MUST ETHICS BE THEOLOGICAL? A CRITIQUE OF THE NEW PRAGMATISTS

In the last decade there has been a pragmatic turn in the work of those doing Christian ethics, especially as represented by the work of Jeffrey Stout and Franklin Gamwell. The pragmatic turn represents a critique of the highly influential work of Stanley Hauerwas and Alasdair MacIntyre, which argues for a strongly intra-church ethics. The pragmatists are correct in arguing that Christian ethics must engage the public sphere. However, I argue that they are deeply mistaken in their claim that this engagement must rest on a weak or non-existent theology. I show that the claim that robust theology adds nothing to ethics, and that we can get along without it, is unsustainable.     

Birthing consciousness: A lacuna in evolutionary psychological science

In this article, I argue that there is a lacuna in evolutionary psychological science. Women most likely adapted, via natural selection processes, to handle the birthing process successfully; not only physically and culturally, but also psychologically and behaviorally. However, current literature of evolutionary psychology largely ignores this reasonable assumption. A look at current prominent literature from the field revealed a consensus that women before and after birth are functioning subjects, shaped by natural selection to maximize success in reproduction. However, it appears that the same literature has little to say about the behavioral and psychological responses of women during birth itself. This is the lacuna discussed in the article. In other fields of research, different behaviors and mental processes have been found to correlate with a successful natural birth. Selection would likely have favored women who had such positive responses during birth because it is a process that all individuals must go through; natural childbirth was an integral part of reproductive success before modern obstetrics existed. Implications for resolving this lacuna vary widely and may contribute to our understanding of how selection might have shaped the human mind in general, as well as the female mind in particular.     

Experience of traumatic events and personal myths of birth

ABSTRACT

Focusing on the analysis of a clinical case, this article studies the manner in which certain traumatic events can induce some individuals to produce auto-traumatic processes. In parallel, it demonstrates how the foundations of a subject’s origins can, at an early stage, find themselves undermined by an environment that does not recognise the subject, and that sends out messages that seem to exclude him or her from their filiation. What can follow is a partial breakdown in the ideation of origins that leads some individuals to create a personal myth of birth. This myth, that borrows some elements from collective myths, can to some extent substitute itself for the representation of filiation. This process will be differentiated here from delusional phenomena, or the ‘sexual theories of children’. This article also demonstrates the important role of the analysis of ‘anxiety dreams’ in these traumatic configurations: this analysis has the power to bring to light the different conflicting elements with which the ego identifies, so as to put an end to the auto-traumatic process, as well as giving clues for lifting the amnesia regarding a childhood personal myth of birth. Under these conditions ‘acts of birth’ can become inscribed into the analysis.     

The role of the mother's voice in developing mother's face preference: Evidence for intermodal perception at birth

Four experiments are described which investigated the role of the mother's voice in facilitating recognition of the mother's face at birth. Experiment 1 replicated our previous findings (Br. J. Dev. Psychol. 1989; 7: 3–15; The origins of human face perception by very young infants. Ph.D. Thesis, University of Glasgow, Scotland, UK, 1990) indicating a preference for the mother's face when a control for the mother's voice and odours was used only during the testing. A second experiment adopted the same procedures, but controlled for the mother's voice from birth through testing. The neonates were at no time exposed to their mother's voice. Under these conditions, no preference was found. Further, neonates showed only few head turns towards both the mother and the stranger during the testing. Experiment 3 looked at the number of head turns under conditions where the newborn infants were exposed to both the mother's voice and face from birth to 5 to 15 min prior to testing. Again, a strong preference for the mother's face was demonstrated. Such preference, however, vanished in Experiment 4, when neonates had no previous exposure to the mother's voice–face combination. The conclusion drawn is that a prior experience with both the mother's voice and face is necessary for the development of face recognition, and that intermodal perception is evident at birth. The neonates' ability to recognize the face of the mother is most likely to be rooted in prenatal learning of the mother's voice. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

How do you think she feels? Vulnerability in empathy and the role of attention in school‐aged children born extremely preterm

The aim of this study was to examine empathic competence in children born extremely preterm (EP, <28 weeks) given vulnerabilities in social relationships. Empathy in typically developing children is mediated by executive functions. Executive functioning is also impaired in preterm children. Of particular interest in this study are the attentional components of executive functioning as mediators of empathic development. Thirty‐two 7‐year‐old EP children and 40 age‐matched term children participated in the Project K.I.D.S program and completed the Kids Empathy Development Scale (KEDS), Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC‐IV), and Test of Everyday Attention for Children (TEA‐Ch). Children born extremely preterm exhibited poorer performance on all measures. The mediating role of attention in empathy competence was not supported by mediation modelling when FSIQ was controlled. As predicted, the EP group showed weaker empathic development relative to typically developing children. They also showed poorer attentional abilities. However, the effect of preterm birth on empathy was not mediated by executive‐level attention. The cognitive mechanisms underpinning poor empathy competence in EP children remain unclear. Future research needs to examine the role of inhibition, social–emotional recognition, and regulation.     

Birth rank as a determinant of academic achievement:results from a European survey of primary school children

ABSTRACT

The present study investigates the relationship between birth rank and academic achievement of children in a cross-country study to examine whether firstborn children perform better in primary school than later-born children when controlling for individual, social and parental characteristics. Data were drawn from the School Children Mental Health in Europe (SCMHE) study, which included samples from Bulgaria, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Lithuania, Romania and Turkey (n = 7,518). Children’s academic performance in reading and mathematics was evaluated by teachers and parents reported sociodemographic variables including birth rank and parental attitudes. Controlling for individual, sociodemographic variables and parental attitudes in multinomial regressions, first- or second-born children displayed greater performance in mathematics and in reading as compared to children whose birth rank was third or above. Children from large families, especially when they are not first- or second-born appear to be at greater risk for academic difficulties and should benefit from targeted prevention efforts.     

Vaginal bleeding and spotting in transgender men after initiation of testosterone therapy: A prospective cohort study (ENIGI)

Abstract

Background: Previous studies have cross-sectionally described amenorrhea in cohorts of transgender men on intramuscular or subcutaneous testosterone injections. It remains uncertain which testosterone preparations most effectively suppress vaginal bleeding and when amenorrhea occurs after testosterone initiation.

Aim:To investigate the clinical effects of various testosterone preparations on vaginal bleeding and spotting in transgender men.

Methods: This prospective cohort study was part of the European Network for the Investigation of Gender Incongruence (ENIGI). Data on the persistence and intensity of vaginal bleeding and spotting, serum sex steroid levels and body composition were prospectively and cross-sectionally assessed in 267 transgender men during a three-year follow-up period, starting at the initiation of various testosterone preparations.

Results: After three months of testosterone, 17.9% of transgender men reported persistent vaginal bleeding and 26.8% reported spotting. The percentages reporting vaginal bleeding and spotting decreased over the first year of testosterone (bleeding 4.7% and spotting 6.9% at 12?months, respectively), with no participants reporting vaginal bleeding or spotting after 18?months of testosterone. Factors associated with vaginal bleeding or spotting included lower serum testosterone levels and being on testosterone gel as compared to injections (e.g., esters or undecanoate preparations). If vaginal bleeding persisted, starting progestogens at three months resulted in a decrease in the intensity of vaginal bleeding and spotting.

Discussion: Transgender men and hormone-prescribing providers can be reassured that vaginal bleeding and spotting usually stop within three months after testosterone initiation. If not, serum testosterone levels should be measured and testosterone dose adjusted to achieve serum testosterone levels in the physiologic male range. Adding a progestin can be considered after three to six months if bleeding persists. Providers should be aware that cessation of bleeding can be more difficult to achieve in transgender men with lower serum testosterone levels or those on testosterone gel.