Psychometric Properties of the Persian Version of the Personal Meaning Profile in Iran

Journal of Religion and Health - The Personal Meaning Profile (PMP) is a widely used instrument to measure people’s perceptions of personal meaning in their lives. This study aimed...     

Effective Leadership and Culture in Iran: An Empirical Study

On analyse dans cet article les caractéristiques du leadership efficace en Iran, puis on envisage les liens possibles entre ce profil de leadership et les dimensions culturelles du pays. A partir des données fournies par 300 managers provenant de plus de 60 organisations relevant de trois secteurs industriels, on commence par utiliser les dimensions du projet GLOBE pour évaluer la culture iranienne dont les scores sont comparés à ceux d'autres pays. S'appuyant à la fois sur l' emic et l' etic du leadership, les auteurs développent sept dimensions du leadership: encourageant, dictatorial, visionnaire, familial, modeste, loyal et réceptif. Ils soutiennent que certaines de ces dimensions traduisent les aspects universels (ou etic ) du leadership (éncourageant, dictatorial), alors que d'autres procèdent de l' emic , c'est‐à‐dire de la spécificité culturelle du leadership (modeste, familial, loyal). Les résultats sont discutés en terme de positionnement de la culture iranienne entre des entrelacements fondamentaux et des traditions culturelles complexes. On aborde enfin la question des retombées sur les recherches à venir.     

Is Socrates a Prophet? (In Light of the Views of His Contemporaries and the Main Commentators)

Everybody acknowledges the importance of Socrates’ role and influence on the history of philosophy, as well as on the culture of humanity. He is also considered to be the first martyr of virtue and wisdom in human history. In spite of this, even though most Western commentators recognize the elevated meanings and high level of Socratic wisdom, they refuse to consider it to have a supra-human source and to be divine prophecy. In this article and through the analysis of Socrates’ words and speeches, which can be found in authentic sources such as some of Plato’s writings, the author aims to prove the truth of Socrates’ claim according to which he had the gift of prophecy. By putting together rational proofs and historical clues from his life, we will underline the veracity of such a claim. A part of the article will be dedicated to underlining the fact that our reasoning is based on authentic and historical references of Socrates’ speeches, which are mainly mentioned in Plato’s Apology. By quoting the main and most important commentators’ views in this field, we will therefore endeavor to show that there is a sort of general consensus among most commentators to consider this treatise to be an historical document. The importance as well as main outcome of this article is that if we accept this theory, the general outlook of the history of philosophy will change radically. In addition, the claim that wisdom has a divine source, which is mentioned repeatedly in the content of divine wise men’s words and in some Islamic traditions, will be confirmed. Moreover, the link between spiritual truths and human reasoning will be corroborated and underlined.     

Religiosity and Self-Esteem of Muslim Immigrants to the United States: The Moderating Role of Perceived Discrimination

The present study investigated the moderating effect of perceived discrimination in a sample of Muslim immigrants (N = 174). Sex differences on perceived discrimination, religiosity, and self-esteem were examined. Results suggested a significant difference between Muslim men and women in regards to measures of religiosity. Men displayed higher religiosity scores. Results also indicated a significant positive relationship between measures of religiosity and perceived discrimination. Our results also provided full support for the moderating role of perceived discrimination. Implications of these findings for psychologists and future research examining these relationships are addressed.     

Attachment Style,Perceived Loneliness,and Psychological Well-Being in Smoking and Non-Smoking University Students

The growing rate of smoking cigarettes among the youths necessitates examining its contributing factors. Accordingly, we aimed to compare smoking and nonsmoking university students in their attachment styles, perceived loneliness, and psychological well-being. To this end, we recruited 100 current smokers and 100 nonsmoking students by using a convenience sampling method from Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran. All participants completed the Adult Attachment Scale, Loneliness Scale, and General Health Questionnaire. Data analysis indicated that compared to nonsmokers, smokers had a more anxious attachment style and they felt lonelier. Moreover, current results showed that smokers suffered from higher rates of psychological problems than nonsmokers. These results suggest that smoking is influenced by a set of psychological factors and therefore, prevention and treatment programs targeting these factors may be effective in reducing the rate of smoking cigarettes among university students.     

A HISTORICAL OVERVIEW OF THE PSYCHODYNAMIC CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE UNDERSTANDING OF EATING DISORDERS

The objective of this paper is to give an historical overview of the development of psychodynamic theories and to acknowledge their contribution to the understanding of the aetiology of these complex disorders. Relevant psychodynamic and psychoanalytic papers on the historical development of eating disorders were identified through a search of (1) Medline and PsychoInfo, (2) the library of the London Institute of Psychoanalysis, (3) Psychoanalytic Electronic Publishing (PEP), and (4) a number of textbooks on eating disorders.

The search revealed a dearth of psychoanalytic historical perspectives about the aetiology of eating disorders in general. Overall most psychoanalytic publications were based on single case studies and concerned primarily with anorexia nervosa. No single model was identified, but a number of psychoanalytic ideas remain consistent throughout. Several psychoanalysts and contemporary psychodynamically‐informed authors refer to, apply and have further developed a number of these original ideas. This overview highlights the unique contributions of psychodynamic concepts towards a better understanding of the aetiology of eating disorders and how much they have influenced and informed modern thinking on the meaning of these complex conditions. A range of psychodynamic views has emerged and gradually evolved from concentrating solely on intra‐psychic factors to a more comprehensive multi‐modal model. This tendency has become a fertile ground for cross‐fertilization which, along with the bio‐social counterparts, remains the fundamental pillars on which modern understanding of eating disorders still rests.     

Factors Challenging the Spiritual Rehabilitation of Iranian Men Affected by Natural Disasters: A Qualitative Study

Journal of Religion and Health - Spiritual health is one important dimension of human health. Natural disasters, however, can adversely affect human spiritual health. One of the undeniable...