Vehicular Suicides*

ABSTRACT: Twenty-eight consecutive auto crash fatalities were investigated intensively, including studies of personality, social factors, evidence concerning emotional state just prior to the crash, autopsy findings, complete body X-rays, engineering and automotive inspections, and reviews by traffic specialists. It was determined that 4 of these 28 fatalities were suicides. In these cases, investigations revealed a pattern of alcoholism, depression, impulsiveness, and acute emotional upheavals in the drivers. It is concluded that suicide constitutes a discernible portion of fatal automobile accidents.     

Changes in affect interrelations as a function of stressful events

This paper examines the proposition that stress shrinks affective space, increasing the inverse correlation between positive affect (PA) and negative affect (NA). The experience sampling method was used to record the levels of PA and NA and stress reported by white-collar employees 10 times a day for 5 days. These data were subjected to hierarchical linear modelling to determine whether the relationship between affective states becomes increasingly inverse as a function of stress, as predicted by Zautra, Potter, and Reich (1997). Caution was taken to address measurement issues that have been raised in recent debates over the independence of PA and NA, and a contingency analysis was also used to supplement the linear modelling approach. Both types of analyses revealed evidence consistent with the hypothesis that the degree to which PA and NA are inversely related varies with the level of stress.     

Without Reason?

The argument for modal collapse is partly responsible for the widespread rejection of the so‐called Principle of Sufficient Reason (PSR) in recent times. This paper discusses the PSR against the background of the recent debate about grounding and develops principled reasons for rejecting the argument from modal collapse.