��A Hideous Torture on Himself��: Madness and Self-Mutilation in Victorian Literature

This paper suggests that late nineteenth-century definitions of self-mutilation, a new category of psychiatric symptomatology, were heavily influenced by the use of self-injury as a rhetorical device in the novel, for the literary text held a high status in Victorian psychology. In exploring Dimmesdale's "self-mutilation" in The Scarlet Letter in conjunction with psychiatric case histories, the paper indicates a number of common techniques and themes in literary and psychiatric texts. As well as illuminating key elements of nineteenth-century conceptions of the self, and the relation of mind and body through ideas of madness, this exploration also serves to highlight the social commentary implicit in many Victorian medical texts. Late nineteenth-century England, like mid-century New England, required the individual to help himself and, simultaneously, others; personal charity and individual philanthropy were encouraged, while state intervention was often presented as dubious. In both novel and psychiatric text, self-mutilation is thus presented as the ultimate act of selfish preoccupation, particularly in cases on the "borderlands" of insanity.     

“Can't Have it All”: Representations of Older Women in Popular Culture

Representations of older women in the media are defined by the double marginalization of age and gender. The analysis presented here illustrates four major stages in the development of such images: invisibility of older women, stereotypization, ghettoization, and integration. All of these forms continue to circulate simultaneously in popular media at the current time. The feminist critique of these representations suggests that they might be playing a significant role in how women interpret and experience aging. Thus, the authors argue that the complex dialogue between media representations of older women and the lived realities of these women may have meaningful implications for feminist therapy.     

Girls�� and Boys�� Disclosure about Problems as a Predictor of Changes in Depressive Symptoms Over Time

Gender differences consistently emerge in adolescents?? friendships, with girls disclosing to friends about troubles and concerns more than boys. Although theories regarding possible emotional benefits of catharsis, as well as everyday assumptions, suggest that talking about problems makes people feel better, research regarding the impact of disclosure about problems on depressive symptoms has not been conclusive. In the current study, 79 early adolescent high school students residing in the Southeastern United States (73% European American) were observed talking about problems with a friend. Of primary interest was whether disclosure to friends predicted changes in self-reported depression over 6 months for girls and boys. Although girls disclosed to friends about problems (especially interpersonal problems) more than did boys, disclosure did not buffer girls from the development of depressive symptoms over time. In contrast, boys?? disclosure predicted their experiencing fewer depressive symptoms 6 months later. Results suggest that talking to friends may not be an especially effective method of coping with problems for girls.     

Rabbis and Health: A Half-Century Review of the Mental and Physical Health Care Literature:1950–1999

Electronic searches were conducted on PubMed and the American Psychological Association's database (PsycINFO) for articles that discussed the role of rabbis in relation to some aspect of healthcare. The two searches were conducted in each electronic database using the search-terms: (1) (rabbi OR rabbinical OR synagogue) OR (2) (Judaism OR Jewish) AND (clergy OR chaplain). Articles were classified by the year of their publication, professional discipline, type of journal (either religious or secular), and type of article: either research, or narrative and expositional. Rabbis were discussed most often in psychology, psychiatry, and behavior-related fields, and close to two-thirds of the articles dealt with mental health concerns. A statistically significant increase in articles across decades was found in the secular journals, r=.98, p≤.01, with over 70% of the articles about rabbis in the secular journals being published between 1980 and 1999. Many of the articles addressed collaboration between rabbis, psychiatrists, and other and mental health professionals and discussed previously identified themes related to professional collaboration and referral.     

The Image of Disease in Religious,Medical–Astrological and Social Discourses: Old Polish Literature as an Example of Early Modern European Mentality

Journal of Religion and Health - Today, the world is struggling with a coronavirus epidemic. People explain differently the causes and sense of this disease. Old Polish literature about diseases is...     

Was that a man? Sex identification as a function of menstrual cycle and masculinity

The accuracy of female perceivers on a face sex‐categorization task was investigated as a function of perceivers' menstrual cycle and target facial qualities. Regularly ovulating female participants completed a sex‐categorization task twice, once during ovulation (high fertility) and once during menstruation (low fertility). Perceivers made more errors in identifying male than female faces at both testing sessions. Fewer errors were made in identifying male targets rated high on masculinity, but only during periods of high fertility. For female targets accuracy was negatively associated with masculinity and positively associated with attractiveness ratings, at both high and low fertility testing sessions. Results are discussed in terms of adaptive person construal. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Popular Perceptions of Shari‘a Law in Nigeria

After years of brutal authoritarian rule, a window of opportunity opened and Nigeria successfully held democratic elections in 1999. The election forced leaders of the Hausa ethnic group to relinquish power after nearly twenty years at the helm. In an attempt to demonstrate their political power and influence, some states in the northern part of the country implemented Shari'a in the months following the national election that witnessed the victory of Olusegun Obasanjo. Although there have been several works that examine the issue of Shari‘a, such studies have not examined the subject taking public opinion data into account. Afrobarometer data collected in Nigeria in 2001 and 2007 give unparalleled insight into how Nigerians view Shari‘a law and how these views have changed over time.     

Individual Differences in Children��s Occupational Aspirations as a Function of Parental Traditionality

The current study was designed to test the application of the social-cognitive theory of gender development in predicting the traditionality of children??s occupational aspirations (Bussey and Bandura 1999). Of primary interest was the influence of children??s efficacy for nontraditional tasks on their occupational aspirations. Participants were 150 children and their mothers from the southern United States. Mothers reported their gendered attitudes, their perception of their children??s skills, and their family??s division of paid and unpaid labor. Children reported their occupational aspirations and efficacy for traditional and nontraditional skills, occupations, and school topics. Mothers who reported nontraditional attitudes had children with nontraditional occupational aspirations. This association was mediated by children??s efficacy for nontraditional tasks, indicating some support for the social-cognitive theory.     

‘Heart-talk:’ Considering the Role of the Heart in Therapy as Evidenced in the Quran and Medical Research

The emphasis on scientific approaches and evidence-based therapy has been a key force in developing and refining existing models of therapy. While this has been unquestioningly invaluable, it has similarly restricted the development and so implementation of those models that do not lend themselves easily to current research methodology, since the lack of evidence-practice research means they are not considered as ‘legitimate’ therapeutic practice. That the mind and body have an inter-dependent relationship is readily evidenced in numerous religious texts, but the lack of acknowledgement of that relationship in contemporary therapeutic approaches means that patients are not able to benefit from its use in sessions. Ironically, it is current developments in medical research that have discovered the reality around this relationship that have enabled such models to be further explore within an accepted context of evidence-based practice. This paper highlights the relationship between the heart and brain function as evidenced with brief reference to Quranic verses and medical (namely, neurocardiological) research. Further, it raises questions around the implications of this information for therapists working in both physical and mental health. The concept of ‘heart talk’ is an extension of the term ‘heart brain’ coined by Dr Armour (Professor of Pharmacology) in 1991 and is suggestive of its use in the world of psychological therapy. It relates to those cognitions which patients suggest come ‘from the heart’ which though previously dismissed are now suggestive of having some scientific basis and are potentially a legitimate source of information in understanding patients experiences.     

First Year Medical Students’ Perceptions Towards Integration of Medical Law in the Medical Curriculum: a Pilot Study

Medical law is not new in medical literature and can constitute an imperative component in medical education. Some medical schools include medical law as a compulsory component of the curriculum. In line with curriculum re-structuring at the University of Malaya, medical law was integrated in the medical curriculum and the feasibility of this integration into the Year 1 undergraduate curriculum was evaluated. Following implementation of a 4-week medical law module, an evaluation of the suitability of early integration of this module was conducted using a ten-item, 4-point Likert scale (1?=?strongly disagree to 4?=?strongly agree) questionnaire. Two open-ended questions were also included to gauge insights of the integration. All items were scored 3 points or more from the students’ responses (n?=?129). Using the open-ended questions, recommendations for future directions as well as constraints and issues related to the integration of medical law into teaching and learning was revealed. Overall, findings of the study indicated that integrating medical law into medical curriculum at an early stage was beneficial for the medical students.     

Adolescents’ Exposure to a Sexualized Media Environment and Their Notions of Women as Sex Objects

This study was designed to investigate whether adolescents’ exposure to a sexualized media environment is associated with stronger beliefs that women are sex objects. More specifically, we studied whether the association between notions of women as sex objects and exposure to sexual content of varied explicitness (i.e., sexually non-explicit, semi-explicit, or explicit) and in different formats (i.e., visual and audio-visual) can be better described as cumulative or as hierarchical. Further, we investigated whether this association was contingent on gender. Based on data from an on-line survey of 745 Dutch adolescents aged 13 to 18, we found that the relationship between exposure to a sexualized media environment and notions of women as sex objects followed a hierarchical pattern: Starting with adolescents’ exposure to sexually semi-explicit content, the statistical significance of the relationship with notions of women as sex objects moved from semi-explicit to explicit sexual content and from visual to audio-visual formats. Exposure to sexually explicit material in on-line movies was the only exposure measure significantly related to beliefs that women are sex objects in the final regression model, in which exposure to other forms of sexual content was controlled. The relationship between exposure to a sexualized media environment and notions of women as sex objects did not differ for girls and boys.     

Finding Hope as a “Tempting Girl” in China: Sex Work,Indentured Mobility,and Cosmopolitan Individuals

This article chronicles the experiences which lead some female migrant workers in Dongguan, China, to deliberately transition from factory work to sex work. Their decisions are guided by indentured mobility as well as bounded rational choice. This article presents ethnographic data from 45 streetwalkers in Dongguan who navigated highly competitive and risky urban environments involving pimps, police, and gang members. The Chinese government hukou system puts them at an additional disadvantage. Still, life as a streetwalker became their path to economic freedom, removing them from the abject poverty of the factory sweatshop and into an individualized life in urban China.     

Sex differences in intrinsic aptitude for mathematics and science?: a critical review

This article considers 3 claims that cognitive sex differences account for the differential representation of men and women in high-level careers in mathematics and science: (a) males are more focused on objects from the beginning of life and therefore are predisposed to better learning about mechanical systems; (b) males have a profile of spatial and numerical abilities producing greater aptitude for mathematics; and (c) males are more variable in their cognitive abilities and therefore predominate at the upper reaches of mathematical talent. Research on cognitive development in human infants, preschool children, and students at all levels fails to support these claims. Instead, it provides evidence that mathematical and scientific reasoning develop from a set of biologically based cognitive capacities that males and females share. These capacities lead men and women to develop equal talent for mathematics and science.     

Multiple Representations in Number Line Estimation: A Developmental Shift or Classes of Representations?

Children's estimation patterns on a number line estimation task may provide information about the mental representation of the magnitude of numbers. Siegler and his colleagues concluded that children's mental representations shift from a logarithmic-ruler representation to a linear-ruler representation. However, there are important methodological issues with respect to their number-line studies that threaten the validity of the conclusions. We discuss these methodological issues and propose an alternative method to analyze estimation data. One hundred nineteen children from kindergarten, first, and second grade performed a number-line estimation task in which they had to estimate the position of 30 numbers on a 0-to-100 number line. The results supported the hypothesis that children show various kinds of estimation patterns. Five classes of children were distinguished, which were characterized by different estimation patterns. A remarkable result was that the logarithmic-ruler representation was not found. Although young children were more likely to show overestimation of small numbers than older children, this developmental trend was small and not significant.     

Do monkeys think in metaphors? Representations of space and time in monkeys and humans

Research on the relationship between the representation of space and time has produced two contrasting proposals. ATOM posits that space and time are represented via a common magnitude system, suggesting a symmetrical relationship between space and time. According to metaphor theory, however, representations of time depend on representations of space asymmetrically. Previous findings in humans have supported metaphor theory. Here, we investigate the relationship between time and space in a nonverbal species, by testing whether non-human primates show space–time interactions consistent with metaphor theory or with ATOM. We tested two rhesus monkeys and 16 adult humans in a nonverbal task that assessed the influence of an irrelevant dimension (time or space) on a relevant dimension (space or time). In humans, spatial extent had a large effect on time judgments whereas time had a small effect on spatial judgments. In monkeys, both spatial and temporal manipulations showed large bi-directional effects on judgments. In contrast to humans, spatial manipulations in monkeys did not produce a larger effect on temporal judgments than the reverse. Thus, consistent with previous findings, human adults showed asymmetrical space–time interactions that were predicted by metaphor theory. In contrast, monkeys showed patterns that were more consistent with ATOM.