Cultural aspects of male sex aggression

Sex aggression is the forceful pursuit of a sexual goal that offends the victim. Most college women report encountering sex aggression, and about one quarter of college males admit forcefully persisting in their pursuit of a sexual goal after they realize that it is disagreeable and offensive to the female. Three explanations for the existence of this substantial number of sex aggressors are discussed and tested. The data are not consistent with the explanation that the young men are responding to feelings of powerlessness. The data are consistent with the explanation that sex aggression is a socially learned aggressive behavior. The data are also consistent with the explanation that sex aggression is a response to structural strain (Merton's anomie) that is mediated by cultural legitimations.     

Some aspects of negation in English

I introduce a formal language called the language of informational independence (IL-language, for short) that extends an ordinary first-order language in a natural way. This language is interpreted in terms of semantical games of imperfect information. In this language, one can define two negations: (i) strong or dual negation, and (ii) weak or contradictory negation. The latter negation, unlike the former, can occur only sentence-initially. Then I argue that, to a certain extent, the two negations match the distinction existing in natural languages between sentential and constituent negation. As a corollary, I derive the fact that there are no mechanical rules for forming the contradictory negation of an English sentence.     

Etiopathogenesis of neuroses

A population of not selected patients of a psychotherapeutic ambulance was described and researched exactly in its typical character of actual degree of disease made by organic symptoms, of experience of self-confidence and experience of the context of social relations. 25% of patients were found to be sound. The neurotic patients significantly differed in experiences of former social relationship. Patients suffering from disturbed self-confidence and disturbed social relationship frequently described disorders in relation to their mothers. Patients suffering from disturbed self-confidence but actually stable social relationship described mor disorders in relationship to their fathers. The mechanism of transfer is discussed.     

Some aspects of predatory behavior

Predatory behavior is conceived of as a loose chain of responses including searching for relevant stimuli, hunting or chasing potential prey, capturing or attacking prey, and killing and feeding on prey. These aspects, which may occur independently, are described and discussed separately with an emphasis on mammalian species of carnivores. Particular attention is paid to opportunism in prey selection, specific searching images with their possible antecedents, the role of hunger in prey attack, and the phenomenon of surplus killing. Finally a discussion of mouse killing by rats attempts to show similarities between this and other more traditional examples of predation.     

Some aspects of phonological impairment in aphasia

The relationships between expressive and receptive phonemic disorders and between disturbances of phoneme processing and general disorders of auditory comprehension were studied in 69 aphasic patients, by means of a phoneme discrimination test and of a standard aphasia battery. A significant but incomplete correlation between disorders of phonemic output and of phoneme analysis was found. The view is put forth that in some patients only phoneme encoding or decoding is disturbed, whereas in others a central level of phoneme processing is impaired. A significant but partial correlation was also found between disorders of phonological analysis and general disorders of auditory comprehension. This supports the view that, besides sequential phonological analysis, other processes operate in auditory comprehension.     

Some aspects of eloquence in Descartes's works

In Descartes's philosophy, communicating scientific and philosophical truth does not represent a problem that can be traced back to humanistic rhetoric, meant as the art of persuasion. Descartes states his belief in the eloquence of reason: a clear, precise, and adequately expressed thought cannot fail to convince the listener. This is the measure of the distance between the level of truth and the level of opinion. However, the moment of confrontation with the public is also the very moment when the truth of the new knowledge enters into conflict with other, different conceptions. Education and history influence communication with the result that the distinction between intellectual conviction and persuasion becomes less straightforward. Rational eloquence, as Descartes is well aware, must be articulated in such a way as to avoid any possible language equivocation and to adopt exposition strategies ensuring effective access to readers. The aim of this paper is to illustrate some aspects of this tension as expressed by the writer Descartes with reference to a number of texts (from the Regulae to the Meditationes) that were essential for the elaboration and dissemination of his philosophy.