
Degree: Bachelor of Science in Psychology
School: Arellano University
School Year: 2020-2021
Adviser: Paulo Manuel L. Macapagal, PhD, RPm RPsy
This study had determined the level of toxic positivity, purpose in life
and environmental mastery of the laid-off young adult ex-crew workers of
different Jollibee branches in Metro Manila. Based on the findings majority of
laid-off young adult workers within the age range of 25-26 years old and
most are males. In terms of the duration of being laid off, most of them were
laid-off from 1 year, 7 months to 2 years. The toxic positivity of laid-off young
adult workers are extremely high during this pandemic; the respondents also
shows low on purpose in life and environmental mastery. However, there is
no relationship between toxic positivity and purpose in life. While there’s a
relationship between toxic positivity and environmental mastery to the laid-
off workers. While emphasizing the effectiveness of toxic positivity as an
intervention in enhancing the well-being, we also address the effect of toxic
positivism in this area concerning unemployed workers. There is no specific
answer on how to help laid-off workers cope with of toxic positivism.
However, more attention to and work on developing knowledge and
understanding on positivity has helped and can help unemployed crew
workers establish and maintain purpose in life, not only in their daily work,
b u t a l s o t h r o u g h o u t t h e i r l i f e .
Keywords: toxic positivity, purpose in life, environmental mastery
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

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First and foremost, we would like to acknowledge and give our warmest
gratitude to God, the Almighty, for giving us strength and providing us the gift of
knowledge and wisdom that paved the way for the success of this paper.
We would also like to express our heartfelt and outspoken gratitude to

our research mentor, Dean Paulo Manuel Macapagal, Ph.D, RPsy, RPm, of the
Psychology Department at Arellano University - Juan Sumulong Campus, for
giving us his continuous support, motivation, patience and his expertise. His
guidance and advice helped us all throughout the process of making this
research. It was a great privilege and honor to work and study under his
guidance, we really are extremely grateful to him for being our mentor.
Besides our Research Adviser, the completion of this research could not
have been accomplished without the help of the thesis committees: Amor Mia H.
Arandia, MA, RPm, RPsy, Joan San Juan, MA, RPm, RPsy, Mylene T. Sangines, MA,
Jennifer Boyero, MA, and Benedict Antazo. We are offering our sincere thanks to
these thesis committees for their encouragement and insightful comments.
Finally, we are deeply grateful and want to give special thanks to our
family and friends their unending support, motivation and the sleepless nights
they had in order to complete this undergraduate research together without
leaving any group behind.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
Title i
Approval Sheet ii

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Abstract iii-iv
Acknowledgement v
Table of Contents vi
List of Figures vii
List of Tables viii
List of Appendices ix
CHAPTER 1 The Problem and its Background

Background of the Study
Statement of the Problem
Significance of the Study
Assumptions
Hypothesis

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Theoretical Framework
Conceptual Frame work
Scope and Delimitation
Definition of Terms
CHAPTER 2 Review of Related Literature and Studies

Review of Related Studies
Synthesis
CHAPTER 3 The Research Methods

Research Design
Research Locale
Instrumentation
Sampling Technique
Date Gathering Procedure
Ethical Considerations
Data Analysis
Statistical Treatment
CHAPTER 4 Presentation, Interpretation and Analysis of Data

CHAPTER 5 Summary, Conclusion and Recommendation
Summary
Summary of Findings
Conclusion
Recommendation
References
Appendices

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IMRAD
Introduction
Methodology
Result
Discussion
Curriculum Vitae
Appendices
LIST OF FIGURES
Figure Title Page

1 Research Paradigm 16

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LIST OF TABLES
Table Title Page

1 Frequencies and Percentage distribution according to age
2 Frequencies and Percentage distribution according to Gender 30
3 Frequencies and Percentage distribution according to the Duration of being laid-off 31
4 Frequencies and Percentage distribution of Toxic Positivity 32
5 Frequencies and Percentage distribution of Purpose in Life 41
6 Frequencies and Percentage distribution of Environmental Mastery 45
7 Relationship between Toxic Positivity and Purpose in Life 48
8 Relationship between Toxic Positivity and Environmental Mastery 49
APPENDICES
No. Title
Page
Appendix I: Permit to Conduct the Research 71

Appendix II: Ethics Approval Letter 74

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Appendix III: Informed Consent for Research Participants 75

Appendix IV: Letters for Validation 76
Appendix V: Certification of Validation 77
Appendix VI: Research Tool 85
Appendix VII: Request for the adaptation of tools 114
Appendix VIII: Timetable for Research 115
Appendix VIIII: Reliability 116
Appendix X: Pilot Testing and Statistician Computation 120
Appendix XI: Exploratory Factor Analysis of Toxic Positivity Tool 140
Appendix XII: Final data computation Statistician& Translator 144
Appendix XIII: Statistician& Translator 145
Curriculum Vitae 151
CHAPTER 1
THE PROBLEM AND ITS BACKGROUND
Background of the Study
According to Philippine Daily Inquirer (2020), many Filipino
workers have lost their jobs due to the COVID-19 pandemic (Philippine Daily
Inquirer, 2020). The unemployment rate had reached 10.4 percent, the highest

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rate in 15 years that the government has reported. Also, according to the
Philippine statistics authority or PSA, the number of unemployed Filipinos went
up by 200,000 in January 2021. Four million joined the ranks of the unemployed
compared to 2.4 in the same period last year according to the national
statistician Claire Dennis Mapa that was based on the results of the latest labor
force survey. Thousands of businesses and companies were forced to lay off
hundreds of their workers to save their companies and businesses from financial
ruin. Restaurants and entertainment venues, shops of all types, malls and
shopping centers, hotels, among other companies (with the exception of those
considered essential, such as grocery stores and pharmacies) were ordered to
shut down immediately. Non-essential industries were allowed to employ only a
restricted number of workers, despite the fact that necessary sectors continued
to operate. According to a survey, the true national jobless figure is 27.3 million
adult Filipinos. The experiences of the laid-off workers might have an effect on
their physical as well as their mental health-being unemployed from their jobs
has a significant impact on their psychological well-being (PWB). To survive and
go on with life, people are thinking positively despite having negative feelings or
emotions to maintain a positive mindset. People will say that “everything
happens for a reason” to comfort themselves.
Studies showed that thinking positively in a situation where people are
trying to be optimistic and minimize their emotions when facing hardships are
called toxic positivity (Quintero, N.d.). Toxic positivity is a common trait of
people nowadays for them to be able to survive. Toxic positivity is an insincere
positivity that leads to harm or mental suffering. Some define toxic positivity as
positive thinking to an overgeneralized extreme. The too much resiliency of the
Filipinos can also count as toxic positivity. Resiliency is also defined as the
psychological capacity to adapt stressful events. Filipinos are known as being
resilient. However sometimes not all the time we have to be resilient. Not all the

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time the Filipinos have to be positive. They also have the right to feel not okay.
On the other hand, sometimes, we Filipinos are born resilient and always
positive. These types of thinking may influence the psychological well-being of
the laid-off young adult workers. Environmental mastery is when a person can
mentally and physically handle her/his environment, whether in any conditions
or circumstances. Purpose in life is when a person has a goal or motivation in
order to live every day and fill their responsibilities in their life. These are two of
the psychological well-being of Ryff.
The researchers aimed to identify the level of toxic positivity and its
influence to the level of the life purpose of the laid-off workers as well as to the
level of their ability in managing or creating a suitable environment for their
personal need and values or to their environmental mastery.
Statement of the Problem

This research aimed and determined the influence of toxic positivity to the
purpose in life and environmental mastery of Filipino laid-off workers due to
pandemic. More specifically, it sought to find the answers to the following:
1. What is the profile of the Laid-off young adult workers in terms of:
1.1 Age
1.2 Gender
1.3 duration of being laid off
2. What is the level of Toxic positivity of the laid-off young adult workers?

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3. What is the level of Purpose in Life of the Laid-off young adult

workers?
4. What is the level of Environmental Mastery of the Laid-off young adult
workers?
5. Is there a significant relationship between Toxic Positivity among the
laid off young adult workers in terms of:
5.1. Purpose in Life
5.2. Environmental Mastery
Significance of the Study
The findings of this study will hopefully merit the following:
Laid Off Workers: The laid off crew workers of the different branches of Jollibee
in Metro Manila are the direct beneficiaries of this study. The results of this
study have served as an eye opener to the unemployed workers that being
resilient and positive may have a different effect for them to be able to identify
their purpose in life and their mastery in their current environment.
Employers: This study helped the Employers in different workplaces such as
organizational institutions, agencies, companies, government entities,
professional services firms, nonprofit associations, and small businesses to
properly employ employees to their respective works. The results of this study
have gained them knowledge about the mental health of every employee that is
planned for being laid off. Therefore, the findings of this study helped them
realize why they should also consider adding Mental Health to their concern for
their employees.
Family of laid off workers: The results of this study have benefited those families
whose members of the family were being laid off or unemployed. This study

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helped them gain knowledge about the emotional needs of a certain family
member who suffered from being laid-off. This study also helped them widen
their understanding and broaden their knowledge about their family’s emotional
needs for emotional support.
Future Researchers: The outcome of this study benefits future researchers. This
has served as a basis or a guideline to help them to gain some insights if ever
they will come up with a similar subject matter. Given that, this research is a
great help for them to be able to gather important information and facts
regarding the influences of toxic positivity on every individual’s purpose in life
and environmental mastery.
Hypothesis
The following will be tested at 0.5 level of significance:
H0: There is no significant relationship between toxic positivity to the purpose

in life and environmental mastery of the laid-off young adult workers.
Theoretical / Conceptual Framework
This research is anchored on the theory of Broaden-and-Build Theory.

indicates that the positive emotions support in broadening individuals’ sense of
possibilities and thinking, it helps build consequential personal resources and
turn them into a better version of themselves psychologically and
physiologically, making them healthier, sociable, knowledgeable, effective,
resilient, flexible and creative thinker. This Theory focuses on positive emotions

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that broadens and build mental health and physical resources which helps a
person cultivate resilience especially during tough times. That is why, the
broaden-and-build theory is essential support to individuals since it fuels human
flourishing.
TOXIC POSITIVTY
ENVIRONMENTAL
PURPOSE IN LIFE
MASTERY
Scope and De/Limitations of the Study
This study has been conducted in some of the Jollibee branches in Metro
Manila. The researchers conducted a study about the influence of toxic positivity
to the purpose in life and environmental mastery of the laid-off young adult
workers. The respondents are young adults who have been laid-off from April
2020 up to the present.
This research is designed to gather a thorough knowledge about the
affected workers for being laid-off during the pandemic April 2020 upto the
present in order for people that surrounds them such as their family, and
employers have further understanding on what kind of emotional state they
were in and have been aware of how being unemployed affects their
psychological well-being. Furthermore, this research unravels the concept of
toxic positivity and how it affects the psychological well-being of laid-off young
adult workers in the midst of pandemic. This has enabled other stakeholders
(e.g., the family members) of these laid-off workers to further support them by

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shedding some light on how being laid off affects their purpose in life and their
environmental mastery. This study is limited to local studies.
This study will be delimited only to the laid off crews and staff of Jollibee
branches in Metro Manila only.
Definition of Terms
The following will be defined operationally for better understanding to the
study:
Environmental Mastery- The ability to handle, control, change and choose the
surrounding context using physical or mental actions, makes good use of
resources and has a sense of mastery over environmental conditions and events,
such as handling daily affairs and generating circumstances that benefit personal
needs.
Purpose in Life- pertains to the significance of living or existence in general.
Psychological Well-Being- a theory which determines six factors that contributes
to an individual’s psychological well-being, contentment and happiness
Toxic positivity- overgeneralizing positive thinking that leads to minimizing and
denying the human emotions that is not positive

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CHAPTER 2
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE AND STUDIES
This chapter primarily presented the different literature, researchers and

studies from local and foreign studies, which has significant bearing to the
variables of the present study.
Toxic Positivity
When positivity is used to cover up or silence the human experience, it
becomes harmful, much like anything done in excess. When we deny what we
truly feel, we could slip into a state of denial and repressed emotions. Every
person has flaws; we all become envious, irritable, resentful and selfish. We
already felt frustration at some point in our lives. If we become positive all the
time, it indicates that we deny the authenticity of a real human experience
(Quintero, 2019). They also added that positivity allows us to grow and grab
opportunities, but it will be a fail when someone feels shut in life. By pushing
someone to have positive vibes, it can also feel someone unsupported and feel
denied by the unpleasant feelings that we encounter. It is called toxic positivity,

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which is a generalized optimism and positive emotion beyond all situations that
contradict the current problem and suppress unpleasant emotions. Positivity is
an ability and a mindset assumed on someone (Gordon, 2019). Toxic positivity
occurs when a person is focused on happiness and optimist beliefs. It encourages
an unrealistic level and focused mindset that makes it hard to accept other
opportunities offered. (Primastiwi, 2020) On the other hand, when toxic
positivity is healthy, it results in an advanced mindset. Growth mindset enables a
person to absorb all feelings whatever the problem a person is facing. The
mindset can transform and can lead someone to judge difficulty as opportunities
to gain knowledge and cope (Aronson, Wilson, & Akert, 2012).
According to Arslan and Yildirim (2021), people are frequently losing a
sense of meaning and purpose in life during this epidemic, which could have a
negative impact on people's psychological health and wellness. Their research
demonstrates positive outcomes, or the belief that "good as opposed to bad
things will in general occur in one's life." Whenever problem-focused coping is
ineffective, as it is in the early stages of a pandemic, optimists will shift to more
adaptive, emotion-focused (also known as cognitive coping) tactics, such as a
positive reinterpretation of the circumstance. Furthermore, studies have shown
that those who are optimistic maintain higher levels of happiness even when
they are unemployed.
In line with that, according to Andrade (2019), positive thinking suggests
that so as to realize good things and pursue happiness, people always have
positive thoughts and prevent negative thoughts from entering their minds,
which might be done by imagining success, having assurance, usually staying
positive and good things to oneself so as to create self-esteem, and inspiring
oneself. Vos (2021), indicated that being resilient was a positive predictor of
mental health during Covid-19 Pandemic. Social support can also help alleviate
the impact of low levels of resilience on mental health. Also, for all individuals,

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only with high social support can also help buffer the impact of low levels of
resilience in mental health. Therefore, optimism and resilience serve a positive
mindset and positive thinking to people, which is very helpful in gathering up the
good sides and the bad sides of positivism during Covid-19 pandemic, especially
in times of crisis such as job loss or being laid off from work.
In the study of Hayes et al. (2006), the inability to accept emotional
reactions, by suppressing or avoiding them, was associated with increased
emotional valence, cognitive load and physiological arousal. According to Wager
(2019), the lack of simply accepting emotional reactions, by suppressing or
avoiding them is related to increased emotional valence, cognitive load, and
physiological arousal. In addition, the flexibility to manage and handle emotions
is critical for achievement within the workplace, family, and social settings (Gross,
2014). However, emotional invalidation might be the sort of abuse that is
characterized by an incongruence or minimization of another person’s emotions.
Denying negative feelings leads to more intense and sustained negative
emotions, as well as emotional dysfunction. What is important to note in the
midst of all of this is that negative emotions are safe and normal for a person to
help maintain a consistent baseline of happiness in their life. “We can't choose
our external conditions, but we can always choose how we react to them.”
Epictetus, a Stoic philosopher, said (Zomboba, 2020). Havnen et al, (2021),
indicate that mindfulness, optimism and resilience moderates the negative
impact of fear of Covid-19 on the depression, anxiety, and stress of people.
These findings suggest that these characteristics may potentially be protecting
against the mental health consequences of Covid-19 related fear.
As per the study of Eva et.al, (2020), optimistic individuals always look
positively on every, even in life. The coronavirus pandemic caused a worldwide
catastrophe, causing many workers and employees to be laid off, resulting in
unemployment, and driving young adults to be gloomy about their future,

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including their job prospects, health, welfare, and other factors. According to this
study, pessimism emerges during this pandemic crisis as a result of rigorous
measures such as isolation and lockdowns, causing people to become depressed
and unproductive. However, the findings revealed that optimism aided people's
mental health and positive social interactions during the pandemic; being
optimistic made them feel less pressured. They may lessen their distress by
adopting a positive mindset, especially in times like these, when bad news and
conspiracy theories spread like wildfire on the internet. As a result, the
researchers feel that people must be optimistic in order to cope with and lessen
psychological issues. They require optimism in order to be more effective at
dealing with and managing their stress. They believe that being positive is a
useful coping method that should be practiced by a larger audience.
Severe negative responses to unpleasant events are related to
posttraumatic stress disorder, a disorder characterized by broad, strong and
severe responses caused by stress. These results of a stressful experience involve
physiological intoxication, easily disturbed, and some negative effects that can
last for days, months, or even years after the problem has ended. (Ironson 1997)
Scully (2020), he indicates that the pandemic is triggering our need to
control and avoid uncertainty. He also added that toxic positivity can also be
considered as us invalidating the emotion during the time of hardships; that it is
important to face and accept the negative emotions because all of us are
entitled to our own feelings. We must not shame another person for their
emotions. He emphasized that during times of emotional distress, we must not
engage in a brand new task that we think will make us feel better. Rather, we
must expand on the things that we are already good at and familiar with. We
must stick to what we know until we feel better. He emphasized at the end of his
article that we must remember that toxic positivity dismisses other genuine
emotions. Scully added that toxic positivity encourages emotion suppression.

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Emotion suppression is an attempt to avoid experiencing difficult emotions.

Research has shown that this strategy is actually unstable. Another study that
pertains that the optimistic view of individuals is a good coping technique, is the
study of Victor (2021) where their study believed that being laid off or
unemployed is only a temporary situation, and that they can gather personal and
social resources and direct them in such a way that they can control their future
outcomes; as a result, they expect to overcome unemployment quickly and
without severe health or well-being consequences. As a result, this research
implies that optimism can boost people's hardiness, lowering their impression of
illness. As a result, when optimism is lacking, it increases their susceptibility,
which reduces their ability to engage in resilient activities, resulting in decreased
well-being.
Within the experimental study of Witowsky (2017), it explored the effects
of emotional invalidation and emotional validation on people's levels of
emotional self-efficacy. There is an impact of self-esteem on suicide thought
through positive thinking and social support manifesting self-esteem increases.
Positive thinking and social support also increased, which resulted rise in
resilience. Anderson et al. (2019). Meredith Elzy and Marc KArver (2017). An
emotionally invalidating environment in which the caregiver’s response is
ignoring, minimizing, or punishing a child’s inner thoughts and feelings. To be
more specific, behaviors may only be emotionally invalidating if the recipient
perceives them as such.
An emotionally invalidating environment could be applicable to adults,
not just in the perception of a child. Emotion suppression has become a popular
focus of empirical studies of how individuals regulate emotion after it has been
generated. but the extent to which trait emotion may moderate the effects of
different types of suppression on different emotions remains unknown. This
study experimentally tested the effects of suppressing expression and

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suppressing experience of emotions among individuals with varying levels of

negative affect in response to a mixed sadness and anxiety induction (Bolanda et
al, 2019). Emotions may have contradictory outcomes; a positive emotion can
result in a negative outcome, and a negative emotion can cause a positive
outcome. Happiness, as an example, is widely considered a positive and
desirable emotion; however, research has revealed a darker side to happiness.
The pursuit of happiness, in line with Gruber et al. (2011), isn’t always
positive, and experiencing happiness isn’t always an honest thing. Those who
pursue happiness strongly tend to be more depressed, miserable, and unhappy.
This goes to show that positive emotions and affirmations do not always lead to
positive consequences. In the study of Benitez et al. (2020) participants received
instructions on the way to regulate their emotions after a standardized ed-
negative mood induction. In general, the results indicated that distraction, but
also cognitive reappraisal and acceptance, had promising short-term effects on
positive and negative effects in early adolescents.
In addition, Villines (2021) said that Toxic Positivity can calm negative
feelings, remove pain, and make people feel bound to say they are happy in any
case. Toxic Positivity energy forces question problems by asking a person to
avoid negative thinking or to communicate negative emotions. Toxic positive
behavior, on the other hand, calls for positive behavior from people who pay
little attention to the problems they face, calm their feelings conceivably, and
prevent them from seeking social support. In our study, people with toxic
positivity did not benefit from their specific response. In particular, the positive
outlook is not uncertain. However, a person aware of their positive nature can
overlook major problems or identify hidden problems related to emotional well-
being. In essence, those who ask other people for their positivity can offer poor
assistance, or make friends and family feel scandalized and judged.

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Vohs et al. (2019), stated that negative events can help the purpose of
life. Certainly, they do not expect people to work motivated in their work or have
connections. Perhaps, when something bad happens, people use this positivity
to grow perception, possibly enhance purpose in life as such. The effort to
understand what unwanted situations are meant for you and the world can be
the necessary step forward that underlies how people see their lives as
meaningful. Unrealistic optimism can be seen as a signal to show the awareness
of the current danger, at which point the circumstances that others are far more
showy than yourself may produce positive results, which could be linked to the
unconscious thought, which can lead to a lack of distance and inspire
commitment to goodness. Research about the link between absurd trust and
physical well-being is less persuasive. Dolinski, (2020)
Cherry (2020) states that the phenomenon is often also called
"invulnerability illusion," an "unrealistic optimism" and a "personal fable." This
preference leads us to think we're less likely than reality would suggest to suffer
from misfortune and to succeed. We think we'll live longer than average; our
kids will be cleverer than average, and we can achieve more than our average
success. We can't be above average by definition, however. The bias of optimism
is basically the erroneous belief that there is a lower risk of negative events and
a higher chance of positive events than our peers. In addition to optimism bias,
Sharot (2011) states that we overestimate the probability of positive events and
the probability of negative occurrences.
In Zhang’s et.al (2017) research, patients with higher endurance in life
have a higher level of purpose in life. For resilience to occur, social support
interventions are needed. Participants who had complete social support were
more resilient and had a higher quality of life. In the relationship between
resilience and purpose in life, social support plays a significant role. According to
Victor (2020)the results from their study, indicate that an optimistic view of

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individuals is a good coping technique, especially in the context of

unemployment. They believe that unemployment or job loss is just a temporary
situation and the confidence that they can assemble personal and social
resources and direct those in a way that they can control their future outcomes;
and so they expect that they will overcome unemployment quickly without
severe consequences in their health or well-being. Hence, this study suggests
that optimism can increase their resilience, which decreases their perception of
lack of health. Therefore, when optimism is absent, it instigates their
vulnerability that downgrades their ability to engage in resilient acts that will
lead to lower well-being.
In which in the study of Arslan et. Al (2020), the impact of coronavirus
stress on psychological issues in adults was moderated by optimism-pessimism
and psychological inflexibility. Adult psychological challenges were predicted by
optimism-psychological pessimism's inflexibility. COVID-19 is a health issue that
has been identified as a major stress that is endangering the mental health and
well-being of many people all over the world. Stressful life events, such as the
coronavirus pandemic, have a significant effect on an individual's psychological
functioning and well-being, and may trigger psychological issues such as social
isolation, depression, anxiety, and uncertainty.
Researchers discovered that your impact bias, or the difference
between what you expect to feel and what you really feel, also causes you to
"miswant," or yearn for futures that don't turn out to be very happy. Goals are
fantastic, and receiving a raise or promotion would feel fantastic in the short
term. It's past time to break the bad habit of exalting the future to justify a bad
present (Fosslien & Duffy, 2019).
Ruiz (2021) states that is normal for humans to search out positive emotions. We
spend our lives attempting to be as happy as possible, and we are always on the
lookout for the items that will help us get there. Happiness, too, can be

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complicated and broken down into short-term and long-term journeys. It can be
attained in a variety of ways, including by following one of two mindsets:
hedonism or eudaimonism. While both lead to enjoyment, one is more harmful
than the other. In addition, toxic positivity is the idea that people should have a
good attitude no matter how bad or complicated things are. Although being an
optimist and engaging in positive thinking has its advantages, toxic positivity
ignores unpleasant feelings in favor of a cheerful, frequently falsely positive,
façade. Looking on the bright side has no negative connotations. Difficult
feelings, on the other hand, are valid and must be accepted when they occur.
However, positivity may be negative if it is forced, insincere, or delegitimizes
genuine feelings of anxiety, fear, disappointment, or suffering. Negative feelings
are viewed as potentially poor with toxic positivity. Authentic human emotional
experiences are ignored, minimized, or invalidated in favor of compulsive
positivity and satisfaction (Scully, 2020)
The self-realization state, characterized as encountering positive feelings,
and inconsistently encountering negative feelings, isn't simply identified with
more life fulfillment yet in addition to the feeling of a happy life. Further, an
approach in life appears to identify with less empathy in life for people who like
to keep away from disappointment. Critically, acceptance of oneself just as
environmental mastery would empower people with different feeling profiles to
have the feeling of oneness throughout everyday life. (Garcia et.al., 2014)
(Oby, LCSW 2021) suggests that one of the interventions for COVID is
the action plan where this process is understood as not only enabling mastery
over the crisis but enabling client to be more successfully managing difficulty
and threatening events in the future. If prior steps to the intervention are
successfully completed, this process of cognitive restructuring is less likely to be
perceived as an example of toxic positivity or similarly invalidating interactions

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but rather as one that flowed naturally from the intervention and that enhances
their problem-solving capacity through a process of understanding. However,
(Eva et.l 2020) conclude that there are many psychological problems
that are associated with Covid-19 Pandemic; that is why they saw optimistic
behavior as positively correlated with coping strategy, which helped to eliminate
and regulate negative emotions and stressors. The research showed that every
individual needs to learn to cultivate optimism through themselves to prevent
themselves from the thoughts that could make them sick. Based on their study, a
high level of optimism and flexibility can help people to cope with stress and
lessen the psychological problems caused by this Covid-19 pandemic.
According to Devi (2020) that being a psychologically resilient person
could help them improve their psychological capabilities, such as remaining
unruffled during this crisis and also being able to overcome a certain problem
and move on without even experiencing long-term negative consequences.
Conger (2002) stated that resilience means also including lessening or
moderating effects that actually change the order of the relationship between
negative and positive change. In their study, adults experienced resiliency to
problems when they emotionally supported each other, showed actual problem-
solving skills, and had sense of mastery and self-confidence that allowed them to
persist and minimize their level of economic pressure. Taormina (2015) also
discovered that adult resilience has proved that strength is a multidimensional
build, and recognized the four aspects that make the development. The aspects
are Determination, Perseverance, Adaptability, and Improvement, which are all
inner attributes of individuals. Though each individual has the four parts
somewhat, this hypothesis recommends that individual’s resilience can be
expanded by improving any one or these attributes of adults to personal
resilience.

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Wu et.al (2013) Their study had 121 outpatients diagnosed with

depression and/or an anxiety disorder manifest that a low or lack of purpose in
life and don’t have regular physical exercise were correlated with low resilience,
but low spirituality occur showed predictor of low resilience. Likewise, purpose
in life was a key part associated to resilience in a study of 259 primary care
patients with a history discovered to a range of severe traumatic events. In
accordance to the study of Yvas and Dillahunt (2017), Resilience can take many
forms among people, representing positive adaptation in the context of current
adversity. Understanding how individuals who are economically constrained rise
above adverse circumstances can lead to the design of more appropriate and
inclusive solutions that work well toward enhancing resilience and
empowerment. Based on Shoss et.al (2018), resilience helped to alleviate the
negative outcome of job insecurity on psychological contract breach, burnout,
and interpersonal counterproductive work behaviors. They indicated that
employees with higher levels of psychological resilience, as well as employees
who use more resilient coping strategies may fare better in the face of job
insecurity.
Bharti and Rangnekar (2018), indicated that middle-aged employees have
high levels of optimism as compared to the old age and younger employees.
Further, the males reflected high optimism levels in comparison to female
employees in middle and old aged adult employees, whereas females have
higher optimism level. Also, with the research of Jiménez (2017) results that
emotional distress was negatively related with age. Psychological resources also
different according to age, with older participants manifest higher optimism and
external control as well as lower internal control. The relationship between
control and emotional distress was buffer by optimism and self-esteem. Thus,
the both relationship of those 3 selfresources somewhat increased the
correlation in age and lower emotional difficulty. This cause suggests that

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optimism and self-esteem are effective resources in reducing emotional distress.

(Hart and Hittner 1995) observed that optimism is related with coping method
and less dependency on avoidant method. Moreover, (Park et al.'s 1996)
research propose that the correlation between optimism and stress
development may be buffer by the use of focusing on positive and acceptance
method.
Positive emotions actually promote resilience. Because the resilient
personrecovers from stressful situations and uses positive emotions to adapt
and embodies positivity to such events when a person is under stress. (Tugade &
Fredrickson 2002). Moreover, It is a strategic adjustment is related with the
coping strategies that have been reveal to be useful for helping with difficult
times and it fall into two main categories. Adaptive coping generally has a
positive impact on the lives of those who use it. (Folayan et.,al 2016). If
consumers follow adaptation strategies, the impact of these crises will be
diminished. For example, in previous studies, certain adaptive coping strategies
such as trying to see the positive aspects are better psychological for people's
existing cognitive schemas and stressful experiences with themselves and the
world. ( Ye 2020)
Purpose in Life
According to Musich et al. (2017), PIL is associated with positive health
outcomes in older adults, such as fewer chronic conditions, lower mortality, and
less disability. Also, purpose can produce a sense of plan, lead behavior to
achieve personal goals and living objectives, and may provide insight into how
and why specific people remain healthy over time. As presented in this study, PIL
gives the overall psychological construct, assisted by resilience, reliance on faith,

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social support, and health literacy, which later is related to positive health
outcomes. In dealing with negative stressors, resilience appears to be positioned
as necessary for successful aging. The outcome of this study is that the good
characteristics related to medium and high PIL were the psychological
establishes of resilience and social support. This could be because as successful
aging models have evolved, the influence of psychological well-being on physical
health. Humphrey (2021) has discovered that placing a high emphasis on
experiencing happy moments has a damaging impact on well-being while
focusing on happiness-promoting actions has the opposite effect. When people
place a high emphasis on happiness and plan to keep it, negative feelings are
perceived as undermining the target. This results in maladaptive responses to
negative emotional experiences, which in turn contribute to poor mental health
outcomes. Pursuing pleasure by concentrating on potential fulfillment would not
alleviate the negative feelings
Blau et al. (2018) state that adolescents with self-and other-oriented
goals had shown more meaning in life and greater support from teachers, family,
and close friends than adolescents with just self- or other-oriented goals. So, it
seems that having self- and other-oriented goals is related to subjective
wellbeing and social support. In fact, having self and other-oriented goals means
a balance between recognizing the value of meeting one’s own personal needs
and the desire to help others. Self-and other-oriented goals appear to reflect a
level of emotional maturity that may develop in an ideal environment. Carol Ryff
(1995) made the term psychological well-being and purpose in life is one of
those well-beings. She states that low scorer of purpose in life means that the
person lacks a sense of meaning in life, has few goals or aims, lacks sense of
direction; does not see their purpose of their past lives; and has no outlook or
beliefs that give life meaning. While, high scorer means that the person has goals
in life and a sense of directedness; the person feels that there is meaning to their

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present and past lives, they hold their beliefs that gives their life purpose, and
has their aims and objective for living.
Pfund and Hill (2018) explained the benefits of purpose in life. They
stated that the benefit of purpose in life is important to have a connection for
mental health and well-being. And also, when understanding the significance of
purpose for adolescents and emerging adults, it is worth thinking about how
being committed to your purpose may be related to higher levels of grit. As cited
in (Duckworth et al, 2007) Grit refers to not only a passion for one’s goal but
perseverance to go on to pursue one’s passion. This is because purpose
exploration is finding your true purpose and purpose commitment is staying and
focusing on your purpose in life, every purpose is different for individuals
because of their different experiences. Also, people who recognize their purpose
could possibly be able to function in their jobs more effectively and will not feel
lost by daily issues. And because one’s purpose is connected to the pursuit and
achievement of goals.
In the study of Hill (2018), a person who has a sense of purpose in life has
fewer physical health symptoms and is determined that individuals can
overcome obstacles and control their emotions. Even if daily events are stressful,
the understanding of oneself may produce a stronger sense of purpose. Though
the sense of purpose in life is unrelated to daily stress, the benefits of purpose in
life can manage the stress in our daily life and can face the challenges and
problems of the individual. They also stated less reactivity may advance one’s
ability to lead a purpose-driven life. Khattri and his colleagues (2020) discovered
that changes in someone's life that occur unexpectedly are known as life events.
Death of a partner, divorce, and marital breakup, among other things, are all
very traumatic life events. The negative effects of unemployment on depression,
for example, are partially mediated by the resulting financial pressures.

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Leung M. et.al (2021) research result shows the negative effect of

difficulty during COVID-19 on life satisfaction was figured due to the problems
and suffering caused by the pandemic outcome (i.e., job loss and the limitation
of social activities), which lowers the well-being consequently of pleasure
restriction and raised distress feelings. With their hypothesis that tragic
optimism would lessen the effect of the impact of COVID-19 challenges on life
satisfaction, the relationship between suffering and tragic optimism on life
satisfaction was discovered to be significant. Although, their results showed
evidence stating that tragic optimism act as a protective factor on the life
satisfaction of people in the situation of suffering during the COVID-19 public
health crisis. Also, according to Mayer et.al (2020) due to Covid-19 necessary
interventions to fight the spread of infectious diseases led the world to suffer
from the global economic crisis which led to increasing unemployment rates all
over the world. Unemployment, job loss, and job layoff cause people to suffer
from loss of financial resources which led to negative effects on mental health.
However, it indicates that doing purposeful activities can help increase their
sense of purpose or purpose in life, especially during unemployment.
Environmental Mastery
The ability to choose or create an environment that best suits one's
psychological state is referred to as environmental mastery (Ryff & Keyes, 1995).
The ability to cope with environmental changes is part of psychological well-
being. (Garcia et al, 2014). Individuals with high levels of adaptation often report
a greater sense of well-being than individuals with low levels of adaptation
(Ordonez, et al, 2011). However, believing that one's experiences are beyond
one's control may prevent people from making small adaptive changes in their
environment (Wang et al, 2015). In the research of Taylor and Brown (n.d), they
looked at evidence that most people have positive illusions in three areas: (a)

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they have unrealistically positive views of themselves; (b) they feel they have
more influence over environmental events than they really do, and (c) their
perceptions are somewhat illusory. In conclusion, their article from 1988 made
two main points: (a) It defied a significant tenet of psychological theory by
demonstrating that most people had falsely optimistic expectations of
themselves, their potential to affect environmental change and their prospects
There is strong evidence that long-term exposure to work-related stressors has a
negative impact on PWB. Therefore, while short periods of adversity may be
beneficial in building resilience, long-term stress is not. As a result, this lower
level of PWB may well result in serious illness, such as cardiovascular disease,
blood sugar control issues such as diabetes, and immune system malfunctions
(Chandola et al, 2008). According to (Seltzer et al. 2004), higher levels of
environmental mastery were associated with accommodative coping. More
specifically, a loss of environmental mastery may cause someone to feel
overwhelmed, indicating that it is an effective indicator. Feeling overwhelmed by
responsibilities may lead to a diminished sense of environmental mastery
(Perron,2006). According to Melendez et al. (2017), Coping strategies and
resilience can help people see their own resources and qualities, which can help
them handle their daily lives and set new goals and alternative paths to
achieving them. Accepting the infection, dealing with it, and being able to look
for the good sides of the situation are all examples of resilience. The effect of
becoming active experts is tasked with identifying, communicating with, and
coping with the consequences of this condition, rather than passive observers.
Ryff (1995) states that high scorer in environmental mastery means that the
person has a sense of mastery and competence in managing the environment;
can control complex array of external activities; can make effective use of
surrounding opportunities and able to choose or create content suitable to
personal needs and values.

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Research shows that optimism is linked to positive coping strategies like

preparation, positive reinterpretation and personal development, problem-
focused coping, and adaptive coping Merino, (2019). Negative coping
mechanisms such as dwelling on emotions, denial, behavioral and mental
isolation, and non-adaptive coping, on the other hand, are negatively linked to
optimism. Positive strategies can make an individual feel more activated and in
control of their behavior, while negative strategies can block a person and lead
to a loss of control, he added. Kleinman et al. (2017), for them, optimism is an
accomplished form that has been inconsistently described in the actual literature
as positive anticipation for the future.
Although one's baseline psychological well-being may be fairly stable, daily
events and experiences have an impact. Even the most resilient person, for
example, can eventually become very low, or depressed, if his or her daily
experiences are consistently troubling. There is strong evidence that long-term
exposure to work-related stressors has a negative impact on PWB, so, while
short periods of adversity may be beneficial in building resilience, long-term
stress is not good for PWB (Chandola et al, 2008). High mastery may reflect
primary control, that is, directly controlling behavior in order to change one's
environment or roles in accordance with one's wishes. It could also represent
secondary control, which is achieved by narrowing the scope of one's goals and
values in order to align them with the environment. (Windle and Woods, 2004)
also revealed a technique that shows the environmental mastery is the solution
to experiencing life satisfaction in times of difficulties.
Bartik, et.al (2020) look like that the time of the economic problem
will last much longer, specifically as COVID-19 cases have been quickly rising
again, and that more support will be needed. The policy acknowledges built-in
triggers related to economic conditions that could help to adapt automatically to
difficult situations. We have no choice but at the time the economic crisis will

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endure longer, specifically as COVID-19 cases have started quickly rising once
more, and extra help is required. Strategy reactions with crises attached to
financial conditions could change naturally to the developing
circumstance.However, research has shown that perceived control is used as a
stress mediator (Cohen & Edwards, 1989) and can affect functional problem-
solving and followed by limiting the danger of depression (Ross & Mirowsky,
1989). Consequently, related to optimism, a high level of perceived control is
shown to be related to the coping method that helps psychological regulation,
while a low level of perceived control or a sense of powerlessness shows to be
related to running-out from life stressors and giving up on ambition, resulting on
being prone to depression (Grote et.al, 2007)
Mastery refers to reliance and judgment about self and environment,
the person can masterly manage the life event, and that his/her influence can
significantly affect other people with good outcomes ( Pearlin and Schooler,
1978). Optimism is described s the person’s faith and judgment to the future
holds positive events, and that their goals will be achieved (Klaczynski and Fauth,
1996). Both aspects refer to future beliefs, and both may result in effective
coping with stressful events or with life challenges, following in general well-
being and meaning of life. Also, current stressful life events can be predictors of
a person’s sense of mastery. For example, research by (Pearlin, Menaghan,
Lieberman, & Mullan, 1981) indicated that stressful events can decrease a
person's mastery, which can cause a greater chance of depression.
Ryan and Deci (2000, 2001) show that Self-Determination Theory can also
be an advantage to understanding psychological well-being. They suggest that
people have three basic psychological needs, autonomy, relatedness, and
competence and that the pleasure of these needs results in both subjective well-
being and psychological well-being. The achievement of these needs is necessary
for psychological growth. Amidst unemployment and financial hardship, having a

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low sense of mastery or control could lead to strongly increase the possibility of
depression unlike with the individuals who are able to keep a sense of personal
control or mastery over their life. (Crowe & Butterworth, 2016). However, they
also added that social support, financial hardship, and a sense of personal
control (sense of mastery) all appeared as important mediators between
unemployment and depression.
Based on the analysis, the researcher examines whether downsizing, job
reengineering, and teaming affect levels of perceived mastery. The layoff policies
seem to lower the degree of oppression and uncertainty felt by employees, and
it is necessary to recommend that this will affect their overall feelings of mastery
and powerlessness. (Price 2002 and Jahoda 1979) indicated that unemployment
gives extreme changes in the life of working adults, including the loss of time
experience, valued relationships, status and identity, and loss of meaningful life
goals and purpose, all of which have negative influences on psychological well-
being. Perceived Control is known as a key protective factor of well-being,
individuals who have higher levels of perceived control report more control over
their health (Infurna & Gerstorf,2013). In accordance with the outcome, these
people may be more likely to adopt and keep healthy behaviors observed by the
advice of medical professionals (Bandura, 2004; White, Wójcicki, & McAuley,
2012). Perceived control allows one to adapt to different types of stresses
including economic stress, job loss, unemployment, and caregiver burden
(Zautra et al., 2012).
Synthesis

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The presented study focuses on the influence of toxic positivity to the

purpose in life and environmental mastery of the young adult workers. Just like
the most of the literature that were cited in this chapter, the presented study
established correlation between the toxic positivity to the purpose in life and
environmental mastery of the young adult workers. Some studies are focused
only on the children and older adults of the society. The reviewed literature
shows there is lack of research on toxic positivity that connects with the purpose
in life and the environmental mastery of the laid off workers internationally and
locally. To fill this gap, the current study seeks to correlate the toxic positivity to
the purpose in life and environmental mastery of the laid off young adult
workers with the age of 19-40 years old, and that will explain the too much
positivity or resiliency of individuals when experiencing unpleasant events.
CHAPTER 3
THE RESEARCH METHODS

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This chapter served as a visual representation of the research process

and procedures. In this chapter, the researchers examined the relationship
between toxic positivity and purpose in life and environmental mastery of the
laid-off young adult workers using research design, research instrument,
research location, study population sampling, data collection procedures, and
data analysis.
Research Design and Methodology

This study is correlational research design that is used to gather and measure
the relationship between two variables without the research controlling them
(McCombes, 2020). The researchers gathered the data through the use of survey
questionnaires. The researchers also conducted statistical analysis and analyzed
the relationship of toxic positivity to the purpose in life as well as to the
environmental mastery of the young adult laid-off workers. They analyzed the
relationship between relative movements of two variables, the researchers used
the correlation coefficient as a statistical measure (Fernando & Walters, 2021).
RESEARCH INSTRUMENTS
The researchers used the following instruments that have been used in
the conduct of the research:
EMS (Environmental Mastery Scale) – the EMS is one of the six scales of
the PWBI. The PWBI is composed of six self-report scales that measures
environmental mastery, self acceptance, positive relations, psychological growth,
and purpose in life. The full version of the PWBI contains 14 items per scale,
producing an 84-item inventory. Each scale includes both positively and
negatively phrased items and responses are made on a six-point Likert type scale
(1 = strongly disagree, and 6 = strongly disagree). Based on research (Ryff, 1989)

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the EMS had the lowest reliability estimates, internal consistency and test retest
relative to the other five scales. Preliminary evidence for validity was established
by finding correlations that were significant and in the predicted direction with
other measures of positive functioning (life satisfaction, affect balance, self
esteem) and negative functioning (depression). EMS is the most commonly used
measure of the environmental mastery construct. It is plausible that the
circumstances that contribute to the development of skills to manage complex
environments and multiple roles differ from those that enable people to choose
and achieve circumstances that align with their goals.
PIL SF (Purpose in Life Scale) – This is also a scale on Ryff’s measure of
Psychological well-being. It contains 14 items with also a six-point Likert scale (1
= strongly disagree, and 6 = strongly agree) rating for each item. The PIL consists
of two factors, and the stronger one actually reflects life satisfaction (while the
weaker one reflects life purpose). The PIL-SF was of utility in predicting
psychological distress, above and beyond other measures of meaning. This is also
supported via confirmatory factor analysis, the measure yields reliable scores,
and these scores correlate significantly and as expected with the other measures
administered.
Toxic positivity Scale- this scale is a self-construct scale. It contains 56
items with a 4 point Likert scale (1=strongly disagree, and 4= strongly agree)
rating for each item. Higher score shows high toxic positivism and lower score
shows lower toxic positivism. The norming of this tool is: SA-Strongly Agree=
3.51-4.00, A-Agree=2.51-3.50, D-Disagree=1.51-2.50, and SD-Strongly Disagree=
1.00-1.50. The items from the questions utilized by the researchers for the
evaluation of toxic positivity have similarities towards adaptive psychology as a
construct. Because of this, the researchers have utilized Exploratory Factor
Analysis (EFA). The factor analysis will help tell if the factors load together thus
further extracting and delineating adaptive psychology items from items

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measuring toxic positivity by eliminating the items and factors that does not load
together with the majority of the factors.
The Environmental Mastery and Purpose in Life Scale was only slightly
modified to fit the laid off young adult workers’ context. All factors were
identical to the original except it was modified to be specific in a single context
and the scoring was merged into one. The adapted tool was validated by
licensed validators and the reliability was tested by a statistician
RESEARCH LOCALE
This study was conducted at different branches of Jollibee in Metro
Manila. This fast food chain was selected for determining the relationship
between toxic positivity, purpose in life and environmental mastery among laid-
off young adult workers. In 1975, Filipino-Chinese Tony Tan Caktiong and his
Family opened Jollibee as a two-branch ice cream parlor in Cubao, selling hot
meals and sandwiches. The company’s initial name was “jolibe”, but Mr. Lumba,
who was the one who reformed the name Jolibe to Jolly bee and combined the
two syllables to become Jollibee. Jollibee became successful to other fast food
that came first. It was incorporated a 100% Filipino company in 1978 with seven
outlets to explore the possibilities of a hamburger concept. The first introduction
of spaghetti special in 1978 and then come 1980, was their first TV commercial.
The Jollibee Food Corporation has been serving us with their fast food service
along with their cleanliness and reasonably priced that has become the all-time
favorite fast food chain of the Filipinos. The researchers had chosen the
respondents in different branches of Jollibee that are located in Metro Manila

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City. However, due to COVID-19 pandemic, the researchers have the

respondents answer questionnaires through online surveys. The researchers
selected Metro Manila as their research locale because it is convenient for them
and it is easier to gather the respondents.
SAMPLING TECHNIQUE
The method that the researchers have chosen is random sampling in
which the researchers have gathered a subset of individuals chosen from a larger
set of the total population. The target population of the study involves laid off
crew of different branches of Jollibee in Metro Manila area at the age range of
19 to 40 years old in a total of 200 laid-off employees. The researchers used an
online sampling computation to get the total subset of their study. With the
confidence level of 95% and confidence interval of 5 and a total population of
202, the total subset of this study was 172.
DATA GATHERING PROCEDURE

This part shows the process of how researchers gathered information
from all relevant and reliable sources online to sought answers to the research
problem, test the hypothesis and evaluate the outcomes. This also explained the
procedure and step by step on how the data was gathered.
After the approval of the research title, the researchers began looking for
a locale to search for their respondents; they began their search in different
group pages on Facebook and group chats in Messenger that contains laid-off
crew, managers, and staff of Jollibee in different parts of Metro Manila.
After finding their locale, the researchers had sent a consent letter to the
admins of each Facebook groups. This was to ensure that the group page was

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well-notified of the research that will be conducted as well as the consent letter
to each respondent that participated in the study.
After the letter had been approved, the researchers began posting the
google forms or link of the google form that contains their demographics (age,
gender and duration of being laid-off) and the three scales: Toxic positivity,
Purpose in Life and Environmental Mastery scales on the specific group pages
who have a variety of laid-off and unemployed workers of Jollibee. After that the
researchers begun gathering and compiling their results. The researchers
received a total of 202 answered and to get the subset of the total population,
the researchers used the random sampling with a total of 172 and then their
results were interpreted.
After gaining the results from all the tests, the researchers had begun
interpreting and understanding the data that they had gotten by using the
interpretation already given by the standardized tools and the self-made tools
that they have used.
ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS
The participation of the respondents depended on their willingness and
availability to take part; it is voluntarily respected. The profile and social media
accounts of the participants are confidential in accordance with the privacy
policies of the research. Before conducting the online survey, the researchers
had asked for permission from the owners of the standardized test that was
used in the research study.
STATISTICAL TREATMENT OF DATA

To interpret the gathered data, the researchers used the following:
Following the collection of data, the statistical treatments that have been

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used in this study are analyzed using excel and Jamovi. It is also subjected to an
analysis with the assistance of a professional statistician.
Pearson Correlation Coefficient measures the strength and direction of
association between variables. The researchers preferred this method to
understand whether there is an association between toxic positivity and purpose
in life. The researchers also used a Pearson's correlation to understand whether
there is an association between toxic positivity and environmental mastery. The
results were then presented using tables for ease of understanding and analysis.
CHAPTER 4
Presentation, Interpretation and Analysis of Data
For this chapter, the researchers will present the gathered data, the
results of the statistical analysis done, interpret and analyzed the overall findings
of the study that they had conducted, ranging from the demographic profiles of
the respondents to the average mean, levels, standard deviation and verbal
interpretation of each variable of the study. This is presented in tables following
the sequence of the specific research problem in regards to the Influence of
Toxic Positivity to the Purpose in Life and Environmental Mastery of Laid off
Young Adult Workers During Pandemic.
Presentation

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1. What is the profile of the respondents in terms of:

1.1 Age
Table 1
Frequency Distribution Table of Age of the Respondents
Age Frequency Percent

23-24 33 19.2
25-26 106 61.6
27-28 24 18
30 2 1.2
Total 172 100
In terms of age, most of the respondents showed that out of 172

respondents, 106 were aged 25-26 years old (or 61.6%), while others were
33 (or 19. 2%) were aged 23-24 years old, 24 (18%) were aged 27-28 years
old, and 2 (1.2%) were aged 30 years old
This can be interpreted that most laid-off young adult workers were at
the age of 25-26 years old (106 out of 172, or 61.6%) while the least number of
laid-off workers were at the age of 30 years old (2 out of 172, or 1.2%) on the
basis that that with respect to age, the impact of the pandemic is currently
significantly skewed, that the aged under 26 have the highest job loss rate
(Philippines Statistics Authority, 2021)
1.2 Gender
Gender FREQUENCY PERCENTAGE

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Male 95 55.2
Female 77 44.8
Total 172 100
Table 2
Frequency and Percentage Distribution according to Gender
There were a total of 172 respondents included in this study. As shown in

Table 2, the majority of the respondents were 95 males (or 55.2%) while 77 (or
44.8%) were females. This can be interpreted that those who were laid-off are
mostly males on the basis that the most jobs that were affected by the Covid 19
pandemic were in the sector of agriculture, industry, and service in which in the
record of Philippines Statistics Authority (2021), the rate of unemployed males
were higher than the rate of the women.
1.3 Duration of Being Laid-off
Table 3
Frequency and Percentage Distribution according to Duration of being Laid-off
Duration of Being Laid- FREQUENCY PERCENTAGE

off
1-mo-1yr 55 32
1yr, 1mo-6mos 58 33.7

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1 yr, 7mos-2yrs 59 34.3
Total 172 100
When it comes to the duration of being laid-off, as shown in the Table 3,

most of the respondents experienced being laid-off between 1 year 7 months to
2 years (34.3%) followed by 1 year 1 month to 6months (33.7%) and only 32% or
55 respondents for 1 month to 1 year. This can be interpreted that of the 172
laid-off workers, the majority of them were laid-off for 1 year and 7 months to 2
years (59 of 172, or (34.3) on the basis that, people are still anxious about the
thought of getting infected to the Covid-19 virus especially those workers that
are responsible for public services; they also fear infecting their house hold or
loved ones despite the security of the implemented safety measures for them to
be able to work safely (Escoto 2021)
2. What is the level of Toxic Positivity of the Laid-off Young Adult

Workers?
Table 4
Level of Toxic Positivity for Laid-off Young Adult Workers
STATEMENT MEAN SD Verbal int
FACTOR 1
3.32 0.48
1. I always think that my problems are a lot better than the A
others.

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3.35 0.48
2. I am pushing away the thoughts of negativity even though I A
am struggling.
3.34 0.48
3. I often force myself to pretend that I am happy even though A
I’m struggling.
3.32 0.48
4. I believe that I have no time for negativity. A
3.33 0.47
5I am avoiding negative thoughts by doing unimportant things A
to make me happy.
3.34 0.48
6. I often force myself to look positive in front of others. A
FACTOR 2
3.57 0.50
1. I am cheerful in front of others even though I feel terrible. SA
3.62 0.49
2. make sure to maintain my positive attitude in front of others. SA
3.47 0.51
3. When things get hard, I always convince myself that A
everything happens for a reason.
3.50 0.50
4. always maintain a positive attitude even though I have A
struggles.
3.31 0.47
5. always choose to be happy and positive even if I’m A
experiencing difficulties in every situation.
FACTOR 3
3.39 0.49
1. I always prefer to get over the painful problems I have been A
3.41 0.49
2. I am convincing myself that good things will come A

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3.27 0.47
3. I tend to be guilty for being sad and disappointed. A
3.35 0.49
4. I am convincing myself to be grateful for what I have instead A
of facing my problems.
3.35 0.50
5. I tend to be silent whenever I encounter negative A
3.35 0.54
6. I am brushing off my problems rather than facing them. A
3.33 0.47
7. I always believe that everything will be just fine when there's A
a problem around me.
FACTOR 4
3.31 0.47
1. I usually feel weak when I am sad, so I just choose to be A
happy when there’s problem that arise.
3.39 0.49
2 I am forcing myself to believe that being negative is not my A
option.
3.40 0.49
3. I choose to look at the brighter side of negative situation A
3.42 0.50
4. I often tell myself that I am the best and I must not fail. A
Factor 5
3.31 0.50
1. I convince myself that it could be worse whenever I have a A
problem.
3.34 0.48
2. I usually tell myself that I need to look on the positive side of A
the problem.
3.34 0.47
3. I am convincing myself that I should be content with what I A
still have.
3.26 0.44
4. I believe that being positive is the only way to go A

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FACTOR 6
3.34 0.48
1. I convince myself that being sad can’t change anything A
when I’m in bad situation.
3.35 0.49
2. I convince myself that my situation is still better than the A
others.
3.37 0.48
3. I often hear “it’s okay, your problem is easier than the A
others”.
3.36 0.48
4. I am convincing myself that being negative won’t help me A
with my problems.
Total 3.36 0.02 A
Legend: SA = Strongly Agree………………………..3.51-4.00
A = Agree………………….……………….…2.51-3.50
D = Disagree…………………..…………….1.51-2.50
SD = Strongly Disagree……………………1.00-1.50
Table 5
Summary of Results of Level of Toxic Positivity for Laid-off Young Adult Workers
FREQUENCY PERCENTAGE
Very high 22 12.8
High 150 87.2
Low 0 0

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Very low 0 0
TOTAL 172 100
Based on the findings on Table 5, the summary of results of level of toxic

positivity showed that 150 of 172 respondents or 87.2% had “High” toxic
positivism, 22 respondents (or 12.8%) had “Very High” toxic positivism and only
0 respondents who had “Low and Very Low” toxic positivism of being Laid-off.
This can be interpreted that most laid-off young adult workers are High
on toxic positivism on the basis that due to pandemic, unemployed adults
needed to think positive in order for them to continue with their lives (Camitan,
2020)
3. What is the level of Purpose in Life of the Laid-off Young Adult

Workers?
Table 6
Level of Purpose in life of Laid-off Young Adult Workers
STATEMENTS MEAN SD VERBAL IN
1. I feel good when I think of what I’ve done in 4.70 1.30 SoA
the past and what I hope to do in the future
2. I live life one day at a time and don’t really 2.95 1.46 SlD
think about the future
3. sometimes, I focus on the present situation, 2.99 1.30 SlD

because the future gives me unexpected
problems

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4. I have sense of direction and purpose in life 4.62 1.21 SoA
5. I’ve seen my daily activities seems to be trivial 3.24 1.43 SlD

and quite unimportant to me because of its
benefits to my personal life
6. I don’t have a good sense of what it is I’m 3.29 1.51 SlD

trying to accomplish in life.
7. I used to set goals for myself, but that now 2.30 1.07 SoD
seems like waste of time.
8. I enjoy making plans for the future and working 3.97 1.44 SlA
to make them to reality
9. I know to myself that I’m active in carrying out 3.99 1.37 SlA
my personal plans.
10. some people wonder aimlessly through life, 3.85 1.31 SlD
but I am not one of them
11. sometimes I feel I’ve done everything in my 2.19 0.97 SoD

life.
12. I know that my aims in life have been focus in 4.01 1.27 SlA
satisfaction rather than frustration to me.
13. I find it satisfying to think about what I have 4.09 1.34 SlA
accomplish in life.
14. in my personal analysis, I am still uncertain in 2.10 1.34 SoD

different add-ups in my life that seems to be too
much.
TOTAL 3.45 0.19 SlD
*Some of the scores were reversed.

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SoA= Somewhat Agree……………………4.32-5.14
SlA= Slightly Agree………………………….3.49-4.31
SlD- Slightly Disagree………………………2.66-3.48
SoD= Somewhat Disagree……………….1.83-2.65
SD= Strongly Disagree…………………….1.00-1.82
Table 7
Summary of Results of Purpose in Life of the Laid-off Young Adult Workers
High Well-Being 1 0.58
Low Well-Being 171 99.42

TOTAL
172 100
high well-being as scores that are 1.5 standard deviations above the mean, whereas low well-
being is scores that are 1.5 standard deviations below the mean.
Based on the findings on Table 7, the summary of results of level of

purpose in life showed that out of 172 (100%) respondents, 171 respondents (or
99.42%) shows “Low” purpose in life.
The negative effect of difficulty during COVID-19 on life satisfaction was figured
due to the problems and suffering cause by the pandemic outcome (i.e., job loss
and the limitation of social activities), which lowers the well-being consequently
of pleasure restriction and raised distress feelings. (Leung 2020) In association in
our findings, the laid-off manifested low well-being since the pandemic started
after the cut down of man power. Due to Covid-19 necessary interventions to
fight the spread of infectious disease led the world to suffer from the global
economic crisis which led to increasing unemployment rates all over the world.

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Unemployment, job loss, and job layoff cause people to suffer from loss of
financial resources which led to negative effects on mental health. In this case
the laid-off workers manifest low well-being by the situation people are
currently facing and people’s current state can cause them stress which resulted
the unemployed workers possible stress. (Eva et.al, 2020) also indicated that
pessimism emerges during this pandemic crisis as a result of rigorous measures
such as isolation and lockdowns, causing people to become depressed and
unproductive.
4. What is the level of Environmental Mastery of Laid-off Young Adult

Workers?
Table 8
Level of Environmental Mastery of Laid-off Young Adult Workers
Statements Mean SD Verbal in
1. in general, I feel I am in charge of the situation 4.62 1.40 SoA
2. the demands of everyday life often get me down 1.97 0.83 SlD
3. I usually feel that I do not fit very well in the in the society I’m .83 SlD
with right now 1.97
4. I know to myself that I am good at managing the different 1.30 SlA

responsibilities of my daily life. 4.05
5. I feel overwhelmed by my responsibilities. 2.23 0.99 SoD
6. if I know I am quite unhappy with my current situation, I will 1.31 SlA

plan to have an effective step to change it 3.94
7. I always make sure to take care of my personal finances 4.09 1.32 SlA
8. I usually found the event I encounter that I can’t keep with 2.35 1.10 SoD

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these things each day
9. I am good at juggling my time so that I can fit everything in 1.38 SlA

that needs to get done. 3.89
10. My daily life is busy, but I derive a sense of satisfaction from 0.94 SoA
keeping with everything 4.56
11. sometimes I see myself getting frustrated when trying to 0.75 SoD
plan activities due to unaccomplished things I set to do before
2.12
12. my efforts to find the kinds of activities and relation that I 1.27 SlA
need have been successful 3.98
13. I have difficulty arranging my life in the way that is satisfying 0.97 SoD
me 2.25
14. I have been able to build a home and a lifestyle for myself 0.92 SlD
that is much to my liking 2.87
TOTAL 3.21 0.23 SlD


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Table 9
Summary of results of Environmental Mastery of the Laid-off young Adult

Workers
High Well-being 5 2.91
Low Well-being 167 97.09

TOTAL
172 100

environmental mastery showed that 167 out of 172 respondents or 97.09% have
“Low” environmental mastery and 5 (or 2.91%) only have high environmental
mastery.
This can be interpreted that the level of environmental mastery among

laid-off workers showed that unemployed crew members have low capability in
managing their problems and don’t have ability to cope with environmental
changes. Laid-off workers are inactive on involving in pursuing and maintaining a
strong social network with which they cannot successfully combine in problem
solving and adjustment in the current situation that people’s facing. Although,
one's baseline psychological well-being may be fairly stable, daily events and
experiences have an impact. Even the most resilient person, for example, can
eventually become very low, or depressed, if his or her daily experiences are

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consistently troubling. There is strong evidence that long-term exposure to work-

related stressors has a negative impact on PWB, so, while short periods of
adversity may be beneficial in building resilience, long-term stress is not good for
PWB (Chandola 2008). Current stressful life events can be predictor for a
person’s sense of mastery. For example, research by Pearlin et. al (1981),
indicated that stressful events can decrease person's mastery, which can cause
to a greater chance of depression.
6. Is there a Relationship between Toxic Positivity to the Purpose in

Life
Table 10
Relationship between Toxic Positivity to Purpose in Life
Variables WM SD r-value p- value Correlationa Verbal Decision

l Value interpretation
Toxic 3.36 0.02 -0.083 0.279

Positivity
No No significant Failed to
Purpose in 3.45 0.9 correlation Relationship reject Ho
Life
LEGEND: +/- 0.81 - 1.00 . . . . . . .Very strong

+/- 0.61 - 0.80. . . . . . . Strong
+/- 0.41 - 0.60. . . . . . . Moderate
+/- 0.21 - 0.40. . . . . . . Weak
+/- 0.01 - 0.20. . . . . . . Very Weak
Based on Table 10, for the Laid-off young adult workers, the scores on
toxic positivity (M=3.36, SD= 0.02) and the results on purpose in life (M=3.45,
SD=0.9) showed no correlation with an r-value of -0.08 and a p-value of 0.279

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which exceeds to the level of significance (0.05) therefore the researchers failed
to reject the null hypothesis.
This can be interpreted as there is no significant relationship between

the toxic positivity and purpose in life on the basis that TP serves as intermediary
of PIL during the challenges that laid-off workers are facing since the pandemic.
The findings shows that high level of toxic positivism help people cope during life
problems and it maintain the laid-off worker’s purpose in life. (Leung 2021) also
stated that optimism act as a protective factor on the life satisfaction of people
in the situation of suffering during the COVID-19 public health crisis. Individuals
with high meaning in life showed a lower possibility of suffering from mental
health problems.
6.2. Is there a Relationship between Toxic Positivity to the

Table 11
Relationship of Toxic Positivity to Environmental Mastery
Variables WM SD r- p- Correlation Verbal Decision

value value al Value interpretatio
n
Toxic 3.3 0.0 - 0.05

Positivity 6 2 0.147 5
Very weak Statistically reject
Environmen 3.2 0.2 Correlatio significant Ho
tal Mastery 1 3 n

+/- 0.61 - 0.80. . . . . . . Strong

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+/- 0.41 - 0.60. . . . . . . Moderate

+/- 0.21 - 0.40. . . . . . . Weak
+/- 0.01 - 0.20. . . . . . . Very Weak
Based on Table 11 for the Laid-off young adult workers, the scores on toxic
positivity (M=3.36, SD= 0.02) and the scores on environmental mastery
((M=3.21, SD= 0.23). Showed weak negative correlation with an r-value of –
0.147; which means that the level of toxic positivity is high and the level of
environmental mastery is low. The p-value of 0.055 which has corresponding
level of significance (0.05) therefore the researchers rejected the null hypothesis.
This can be interpreted that if one’s daily circumstance are continually

distressing, even the most resilient individual can eventually feel quite low and
have negative influence on PWB, thus while brief moments of hardships may be
advantageous in building resilience, long term stress is not (Chandola, 2008).
However, during pandemic, the toxic positivity influenced the environmental
mastery of laid-off young adult laid-off workers. The belief on the positive in life
caused the laid-off young adult workers inability to progress and grow due to the
situation. Thus, in the study of (Eva 2020) optimism supports people's mental
health and positive social interactions during the pandemic; being optimistic
made them feel less pressured. They may lessen their trouble by adopting a
positive mindset, especially in times like these, when bad news and conspiracy
theories spread like wildfire on the internet. As a result, people must be
optimistic in order to cope and lessen psychological issues. They require
optimism in order to be more effective at dealing with and managing their
environment.

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CHAPTER V
SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION
This chapter aims to present the summary of findings, conclusion and the
recommendation that the researchers would provide in regards to the study that
had been conducted.
Summary
This study aims to examine the influence of toxic positivity to the purpose
in life and environmental mastery of laid-off young adult workers during
pandemic. Specifically, it will answer the following research questions: 1. What is
the profile of the Laid-off young adult workers in terms of: age, gender and
duration of being laid off. 2. What is the level of toxic positivity of the laid-off
young adult workers? 3. What is the level of Purpose in Life of the Laid-off young
adult workers? 4. What is the level of Environmental Mastery of the Laid-off
young adult workers? 5. Is there a significant relationship between toxic
positivity among the laid off young adult workers in terms of purpose in life and
environmental mastery.
The study is a correlational research design that the researchers used to

gather and measure a relationship between two variables without the research
controlling them. The researchers gathered the data through the use of survey

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questionnaires and conducted the survey by posting on a specific Facebook

Group that has different branches of Jollibee that are located in Metro Manila
City as research locale. The respondents were Jollibee crew workers that had
been laid-off since the pandemic started. They were selected using random
sampling in which the researchers will gather a subset of individuals chosen from
a larger set of the total population. After answering the survey, the researchers
used the convenience sampling to select the respondents such as the Jollibee
Staff and Crew at the age range of 19 to 40 years old who had been laid off from
their work on Jollibee Branches in Metro Manila.Following the collection of data,
the statistical treatments that have been used in this study are analyzed using
Jamovi and Pearson Correlation Coefficient measures the strength and direction
of association between variables. The researchers preferred this method to
there is an association between toxic positivity and environmental mastery.
Summary of Findings
The findings of the study are as follows:

1. Based on the findings on the demographic profile of the respondents:
1.1. Most of the laid-off young adult workers are 25- 26 years old 106 out of 172
(or 61.6%) and the least are 30 years old which is 2 out of 172 (or 1.2%)
respondents
1.2. The majority of laid-off young adult workers are male of 95 (or 55.2%) while
the females are only 77 of 172 (or 44.8%)
1.3. The majority of the respondents 59 (or 34.3%) were laid off with the span
of 1 year and 7 months - 2 years while the least of the respondents (55 or 32.%),
were laid-off in the span of 1month -1 year
2. The level of the toxic positivity of the laid off young adult workers are mostly

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high (150 out of 172 or 87.2%) and the very high were 22 (or 12.8%)
3. The level of purpose in life of the laid off young adult workers are mostly on
the low level and with the frequency of 171 (or 99.2%)
4. The environmental mastery of the laid-off young adult workers are mostly low
levels 167 or (97.09%)
7. Based on the data, the scores on toxic positivity (M=3.36, SD= 0.02) and the
scores on Purpose in Life (M= 3.45, SD= 0.9) showed no correlation with an r-
value of -0.08 and a p-value of 0.279 which is greater than the level of
significance (0.05) which shows no significant relationship between the two
variables, there for the researchers failed to reject the null hypothesis.
8.The scores on toxic positivity (M=3.36, SD= 0.02) and the scores of
Environmental Mastery (M=3.21, SD= 0.23) showed weak negative correlation
with an r value of -0.147 and a p-value of 0.055 which shows that they have
significant relationship between the two variables, therefore the researchers
rejected the null hypothesis.
Conclusion:
Based on the findings of this study and after careful analysis of the data
presented, the researcher had drawn the following conclusions:
Majority of the laid-off Jollibee workers were within the ages of 25-26 years
old (61.6%) while the least were within the ages 30 years old (1.2%) Meanwhile,
the mostly of laid-off Jollibee workers are male 95 out of 172 (55.2%) while the
female are 77 out of 172 (44.8%) The duration of laid-off of Jollibee workers are
mostly 1 year and 7 months - 2 years (34.3%)
Based on the findings, the level of toxic positivity of the laid-off young adults
workers are 155 of 172 respondents or 87.2% had High toxic positivism. The

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summary level of results of purpose in life of the laid-off young adults workers
are 82 of 172 respondents or 47.7 had Slightly High level of purpose in life and
The level of results of environmental mastery of the laid-off young adults
workers are 69 of 172 respondents or 40.1% had “slightly high” level of
In determining the significant relationship of toxic positivity between

purpose in life and environmental mastery shows that there’s a significant
relationship in the toxic positivity and environmental mastery, the computed
Pearson correlation is -0.147 which has very weak correlation and the P-value is
0.055 which is the same with 0.05 level of significance therefore, there is an
influence between toxic positivity and environmental mastery. While in the toxic
positivity and purpose in life, the computed Pearson correlation is -0.083 which
has no relationship at all and the P-value is 0.279 which is higher than the level
of significance then it means that there is no significant relationship between
toxic positivity and purpose in life
Recommendations
Based on the conclusion, the following recommendation are drawn for gap:
1.) The analysis of EFA (Explanatory Factor Analysis) aims to provide

enough information for readers to understand the strength or weakness of the
factor structure, and for future researchers to provide stronger reliability and
validity support for the instrumentation.
2.) To Improve the study, the researchers propose that the research
area be expanded to accommodate additional population in order to represent
the population of laid off crew workers. Also, the researchers suggest to have

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more study on the influence of toxic positivity to the duration of being laid-off on
Metro Manila since there are numerous of unemployed workers due to our
condition. This current research with toxic positivity conducted on specific
populations (e.g., laid-off Jollibee workers) would provide us with more concrete
results regarding the relationships between toxic positivity, purpose in life and
3.) The study of the influence between toxic positivity, purpose in life and
environmental mastery is important, since it allows us to understand
the condition of being unemployed relate to toxic positivism on the
outcome of pandemic. Also, while emphasizing the effectiveness of toxic
positivity as an intervention in enhancing the well-being, we also
address the effect of toxic positivism in this area concerning
unemployed workers.
4.) The variables (PIL and EM) included in this study are parts of the
psychological wellbeing, the survey of the relationships between the
variables will allow us with the opportunity, not only to figure basic
action, but also to use all related information in order to form practical
intervention.
5.) There is no specific answer on how to help laid-off workers cope with of
toxic positivism. However, more attention to and work on developing
knowledge and understanding on positivity has helped and can help
unemployed crew workers establish and maintain purpose in life, not
only in their daily work, but also throughout their life.
6.) The researchers recommend that we make further study and make
improvements and consider replication regarding this topic.
7.) The researchers also advise to stop telling positive thoughts and
emotions and allow yourself to open up negative emotions.

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8.) It is also suggest that if a person feels powerful for thinking positively,
having the ability to make an impact and to change the outcome, at the
end of the day that person needs a companion to inform them of their
bad days.
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APPENDICES
Appendix I
Permit to Conduct the Research
October 19, 2021
Kennan Custodio
Administrator
Jollibee Crew Members-FB

Group Page
Dear Mr. Custodio,
Greetings!
We, the undersigned, 4th year BS Psychology students are currently working on
a research study entitled: “The Influence of Toxic Positivity to the Purpose in
life and Environmental Mastery of the Laid-off Young Adult Workers During
Pandemic” This research aims to determine the influence of toxic positivity to
the purpose in life and environmental mastery of the Filipino laid-off crew
workers due to pandemic.
In line with this, we hope that your kind heart will allow us to conduct an
online survey to the members from your group who were laid-off and within
the age of 19-40 years old. The said research study will be conducted between
the month of October and November this year, 2021. All the data gathering
procedure will be done virtually via google form. Attached to this letter are the

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important documents such as the letter for respondents, informed consent

form, and the survey questionnaires that we will use in conducting the study.
The survey will last only 15-25 minutes or less.
Rest assured that the data gathered will remain confidential and for academic
purposes only. Your approval and contribution to this endeavor will be highly
appreciated. Should there be any questions you may contact us through this e-
mails fralia.castro@arellano.edu.ph, lyra.guerra@arellano.edu.phand
sofialykag@gmail.com
We hope for your positive response regarding this humble request. Thank you
in advance.
Researchers:
Fralia Grace Castro Sofia Lyka Gatus
Lyra Dale Guerra

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Kennan Custodio
Administrator
Jollibee Crew Members-FB Group Page
Noted by:
Paulo Manuel L. Macapagal
Ph.D, RPm, RPsy Research Adviser

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Appendix II: Ethics Approval Letter

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Appendix III
Informed Consent for Research Participants
Dear Respondents,
We, the researchers, a 4th year BS Psychology student from Arellano

University, are conducting a study entitled “The Influence of Toxic Positivity to
the Purpose in Life and Environmental Mastery of Laid-off Young Adult
Workers During Pandemic”.
The research aims to measure the toxic positivity of the laid-off young
adults and determine whether it has a significant relation to purpose in life and
Your participation in this study is voluntary; you could inform us if you

want to withdraw from the study at any point without penalty.
Rest assured that all the information gathered will be treated confidential
and shall be used for this purpose only. Should there be any questions you may
contact us at:
09357133071
Minamahal na mag-aaral,

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Ang may lagda ng liham na ito ay kasalukuyang mag-aaral ng kursong BS

Psychology sa Arellano University, ay nagsasagawa ng isang pananaliksik na may
pamagat na “The Influence of Toxic Positivity to the Purpose in Life and
Environmental Mastery of Laid-off Young Adult Workers During Pandemic”.
Layunin ng mga mananaliksik na sukatin ang pagiging laging positibo ng

mga batang may sapat na gulang at tukuyin kung mayroon makabuluhang
kaugnayan sa layunin ng buhay at pagkontrol sa kapaligiran.
Ang inyong pagtugon sa pag-aaral na ito ay kusang-loob; maaari niyo

kaming sabihan kung hindi kayo sang-ayon sa pag-tugon sa aming pag-aaral at
walang kahit anung pagtutol mula sa amin. Walang tama o maling sagot.
Kung mayroong karagdagang tanong maari lamang kaming makausap sa

numerong:
09357133071

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Appendix IV
Letters for Validation
September 21, 2021
Sir/Ma’am:
Greetings!
We are students of BS Psychology, 4th year from Arellano University,

Legarda Manila and currently taking the Course in Research as part of the Course
requirement. As such, we will use two different Standardized
Questionnaires/Psychological Test Instrument, a standardized environmental
mastery scale and purpose in life scale. Also a scale and a set of structured
interview questions for our research paper entitled “The Influence of Toxic
Positivity to the Purpose in Life and Environmental Mastery of Laid-off Young
Adult workers during Pandemic”
We are humbly asking for your expertise in validating the items of these
questionnaires which will be significant in the fulfillment of our paper. We
extend our heartfelt appreciation for your time and kindness.
Thank you and we hope you and your family are safe and healthy during
this time of pandemic.
God bless.
Respectfully yours,

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Castro, Fralia
________________
Name of Student
Guerra, Lyra Dale
___________________
Name of Student
Gatus, Sofia Lyka
__________________________
Name of Student

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Appendix V
Certification of Validation
NOTE: This test was validated last April 2021. Because this was a requirement on one of our
subjects, the members are different than the original members.

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NOTE: This test was validated last April 2021. Because this was a requirement on one of our
subjects, the members are different than the original members.

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NOTE: This test was validated last April 2021. Because this was a requirement
on one of our subjects, the members are different than the original members.

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Appendix VI
Research Tool
Environmental mastery
Statements Strongly Somew Slightly Slightl Some Strongl

Disagree hat Disagre y what y
(Pahayag) Agree
Agree e Agree
1 Agree
4 5
2 3 6
1. in general, I feel
I am in charge of
the situation
Sa pangkalahatan,
pakiramdam ko
ako ang
namamahala sa
sitwasyon.
2. the demands of
everyday life often
get me down.
Ang pang araw-

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araw na
pangangailangan
sa buhay ay
madalas na
nakakapanghina
sa akin.
3. I usually feel
that I do not fit
very well in the
society I’m with
right now.
Kadalasan ay
aking
nararamdaman na
hindi ako bagay ng
lubos sa lipunang
aking ginagalawan

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4. I know to myself
that I am good at
managing the
different
responsibilities of
my daily life.
Alam ko sa sarili ko
na magaling ako
sa pamamahala ng
iba’t-ibang
responsibilidad sa
aking pang-araw-
araw na
pamumuhay.
5. I feel
overwhelmed by
my responsibilities.
Pakiramdam ko ay
napuno ako ng
aking mga
responsibilidad.

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6. if I know I am
quite unhappy
with my current
situation, I will
plan to have an
effective step to
change it.
Kung alam ko lang

na hindi ako
masaya sa aking
sitwasyon ngayon,
ay magpaplano
ako ng mas
epektibong
pamamamaraan
para mabago ito.
7. I always make
sure to take care
of my personal
finances.
Lagi kong
sinisigurado na
napapangalagaan
ko ng ayos ang
aking mga

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gastusin.
8. I usually found
the event I
encounter that I
can’t keep with
these things each
day.
Madalas kong
matatagpuan ang
ibang kaganapan
na kung saan ay
hindi ko kayang
panatilihin ang
ganitong bagay sa
aking pang –araw-
araw

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9. I am good at
juggling my time
so that I can fit
everything in that
needs to get done.
Mahusay ako sa
paggamit ng aking
oras kaya naman
ay tumatama ito
sa lahat ng bagay
na kailangang
matapos.
10. My daily life is

busy, but I derive a
sense of
satisfaction from
keeping with
everything.
Ang pang araw-

araw kong buhay
ay laging abala,
ngunit kasiyahan
ang aking
nararamdaman sa

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pagsunod sa lahat.
11. sometimes I
see myself getting
frustrated when
trying to plan
activities due to
unaccomplished
things I set to do
before.
Minsan nakita ko
ang sarili kong
mabigo kapag
nagpaplano akong
gawin ang mga
bagay na hindi ko
natapos na
itinakda kong
gawin dati.

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12. my efforts to
find the kinds of
activities and
relation that I need
have been
successful.
Ang aking
pagsisikap na
alamin ang ibang
uri ng mga
aktibidab at
kaugnayan nito ay
naging
matagumpay.
13. I have difficulty

arranging my life in
the way that is
satisfying me
Nahihirapan akong
ayusin ang aking
buhay sa paraang
gusto kong maging
ako.

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14. I have been

able to build a
home and a
lifestyle for myself
that is much to my
liking.
Nakapagtayo ako
ng ng aking bahay
at nagkaroon ng
pamumuhay na
higit pa sa gusto
ko.
Purpose in life
Statements Strongly Somew Slightly Slightl Some Strongl

Disagree hat Disagre y what y
(Pahayag) Agree
Agree e Agree
1 Agree
2 5
6
4
3

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1. I feel good when

I think of what I’ve
done in the past
and what I hope to
do in the future
Maganda ang
pakiramdam ko
kapag naiisip ko
ang mga ginawa
ko nung nakaraan
at kung ano ang
inaasahan kong
gawin sa
hinaharap.
2. I live life one day

at a time and don’t
really think about
the future.
Nabubuhay ako
araw-araw at hindi
ko masyadong
iniisip ang
hinaharap.

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3. Sometimes, I
focus on the
present situation,
because the future
gives me
unexpected
problems.
Minsan,
nagpopokus ako sa
kasalukuyan dahil
ang kinabukasan
ay nagbibigay sa
akin ng hindi
inaasahang
problema.
4. I have sense of
direction and
purpose in life
May kahulugan
ang direksyon at
layunin ng aking
buhay.

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5. I’ve seen my
daily activities
seems to be trivial
and quite
unimportant to me
because of its
benefits to my
personal life.
Nakikita ko na
walang halaga ang
aking pang-araw-
araw na gawain at
ganap na hindi
mahalaga sakin
dahil sa
kapakinabangan
nito sa aking
personal na buhay.
6. I don’t have a
good sense of
what it is I’m trying
to accomplish in
life.
Wala akong
magandang

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kahulugan sa
gusto kong gawin
sa aking buhay.
7. I used to set
goals for myself,
but that now
seems like waste
of time.
Nagtatakda ako ng
mga layunin sa
saking sarili, pero
ngayon nakikita
kong nasasayang
lang ang oras.
8. I enjoy making
plans for the
future and working
to make them to
reality.
Masaya akong
gumagawa ng mga

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plano sa aking
kinabukasan at
magtrabaho para
maging isang
katotohanan.
9. I know to myself
that I’m active in
carrying out my
personal plans.
Alam ko sa sarili ko
na aktibo ako sa
pagsasakatuparan
ng aking
pangsariling
layunin
10. some people

wonder aimlessly
through life, but I
am not one of
them
Nagtataka ang
ibang tao sa mga

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walang
patutuguhan ang
buhay, pero hindi
ako isa sa kanila.
11. sometimes I
feel I’ve done
everything in my
life.
Minsan
pakiramdan ko ay
nagawa ko na ang
lahat sa aking
buhay.
12. I know that my

aims in life have
been focus in
satisfaction rather
than frustration to
me.
Alam kong ang

kagustuhan ko sa
aking buhay ay

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nakapokus sa
aking pangsariling
kasiyahan kaysa sa
aking kabiguan.
13. I find it
satisfying to think
about what I have
accomplish in life.
Nakita ko na
nagbibigay-
kasiyahan ang
pag-iisip ng mga
natupad ko sa
buhay.

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14. in my personal
analysis, I am still
uncertain in
different add-ups
in my life that
seems to be too
much.
Sa aking sariling
pagsusuri, hindi
parin ako sigurado
sa iba’t-ibang
nangyayare sa
aking buhay na
para bang
nagiging sobra na.

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(Self-constructed)
Toxic Positivity
Strongly Disagree Agree Strongly

Disagree Agree
Statements 2 3
1 4
(Pahayag)
1. I am cheerful in
front of others even
though I feel terrible.
Masayahin ako sa
harap ng ibang tao
kahit na masama ang
pakiramdam ko.
2. I make sure to
maintain my positive
attitude in front of
others.
Sinisigurado ko na
napapanatili ko ang
maganda kong pag-
uugali sa harap ng

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ibang tao.
3. I always maintain a
positive attitude even
though I have
struggles.
Napapanatili ko ang
aking magandng pag-
uugali kahit na may
pinagdadaan ako.
4. When things get

hard, I always convince
myself that everything
happens for a reason.
Kapag nagiging
mahirap na ang
isang bagay, lagi
kong sinasabi sa
sarili ko na lahat
ng nangyayare ay
may dahilan.

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5. I always choose to
be happy and positive
even if I’m
experiencing
difficulties in every
situation.
Mas pinipili ko ang

maging masaya at
positibo kahit na sa
bawat sitwasyon ay
nahihirapan.
6. I tend to be guilty
for being sad and
disappointed.
Nauuwi ako sa
pagiging malungkutin
at pagkabigo.
7. I am brushing off my
problems rather than
facing them.
Iniwawaglit ko sa
isipan ang mga
problema sa halip na
harapin ito.

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8. I usually hide the

idea of my true
feelings behind good
quotes in social media.
Minsan ay mas pinipili

kong itago ang aking
palagay sa katotohan
ng aking
nararamdaman sa
kabila ng magandang
kasabihan sa social
media.
9. I always prefer to
get over the painful
problems I have been.
Mas gusto kong

kalimutan ang
masasakit na
problema ko.
10. I convince myself

that it could be worse
whenever I have a
problem.
Pinaniniwala ko ang
sarili ko na magiging

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malala sa tuwing ako

ay may problema.
11. I am convincing
myself to be grateful
for what I have instead
Pinaniniwala ko ang
sarili ko na
magpasalamat sa
kung ano ang meron
ako kaysa harapin ang
aking problema.
12. I am convincing
myself that good
things will come
Pinaniniwala ko ang
sarili ko na
magkakaroon din ng
magandang bagay na
mangyayari.

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13. I am telling myself

not to dwell on
sadness whenever I
have problems.
Sinasabi ko sa sarili ko
na wag magpadala sa
kalungkutan kapag
ako ay nagkakaroon
ng problema.
14. I tell myself “it is

what it is” whenever
my problem is
bothering me.
Sinasabi ko sa sarili
kona “ito na ito” kahit
na may bumabagabag
na problema sa akin.
15. I tend to be silent

whenever I encounter
negative.
Mas gusto ko ang

tumahimik nalamang
kapag nakararanas
ako ng negatibo.

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16. I pretend that

everything is going
great in my life.
Nagpapanggap ako na
ang lahat sa aking
buhay ay magiging
maganda.
17. I tell myself “It

wouldn’t be like this
forever” when I’m in
bad situation.
na “hindi ito
mananatiling ganito
magpakailanman”
kapag sa hindi
magandang sitwasyon
ako.
18. I often hear “it’s

okay, your problem is
easier than the
others”.
Madalas kong marinig

ang “ok lang iyan, mas
madali ang problema

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mo kesa sa iba”.
19. I am convincing
myself that being
negative won’t help
me with my problems.
Pinaniniwala ko ang
sarili ko na ang
pagiging negatibo ay
hindi makatutulong sa
aking mga problema.
20. I am convincing
myself that I’ll get over
it when there’s
problem.
Pinaniniwala ko ang
sarili ko na kaya koi to
kapag
nagkakaproblema ako.

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21. I tell myself that

other people have it a
lot worse whenever I
have problem.
na mas madaming tao
ang nakararanas ng
matinding problema
kay sa problema ko.
22. I always convince

myself to stop paying
attention to my
problems.
Kinukumbinse ko ang
sarili ko na wag nang
ituon magtuon ng
pansin sa mga
problema ko.
23. I tend to hide or

repress my feelings.
Mas gusto kong itago

o pigilin ang aking
nararamdaman.

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24. I often force myself

to pretend that I am
happy even though I’m
struggling.
Pinipilit ko ang aking

sarili na magpanggap
na ako ay masaya
kahit na ako ay
nahihirapan.
25. I am avoiding
negative thoughts by
doing unimportant
things to make me
happy.
Iniiwasan ko ang mga

negatibong bagay sa
pamamagitan ng
paggawa ng hindi
mahahalagang bagay
na nakapgpapasaya sa
akin.

ARELLANO UNIVERSITY
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to get over the loss
and focus instead in
the good things when
there’s problem.
na kalimutan na
pagkawala at ituon
nalamang ito sa
magagandang
nangyayari kahit na
nagkakaproblema.
27. I choose to look at

the brighter side of
negative situation.
Mas pinipili kong

tignan ang
magandang bahagi ng
negatibong sitwasyon
28. I always believe

that everything will be
just fine when there’s
problem around me.
Palagi akong
naniniwala na

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magiging ok ang lahat

kahit na meron akong
problema.
29. I usually feel weak

when I am sad, so I just
choose to be happy
when there’s problem
that arise.
Madalas kong
maramdaman ang
kahinaan kapag ako ay
nalulungkot, kaya mas
pinipili ko ang maging
masaya kahit na may
problemang
dumarating
30. I feel shame for my

feeling of being sad
and scared when
there’s problem
Nahihiya ako kapag

nararamdaman ko ang
lungkot at takot kapag

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may problema ako.
31. I am forcing myself

to believe that being
negative is not my
option.
Pinipilit ko ang sarili ko

na maniwala na ang
pagiging negatibo ay
wala sa aking
pagpipilian.

that being sad can’t
change anything when
I’m in bad situation.
Pinaniniwala ko ang
sarili ko na ang
pagiging malungkot ay
hindi
nakakapagpapabago
kapag ako ay nasa
hindi magandang

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sitwasyon

that my situation is
still better than the
others.
Pinaniniwala ko ang
sarili ko na sitwasyon
ko ay mas mabuti
kaysa ibang tao.
34. I convince others to

be positive even
though I’m in bad
situation.
Kinukumbinse ko ang
ibang tao na maging
positibo kahit na nasa
hindi ako magandang
sitwasyon.

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35. I believe that I have

no time for negativity.
Naniniwala ako na
wala akong oras para
sa mga negatibo
36. I always think that

my problems are a lot
better than the others.
Lagi kong iniisip na

ang aking problema ay
mas mabuti kaysa sa
ibang tao.
37. I am pushing away

the thoughts of
negativity even though
I am struggling.
Pinipilit kong alisin ang

negatibong kaisipan
kahit na ako ay
nahihirapan.
38. I often force myself

to look positive in
front of others.
Pinipilit ko ang sarili ko

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na maging positibo sa
harap ng ibang tao.
39. I telling myself not

to worry about
anything.
na wag mag-alala sa
ibang bagay.
40. I feel like I need to

stay positive even
though I am currently
struggling.
Pakiramdam ko ay
kailangan kong
manatiling positibo
kahit na ngayon ako
ay nahihirapan.
41. I believe that being

positive is the only
way to go.
Naniniwala ako na ang

pagkakaroon ng

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tamang pag-iisip ang

tutulong sa iyo.
42. I usually tell myself

that I need to look on
the positive side of the
problem.
Minsan ay sinasabi ko
sa sarili ko na tignan
lamang ang positibong
bahagi ng problema
ko.
43. I am showing on
the world of social
media that I am
perfectly fine and
looks best even I’m
struggling in my own
problem.
Ipinapakita ko sa
buong social media na
ganap na mabuti at
mukhang
pinakamahusay kahit
na nahihirapan ako sa

ARELLANO UNIVERSITY
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sarili kong problema.
44. I am convincing
myself that there’s
other like me
struggling but they are
still happy.
Pinaniniwala ko ang
sarili ko na may
kagaya ko na
nahihirapan pero
napapanatili nilang
maging masaya.

to delete the
negativity and stay
positive.
na kalimutan ang mag
negatibo at manatiling

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positibo
46. I am pressuring
myself to become okay
because others might
be facing worse.
Pinatutunayan ko sa
sarili ko na magiging
maayos ako dahil baka
mas matindi ang
nararanasan ng ibang
tao.
47. I am focused on the

benefits of being
optimistic. ie., being
happy by reaching my
goal.
Nagpopokus ako sa
pakinabang ng
pagiging maaasahan
at pagiging masayahin
para makamit ang
aking layunin.

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48. I usually convince

myself to stand up and
strop struggling in my
problems.
Madalas kong
kumbinsehin ang aking
sarili na harapin ito at
iwasan ang paghihirap
sa problema.
49. I am convincing
myself that at least
there’s still something
I’m good at.
Pinaniniwala ko ang
sarili ko na kahit
papaano ay meron
akong isang bagay na
kayang gawin.
50. I often tell myself

that I am the best and I
must not fail.
Madalas kong sinasabi

sa sarli ko na mahusay
ako at hindi ako
mabibigo

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51. I always tell myself

that success comes
with hard work.
Palagi kong sinasabi sa

sarili ko tagumpay ay
may kasamang
pagsusumikap.
52. I often tell myself

that having positive
outlook in life is good
on my mental health.
Madalas kong sabihin

sa sarali ko na ang
pagkakaroon ng
positibong pananaw sa
buhay ay nakatutulong
sa aking pangkaisipan
kalusugang.
53. I am convincing
myself that I should be
contented on what I
still have.
Kinukumbinse ko ang
aking sarili na maging
kontento sa kug anung

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meron ako.
54. I make sure to

convince myself to
always be the best
version even facing a
problem.
Sinisugurado ko sa
sarili ko na ako ay ang
pinakamahusay na ako
kahit na humaharap sa
problem.
55. I usually tell myself

that I need to look on
the positive side of the
problem.
Madalas kong sabihin

sa sarli ko na
kailangan kong tignan
ang positibong bahagi
ng problema.

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56. I am forcing myself

to be positive.
Pinipilit ko ang sarili

kong maging positibo.
Appendix VII
Request for the adaptation tool

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Appendix VIII
Timetable for Research
Research 2021
Objectives
Jan Feb Mar April May June July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec
1. Writing of
Proposal
2.Title Defense

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133 133 iii
3. Validation of
Questionnaires
4. Collection of
Data/Respondent
s survey
5. Making of
Chapter 4
6. Making of
Chapter 5
7. Revisions
8. Final Defense

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Appendix IX
Reliability
Notes
Output Created 22-OCT-2021 19:21:48
Comments
Input Active Dataset DataSet0
Filter <none>
Weight <none>
Split File <none>
N of Rows in Working 30
Data File
Matrix Input
Missing Value Definition of Missing User-defined missing

values are treated as

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Handling missing.
Cases Used Statistics are based on

all cases with valid data
for all variables in the
procedure.
Syntax RELIABILITY
/VARIABLES=Q1 Q2 Q3
Q4 Q5 Q6 Q7 Q8 Q9 Q10
Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16
Q17 Q18 Q19 Q20 Q21 Q22
Q23 Q24
Q25 Q26 Q27 Q28 Q29

Q30 Q31 Q32 Q33 Q34 Q35
Q36 Q37 Q38 Q39 Q40 Q41
Q42 Q43 Q44 Q45 Q46 Q47
Q48 Q49
Q50 Q51 Q52 Q53 Q54

Q55 Q56 Q57 Q58 Q59 Q60
Q61 Q62 Q63 Q64 Q65 Q66
Q67 Q68 Q69 Q70 Q71 Q72
Q73 Q74
Q75 Q76 Q77 Q78 Q79

Q80 Q81 Q82 Q83 Q84
/SCALE('ALL
VARIABLES') ALL
/MODEL=ALPHA
/STATISTICS=DESCRIPTIV
E SCALE

ARELLANO UNIVERSITY
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/SUMMARY=TOTAL.
Resources Processor Time 00:00:00.02
Elapsed Time 00:00:00.02
Scale: ALL VARIABLES

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Case Processing Summary
N %
Cases Valid 30 100.0
Excluded 0 .0
Total 30 100.0
a. Listwise deletion based on all variables in

the procedure.
Reliability Statistics
Cronbach's
Alpha N of Items
.946 84

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The results of reliability analysis using SPSS version 25 have a

Cronbach’s alpha value of 0.946 which means that exists an excellent level of
internal consistency within the questionnaire.
Appendix X
Pilot Testing and Statistician Computation
Item Statistics
Mean Std. Deviation N
Q1 3.73 1.285 30
Q2 4.37 1.245 30
Q3 3.37 1.402 30
Q4 4.87 .900 30
Q5 4.63 1.159 30
Q6 5.30 .877 30

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Q7 5.13 .937 30
Q8 4.60 1.133 30
Q9 4.57 1.104 30
Q10 4.70 1.236 30
Q11 4.77 .971 30
Q12 4.87 .900 30
Q13 3.93 1.507 30
Q14 3.67 1.709 30
Q15 4.90 1.269 30
Q16 3.60 1.522 30
Q17 3.90 1.494 30
Q18 4.80 1.095 30
Q19 3.07 1.530 30
Q20 3.27 1.596 30
Q21 3.33 1.422 30

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Q22 5.07 1.143 30
Q23 4.90 .923 30
Q24 4.27 1.230 30
Q25 3.40 1.476 30
Q26 3.93 1.337 30
Q27 4.83 1.085 30
Q28 4.20 1.375 30
Q29 3.20 .714 30
Q30 3.43 .728 30
Q31 3.37 .718 30
Q32 3.57 .568 30
Q33 3.60 .621 30
Q34 2.63 1.033 30
Q35 2.30 1.088 30
Q36 2.93 .740 30

ARELLANO UNIVERSITY
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Q37 3.03 .890 30
Q38 2.37 .964 30
Q39 2.97 .809 30
Q40 3.50 .682 30
Q41 3.67 .479 30
Q42 3.30 .750 30
Q43 3.37 .615 30
Q44 3.07 .944 30
Q45 3.60 .498 30
Q46 3.23 .774 30
Q47 3.50 .682 30
Q48 3.67 .479 30
Q49 3.60 .563 30
Q50 3.33 .711 30
Q51 3.30 .651 30

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Q52 3.40 .621 30
Q53 3.37 .765 30
Q54 3.40 .621 30
Q55 3.37 .615 30
Q56 3.57 .568 30
Q57 3.37 .669 30
Q58 2.93 .944 30
Q59 3.23 .679 30
Q60 3.40 .621 30
Q61 3.20 .714 30
Q62 3.43 .626 30
Q63 3.33 .606 30
Q64 3.20 .805 30
Q65 3.30 .596 30
Q66 3.37 .718 30

ARELLANO UNIVERSITY
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Q67 3.43 .568 30
Q68 3.40 .563 30
Q69 3.57 .504 30
Q70 3.40 .498 30
Q71 2.93 .868 30
Q72 3.40 .621 30
Q73 3.40 .675 30
Q74 3.33 .711 30
Q75 3.37 .556 30
Q76 3.40 .563 30
Q77 3.57 .568 30
Q78 3.53 .571 30
Q79 3.63 .490 30
Q80 3.53 .571 30
Q81 3.47 .681 30

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Q82 3.37 .669 30
Q83 3.60 .563 30
Q84 3.53 .681 30
Item-Total Statistics
Scale Corrected Cronbach's

Scale Mean if Variance if Item-Total Alpha if Item
Item Deleted Item Deleted Correlation Deleted
Q1 302.50 1078.672 .245 .947
Q2 301.87 1065.223 .421 .946
Q3 302.87 1080.464 .202 .947
Q4 301.37 1080.792 .328 .946
Q5 301.60 1075.972 .312 .946
Q6 300.93 1072.961 .475 .945
Q7 301.10 1061.334 .635 .945

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Q8 301.63 1058.654 .557 .945
Q9 301.67 1056.782 .599 .945
Q10 301.53 1057.016 .528 .945
Q11 301.47 1070.878 .459 .946
Q12 301.37 1062.723 .639 .945
Q13 302.30 1082.424 .165 .947
Q14 302.57 1060.944 .334 .947
Q15 301.33 1085.195 .170 .947
Q16 302.63 1083.895 .148 .948
Q17 302.33 1067.540 .320 .947
Q18 301.43 1069.495 .423 .946
Q19 303.17 1076.351 .222 .947
Q20 302.97 1076.999 .205 .947
Q21 302.90 1107.817 -.093 .949
Q22 301.17 1059.937 .535 .945

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Q23 301.33 1065.057 .583 .945
Q24 301.97 1069.413 .374 .946
Q25 302.83 1067.868 .321 .947
Q26 302.30 1064.838 .394 .946
Q27 301.40 1057.903 .594 .945
Q28 302.03 1071.482 .307 .946
Q29 303.03 1072.585 .597 .945
Q30 302.80 1076.579 .500 .945
Q31 302.87 1072.740 .590 .945
Q32 302.67 1083.609 .456 .946
Q33 302.63 1076.930 .581 .945
Q34 303.60 1086.386 .199 .947
Q35 303.93 1093.375 .090 .947
Q36 303.30 1082.700 .365 .946
Q37 303.20 1070.166 .516 .945

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Q38 303.87 1085.499 .230 .946
Q39 303.27 1085.995 .269 .946
Q40 302.73 1081.513 .424 .946
Q41 302.57 1083.495 .548 .946
Q42 302.93 1079.582 .424 .946
Q43 302.87 1077.637 .570 .945
Q44 303.17 1069.109 .502 .945
Q45 302.63 1080.861 .607 .945
Q46 303.00 1077.862 .444 .946
Q47 302.73 1077.651 .511 .945
Q48 302.57 1081.357 .616 .945
Q49 302.63 1077.757 .620 .945
Q50 302.90 1079.886 .441 .946
Q51 302.93 1075.099 .597 .945
Q52 302.83 1073.592 .664 .945

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Q53 302.87 1071.913 .569 .945
Q54 302.83 1076.971 .580 .945
Q55 302.87 1079.637 .520 .946
Q56 302.67 1075.471 .677 .945
Q57 302.87 1075.499 .572 .945
Q58 303.30 1076.493 .381 .946
Q59 303.00 1073.310 .612 .945
Q60 302.83 1071.040 .727 .945
Q61 303.03 1075.689 .530 .945
Q62 302.80 1073.338 .665 .945
Q63 302.90 1077.955 .570 .945
Q64 303.03 1076.861 .445 .946
Q65 302.93 1079.651 .536 .946
Q66 302.87 1069.982 .649 .945
Q67 302.80 1080.097 .551 .946

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Q68 302.83 1077.040 .640 .945
Q69 302.67 1083.954 .506 .946
Q70 302.83 1081.799 .579 .946
Q71 303.30 1078.010 .390 .946
Q72 302.83 1071.316 .720 .945
Q73 302.83 1079.454 .476 .946
Q74 302.90 1070.093 .654 .945
Q75 302.87 1078.395 .611 .945
Q76 302.83 1073.454 .738 .945
Q77 302.67 1080.851 .531 .946
Q78 302.70 1088.355 .327 .946
Q79 302.60 1080.662 .624 .945
Q80 302.70 1075.321 .677 .945
Q81 302.77 1072.599 .626 .945
Q82 302.87 1081.568 .432 .946

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Q83 302.63 1080.654 .541 .946
Q84 302.70 1076.493 .538 .945
Scale Statistics
Mean Variance Std. Deviation N of Items
306.23 1101.013 33.182 84
Appendix XI

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Exploratory Factor Analysis of Toxic Positivity Tool

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Appendix XII
Final Data Computation

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[1] The jamovi project (2021). jamovi. (Version 1.6) [Computer Software]. Retrieved from
https://www.jamovi.org.
[2] R Core Team (2020). R: A Language and environment for statistical computing. (Version
4.0) [Computer software]. Retrieved
from https://cran.r-project.org. (R packages retrieved from MRAN snapshot 2020-08-24).

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Appendix XIII
Statistician& Translator

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The Influence of Toxic Positivity to the Purpose in Life and Environmental

Mastery of Laid-Off Young Adult Workers during Pandemic
Ms. Fralia Grace Castro

Ms. Lyra Dale Guerra
Ms. Sofia Lyka Gatus
This study had determined the level of toxic positivity, purpose in life
and environmental mastery of the laid-off young adult ex-crew workers of
different Jollibee branches in Metro Manila. Based on the findings majority of
laid-off young adult workers within the age range of 25-26 years old and
most are males. In terms of the duration of being laid off, most of them were
laid-off from 1 year, 7 months to 2 years. The toxic positivity of laid-off young
adult workers are extremely high during this pandemic; the respondents also
shows low on purpose in life and environmental mastery. However, there is
no relationship between toxic positivity and purpose in life. While there’s a
relationship between toxic positivity and environmental mastery to the laid-
off workers. While emphasizing the effectiveness of toxic positivity as an
positivism in this area concerning unemployed workers. There is no specific
answer on how to help laid-off workers cope with of toxic positivism.
However, more attention to and work on developing knowledge and
understanding on positivity has helped and can help unemployed crew
workers establish and maintain purpose in life, not only in their daily work,
but also throughout their life.
Keywords: toxic positivity, purpose in life, environmental mastery

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Introduction
According to Philippine Daily Inquirer (2020), many Filipino
workers have lost their jobs due to the COVID-19 pandemic (Philippine Daily
Inquirer, 2020). The unemployment rate had reached 10.4 percent, the highest
rate in 15 years that the government has reported. Also, according to the
Philippine statistics authority or PSA, the number of unemployed Filipinos went
up by 200,000 in January 2021. Four million joined the ranks of the unemployed
compared to 2.4 in the same period last year according to the national
statistician Claire Dennis Mapa that was based on the results of the latest labor
force survey. Thousands of businesses and companies were forced to lay off
hundreds of their workers to save their companies and businesses from financial
ruin. Restaurants and entertainment venues, shops of all types, malls and
shopping centers, hotels, among other companies (with the exception of those
considered essential, such as grocery stores and pharmacies) were ordered to
shut down immediately. Non-essential industries were allowed to employ only a
restricted number of workers, despite the fact that necessary sectors continued
to operate. According to a survey, the true national jobless figure is 27.3 million
adult Filipinos. The experiences of the laid-off workers might have an effect on
their physical as well as their mental health-being unemployed from their jobs
has a significant impact on their psychological well-being (PWB). To survive and
go on with life, people are thinking positively despite having negative feelings or
emotions to maintain a positive mindset. People will say that “everything
happens for a reason” to comfort themselves.
Studies showed that thinking positively in a situation where people are
trying to be optimistic and minimize their emotions when facing hardships are
called toxic positivity (Quintero, N.d.). Toxic positivity is a common trait of
people nowadays for them to be able to survive. Toxic positivity is an insincere
positivity that leads to harm or mental suffering. Some define toxic positivity as

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positive thinking to an overgeneralized extreme. The too much resiliency of the

Filipinos can also count as toxic positivity. Resiliency is also defined as the
psychological capacity to adapt stressful events. Filipinos are known as being
resilient. However sometimes not all the time we have to be resilient. Not all the
time the Filipinos have to be positive. They also have the right to feel not okay.
On the other hand, sometimes, we Filipinos are born resilient and always
positive. These types of thinking may influence the psychological well-being of
the laid-off young adult workers. Environmental mastery is when a person can
mentally and physically handle her/his environment, whether in any conditions
or circumstances. Purpose in life is when a person has a goal or motivation in
order to live every day and fill their responsibilities in their life. These are two of
the psychological well-being of Ryff.
The researchers aimed to identify the level of toxic positivity and its
influence to the level of the life purpose of the laid-off workers as well as to the
level of their ability in managing or creating a suitable environment for their
personal need and values or to their environmental mastery.
The Present Study

1. What is the profile of the Laid-off young adult workers in terms of:
1.1 Age
1.2 Gender
1.3 duration of being laid off
2. What is the level of Toxic positivity of the laid-off young adult workers?
3. What is the level of Purpose in Life of the Laid-off young adult
workers?
4. What is the level of Environmental Mastery of the Laid-off young adult
workers?

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5. Is there a significant relationship between Toxic Positivity among the

laid off young adult workers in terms of:
5.1. Purpose in Life
5.2. Environmental Mastery
METHODS
This study is correlational research design that is used to gather and

measure the relationship between two variables without the research
controlling them (McCombes, 2020). The researchers gathered the data through
the use of survey questionnaires. The researchers also conducted statistical
analysis and analyzed the relationship of toxic positivity to the purpose in life as
well as to the environmental mastery of the young adult laid-off workers. They
analyzed the relationship between relative movements of two variables, the
researchers used the correlation coefficient as a statistical measure (Fernando &
Walters, 2021).
Measures
EMS (Environmental Mastery Scale) – the EMS is one of the six scales of
the PWBI. The PWBI is composed of six self-report scales that measures
environmental mastery, self acceptance, positive relations, psychological growth,
and purpose in life. The full version of the PWBI contains 14 items per scale,
producing an 84-item inventory. Each scale includes both positively and
negatively phrased items and responses are made on a six-point Likert type scale
(1 = strongly disagree, and 6 = strongly disagree). Based on research (Ryff, 1989)
the EMS had the lowest reliability estimates, internal consistency and test retest
relative to the other five scales. Preliminary evidence for validity was established
by finding correlations that were significant and in the predicted direction with

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other measures of positive functioning (life satisfaction, affect balance, self

esteem) and negative functioning (depression). EMS is the most commonly used
measure of the environmental mastery construct.
PIL SF (Purpose in Life Scale) – This is also a scale on Ryff’s measure of
Psychological well-being. It contains 14 items with also a six-point Likert scale (1
= strongly disagree, and 6 = strongly agree) rating for each item. The PIL consists
of two factors, and the stronger one actually reflects life satisfaction (while the
weaker one reflects life purpose). The PIL-SF was of utility in predicting
psychological distress, above and beyond other measures of meaning. This is also
supported via confirmatory factor analysis, the measure yields reliable scores,
and these scores correlate significantly and as expected with the other measures
administered.
Toxic positivity Scale- this scale is a self-construct scale. It contains 56
items with a 4 point Likert scale (1=strongly disagree, and 4= strongly agree)
rating for each item. Higher score shows high toxic positivism and lower score
shows lower toxic positivism. The norming of this tool is: SA-Strongly Agree=
3.51-4.00, A-Agree=2.51-3.50, D-Disagree=1.51-2.50, and SD-Strongly Disagree=
1.00-1.50. The items from the questions utilized by the researchers for the
evaluation of toxic positivity have similarities towards adaptive psychology as a
construct. Because of this, the researchers have utilized Exploratory Factor
Analysis (EFA). The factor analysis will help tell if the factors load together thus
further extracting and delineating adaptive psychology items from items
measuring toxic positivity by eliminating the items and factors that does not load
together with the majority of the factors.
The Environmental Mastery and Purpose in Life Scale was only slightly
modified to fit the laid off young adult workers’ context. All factors were
identical to the original except it was modified to be specific in a single context

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and the scoring was merged into one. The adapted tool was validated by
licensed validators and the reliability was tested by a statistician
SAMPLING TECHNIQUE
The method that the researchers have chosen is random sampling in

which the researchers have gathered a subset of individuals chosen from a larger
set of the total population. The target population of the study involves laid off
crew of different branches of Jollibee in Metro Manila area at the age range of
19 to 40 years old in a total of 200 laid-off employees. The researchers used an
online sampling computation to get the total subset of their study. With the
confidence level of 95% and confidence interval of 5 and a total population of
202, the total subset of this study was 172.
STATISTICAL TREATMENT OF DATA
Following the collection of data, the statistical treatments that have been
used in this study are analyzed using excel and Jamovi. It is also subjected to an
analysis with the assistance of a professional statistician.
Pearson Correlation Coefficient measures the strength and direction of
association between variables. The researchers preferred this method to
there is an association between toxic positivity and environmental mastery. The
results were then presented using tables for ease of understanding and analysis.

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RESULTS
What is the profile of the respondents in terms of:

1.1 Age
Table 1
Frequency Distribution Table of Age of the Respondents
Age Frequency Percent
23-24 33 19.2
25-26 106 61.6
27-28 24 18
30 2 1.2
Total 172 100
In terms of age, most of the respondents showed that out of 172

respondents, 106 were aged 25-26 years old (or 61.6%), while others were
33 (or 19. 2%) were aged 23-24 years old, 24 (18%) were aged 27-28 years
old, and 2 (1.2%) were aged 30 years old
This can be interpreted that most laid-off young adult workers were at
the age of 25-26 years old (106 out of 172, or 61.6%) while the least number of
laid-off workers were at the age of 30 years old (2 out of 172, or 1.2%) on the
basis that that with respect to age, the impact of the pandemic is currently
significantly skewed, that the aged under 26 have the highest job loss rate
(Philippines Statistics Authority, 2021)

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1.2 Gender
Table 2
Gender FREQUENCY PERCENTAGE
Male 95 55.2
Female 77 44.8
Total 172 100

Frequency and Percentage Distribution according to Gender
There were a total of 172 respondents included in this study. As shown in

Table 2, the majority of the respondents were 95 males (or 55.2%) while 77 (or
44.8%) were females. This can be interpreted that those who were laid-off are
mostly males on the basis that the most jobs that were affected by the Covid 19
pandemic were in the sector of agriculture, industry, and service in which in the
record of Philippines Statistics Authority (2021), the rate of unemployed males
were higher than the rate of the women.
1.3 Duration of Being Laid-off
Table 3
Frequency and Percentage Distribution according to Duration of being Laid-off
Duration of Being Laid- FREQUENCY PERCENTAGE

off

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1-mo-1yr 55 32
1yr, 1mo-6mos 58 33.7
1 yr, 7mos-2yrs 59 34.3
Total 172 100
When it comes to the duration of being laid-off, as shown in the Table 3,

most of the respondents experienced being laid-off between 1 year 7 months to
2 years (34.3%) followed by 1 year 1 month to 6months (33.7%) and only 32% or
55 respondents for 1 month to 1 year. This can be interpreted that of the 172
laid-off workers, the majority of them were laid-off for 1 year and 7 months to 2
years (59 of 172, or (34.3) on the basis that, people are still anxious about the
thought of getting infected to the Covid-19 virus especially those workers that
are responsible for public services; they also fear infecting their house hold or
loved ones despite the security of the implemented safety measures for them to
be able to work safely (Escoto 2021)
What is the level of Toxic Positivity of the Laid-off Young Adult Workers?
Table 4
Level of Toxic Positivity for Laid-off Young Adult Workers
STATEMENT MEAN SD Verbal int

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FACTOR 1
3.32 0.48
1. I always think that my problems are a lot better than the A
others.
3.35 0.48
2. I am pushing away the thoughts of negativity even though I A
am struggling.
3.34 0.48
3. I often force myself to pretend that I am happy even though A
I’m struggling.
3.32 0.48
4. I believe that I have no time for negativity. A
3.33 0.47
5I am avoiding negative thoughts by doing unimportant things A
to make me happy.
3.34 0.48
6. I often force myself to look positive in front of others. A
FACTOR 2
3.57 0.50
1. I am cheerful in front of others even though I feel terrible. SA
3.62 0.49
2. make sure to maintain my positive attitude in front of others. SA
3.47 0.51
3. When things get hard, I always convince myself that A
everything happens for a reason.
3.50 0.50
4. always maintain a positive attitude even though I have A
struggles.

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3.31 0.47
5. always choose to be happy and positive even if I’m A
experiencing difficulties in every situation.
FACTOR 3
3.39 0.49
1. I always prefer to get over the painful problems I have been A
3.41 0.49
2. I am convincing myself that good things will come A
3.27 0.47
3. I tend to be guilty for being sad and disappointed. A
3.35 0.49
4. I am convincing myself to be grateful for what I have instead A
3.35 0.50
5. I tend to be silent whenever I encounter negative A
3.35 0.54
6. I am brushing off my problems rather than facing them. A
3.33 0.47
7. I always believe that everything will be just fine when there's A
a problem around me.
FACTOR 4
3.31 0.47
1. I usually feel weak when I am sad, so I just choose to be A
happy when there’s problem that arise.
3.39 0.49
2 I am forcing myself to believe that being negative is not my A
option.
3.40 0.49
3. I choose to look at the brighter side of negative situation A

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3.42 0.50
4. I often tell myself that I am the best and I must not fail. A
Factor 5
3.31 0.50
1. I convince myself that it could be worse whenever I have a A
problem.
3.34 0.48
2. I usually tell myself that I need to look on the positive side of A
the problem.
3.34 0.47
3. I am convincing myself that I should be content with what I A
still have.
3.26 0.44
4. I believe that being positive is the only way to go A
FACTOR 6
3.34 0.48
1. I convince myself that being sad can’t change anything A
when I’m in bad situation.
3.35 0.49
2. I convince myself that my situation is still better than the A
others.
3.37 0.48
3. I often hear “it’s okay, your problem is easier than the A
others”.
3.36 0.48
4. I am convincing myself that being negative won’t help me A
with my problems.
Total 3.36 0.02 A

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A = Agree………………….……………….…2.51-3.50
D = Disagree…………………..…………….1.51-2.50
SD = Strongly Disagree……………………1.00-1.50
Table 5
Summary of Results of Level of Toxic Positivity for Laid-off Young Adult Workers
Very high 22 12.8
High 150 87.2
Low 0 0
Very low 0 0
TOTAL 172 100
Based on the findings on Table 5, the summary of results of level of toxic

positivity showed that 150 of 172 respondents or 87.2% had “High” toxic
positivism, 22 respondents (or 12.8%) had “Very High” toxic positivism and only
0 respondents who had “Low and Very Low” toxic positivism of being Laid-off.
This can be interpreted that most laid-off young adult workers are High
on toxic positivism on the basis that due to pandemic, unemployed adults
needed to think positive in order for them to continue with their lives (Camitan,
2020)

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What is the level of Purpose in Life of the Laid-off Young Adult Workers?
Table 6
Level of Purpose in life of Laid-off Young Adult Workers
STATEMENTS MEAN SD VERBAL IN
1. I feel good when I think of what I’ve done in 4.70 1.30 SoA
the past and what I hope to do in the future
2. I live life one day at a time and don’t really 2.95 1.46 SlD
think about the future
3. sometimes, I focus on the present situation, 2.99 1.30 SlD

because the future gives me unexpected
problems
4. I have sense of direction and purpose in life 4.62 1.21 SoA
5. I’ve seen my daily activities seems to be trivial 3.24 1.43 SlD

and quite unimportant to me because of its
benefits to my personal life
6. I don’t have a good sense of what it is I’m trying 3.29 1.51 SlD
to accomplish in life.
7. I used to set goals for myself, but that now 2.30 1.07 SoD
seems like waste of time.
8. I enjoy making plans for the future and working 3.97 1.44 SlA
to make them to reality
9. I know to myself that I’m active in carrying out 3.99 1.37 SlA
my personal plans.

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10. some people wonder aimlessly through life, 3.85 1.31 SlD
but I am not one of them
11. sometimes I feel I’ve done everything in my 2.19 0.97 SoD

life.
12. I know that my aims in life have been focus in 4.01 1.27 SlA
satisfaction rather than frustration to me.
13. I find it satisfying to think about what I have 4.09 1.34 SlA
accomplish in life.
14. in my personal analysis, I am still uncertain in 2.10 1.34 SoD

different add-ups in my life that seems to be too
much.
TOTAL 3.45 0.19 SlD
Table 7
Summary of Results of Purpose in Life of the Laid-off Young Adult Workers
High Well-Being 1 0.58

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Low Well-Being 171 99.42
TOTAL
172 100

purpose in life showed that out of 172 (100%) respondents, 171 respondents (or
99.42%) shows “Low” purpose in life.
The negative effect of difficulty during COVID-19 on life satisfaction was figured
due to the problems and suffering cause by the pandemic outcome (i.e., job loss
and the limitation of social activities), which lowers the well-being consequently
of pleasure restriction and raised distress feelings. (Leung 2020) In association in
our findings, the laid-off manifested low well-being since the pandemic started
after the cut down of man power. Due to Covid-19 necessary interventions to
fight the spread of infectious disease led the world to suffer from the global
economic crisis which led to increasing unemployment rates all over the world.
Unemployment, job loss, and job layoff cause people to suffer from loss of
financial resources which led to negative effects on mental health. In this case
the laid-off workers manifest low well-being by the situation people are
currently facing and people’s current state can cause them stress which resulted
the unemployed workers possible stress. (Eva et.al, 2020) also indicated that
pessimism emerges during this pandemic crisis as a result of rigorous measures
such as isolation and lockdowns, causing people to become depressed and
unproductive.
What is the level of Environmental Mastery of Laid-off Young Adult Workers?

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Table 8
Level of Environmental Mastery of Laid-off Young Adult Workers
Statements Mean SD Verbal in
1. in general, I feel I am in charge of the situation 4.62 1.40 SoA
2. the demands of everyday life often get me down 0.83 SlD

1.97
3. I usually feel that I do not fit very well in the in the society I’m .83 SlD
with right now 1.97
4. I know to myself that I am good at managing the different 1.30 SlA

responsibilities of my daily life.
4.05
5. I feel overwhelmed by my responsibilities. 2.23 0.99 SoD
6. if I know I am quite unhappy with my current situation, I will 1.31 SlA

plan to have an effective step to change it 3.94
7. I always make sure to take care of my personal finances 4.09 1.32 SlA
8. I usually found the event I encounter that I can’t keep with 1.10 SoD
these things each day 2.35
9. I am good at juggling my time so that I can fit everything in 1.38 SlA

that needs to get done. 3.89
10. My daily life is busy, but I derive a sense of satisfaction from 0.94 SoA
keeping with everything 4.56
11. sometimes I see myself getting frustrated when trying to 0.75 SoD
plan activities due to unaccomplished things I set to do before
2.12
12. my efforts to find the kinds of activities and relation that I 1.27 SlA
need have been successful 3.98
13. I have difficulty arranging my life in the way that is satisfying 0.97 SoD
me 2.25

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14. I have been able to build a home and a lifestyle for myself 0.92 SlD
that is much to my liking 2.87
TOTAL 0.23 SlD

3.21

Table 9
Summary of results of Environmental Mastery of the Laid-off young Adult

Workers
High Well-being 5 2.91
Low Well-being 167 97.09
TOTAL
172 100

environmental mastery showed that 167 out of 172 respondents or 97.09% have
“Low” environmental mastery and 5 (or 2.91%) only have high environmental
mastery.

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This can be interpreted that the level of environmental mastery among

laid-off workers showed that unemployed crew members have low capability in
managing their problems and don’t have ability to cope with environmental
changes. Laid-off workers are inactive on involving in pursuing and maintaining a
strong social network with which they cannot successfully combine in problem
solving and adjustment in the current situation that people’s facing. Although,
one's baseline psychological well-being may be fairly stable, daily events and
experiences have an impact. Even the most resilient person, for example, can
eventually become very low, or depressed, if his or her daily experiences are
consistently troubling. There is strong evidence that long-term exposure to work-
related stressors has a negative impact on PWB, so, while short periods of
adversity may be beneficial in building resilience, long-term stress is not good for
PWB (Chandola 2008). Current stressful life events can be predictor for a
person’s sense of mastery. For example, research by Pearlin et. al (1981),
indicated that stressful events can decrease person's mastery, which can cause
to a greater chance of depression.
6. Is there a Relationship between Toxic Positivity to the Purpose in Life
Table 10
Relationship between Toxic Positivity to Purpose in Life
Variable WM SD r- p- Correlatio Verbal Decision

s value value nal Value interpretatio
n
Toxic 3.36 0.0 -0.083 0.279

Positivity 2

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Purpose 3.45 0.9 No No Failed to

in Life correlation significant reject
Relationship Ho

+/- 0.61 - 0.80. . . . . . . Strong
+/- 0.41 - 0.60. . . . . . . Moderate
+/- 0.21 - 0.40. . . . . . . Weak
+/- 0.01 - 0.20. . . . . . . Very Weak
Based on Table 10, for the Laid-off young adult workers, the scores on
toxic positivity (M=3.36, SD= 0.02) and the results on purpose in life (M=3.45,
SD=0.9) showed no correlation with an r-value of -0.08 and a p-value of 0.279
which exceeds to the level of significance (0.05) therefore the researchers failed
to reject the null hypothesis.
This can be interpreted as there is no significant relationship between

the toxic positivity and purpose in life on the basis that TP serves as intermediary
of PIL during the challenges that laid-off workers are facing since the pandemic.
The findings shows that high level of toxic positivism help people cope during life
problems and it maintain the laid-off worker’s purpose in life. (Leung 2021) also
stated that optimism act as a protective factor on the life satisfaction of people
in the situation of suffering during the COVID-19 public health crisis. Individuals
with high meaning in life showed a lower possibility of suffering from mental
health problems.
6.2. Is there a Relationship between Toxic Positivity to the

Table 11
Relationship of Toxic Positivity to Environmental Mastery

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Variables WM SD r- p- Correlation Verbal Decision

value value al Value interpretatio
n
Toxic 3.3 0.0 - 0.055

Positivity 6 2 0.147
Very weak Statistically reject
Correlatio significant Ho
Environmen 3.2 0.2 n
tal Mastery 1 3

+/- 0.61 - 0.80. . . . . . . Strong
+/- 0.41 - 0.60. . . . . . . Moderate
+/- 0.21 - 0.40. . . . . . . Weak
+/- 0.01 - 0.20. . . . . . . Very Weak
Based on Table 11 for the Laid-off young adult workers, the scores on
toxic positivity (M=3.36, SD= 0.02) and the scores on environmental mastery
((M=3.21, SD= 0.23). Showed weak negative correlation with an r-value of –
0.147; which means that the level of toxic positivity is high and the level of
environmental mastery is low. The p-value of 0.055 which has corresponding
level of significance (0.05) therefore the researchers rejected the null hypothesis.
This can be interpreted that if one’s daily circumstance are continually

distressing, even the most resilient individual can eventually feel quite low and
have negative influence on PWB, thus while brief moments of hardships may be
advantageous in building resilience, long term stress is not (Chandola, 2008).
However, during pandemic, the toxic positivity influenced the environmental
mastery of laid-off young adult laid-off workers. The belief on the positive in life
caused the laid-off young adult workers inability to progress and grow due to the
situation. Thus, in the study of (Eva 2020) optimism supports people's mental
health and positive social interactions during the pandemic; being optimistic
made them feel less pressured. They may lessen their trouble by adopting a

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positive mindset, especially in times like these, when bad news and conspiracy
theories spread like wildfire on the internet. As a result, people must be
optimistic in order to cope and lessen psychological issues. They require
optimism in order to be more effective at dealing with and managing their
environment.
DISCUSSION
This study aims to examine the influence of toxic positivity to the purpose
in life and environmental mastery of laid-off young adult workers during
pandemic. Specifically, it will answer the following research questions: 1. What is
the profile of the Laid-off young adult workers in terms of: age, gender and
duration of being laid off. 2. What is the level of toxic positivity of the laid-off
young adult workers? 3. What is the level of Purpose in Life of the Laid-off young
adult workers? 4. What is the level of Environmental Mastery of the Laid-off
young adult workers? 5. Is there a significant relationship between toxic
positivity among the laid off young adult workers in terms of purpose in life and
environmental mastery. The study is a correlational research design that the
researchers used to gather and measure a relationship between two variables
without the research controlling them. The researchers gathered the data
through the use of survey questionnaires and conducted the survey by posting
on a specific Facebook Group that has different branches of Jollibee that are
located in Metro Manila City as research locale. The respondents were Jollibee
crew workers that had been laid-off since the pandemic started. They were
selected using random sampling in which the researchers will gather a subset of
individuals chosen from a larger set of the total population. After answering the
survey, the researchers used the convenience sampling to select the
respondents such as the Jollibee Staff and Crew at the age range of 19 to 40
years old who had been laid off from their work on Jollibee Branches in Metro

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22 22 iii
Manila. Following the collection of data, the statistical treatments that have
been used in this study are analyzed using Jamovi and Pearson Correlation
Coefficient measures the strength and direction of association between
variables. The researchers preferred this method to understand whether there is
an association between toxic positivity and purpose in life. The researchers also
used a Pearson's correlation to understand whether there is an association
between toxic positivity and environmental mastery.
Majority of the laid-off Jollibee workers were within the ages of 25-26 years old
(61.6%) while the least were within the ages 30 years old (1.2%) Meanwhile, the
mostly of laid-off Jollibee workers are male 95 out of 172 (55.2%) while the
female are 77 out of 172 (44.8%) The duration of laid-off of Jollibee workers are
mostly 1 year and 7 months - 2 years (34.3%).
Based on the findings, the level of toxic positivity of the laid-off young adults
workers are 155 of 172 respondents or 87.2% had High toxic positivism. The
summary level of results of purpose in life of the laid-off young adults workers
are 82 of 172 respondents or 47.7 had Slightly High level of purpose in life and
The level of results of environmental mastery of the laid-off young adults
workers are 69 of 172 respondents or 40.1% had “slightly high” level of
In determining the significant relationship of toxic positivity between

purpose in life and environmental mastery shows that there’s a significant
relationship in the toxic positivity and environmental mastery, the computed
Pearson correlation is -0.147 which has very weak correlation and the P-value is
0.055 which is the same with 0.05 level of significance therefore, there is an
influence between toxic positivity and environmental mastery. While in the toxic
positivity and purpose in life, the computed Pearson correlation is -0.083 which

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has no relationship at all and the P-value is 0.279 which is higher than the level
of significance then it means that there is no significant relationship between
toxic positivity and purpose in life.
CONCLUSION
The researcher used the analysis of EFA (Explanatory Factor Analysis), it

aims to provide enough information for readers to understand the strength or
weakness of the factor structure, and for future researchers to provide stronger
reliability and validity support for the self-made instrumentation. To Improve the
study, the researchers propose that the research area be expanded to
accommodate additional population in order to represent the population of laid
off crew workers. Also, the researchers suggest to have more study on the
influence of toxic positivity to the duration of being laid-off on Metro Manila
since there are numerous of unemployed workers due to our condition. This
current research with toxic positivity conducted on specific populations (e.g.,
laid-off Jollibee workers) would provide us with more concrete results regarding
the relationships between toxic positivity, purpose in life and environmental
mastery. Hence, the study of the influence between toxic positivity, purpose in
life and environmental mastery is important, since it allows us to understand the
condition of being unemployed relate to toxic positivism on the outcome of
pandemic. Also, while emphasizing the effectiveness of toxic positivity as an
positivism in this area concerning unemployed workers. The variables (PIL and
EM) included in this study are parts of the psychological wellbeing, the survey of
the relationships between the variables will allow us with the opportunity, not
only to figure basic action, but also to use all related information in order to form
practical intervention. However, there is no specific answer on how to help laid-
off workers cope with of toxic positivism. Thus, more attention to and work on
developing knowledge and understanding on positivity has helped and can help
unemployed crew workers establish and maintain purpose in life, not only in
their daily work, but also throughout their life. The researchers recommend that
we make further study and make improvements and consider replication
regarding this topic. The researchers also advise to avoid telling positive
thoughts and emotions and allow yourself to open up negative emotions. It is
also suggest that if a person feels powerful for thinking positively, having the

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ability to make an impact and to change the outcome, at the end of the day that
person needs a companion to inform them of their bad days.
CURRICULUM VITAE
SOFIA LYKA A. GATUS

420 Alegia St. Sta Mesa Manila
09489642247
sofialykag@gmail.com
PERSONAL INFORMATION:

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25 25 iii
Age: 23 Years Old

Gender: Female
Date of Birth: July 10, 1998
Place of Birth: Quezon City
Citizenship: Filipino
Civil Status: Single
Father’s Name: Ferdinand A. Gatus
Mother’s Name: Rosario G. Gatus
EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND:
TERTIARY: Arellano University – Manila

Bachelor of Science in Human Resources (2016-2017)
Bachelor of Science in Psychology (2018-present)
Core Skills:
● Oriented in Microsoft Office Application such as:
Microsoft Office Word

Microsoft Office Excel
Microsoft Office PowerPoint
● Fast Learner, Resourceful, Flexible

● Very Professional and Responsible towards given tasks
● Ability to work well under pressure
CURRICULUM VITAE
LYRA DALE GUERRA

Guinto St. San Juan
Cabangan, Zambales
+63995 973 0034
Lyra.guerra@arellano.edu.com

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26 26 iii
PERSONAL INFORMATION
Age: 22 Years Old Civil Status: Single

Gender: Female Citizenship: Filipino
Date of Birth: September 28, 1999 Father’s Name: Gary G. Galindez
Place of Birth: Olongapo City Mother’s Name: Lyria T. Guerra
Religion: Roman Catholic
EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND
ELEMENTARY: Cabangan Elementary School (2006-2012)

SECONDARY: Immaculate Concepcion Academy (2012-2014)
Cabangan National Highschool (2014-2016)
SENIOR: Magsaysay Memorial College (2016-2019)
TERTIARY: Arellano University - Juan Sumulong Campus (2018-present)
Course: Bachelor of Science in Psychology
TECHNICAL AND PROFESSIONAL SKILLS
● Able to motivate and lead others in a project team environment

● A proactive approach and the ability to work autonomously and as part of
a team
● Analytical and methodical when approaching problems
● Attentive to details, efficient and organized
● Proficient in Microsoft Office (Excel, PowerPoint, Word)
CURRICULUM VITAE
FRALIA GRACE D. CASTRO

09357133071
1503 P. Guevarra St.Sta. Cruz, Manila
fralia.castro@arellano.edu.ph

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27 27 iii
Personal Information:
Age: 21 years old
Gender: Female
Place of Birth: Manila
Date of Birth: August 2, 2000
Citizenship: Filipino
Religion:Protestant
Civil Status: Single
Father’s Name: Arnold U. Castro
Mother’s Name: Febie D. Castro
Educational Attainment:
Elementary: Padre Gomez Elementary School (2006-2012)
Secondary: Manuel Araullo High School (2012-2016)
Senior High School: (2016-2019)
Tertiary: Arellano University (2018-current)
Course: BS-Psychology

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ARELLANO UNIVERSITY

BACHELOR OF SCIENCE IN PSYCHOLOGY

THE INFLUENCE OF TOXIC POSITIVITY TO THE PURPOSE

A Research Study Presented to the

In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements of the Degree

Electronic copy available at: https://ssrn.com/abstract=4094808

PAULO MANUEL L. MACAPAGAL,PhD, RPm, RPsy

JOAN SAN JUAN, MA, RPm, RPSy MYLENE T. SANGINES, MA

JENNIFER BOYERO, MA AMOR MIA H. MIRANDA, MA, RPm, RpSY

PAULO MANUEL L. MACAPAGAL, PhD, RPm, RPsy

Electronic copy available at: https://ssrn.com/abstract=4094808

TITLE: “The Influence of Toxic Positivity to the Purpose in Life and

Keywords: toxic positivity, purpose in life, environmental mastery

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We would also like to express our heartfelt and outspoken gratitude to

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CHAPTER 1 The Problem and its Background

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CHAPTER 2 Review of Related Literature and Studies

CHAPTER 3 The Research Methods

CHAPTER 4 Presentation, Interpretation and Analysis of Data

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Figure Title Page

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Table Title Page

Appendix I: Permit to Conduct the Research 71

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Appendix III: Informed Consent for Research Participants 75

Appendix XIII: Statistician& Translator 145

Curriculum Vitae 151

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Statement of the Problem

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3. What is the level of Purpose in Life of the Laid-off young adult

Significance of the Study

The findings of this study will hopefully merit the following:

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The following will be tested at 0.5 level of significance:

H0: There is no significant relationship between toxic positivity to the purpose

Theoretical / Conceptual Framework

This research is anchored on the theory of Broaden-and-Build Theory.

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This chapter primarily presented the different literature, researchers and

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Emotion suppression is an attempt to avoid experiencing difficult emotions.

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suppressing experience of emotions among individuals with varying levels of

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individuals is a good coping technique, especially in the context of

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Wu et.al (2013) Their study had 121 outpatients diagnosed with

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optimism and self-esteem are effective resources in reducing emotional distress.