Of Sentiment,Caring and Anencephalics: A Response to Sytsma

Theoretical Medicine and Bioethics -     

Die Entstehung einer personalistischen Philosophie im heutigen Russland

Ohne ZusammenfassungText eines Vortrages an einem Kolloquium den 24 Mai, 1992 zu Ehren von Prof. Joseph M. Bochenski an Lässlich seines 90. Geburtstags.     

Drug addicts in therapy—changes in life space in the course of one year

In a residential community treatment setting, moods and emotional states of drug addicts were explored over a 1‐year period. The specific form of treatment of heroin addiction employed in the communities is based on the importance of interpersonal relationships for psychosocial transition. Twenty‐nine participants reported current mood, emotions, attributions, and motive activation using a time‐sampling diary for 2 weeks at the beginning of the treatment, and 6 and 12 months later. Results show an increase in positive emotions, and in subjective strength and freedom. Furthermore, participants report higher self‐esteem and use less fatalistic attributions. This is interpreted as indicating successful transition processes in terms of higher autonomy, a more extended life space and increased levels of realism. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Are Gay Men in Worse Mental Health than Heterosexual Men? The Role of Age, Shame and Guilt, and Coming-Out

Previous studies reporting that gay individuals are in worse mental health than heterosexuals have typically employed young or mixed-age samples, ignoring the role of age. Mental health problems may show greater age-related improvement among gay than heterosexual men as indicated by the findings of the present study. In this study, the following indices of mental health are examined, and found to be comparable, among 86 heterosexual and 81 gay men aged 18–48: depression, suicidality, anger, anxiety, negative self-esteem, emotional instability, and lack of emotional responsiveness. Most indices show age-related effects among gay men, with less severe symptoms reported by older individuals. Among heterosexual men, effects of age are less widespread, although older men do report fewer symptoms of anger. Chronic shame and chronic guilt are related to mental health problems and a lessening in shame accounted, in part, for the age-related decline in depression among gay men. Different approaches to disclosing/concealing sexual identity are also linked with shame, guilt, and mental health among gay men.     

Consensus in work role requirements: the influence of discrete occupational context on role expectations

Although role theory has long described how expectations shape role behavior, little empirical research has examined differences among work role requirements and how features of the discrete occupational context may influence the extent to which role expectations are shared among role holders. The authors examined consensus in work role requirements from a sample of over 20,000 incumbents across 98 occupations. They found that consensus systematically decreased as work role requirements ranged from molecular tasks to responsibilities to molar traits. In addition, they found that consensus in these work role requirements was significantly influenced by the amount of interdependence, autonomy, and routinization present in the surrounding task and social contexts.     

Diary reports on emotional experiences in the onset of a psychosocial transition: becoming drug‐free

The process of becoming drug free is viewed as a psychosocial transition in the life of drug addicts. A specific form of treatment of heroin addiction within residential communities is based on the importance of interpersonal relationships for change. Well‐being of 65 drug addicts during the first 2 weeks in a residential community is explored using a time‐sampling diary which was completed four times a day. The influence of subjects' history, situational context, and motive activation on well‐being and emotions is investigated. Results show that well‐being and emotions differ mainly according to subjects' history, but not — at least at the beginning of treatment within the community — according to situations. This is interpreted as a ‘state of shock’ in the new environment and highlights the necessity for special individual care for subjects with a long drug career. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Pre-attentive auditory processing of lexicality

The effects of lexicality on auditory change detection based on auditory sensory memory representations were investigated by presenting oddball sequences of repeatedly presented stimuli, while participants ignored the auditory stimuli. In a cross-linguistic study of Hungarian and German participants, stimulus sequences were composed of words that were language-familiar, lexical, meaningful in Hungarian but language-unfamiliar, not lexical, meaningless in German, and words with the opposite characteristics. The roles of frequently presented stimuli (Standards) and infrequently presented one (Deviants) were fully crossed. Language-familiar and language-unfamiliar Deviants elicited the Mismatch Negativity component of the event-related brain potential. We found differences in processes of change detection depending on whether the Standard was language-familiar, or not. Whereas, the lexicality of the Deviant had no effect on the processes of change detection. Also, language-familiar Standards processed differently than language-unfamiliar ones. We suggest that pre-attentive (default) tuning to meaningful words sets up language-specific preparatory processes that affect change detection in speech sequences.     

A prescribed employee fitness program and job-related attitudes

A prescribed physical fitness exercise program was initiated in a small furniture manufacturing plant. The present purpose was to investigate the effect of an intervention to change employees' attitudes and sense of well-being. The objective was to evaluate the changes in employees' attitudes (well-being) attributable to the exercise program. The method of evaluation was the survey administered to a treatment (n = 22) and a mixed (n = 30) control group. A multidimensional attitude survey questionnaire was administered to assess effects over a 6-mo. period. While some changes in job attitudes were observed for the treatment group, those were not the expected changes. Possible explanations for the findings are discussed.