Future Image and Positive Thinking in Relation to Crises among Palestinian Youth in Gaza Governorates

Abstract

The current study aimed at examining future image and positive thinking in relation to crises among Palestinian youth in Gaza governorates. It also attempted to recognize the nature of differences in the participants’ responses to future image scale, positive thinking scale, and crises scale in reference to gender, major, and residence. The sample of the study was composed of 849 male and female students selected from Al- Aqsa University and Al-Azhar University. The study used three scales: future image scale, positive thinking scale, and crises scale. Results concluded that Palestinian youth suffering from crises was high (i.e., 79.67%), as they experienced different types of crises, including economic crises which got the first rank (85.51%) followed by political crises ( 81.22%), academic crises (78.88%), social cultural crises (77.46%), security crises (75.44%), and finally psychological crises (74.53%). Furthermore, the study showed (47.60%) of the participants had unclear and ambiguous image of future. It was also concluded that (83.37%) of the participants had a high level of positive thinking. There also was a negative correlational relation between the participants’ responses to crises scale and their responses to positive thinking scale and future image scale. Moreover, the study revealed that while there were no statistically significant differences in the means of the participants’ responses to future image scale attributed to gender and major, there were differences attributed to residence in favor of those residing in cities. It was also shown that there were no statistically significant differences in the means of the participants’ responses to overall scale of crises and its dimensions, except future expectation in favor of people residing in camps and academic crises in favor of scientific majors,. The study revealed that there were no statistically significant differences in the participants’ responses to overall positive thinking scale and its dimensions except future expectations in favor of females. and the overall score of the scale and variables of self-leadership and cognitive habits in favor of people residing in camps and self-leadership in favor of scientific majors.