Episodic future thinking

Thinking about the future is an integral component of human cognition – one that has been claimed to distinguish us from other species. Building on the construct of episodic memory, we introduce the concept of ‘episodic future thinking’: a projection of the self into the future to pre-experience an event. We argue that episodic future thinking has explanatory value when considering recent work in many areas of psychology: cognitive, social and personality, developmental, clinical and neuropsychology. Episodic future thinking can serve as a unifying concept, connecting aspects of diverse research findings and identifying key questions requiring further reflection and study.     

Individual Breaches of Environmental Laws in Cases from Public Administration Files

The characteristics of environmental transgressions and transgressors involved in 1,505 files handled by 4 public administrations were assessed. These administrations were in charge of environmental law enforcement in a highly protected setting, across federal, state, island, and municipality jurisdictions. Special attention was given to the transgressors' written responses to administrative sanctions included in the files. These were analyzed integrating the approaches of neutralization techniques and of accounts as strategies of conflict management. Results suggest that most environmental transgressions under study were carried out by private individuals in the personal domain of everyday life, and that transgressors' accounts of environmental transgressions were short, straightforward, and questioned the legitimacy of the environmental law being broken.     

Reducing specificity of autobiographical memory in nonclinical participants: The role of rumination and schematic models

Two experiments are reported in which nondysphoric participants, not prone to excessive levels of rumination in everyday life, were asked to retrieve autobiographical memories using the Williams and Broadbent (1986 Williams, JMG and Broadbent, K. (1986). Autobiographical memory in suicide attempters. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 95: 144–149. [Crossref], [PubMed], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]) procedure (AMT). In the first experiment, two variants of a self‐related category fluency task were interleaved among sets of autobiographical memory cues. In one variant (blocked) a normal model of analytic rumination was induced by grouping prompts on a single superordinate theme together. In the other (intermixed) prompts from several different themes were grouped together. It was predicted that the blocked variant would reduce the number of specific memories recollected and increase the number of categoric memories relative to the intermixed variant. This prediction was confirmed and provides the first demonstration of a bidirectional causal influence of analytic rumination on the balance between specific and categoric retrievals. A second experiment showed no alteration in this balance when the same fluency manipulation involved animal‐related categories rather than self‐related ones. The results support a two component model of autobiographical retrieval being driven in part by the extent to which an analytic mode of processing is adopted in the short term and in part by the level of differentiation in self‐related schematic models.     

Art - A Feasible Illusion

This article discusses the approximation between art and psychoanalysis, considering both as manifestations of the unconscious. Art is viewed as a successful instinctual substitute which differs from the symptom in terms of effectiveness. A work of art is the symbolic universe of the artist, who, by withdrawing into the world of imagination, encounters the pathways of reality. Artistic manifestation is not interpretable, however it communicates with the observer who may also find satisfaction for his own unconscious desires therein.     

Links Between Perception of Parental Actions and Prosocial Behavior in Early Adolescence

We analyzed the links between parental styles, practices, and empathy and specific forms of prosocial behaviors in early adolescence. The Argentine scale of perception of relationships with parents for children and young adolescents, prosocial tendencies measure, parenting practices measure, and children’s perception of parental empathy were administered to a sample of 289 middle class children, aged 10–16, of both sexes, from primary and secondary schools in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Correlations and hierarchical regressions were used to examine (1) relationships between parental styles, children’s perception of parental empathy, parental practices, and children’s prosocial behavior, (2) the amount of unique prediction from parental styles, children’s perception of parental empathy, and parental practices to children’s prosocial behavior. Results indicated that different aspects of parental actions (parental styles, practice, and empathy) have a differential relation according to the type of prosocial behavior involved. When taking these three kinds of parental behavior into account, parental styles are related to public and responsive aspects especially through extreme control by the mother. Parental practices, in turn, are related mainly with anonymous and altruistic aspects, but with this latter negatively. Finally, adolescents’ perception of parental empathy explains added variance in all the cases, though to a lesser extent.     

Does Gender Affect Visiting a World Heritage Site?

ABSTRACT

The city of Guimarães in Portugal is a place of strong symbolic and cultural significance, and the nomination of its historical center as a World Heritage Site in 2001 enhanced its tourism potential. This study presents the results of a survey conducted in 2010 and 2011 to capture the profile and motivations of tourists visiting Guimarães as a cultural tourism destination. The study addressed two main issues: whether males and females have similar or different preferences in choosing the city as their destination, and whether there are gender differences in the perception of the attributes of Guimarães. A better understanding of the gendered nature of the destination is a valuable cue for shaping products and services according to visitors’ preferences. The results suggest that both men and women are aware of the main elements responsible for the city's World Heritage status. That the destination is a Heritage Site that also offers the opportunity to tour the region has a significant positive effect on male tourists’ choice of Guimarães. Regarding the perceived attributes of the city, results indicate minor gender differences with one exception: Women expressed more apprehension than men regarding the perceived security of the destination.     

IDENTITY AND IDENTIFICATION: JEWISH YOUTH IN ITALY 1870–1938

The criteria by which Jews identify themselves cover a very wide range and change over time. The aim of this essay is to stress that Italian Jewish identity must be analysed in a historical context, in the larger society in which it is located and with which it interacts. Through the study of the activities of Italian Jewish youth, this article will demonstrate, on the one hand, the integration and uniqueness of the Italian Jews and, on the other, that Italian Jewish identity has been transformed by the political ideology and economics of the surrounding society. The only way to analyse Jewish youth in Italy in their struggle with their Jewish identity should be comparatively, that is, to examine the history of Italian Jews and of Italy as a whole, not as separate but as connected entities.     

Lessons In The Psychology Of Loss: Accounts Of Middle-Aged Romanian Women

Abstract

In studying loss, it is important to develop a cross-cultural, interdisciplinary approach that is concerned with the historical, cultural, and social contexts in which loss occurs. However, the Western field of psychology is less well informed about the experiences and perspectives of loss across various cultures. Many countries in the contemporary world are seeking greater participation in the international community and control over their destinies. The related cultural, political, and social developments are commanding a need for heightened awareness and understanding of ethnic variations in dealing with the social change phenomenon and the psychology of loss.     

A Pilot Study Addressing the Impact of Religious Practice on Quality of Life of Breast Cancer Patients During Chemotherapy

The aim of this preliminary study was to investigate whether religious practice can modify quality of life (QoL) in BC patients during chemotherapy. QoL and religion practice questionnaire (RPQ) scores were evaluated in a sample of BC patients in different moments. Before chemotherapy initiation, women with lower physical and social functional scores displayed higher RPQ scores. On the other hand, low RPQ patients worsened some QoL scores over time. Body image acceptance was positively correlated with religious practice and specifically praying activity. This preliminary study suggests the importance of religion in coping with cancer chemotherapy.