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.     

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.     

Of Sentiment,Caring and Anencephalics: A Response to Sytsma

Theoretical Medicine and Bioethics -     

Gender and courtship entitlement: Responses to personal ads

Dating and courtship through personal advertisements have been studied only in an extremely limited fashion. Few researchers have sought information about the responses ad placers have received, and only one has placed a bogus ad in order to receive and examine responses. I placed ads in four personal columns in part to determine the relative importance of attractiveness and occupational/financial success in attracting potential dating partners. Men are far more influenced by looks and women, by success. So much is this the case that it is entirely possible that for some men, lower socioeconomic attributes among women are actually seen as desirable. Men are more likely to see dates with more desirable partners as their courtship entitlement; that is, they are more likely to put themselves forward as potential dates for my (fictive) ad placers when, an independent panel of judges determined, they would not be deemed sufficiently desirable partners for them. Moreover, men are more likely to be minimalists and blitzers in personals-generated courtship, that is, to put forth little effort, and to answer more than one ad. I suggest that a sense of inappropriate entitlement constitutes a form of role overreach — that is, is a feature of the masculine role that clashes with the gender role of women.I would like to thank William J. Goode and the anonymous reviewers of this paper for valuable comments. In addition, James Prescott, Linda Pavone, and Rosemary Sercia provided helpful research assistance in tabulating the data on which this paper's conclusions are based.     

Korsakoff amnesic syndrome: The result of simultaneous deficits in several independent processes?

Alcoholic Korsakoff patients were presented six verbal list learning tasks (two denotatively and three connotatively organized, and one high-imagery word list). Twelve recall trials and three recognition probes were obtained per list. Results indicate that for Korsakoff patients, (1) recall varied with list organization, (2) recognition memory although poor was further disrupted by proactive inhibition only on denotatively categorized lists, and (3) conceptual deficits disrupted ability to appreciate simple dichotomies in denotatively categorized lists. It is hypothesized that the joint presence of deficts in specific conceptual and semantic processes in necessary although perhaps not sufficient to produce a Korsakoff amnesia.     

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.     

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.