Feminists, Islamists, and Political Change in Turkey

This paper examines how some feminist and Islamist women in Turkey helped bring about change in political values during the past decade. The traditional political culture upheld statist, corporatist (as opposed to liberal, individualist) norms. The state controlled religion in the name of secularism and limited democracy within the confines of formal equality. Both feminists and Islamists contested traditional political values by insisting on their own definition of their interests, as opposed to those that were state-enforced. The feminists questioned the justice of formal equality as they sought substantive equality; Islamist women challenged the secular concept of equality as they insisted on the justice of male-female complementarity. Both groups engaged in active politics and expanded the parameters of democratic participation as they sought substantive equality beyond formal equality. Yet the patriarchal heritage of Islam defined the limits of Islamist women's search for liberation within the confines of religion.     

INTRUSIONS UPON SAME-SEX OR DIFFERENT-SEX DYADS IN A TURKISH UNIVERSITY DINING HALL

Latencies for intrusion upon same- and different-sex dyads in a university dining hall were Investigated. Latencies were longer for different-sex dyads than for either of the male-male and female-female dyads. No significant differences were revealed between the two types of same-sex dyads. The results were explained by the assumption of greater affective interdependence for mixed-sex than same-sex dyads.     

Practice Makes Perfect: Meditation and the Exchange of Spiritual Capital

Despite its ubiquity, the term ‘spiritual capital’ continues to lack a sufficient level of empirical scrutiny to merit categorical independence from its religious variant. To remedy this gap, this article presents an ethnographic study of a meditation group called the Dhyana Centre, situated at the heart of London, and offers a bottom-up account of the ways in which spiritual capital is recognized, exchanged, and adopted in the absence of institutional mechanisms of legitimacy. Building on Bradford Verter’s conceptualisation of spiritual capital as originally derived from Bourdieu’s theory of practice, this study argues that the distinct configuration between knowledgeable and practical mastery in the dynamics of spiritual capital exchange marks a modus operandi which is not fully accounted for by conventional notions of religious capital. This study of spiritual capital thus allows for the translation of a notoriously slippery phenomenon into a much more tangible object of study without having to resort to essentialist readings of spirituality.     

Ethical Issues in Neuromarketing: “I Consume,Therefore I am!”

Neuromarketing is a recent interdisciplinary field which crosses traditional boundaries between neuroscience, neuroeconomics and marketing research. Since this nascent field is primarily concerned with improving marketing strategies and promoting sales, there has been an increasing public aversion and protest against it. These protests can be exemplified by the reactions observed lately in Baylor School of Medicine and Emory University in the United States. The most recent attempt to stop ongoing neuromarketing research in France is also remarkable. The pertaining ethical issues have been continuously attracting much attention, especially since the number of neuromarketing companies has exceeded 300 world-wide. This paper begins with a brief introduction to the field of neurotechnology by presenting its current capabilities and limitations. Then, it will focus on the ethical issues and debates most related with the recent applications of this technology. The French Parliament’s revision of rules on bioethics in 2004 has an exemplary role in our discussion. The proposal by Murphy et al. (2008) has attracted attention to the necessity of ethical codes structuring this field. A code has recently been declared by the Neuromarketing Science and Business Association. In this paper, it is argued that these technologies should be sufficiently discussed in public spheres and its use on humans should be fully carried out according to the ethical principles and legal regulations designed in line with human rights and human dignity. There is an urgent need in the interdisciplinary scientific bodies like ethics committees monitoring the research regarding the scientific and ethical values of nonmaleficence, beneficence, autonomy, confidentiality, right to privacy and protection of vulnerable groups.     

Illness Identity in Adults with a Chronic Illness

The present study examines the concept of illness identity, the degree to which a chronic illness is integrated into one’s identity, in adults with a chronic illness by validating a new self-report questionnaire, the Illness Identity Questionnaire (IIQ). Self-report questionnaires on illness identity, psychological, and physical functioning were assessed in two samples: adults with congenital heart disease (22–78 year old; n?=?276) and with multisystem connective tissue disorders (systemic lupus erythematosus or systemic sclerosis; 17–81 year old; n?=?241). The IIQ could differentiate four illness identity states (i.e., engulfment, rejection, acceptance, and enrichment) in both samples, based on exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis. All four subscales proved to be reliable. Rejection and engulfment were related to maladaptive psychological and physical functioning, whereas acceptance and enrichment were related to adaptive psychological and physical functioning. The present findings underscore the importance of the concept of illness identity. The IIQ, a self-report questionnaire, is introduced to measure four different illness identity states in adults with a chronic illness.     

Schwere Anorexia nervosa

Background

Psychosomatic support during acute medical treatment of patients with anorexia nervosa is a special need but up to now a rare constellation. These patients can barely accept necessary somatic procedures even if they suffer from severe consequences of the eating disorder. The ambivalence of patients towards treatment is explained by the loss of the right perception of their bodies and the strong obsession with further weight loss.

Methods

This article reports on eight consecutively treated patients on a medical ward who received a liaison psychosomatic, psychotherapeutic visit twice a week. The aim was to maintain better therapy adherence, to support oral food intake and understanding of the disorder as well as to motivate patients for further psychosomatic treatment.

Results

By means of a respectful cooperation between the departments of internal medicine and psychosomatics it was possible to gain psychotherapeutic access to the patients in this highly complicated situation.

Consequence

The psychodynamic aspects of this collaboration are discussed with a focus on the triangulation of the therapeutic process.     

Emotion Regulation with Mindful Arts Activities Using a Personalized Self-Soothing Kit

Contrary to the occupational therapy tradition, there is little current research on harmonizing expressive doing with contemporary occupational therapy practice. This phenomenological multiple case study explored an integrated application of mindfulness, creative activity, and sensory modulation for adult mental health services users by making and using personalized self-soothing kits. The results showed significant improvements in arousal regulation, positive changes in emotion regulation and mixed results for mood regulation. Progress in participation in present roles and an increased focus on future productivity goals were also among the outcomes reported. The theoretical and clinical implications of the findings are discussed.     

Psychotherapie mit Migranten

After an introduction and presentation of the influence of immigration on psychological health, the present overview focuses on several models of psychological development in immigration. Cross-cultural psychodynamics and culturally conditioned transference in ethnically mixed cultural psychotherapy settings are explored. The effectiveness of Western therapy methods based on Christian – Jewish values is discussed with regard to the therapy of patients from different ethnic backgrounds, i. e. so-called traditional societies. In Western cultures, proximity in object relations is based on autonomy whereas in traditional societies proximity is based on relatedness. Knowledge of specific cultural issues are considered to be an important instrument in cross-cultural therapies. Joining, activation of ethnic resources, and culture-sensitive interventions are considered to be helpful psychotherapeutic interventions. Specialized therapy settings, e.g. integration of ethnic therapists in established institutions, mono-cultural ethnic settings and collaborative projects are described. Last but not least, the authors point out the necessity of cross-cultural therapeutic competence because of an expanding cultural heterogeneity of society.     

Integrating emotion and other nonrational factors into ethics education and training in professional psychology

ABSTRACT

Any professional or scientific discipline has a responsibility to do what it can to ensure ethical behavior on the part of its members. In this context, this paper outlines and explores the criticism that to date the emphasis in ethics training in professional psychology, as with other disciplines, has been on the rational elements of ethical decision making, with insufficient attention to the role of emotions and other nonrational elements. After a brief outline of some of the historical background to the development and understanding of ethical decision making, relevant theoretical and empirical literature on the influence of emotional and other nonrational factors on our ethical decisions is reviewed. The implications of this literature for ethics education and training are outlined, particularly with respect to the use of case studies. An integrative approach is proposed, and conclusions and recommendations are offered with respect to such an approach.