Psychological Makeup Research Articles

Assessing Trends of Vehicle Ownership and Use Among Tertiary Students in Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology Campus, Ghana

The study aims to assess trends of car ownership and usage among tertiary students on campus, with an emphasis on Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST). The research design employed in this study was descriptive survey, aiming to gather information from a sample population through their responses to specific questions. Data analysis was conducted using descriptive statistics, summarizing the responses quantitatively through bar charts, pie charts, frequencies, percentages as well as means and tables, created using Microsoft Excel. The results revealed that, a majority (70 percent) of the cars being used by students on the KNUST campus are owned by Ghanaian students with foreign students making up the minority of this number. The major challenges faced by students who own or use vehicles on campus are a lack of filling stations on and around campus, lack of student parking lots, and excess traffic. From the findings, it can be concluded that, students' psychological make-up is a major determinant of vehicle ownership among students. Moreover, the findings further revealed that most of the students who have vehicles on the campus exhibit or develop mostly negative habits after vehicle ownership and this in the long run may have negative effects on academic performance which is the sole purpose of being on campus. The study provides insights into the environmental and health impacts of increased vehicle use on university campuses, offering valuable insights for policy decisions, future research, and campus management, thereby enhancing student mobility.

Trails, traits, and mental states: Psychological differences between competitive and recreational sub-ultra and ultramarathon runners

Psychological trait differences between ultrarunners (completing more than a standard 42.195 km marathon) and sub-ultrarunners (≤42.195 km) have been assumed, but not robustly examined. The current study investigated trait differences between competitive and recreational runners at sub-ultra and ultramarathon distances. Six hundred and eleven participants (334 recreational, 400 sub-ultrarunner) completed an online, anonymous survey assessing five traits: mental toughness (MT), grit, motivation, general self-efficacy (GSE), and personality. Bayesian ANOVAs indicated at least moderate evidence for differences within Distance for grit-perseverance of effort (PE) and intrinsic motivation (IM), such that ultrarunners scored higher than sub-ultrarunners. Similarly, we observed at least moderate evidence that competitive runners scored higher than recreational runners on overall grit, grit-PE, GSE, IM, and extrinsic motivation (EM). Interaction effects provided moderate evidence for greater MT and overall grit in competitive ultrarunners. Evidence for other differences were anecdotal or favoured the null hypothesis. This study represents a novel investigation into the psychological makeup of runners. We suggest that aspects of motivation, grit, and self-efficacy, but not personality, may differentiate competitive from recreational runners, and ultrarunners from sub-ultrarunners. The identification of these trait differences may benefit runners and coaches wanting to progress in distance or competition level, with broader application to workplace or academic contexts. Further research is needed to develop a clearer conceptualisation of mental toughness, and build upon the novel findings of this study, particularly given the paucity of literature that exists within this context.

A Systemic Approach to the Determinants of Employability

This paper identifies the economic, sociological, psychological, and managerial approaches to analyzing the determinants of employability, and their limitations, and then proposes an interdisciplinary approach and systemic framework. Through a theoretical analysis, we find that these determinants interact with the internal and external environment of the individual who is integrated within society; has upgradable human and social capital; has a psychological make-up; and lives in a constantly changing socioeconomic context. The complexity of societies, companies, and a globalized economic system induces the use of interdisciplinarity by considering instability, openness, creativity, ambiguity, and paradox. The operationalization of the systems approach is to analyze the internal factors of each subsystem, the interactions between subsystems, and the relationships between subsystems and their environments. Future investigations should seek to identify the empirical determinants of employability through a systemic approach.

Autobiographical motifs in the "silent books" of contemporary Chinese artists (using the example of Sean Tan and Guojin)

The object of the study is “silent books” – books without text; the plot and author’s position are revealed exclusively through a sequential series of illustrations. The subject of the study is the graphic novels of young but already internationally recognized authors – Sean Tan and Guojin. "Silent books" are a relatively new direction in children's book illustration. The prototype of “silent books” – comics – was distinguished by rather primitive graphics, so although they were popular, but they were considered a “low genre” in the professional community. Then the comic went beyond kitsch culture and became an element of middle-class culture, and at the end of the century the comic was reinterpreted in pop art and included in the formation of neo-elite culture. The individuality of the authors is manifested in the choice of a plot related to personal and family history, as well as in the choice of a character of a certain psychological make-up – “silent heroes”, endowed with a rich imagination, the ability to empathize and equal friendly relationships. The technique in the “silent books” of Sean Tan and Guojin has the syncretism and dualism of Western and Chinese traditions. It can be interpreted both in terms of Chinese writing with “dry” ink, and in the European style of “chiaroscuro”; in all cases we had clearly defined contour and a sharp contrast of light and shadow. The author's self-expression in a graphic novel is very specific to book illustration. “The Quiet Book” can be considered as a special type of author’s utterance, similar to improperly direct speech in literature. All this distinguishes the graphic novels under consideration from other forms of children's book illustration, as an example of new paths in art, as well as an original and modern interpretation of social problems of society.

Hierarchically Gated Recurrent Neural Network optimized with Tasmanian Devil Optimization for Piano Playing Based on Virtual Reality Technology

Playing the piano is a beautiful and extremely technical art form in addition to an elegant performance art. The player's ability to execute with elegance and technicality which requires years of practice will be crucial. The success of a piano concert ultimately rests not only on the performing abilities of the pianist but also on the pianist's mental and psychological makeup. This manuscript presents a Hierarchically Gated Recurrent Neural Network (HGRNN) optimized with the Tasmanian Devil Optimization (TDO) for predicting the real time instruction for playing piano based on virtual reality (PPVR-HGRNN-TDO). Initially, the data is collected from MIDI dataset. Afterward, the data is fed to a Multi-domain collaborative Filter (MDCF) based preprocessing process. Then the preprocessed data’s are fed to Scaling-Basis Chirplet Transform (SBCT) for extracting features such as tone quality and loudness variations. The extracted features are fed to HGRNN to classify the piano playing performance such as good, normal and poor. The weight parameters of HGRNN are optimized using TDO. The proposed PPVR-HGRNN-TDO is implemented in python, effectiveness assessed by several performance metrics such as accuracy, precision, specificity, sensitivity, F1-score and ROC. The gained results of the proposed PPVR-HGRNN-TDO method attains higher accuracy 20.46%, 23.54%, 35.58%, higher precision 33.56%, 21.72%, 33.97% and higher sensitivity 32.54%, 22.76%, 36.97%. The proposed method shows better results in all existing systems like Dual Channel Convolutional Neural Network (DCCNN),Convolutional Neural Network (CNN), and Back Propagation Neural Network with Genetic Algorithm (BPNN-GA). From the result it is concludes that the proposed PPVR-HGRNN-TDO method based accuracy is higher than the existing methods.

The psychosocial foundation of China’s state-led nationalism

ABSTRACT Existing research extensively documents the Communist Party of China's strategic utilisation of nationalism to bolster its legitimacy, primarily through shaping the nationalist belief system in alignment with its political agenda and historical narrative. However, this article proposes an additional viewpoint: the success of the state-led nationalist endeavour also hinges on resonating with the common psychological traits of the Chinese masses. Without such resonance, the nationalist project may encounter resistance. Therefore, this article posits that Chinese face culture constitutes a foundational aspect of the common psychological makeup of the Chinese people. It serves as a frame for the Party-state to construct nationalist narratives and beliefs, fostering sentiments of national pride, shame, and attitudes towards international affairs. Key discourses such as 'the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation', 'the century of humiliation', and 'the backward will be beaten' symbolically appeal to Chinese notions of face and contribute to the narrative's effectiveness.

Psychological Make-Up and Gender Construct in Christina Rossetti’s “Goblin Market”

The paper aims at exploring Victorian poet Christina Rossetti’s poem (1830-1894) “Goblin Market” (1862) through psychoanalytical and feminist perspectives. The poem which is an ostensible tale meant to be narrated to children, is actually on a deeper level, a thematically voluminous piece of literature from which a plethora of meanings emerge. What this poem demonstrates, holds true in the contemporary times. The objectives of this paper are to analyze 1) the poem with reference to studying gender as a construct, established by the patriarchal discourses, and also 2) the complexes that an individual might undergo owing to repression. The paper makes use of Luce Irigaray (b. 1930) and Helene Cixous’ (b. 1937) notions of feminism and Freud (1856-1939) and Lacan’s (1901-1981) theories of psychoanalysis. After explaining the relevant theory, the researchers aim to apply it to “Goblin Market” in order to compare and contrast the poem from the two said perspectives. Feminism helps in deconstructing the patriarchal overtones and power relationships whereas psychoanalysis enables the readers to understand the complexes and experiences that individuals undergo owing to their psychological make-up.

What COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution Disparity Reveals About Solidarity

What COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution Disparity Reveals About Solidarity

An Adult with Untreated Isolated Cleft Palate Since Birth: A Rare Case Report

Introduction: Orofacial clefts are one of the most common congenital anomalies involving the craniofacial region. An isolated cleft palate is the rarest (33% of all orofacial clefts) among individuals with female predominance. Individuals born with these clefts manifest craniofacial, functional, and psychological anomalies. Sometimes, patients cannot receive the required therapies due to a lack of awareness and lack of medical access or economic factors. Untreated clefts may adversely impact the patient’s life both physically and psychologically.
 Case Description: This study presents a case report of a 45-year-old male with an untreated cleft palate since birth due to a low socioeconomic background, leading to several oro-dental anomalies, speech defects, and psychological and social challenges.
 Results: Extraoral examination revealed mild facial asymmetry, dry and incompetent lips, and underdeveloped philtrum. Intraorally, there was a cleft palate, macroglossia, soft and edematous gingiva with bleeding on probing, gingival recession, and periodontal pockets, along with various dental anomalies. Full mouth orthopantomogram showed discontinuity of the palatal line, collapsed maxillary arch, root stumps, and crowding. The final diagnosis of isolated cleft palate was made. The patient was advised for surgery regarding the cleft palate, dental treatment, speech therapy, and psychological counseling. However, the patient refused all treatments except a few dental aids due to economic difficulties.
 Conclusion: The present case report highlights the need for these patients to receive particular concerns. Patients must be motivated to get proper treatment at a suitable stage to prevent future complications. Cleft teams must be advised to initiate some encouraging steps in imparting treatment aids to such patients, especially in rehabilitation therapy, considering their surrounding environment, psychological makeup, socioeconomic status, and motivation. In addition, social groups should also treat these patients with a positive approach, helping them to live healthy and normal lives just like any other individual.

Extravagance and misery: Hegel on the multiplication and refinement of needs

AbstractThe topic of this paper is Hegel's claim in the Philosophy of Right that, within the modern social world, human needs tend to be endlessly expanded. Unlike the role that the system of needs plays in the formation of its participants' psychological makeup and the problem of poverty and the rabble, the topic of the expansion of needs remains underdiscussed in the recent Hegel literature on the virtues and vices of civil society. My discussion of the topic aims to answer the following two sets of questions: How does it come to pass that individuals' needs are endlessly expanded in this way? And is that expansion a phenomenon to be applauded or condemned? In particular, does the endless expansion of needs aid or obstruct the realization of social members' freedom? In answer to the first question, I argue that for Hegel the endless expansion of needs results from the level of specialization and division of labor distinctive of the modern market economy, the human capacity for a certain kind of abstraction, and the desire to be recognized by other participants in the market system. In answer to the second set of questions, and despite Hegel's own apparent ambivalence, I argue on his behalf that the endless expansion of needs represents an obstacle to the realization of freedom, and is on that ground a phenomenon to be condemned, for the following two reasons: First, the endless expansion of needs increases the influence or “pressure” of desire on the members of civil society that are subject to that expansion. Second, that expansion leads to widespread frustration, understood as the inability on the part of the members of civil society to ever fully realize their ends or satisfy their desires. I end by briefly considering two Hegelian solutions to the pernicious effects of the endless expansion of needs.

Sport Psychology Practitioners’ Contributions to the Drafting Process of a Professional Esports Team: A Case Study

The role of sport psychology practitioners in contributing to the drafting process of athletes in teams, by providing their input on athletes’ psychological makeup, has become a common practice. Similar to traditional sport, esport organizations also engage in drafting periods to identify the next talents. Yet, a paucity of literature exists examining practitioners’ experiences of operating during such trial periods in the esport context. In this case study, we outline our process of being involved as sport and exercise psychologists in training during a professional National Overwatch team draft period for the 2023 Overwatch World Cup. As a supplementary resource to help staff during the selection process, we created player psychological profiles by assessing their psychological qualities through formal observation. Following the trials, we established an after-care service to support released players to monitor their well-being. We discuss the various hurdles we experienced during the trial period as sport and exercise psychologists in training by sharing a series of reflections.

Unveiling the depth of Satire in Abubakar Adams Ibrahim’s Season of Crimson Blossoms

Contemporary African writers have addressed their countries' social, political and economic problems using satire to crystallise the malaises and irregularities affecting their societies. Satire is seen as a tool for expressing their disillusionment on the burgeoning prevalence of political, economic, religious and social abnormalities in the dysfunctional setting of African countries. One of such African writers is Abubakar Adams Ibrahim who uses his novel, Season of Crimson Blossoms to expose not just the societal maladies but also the follies and ineptitudes of mankind, and religion hypocrisies. This study critically scrutinizes the place of satire in achieving the aforementioned in the writer's fictional rendering. Emphasis is laid on political irregularities, cultural dissonances and hypocrisies associated with religion and the effects they have on characters and the society at large. The groundwork for these are squeezed out of the psychological make-up of characters, characters' conversation with one another, actions and inactions of characters. The aforementioned will be considered using satire as a tool to demystify the aspects that the writer advocate for change. Inadvertently, in the study of satire as a tool for viewing a work of art, sociological approach or criticism is inevitable as a framework because the society that gave rise to the book must be thoroughly understood before satire can come in to advocate for social transformation and revitalization.

Maslow's and Freud's Theories Reflected in Andrew Laeddis' Character

This research explores the portrayal of schizophrenia symptoms in the character Andrew Laeddis from the movie "Shutter Island". It examines how psychoanalysis and Maslow's hierarchy of needs can be applied to analyze his condition and coping mechanisms. The study aims to understand how Andrew deals with his schizophrenia and fulfils his needs as a person with a mental illness. The research adopts a psychological approach, using Sigmund Freud's psychoanalysis theory and Maslow's hierarchy of needs. This research uses the qualitative descriptive method and content analysis techniques to analyze Andrew's character. The data for analysis and interpretation are derived from the film's script and related theories. The study combines qualitative methods and content analysis to provide a detailed portrayal of Andrew Laeddis' psychological makeup and character traits. The findings reveal that Andrew exhibits symptoms representing the three aspects of Freud's psychological structure: id, ego, and superego. The id is evident in his violent and impulsive behaviour driven by a desire for revenge. The ego is seen in his desire for control and mastery over his mind and body. The superego manifests as his respect for authority and social norms. Additionally, the analysis based on Maslow's theory shows that Andrew's behaviour reflects his struggle to fulfil his basic physiological needs and his higher-level needs for safety, love and belonging, esteem, and self-actualization.

Editorial

Albeit often overlapping, sin and vice are two related yet clearly distinguished concepts. It would require an extremely long detour to sketch the history of such thick, central notions in Western culture, as well as their similarities, differences, and overlappings. Sin is a polysemic notion. The word refers, primarily, to an action whereby an agent intentionally fails to live up to the will or commands of God (see Stump, 2018). However, sin can be also considered as a disposition of the will, i.e., an inclination to engage in sinful actions (Plantinga 2000). Finally, according to parts of the Christian tradition, sin is a metaphysical state, i.e., a condition of “uncleanness” which marks a fundamental ontological difference between human beings and God (M. Adams 1991, 20f). While according to the Christian thought vice can be a cause of sin, and a sinful disposition may closely resemble a vice, the two concepts shouldn’t be confused. First, while sin pertains to a theological vocabulary, talking of vices is perfectly compatible with a secular philosophical discourse, as the recent success of virtue ethics and virtue-vice epistemology testifies. This comes as no surprise, if one thinks that the very origin of the concept is rooted in the secular philosophical tradition tracing back to Plato and Aristotle. Secondly, within character-based moral and epistemic theories, a vice is, unequivocally, a trait of character. As such, it is part of an agent’s psychological makeup, which means that it is a stable feature of their moral psychology, independently of its specific behavioral manifestations. And while an action may well be vicious, it can be so only insofar as it springs from a vicious trait, which has—so to speak—ontogenetic, conceptual, and even normative priority over the actions it elicits.

УЧЕТ НАЦИОНАЛЬНО-ПСИХОЛОГИЧЕСКИХ ОСОБЕННОСТЕЙ ЛАТИНОАМЕРИКАНСКИХ СТУДЕНТОВ НА НАЧАЛЬНОМ ЭТАПЕ ОБУЧЕНИЯ В РОССИЙСКОМ ВУЗЕ

The object of study of this article is the national psychological characteristics of students from Latin America, whose percentage in the total number of foreigners in Russian universities does not exceed 2-3%. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation and Rossotrudnichestvo set universities the task of actively attracting students from this region to Russian universities. Thus, teachers’ familiarity with the characteristics of the psychological makeup of the people of Latin America is dictated by the practical need to communicate productively with this insufficiently studied contingent. The novelty of the work lies in the study of both the national psychological characteristics of students representing different countries of Latin America, and in the generalization of the main features of the unified national character of Latin Americans. The result of the study was practical recommendations for teachers on taking into account the national psychological characteristics of students from different countries of Latin America for organizing educational and extracurricular work at the initial stage of education. These recommendations help teachers in modeling pedagogical situations, allow them to build pedagogical intercultural communication based on dialogue, develop their intercultural competence, which contributes to the successful adaptation of Latin American students in the multicultural space of the international faculty.

Confronting the Self: The Role of Polyphony and the Power of Coupe in Anita Nair’s Ladies Coupe

As it passes through various Indian states, assimilating people from various cultural backgrounds constantly, an Indian train is a place that truly embodies a transient cultural pattern. A passenger moves from the familiar to the strange in this liminal space in terms of geography, culture, language, cuisine, and psychological makeup. Indian Railways provides an insightful interpretation of cohabitation. Anita Nair, one of the finest authors in India, frequently uses "travel" as a significant theme in her novels to symbolize the characters' mental and physical journeys. In Ladies Coupe, the act of traveling is viewed as a confrontation with oneself and focuses on the lives of the five women in the transient space. By poetically narrating their journeys, Nair gives her female characters a life of their own, invoking a polyphonic framework within the transient space of the coupe. The Indian train, specifically the ladies coupe, is an example of Bakhtinian polyphony, where the conversations between passengers comprise multiple consciousness, including people of all ages and regions. As a result, this train travelogue includes five distinct voices, each with its own conscious design. The paper aims to examine the trope of the coupe using the Bakhtinian concept of polyphony, the impact of the "dead time" experienced during train travel and how the transitional space of the coupe helps Akhila attain self-discovery in Anita Nair's Ladies Coupe.

Plato’s legacy to education: addressing two misunderstandings

Abstract Building on Jonas and Nakazawa’s recent work (A Platonic Theory of Moral Education), my aim in this paper is to address two widespread misunderstandings of Plato’s ideas about education. The first is that the Platonic theory of education is nonegalitarian, promoting an educational system that justifies and perpetuates a caste-based society. The second is that the Platonic conception of the virtuous agent is primitive and far inferior to the Aristotelian conception, especially concerning the psychological make-up of the virtuous agent. By exploring some of the ways these misreadings can be countered, I defend the value of the Platonic educational theory for contemporary education and show the value of Jonas and Nakazawa’s project.

Media Culture, Politics, and Society

From the 1960s to the present, media culture in the United States has been a battleground between competing social groups with some artifacts advancing liberal or radical posi­tions and others conservative ones. Likewise, some artifacts of media culture promote progressive positions and representations of gender, sexual preference, race or ethnicity, while others articulate reactionary forms of racism, sexism, homophobia, and rightwing values and beliefs, thus many films articulate a contradictory matrix of liberal, radical, and reactionary representations, discourses, and narratives. In this article, I argue that media culture can provide important insights into the psychological, socio-political, and ideological make-up of U.S. society at a given point in history. Reading culture diagnos­tically allows one to gain insights into social problems and conflicts, and to appraise the dominant ideologies and emergent oppositional forces. This approach thus involves a dialectic of text and context, using texts to read social realities and context to help situate and interpret key artifacts of media culture in the 21 st century.

Impact of mental health components on the development of back pain in young adults with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis.

Back pain occurs commonly in adults and is multifactorial in nature. This study aimed to assess the prevalence and intensity of back pain during young adulthood in subjects with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS), as well as factors that may beassociated with its prognosis. Subjects with AIS aged 20-39 treated conservatively were included in this study. Patient-reported outcome measures in adulthood involved episodes of back pain, and scales of self-image, depression, anxiety, and stress. Additionally, pain, self-image, and mental health scores were retrieved at the first clinic consultation. Occurrence of back pain was defined as anumeric pain rating scale ≥ 6. 101 participants were enrolled. The prevalence of back pain in the lifetime, past 12months, past 6months, past 1month, past 7days, and past 24h were 37%, 35%, 31%, 27%, 23%, and 20%, respectively. Male, self-image, and depression were significant associated factors for the development of back pain at all time points. Furthermore, the analyses of the initial presentation of participants have shown that participants with back pain in adulthood were characterised by poor self-image and mental health during their adolescence. The present study addressed the natural history of back pain in young adults with conservatively treated AIS. Psychological makeup has been shown to constitute the development of back pain and is strongly hinted as anearly sign of having back pain in adulthood among subjects with AIS.

Evaluating the Economic Impact of Changes in Consumer Behavior

Consumer behavior refers to the methodology used by individuals or organizations when purchasing, using, and disposing of a product or service. Consumer behavior is dependent on five main factors. Those five factors are psychological, social, cultural, personal, and economic influence. Consumer behavior allows producers to determine how to fix or enhance their product to meet the needs of the basic consumer. Marketers primarily study consumer behavior with the idea of understanding consumer thinking when the consumer is purchasing the product. Marketers can then use this information to make advertisements specifically targeted to a common demographic, also known as market segmentation, which then results in more interest built up in this specific consumer base. As mentioned before, consumer behavior relies on the psychological makeup of the person. A consumer generally makes the decision to buy a product by thinking about their need for the product and if they can purchase the product. In a stable economy, consumers have the confidence to buy a product because they have the means to do so. But what if that were to change in the time of crisis? In this paper, my research will talk about how consumer behavior has altered throughout the pandemic and the impact the pandemic has had not just on the economy but the consumer itself.