Effective Leadership and Culture in Iran: An Empirical Study

On analyse dans cet article les caractéristiques du leadership efficace en Iran, puis on envisage les liens possibles entre ce profil de leadership et les dimensions culturelles du pays. A partir des données fournies par 300 managers provenant de plus de 60 organisations relevant de trois secteurs industriels, on commence par utiliser les dimensions du projet GLOBE pour évaluer la culture iranienne dont les scores sont comparés à ceux d'autres pays. S'appuyant à la fois sur l' emic et l' etic du leadership, les auteurs développent sept dimensions du leadership: encourageant, dictatorial, visionnaire, familial, modeste, loyal et réceptif. Ils soutiennent que certaines de ces dimensions traduisent les aspects universels (ou etic ) du leadership (éncourageant, dictatorial), alors que d'autres procèdent de l' emic , c'est‐à‐dire de la spécificité culturelle du leadership (modeste, familial, loyal). Les résultats sont discutés en terme de positionnement de la culture iranienne entre des entrelacements fondamentaux et des traditions culturelles complexes. On aborde enfin la question des retombées sur les recherches à venir.     

Memory performance in abstinent 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, "ecstasy") users

Research with animals and humans has suggested that acute and subacute use of 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA "ecstasy") may lead to memory impairment. However, research is limited by (1) low power due to small sample sizes, (2) the possible confound of polydrug use, and (3) the failure to consider intelligence as a covariate. The present study compared the memory performance on the Wechsler Memory Scale-III of 26 abstinent (2-wk. minimum) recreational MDMA users with 26 abstinent (2-wk. minimum) recreational polydrug users. Despite significantly greater polydrug use amongst these MDMA users, no significant group differences in memory were observed. Regression of total lifetime amount of MDMA use also did not predict memory performance after accounting for intelligence. In addition, the length of time since abstinence (at least 2 wk.) was not associated with an increase in memory performance. Greater total lifetime cocaine use, rather than total lifetime MDMA use, was significantly associated with greater decrements in General Memory and Delayed Verbal Memory performance.     

N-Methyl-D-aspartate receptors in the ventral tegmental area are involved in retrieval of inhibitory avoidance memory by nicotine

The interaction of opiate, cholinergic, glutamatergic and (possibly) dopaminergic inputs in the ventral tegmental area (VTA) influencing a learned behavior is certainly a topic of great interest. In the present study, the effect of intra-VTA administration of N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptor agents on nicotine's effect in morphine state-dependent learning was investigated. An inhibitory avoidance (IA) task was used for memory assessment in male Wistar rats. Subcutaneous (s.c.) administration of morphine (5 and 7.5mg/kg) immediately after training decreased IA response on the test day, which was reinstated by pre-test administration of the same doses of the opioid; this is known as state-dependency. Moreover, pre-test administration of nicotine (0.2, 0.4 and 0.6 mg/kg, s.c.) also reversed the decrease in IA response because of post-training morphine (5mg/kg). Here, we also show that when infused into the VTA before testing, NMDA (0.01 and 0.1 microg/rat) reverse the post-training morphine effect on memory. In addition, the sub-effective doses of NMDA (0.0001 and 0.001 microg/rat) in combination with a low dose of nicotine (0.1mg/kg) which had no effects by themselves, synergistically improved retrieval of IA memory on the test day. In contrast, pre-test administration of a competitive NMDA receptor antagonist D-AP5 (0.5, 1 and 2 microg/rat) which had no effect alone prevented the nicotine reversal of morphine effect on memory. Our data indicate that NMDA receptors in the VTA are involved in the reversing effect of nicotine on morphine induced state-dependency.     

Remembering the Historical Roots of Remembering the Personal Past

As scholars, remembering the historical past in one's area of study provides a foundation for purposefully pursuing knowledge. As individuals, remembering our personal past provides direction and purpose in everyday life. Taken together, these percepts provide the impetus for the current paper, which traces the contributions of six early pioneers who wrote about how humans remember their personal past. Analysis demonstrates how their historical ideas support current literatures focused on the personal past: reminiscence‐based mental health interventions, the adaptive psychosocial functions of autobiographical remembering, and the construction of identity as a life story. Three future research directions are also briefly presented: the human ability for mental ‘time travel’, a lifespan approach to remembering the personal past, and reflection on one's past as a route to wisdom. Understanding the human phenomenon of remembering the personal past has long‐standing historical roots that continue to stimulate basic and applied research. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

How do Iranian women from Rafsanjan conceptualize their sexual behaviors?

In Iran, women’s sexual behaviors have not been studied in detail. The aim of this study was to explore the sexual meanings generated through the lived experience of women residing in Rafsanjan, a city in the Kerman province, where interviews and focus group discussions were conducted with 51 Iranian women. Content analysis was adopted to extract the meanings and perceptions. We categorized the findings into three aspects: sexual capacity, motivation, and performance. Sexual desire was the most important concept that women used when they were referring to their sexual capacity. Marriage was the main institution in which women’s motivation for sexual relationships and encounters resided, and “the priority of men’s sexual needs and characteristics” was identified as the core principle of marriage. The concept of sexual performance was more salient and tied to the husband’s sexual initiation. Analyzing the women’s narratives revealed that women’s sexual self-understandings and their sexual behaviors are strongly determined by “androcentricity”, this being relevant both to sexuality education and reproductive health. Recognition of this issue will facilitate understanding of the cultural foundations of sexuality among Iranians and help health providers in suggesting culturally appropriate and compatible forms of health care.     

Culture and Gender Representation in Iranian School Textbooks

This study examines the representations of male and female social actors in selected Iranian EFL (English as a Foreign Language) textbooks. It is grounded in Critical Discourse Analysis and uses van Leeuwen’s Social Actor Network Model to analyze social actor representations in the gendered discourses of compulsory heterosexuality. Findings from the analysis show that the representations endorse the discourse of compulsory heterosexuality which is an institutionalized form of social practice in Iran. Three male and three female students were interviewed to find out what they think about these representations. Their responses with regard to whether they think textbooks should also include representations of other forms of sexuality were non-committal and vague. To them LGBT people are the “Other” practicing a form of sexuality that is not normal. Such exclusions could obscure the reality regarding the existence of such gender identities and represent the world in a particular manner.     

Trauma,Emotions, and Memory in World Politics: The Case of the European Union's Foreign Policy in the Middle East Conflict

This article focuses on the impact of emotions on the European Union (EU)'s international identity and agency in the context of the memory of trauma. Emotions are understood as performances through which an actor expresses itself to others while constructing its identity, creating its agency, and potentially affecting the social order. It is argued that the memory of trauma is translated into EU foreign policy practice through emotional performances of EU representatives. Empirically, we explore this impact in relation to the EU's engagement in the Israel‐Palestinian prolonged conflict that has many underlying emotions linked with past traumatic experiences. By doing so, we aim to instigate a discussion between the emotions literature in International Relations and the European Union studies literature to nuance understanding of the politics of emotions that increasingly constrain what kind of a global actor the EU actually is or can become.     

The Religious and Spiritual Needs of Patients in the Hospital Setting Do Not Depend on Patient Level of Religious/Spiritual Observance and Should be Initiated by Healthcare Providers

Journal of Religion and Health - According to many studies, addressing the religious and spiritual (R/S) needs of patient's increase patient satisfaction. One area of interest is how patient...