Different action patterns for cooperative and competitive behaviour

The aim of the present study is to elucidate the influence of context on the kinematics of the reach-to-grasp movement. In particular, we consider two basic modes of social cognition, namely cooperation and competition. In two experiments kinematics of the very same action - reaching-to-grasp a wooden block - were analyzed in two different contexts provided by a cooperative task and competitive task. For the 'cooperation' tasks two participants were required to reach and grasp their respective objects and to cooperate to join the two objects in specific configurations in the middle of the working surface. For the 'competition' tasks, the two participants had to compete to place their own object first in the middle of the working surface. Results revealed specific kinematic patterns for cooperation and competition which were distinct from similar actions performed by each participant in isolation. Further, during the cooperation tasks, a high level of correlation between key kinematical parameters of the two participants was found. In accordance with evidence from neuroimaging, developmental and social psychology our results suggest the existence of motor patterns which reflect the intention to act in a social context.     

Collective Narcissism Predicts Hypersensitivity to In‐group Insult and Direct and Indirect Retaliatory Intergroup Hostility

Results of five studies (N = 1596) linked collective narcissism—a belief in in‐group exaggerated greatness contingent on external validation—to direct and indirect, retaliatory hostility in response to situations that collective narcissists perceived as insulting to the in‐group but which fell well beyond the definition of an insult. In Turkey, collective narcissists responded with schadenfreude to the European economic crisis after feeling humiliated by the Turkish wait to be admitted to the European Union (Study 1). In Portugal, they supported hostile actions towards Germans and rejoiced in the German economic crisis after perceiving Germany's position in the European Union as more important than the position of Portugal (Study 2). In Poland, they supported hostile actions towards the makers of a movie they found offensive to Poland (Studies 3 and 5) and responded with direct and indirect hostility towards a celebrity whose jokes about the Polish government they found offensive (Study 4). Comparisons with self‐positivity and in‐group positivity indices and predictors of intergroup hostility indicated that collective narcissism is the only systematic predictor of hypersensitivity to in‐group insult followed by direct and indirect, retaliatory intergroup hostility. Copyright © 2016 European Association of Personality Psychology     

‘For Fun’: (De) Humanizing Gisberta—The Violence of Binary Gender Social Representation

In 2006, Gisberta Salce Júnior died inside of a pit, in an abandoned building, after being tortured for 3 days by a group of teenagers, in Porto, Portugal. Gisberta was a transgender woman who had moved to Portugal from Brazil in the 1980’s. In this paper, we explore the media coverage of her death as an illustrative case of existing social representations of gender, resulting in two main findings: that even those who are seen as communities of support and recognition perpetuate discourses of gender binary norms, and that the only apparent possibility to humanize and transcend these norms is materialized in artistic performance and production, which allows for a more emotional connection to the ‘subject’ as a human individual rather than a mere transgression. The analysis of articles about Gisberta revealed that there is a very strong social representation of gender as a binary, consisting rigidly of female and male poles. As such, the social representation of those individuals who transgress this binary, embodying alternative performances of gender, as was the case with Gisberta, is reduced to their sexuality, their embodiment of something other than the gender binary. Different perspectives were identified: media, the courtroom, the teenagers, LGTB activists and the arts. Through this analysis and division, it was possible to conclude that these binary norms are embedded to the extent that they permeate even the discourses of those who tend to speak for trans people, in such a way that it seems almost impossible to escape them, with one powerful exception: that of artistic expression, which seems to be the only topos from which true recognition is achieved. This case is an extreme example of the necessity to transcend gender norms and allow for recognition of individuals as such.     

Mindfulness training effects for parents and educators of children with special needs

Parents and teachers of children with special needs face unique social-emotional challenges in carrying out their caregiving roles. Stress associated with these roles impacts parents' and special educators' health and well-being, as well as the quality of their parenting and teaching. No rigorous studies have assessed whether mindfulness training (MT) might be an effective strategy to reduce stress and cultivate well-being and positive caregiving in these adults. This randomized controlled study assessed the efficacy of a 5-week MT program for parents and educators of children with special needs. Participants receiving MT showed significant reductions in stress and anxiety and increased mindfulness, self-compassion, and personal growth at program completion and at 2 months follow-up in contrast to waiting-list controls. Relational competence also showed significant positive changes, with medium-to-large effect sizes noted on measures of empathic concern and forgiveness. MT significantly influenced caregiving competence specific to teaching. Mindfulness changes at program completion mediated outcomes at follow-up, suggesting its importance in maintaining emotional balance and facilitating well-being in parents and teachers of children with developmental challenges. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved).