Perception of Candomble Practitioners About Herbal Medicine and Health Promotion in Ceará, Brazil

Candomble, a Brazilian religion of African origin that worships Orishas, promotes “healing” assistance during its worship rituals using therapy with plants and beliefs. From its ancestry tradition, the respect and beware with nature are expressed. Therefore, the aim of this study is to investigate the perception of ethnoecology and health promotion among Candomble practitioners from a Candomble temple in the state of Ceará, Brazil. The ethnography was designed to allow greater immersion into the current mystique. This immersion results in the breaking of existing prejudices and admiration for their worldview. Thus, it can be observed that people seek Candomble to get rid of “bad” health difficulties, such as insomnia, depression, eyesight problems among others, which are commonly treated with herbal preparations, baths, and teas, using plants native to the region; however, their indications are not always in accordance with scientific evidence. In parallel with biomedicine, their hospitable and healthcare practices are considered by most as the equivalent to traditional healthcare actions, but greater recognition of biomedicine is necessary. Based on this perspective, the use of native plants in Candomble is examples of memory, hospitality, and humanization for the community wellness.     

The link between social interactions and trust recovery in customer–business relationships

Trust plays a crucial role in interpersonal relationships, including customer–company relationships, where the customer expects that a company will behave predictably in any particular situation. Companies do not always fulfill customers' expectations and thereby breach the trust relationship. To avoid negative consequences of this trust violation, companies may issue a formal apology as one possible path to regaining customer trust. In the same way, a previous social interaction, which can increase the customer's levels of oxytocin, can help to recover trust after service failures. In this study, three experiments were conducted as follows: the first manipulating a simulated social interaction with images; the second manipulating a physical social interaction, (i.e., a hug); and the third with exogenous oxytocin administration. The results showed that both physical interaction, (i.e., a hug) and simulated social interaction, (i.e., images of people interacting with each other) had a positive effect on customer trust recovery and provided support for oxytocin release as the underlying mechanism in this process. This research contributes to understanding of the link between social interactions and trust by elucidating the effects of both simulated and physical interactions on trust recovery.     

Intersectional Identities and the Politics of Altruistic Care in a Low-Income, Urban Community

The literatures on the ways in which social identity and social position (e.g., gender, class, race) inform altruism have developed orthogonally. In this community-based qualitative study we use intersectionality theory to explore the complex ways in which social identity and social structures jointly influence altruism among African American adults (n?=?40) in an urban, economically distressed housing community in New York City. Content analysis of participants’ narratives reveals the ways in which gender, race, ethnicity, class, age, and urbanicity work in tandem to create differential patterns of vulnerability, differential needs, differential commitments to caring for particular subgroups, and informs how altruists are perceived by others. The implications of this work for future research on altruism are highlighted.     

The Social Production of Altruism: Motivations for Caring Action in a Low-Income Urban Community

Contemporary social science paints a bleak picture of inner-city relational life. Indeed, the relationships of low-income, urban-residing Americans are represented as rife with distress, violence and family disruption. At present, no body of social scientific work systematically examines the factors that promote loving or selfless interactions among low-income, inner-city American individuals, families and communities. In an effort to fill that gap, this ethnographic study examined the motivations for altruism among a sample of adults (n = 40) who reside in an economically distressed housing community (i.e., housing project) in New York City. Content analyses of interviews indicated that participants attributed altruism to an interplay between 14 motives that were then ordered into four overarching categories of motives: (1) needs-centered motives, (2) norm-based motives deriving from religious/spiritual ideology, relationships and personal factors, (3) abstract motives (e.g., humanism), and (4) sociopolitical factors. The implications of these findings are discussed.     

“There Is a Lot of Junk on the Web!”: Using Web Site Evaluation in an Introductory Religion Course

This essay describes a web site evaluation project which served as the final assignment for an undergraduate “Introduction to Religion” course. The essay discusses lessons learned from the design and implementation of this web‐based research assignment over three consecutive semesters. It includes insights from an instructor and a reference librarian who collaborated on this project.     

Associations of Quality of Life,Physical Activity and Mood States in Women with Breast Cancer Treated with Curative Intent

This study aims to investigate the associations between quality of life, physical activity and mood states in women with breast cancer. A total of 354 women (mean age, 51.74?±?8.63 years; body mass index (BMI), 28?±?5.67 kg/m²) completed the Baecke Physical Activity Questionnaire, Profile of Mood States (POMS), European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer Core Quality of Life Questionnaire (EORTC QLQ-C30) and European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer Breast Cancer-Specific Quality of Life Questionnaire (EORTC QLQ-BR23). Pearson’s correlation and multiple linear regressions were used to verify the relations between outcomes and independent variables. Correlations between scores on POMS, Baecke Physical Activity Questionnaire and global health status/quality of life subscale of EORTC QLQ-C30 found associations (p?<?0.01) between physical activity (r?=?0.191), vigour (r?=?0.333) and fatigue (r?=??0.433). Multiple linear regression analysis of the global health status/quality of life subscale of the EORTC QLQ-C30 showed significant differences for vigour (p?<?0.001), social function (p?=?0.003), side effects of systemic therapy (p?=?0.019), arm and breast symptoms (p?<?0.001) and Baecke physical activity score (p?=?0.006). Physical activity is an independent factor related to the quality of life in women with breast cancer. Understanding these variables may influence clinical decisions during treatment and allow positive interventions regarding symptoms, functions and lifestyle.     

Effects of belief in luck on the attractiveness of loyalty programmes

The aim of this article is to demonstrate that the perception of belief in luck affects loyalty programmes, causing people making cognitive (affective) choices to feel more (less) attracted. To validate our hypotheses, we conducted 3 related experiments (2 laboratory tests and 1 in the field). We found that the perception of belief in luck (bad or good) affects the relationship between loyalty programmes and attractiveness (Study 1). We study this effect considering the mechanisms of points‐pressure and rewarded behaviour. Thereafter, we established that cognitive (affective) decisions promoted an increase (decrease) in attractiveness when consumers were exposed to continuous loyalty programmes because their belief in luck was lower (Studies 2 and 3). We believe that these changes occur because the consumer's belief in luck masks the uncertainty in the decision‐making process.     

From Ogden to Ferenczi. The constitution of a contemporary clinical thought*

The American Journal of Psychoanalysis - This paper, in its first part, offers historical and clinical research that aims to establish, in a new frame, forms of organizing psychoanalytic theories...