Editorial: Time perspective in learning, developmental, and interpersonal contexts

摘要

This special issue focuses on time perspective, which is defined as the totality of an individual's views of his/her psychological past and future existing at a given time (Lewin, 1951). Some people are able to foresee the future implications of their present behavior very well, while others live "in the present"and do not anticipate the future consequences of their present activities as strongly.These individual differences can help to understand the dynamics of learning, motivation, development, wellbeing, and culture, which can be applied to educational and clinical practices and interventions. In times of uncertainty, which are not only due to economic and political crises, but also to natural disasters and atomic accidents such as the one that occurred on March 11, 2011 in Japan, the study of time perspective is expected to suggest new directions in our understanding of individuals' way of remembering their past, experiencing the present, and foreseeing the future. This special issue is a challenge to this task through the evolving research area of time perspective.