The internalization of and defiance against rules within prison: The role of correctional officers’ autonomy-supportive and controlling communication style as perceived by prisoners

Motivation and Emotion - While incarcerated, prisoners are subject to a vast number of rules. Drawing upon self-determination theory, the present study examined whether prisoners’ perceptions...     

A PRAGMATIC CRITIQUE OF PLURALISM IN TEXT INTERPRETATION

Abstract: I take a pragmatic approach to what interpreters do when they interpret and argue that critical pluralists have focused almost exclusively on one aspect of interpretation: the fact that it is an event taking place in a historical and cultural milieu that influences the many ways interpreters approach a given text. However, there is also in interpretation a pragmatic aspect: the fact that it is an act performed by individuals who, through the utterance of their statements, implicitly make claims, for example, regarding the truth of their interpretation. In the first part I explain what critical pluralists overlook and the consequences of such oversight. In the second part I indicate how the validity of interpretation can be assessed.     

Two French Variations on Truth: Ricoeur's Attestation and Foucault's “Parrhesiastic” Attitude

Both Ricoeur and Foucault, apparently independently of each other, dedicated much effort to provide an account of truth that goes far beyond the truth of sentences, propositions, or judgments. While well aware of the speech act theory and pragmatics, they want to go beyond a formalism of rules of speech or arguments and integrate the attitude of the one who speaks in the very notion of truth. They see truth not merely as a property of statements, but as an existential process in such a way that the truth of statements is linked to the historically situated speaker. Truth as a property of statements is related to truth as an event. However, both reject any form of historicism or relativism.

I examine Ricoeur's notion of attestation and Foucault's notion of parrhesia, showing how both notions represent a kind of “poetics of truth”, which combines the existential position of the speaker and the historical circumstances of utterance. I show the extent to which both poetics of truth are political and ethical and how successful each poetics is: Ricoeur believes that he can maintain a claim to universality whereas Foucault abandons such a claim and instead subscribes to a radical singularity of the event of speech in a mode of truth that is, as he says, “polemic”.     

The Perception of Persons with Anorexia Nervosa on Quality of Life: an Initial Investigation

Anorexia nervosa (AN) is an illness with a large impact on an individual’s quality of life, affecting relationships with friends and family, social inclusion, employment, personal development, and physical health, among other domains. However, most QoL studies primarily focus on health-related QoL without paying attention to the psychosocial and subjective aspects of QoL. In this study, QoL in persons with AN is investigated from a broad perspective. More specifically, this study aims at (1) gaining insight into the personal meaning of QoL of persons recovering from AN, (2) specifying the indicators of the QoL model of Schalock (J Intellect Disabil Res 48(3):203–216, 2004) for persons with AN, and (3) exploring the relationship between a specific treatment program and the perception on QoL of persons with AN. Therefore, in-depth interviews were conducted with 17 persons recovering from AN, who are supported by Empathie, a therapeutic center in Flanders, using solution-focused therapy and client-centered therapy, combined with a systemic orientation. The participants spontaneously mentioned the following themes when asked which elements are important to have a good QoL: interpersonal relationships, personal development, being able to relax, self-determination, and having a healthy lifestyle. Each domain of the QoL model of Schalock was operationalized into specific indicators for persons with AN. These indicators can help service providers to tailor their support strategies to the needs of each patient. The participants reported that being in therapy had positively influenced the following domains: interpersonal relationships, emotional well-being, self-determination, and social inclusion.     

Impact of group rejections from a physical activity on physical self-esteem among university students

This study examined the effects of trait physical self-esteem (TPSE) and reasons for group rejections upon state physical self-esteem (SPSE) in a social psychology experiment. Two vignettes were prepared for students to imagine themselves being rejected from a group physical activity. In one vignette, students were rejected by chance, whereas in the other, due to physical incapability. The results indicated that SPSE did not change significantly after rejection by chance, but that SPSE decreased significantly after rejection due to physical incapability. When the sample was divided to subgroups, high TPSE students decreased SPSE to the same level as low TPSE students, and the magnitude of decrease in high TPSE students was even larger than that in low TPSE students after rejection due to physical incapability. The similar pattern was observed in the comparison between male and female students, whereas SPSE of Physical Education major students did not drop as much after rejection due to physical incapability. Contrary to previous research, high TPSE failed to protect the decline of SPSE after group rejections particularly due to physical incapability. The involvement of the importance theory, coping strategies, and sources of rejections needs to be investigated further. Educational implications of the findings are discussed.