Similar Feelings Research Articles

The role of siblings in adoption outcomes and experiences from adolescence to emerging adulthood.

In many families, siblings play important roles in shaping each other's outcomes and experiences across development. In adoptive families, siblings may affect adoptees' feelings about adoption and birth family contact. Among "target adoptees" (i.e., 1 participating adopted individual within adoptive families) with siblings who may have also been adopted or the biological children of the adoptive parents, we examined how adoption experiences and individual adjustment from adolescence into emerging adulthood were associated with sibling relationship dynamics. We present 3 studies using longitudinal, mixed method data within the same overarching sample of adoptive families. Study 1 was a follow-up to Berge et al.'s (2006) study of adolescent adoptees and their adopted siblings with birth family contact; we found evidence of changes in the status of contact collectively experienced by 26 adopted sibling pairs when target adoptees were emerging adults. In Study 2, we found that target adoptees (n = 91) with siblings (adopted or not) who were more involved with target adoptees' birth family contact demonstrated more favorable behavioral outcomes than target adoptees who had uninvolved siblings. Finally in Study 3, for target adoptees with siblings who were also adopted (n = 51), results showed that target adoptees felt more positively about their own adoption when siblings expressed similar positive feelings about individual adoption experiences. Implications of our findings are discussed in terms of the enduring contributions of sibling relationships from childhood into adulthood and the unique ways in which adoptive siblings are important in shaping one another's experiences of adoption.

The Construal of Midwives by Pregnant Women with a Body Mass Index Greater Than or Equal to 30 kg/m2 (BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2): A Repertory Grid Study

To explore the construal of midwives by pregnant women with a body mass index greater than 30 kg/m2 (BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2 ). Ten pregnant women with a BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2 were recruited from antenatal clinics at a maternity hospital in the North West of England. Each participant completed a repertory grid. The participants chose people to match roles including themselves, pregnant women, midwives of different BMIs and hypothetical elements. They also generated psychological constructs to describe them. Pregnant women with a BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2 construed themselves as vulnerable and self-conscious. Some women endorsed obesity-related stereotypes for themselves and felt responsible for their weight. The midwife with a BMI 18 < 30 kg/m2 was considered to be most similar to the ideal midwife, while the midwife with a BMI ≤ 18 kg/m2 was construed as having an undesirable interpersonal style. The midwife with a BMI ≥ 40 kg/m2 was often construed as sharing similar experiences to the pregnant women with a BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2 , such as struggling with the psychological consequences of a raised BMI. Some women construed the midwife with a BMI 30 < 40 kg/m2 in a positive way, whereas others viewed it as sharing similar feelings about weight as the midwife with a BMI ≥ 40 kg/m2 . The pregnant women with a BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2 in this study described perceptions of themselves and the midwives responsible for their care, which may affect their engagement and satisfaction with services. Pregnant women with a BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2 should be involved in service development activities to ensure the structure of services and the language used by midwives are acceptable and do not confirm weight-related stereotypes. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Pregnant women with a BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2 construe themselves as vulnerable and self-conscious and perceive themselves responsible for their weight. Pregnant women with a BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2 construe midwives with a low BMI as having an undesirable, cold, interpersonal style. Midwives with a raised BMI are construed as similar to the women, because they share the uncomfortable psychological consequences of a raised BMI. The nature of pregnant women's construal may affect their engagement and satisfaction with maternity services and midwifery care.

Dialogic Dickens. Invention and Transformation ed. by Allan C. Christensen, Francesco Marroni, and David Paroissien

Reviewed by: Dialogic Dickens. Invention and Transformation ed. by Allan C. Christensen, Francesco Marroni, and David Paroissien Francesca Orestano Allan C. Christensen, Francesco Marroni, David Paroissien, eds. Dialogic Dickens. Invention and Transformation. Chieti, Edizioni Solfanelli, 2015. Pp. 296. €21.00. The celebration of Dickens’s bicentenary, marked, as we know, by a considerable number of events in England and all around the world, has generated as a consequence an equal number of books that cover substantial new ground – no doubt because of the many dialogic opportunities offered by the conferences, symposia and seminars of 2012. The University of Chieti, under the aegis of a well-known Dickensian, Francesco Marroni, hosted three seminars and one international conference: the result is this book, where the dialogic energy of Dickens’s texts provides the ideal backbone to a variety of critical perspectives. The dialogic element within the text is explored by Allan Christensen in his analysis of Barnaby Rudge, where the raven Grip and the narrator’s voice share a marked degree of unreliability, which in the episodes of the Gordon riots breaks up into sheer violence and fragmentation of sense. Marroni portrays the ordeal of Redlaw, the protagonist of The Haunted Man as the predicament of a modern Dr. Faustus, or Victor Frankenstein. Dickens transforms the alchemist into the contemporary chemist: threatened with the loss of memory, and confronting the empty horizon of a world where scientific [End Page 322] knowledge erases all humanity – a desert of sands “tossed into unintelligible heaps” – Redlaw has his only chance of salvation in Christmas, memory and forgiveness. David Paroissien focuses on Bleak House, and on the subtle modulations chosen by the writer for his portrait of Sir Leicester Dedlock. Paroissien reminds us of a remark by Rowan Williams, former Archbishop of Canterbury, during the wreath-laying ceremony in Westminster Abbey many of us attended on 7 February 2012: Williams selected Sir Leicester as a remarkable figure owing to his compassion and mercy (Dickens Quarterly June 2102). Paroissien concludes that here Dickens’s achievement results from the combination of “an outsider’s sociological view with the talent of the novelist, and his unconventional imagination.” Andrew Mangham focuses on Dickens’s early journalism, when his talent as resurrectionist was nourished by contemporary medical culture. The result would be a winning combination of clinical style, objective, dry, dispassionate, with sly touches of subjectivity kindling the expression of emotions. Dialogues with time and space are examined by Enrichetta Soccio through the lens of domesticity to reveal an inner topography that contradicts how homes or dwellings such as Satis House, Bleak House or Tom-all-Alone’s are named. Tania Zullli examines the attitude of the young writer who visits the United States, and in the text of American Notes decides to solve the clash between his former dreams of democracy and the stern reality he encounters by adopting a discursive strategy in which subjective viewpoint (and his disappointment) alternate with passages dutifully written as objective travelogue. A fine dialogic interlacing of responses to Venice is traced by Maria Luisa De Rinaldis, who examines how Dickens, Ruskin and James used the city. Both Pictures from Italy and Little Dorrit dwell on the dream-like quality of the place, ominously enhanced by its fluid aquatic glimmer, so as to suggest at once the theatrical nature of its space, and a sense of performance that even a tourist cannot escape. Ruskin and James (and Marcel Proust, I may add, who introduces Venice at first sub specie of a dream) would share similar feelings, despite differences in style and in the office Venice performs in their writings. Closer to home, Dickens’s response to the Great Exhibition of 1851 provides the next subject. Seen as a “horrible nuisance” by Dickens, Roberto Baronti Marchiò examines the novelist’s reaction to the Crystal Palace in the context of contemporary culture, tracing in Dickens’s comments distaste for an excess of wealth on display – all the more bewildering in view of the neglect of conditions at the margin of society. Another aspect of the cultural prism that engages Dickens’s attention is public education. Renzo D’Agnillo examines the debate that led to Forster’s Education...

Oxybutynin addiction amongst prisoners: two case reports

This study was designed to present two inmates staying Konya E type prison and wanting to increase the prescription and/or current dosages of oxybutynin. The study showed that oxybutynin is used to achieve similar feelings to the effects obtained by the use of substance and alcohol among inmates.

Rivalries, insecurities, and dance competition: can you escape the pressure?

Rivalries, insecurities, and dance competition—is there any escaping the pressure? Here’s how to find a balance when you’re competing with yourself and others by Maddie Simmons There will always be competition in dance, whether it is between you and your peers or strictly with yourself. With TV shows like Dance Moms and So You Think You Can Dance, as well as the increasing popularity of dance competitions, I feel that the competitive nature of dance has become overemphasized. Although being competitive can be useful in that it pushes you to strive for success, it can also have detrimental effects on your self-confidence and can lead you to lose the enjoyment that dance can bring. Let’s be honest, how many times have you watched someone else dance and thought to yourself, “Man, I wish I could dance like her”? This comparison to your peers can happen regularly as a subconscious habit, but of course we did not come into the studio as little toddlers in pink tutus already comparing ourselves to each other. So where does this mindset stem from? And how can we learn to work with competitiveness so that it benefits us as dance artists? At a young age, we find out about the competitive nature of dance. We all know what it’s like to dream of getting a star role in a show. We practice countless hours, perfecting the steps and developing the character before going in for a big audition. Take The Nutcracker, for example; I remember auditioning for “Clara” at just seven years old, and how devastated I was when I did not get the part. Maybe you have experienced similar feelings when you didn’t get a part you wanted, or were torn between feeling discouraged and feeling happy for a friend who actually did get the part. Maybe you have said to yourself, “What does she have that I don’t?” Such experiences can cause you to begin comparing yourself to the dancers around you. Or maybe you’ve been on top of the world for getting a part you wanted, but these feelings quickly turned to guilt when you notice the other dancer’s disappointment. We are not always taught how to cope with the competitive aspect of dance, and as we grow up we often develop this mindset of always comparing ourselves to our peers. There is no denying that the field of dance is a competitive one, and this may not always be a good thing. One downside of having an overly competitive approach to dance is that it takes away from the artistry and enjoyment of dancing. If you are too busy trying to be better than the person next to you, you may not be putting in all of the effort you can towards improving yourself as a dance artist. With the rise of dance competitions, studios have begun to focus on teaching the acrobatic elements of dance, such as tricks and turns, instead of focusing on the artistic side. In an article featured in the Journal of Physical Education, Recreation & Dance that asks whether dance competitions are compatible with the artistic ideals of dance, student Michele Zandman of The College of New Jersey, Ewing, states that “dance should be an activity a person does for his or her own enjoyment…it is one thing to perform a dance for others to enjoy and know they appreciate the artistic value behind it, but it is an entirely different thing to turn the art style into a competition” (2007 JOPERD).

Differences in HPA axis reactivity to intimacy in women with and without histories of sexual trauma

BackgroundSexual trauma can lead to longstanding effects on individuals’ intimacy functioning. The current study aimed to assess hypothalamic pituitary adrenal (HPA) axis functioning (i.e., cortisol reactivity) prior to (–5min), during (+15, +30, +45min), and following (+60min) an experimental manipulation of emotional closeness in a sample of women survivors of sexual trauma with varying levels of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptomatology versus controls. MethodsParticipants included 50 women, which were divided into 2 groups on the basis of a structured clinical interview: 26 women with a history of sexual trauma with and without PTSD (sexual trauma group), and 24 women without a history of sexual trauma or PTSD (controls). Participants came into the lab and participated in a 45min emotional closeness exercise with a male confederate and completed self-report questionnaires of closeness, state anxiety/depression, and cortisol assays at the aforementioned time points. ResultsWomen with a history of sexual trauma exhibited a blunted cortisol response and greater anxious mood in reaction to the intimacy induction task compared to controls. Results also demonstrated that, unexpectedly, PTSD symptom severity scores among sexual trauma survivors were not associated with differential cortisol responding to the task compared to controls. ConclusionsAdaptive responses to stress are characterized by a relatively rapid cortisol increase followed by a steady decline. The results of this study demonstrated that women with a history of sexual trauma, in contrast, displayed a blunted cortisol response to an intimacy induction task. Both controls and women with a history of sexual trauma reported increased feelings of closeness to the male confederate in response to the intimacy induction task, suggesting that survivors were able to achieve similar adaptive feelings of intimacy when provided with the right conditions.

CHARACTERISTIC FEATURES OF THE MANIFESTATION OF EMPATHY OF PSYCHOLOGISTS AND PSYCHOLOGY STUDENTS

Profession of psychologist requires from the individual special abilities: to understand the emotional state of the client, to be sincere in the relationship with the client, to reflect and convey the feelings experienced at the moment. It is impossible to achieve efficiency in the professional activities without practical mastering of such psychic reality as empathy. The approaches to the problems of empathy abound with dozens of definitions, models of empathic process, stages, levels, and mechanisms. The polysemantic character of the term «empathy» often causes researchers to use rather monosemantic, in their opinion, concepts such as «identification», «sympathy». Empathy (from GK. empatheia – empathy) is a category of modern psychology, which means understanding of the emotional state of another person, involuntary experiencing similar feelings, sympathizing with him. The problem of studying empathy is always topical in psychology. The problem of research and development of empathy is especially important for the professional development of students-psychologists. To show empathy towards the person means to look at the situation from his point of view, to experience similar feelings, to understand and accept his current emotional state. To be in the state of empathy means to perceive the inner world of another person accurately, maintaining the emotional connotations, what enhances efficiency in professional psychological activity.

The Blue Soup or What Architecture Comes from

The article addresses the issue of creating an architectural form, while comparing the arts practiced by the Blue Soup Group and the projects by Architectural School MARCH. One of the means of working on the form is revealing its characteristics through metaphor, comparing with a poetical, artistic and natural image. The essential feature of this approach is translation of a certain image into the language of architecture with the help of fixation of your own feelings and search for appropriate means to create similar feelings among the audience or users.

Brain and psychological mediators of imitation: sociocultural versus physical traits.

The acquisition of cultural beliefs and practices is fundamental to human societies. The psychological and neural mechanisms underlying cultural acquisition, however, are not well understood. Here we used brain imaging to investigate how others' physical and sociocultural attributes may influence imitative learning, a critical component of cultural acquisition. While undergoing fMRI, 17 European American young adults imitated models from three different racial groups performing novel hand gestures. Participants learned that half the models shared their political ideology and half did not. We found that the model's political ideology-a sociocultural characteristic devoid of any physical correlates-was sufficient to influence imitative accuracy, and that this effect was mediated by changes in feelings of similarity to the model. Furthermore, the relationship between the imitative model's political ideology and imitation accuracy was mediated by brain regions associated with imitation and its control, as well as mentalizing. Finally, comparing these new data with those from one of our previous studies revealed that knowledge of a model's political ideology reduces the influence of the model's race on feelings of similarity to the model and imitation accuracy, as well as activity in brain regions typically activated during imitation. Taken together, these findings suggest that (1) others' sociocultural characteristics influence imitative biases more so than their physical attributes, and (2) that neural systems associated with imitation, imitation control, and mentalizing contribute to this cultural learning process.

A Musical Education: Lee Morgan and the Philadelphia Jazz Scene of the 1950s

When Michael LaVoe observed Lee Morgan, a fellow freshman at Philadelphia's Mastbaum Vocational Technical High School, playing trumpet with members of the school's dance band in the first days of school in September 1953, he could not believe his ears. Morgan, who had just turned fifteen years old the previous July, had remarkable facility on his instrument and displayed a sophisticated understanding of music for someone so young. Other members of the ensemble, some of whom al­ ready had three years of musical training and performing experience in the school's vocational music program, experienced similar feelings of dis­ belief when they heard the newcomer's precocious ability. Lee Morgan had successfully auditioned into Mastbaum's music program, the strongest of its kind in Philadelphia from the 1930s through the 1960s, and demon­ strated a rare ability that begged the title "prodigy." Almost exactly three years later, in November of 1956, Lee Morgan, now a member of the Dizzy Gillespie orchestra, elicited a similar response at the professional level after the band's New York opening at Birdland. Word spread, and as the Gillespie band embarked on its national tour, au­ diences and critics nationwide took notice of the young soloist featured on what was often the leader's showcase number: "A Night in Tunisia." Nat Hentoff caught the band on their return to New York from the Midwest in 1957. My back was to the bandstand as the band started "Night in Tunisia." Suddenly, a trumpet soared out of the band into a break that was so vividly brilliant and electrifying that all conversation in the room stopped and those of us who were gesturing were frozen with hands outstretched. After the first thunderclap impact, I turned and saw that the trumpeter was the very young sideman from Philadelphia, Lee Morgan. (Hentoff 1965)

Requirements on Management Practices for the Development of Entrepreneurial Creativity in a Global Social-ecological System – Case Study

Abstract We follow a general framework for analysing the sustainability of socio-ecological systems – with a strong human intervention, for Entrepreneurial creativity in a global social-ecological system. In order to define the economic and socio-cultural contextual factors that facilitate or hinder the development of creative skills we applied questionnaires to entrepreneurs, managers and staff of 10 enterprises. We can say that the main problem managers see with their enterprises is a source of financing, while employees feel that there are organizational problems. The enterprises are focused on local and regional markets. Managers feel in general they encourage creative solutions to problems, creative individual contributions by employees; employees rarely downsize these managerial approaches. Both managers and employees feel in general that they work on challenging and important projects and that their work is at the very least productive. Managers often think they are a good example for their employees and workers tend to think the same way. Both Managers and employees have, for the most part, positive opinions on group work, its dynamics, its effectiveness and validity and on interpersonal relationships present in the work group. In the focus group, managers and employees have similar feelings towards most of the questions raised. Participants creative solutions available. With these solutions start always.

Person-specific theory of mind in medial pFC.

Although research on theory of mind has strongly implicated the dorsomedial pFC (incuding medial BA 8 and BA 9), the unique contributions of medial pFC (MPFC; corresponding to medial BA 10) to mentalizing remain uncertain. The extant literature has considered the possibility that these regions may be specialized for self-related cognition or for reasoning about close others, but evidence for both accounts has been inconclusive. We propose a novel theoretical framework: MPFC selectively implements "person-specific theories of mind" (ToMp) representing the unique, idiosyncratic traits or attributes of well-known individuals. To test this hypothesis, we used fMRI to assess MPFC responses in Democratic and Republican participants as they evaluated more or less subjectively well-known political figures. Consistent with the ToMp account, MPFC showed greater activity to subjectively well-known targets, irrespective of participants' reported feelings of closeness or similarity. MPFC also demonstrated greater activity on trials in which targets (whether politicians or oneself) were judged to be relatively idiosyncratic, making a generic theory of mind inapplicable. These results suggest that MPFC may supplement the generic theory of mind process, with which dorsomedial pFC has been associated, by contributing mentalizing capacities tuned to individuated representations of specific well-known others.

Explorations stendhaliennes: d’Armance à la Fraternité des arts” par C.W. Thompson

Reviews 237 explain how this secular “comedy of social existence” (289) leads ultimately to the spiritual renewal of the protagonist. Thiher’s book, an insightful and intelligent guide for both new and experienced readers, is a welcome addition to the critical works currently available that examine the network of cultural, artistic, social, intellectual— and now religious—connections underpinning Proust’s oeuvre. Brandeis University Hollie Markland Harder Thompson, C.W. Explorations stendhaliennes: d’Armance à la “Fraternité des arts”. Paris: Hermann, 2013. ISBN 978-2-7056-8717-5. Pp. 477. 30 a. This collection of essays, divided into pleasantly readable sections, explores sources and influences that shaped Stendhal’s works, with particular emphasis on Armance. Thompson traces these influences through themes and structures, even through Stendhal’s use of underlining in books, in a broad spectrum of the author’s works, many of which are rarely discussed. A master of this traditional type of scholarship, he provides a kind of engaging detective story, as he tracks down clues in answer to his questions and builds his case. He writes in a highly readable, elegant style and enjoys an encyclopedic knowledge of Stendhal’s works. Some of the essays are reconsiderations of his past work, which benefits from knowledge recently obtained. One of the main assertions in the collection is that, if Stendhal improvised as he wrote, he also responded to the particular context of his time and included learned references, despite his seemingly offhand style. Furthermore, if De l’amour seems confusing and poorly organized, this lack of design reflects one of the basic themes of the text, the game of chance and the possibility of new beginnings, which also appears in other works. The repetition of themes and structures throughout Stendhal’s works receives consistent attention, such as the opposition between the priest and the soldier, the ambiguities of gender, and doubling and repetition. Thompson also analyzes the neglected use of the myths of Don Juan and Casanova, and he speculates on the reasons why critics neglect these icons and the liberty and self-invention that they represent. One theme that appears repeatedly in Stendhal’s works is that of the drowning of the writer. Entangled with Stendhal’s own fantasy of this death are the near drownings of Byron and Shelley, and Julie and Saint-Preux, as well as the real death of Shelley. A theme of interest to current literary analyses is Stendhal’s fascination with the androgyny and bisexuality associated with Byron, Custine, and Girodet-Trioson. Other themes investigated include hunchbacks in literary and political contexts, and excessive eating in Féder and contemporary culture. One section of the book deals with the importance of the other arts for Stendhal and his opinions about their interrelation. Thompson shows that Stendhal influenced the art criticism of his time, that he was for the freedom of art, and that he found merit in certain contemporary French painters whose reputations have endured. Stendhal believed that one art should not be transposed into another, but that similar suggestions or feelings could be inspired by or reflected in the different arts. The final section of the book looks at Stendhal’s use of footnotes, underlining, and markings in his manuscripts and his books, and also in other authors’ books. In the latter we see Stendhal creating himself while absorbing others. For Stendhal lovers, this book provides useful and enriching information as a backdrop to the author’s works. Boston University Dorothy Kelly Tsimbidy, Myriam. La mémoire des lettres: la lettre dans les Mémoires du XVIIe siècle. Paris: Garnier, 2013. ISBN 978-2-8124-0902-8. Pp. 348. 39 a. The early modern memoirist tells or re-tells a bit of history from a specific, personal point of view, and often from a position of disgrace. Tsimbidy argues that letters embedded in a memoir shape and advance the narrative constructed by the memoirist, and furthermore, that the placement and editing of those letters serve the fundamental purpose of the memoir: to justify the actions of its author. In her first chapter, Tsimbidy describes the criteria she used in determining which memoirs to include in her study. She selected memoirs dealing with...

La mémoire des lettres: la lettre dans les Mémoires du XVIIe siècle par by Myriam Tsimbidy

transposed into another, but that similar suggestions or feelings could be inspired by or reflected in the different arts. The final section of the book looks at Stendhal’s use of footnotes, underlining, and markings in his manuscripts and his books, and also in other authors’ books. In the latter we see Stendhal creating himself while absorbing others. For Stendhal lovers, this book provides useful and enriching information as a backdrop to the author’s works. Boston University Dorothy Kelly Tsimbidy, Myriam. La mémoire des lettres: la lettre dans les Mémoires du XVIIe siècle. Paris: Garnier, 2013. ISBN 978-2-8124-0902-8. Pp. 348. 39 a. The early modern memoirist tells or re-tells a bit of history from a specific, personal point of view, and often from a position of disgrace. Tsimbidy argues that letters embedded in a memoir shape and advance the narrative constructed by the memoirist, and furthermore, that the placement and editing of those letters serve the fundamental purpose of the memoir: to justify the actions of its author. In her first chapter, Tsimbidy describes the criteria she used in determining which memoirs to include in her study. She selected memoirs dealing with events that occurred during the years 1643–61, the decades of the minority of Louis XIV. This reader finds the choice of that time period somewhat arbitrary, despite Tsimbidy’s claim that it is at the heart of the evolution of the memoir genre. Nevertheless, the mid-seventeenth century is a deeply interesting, even pivotal point in French history, and Tsimbidy was quite thorough in her inclusion of memoirs from the period. Chapter two addresses the authenticity of embedded letters, which fall almost exclusively in the categories of public,political,and military correspondence.Tsimbidy describes ways that seventeenthcentury readers might have been persuaded of the credibility of those letters. She concludes, however, that the great majority of embedded letters were modified or even entirely invented by the memoirists. She points out that even letters that were not altered acquired a changed meaning when they were recontextualized as part of a memoir. The memoirists’presentation of letters embedded in their texts is the subject of the third chapter. Some letters were inserted intact, but others were edited so that they became an integral part of the narrative, rather than remaining a separate, distinct document. In the fourth chapter, Tsimbidy examines the degree to which various memoirs are themselves epistolary in form and in style. Chapter five is an exploration of the double function of the embedded letter, which serves as both a mechanism to advance the memoir’s narrative, and a source of information, presented to the reader as reliable and true because the letter exists (or is purported to exist) independently of the memoir. The final chapter examines the embedded letter as a reflection of the author of the memoir. Some embedded letters were written by the memoirist, or addressed directly to him or her. Other letters describe the memoirist’s actions, but are 238 FRENCH REVIEW 89.2 Reviews 239 outside his or her personal correspondence, having been written by a third party. Tsimbidy asserts that even the decision to include a letter or letters,and the framing and use of those letters in a memoir, reveal much about the memoirist. Tsimbidy’s book is rich in detailed examples, amply contextualized. Her comments on the style in which the letters are written are enlightening, as are her comparisons of stylistic differences between the letters and the memoirs in which they are embedded.La mémoire des lettres enriches our understanding of the function of both letters and memoirs during the early modern era, and reveals much about the intersection of the genres. Saint Louis University Kathleen M. Llewellyn Watt, Adam, éd. Marcel Proust in Context. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 2013. ISBN 978-1-107-02189-1. Pp. 264. $99. Cet ouvrage est ambitieux puisqu’il s’efforce, comme l’indique son titre, de situer Proust et son chef-d’œuvre À la recherche du temps perdu dans leur contexte culturel et socio-historique, mais il traite aussi la biographie, la correspondance et les autres œuvres de l’écrivain ainsi que...

Clinician perspectives of barriers in perinatal palliative care.

Perinatal palliative care (PPC) is a developing model of care aimed at providing supportive services to families anticipating fetal or neonatal demise. This study measured barriers physicians and advance practice nurses report in providing and referring patients to PPC. A cross-sectional survey design using the Perinatal Palliative Care Perceptions and Barriers Scale © was administered using a Web-based tool. Recruitment was completed via email and flyer invitations and list serves. Physicians (n = 66) and advance practice nurses (n = 146) participated. T-test and Mann-Whitney U were used to examine differences in clinician-reported barriers to PPC. Physicians and nurses differ significantly in the barriers they report. Nurses expressed more obstacles at the healthcare systems level reporting difficulty in their ability to garner interdisciplinary support and gain administrative backing. Physicians are more confident in their ability to counsel patients than nurses. Members of both disciplines express similar feelings of distress and helplessness when caring for families expecting a fetal or neonatal demise. They also report a lack of societal support and understanding about PPC. Cultivating an environment of collaboration and interdisciplinary communication can benefit both caregivers and patients. Nurses have an opportunity to lead and promote PPC endeavors through participating in advantageous partnerships and research. Both disciplines may benefit from interventions directed at increasing their comfort in caring for patients in a palliative setting through targeted education and supportive staff services.

Experiences, Feelings and Thoughts of Women Undergoing Second Trimester Medical Termination of Pregnancy

Main ObjectiveThe objective of this study was to explore women's expectations and experiences of undergoing second trimester abortion.MethodsThis is a cross-sectional study using a screening questionnaire and semi-structured interviews for data collection. Thirty-one women filled out the questionnaire and 23 of them were later interviewed. The questionnaires were analyzed by descriptive statistics. The interviews were recorded, transcribed verbatim and analyzed with qualitative content analysis.Most Important FindingsIndications for the abortion were fetal malformation or unintended pregnancy. The women expressed similar feelings and these were irrespective for the reason for having an abortion. Both physical and mental pain was experienced during the abortion process and described by the women. Taking the mifepristone-pill was experienced as especially emotionally difficult for many participants. Professional support from the staff together with support from the partner, a friend or relative helped in transforming the worries related to something unknown to feelings of coping with a new and hard experience. Prior to the abortion most women stated that they did not want to view the fetus but women who chose to view the fetus described this as a way of confronting the reality and an opportunity to say farewell to the pregnancy/fetus. The analysis of the interview transcripts revealed five themes mirroring the women's experiences, thoughts and feelings related to the abortion.ConclusionsThe decision to undergo second trimester abortion sometimes exposes women to strong and conflicting emotions which are irrespective for the reason for having an abortion. Despite this women do not regret their decision to terminate the pregnancy. This analysis shows that their rational thinking outweighs their emotionally difficult feelings. It is important for the attending staff to be responsive to the needs of each individual woman whatever the indication is for the abortion.

Designing for psychological change: individuals' reward and cost valuations in weight management.

BackgroundKnowledge of the psychological constructs that underlie behavior offers valuable design opportunities for persuasive systems. We use the decision theory, which describes how behavior is underpinned by reward-cost valuations, as a framework for investigating such psychological constructs to deliver design objectives for weight management technologies.ObjectiveWe applied a decision theory–based analysis in the domain of weight management to understand the rewards and costs that surround individuals’ weight management behaviors, with the aim of uncovering design opportunities for weight management technologies.MethodsWe conducted qualitative interviews with 15 participants who were or had been trying to lose weight. Thematic analysis was used to extract themes that covered the rewards and costs surrounding weight management behaviors. We supplemented our qualitative study with a quantitative survey of 100 respondents investigating the extent to which they agreed with statements reflecting themes from the qualitative study.ResultsThe primary obstacles to weight management were the rewards associated with unhealthy choices, such as the pleasures of unhealthy foods and unrestricted consumption in social situations, and the significant efforts required to change habits, plan, and exercise. Psychological constructs that supported positive weight management included feeling good after making healthy choices, being good to oneself, experiencing healthy yet still delicious foods, and receiving social support and encouraging messages (although opinions about encouraging messages was mixed).ConclusionsA rewards-costs driven enquiry revealed a wide range of psychological constructs that contribute to discouraging and supporting weight management. The constructs extracted from our qualitative study were verified by our quantitative survey, in which the majority of respondents also reported similar thoughts and feelings. This understanding of the rewards and costs surrounding weight management offers a range of new opportunities for the design of weight management technologies that enhance the encouraging factors and alleviate the discouraging ones.

Occupy: Reflections on my experience as one of the many practitioners who became part of the welfare support group at St Paul's, October 2011

SYNOPSISThis piece covers a period from November 2011 to the present in which I have been involved in the Occupy movement, along with other counsellors, therapists, psychiatrists, social workers, and alternative health and body-work practitioners. It is an exploration of: • my thoughts and feelings and a questioning of whether similar feelings and thoughts are experienced by others;• why fewer people get involved in Occupy than might be expected;• thoughts around belonging and sacrifice;• questioning introjected assumptions about hierarchy and democracy;• wanting to do things rather than talk;• how it was for the resident activists—burnout and stress;• community—who were attracted?; and• moving forwards—including meetings of the activist reflection group.

Voces y sentimientos: avatares del migrante en Purépero, Michoacán.

El objetivo de este trabajo es analizar los sentimientos y emociones que viven algunos migrantes de la comunidad de Purépero Michoacán cuando se van a los Estados Unidos. Desde una perspectiva etnográfica y construcción social de la realidad, nos acercamos y aproximamos al origen e importancia de dicha temática. Aunque falta por indagar, ahora sabemos que cada uno de los migrantes experimenta sentimientos y emociones similares. Esto puede parecer obvio, pero no es así, ya que cada migrante construye su propia realidad de acuerdo al rol que juega en la familia (padre y esposo), antes de partir y una vez establecido. Por tanto cada uno de ellos forja sus sentimientos y emociones en la experiencia vivida. En este proceso el migrante hace uso de su propia teoría o como dirían Berger y Luckman (2001) se conduce por sentido común.

The Emotional Lives of Animals and Children: Insights from a Farm Sanctuary by William Crain

 2014 Children, Youth and Environments Children, Youth and Environments 24(3), 2014 The Emotional Lives of Animals and Children: Insights from a Farm Sanctuary William Crain (2014). San Francisco, CA: Turning Stone Press, 137 pages. $15.95; ISBN 978-1-61852-082-1. In 2008, William Crain, a professor of psychology at City University of New York and author of a popular child development textbook, bought “a broken-down farm with a few acres of pasture in lower Duchess County, New York” (xvi) and turned it into Safe Haven Farm Sanctuary. This place provides a home for over 70 rescued farm animals that escaped factory farms and slaughterhouses and found their way (or were brought) to the Sanctuary. Crain recounts how he gradually became committed to animal welfare, as well as vegetarianism, and together with his wife Ellen, a pediatrician, devoted themselves to the Farm Sanctuary. At the same time, Crain, as a professor of psychology, wanted to study animals’ natural behavior. He thought that observing these farm animals could illuminate aspects of children’s development as well. Thus, Crain and his wife became participant observers in the lives of chickens, goats, sheep and other farm animals, as well as the humans who came to the farm. In Part I of this book, Crain addresses the emotions that he has observed in the rescued farm animals under his care. His concept of emotion is unusually broad; it includes not only fear, but play, freedom, care, spirituality, and resilience. In each chapter, he draws parallels between the emotions observed in farm animals and those of children, underscoring the commonalities across species. For example, he recounts how some animals and children fall silent for extended periods after a trauma and only begin to vocalize when they feel safe. Crain is sensitive to distinctions between child and animal behavior, and finds in the animal example useful lessons for enhancing child development. For example, he contrasts the “watchful waiting” of mother goats who are content to stay on the sidelines as their baby goats scamper and play, with the “helicopter parenting” of many contemporary humans. Crain argues that uninhibited free play is innate and adaptive across most mammalian species. Hence, humans would do well to emulate these mother goats. When Crain discusses the need for freedom, he wrestles the urge to grant his rescued flock maximum freedom against the very real dangers to those animals (from foxes, for example) if he were to do so. Similarly, he argues, one must find the right balance between freedom and safety for human children. Book Review: The Emotional Lives of Animals and Children: Insights… 250 In elaborating this theme of the commonalities between these farm animals and children, Crain can, on occasion, stretch the parallels. For example, he argues that just as humans, including children, derive a sense of calm, awe and serenity—what Crain calls “spirituality”—from gazing at landscapes, some animals also gaze out at nature with what seem to be similar feelings. This cannot be ruled out; however, there is no empirical evidence to support such a claim. Moreover, landscapes may evoke many different emotions, not all of them linked to spirituality. Even the same landscape may be at times threatening, as during a storm, or welcoming, as in a bright, temperate day. However, this caution aside, the major point Crain is emphasizing is well worth considering. Humans are animals after all, and share much with other species. We can learn a great deal about children by observing the natural behavior of other animals. In Part II, Crain draws from his observations to urge that we help children build a more connected, inclusive and egalitarian relationship with animals. In his view, applying a sharp hierarchy that places humans above animals and viewing animals from a utilitarian perspective have many damaging effects on children as well as animals. By according animals greater status and respect, viewing them as having intrinsic worth, children will become more connected to the natural world and will not lose their ethical stance toward animals. Crain concludes that society needs a more inclusive value system, one that includes animals as well as humans. Where might that more inclusive value system come...