Lifetime Abuse and Mental Health Among Older Persons: A European Study

This study aimed to investigate the association of lifetime abuse and mental health among older persons, considering associated factors (e.g., demographics) through a cross-sectional design. We recruited 4,467 women and men ages 60–84 years from 7 European cities. Mental health was measured with the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, and abuse (psychological, physical, sexual, financial, and physical injuries) based on the Revised Conflict Tactics Scale and the UK survey of abuse/neglect of older people. Multiple logistic regression analyses showed that country of residence, low educational level, and experienced financial strain increased the odds of probable cases of anxiety and depression. Female sex, white-collar profession, and financial support by social/other benefits/or partner income were associated with higher odds of anxiety, while older age and experience of lifetime injury were associated with increased odds of depressive symptoms. The findings of this study indicate that socioeconomic factors, as well as experienced lifetime severe physical abuse leading to injuries, are significant in perceived mental health of adults in later life.     

Tricking or Benefitting the People? Guanzi on Objective Government and Subjective Preferences

This paper discusses Guanzi’s philosophy regarding how the state should levy taxes. As Guanzi writes, people react individually to what they perceive as taxes, whereas government wants people not to react at all and simply pay the levies. Based on a philosophical analysis of human action, Guanzi suggests introducing a consumption tax on salt and iron. First, people have no way of evading them; second, because of the implicit character of the tax, people will not notice it. Therefore, these taxes will not influence behavior. This paper uses this discussion as a case study in order to show how Guanzi’s philosophy differs from other forms of Legalism. It will be shown that Guanzi is foremost a pragmatic thinker willing to use Confucian and Legalist elements, amalgamating them into policy-advice. The paper, however, does not discuss issues of Sinology as they relate to the text of the Guanzi, taking the text instead as a philosophical body.     

Comparing the adaptabilities of Brazilian adolescent students and adult workers

Many studies have verified the validity of the Career Adapt-Abilities Scale in diverse samples, both adolescents and adults. However, which abilities are more typical of each group remains unknown. This study investigated the CAAS factorial structure with Brazilian adolescents, to verify differences between adolescents and adults and to explore the occurrence of differential item functioning analysis (DIF), by considering these two groups as independent variables. The two Brazilian samples were composed by adolescents (n = 272) and by adult workers (n = 404). Results confirmed the expected factorial structure in the adolescents sample and that adults scored higher on all CAAS factors. DIF analysis identified more items favored adults, as expected, but there was coherence in item content which favored each group. Nevertheless, there is no psychometric evidence supporting the need for different forms of CAAS for each group. Results are discussed by taking into account the practical implications of the findings.     

Is Synthesis of World Religions Possible?

Introduction

All major religions appear to follow a pattern of social contract with an additional feature of ‘termination of the contract’ and its ‘aftermath’, for the soul. This way, religion is known as ‘dissolution mechanism’ (DM). It contains both social and metaphysical terms, where the former is subsidiary to the latter. The metaphysical term is represented by the mokṣa. A given DM not only explicates the state of soul after the termination of contract, but also it endeavours to point out the nature of the ultimate reality it conceives.

Method

DM provides a geometrical/mathematical picture of the universe to locate the ultimate reality and the individual souls in it; three views of the universe—destruction, creation and sustenance—are obtained for three basic religions or thoughts. Buddhist ‘Nothingness’ forms the psychological background for these views of universe. Architectural designs of worship places, yantras or manḍalas, etc., show both the nature of universe and the location of the ultimate in it. Understanding these figures is the key method to be employed for arriving at synthesis.

Conclusion

Synthesis consists in noting the identical common metaphysical generic essence as running through all the religions, and identifying the unique specific root-essence on such a generic essence. Specific root-essence of a given DM consists in the way the unification of cognitions of the universe is carried out. When the unification of all the specific root-essences on the generic essence is carried out with a further psychological background of Buddhism, we get a specimen of metaphysical synthesis of world religions. Thus, synthesis is a distinct and sure possibility.

     

Left inferior frontal cortex can compensate the inhibitory functions of right inferior frontal cortex and pre-supplementary motor area

Right-IFG and pre-SMA are associated with inhibitory responses. We used functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging to explore whether the contralateral homotopic regions can functionally replace them. An adolescent, with an extensive traumatic lesion of the right cerebral hemisphere having occurred 5 years earlier, performed a motor response inhibition task (Go/Nogo), which was properly accomplished and associated to activations in the left-IFC, precuneus and occipital cortex. Such functional remodelling is in line with the theory of ‘near equipotentiality’ of the cerebral hemispheres.     

Interpersonal Violence and its Association with US Migration Desires and Plans among Youths in Guanajuato, Mexico

This study examined interpersonal physical and sexual violence and its association with desires and plans to migrate to the USA among 500 alternative high school students, aged 14?C17?years, from Guanajuato, Mexico. Two thirds of the youths had ever experienced interpersonal violence, the most common form being physical fights. More youths, and more boys relative to girls, reported wanting to migrate than planning to migrate. Although those who had experienced interpersonal violence were not more likely to want to migrate to the USA, their odds of planning to migrate were 44% greater. Gender did not moderate the effect of interpersonal violence.     

The weariness of the hero: depression and the self in a civilization in transition

According to the World Health Organization, depression is currently the leading cause of disability, which is of great concern worldwide; however there is much dispute about depression and its causes. This article raises the hypothesis that depression could be related to an increase or inflation of ego‐consciousness, which, in turn, is inseparable from the development of modernity. The ‘hero’, symbol of this historical process of self‐consciousness and autonomy, stands now wearied and disoriented. The paper outlines how, in this cultural scene, certain ideas from Carl Jung's and James Hillman's depth psychologies may be useful in addressing the issue: the rediscovery of figures of the other through the analysis of the unconscious (Jung) and associating with others in groups imbued with communal sense (Hillman) could help the depressed individual to mitigate his or her inflated ego‐consciousness. These are two complementary ways of experiencing the conglomerate nature of the self, thus promoting the process of individuation.     

Perversion: a clinical possibility

Abstract

Clinical work with perverse patients presents numerous difficulties to psychoanalysis, be that due to the characteristics typical of the perverse structure, which is founded on the mechanism of disavowal, or to the inefficiency of neutrality and free association in this kind of practice. A study of existing literature on the subject and a thorough examination of their own clinical findings led the authors to propose a different kind of strategy for dealing with transference that would make clinical work with these patients plausible and indicate options for the paralyzing position that is imposed on the analyst by the perverse patient in order to derange the analytic process. By proposing an alternative for the “semblance subject-supposed-knowledge,” the authors defend the idea that clinical work with perverse patients is possible, resulting in a subject less captive of the phantasmagoric scene.

Drummond S et al. Perversion: eine klinische Möglichkeit

Klinische Arbeit mit perversen Patienten bildet zahlreiche Schwierigkeiten für die Psychoanalyse, sei es wegen der Eigenart der perversen Struktur, welche durch den Mechanismus der Verleugnung begründet wird oder sei es wegen der Ineffektivität der Neutralität und freien Assoziation bei dieser Art von Praxis. Ein Studium der vorhandenen Literatur über das Thema und eine gründliche Überprüfung eigener klinischer Befunde führte die Autoren dazu, eine unterschiedliche Art von Strategie des Umgangs mit Übertragung vorzuschlagen. Das würde klinische Arbeit mit diesen Patienten plausibel machen und auf Optionen für die paralysierende Position hinweisen, die dem Analytiker durch den perversen Patienten aufgebürdet wird, um den analytischen Prozess zu stören. Ein Alternative für das “semblance subject-supposed knowledge” vorschlagend, verteidigen die Autoren die Idee, daß klinische Arbeit mit perversen Patienten möglich ist, mit dem Ergebnis eines Subjekts, welches weniger durch die phantasmagorische Szene gefesselt ist.

Drummond S et al. perversión: una posibilidad clínica.

El trabajo clínico con pacientes perversos presenta numerosas dificultades para el psicoanálisis, puede ser debido a las características típicas de la estructura perversa, fundamentado en le mecanismo de repudio, o debido a la ineficacia de la neutralidad y asociación libre en este tipo de práctica. Un estudio de la literatura existente sobre el tema y un examen completo de los hallazgos clínicos, llevó a los autores a proponer un tipo diferente de estrategia para el manejo de la transferencia, que pudiera hacer posible el trabajo clínico con estos pacientes, también indicar opciones para la situación de paralización que estos pacientes imponen al analista para desorganizar el proceso analítico. Con la proposición de una alternativa para la “semblance-subject-supposed knowledge(apariencia del sujeto-supuesto saber),” el autor defiende la idea de que el trabajo clínico con pacientes perversos es posible, resultando un asunto menos cautivo de la escena fantasmagórica.     

Effects of long-term blindness on preparatory emg modulation in humans performing landing movements

To investigate the long-term effect of blindness on the task of leaping down to a lower landing surface, five blind individuals were compared with 10 sighted individuals who performed landing movements with and without sight. Participants performed six consecutive drop-landings from four different heights, during which the prelanding modulation of EMG timing and amplitude in four lower-limb muscles were recorded. Analysis showed that blind individuals showed specific prelanding EMG modulation, suggesting that long-term dependence on somesthetic and vestibular cues leads to different preparatory measures for vertical falls.