Religious Pluralism in Malaysia: the Journey of Three Prime Ministers

The challenges posed by religious pluralism have become central to any understanding of the complex dynamics of ethnically and religiously diverse societies. Malaysia is no exception. This article examines how recent Malaysian governments have handled these challenges. It situates government actions and pronouncements against the backdrop of Malaysia's colonial and pre-colonial history. The focus is on the declaratory and operational policies of three successive prime ministers (Mahathir, Abdullah and Najib). Careful analysis of this tumultuous period, which has seen the increasing assertiveness of public Muslim discourse, enables us to chart the obstacles to inter-religious harmony that policymakers have had to address. Several questions are at the core of the article: How did each of these leaders handle the emerging crisis of religious pluralism, which is closely entwined with ethnic pluralism? Did their actions match their rhetoric? Taken as a whole, this 15-year period reveals important elements of change and continuity.     

Translating Recategorization Strategies Into an Antibias Educational Intervention

This experiment explored whether the benefits of a complete recategorization and a dual identity might effectively be translated into an intervention program designed to reduce prejudice among European Portuguese and African Portuguese 9‐ to 11‐year‐old children. Participants interacted for 45 minutes in weekly sessions for a month. One month after the last interaction, measures were administered to the children. Results revealed that only recategorization reduced prejudice over time relative to the control condition. Consistent with a functional perspective regarding which representation would most effectively promote their group's goals, a one‐group representation was more effective for the African Portuguese minority group.     

Analysis of the Vocal Profiles of Male Seduction: From Exhibition to Self-Disclosure

The authors analyzed the suprasegmental (temporary) vocal profiles of 19 young men (not married) during their seductive interaction with 19 young women (not married) whom they had not known previously. The aim of the research was to verify the specificity, the sequential temporal stream, and the efficacy of the acoustical features of the seducer's voice during seductive interaction. In an ecological laboratory situation, the male participants were asked to meet their female partners. Participant-by-participant analysis showed that the male seductive voice is characterized by strong variations during the course of the seductive sequence. At the beginning of the sequence it had a higher pitch and an elevated intensity, as well as a faster rate of articulation than it did during normal speech (the exhibition voice). In the following phases it became gradually lower, weaker, and warmer (the self-disclosure voice). The modulation and variability of the vocal profiles during the seductive interaction were significantly stressed in the 9 successful seducers (those who succeeded in arranging a subsequent meeting with the partner), compared with the 10 unsuccessful seducers. The results have been interpreted as an ability to perform an effective local management of seductive communication.     

Advertising,perversions, neurosis

Abstract

This paper discusses the influence of advertising on today's social pathologies. Everywhere, advertising images invite people to enjoy unlimited pleasures. “No limits” orders the advertising master to the consumers and admirers of Nike. “Be a tiger” says another advertisement. The author believes that contemporary society is perverted by the orders of the advertising master, whom individuals gently obey, just as a hysterical woman lets her perverse master instrumentalize her.

Kehl MR. Werbung, Perversionen, HysterieDiese Arbeit diskutiert den Einfluß von Werbung auf die heutigen sozialen Pathologien. Überall laden Werbe-Bilder die Menschen zu unbegrenzten Vergnügungen ein. “Ohne Grenzen” fordern die Werbe-Meister von den Verbrauchern und Bewunderern von Nike.

“Sei ein Tiger”, sagt eine andere Werbung. Der Autor ist der Auffassung, daß die heutige Gesellschaft durch die Anweisungen der Werbe-Chefs pervertiert ist, dem die Menschen sachte gehorchen, wie eine hysterische Frau sich von ihrem perversen Meister instrumentalisieren läßt.

Kehl M.R. Publicidad, perversiones, histeria.Este trabajo discute la influencia de la publicidad en las patologías actuales. En todas partes las imágenes de publicidad invitan a la gente a conseguir placeres ilimitados. “Sin limites”, ordena la publicidad a los consumidores y admiradores de Nike. “Sé un tigre”, dice otro anuncio. El autor piensa que la sociedad contemporánea está pervertida por las ordenes de la publicidad maestra, que los individuos obedecen poco a poco, como una mujer histérica permite a su perversión maestra instrumentalizarla.     

Women Inmate Substance Abusers’ Reactivity to Visual Alcohol, Cigarette, Marijuana, and Crack-Cocaine Cues: Approach and Avoidance as Separate Dimensions of Reactivity

Despite the growing recognition for multidimensional assessments of cue-elicited craving, few studies have attempted to measure multiple response domains associated with craving. The present study evaluated the Ambivalence Model of Craving (Breiner et al. Alcohol Research and Health 23:197–206, 1999; Stritzke et al. 2007) using a unique cue reactivity methodology designed to capture both the desire to use (approach inclination) and desire to not consume (avoidance inclination) in a clinical sample of incarcerated female substance abusers. Participants were 155 incarcerated women who were participating in or waiting to begin participation in a nine-month drug treatment program. Results indicated that all four substance cue-types (alcohol, cigarette, marijuana, and crack cocaine) had good reliability and showed high specificity. Also, the validity of measuring approach and avoidance as separate dimensions was supported, as demonstrated by meaningful clinical distinctions between groups evincing different reactivity patterns and incremental prediction of avoidance inclinations on measures of stages of change readiness. Taken together, results continue to highlight the importance of measuring both approach and avoidance inclinations in the study of cue-elicited craving.     

Work Meaning Patterns in Early Career

Abstract

Work meaning patterns combine dimensions such as work centrality, expressive versus economic work goals, and entitlement versus obligation societal norms into a holistic picture of the evolution over time of the meaning of work. Data from a longitudinal study in eight countries are used to establish major work meaning patterns and to study their stability during early career paths. Further, some potential determinants of these work meaning patterns are analysed and their consequences for later careers are considered. Statistical analyses include: cluster analysis, multiple discriminant analysis, analysis of covariance combined with multiple classification analysis, analysis of variance, and chi-square analysis. Five cross-national work meaning patterns are identified for machine operators in their third year in the labour market. One-third of the sample had remained in the same work meaning pattern for 2 years, while two-thirds had changed their work pattern. Respondents' age, country, prior work environment, and prior work socialization behaviours and outcomes have an impact on work meanings held 2 years later. In addition the respondent's work meaning pattern allows subsequent career enhancing strategies and effort expenditure at the job to be predicted.