Hostile Attitudes Research Articles

A new Civilization and Its Discontents in times of COVID‐19?

The Covid‐19 pandemic brings into focus both the burdens on individuals, and the effects on the culture and society in general. In our encounters with our patients, we as psychoanalysts have experienced the broad spectrum of possible reactions to the viral threat, just as it is found throughout society: from real fear to panic or, on the contrary, to a denial of the impending danger. We are facing drastic changes which are connected with painful losses but sometimes also with new possibilities in our accustomed lives. Nevertheless, the loss of trust in the preservation of individual and general health and of economic existence as well goes beyond the individual and leads to tensions and even cracks in the supposed social consensus. Thus, in the relationship of the individual to society, the pandemic exacerbates the ambivalence between self‐interest and solidarity, not infrequently to the point of forming hostile attitudes. In this article, the author explores the question of to what extent it is possible to speak about a “new Civilization and Its Discontents” in light of the increasing social tensions under the conditions of the pandemic. It is the task of psychoanalysis to explicitly name the unconscious conflict between striving for pleasure and happiness or the search for security, in order to also contribute to dealing with the resulting aggression and fear of death in times of pandemic.

A STUDY OF FATAWAS (RELIGIOUS DECREES) REGARDING TEACHING AND LEARNING ENGLISH LANGUAGE

The present study discusses Muslim religious scholars' attitudes in the sub-continent when it was under British rulers' influence.The study focuses on the causes of religious scholars' indifference and their hostile attitudes towards the English language in the pre-partition era. The data has been collected from various fatawa books written by Muslim religious scholars during the pre-partition period. Researchersanalyse the fatawas (religious decrees) under the paradigm of Islam and English language and attitudes of religious scholars in the pre-partition era.The fatawashas been examined through a content analysis of the text. The study's findings reveal that Muslim religious scholars wereagainst English language learning and teaching to such an extent that they issued Fatawas declaring that learning and teaching English was illegitimate (Najaiz) because they believed that Christian missionaries were against Muslims and Islam. Thefindingsfurther suggest that future English language curriculum planning should considersociety's cultural and religious requirements so that everyone in the community can learn English according to their needs. The study also highlightsculturalharmonyfrom the perspectiveofEnglish languagelearning.

Combating the Covid-19 Hate and Racism Speech on Social Media

The spread of Covid-19 worldwide has been associated with hate and racism speech on social media which sometimes encourages violence and bullying in the different communities. Some officials, public figures and even common people, including students, have been expressing hate, racism, negative, hostile, and intolerant attitudes towards certain groups of people based on their color, origin, race, religion or social/political stance. This study surveys students and instructors’ views of Covid-19 five months after the outbreak of the pandemic, and whether they consider it a punishment from God to certain countries or not. Based on the findings, it proposes the creation of an anti-hate Twitter page to teach students tolerance rather than negative sentiment associated with Covid-19.

Psychopathology and treatment of Prader-Willi syndrome in adulthood: About a clinical case

IntroductionPrader-Willi syndrome is a congenital disease caused by a genetic alteration of chromosome 15, described by doctors Prader, Labhart and Willi in 1956. It’s a rare disease (prevalence 2.8/100,000) and it occurs equally in both sexes and in all races. This disorder produces changes in hypothalamic function that can lead to muscle hypotonia, short stature, a compulsion to eat, and a lack of satiety. At the psychopathological level, the clinic is very varied, being mainly important the psychomotor retardation in different degrees and behavioral problems;especially in the behavioral phenotype. Affective and psychotic symptoms are also frequent.ObjectivesPsychopathology and treatment analysis through a clinical case.Methods40-year-old patient undergoing mental health follow-up since adolescence with a diagnosis of paranoid personality disorder. No medical history of interest. He was admitted to the hospitalization unit for serious behavioral alterations in a context of probable paranoid ideation towards the neighborhood. In the psychopathological examination, marked cognitive rigidity, high impulsivity and very low tolerance to frustration stand out, showing a hostile and defiant attitude. Poorly structured paranoid ideation. Presents obsessive-compulsive behaviors (scratching). Hyperphagia and obesity.ResultsPsychometric assessment (Waiss-IV): total IQ 61 (mild mental retardation). Genetics:deletion 15 q11-q13 of chromosome 15), confirms Prader-Willi diagnosis. Remission of behavioral disorders, suspiciousness and heteroaggressive behaviors with treatment with monthly depot paliperidone (150 mg).ConclusionsKnowledge of the clinical and morphological characteristics of this syndrome would allow an early diagnosis and treat its possible complications as soon as possible. Antipsychotic treatment is effective in the management of behavioral and psychotic symptoms.DisclosureNo significant relationships.

The role of comparative victim beliefs in predicting support for hostile versus prosocial intergroup outcomes

AbstractCollective memories of historical ingroup victimization can be linked to prosocial or hostile intergroup outcomes. We hypothesize that such discrepant responses are predicted by different construals of the ingroup's victimization in relation to other groups (i.e., comparative victim beliefs). Using improved measures of inclusive and exclusive victim beliefs, with a global or regional reference group, multigroup structural equation modeling showed across four different groups (Armenian Americans [N = 265], Jewish Americans [N = 297], Hungarians [N = 301], Poles [N = 468]) that inclusive victim beliefs predict prosocial, conciliatory attitudes, while exclusive victim beliefs predict hostile attitudes towards historical perpetrator groups and (in the Polish and Hungarian samples) religious and ethnic outgroups targeted in the present. Moreover, comparative victim beliefs mediated effects of more general psychological orientations (ingroup superiority, universal orientation, perspective‐taking) on intergroup outcomes. These findings suggest the importance of considering distinct collective victim beliefs, and different contexts in research on collective victimhood.

Toplumsal Cinsiyet Rolleri ve Erkeklere Yönelik Düşmanca Tutumların Pornografiye Yönelik Tutumlar Üzerindeki Etkileri

This research analyzes attitudes towards pornography on the basis of the perception of individuals for gender roles and attitudes of hostility towards men. 671 participants, 400 women and 271 men participated in the study by the web. Attitudes toward Pornography Scale were used to measure attitudes towards pornography, Gender Roles Attitude Scale was used to measure attitudes towards gender roles. The Hostility toward Men subscale of Ambivalence toward Men Inventory were used to measure attitudes hostility toward men. According to independent samples t-test findings, mens attitudes towards pornography were more positive than womens. Gender role attitudes and attitudes toward pornography were found to be significantly correlated. In the moderated regression analyzes, it was found that sex has no moderate effects on gender role attitudes and attitudes toward pornography. Hostility toward men has moderate effects on the relation between gender role attitudes and attitudes toward pornography for both women and men. Findings are interpreted as sexist violence, which is thought to be involved, affects attitudes towards pornography at different levels.

Perception of the difficulties of international postgraduate students writing research proposal

International postgraduate candidates of Universities in Nanjing come from diverse backgrounds and experiences. These students face several problems especially in writing the research proposals. The purpose of this study was to investigate the perceptions of postgraduate students in writing the research proposal. The quantitative research design was used which involved the use of online questionnaires. A sample of 320 international postgraduate students and 20 supervisors selected at random from Universities in Nanjing were used for the study. Study findings pinpoint towards the general problems to international postgraduate students research proposal writing skills. Grounded on the results, the researcher makes the conclusion that identifying research gaps, reviewing and criticising literature, and finding enough evidence to support the research proposal are major problems for most postgraduate students in writing the research proposal. The study further concludes that these problems are due to lack of research materials, time constraints, low level of engagement with supervisors and hostile attitude of some supervisors. Understanding the language and concept of research is not a reason for postgraduate difficulties in research proposal as identified by other literatures. In this regard, the solutions to these problems for postgraduate students are effective supervision, students cultivating the habit of reading sufficient literatures, supervisors giving equal attention to international postgraduate students, ample time for research, timely feedback and availability of supervisors.

PAKISTAN AFGHAN RELATION: HISTORY CONFLICTS AND CHALLENGES


 
 Pakistan and Afghanistan, two immediate Muslim neighbors, that not only share a common border but also have many other commonalities such as; linguistic, strong historical, ethnic, cultural, and religious ties. Despite of its geo-strategic location and various common factors, nature of Pak- Afghan ties the nature of PakAfghan relations is characterized by mistrust and suspicions and painful experience for both of them. Since its inception, Pakistan faces a hostile attitude from its western neighbor Afghanistan. Except during the Taliban’s four-year era, all the rulers of Afghanistan showed fluctuating degrees of dissatisfaction towards Pakistan. Conflict over Duran line, Soviet-Afghan war Pakistan support to Taliban, Pakistan role in War on Terror, and growing cross border militancy has stained relation between both countries. The main objective of this study is to evaluate the Pakistan Afghanistan relation in a historical context and highlight those factors which were the main hurdles in the way of a smooth and positive relation.
 
 
 
 

"Volver a un origen desnudo". Refracciones de incompletitud ontológica en la obra pictórica de Ramón Gaya

Este análisis de los escritos y la obra plástica de Ramón Gaya se divide en dos partes principales. Se comienza con una reflexión sobre la conocida aversión del murciano a la crítica artística, a lo largo de la cual se descubre una estrategia epistemológica dual como elemento central y estructurante de su pensamiento. Tal dualidad deja su impronta también sobre el concepto de arte de Gaya, un arte que, de siempre, se comprometió con la búsqueda de una verdad pictórica más allá de las apariencias, según lo ha constatado –apréciese la ironía– un buen número de sus intérpretes. Inspirado en las aportaciones de ese conjunto de críticos, el presente ensayo propone un nuevo acceso a las creaciones pictóricas de Gaya: entender las mismas como expresión y reflejo de la incompletitud ontológica de lo existente, según la desarrolló el pensador esloveno Slavoj Žižek. The present analysis of Ramón Gaya’s writings and visual art is divided into two main parts. It begins with a reflection on the famously hostile attitude the Spanish painter displayed toward art criticism, revealing a strategy of epistemological duality as a key structuring element of his thought. This duality has also left its mark on Gaya’s concept of art, an art that was always committed to discovering a pictorial truth beyond mere appearances, as, somewhat ironically, many of his commentators have pointed out. Drawing on these previous explorations as a source of inspiration, the present essay proposes a new access to Gaya’s works: understanding them, in accordance with Slovenian philosopher Slavoj Žižek’s theories, as a reflection and an expression of the fundamental ontological incompleteness of existence itself.

Friend or foe?\u2014comparing party reactions to Fridays for Future in a\xa0party system polarised between AfD and Green Party

Fridays for Future has risen as a new environmental movement pushing politicians to take action against climate change. However, its interaction with other political actors, most importantly political parties, has hardly been addressed systematically by scientific research. In this article, we take stock of party reactions to the movement on the national and subnational level in Germany. Furthermore, we investigate possible explanations for variances in these reactions in a comparison of subnational party organisations and thereby, focus on dynamics of party competition, especially on the impact of the Green Party as established contender and of the populist radical right AfD and its new role in environmental politics. We show that party reactions to the movement vary widely reflecting a clear divide on the left-right-spectrum. While centre-left parties, particularly the Green Party, support the movement, centre-right parties are utmost cautious and the populist radical right AfD stands out with a blatantly hostile attitude. Though indications for the impact of party competition dynamics were minor, we observed a strong polarisation on the climate issue that may take effect in the near future.

The Role of Death Anxiety and Self-Esteem in Suicide Attitudes.

The persistent stigmatization of suicide calls for a careful examination of the thought processes involved in perceptions of suicide. Hence, the present study is the first to apply terror management theory (TMT) and use experimental methods to examine whether reminders of death lead to increased stigma towards suicide and whether self-esteem moderates these stigmatized reactions. Consistent with the predicted effect of the death anxiety and self-esteem hypothesis, findings revealed that, for respondents with low self-esteem, thinking about their own death led to more stigma, less willingness to intervene, and allocated less money to a suicide prevention organization as compared to those who did not think about death. Findings from this study could have important implications for how we understand the psychological underpinnings of stigma and the role of death anxiety in hostile attitudes and decreased altruism - especially for mental health professionals working with individuals affected by suicide.

Effect of maternal tolerance on behavioural problems in children with enuresis.

To determine the effect of maternal tolerance on behavioural problems in children with enuresis. The cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted from January to November 2018 at the outpatient departments of three hospitals in Lahore and Sialkot district of the Punjab province in Pakistan. The sample comprised of mothers aged 23-50 years having children with enuresis visiting one public-sector tertiary-care hospital and two private-sector secondary-care hospitals. Data was collected using the Tolerance Scale and the Children Behavioural Questionnaire and was analysed using SPSS 21. There were 80 mothers with a mean age of 34.53±4.89 years and as many children with a mean age of 8.16±2.36 years. Maternal intolerance was positively and significantly correlated with rule-breaking (p=0.02) and aggressive behaviour (p=0.01) in children with enuresis. Maternal intolerance was a significant and positive predictor of rule-breaking behaviour (p=0.02), aggressive behaviour (p=0.001) and attention problems (p=0.01) in the affected children. Maternal intolerance and hostile attitudes towards children with enuresis was seen to be leading to secondary behavioural and emotional difficulties.

Analysis of the relationship between personality traits and Internet addiction.

The issue of 'new media' addictions has been described in literature for many years. For almost a decade now researchers have been emphasizing that addiction does not have to be caused only by various substances but also by contact with digital technologies. Behavioral addictions are a growing problem in the society. Digital technologies are used by people of different ages, and their number is increasing every year. Precise reasons for the development of addictions remain unknown. In the case of behavioral addictions, especially Internet addiction, the significance of personality traits and behaviors predisposing an individual to addiction, such as depressiveness, anxiety, hostile attitude, aggression, impulsiveness, psychotic behaviors, shyness and self-esteem disorders, are emphasized. The aim of this study was a general assessment of the level of Internet addiction with regard to personality traits according to the Big Five model by Costa and McCrae. The study involved 556 women, whose average age was 34 years and who met the inclusion criteria: female sex, age of 18 years or above, place of residence in West Pomeranian Voivodship, an informed consent for participation in the study, and completion of the questionnaire forms set. The study was conducted using a diagnostic poll method with a questionnaire technique. To carry out the analysis both author's own and standardized tools were used: the author's questionnaire covering sociodemographic data, the NEO-Five Factor Inventory which assesses the levels of personality traits, and the Internet Addiction Test used to measure behaviors and characteristics related to compulsive use of the Internet. Most (70.9%) of the studied women were average users of the Internet, 25% of respondents were at risk of addiction, and the least numerous group of women (4.1%) was addicted to the Internet. Conscientiousness negatively correlated with Internet addiction. Openness to experience was conducive to Internet addiction. A positive link between neuroticism and Internet addictions was established. No significant relationships between Internet addiction and extraversion as well as agreeableness were demonstrated. The type of personality of the studied women implicated relationships to Internet addiction. Neuroticism might be a personality trait that particularly predisposes to an increased risk of Internet addiction. Openness to experience was conducive to Internet addiction. Conscientiousness negatively correlated with Internet addiction.

From Euphemism to Verbal Aggression in British and Armenian Cultures


 The topic of the present article concerns verbal aggression and focusses on the verbal expression of the emotional mind; specifically, the expression of negative feelings, emotions and attitudes. Since computer-mediated communication is widely used to shape and reshape public opinion, the analysis of hate speech on the material of internet discourse may shed light on the manipulative communicative tactics that are used in online media and social networking sites to spread hostility and negativity globally. Hence, the examination of the language strategies and tactics that are used to formulate hate speech becomes essential in communicatively oriented linguistic studies.
 
 
 The present article provides a comparative analysis of manifestations of hate speech and euphemisms in Armenian and British online media outlets and social sites targeted towards people's sexual orientation. The aim of the paper is to show the close connection between hate speech and culture. The research, which embarks on two basically different cultures – British and Armenian – is carried out within the framework of cross-cultural pragmatics and discourse analysis. A qualitative research method is applied to analyse samples of hate speech. Social sites and online media outlets were searched through search engines, using certain keywords (LGBT, sexual minorities, etc.). For the purpose of the study, language resources from English and Armenian – words, expressions, constructions, speech acts expressing hostile attitudes towards sexual orientation – have been picked out and analysed.

Aggressors condemned for intimate partner violence: Sexist attitudes and distorted thoughts about women and the use of violence

This work analyzes the ambivalent sexist attitudes and distorted thoughts about women and the use of violence in a sample of Spanish aggressors found guilty of intimate partner violence. We have studied the relationship between the aggressors’ ambivalent sexist attitudes and their cognitive distortions, as well as the predictive capacity of their distorted thoughts concerning women and violence with respect to sexist attitudes. Similarly, we have analyzed the presence of significant differences between ambivalent sexist attitudes and distorted thoughts with respect to several personal and psychological characteristics of the condemned aggressors. The instruments applied were the Ambivalent Sexism Inventory (ASI), the Inventory of Distorted Thoughts about Women and the use of Violence (IDTWV) and the Social Desirability Scale (SDS). Likewise was realized a general structured interview to discover their personal, family and penitentiary situation. The study concludes that aggressors use violence as a resource to resolve conflicts with their intimate partner, even though they do not show a hostile sexist attitudes towards women in general. We demonstrate that distorted thoughts concerning women and violence predict a greater prevalence of ambivalent sexist attitudes in aggressors, and we have found a low level of education and the existence of jealousy in the relationship are related with a greater presence of sexist attitudes. However, the existence of episodes of family violence in childhood, concretely having been the victim of emotional abuse, does not necessarily lead to greater sexism in aggressors. We discuss the implications of the results of this work for prison environment.

Preventing Violence toward Sexual and Cultural Diversity: The Role of a Queering Sex Education.

Background: The prevailing sex education (SE) model falls within a neoliberal prevention- and risk-oriented paradigm. This model ignores the identity dimension of sexuality, is based on the cis-heteronormative and ethnocentric matrix and stigmatizes sexual and cultural diversity; this has significant consequences for sexually and culturally diverse adolescents and youth. In this study, we explored the potential of the identity dimension of SE to prevent violence toward sexual and cultural diversity. Specifically, our objective was to identify the influence of heteronormative and ethnocentric variables on violence exerted against trans* and gender-diverse people and people from minority ethnic groups. Methods: A total of 623 Spanish adolescents with a mean age of 14.73 years and an age range of 13 to 18 years participated in the study. Students completed a questionnaire that included measures regarding violence toward sexual and cultural diversity, gender stereotypes, sexist attitudes and rejection of sexual and cultural diversity. We performed two hierarchical linear regression models. Results: Students who exerted the highest amount of violence toward trans* and gender-diverse people were those who showed the lowest endorsement of expressive traits and the highest endorsement of instrumental traits as well as the highest level of hostile sexist, heteronormative and hostile racist attitudes (the five predictor variables explained 29.1% of the variance of gender-bashing). These same variables—except expressiveness—and benevolent sexism explained 46.1% of the variance of rejection of minority ethnic groups. Conclusions: There is a need for a comprehensive, intercultural, critical and queer SE aimed at transforming the classroom into a space that promotes social transformation through an educational practice that is transgressive and critical of cis-heteronormativity and normative ethnocentrism.

Intimate Partner Cyberstalking, Sexism, Pornography, and Sexting in Adolescents: New Challenges for Sex Education.

Background: Within the context of the widespread use of technologies by adolescents, the objectives of this study were to identify the perpetrators of intimate partner cyberstalking (IPCS) in adolescents; to analyze the relationship between IPCS and gender, age, sexting behaviors, pornography consumption, and ambivalent sexism; and to investigate the influence of the study variables as predictors of IPCS and determine their moderating role. Methods: Participants were 993 Spanish students of Secondary Education, 535 girls and 458 boys with mean age 15.75 (SD = 1.47). Of the total sample, 70.3% (n = 696) had or had had a partner. Results: Boys perform more sexting, consume more pornographic content, and have more hostile and benevolent sexist attitudes than girls. However, girls perpetrate more IPCS than boys. The results of the hierarchical multiple regression indicate that hostile sexism is a predictor of IPCS, as well as the combined effect of Gender × Pornography and Benevolent Sexism × Sexting. Conclusions: it is essential to implement sexual affective education programs in schools in which Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) are incorporated so that boys and girls can experience their relationships, both offline and online, in an egalitarian and violence-free way.

Social Exclusion and Anti-Immigration Attitudes in Europe: The mediating role of Interpersonal Trust

Managing immigration is a challenge at the political, economic, and social levels. Clarifying the social psychological antecedents behind the onset of negative attitudes towards immigrants might help overcome this challenge. The present study investigates the relationships between people’s experience of social exclusion, feelings of generalized interpersonal trust, and anti-immigrant attitudes across 23 European countries. We used data from the European Social Survey 8 (2016), employing a representative sample of the European population. A 1–1–1 multilevel mediation model showed that: (a) the higher the experience of social exclusion, the lower the generalized trust towards others; (b) the experience of social exclusion related positively and directly with anti-immigration attitudes; and (c) generalized interpersonal trust mediated the relationship between experienced social exclusion and anti-immigrant attitudes so that the experience of being socially excluded reduced feelings of generalized interpersonal trust that, in turn, promoted hostile attitudes towards immigrants. Taken together, these results create a platform for future research on the emergence of negative attitudes towards immigrants and factors that might facilitate the development of a climate of integration and acceptance.

Neural indicators of sexual objectification: an examination of the late positive potential (LPP), sexual objectification, and the body-inversion effect

ABSTRACT In Western cultures, sexualized women are frequently viewed as if they were objects rather than people (i.e., dehumanized). Researchers have reported an inversion effect in which images of sexualized men were more accurately identified in an upright (vs. inverted) position (person-like recognition), whereas images of sexualized women were equally recognized across both inverted and upright positions (object-like recognition). The current study (N = 37) conceptually adds to these findings by examining a neural indicator – the late positive potential (LPP), an event-related potential that tracks attention to relevant stimuli. We expected and found that inverted stimuli elicited a greater LPP overall, consistent with more effortful processing. Moreover, a greater LPP for inverted (vs. upright) male targets was associated with poorer accuracy, whereas no LPP-accuracy association was observed for female targets; this LPP pattern across males and females is consistent with perceiving females in a dehumanizing manner. The results also suggest that hostile sexist attitudes are associated with dehumanizing female images, that is, participants viewed women via an analytical processing-style characteristic of object-perception. However, the examination of ambivalent sexism was exploratory and future research is needed to clarify the findings. The current study adds to the self-objectification and sexism literature.

Moral Panic, Fear of Crime, and School Shootings: Does Location Matter?

The concept of moral panic has been used to describe how society reacts to different threats, either real or perceived. Although most studies in this area rely on qualitative, historical data, recent efforts have employed quantitative applications of an attributional model to understand attitudes consistent with different characteristics of moral panic. The present study utilizes this model along with survey data from college students across the five U.S. regions to examine how perceptions of school shootings as a moral panic vary by location. The findings reveal significant differences by location, with students in the Southwest and West less likely than other regions to express hostile attitudes about the shootings or believe they are happening at disproportional rates. Southwestern students also were most likely to express concern related to defense (gun rights), whereas individuals in the Northeast were least likely to. Broader considerations for these and other findings also are discussed.