Strukturen der Alterskriminalität

The group of the over 60-years-old does only contribute a relatively small part to the registered crime – compared to their continuously growing percentage in the population. Crimes committed by elderly persons are predominantly property offences with shoplifting playing an outstanding role. Elderly persons are also overrepresented concerning offences of insult, (negligent) arson and environmental offences whereas violent crimes are rare. Elderly men are also slightly overrepresented concerning sexual abuse of children, but this is very rare, too. As a whole, the fear that Germany will be overrun by a wave of old-age crime does not seem to be confirmed. Elderly offenders are still very rare and the offences committed are significantly less heavy than those committed by younger offenders.     

Pluralität der Wissenschaften

In September 2002 the international conference on "Pluralism of sciences: the psychoanalytic method between clinical, empirical and conceptual research" took place in Frankfurt am Main. One of the purposes was to discuss a research methodology, which is adequate in psychoanalysis. The major points were clinical research as process-outcome research and experimental research on psychoanalytic paradigms with current methods of the so-called "life sciences". A critical discussion of these research strategies appeared difficult and did not reach a satisfying conclusion.     

Testpsychologische Ansätze der Beschwerdenvalidierung

The presence of cognitive impairment has been documented for a large number of diseases, conditions and mental disorders. Due to their impact on functioning in professional life and in everyday activities, there appears to be an increasing demand of qualified neuropsychological examinations in civil forensic contexts. While neuropsychological testing is the method of choice for determining the presence and the profile of cognitive impairment, it is easy to underperform in such tests. The authenticity of test results has to be thoroughly checked using modern approaches of symptom validity assessment. Without adequate validity checks, forensic psychological examinations are incomplete.     

Die Effektivität der Hypnose

From 193 studies published until 1998 that investigated the efficacy of hypnosis 43 randomized clinical studies were selected that compared a patient group treated exclusively by hypnosis with an untreated control group (or with a group of patients treated by conventional medical procedures). The 43 studies were integrated into a meta-analysis that yielded a weighted average post-treatment effect size of d=.60 (medium effect size) for hypnotic treatment of ICD-10 coded disorders (24 studies; average treatment period: 5.1 weeks) and d=.38 (small effect) for hypnosis as an adjunct for supporting medical procedures (19 studies). These estimates are conservative since all variables of a given study were used. Most of the studies employed methods of the classical approach to hypnosis. In order to obtain an estimate to which extent non-clinical factors (design-quality, way of comparison of dependent variables) have an influence on the effect sizes, effect sizes were computed for all studies of the original 193 studies that reported the necessary statistical information (N=89). For those studies with an average effect size of d=.80 a massive influence of non-clinical factors was demonstrated with a range from d=.51 for randomized studies with group comparisons to d=2.0 for non-randomized studies using pre-post-comparisons.     

Religiosität und Spiritualität in der Psychotherapie

For many years religious and spiritual issues have been avoided in psychotherapy. In the face of social changes a more culturally sensitive psychotherapy is needed to professionally deal with religious backgrounds, spiritual needs and spiritual resources. A remarkable spiritual turn has recently been observed particularly in psychoanalysis, which was originally very antireligious. Health research studies are exploring the healing craft of religious virtues and values. It is important to discern between an empirically proven healing method and an ideologically founded promise of salvation. It is the task of the therapist to find out whether the patient's religiosity or spirituality is part of the problem or part of the solution.     

Wahrheitsähnlichkeit als Regulativ der Intentionalität?

Is there still any importance of Husserl's Phenomenology for contemporary forms of philosophy of science? A comparison between Phenomenology and a prominent form of such modern philosophy of science, the so-called Critical Rationalism of Karl Popper, may help to answer this question. Therefore, the different levels of argumentation have to be worked out to make the respective arguments applicable to one another. We are arguing for the following thesis: the strategy of corroboration in Critical Rationalism can be justified by means of the phenomenological conception of intentioality of consciousness. A typical example may illustrate how Popper's conception of taking the degree of corroboration as an indicator of the degree of verisimilitude can find its deeper foundation in Husserl's genetic interpretation of ordinary kinds of experience.     

Intensität und Qualität in der Geruchswahrnehmung

Zusammenfassung Vier unterschiedliche Geruchsstoffe in je 4 Konzentrationen wurden von 23 Versuchspersonen nach Intensität beurteilt und paarweise auf ihre relative Ähnlichkeit hin verglichen. Eine Systematik der Versuchspersonenvarianz konnte weder in den Intensitäts- noch in den Ähnlichkeitsurteilen mit dem Tucker-Messick-Verfahren nachgewiesen werden. Mit den Medianwerten der Ähnlichkeitsurteile wurde das Skalierungsverfahren von Kruskal durchgeführt. Unter 25 Lösungen wurde diejenige mit einem Exponenten (Minkowski-Metrik) von r=2,5 und 5 Dimensionen als optimal ausgewählt und zur Grundlage der Interpretation genommen. Als wichtigstes Ergebnis erhielten wir eine unabhängige Intensitätsdimension mit Ursprung außerhalb der Reizkonfiguration, die eine hohe Übereinstimmung zur Intensitätsskalierung aufwies. Weiter konnte ein Qualitätswechsel jeweils innerhalb eines Stoffes zwischen den Konzentrationen festgestellt werden. Dieser Qualitätswechsel ist bei den einzelnen Stoffen unterschiedlich stark ausgeprägt.

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Quality and intensity in olfactory perception

Summary In an experiment on olfaction 23 subjects judged 16 odors (four chemicals each in four concentrations) with respect to intensity and with respect to similarity for each pair of stimuli. Systematic interindividual variation can he found neither in the intensity nor in the similarity data. Multidimensional scaling according to Kruskal's procedure reveals a configuration in 5 dimensions, the exponent of the optimal Minkowski-metric (out of 25 alternative solutions) is r=2.5. This scaling is based on the medians of similarity judgments. One of the dimensions corresponds to a subjective scale of intensity, with a zero-point lying outside of the configuration. The quality of the stimuli depends on their concentrations. The perceived quality-changes differ in amount and directions for each of the chemicals.

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Von der Philosophischen Fakultät der Universität des Saarlandes auf Antrag von Prof. Dr. K. Eyferth angenommene Dissertation.     

Prävention in der Arbeitswelt

In the new working world with its growing turbulences and increasing demands prevention is getting more difficult but at the same time increasingly necessary. New forms of working and of organization, the vanishing limits between work and private life and the promotion of patchwork patterns in both areas call for adequately differentiated prevention concepts. People have to be beside the enhancement of their qualification (performance enhancement) prepared for the future in their effectiveness and health (social competence, employability) as the individual aspect. The situation and the organization (structure) have to be preventively shaped in a way, that the desired interactions in the field of performance, health, security and life quality may be experienced. A blueprint for this purposes is presented here accompanied by practical instruments and propositions for prevention as for example bonification.     

Zur Problematik der Suchtgefährdung von berufstätigen Medizinern

Two samples of working physicians have been compared in a cross-sectional study – one representative sample of addicted physicians with a substance abuse problem (n=142) and one representative sample (n=275) of physicians in general; the objective was to develop preventive strategies. As a measuring instrument a specific questionnaire on quality of life of physicians (Reimer and Jurkat) has been used. Generally, quality of life is lower in the substance abuse sample in comparison to the control group. It can be concluded that the variables concerning the areas life satisfaction/-dissatisfaction and health differentiate even more between the groups than the areas work satisfaction/-dissatisfaction and choice of occupation. Whereas quality of life of female physicians was on the average somewhat higher than that of their male colleagues in the control group, this could not be confirmed in the sample of impaired physicians. Especially the ability to relax seems to be essential as a preventive measure, and apparently it is of high importance for working physicians to care for an adequate and satisfying private life to balance their stressful working life.     

Sozialmedizinische Begutachtung der beruflichen Leistungsfähigkeit

The ?Interview for the Evaluation of Psychosocial Dimensions of Performance Capability“ represents a potentially suitable instrument for the assessment of performance capability in various contexts. Regarding time expenditure, it is very viable and can be applied without special training. Test statistics for subscales derived from factor analysis are satisfying. The modified scales should be subject to further studies of validity and reliability. However, the instrument is already suited as a tool for the assessment of performance capability, represents an algorithm for decision-making and is related to the concepts of the International Classification of Functioning (ICF).