Experienced Person Research Articles

Maintaining the ability to be unsettled and learn afresh: what philosophy contributes to our understanding of ‘reflection’ and ‘experience’

In this paper, Heidegger’s and Gadamer’s examinations of the terms ‘reflection’ and ‘experience’ are explored in depth in order to contribute to discussions about the benefits of critical reflection of practice for practitioners in the helping professions. The importance of maintaining humility and an undogmatic stance is stressed since this allows helping professionals to learn afresh from critical reflection of their practice. As Gadamer points out ‘being experienced’ does not consist of knowing everything or knowing more than anyone else. Rather, he suggests that a truly experienced person is someone who is undogmatic. This encourages practitioners to hold knowledge tentatively and be willing to be surprised by new ways of thinking and being.

La dépersonnalisation : l’ambiguïté clinique d’une notion transnosographique

ObjectivesThe aim of the paper is to examine the nosographic ambiguity of the term depersonalization in psychiatry, between neurosis and psychosis. We propose to formulate this nosographic issue in clinical terms, which means questioning the transnosographic nature of depersonalization on the basis of the mechanisms of dissociation or split that come into play for the subject. MethodThe ambiguities characterizing the concept of depersonalization in the present-day field of psychiatry can be set against the first descriptions of these experiences, at the turn of the xxth century. From this historical perspective, some clinical distinctions can be sketched out, making it possible to identifying various forms of depersonalization. This historical perspective enables elements to be identified for a differential clinical approach to the various forms of depersonalization, based on a refinement of the various features of their semiology and their phenomenology, and on meta-psychological hypotheses concerning the defense mechanisms involved. ResultsAfter pointing out the affiliations between the definitions of the syndrome of depersonalization in contemporary psychiatric classifications and the classic descriptions of neurotic depersonalization, characterized by an experience of split personality or dissociative identity disorder, two other instances of depersonalization are explored, which call on different phenomena and different psychic functions. The split ego in neurotic depersonalization in particular can be set against a form of depersonalization corresponding to an attempt at self-neutralization by the subject, who doubts his abilities for psychic containment. DiscussionThese typical – but non-exhaustive – forms of depersonalization demonstrate the limits of an approach in terms of syndrome, associating the phenomenon with a single semiology, derived from the features most often observed in neuroses. They point to the clinical relevance of a transnosographic view of depersonalization, and also to the need to refine a differential semiology, linked to the different modes of defense and protection that depersonalization can take on. ConclusionsDefining the defense mechanisms and their functions in experiences of depersonalization is at odds with a deficit-related conception of the phenomenon, associating it with loss of bearings or loss of the ability to synthesize the self. The different forms of splitting in the subject leading to the experience of depersonalization – split identity, body-psyche dissociation, etc. – require consideration of both subjective experience and distinct defensive functions.

Prizonizacja a skazani na karę dożywotniego pozbawienia wolności

Prizonizacja a skazani na karę dożywotniego pozbawienia wolności

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DOES MENTORING MAKE A DIFFERENCE FOR WOMEN ACADEMICS? EVIDENCE FROM THE LITERATURE AND A GUIDE FOR FUTURE RESEARCH

1.IntroductionThe relevance of mentoring to support newcomers and minority groups in organizations has been underlined for decades (Allen et al., 2008; Kram, 1983). Mentoring broadly indicates a relationship where a more expert person - the mentor - provides advice to a less expert one - the mentee. Daloz (2012), referring to the character of Virgil in Dante's Divine Comedy, writes that the mentor's role would be that of engendering trust, issuing a challenge, providing encouragement, and offering a vision for the journey (Daloz, 2012: 30). There is an aura of mythology around mentoring: the word itself comes from Mentor, the name of the old sage (personification of the goddess Athena) who took care of the young Telemachus while his father Odysseus was away in the Trojan War.Coming back to the present day, Megginson et al. (2006: 4) define mentoring as, off-line help by one person to another in making significant transitions in knowledge, work or thinking. Schramm (2004: 64) underlines the developmental aspect of this relationship and adds that the mentor should the mentee to go beyond the comfort zone. The definition and its extension may appear broad, but they underline the basic features of mentoring. This is that mentoring implies an exclusive relationship in which a more experienced person provides strategic advice to facilitate the professional and personal development of another, less experienced one. When applied to organizations, mentoring should help the mentee to better understand the organizational context and career opportunities, avoid isolation, and access relevant networks. Mullen (2009) noted that the breadth of the definition might be problematic: today the word mentoring is often used interchangeably not only with advising and supervising, but, among others, with coaching, leading, teaching, and socializing, thus making comparisons difficult for scholars and practitioners in studying this process.In this paper, we provide a review of the literature on mentoring, where mentoring is considered as a process to enhance the career trajectory of women in academia and involves a relation beyond supervision, line management and probationary processes. We investigate and clarify the role of mentoring for women academics, and propose a model to guide future research.Academic mentoring is an especially interesting area for building a scholarly contribution. The first literature on mentoring originated in the 1980s, but it was more focused on private organizations than academia. Boyle and Boice (1998) underlined that universities initially showed a laissez-faire approach, this meaning that, compared to the private sector, they have been less proactive in promoting mentoring. This has implications on scholarly literature as well. Still nowadays, literature on academic mentoring is highly fragmented. This led Zellers et al. (2008) to argue for the need to build a consistent research agenda, better able to investigate the peculiarities of the academic profession.The main factor making mentoring for women important in universities is that academia has been a male environment for centuries (Bagilhole and Goode, 2001): women are still underrepresented at the more senior levels and in some disciplines (usually the fields related to science, technology, mathematics and medicine, STEMM for short) (EC, 2016). This means that women are often excluded from important networks (van den Brink and Benschop, 2014), even if not directly discriminated (Savigny, 2014). Quinlan (1999) earlier pointed out (and still relevant today) how women in academia often engage in very different career paths compared to men, have less continuity in their CV, and experience more stress and greater isolation. Mentoring, therefore as an instrument to support professional development, should be especially useful to ensure a smoother career path for women.The academic profession presents specificities that might challenge the development and uptake of mentoring. …

Entrepreneurial drivers and performance: an exploratory study of urban minority and women entrepreneurs

This study examines the relationship between entrepreneur demographics (education, experience), characteristics (personality traits, motivation) and entrepreneurial success in the context of urban minority and women entrepreneurship. Based on a survey of 68 minority and women entrepreneurs from Baltimore, a large city in the USA, the research investigates whether there are significant differences between successful and less successful entrepreneurs in terms of personality traits, motivation, and education and experience levels. Success was measured in terms of average net profit and average sales growth over three years. The findings suggest that entrepreneurs who had more education and experience had higher growth in sales and net profits. Further, successful entrepreneurs were more persistent and enthusiastic, had better sense of achievement, and were more cautious in taking risks.

Preoperative Oral Sedation with Midazolam and Paracetamol vs Sedation Nasally with Midazolam and Ketamine for Children Scheduled for Dental Treatment

Background: Preoperative anxiety is common among children. It can result in adverse physiological and psychological outcomes. Pharmacological and non-pharmacologic techniques used preoperatively to decrease anxiety and improve cooperation in pediatric patients. The extent of an individual child’s risk for stress reflects genetics, personality, parenting, and previous life experience. Children 1 to 5 years of age are at the highest risk for extreme preoperative anxiety. Material and methods: The study is a double blinded clinical trial that conducted in Ain Sham University on 90 children for pulpotomy in the period from august 2015 to may 2017 after approval of the ethical committee and informed written consent from the guardians. The patients were divided randomly into two groups. Fifteen min. before the procedure, In group O, midazolam/paracetamol at a dose of 0.5 and 15 mg/kg respectively was given orally. In group N, midazolam/Ketamine 0.5 mg/kg and 10 mg/kg sprayed nasally. Ramsay sedation scale, child separation, mask acceptance, Aldrete’s scoring system, postanesthetic discharge criteria and parent satisfaction scores were recorded. Results: group N showed more smooth parenteral separation [88.9 vs 8.9%] and better tolerance to the face mask “scale 1” [73.3% vs 22.2%] meanwhile the PACU discharge [88.9% vs 66.7%] and the hospital discharge [77.8% vs 46.7%] were earlier in group O with a higher satisfaction score [77.7% vs 22.2%]. Conclusion: The combination of midazolam/paracetamol is orally comparable to the combination of midazolam/ket-amine nasally; however “midazolam/paracetamol” achieves a higher parents satisfaction and earlier postoperative discharge.

The Evolution of Women's Political Participation in Various Public Offices in Jordan

The study aimed at identifying the evolution of political participation of Jordanian women by monitoring their effective participation during the past decades in the State's legislative and executive authorities. It also aimed at tracing milestones taken towards women's quota law and motives that urge women to run for elections and factors that affect their winning. The study concluded that Jordan worked to include women's issues within the priorities for action and development. Jordanian women made great strides towards their appropriate roles in political life. Women were appointed deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Planning and International Cooperation, Minister of Culture, Minister of Social Development and others, but women were not entrusted with sovereign ministries. The percentage of women's representation in the House of Representatives developed rapidly, rising from (1.3%) in (1993) with one woman deputy to (12.0%) in (2013) after the amendment of the electoral law. The number of women Senators increased to nine in the council formed in (2013) which is an indication of the political leadership desire to support women's political participation. A progress has been made; nevertheless women's representation in the Parliament is still under the world average (22%). Women got satisfactory results in the (2013) municipal elections by winning (29%) of the seats. The total number of women judges in (2012) was (250) judges. The study pointed out factors that helped women gain seats in the House of Representatives such as: (Women's quota), tribal support, woman's strong personality and previous experiences.

Entrepreneurial drivers and performance: an exploratory study of urban minority and women entrepreneurs

This study examines the relationship between entrepreneur demographics (education, experience), characteristics (personality traits, motivation) and entrepreneurial success in the context of urban minority and women entrepreneurship. Based on a survey of 68 minority and women entrepreneurs from Baltimore, a large city in the USA, the research investigates whether there are significant differences between successful and less successful entrepreneurs in terms of personality traits, motivation, and education and experience levels. Success was measured in terms of average net profit and average sales growth over three years. The findings suggest that entrepreneurs who had more education and experience had higher growth in sales and net profits. Further, successful entrepreneurs were more persistent and enthusiastic, had better sense of achievement, and were more cautious in taking risks.

The effects of academic mentoring perceptions of research assistants on their organizational commitment

Mentoring can be expressed as a supportive relationship in which an experienced person transfers his or her expertise and knowledge to someone else. Universities are one of the most appropriate environments that this process, the samples of which can be seen in many sectors, is experienced. Academicianship is one of the professions in which the mentoring process is the most intense and most-needed. This study was aimed to investigate how research assistants perceive the academic mentor and mentee relationship, how these perceptions are related to the desired working behaviour, performance, and organizational effectiveness, and how these relationships affect “organizational commitment,” which has an increasing importance. Thus, both a sample based on the academic mentoring process was obtained and the academic mentoring process, as a factor affecting the organizational commitment, was studied. As a result of the research, it was found that there was a positive relationship between perceived mentoring and organizational commitment, affective commitment from subcategories of commitment. The relationship between normative commitment and organizational commitment were also found to be positive and meaningful. However, no relationship between perceived mentoring and continuance was found, and the established regression model did not make sense either.

The identification of Malaysian driving styles using the multidimensional driving style inventory

A study was conducted to investigate the driving styles within the geographical region of Malaysia. The first part of the study determined Malaysian drivers’ driving styles using the Multidimensional Driving Style Inventory approach. Respondents had various backgrounds in terms of age, gender and experience of driving. A statistical factor analysis was done for 338 respondents revealing four driving styles; careful, risky, anxious-dissociative and angry. In addition, a comparison with previous findings from Netherlands and Israel was also done in this study. The next part of the study focused on the associations of these driving styles with two personality traits (sensation seeking and desire for control), sociodemographic factors and experience of driving. The last part of the paper discusses the relevance of the study against the background of future automotive development.

Towards Automated Large-Scale 3D Phenotyping of Vineyards under Field Conditions.

In viticulture, phenotypic data are traditionally collected directly in the field via visual and manual means by an experienced person. This approach is time consuming, subjective and prone to human errors. In recent years, research therefore has focused strongly on developing automated and non-invasive sensor-based methods to increase data acquisition speed, enhance measurement accuracy and objectivity and to reduce labor costs. While many 2D methods based on image processing have been proposed for field phenotyping, only a few 3D solutions are found in the literature. A track-driven vehicle consisting of a camera system, a real-time-kinematic GPS system for positioning, as well as hardware for vehicle control, image storage and acquisition is used to visually capture a whole vine row canopy with georeferenced RGB images. In the first post-processing step, these images were used within a multi-view-stereo software to reconstruct a textured 3D point cloud of the whole grapevine row. A classification algorithm is then used in the second step to automatically classify the raw point cloud data into the semantic plant components, grape bunches and canopy. In the third step, phenotypic data for the semantic objects is gathered using the classification results obtaining the quantity of grape bunches, berries and the berry diameter.

Transforming Organization through Instructional Leadership and Supervision (TOILS)

Instructional leadership and supervision has been subjected in different substantiations in terms of its theoretical standpoints and underpinnings. These are often defined similarly, however, these two have different definitions when it comes to some aspects in the operations within the organization. Instructional leadership involves activities in managing an educational facility, while, supervision is defined as the guidance and oversight of an expert or a more experienced person. In fact, it is usually related with continuous improvement and sustainable development in the classroom instructions. The principal being the head of the school must have a robust platform in leading and managing the educational facility. The main goal of this paper is to establish a concept of instructional leadership and supervision that would answer all the questions in maintaining high competency level of faculty members, sustaining effectiveness of teaching and learning, upholding maximum students’ development programs and transforming the vision, voices, and values of the members of the organization towards solid vision, missions, objectives, and goals.

Longitudinal purpose in life trajectories: Examining predictors in late midlife.

Research shows midlife adults consistently report higher purpose in life (PIL) than older adults. However, less is known about the changes in PIL during the transition from midlife to older adulthood. This study examined 5-year changes of PIL among late-midlife adults in the Foley Longitudinal Study of Adulthood (n = 163, MAge = 56.37). Results showed that most midlife adults reported higher-stable PIL whereas some of them showed lower-stable PIL, with trait conscientiousness and race being significant predictors of PIL. Future studies should investigate when PIL tends to stabilize and how personality and racial experiences influence the development of PIL. (PsycINFO Database Record

Body condition score, morphometric measurements and estimation of body weight in mature Icelandic horses in Denmark.

BackgroundObesity is related to the development of several diseases like insulin resistance and laminitis in horses. The prevalence of obesity among mature Icelandic horses in Denmark has not been investigated previously. This study aimed to find the prevalence of obesity, to compare body condition score (BCS) based on owner perception with that of an experienced person and to correlate the BCS to body weight (BW) and morphometric measures in a group of mature Icelandic horses in Denmark. A total of 254 Icelandic horses (≥4 years; 140 geldings, 105 mares, 9 stallions) from 46 different farms were included. All horses were assigned a BCS on a scale from 1 to 9 (1 is poor, 5 is moderate and 9 is extremely fat) by their owner and by an experienced person. Two weight tapes were used to assess BW. Girth circumference (GC), neck circumference (NC) and height at withers (HW) were measured, and the GC:HW and NC:HW ratios were calculated.ResultsCategorising the horses into four groups, 5.9 % were underweight (BCS 3–4), 70.1 % were optimal (BCS 5–6), 13.8 % were overweight (BCS 7) and 10.2 % were obese (BCS 8–9). The GC:HW and NC:HW ratios increased with increasing BCS, as did the BW estimated with the weight tapes. A GC:HW ratio >1.21 might indicate overweight or obesity in Icelandic horses. Horse owners underestimated the BCS of their horses compared to an experienced person.ConclusionsThe results from this study show that 24.0 % of mature Icelandic horses in Denmark are overweight or obese, and that owners tend to underestimate the BCS of their Icelandic horses. The GC:HW ratio might indicate overweight or obesity, however, the ratio for Icelandic horses is different than reported for horses and ponies of other breeds.

Collaborative Relationship in Consulting

The purpose of this paper will be to share aspects relating to the above title from its writer by first describing and explaining collaborative relationships. Additional topics to address include: Potential dangers of collaboration at each phase of this paper’s authors consulting cycle, some potential benefits of the phases, and how comfortable this paper’s author would be in working in a collaborative manor with his client and examining some personality traits or experiences would assist this author/consultant in a collaboration process (Block, 2011).

Is teacher knowledge associated with performance? On the relationship between teachers’ general pedagogical knowledge and instructional quality

Researchers have identified general pedagogical knowledge (GPK) as a relevant category of teacher knowledge. However, hardly any study has examined the relationship between GPK of teachers and the instructional quality delivered to their students. This article therefore investigates the relationship between teachers’ GPK assessed via a standardised paper–pencil test and the quality of their instruction rated by their students. A sample of 246 in-service teachers at vocational schools in Austria is used. Teachers’ GPK positively correlates with students’ perceptions of effective classroom management, generic teaching methods/teacher clarity and teacher–student relationships. Regression analysis shows that GPK is a significant predictor for instructional quality even when controlled for teacher education grades, teacher personality (Big-Five) and teaching experience. Implications of teachers’ GPK as a resource for their teaching, limitations of the study and perspectives for future research are discussed.

An investigation of the mediating role of personality and family functioning in the association between attachment styles and eating disorder status.

BackgroundThis study examined relationships between attachment style, eating disorders (EDs), personality variables and family functioning.MethodsIn our study, 253 women (M = 25.72 years, SD = 8.73) were grouped into one of four categories either according to self-reported ED diagnosis or by exceeding cut-offs for a clinical diagnosis on the Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire (EDE-Q) or Short Evaluation of Eating Disorders (SEED): anorexia nervosa (AN), bulimia nervosa (BN), other eating disorder (O-ED), no eating disorder (Non-ED). The ED group (AN, BN, O-ED) included 106 women (M = 24.74 years, SD = 7.71), and the Non-ED group 147 women (M = 26.42 years, SD = 9.37). Approximately half of the ED group had a comorbid disorder (59.4 %), while the majority of the Non-ED group had no psychological disorder (89.1 %).ResultsParticipants with an ED were significantly more often insecurely attached (Adult Attachment Scale; AAS), emotionally unstable, less extraverted (Big-Five-Test of Personality; B5T) and showed less positive family functioning (Experiences in Personal Social Systems Questionnaire; EXIS.pers). Results showed partial mediation for attachment and EDs through neuroticism, extraversion and family functioning.DiscussionThe study found further evidence for elevated problems with attachment, personality, and family experiences in individuals with EDs, while suggesting mechanisms that may link these constructs. Implications for research and practice were discussed.ConclusionThis study supports findings that acknowledge the mediating role played by personality factors and family functioning in the relationship between attachment and EDs.

The Value of Mentoring in Nursing: An Honor and a Gift.

Mentoring is often thought of as a more experienced person sharing information, advice, knowledge, or training with a novice. A mentor might be engaged to assist a person to achieve a goal, complete a project, or facilitate a transition to a different role or an expanded level of responsibility. Mentoring can be formal or informal, short or long term, episodic or ongoing, planned or spontaneous. A mentor can be a volunteer or someone specifically hired or assigned and matched according to the competency required. A mentor may also be identified by the person seeking to be mentored.

Delusional depression : Diagnostics, phenomenology and therapy

Depressive delusion is the key symptom of psychotic depression also known as major depressive disorder with psychotic features (ICD-10: F 32.3). Delusional topics are limited to guilt, impoverishment and hypochondria. Kurt Schneider described these as being the three primordial fears of human beings. Psychotic depression is distinguished by the particular severity and frequency of the episodes of illness as well as by increased suicidal tendencies. Although one in five patients with a major depression experiences psychotic symptoms, this condition is all too easily overlooked and the appropriate therapy is not initiated. Here we use case histories to illustrate some of the obstacles to diagnosis arising from the difficulty of identifying delusions hidden in a person's experience of depression, life history and personality. A targeted active exploration of these difficulties is significant taking into account the observable symptoms and not only the subjectively experienced symptoms. A phenomenological approach is chosen to explore the matter of depressive delusion and to investigate the interaction of delusion and affect and the special importance of anxiety for the genesis of delusion. In accordance with the current treatment recommendations and against this background, it is proposed that the pharmacological strategy should be supplemented by the use of benzodiazepines more often than has it has been in the past.