Physicians View Death and Suicide*

ABSTRACT: Comparisons were made between physicians' attitudes toward death and suicide and those of a nonphysician control group. Results of the analysis revealed significant differences that may offer some insights as to why physicians have an elevated suicide rate.     

The Concept of Death: A Religio-philosophical Analysis

In an age in which vast progress has been made in organ transplant technology, it is imperative to determine the point at which a human being is considered dead, for transplantation cannot occur until after death. Traditional religious views imply that a human being is dead upon the departure of the soul from the body. Taking the biological death of the body as a conclusive sign of the soul's departure is not an option. Biological death refers to decomposition, and this cannot equate to the death of the person as such, for this would make the concept and practice of transplantation absurd, for transplantable parts of a biologically dead—i.e. decomposing—body could not be used. On the other hand, if parts of the human body are themselves still biologically alive, could it not be said that taking such parts would amount to murder?

Two conclusions follow from this predicament. First, death as a ‘normative’ concept stands in sharp distinction from a purely biological concept. Second, a normative concept of death is entangled with a normative concept of personhood. That is to say, from the moment that a human being is not considered a person as such, parts of the body could be removed for transplantation or, indeed, for any other justified medical purpose. In this regard, various theories of the person are put forward. Which of these theories is compatible with a workable concept of death? In this paper two principal theories of the person will be discussed and it will be argued that a brain-based theory of death is conducive to a normative concept of death, thus allowing for organ transplantation.     

Content Analysis of Multiple Messages in Suicide Notes*

ABSTRACT: Two hundred twenty individuals who committed suicide and who left notes, when compared with 813 non-note writers, were significantly more likely to be white, female, and, if female, to have any other marital status than “widowed.” With respect to method, the results indicated that note writers were more apt to have committed suiced with “Drugs” and less apt to have used “Other” methods. The question is raised as to whether or not note writers can be accepted as representative of the whole group of those who commit suicide. In 195 suicide notes for which content was available for analysis, the relative percentages of statements containing advice, instructions, and requests (31), other-directed positive affect (19), acknowledgment of wrongdoing (7), and hostile affect (5) were the same in the entire sample as in subsamples of age, sex, and marital status. Only for a few specific content categories did the relative frequency of content vary significantly with age, sex, or marital status. Advantages of the present method of content analysis are discussed, and suggestions for further research in this area are offered.     

Computer-Based Precision Learning: A Course Builder application

An interactive tutoring and evaluation system, the Computer-Based Precision Learning System has been evolving at Jacksonville State University since its inception in 1978. Based on the Precision Teaching goal of developing fluency in learners, the Computer-Based Precision Learning System reinforces high frequencies of correct student responding. The system relies on the flexibility of Course Builder, a symbolic, icon-based programming language for Macintosh microcomputers. Course Builder is described from both the designer’s perspective and the student’s perspective. Its strengths and weaknesses are also discussed. Data from three semesters of a personality theories course indicated that students quickly reached mastery on the system, performing at over 22 correct responses per minute. Their fluency generalized to essay performance as well. Implications for using the Computer-Based Precision Learning System to develop measurably effective instructional strategies are discussed.     

Autocoun: A Computer-Based Automated Counseling Simulation System

This paper describes the development and initial testing of a computer-based counseling system which attempted to simulate certain counseling behavior of one counselor. Forty junior high school students experienced counseling (educational planning) with the system, and with either the counselor after whom the system was modeled (N = 20) or another counselor (N = 20). Subjects interacted with a time-sharing computer using TWX input. The basic objective was to determine the similarity of outcomes between the system, model counselor, and second counselor. Criteria included similarity of pupil appraisal statements and course selections. The machine system agreed with both human counselors on approximately 75 per cent of the appraisal statements and about 65 per cent of the course selections. Some data regarding pupil attitudes toward the system are also reported.     

A Comparative Study of Pediatric Nurses' Attitudes toward Death*

ABSTRACT: The present study reports the results of a 24-item questionnaire intended to measure attitudes toward death and the care of dying patients of 47 professional and 10 nonprofessional pediatric nurses from three hospitals in the West and Midwest. There were no statistically significant differences among the nurses based on education, background, or previous clinical experience. The significant differences related mainly to the type of ward (benign, acute, or terminal) on which the nurses were working. Implications for nursing education and nursing service are discussed.     

International Guidelines on Computer-Based and Internet-Delivered Testing: A Practitioner's Perspective

This article sets out a practitioner's perspective on the International Test Commission (ITC) guidelines. After setting the scene and describing the testing environment in which the need for the Guidelines on Computer-Based and Internet-Delivered Testing (ITC, 2005) is established, the article goes on to identify specific issues of relevance to the international practitioner. The main contributions made by the guidelines are each addressed in the light of their perceived relevance and utility. In the process, a number of limitations are identified, and suggestions as to how these might be overcome are offered. The article concludes by welcoming the guidelines as offering a constructive and relevant baseline from which to take the testing industry forward in a time of rapid technological change.     

Varieties of Moral Personality: Beyond the Banality of Heroism

ABSTRACT Four perspectives dominate thinking about moral heroism: One contends that moral action is primarily instigated by situational pressures, another holds that moral excellence entails the full complement of virtues, the third asserts a single superintending principle, and the fourth posits different varieties of moral personality. This research addresses these competing perspectives by examining the personalities of moral heroes. Participants were 50 national awardees for moral action and 50 comparison individuals. They responded to personality inventories and a life‐review interview that provided a broadband assessment of personality. Cluster analysis of the moral exemplars yielded three types: a “communal” cluster was strongly relational and generative, a “deliberative” cluster had sophisticated epistemic and moral reasoning as well as heightened self‐development motivation, and an “ordinary” cluster had a more commonplace personality. These contrasting profiles imply that exemplary moral functioning can take multifarious forms and arises from different sources, reflecting divergent person × situation interactions.     

Suicidal behaviour and HIV disease: A case report

This case history describes the attempted suicide by jumping in front of a London Underground train of a man with advanced HIV disease. It illustrates the complex relationship between HIV disease and suicidal behaviour. Although the attempt was made by a man with AIDS, it is by no means evident that this disease was the sole or even the primary cause of his wish to die. This account is also interesting because of the unusual method used, the sudden onset of suicidal feelings and the patient's interpretation of the reason for his survival.     

邪恶的两张面孔:根本的邪恶和平庸的邪恶——汉娜·阿伦特对极权主义制度下的邪恶现象的批判

汉娜.阿伦特对极权主义制度下的邪恶现象有两种表述方式,即“根本的邪恶”和“平庸的邪恶”。前者的根本特征表现为破坏了人类发展和和进步的概念,致力于把人变成多余的人的事业,以及消灭了人的法律人格、道德人格以及作为个体的人;后者的特征体现为无思想和肤浅性。阿伦特为思考极权主义专制制度下邪恶现象产生的根源以及个人应该担负何种道德责任提供了一种全新的视角,从而为建立一种以思想为核心的个人责任伦理提供了理论上的可能。     

Content Analysis: A Comparison of Manual and Computerized Systems

Computerized content analysis is a technique for classifying texts. in personality research it has beer used to make inferences about psychological states and traits of the speaker or writer. Whereas computerized techniques have been increasing in both sophistication and ease of use, questions remain regarding their validity compared to hand-scored scales, in this study, we compare a relatively simple computerized technique; a more sophisticated, context-sensitive computerized approach; and a context-sensitive, human-scored system. Seventy-one subjects, representing four diagnostic groups, provided free-speech samples which were scored according to all three methods. Data from each method were then submitted to discriminant and classification analyses. In comparing the classification performance of the three methods, we found that both computerized methods were more accurate than the human-scored method. The time and cost benefits of computerized systems are discussed.     

A Multivariate Profile Analysis of MMPIs of Suicidal and Nonsuicidal Neuropsychiatric Hospital Patients

Using six MMPI scales and a multivariate discriminant analysis, the question was asked whether differences existed between nonsuicidal and threatened, attempted, and committed suicides. The results indicated that there were significant differences between the mean score of the four groups. The application of the various identification rates to populations with different suicidal base rates and the implication of the findings for the prediction of different types of suicidal behavior was discussed.     

Exploring the Why of Psychologist Misconduct and Malpractice: A Thematic Analysis of Court Decision Documents

Objective: To identify reasons for misconduct and misconduct amongst Australian psychologists. Method: During the 5‐year period from 2008 to 2013, 42 psychologists across 41 cases were found guilty of misconduct and malpractice by civil and administrative courts across Australia. The court decision documents were analysed using Braun and Clarke’s ( 2006 ) qualitative methodology to explore themes relating to the court’s objective, the psychologist’s subjective, and the authors’ interpretive causal reasons transgressing psychologists engaged in misconduct and malpractice. Results: Explanations given by psychologists for misconduct and malpractice behaviours included the use and abuse of legal and illicit substances, addiction behaviours, and impairment due to mental disorder or unresolved trauma. A number of other reasons identified by the courts and by the authors from the evidence cited in the published court decision documents are also discussed. Possible contributing factors for why misconduct and malpractice behaviours occurred coalesced into three themes: the externalisation of responsibility for personal actions and behaviours, a lack of objectivity concerning why such behaviours occurred, and an inability to understand how personal circumstance affected the provision of ethical services to clients. Conclusion: (a) The complexity of situations and scenarios surrounding psychologist malpractice can be simplified for the benefit of designing interventions by applying Glass’ ( 2003 ) concept of the “slippery slope.” (b) Court records have benefit as detailed data, but could be augmented for greater value with a simple and easily completed additional coversheet of background and demographic data.     

Computer-Based Work Monitoring: Electronic Surveillance and Its Effects

Substantial developments in new office technologies over the past two decades have dramatically transformed today's white-collar workplace. One of these developments, computer-based work monitoring, has enabled employers to continually or intermittently monitor employees in real time or on a delayed basis, with or without their knowledge or permission, at levels and in a manner previously unattainable. This introductory article to this special issue outlines the current status of computer monitoring in the U. S., delineates its major advantages and disadvantages, and provides examples of early research on the topic by the author and others. Factors likely to moderate the acceptance and effectiveness of computer monitoring systems are discussed and implications for work and social relationships in the workplace are considered. An overview of the four special issue articles reporting the results of experiments assessing the effects of computer monitoring on the performance of workers and supervisors is then provided.