Luck Egalitarianism,Universal Health Care,and Non-Responsibility-Based Reasons for Responsibilization

In recent literature, there has been much debate about whether and how luck egalitarianism, given its focus on personal responsibility, can justify universal health care. In this paper we argue that, whether or not this is so, and in fact whether or not egalitarianism should be sensitive to responsibility at all, the question of personal responsibilization for health is not settled. This is the case because whether or not individuals are responsible for their own health condition is not all that is relevant when considering whether we should somehow hold them responsible for their own health condition, e.g. cost-wise. There may also be efficiency-based reasons to hold them responsible, and there may even be egalitarian reasons. Defining universal health care as an insurance system where everyone’s deductible and premium is 0, we will argue that efficiency-based reasons for cost-responsibilization are not convincing, but that there are egalitarian reasons for cost-responsibilization. Luck egalitarianism, therefore, cannot, at least not on its own term, justify universal health care.

     

Meaning-Making in Delayed-Return Cultures: The Case of Personal Uncertainty

The large majority of humans nowadays live in cultures in which there is often a delay between the efforts they exert and the feedback they receive regarding the outcome of their efforts. As a result, individuals may experience uncertainty between their efforts and outcomes, leading them to pay special attention to uncertainty information. In particular, we propose that when people feel uncertain about themselves, this may be alarming to them as it may signal that their personal contract with their delayed-return culture may be in jeopardy. Therefore, under conditions of personal uncertainty, people are looking forward to events that bolster their cultural worldviews and detest events that violate these worldviews. We review research findings that show that personal uncertainty indeed has a special role in the social psychology of meaning-making and worldview defense, sometimes even yielding a better explanation of worldview defense reactions than terror management theory.     

Small groups in the church: Problems and dangers

Conclusion The conflicted quality of the emotional life of some local churches might not tolerate the creation and sustaining of a small-group program. Not only may there be paralyzing ministerial ambivalence, or pastors who are easily threatened, but there are instances where important lay persons do not feel free to participate in such an experience but cannot tolerate that it should be going on apart from them. But where there is sufficient personal and structural flexibility and psychological freedom, along with the potentiality of a skillful leadership, the kind of small-group program discussed here offers an exciting opportunity for personal and community recreation. If such a program has its problems and dangers it is, at the same time, ripe with a promise to be redemptively rich and fruitful. But only as we identify and respond to the former can we realize and fulfill the latter.     

Cultural differences in perceived social norms and social anxiety

Cultural considerations in social anxiety are a rarely investigated topic although it seems likely that differences between countries in social norms may relate to the extent of social anxiety. The present study investigated individuals' personal and perceived cultural norms and their relation to social anxiety and fear of blushing. A total of 909 participants from eight countries completed vignettes describing social situations and evaluated the social acceptability of the behavior of the main actor both from their own, personal perspective as well as from a cultural viewpoint. Personal and cultural norms showed somewhat different patterns in comparison between types of countries (individualistic/collectivistic). According to reported cultural norms, collectivistic countries were more accepting toward socially reticent and withdrawn behaviors than was the case in individualistic countries. In contrast, there was no difference between individualistic and collectivistic countries on individuals' personal perspectives regarding socially withdrawn behavior. Collectivistic countries also reported greater levels of social anxiety and more fear of blushing than individualistic countries. Significant positive relations occurred between the extent to which attention-avoiding behaviors are accepted in a culture and the level of social anxiety or fear of blushing symptoms. These results provide initial evidence that social anxiety may be related to different cultural norms across countries.     

男性犯罪者人格对人身危险性的影响:有中介的调节模型

以463名男性犯罪者为调查对象,在控制人口学变量后,探讨人格、成熟应付方式、社会支持与人身危险性的关系。结果表明:(1)年龄、文化程度、婚姻和犯罪次数是人身危险性的重要预测变量。(2)人格可以显著预测人身危险性。(3)社会支持调节人格与人身危险性之间的关系。(4)这种调节作用以成熟应付方式为中介变量,其中通过中介变量起作用的调节效应占总调节效应的29.4%。因此,人格对男性犯罪者人身危险性的影响是有中介的调节效应。     

Ethical dilemmas in context: Some preliminary questions

I have tried to build on O'Neill's thought-provoking paper by examining two influences that shape and define ethical dilemmas in the community: our personal agendas and the broader context. The first influence is the way in which our personal and professional values shape our agendas for community work. The way these agendas frame the choices for action are a force to be recognized separate from the question of who constitutes our community constituency. Our values may push us into proactive roles and we must face the way our actions make personal/political statements. The broader context of the community situation and the ways in which resource limitations frame the ethical question also need to be actively recognized. Otherwise there is a danger of making the psychologist the victim by posing the ethical dilemma as a question of how they alone should find a solution. The nature of our personal agenda must be clear before we ask “responsible to whom?” The broader context must be considered before we ask “responsible for what?”     

Are Genetic Self-Tests Dangerous? Assessing the Commercialization of Genetic Testing in Terms of Personal Autonomy

Should a growing market for genetic self-tests be welcomed or feared? From the point of view of personal autonomy the increasing availability of predictive health information seems promising. Yet it is frequently pointed out that genetic information about future health may cause anxiety, distress and even loss of “life-hopes.” In this article the argument that genetic self-tests undermine personal autonomy is assessed and criticized. I contend that opportunities for autonomous choice are not reduced by genetic information but by misperceptions and misunderstandings of the results of genetic tests. Since the interpretation of genetic information is sometimes distorted by the information provided about the genetic products, more attention should be given to deceitful marketing that overblows the utility of genetic products. Yet personal autonomy is reduced neither by genetic tests nor by genetic information and there is consequently no compelling case for the conclusion that genetic self-tests should be prohibited.     

A SITUATIONAL JUDGMENT TEST OF PERSONAL INITIATIVE AND ITS RELATIONSHIP TO PERFORMANCE

Although situational judgment tests have been found to be valid predictors of performance, they have rarely been used to measure particular constructs. In this study, we apply the situational judgment test method to the measurement of personal initiative, a construct defined as situated action. We used respondents' situated preferences in mental simulations of work scenarios as formative indicators of their overall level of personal initiative at work. Results from a validation study showed that the situational judgment test of personal initiative (SJT-PI) had adequate validity and complemented a Likert-type self-report measure of personal initiative in predicting behavioral criteria. Situated preferences for personal initiative were hypothesized to be proximal predictors of actual behavior and were accordingly found to mediate the relationship between generalized self-efficacy, felt responsibility, and actual behavior. Furthermore, situated preferences for personal initiative could be differentiated empirically from organizational citizenship behavior. We conclude that situational judgment tests are a promising method for measuring personal initiative and may be a general means of improving the validity of measurement in organizations.     

自我相关未来思考:两种基本类型及其主要心理成分比较

自我相关未来思考是个体产生自我相关未来想法的心理加工,它包括未来情景思考和未来个人语义思考两种基本类型。两类思考都需记忆、自我和主观时间三种主要心理成分参与,但参与的具体形式可能有所不同:未来情景思考可能主要依赖于情景记忆和语义记忆、情景自我知识和语义自我知识、经验时间;未来个人语义思考可能主要依赖于语义记忆、语义自我知识和知道时间。三种主要心理成分在两种思考类型中的作用可能是相同的,其中,记忆是原材料,自我起引导作用,主观时间是先决条件。将来可以参照思考未来公众抽象问题的研究进一步明确自我和记忆在未来个人语义思考中的作用,还可以通过探究不同心理成分内部及成分间的交互作用进而了解各成分在自我相关未来思考中的作用机制。     

Genetic Counseling: A Transnational Perspective

Although the basic goal and components of genetic counseling appears to be the same across the globe, judged by my experiences there are significant differences in the provision of genetic counseling services in Australasia (Australia and New Zealand) and India. There is poor recognition of the professional status of a genetic counselor in India at present. This may be partly because genetic counseling itself is a relatively new discipline within the medical field in India, although some types of genetic services and research have been conducted since 1960s. In this paper, I aim to provide insight from my personal transnational experiences.     

Effects of choice on performance in two cultures

Research in Japan and the United States has demonstrated that learning and memory may be improved when individuals are permitted to choose materials to be learned. In Japanese studies, the effects appear to be limited to the specific materials actually chosen, whereas in the United States, choice enhances recall of chosen as well as other materials that are later assigned. In the United States, personal choice has been hypothesized to affect both the learner's relationship to the chosen materials as well as motivation; in Japan personal choice affects the relationship between the learner and the chosen materials. Apparently the consequences of choice may vary in these cultures.     

Memory for the Events of Early Childhood

There has been much recent interest in the phenomenon of childhood amnesia, the difficulty most adults have in recalling at least the first 3 years of life. In contrast, it has been shown that infants 18 months of age or less can retain information over long periods. Although there is no agreed-upon explanation of this paradoxical phenomenon, there are proposed biological, cognitive, and social-cognitive explanations. Distinguishing among these accounts involves investigating both adults' memories for childhood events and the mnemonicabilities of young children. These studies may not only reveal the reason why our earliest years are shrouded from us as adults, but also shed light on the memory processes that allow us a rich representation of the remainder of our personal past.     

A study of the personal meaning of suicide in the context of Baechler's typology

This study investigates suicide from the vantage point of the suicidal person by analyzing the personal meaning(s) of the act for the individual. Twenty-seven suicidal persons and survivors contributed to the research. Their individual recollections are studied and ordered within the framework of Jean Baechler's approach (as presented in his book Suicides). The study indicates that there is, in each case, an identifiable purpose or a pattern of purposes that can be categorized within a restricted and meaningful system, which may help the observer understand what human beings are doing when they want to end their lives.     

Personal problem-solving system for scoring TAT responses: preliminary validity and reliability data

Personal problem solving has emerged as an important construct in the cognitive-behavioral literature, yet there is a lack of clinically useful, performance-based measures practitioners can use to assess the personal problem-solving skills of their clients. Two studies evaluated the validity and reliability of a scoring system for measuring personal problem-solving processes via the Thematic Apperception Test (TAT; Morgan & Murray, 1935). In Experiment 1, undergraduate students (N = 87) completed two measures of personal problem solving, as well as three TAT cards, which were scored using the Personal Problem-Solving System (PPSS; Renan, 1990). In Experiment 2, an additional group of undergraduates (N = 56) responded to three TAT cards on two separate occasions and also completed a different measure of personal problem solving. Results from both studies supported the use of the PPSS for scoring TAT responses to assess personal problem-solving processes. Suggestions for future research are highlighted.     

The Problem of a Subjective Authenticity and the Articulation of Belonging among the Irish in England—A Psychosocial Approach

This article presents the question of identity and authenticity as a problematic one, capable of investigation through a psychosocial lens. “Authenticity,” as explored by Erickson (1995) and Weigert (2009), may be understood as a commitment to self-values, meaning and motivation. Feeling “true to oneself” thus becomes an intensely personal affective project, which remains theoretically the preserve of the individual subject, and thus incapable of challenge by others. However, as identity is inherently social, there is a need to interrogate the affective nature of belonging to a collective identity. In particular, I consider how this personalised sense of authenticity may come into conflict with the need to have one’s personal identity recognised as authentic within the wider set of meaning-makings around the collectivity. I argue that this problem of authenticity and belonging may arise in the interplay between the personal and the collective in three ways: reflection, recognition and ownership. Any articulation of belonging to a collective identity whilst maintaining a personally “felt” authenticity must negotiate these three aspects. In this article, I develop these ideas through my own recent research on discourses of authenticity among the Irish in England. Drawing on Wetherell’s (2012) recent articulation of the affective-discursive, I explore how one second-generation Irish woman articulates her experiences of “belonging” and personal “authenticity” in interview talk. I argue that the resolution of dilemmas around the affective and collective nature of authenticity can be usefully investigated by attending to the co-construction of the interview between participant and interviewer. The positioning of the interviewer and the power dynamics of the interview thus become key modes of enquiry in the psychosocial analysis of authenticity.     

Family Environments of Women Seeking BRCA1/BRCA2 Genetic Mutation Testing: An Exploratory Analysis

Although there is some understanding of the shared characteristics and predictors of psychological distress of women participating in hereditary breast and ovarian cancer registries, these same characteristics are only beginning to be identified in research on community women seeking genetic testing for BRCA1/BRCA2 gene mutations. This study provides an initial exploration of characteristics associated with family environments for 51 community women waiting to receive such genetic testing results. Thirty-four of the 36 women classified on family environment type of the Family Environment Scale (FES) were from Personal Growth-Oriented families. Comparisons of women with and without personal cancer histories resulted in a trend for women with personal cancer histories to be classified as from Independence-Oriented families. Reported distress appears to vary for different family emphases based on family and personal cancer history. A moral-religious family emphasis consistently appeared to be associated with decreased psychological distress. Preliminary analyses comparing these community women (who were not part of a hereditary registry but were self- or physician-referred) seeking genetic testing with normal and distressed family means found that increased cohesion and expressiveness may be related to decreased conflict, indicative of potentially supportive family environments for these women. When compared with normative data, a subset consisting of the Ashkenazi Jewish women showed a trend of less cohesion than normal families, but similar cohesion levels as distressed families.     

Do self-help books help?

Advice for a happier life is found in so-called ‘self-help books’, which are widely sold in modern countries these days. These books popularize insights from psychological science and draw in particular on the newly developing ‘positive psychology’. An analysis of 57 best-selling psychology books in the Netherlands makes clear that the primary aim is not to alleviate the symptoms of psychological disorders, but to enhance personal strengths and functioning. Common themes are: personal growth, personal relations, coping with stress and identity. There is a lot of skepticism about these self-help books. Some claim that they provide false hope or even do harm. Yet there are also reasons to expect positive effects from reading such books. One reason is that the messages fit fairly well with observed conditions for happiness and another reason is that such books may encourage active coping. There is also evidence for the effectiveness of bibliotherapy in the treatment of psychological disorders. The positive and negative consequences of self-help are a neglected subject in academic psychology. This is regrettable, because self-help books may be the most important—although not the most reliable—channel through which psychological insights find their way to the general audience.     

Getting the story right: a Reductionist narrative account of personal identity

A popular “Reductionist” account of personal identity unifies person stages into persons in virtue of their psychological continuity with one another. One objection to psychological continuity accounts is that there is more to our personal identity than just mere psychological continuity: there is also an active process of self-interpretation and self-creation. This criticism can be used to motivate a rival account of personal identity that appeals to the notion of a narrative. To the extent that they comment upon the issue, proponents of narrative accounts typically reject Reductionist metaphysics that (ontologically) reduce persons to aggregates of person stages. In contrast to this trend, we seek to develop a narrative account of personal identity from within Reductionist metaphysics: we think person stages are unified into persons in virtue of their narrative continuity with one another. We argue that this Reductionist version of the narrative account avoids some serious problems facing non-Reductionist versions of the narrative account.     

A personal construct psychology view of relapse: indications for a narrative therapy component to stuttering treatment

Relapse following treatment for stuttering is a common problem for many clients. It has often been suggested that one factor contributing to relapse is the client's difficulty in adjusting to a new role as a fluent speaker. In this tutorial article, we first present a personal construct view of relapse, which suggests that this difficulty may be addressed by increasing the meaningfulness of the fluent speaker role for the speaker. Section 3 proposes that post-treatment success for persons who stutter may be facilitated by the use of a narrative approach to counseling in which the meaningfulness of the fluent speaker role is elaborated. In this approach, clients are guided through a process of deconstructing their stuttering-dominated personal narrative, followed by the reconstruction of an alternative narrative that is more compatible with being a fluent speaker. EDUCATIONAL OBJECTIVES: The reader will (1) learn about a personal construct psychology perspective on resistance and relapse in stuttering therapy, (2) be able to describe a narrative approach to counseling for people who stutter that is directed toward the long-term maintenance of fluent speech and the steps of deconstruction of the dominant stuttering narrative and reconstruction of a new, more fluent personal narrative, and (3) be able to prepare a series of narrative interview questions with which to engage clients in conversations that may facilitate the deconstruction and reconstruction processes.     

Personal and Social Factors in Achievement-Related Cognition: A Study of Attribution,Appraisal, and Emotion among University Students in Delhi

In recent years, achievement-related cognition and emotion have received a lot of attention from all sections of researchers. A number of researchers have tried to empirically study the determinants and consequences of achievement-related cognition. The explanations given range between individualistic explanations and sociocultural explanations. It is believed that both personal and social factors interact together in bringing about variations in achievement-related cognition and emotion. It is widely accepted that there are variations in human behavior, which are generally believed to be the result of generation-old cultural changes. Cultural factors are believed to exert influence on human behavior and psyche. When one talks about culture, it is mostly treated as a homogeneous entity. Variations within cultures and intra-cultural differences due to various social factors are largely ignored. Researchers world over have started believing in the fact that exposure not only to varying cultural conditions but also to different social factors affects individuals’ psychological functioning. Present research is directed towards exploring variations in achievement-related cognition and emotion due to personal and social factors. Eighty students from a university in Delhi participated in the research. The personal factor of self-construal and social factors like gender, social setting, perceived social class, and family were taken into account. Findings of the study corroborated the hypothesis that both personal and social factors have an impact on achievement-related cognition and emotion.