The association between adolescent risk behaviours and feelings of sadness or hopelessness: a cross-sectional survey of South African secondary school learners

Poor mental health in adolescents has shown associations with engagement in other risk behaviours. However, evidence of this association in Sub-Saharan Africa, particularly South Africa, is lacking. This study examines the associations between pertinent risk behaviours and feelings of sadness or hopelessness amongst a nationally representative sample of South African school going adolescents. Data was analysed from the South African Youth Risk Behaviour Survey 2011 (n=10,997), a cross-sectional national survey among grades 8–11 school learners. Logistic regression examined the association of demographic, substance use, violent behaviour, sexual activity and suicidal plans and attempts with the primary outcome, feelings of sadness or hopelessness. Having feelings of sadness or hopelessness was significantly associated with more senior grades, being bullied (AOR:1.67, 95% CI: 1.42–1.96), being assaulted by a partner (1.33 [1.05–1.68]), forced sex (1.78 [1.37–2.32]); gang membership (1.32 [1.06–1.65]), binge drinking (1.37 [1.14–1.65]), ever having sex (1.23 [1.02–1.47]), having ≥1 partner/s in preceding three months (1.25 [1.02–1.53]), having made a plan to attempt suicide (2.50 [1.95–3.21]) and suicide attempt (1.49 [1.21–1.85]). Adolescents in South Africa are experiencing a multiple burden of risk. Health promotion strategies targeting adolescent mental health and risk behaviours need to be developed and implemented in a timely and comprehensive manner.     

The impact of intrusive identification in the analytic process: Some implications of real trauma and phantasy1

In this paper, the author aims to show a possible understanding of very primitive identifications, especially intrusive identifications, when associated with traumatic situations and expressed through current phantasies related to these experiences. At first glance, this understanding could be considered quite straightforward. However, the original contribution offered by the author is the participation of this special kind of combination in the formation of the primitive intrusive identifications and its association with the imprisonment inside the primitive object of identification, especially the mother. The author proposes the amplification of the clinical use of the concept of ‘life in the claustrum’, originally described by Meltzer, moving beyond persecutory claustrophobic situations. He illustrates the phenomenon with the analytic work carried out with a patient whose narcissistic and intrusive character was structured on the basis of primitive intrusive identifications and phantasies related to the claustrum inside the mother. The patient's imprisonment inside the maternal compartments has, as its background, the phantasies related to the infantile traumatic experience of the death of the patient's brother, which are reproduced in the analytic relationship.     

Creative Metacognitive Feelings as a Source of Information for Creative Self-efficacy,Creativity Potential,Intrapersonal Idea Selection,and Task Enjoyment

Creativity scholars try to untangle the commonalities and differences between creative self-beliefs: creative self-efficacy, creative self-concept, creative metacognition, and creative role identity. While these efforts are already contributing significantly, we would like to suggest that for creative metacognition, we need to go beyond the assessment of confidence beliefs and regulation and include creative metacognitive feelings and intrapersonal idea selection as two additional components. To test the validity of our proposition, this study examined the influence of creative metacognitive feelings on creative self-efficacy, creative potential, accurate intrapersonal idea selection (agreement between individuals’ selection of their most creative idea and two independent judges’ selection of the participants’ best idea), and task enjoyment. To elicit metacognitive feelings, participants were randomly assigned to remember and write down two or six instances in their lives in which they generated novel and useful ideas that helped solve a problem. Participants then completed a questionnaire assessing creative self-efficacy, ease of recall as a proxy of metacognitive feelings, performance on a divergent thinking task, and task enjoyment. Results showed an indirect influence of recalling fewer examples on creative self-efficacy through its influence on metacognitive feelings. Metacognitive feelings then had an indirect influence, through creative self-efficacy, on creative potential and task enjoyment.     

儒家道德情感论的核心特质及其内在理路

直下心源、直契本心是由孔子确立的儒家道德情感论的核心特质,孔子后学由此出发,基于天人合一的视域建构了诚学,将诚提升为了贯通天人、真实无妄的道德情感。儒家从质直、至诚之本心情感出发,涵养与推扩道德情感的内在理路可以概括为以下三个维度:第一,以反观内省的道德理性时时提撕和体认本心情感; 第二,以本心情感为体,以礼乐文化为用,以文质彬彬为旨归; 第三,以“亲亲而仁民,仁民而爱物”为路径,以四端之心为内在心理情感根据,在由近及远、由厚及薄、由亲及疏的无限推扩中实现对道德情感的涵养、提升与超越。     

现代技术的伦理沉思

善的追求与人存在的完善统一的重大前提是人的真实的存在。由于理性的张扬,伴随人类社会的发展,特别是现代技术的发展,人的真实存在被遗忘、被扭曲。善,因而逐渐地远离人追求的范畴。人被现代技术所奴役,陷入生存困境。要摆脱这种困境,必须实现现代技术的伦理超越。伦理对现代技术的超越,是一个思维方式转变的过程,一个科学态度向哲学态度转变的过程,一个存在方式重新选择的过程。它的实现不在于建立一门新的伦理学体系,而在于唤起被遮蔽、被诱惑、或沉睡了的“意义性追求”或“对最高价值的意识和追求”。     

Moral approval of aggressive acts: A preliminary investigation

A questionnaire was used to investigate 1) the approval of various kinds of aggressive behaviour under different specified circumstances and 2) the arousal of feelings of aggression in imagined situations. In addition, an attitude test was presented which discriminated between the two highest of Kohlberg's levels of moral reasoning [1969]. The subjects were a very varied group of 83 adults (aged 17–68 years) from municipal evening courses in Finland. Aggression was most approved when it was given altruistic purpose. Self-defense was rated as the second highest justification for aggression. Aggression was found least legitimate when the reasons were emotional (drunk, rage). The justification of some types of aggressive behaviour were dependent on the conditions under which they occurred, whereas others appeared independent. Killing and torture were the most disapproved kinds of aggressive behaviour. Another's attack was the most powerful instigator of feelings of aggression, whereas frustration seemed relatively unimportant. Females approved of emotional expressions of aggression to a greater extent than did males. The moral test did not correlate with approval of aggression in general, but a couple of more specific predictions about the effects of level of moral reasoning on attitudes to socially sanctioned forms of aggression were tentatively confirmed.     

Analyzing Argumentative Discourse from a Rhetorical Perspective: Defining `Person' and `Human Life' in Constitutional Disputes Over Abortion

In this paper, a case study is presented of constitutional debates about abortion. An analysis is given of arguments from the Roe v. Wade case for definitions concerning the key notions of `person' and `human life'. The paper illustrates how the Court has gradually taken a more pragmatic or rhetorical position on definitional matters crucial to the purpose of regulating abortion.     

不同适应水平小学生情境投射反应比较--小学生自我调节机制的一项研究

本研究选取发展良好与适应不良的三—-五年级小学生为被试,用完成句子的形式进行投射测验,以比较分析被试对于句子呈现情境的主观意义感受特征。结果表明,两组被试在学习任务完成后的体验、集体的地位感和人际交往的亲和性与支持感等方面主观意义感受存在明显的差异。数项结果分析显示,适应不良的被试可能存在着两种类型的反应。