A Novel “Planetary Man”: From the Philosophical Paradigm of Modernity to Contemporary Anthropological Mutation: The Perspective of Ernesto Balducci

Italian priest, essayist, and intellectual of the twentieth century, Ernesto Balducci identified the crucial turning points of the new millennium by advancing original perspectives capable of opening unusual future scenarios. Sensitive to emergences of society (pollution, wars, ecological collapse), he retraces the causes in the more general “crisis of modernity,” proposing a new paideia and a new model of thought. He theorizes the construction of a novel planetary horizon that presupposes not only the building of new organizational structures, but also the achieving of an authentic “anthropological mutation” capable of inverting the course of history. While the old ethics were anthropocentric, founded on the supremacy of humankind over the world and nature, the new ethics is planetary, meaning that humankind must no longer be used as the parameter, but instead, the global horizon over which the effects of his or her actions extend.     

Barter

Psychiatric hospitalization and child sexual abuse are linked not simply by the need for the former occasioned by the symptom sequelae of the latter, but, also, by powerful pathogenic processes. Specifically, stigmatization, betrayal, and powerlessness are central themes in both experiences. Because of these similarities, the survivor of child sexual abuse may experience a psychiatric hospitalization as a revictimization experience. In order to avoid or, at least, minimize harm, all involved with the hospitalization of the child abuse survivor need to be aware of these dynamics and be prepared to provide treatment articulated to the needs of the survivor.     

The Politics of Naming and the Development of Morality

Abstract

Feminists have challenged traditional uses of naming and have reclaimed naming as a tool of empowerment rather than of oppression. Yet feminist naming often reverts into the paradigm of dominant culture, leading to further domination and social control through the creation of norms, rules, and moral absolutes. By focusing specifically on lesbian-feminism and deconstructing the lesbian-feminist “rules” of sexuality and physical appearance, this article explores the dualistic nature of feminist naming and morality and how they inadvertently mimic the moral paradigm of dominant culture. This article closes with a discussion of alternative models of feminist naming and moral frameworks.     

The Moral Imperative

Abstract

Given recent evidence concerning the prevalence of impairment in practitioners and its deleterious effects upon clients, therapist self-care must be viewed as a moral imperative. Despite the perception that self-care is especially problematic for women psychotherapists, research indicates that we are less ambivalent about practicing self-care and engaging in personal therapy than men practitioners (Mahoney, 1997). We propose a classification system based upon the dimensions of awareness of impairment and commitment to self-care and offer practical suggestions in order to create a climate more amenable for women therapists to engage in self-care activities.     

ISLAMIC BIOETHICS IN THE TWENTY‐FIRST CENTURY

Islamic bioethics is in good health, this article argues. During the twentieth century, academic researchers had to deal with a number of difficulties including the scarcity of available Islamic sources. However, the twenty‐first century witnessed significant breakthroughs in the field of Islamic bioethics. A growing number of normative works authored by Muslim religious scholars and studies conducted by academic researchers have been published. This nascent field also proved to be appealing for research‐funding institutions in the Muslim world and also in the West, such as the Qatar National Research Fund (QNRF) and the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO). On the other hand, the article argues that contemporary Islamic bioethics is in need of addressing news issues and adopting new approaches for the sake of maintaining and improving this good health in the future.     

Normative Impulsivity: Adorno on Ethics and the Body

Abstract

Adorno’s commitment to anti-foundationalism generates a concern over how his ethically normative appraisals of social phenomena can be founded. Drawing on both Kohlmann and Bernstein’s account, I produce a new reading which contends somatic impulses are capable of bearing intrinsically normative epistemic and moral content. This entails a new way of understanding Adorno’s contention that Auschwitz produced a new categorical imperative. Working with Bernstein’s account, I claim that Auschwitz makes manifest the hostility of the instrumentalization of reason to the somatic grounds of reason. One’s mimetic identification with the victims of Auschwitz arouses a self-preserving desire to intercede in and re-orient the progress of reason itself, for the sake of one’s own somatic integrity. In closing, I claim – contra Zuidervaart – that this reading allows us to place the ethical as primary in Adorno, without reducing the political to it.     

Initiating and Sustaining Emotional Abuse in the Coach–Athlete Relationship: An Ecological Transactional Model of Vulnerability

The purpose of this study was to explore the process by which emotional abuse occurs and is often sustained in sport. Methods were established in congruence with the iterative nature of grounded theory. In total, 18 retired elite athletes participated in the study. In-depth semistructured interviews were conducted with each participant, and data were coded using open, axial, and selective coding techniques. Data were interpreted to suggest that the perpetration of emotional abuse in the coach–athlete relationship is closely tied to ambitions and philosophies of athlete development. Based on the findings, an ecological transactional model of vulnerability to emotional abuse in the coach–athlete relationship is proposed. Recommendations are made for future prevention and intervention initiatives.     

Competence

Summary

Competence in mental health is explored in many roles, including that of researcher, author, teacher, supervisor, therapist, evaluator, consultant, forensic specialist, case manager, and administrator. It is viewed not only as a construct but also as an ongoing process within the individual. Five fundamental areas are examined: (1) Maintaining high standards of competence, (2) keeping within one's boundaries of competence and limitations of one's expertise, (3) maintaining competence in human diversity in practice and research, (4) engaging in continuing education in scientific and professional areas, and (5) protecting the welfare of others when standards are lacking. Guidance is also received from ethics codes, published standards of practice, federal and state laws, and institutional policies and regulations.     

Trauma Recovery in Interprofessional Cross-Cultural Contexts: Application of an Ethical Framework

Research into the complex interactions of personal, professional, and interprofessional ethics is in its infancy. Where interprofessional decision making is made in cross-cultural contexts, ethical dilemmas multiply; inversely, research to guide judgments is sparse. This study sought to explore interprofessional ethical decision making within a project, which delivered Western trauma-recovery training to counselors in Palestine. A cross-cultural interprofessional ethical framework was adapted and later applied to project decision making. A case study is presented based on field note reflections. Researchers perceived the following to be important in addressing ethical decision-making dilemmas: defining interprofessional and cross-cultural language; long-standing relationships of trust; workers liberated from organizational agendas; democratized processes; and flexible structures. Recommendations are provided to help plan and evaluate interprofessional cross-cultural initiatives.     

Touch,enjoyment and health: In infancy

The paper explores Peter Lomas's influence on the author as a therapist, and in particular his idea that therapy is inescapably an ethical endeavour, however much we try to avoid this. Less persuasive, however, is Lomas's belief in therapy as a moral influence. The author sees it more as an ethical space (after Roger Poole) where people can feel free to explore, without judgement, the difficulties that have brought them there - despair, loss, inauthenticity, unfulfilled lives. The paper also explores R.D. Laing's idea of ‘fear of the soul’ which afflicts therapists (including those who do not hold much with ideas of technique) - despite our title - as well as many of those who come to see us. This fear is, it is argued, understandable as it takes us into uncharted waters, a minefield. In other words, therapy can be dangerous. The paper draws both on the author's work with individuals, and in the Philadelphia Association's community house, with which he has been involved for many years.