Life orientation, positive thinking, and intellectual extremism among female Physical Education teachers in post-conflict Iraqi

Objective. This study was conducted to identify the levels of life orientation, positive thinking, and intellectual extremism of female physical education teachers in post-conflict liberated areas of Iraq and to explain the relationships between variables. Methods: A descriptive-correlational method was used. The sample was 436 female physical education teachers in Nineveh, Salah al-Din, and Kirkuk governorates. Instruments-Data were gathered through the Life Orientation Scale, Positive Thinking Scale, and Intellectual Extremism Scale, the validity and reliability of which had been established. Results: The results showed that the sample scored a high orientation toward life (M=34.67) and positive thoughts (M=50.75), and a low degree of intellectual extremism (M=70.89). The correlation between life orientation and intellectual extremism was −0.67 (r = 0.67, P < 0.01), indicating a strong, statistically significant negative correlation between the two variables, while positive thinking and intellectual extremism did not indicate a statistically significant correlation (r = −0.11). Conclusion: The study results indicate that the teachers showed a high level of psychological resilience in hostile environmental conditions. Life orientation is protective against extremism when it has cognitive and existential predictive power diffuse orienting, and positive thinking is not a risk factor for the youth in countering extremism although positive thinking is an important characteristic of mental health. Abstract: Background: Teachers in post-conflict settings are psychologically resilient. Incorporating a sense of purpose in life orientation is, therefore, a promising psychosocial mechanism for reducing vulnerability to extremist ideologies and movements.