Three longitudinal studies examine a fundamental question regarding adjustment of personal values to self-chosen life transitions: Do values fit the new life setting already at its onset, implying value-based self-selection? Or do values change to better fit the appropriate and desirable values in the setting, implying value socialization? As people are likely to choose a life transition partly based on their values, their values may fit the new life situation already at its onset, leaving little need for value socialization. However, we propose that this may vary as a function of the extent of change the life transition entails, with greater change requiring more value socialization. To enable generalization, we used 3 longitudinal studies spanning 3 different life transitions and different extents of life changes: vocational training (of new police recruits), education (psychology vs. business students), and migration (from Poland to Britain). Although each life transition involved different key values and different populations, across all 3 studies we found value fit to the life situation already early in the transition. Value socialization became more evident the more aspects of life changed as part of the transition, that is, in the migration transition. The discussion focuses on the implications of these findings for research on values and personality change, as well as limitations and future directions for research.

Vaccination is one of the cornerstones of controlling an influenza pandemic. To optimise vaccination rates in the general population, ways of identifying determinants that influence decisions to have or not to have a vaccination need to be understood. Therefore, this study aimed to predict intention to have a swine influenza vaccination in an adult population in the UK. An extension of the Theory of Planned Behaviour provided the theoretical framework for the study.

The outbreak of the pandemic flu, Influenza A H1N1 (Swine Flu) in early 2009, provided a major challenge to health services around the world. Previous pandemics have led to stockpiling of goods, the victimisation of particular population groups, and the cancellation of travel and the boycotting of particular foods (e.g. pork). We examined initial behavioural and attitudinal responses towards Influenza A, H1N1 ("Swine flu") in the six days following the WHO pandemic alert level 5, and regional differences in these responses.

Previous cross-cultural research into social support has attributed national variations in observed support to assumed cultural variables, but has rarely measured these variables directly. Furthermore, this cross-cultural work has failed to differentiate between support from friends and from families, and between global perceptions of available support and the support received after an event. In this study, 140 respondents from UK (N = 72) and Spain (N = 68) completed scales assessing cultural collectivism (Bierbrauer, Meyer, & Wolfradt, 1994), measures of perceived global support (Cohen & Hoberman, 1983), and received social support, as well as additional indices of self-esteem (Rosenberg, 1965) and life satisfaction (Diener, Emmons, Larsen, & Griffin, 1985). Path analytic analyses found that Spanish respondents were, as expected, more collectivist than their British counterparts, and that collectivism predicted reported family support after an event and global perceptions of available support. Global perceived support and support from friends after an event were significant correlates of self- esteem, which, along with global support and support from family members, was a significant correlate of life satisfaction. These findings underline the importance of analysing cultural values and the multiple components of social support when assessing the impact of culture on support.