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The challenges faced by those who are returning to the community after prison are well documented. Community re-entry, especially for those who have sexually offended, is particularly stressful and fraught with many difficulties. Community maintenance programmes (CMPs) are community programmes designed to assist those who are released from prison, who have generally completed an offence-specific custodial treatment programme. There remains however no known published research that has examined the programmatic features of CMPs, their efficacy, the experiences of those who facilitate and participate in CMPs, and little is known about the theoretical underpinnings of CMPs. This paper reviews some of the factors that may contribute to behaviour change and the maintenance of that change, with a particular focus on CMPs for those who have sexually offended. Stemming from two recent qualitative studies interviewing CMP participants and service providers in Australia's largest CMP, this paper proposes Self-Determination Theory (SDT) as an underpinning for CMPs. There will also be a consideration of implications for practice as well as future research. This paper proposes Self-Determination Theory as a framework for the delivery of community maintenance programmes (CMPs) for those who have sexually offended. It is the first time a framework for the delivery of CMPs is considered, with practical implications related to the content and focus of the programme discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses humanitarian compassion within the Derridean notion of hospitality. Reflecting on the age of Imperial Humanitarianism where Evangelists formed administrative missions to save the souls of the slaves in the colonial provinces of Europe, it aims to address the link of compassion with Christianity and colonialism. Setting the Christian scene of humanitarianism, hospitality as a Derridean concept is introduced to depict that compassion and aid work in-between certain 'guest and host' territories. The impossibility of hospitality under these circumstances highlight the play of power relations in which the other is produced. While Derrida argues that hospitality cannot be power-balanced unless the language of the host is deconstructed, psychology in the humanitarian sector performs an 'emotional hospitality' which seeks to extract a story of confession. Ψ as method works to open a discussion on suffering, Christianity, and colonialism as a modern form of conversion: the confession of truth in a psychological discourse. Challenging compassion and aid as constituted in psychological discourse, this paper invites therapists to rethink the contextualisation under which these ideals emerged while introducing a discussion on what the language of psychology 'does' to refugees. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Filipino psychologist Fr. Jaime C. Bulataosuggested that a shared collective consciousness allows for telepathy to occur. In the context of psychotherapy, telepathy may strengthen rapport between therapist and client, as well as enrich insight. This paper aims to describe and discuss a framework of Bulatao-inspired psychotherapy that integrates telepathy as part of the therapeutic practice. Thus, the paper asks the question: What does the Bulatao therapeutic process of telepathy look like? Descriptive phenomenology revealed four phenomenological structures: (a) Mental quietude and psychic openness; (b) Perceiving the client; (c) Receiving and reacting to telepathic stimuli; and (d) Anomalous insight. This paper has the potential to inspire a conversation with regard to the potential therapeutic uses of Bulatao's transpersonal world view. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The Relative Value Unit (RVU) system was initially developed to account for costs associated with clinical services and has since been applied in some settings as a metric for monitoring productivity. That practice has come under fire in the medical literature due to perceived flaws in determination of "work RVU" for different billing codes and negative impacts on healthcare rendered. This issue also affects psychologists, who bill codes associated with highly variable hourly wRVUs. This paper highlights this discrepancy and suggests alternative options for measuring productivity to better equate psychologists' time spent completing various billable clinical activities. Method: A review was performed to identify potential limitations to measuring providers' productivity based on wRVU alone. Available publications focus almost exclusively on physician productivity models. Little information was available relating to wRVU for psychology services, including neuropsychological evaluations, specifically. Conclusions: Measurement of clinician productivity using only wRVU disregards patient outcomes and under-values psychological assessment. Neuropsychologists are particularly affected. Based on the existing literature, we propose alternative approaches that capture productivity equitably among subspecialists and support provision of non-billable services that are also of high value (e.g. education and research). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since immersive virtual reality (IVR) emerged as a research method in the 1980s, the focus has been on the similarities between IVR and actual reality. In this vein, it has been suggested that IVR methodology might fill the gap between laboratory studies and real life. IVR allows for high internal validity (i.e., a high degree of experimental control and experimental replicability), as well as high external validity by letting participants engage with the environment in an almost natural manner. Despite internal validity being crucial to experimental designs, external validity also matters in terms of the generalizability of results. In this paper, we first highlight and summarise the similarities and differences between IVR, desktop situations (both non-immersive VR and computer experiments), and reality. In the second step, we propose that IVR is a promising tool for visual memory research in terms of investigating the representation of visual information embedded in natural behaviour. We encourage researchers to carry out experiments on both two-dimensional computer screens and in immersive virtual environments to investigate visual memory and validate and replicate the findings. IVR is valuable because of its potential to improve theoretical understanding and increase the psychological relevance of the findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the effect of users' personality traits and emotions expressed through textual communications on YouTube to detect cyberbullying using a series of ensemble classifiers. Personality traits were determined using the Big Five model whereas emotions were based on Ekman's basic emotion theory. Annotated YouTube textual comments in English (N = 5152; i.e. 2576 number of bullying versus 2576 non-bullying instances) were used to detect cyberbullying incidents using several ensemble classifiers, including Random Forest and AdaBoost. Performance metrics revealed both personality traits and emotion to significantly improve the identification of cyberbullying presence, with accuracy and F-score values of more than 95%. Further fine-grained analysis revealed anger and openness to be more profound compared to other emotions and personalities. Further, neurotic individuals tend to be driven to cyberbullying by joy, disgust and fear. The findings show that personality and emotions play pertinent roles in cyberbullying, and the identification of specific traits and emotions can help in designing a more strategic intervention programme. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates Nietzsche's assessments of Pascal's embrace and rejection of various branches of skepticisms that Montaigne embodies or ignores. Nietzsche admires Pascal for intellectual probity and skepticism. Pascal finds fault with Montaigne's Academic Skepticism, viewing it as insufficiently honest, because it ceases to inquire into Nature, and takes the self as the anchor of psychological tranquility. Inspired by Pascal's criticism of Montaigne's Skepticism in his Essais III.13, in D 46, Nietzsche also disapproves of Montaigne's sluggish tranquility and deems this a symptom of feebleness and nihilism. Some scholars claim that Nietzsche admires Montaigne's earthly cheerfulness and probity as that of a free spirit regarding Montaigne's adoption of Pyrrhonian. By contrast, I argue that Nietzsche misinterprets Montaigne's Academic Skepticism in the Essais III.13.1218 as Pyrrhonian Skepticism, because the Skepticism here is characterized by ignorance and incuriosity instead of probity. Montaigne's very Academic Skepticism vexes Pascal because of the latter's complacent lack of curiosity about the supernatural world. Regarding this, Nietzsche inveighs against Pascal's insufficient honesty as entangled with a dogmatic observance of Christian truthfulness instead of a free-spirited honesty, but advocates Montaigne's this-worldly naturalism. Nietzsche sees Pascal's unyielding application of Christian self-examination will finally lead to his skepticism of Christianity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Qualitative research methods aim to produce some form of narrative for analysis and many alternative forms of narrative analysis exist, mostly informed by social constructionist perspectives. This creates a dilemma for personal constructivist researchers, who now have access to a plethora of methods for understanding and intervening in people's sensemaking processes but are faced with a distinct absence of a uniquely personal constructivist method for analyzing the emerging narratives. This paper aims to outline a Personal Construct Psychology (PCP) (Kelly, 1955) view of the person as an agentic being and provide a contextualized, step by step guide for analyzing personal narratives from a Kellian perspective that encompasses identification and analysis of constructs, metaphors, roles, implicit beliefs and emotions. Kelly advocated working with the 'whole' person by credulously exploring their lived reality through the entirety of their emotions, cognitions and behaviors, which goes beyond an extraction of narrative themes or phenomenological interpretations contained in the realm of the person's known world. In PCP, language is regarded as symbolic, contextual, performative, and incomplete but, unlike social constructionist approaches, the focus favors the identification and explanation of internal identity processes, social cognitions, and personal meanings, rather than how language is utilized externally as a cultural tool. By articulating an explicit process, we aim to improve the accessibility of PCP as a full research process and overcome the current limitations posed by utilizing qualitative analytical methods drawn from alternative epistemologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tolerance for wildlife can be informed by a person's beliefs, attitudes, norms, or other characteristics. Although theoretical papers emphasize the interrelations of these multiple antecedents of wildlife tolerance, empirical studies have not tested them using a rigorous scale development process. We used psychometrics to characterize the cognitive antecedents of tolerance toward black bears (Ursus americanus). Proposed scale items were tested via web-hosted questionnaire (n = 240) and refined into 29 items representing five antecedent dimensions of tolerance for black bears. We then administered these items to a different sample of recreational trail users in western Oregon (n = 210). Second-order confirmatory factor analysis confirmed a 19-item measure representing four distinct yet related antecedent dimensions of tolerance: antipathy, connection, lethal control (damage), and lethal control (danger to self, pets, and economics). These dimensions help better explain why people may be more or less tolerant toward black bears and, potentially, other wildlife. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the rise of the transportation mode of shared electric bikes (shared e-bikes) in China, shared e-bike related accidents have gradually increased. To facilitate the design of safety policies, it is important to understand the factors that influence shared e-bike riders' traffic accidents to facilitate intervention strategies. For this purpose, the structural equation model (SEM) with mediation analysis was applied by incorporating seven latent factors: traffic accidents, traffic violation behaviors, attitude toward safety responsibility, and attitude toward rule violations, risk perception, perceptive-motor skills, and safety skills. A questionnaire survey of a sample of 406 shared e-bike riders in China was conducted to obtain self-reported survey data. The results reveal that traffic violation behaviors and attitude toward safety responsibility had a statistically significant consequence on traffic accidents. Attitude toward rule violations, perceptive-motor skills, and safety skills can predict shared e-bike riders' traffic accidents when the traffic violation behaviors are used as a mediator. Moreover, risk perception could also be used to predict shared e-bike riders' traffic accidents when using attitudes toward safety responsibility or rule violations and traffic violation behaviors as a mediator. This paper lays a foundation for policymakers and traffic managers to develop effective intervention strategies and improve shared e-bike safety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recognition of the importance of relationship and working alliance for effective social work supervision, psycho-social factors serve to influence the relational dynamics, impacting on functions such as case discussions and decisions and practitioner welfare and learning. Attachment theory provides an insightful lens for understanding these pivotal aspects of social work supervision and how supervisors may adapt their approach. This paper synthesises the literature linking attachment theory to supervision in social work and the allied discipline of psychotherapy, which is relevant to this lens. Consideration is given to the implications of the different adult attachment patterns of supervisors and supervisees, for their working alliance, the supervision process and social work practice more generally. Further thought is given to the notion of supervision within organisations as a secure base and the impact this may have for supervision practice and future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This is an introduction to the panel of papers collected from the affect theory conference “Worldings, Tensions, Futures,” comprising the stream focusing on psychoanalysis, affect and time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes a new theory of joy as defined by the elation of right relation, i.e., an intense and temporary feeling of heightened positive emotion as a consequence of a just right fit between our identity and the moment we are experiencing. Diverse domains of joy are explored: emotional, social, cognitive, physical, communal, and ideological. Several 'paradoxical' forms of joy are also elucidated, including schadenfreude, self-denial, and 'killjoy' attempts to thwart the joy of others. Throughout the paper, promising research questions are presented. At the close of the paper, methodological issues in the investigation of joy are discussed. Researchers are encouraged to investigate joy among a wide range of groups – cultures, countries, ages, genders, and social classes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Happiness is an increasingly prominent topic across academia, with a burgeoning array of research into its different aspects. Among the most dynamic and interdisciplinary work in this arena are studies exploring the myriad factors that influence it. These span multiple topics and fields of enquiry, from physiology and identity to politics and economics, covering analyses at both individual and national levels. This paper offers a comprehensive overview of such work, identifying seven overarching 'conditions' (in themselves multifaceted) that contribute towards the complex creation of happiness: temperament; health; demographics; relationships and communities; culture; economics and equality; and governance. Theoretically, these are conceived as constituting the 'multidimensional conditionality' of happiness (i.e. conditions that contribute to its arising, which interact in complex ways). The paper also highlights issues with current scholarship, providing a stimulus for further work on this important topic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper uses abduction to propose a theory of addictive desire that is based on a dual dysfunction in learning and motivation. The theory is termed the Coherent Dual Theory of Addictive Desire (CDT) because it proposes that a dual dysfunction lies at the heart of addictive desire. This paper first lays out CDT in psychological terms. It then focuses on how CDT coheres with both the neurobiology and phenomenology of addictive desire, granting the theory empirical support and more explanatory power. The paper concludes by addressing an objection from opponent process theory. The result is a theory of addictive desire that contains multiple abductive virtues: It is simple, general, testable, and coherent on the levels of neurobiology, psychology, and phenomenology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

After the Chicago class culminates, a number of our students go on to complete the psychoanalysis minor, which requires a capstone paper that can deal with theoretical issues in psychoanalysis or relate psychoanalysis to the subjects of their majors, such as literature, psychology/neuroscience, or their own independently designed majors. We include three representative papers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Avicenna’s ground-breaking view of logic as both a tool for other sciences and a science in its own right has already attracted scholars’ attention and has been studied in several different respects. The present paper aims to address a specific issue entailed by considering logic as a science in its own right: that is, assessing the relation in which logic as a science stands to the other sciences, and particularly to metaphysics and psychology. The inquiry will focus on a fundamental, yet tricky, passage of chapter I.4 of Avicenna’s Kitāb al-Madḫal, the opening work of his most comprehensive philosophical summa, the Kitāb al-Šifāʾ (Book of Healing). Due to the obscurity of some of Avicenna’s references, chapter I.4 “on the subject-matter of logic” has stimulated numerous attempts at interpretation from the Middle Ages to today. In this paper, I will attempt to provide a new reading of the chapter in light of Avicenna’s definition of the epistemological status of science in Burhān II.7. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this paper is to reinvigorate sociotherapy by contextualizing its practice within a logotherapeutic and an existential health discourse. This approach is used to enhance meaningfulness in life within the framework of a sociotherapy, through mindfulness, and greenspace activities such as walking and gardening. This discourse has been largely inspired by: 1) sociotherapy's capacity to facilitate existential health; 2) the international research community's struggle for a broader concept of health; 3) World Health Organization's concept of existential health; and, 4) Frankl's assertion that people must be understood holistically as physical, psychological, social and spiritual beings. This paper approaches the social worker as sociotherapist (SWS) from an ecological and systemic perspective, the aim being to move the client from an egoistic to a mindful and ecological mind-set. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

African social workers and psychologists have called for the utility of ubuntu philosophy in the fields of social work and psychology. Ubuntu is an African philosophy that is based on humanness, kindness, communality, socio-structural issues such as social justice, and human rights. This paper explores the philosophy of ubuntu guided by the seven modalities of the multimodal approach, which are behaviour, effect, sensation, imagery, cognition, interpersonal relationships and drugs/biology. The article suggests that ubuntu as an African philosophy has potential to contribute two modalities in addition to the seven modalities in the multimodal approach by the South African psychologist Arnold Lazarus. It argues that ubuntu contributes two domains in assessments and these are as follows: the person-physical environment relationship and the spiritual relationship. Given the emphasis on eco-spiritually informed social work, this paper calls for the adoption of these two modalities for the assessment and intervention plans in social work practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores spiritual dimensions of the psyche as originally conceptualized by Jung, including its intimate ties to our humanity as well as its relationship with mysticism, numinosity, and the religious attitude. Additional ideas from other psychoanalysts and within depth psychology regarding spirituality, mysticism, and the spiritual psyche, are surveyed and illustrated by personal and professional examples. The paper draws on experiential evidence and emphasizes knowing the spiritual psyche from real lived experiences, especially as expressed through synchronicities. This paper notes limitations of evidence-based therapy and introduces the term synchronicity-informed psychotherapy as a legitimate focus of therapy and analysis particularly as a way to know and engage with the spiritual psyche. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Humanitarian intervention is international endeavours often responding to a human induced crisis. Literature exists on the ethics, legalities and history of humanitarian intervention. Although, there are a great deal of publications on humanitarian intervention including guidelines and best practice, and evidence-based research and practice in the field, there is a paucity of work examining teaching and training of humanitarian professionals. The article discusses the need for specialist training aimed at developing humanitarian professionals and more specifically psychosocial practitioners in the field. A discussion of the role and the importance of decolonization within the sector and training programs is also presented. The paper then introduces a distance learning training delivered at the University of East London, informed by psychological theory and practice, aimed at supporting students with the development of multidisciplinary skills and competencies for working in the sector. The paper also examines various key components of the program, [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The inability to access needed mental healthcare can be a challenge for individuals situated in various social environments and can be understood and predicted via multiple theoretical perspectives. This paper explores access to mental healthcare through the lenses of stigma theory and the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) by presenting central tenants of the theories and a brief review of empirical evidence in support of the individual theories. The combined TPB and stigma theory model merges self-stigma with the TPB construct of attitude and public stigma within the construct of subjective norms. A case example illustrates the application of the combined model in understanding barriers to mental health treatment. Discussion of the case study within the combined theoretical framework also acknowledges how culture within the social environment could have impacted mental health outcomes. Thus, it is necessary to intervene in areas of attitude, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control and stigma to shape the social environment through policy, practice and research and to improve mental health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

International literature is increasingly disclosing the relevance of cultural aspects within the processes of teaching and learning mathematics. Knowledge is inextricably linked to the activities in which the subjects engage, and must be considered in relation to the socio-cultural context wherein the activity takes place. Literature reveals the relationship between the background culture (e.g. language, nationality, etc.) of prospective elementary teachers and their beliefs about mathematics and its teaching. In this paper, we define culture with reference to the wider discussion from cross-cultural psychology literature about cultural values, and we investigate if and how differences in individuals' cultural values are related to prospective teachers' beliefs about being successful in mathematics and in its teaching. We adopt a questionnaire from the studies by Schwartz to measure participants' values. We assign each prospective teacher of our sample to a cluster of beliefs and we analyse how the beliefs of prospective teachers are related to their values. Results show that cultural values and beliefs about mathematics are related, while this is not the case for beliefs about the teaching of this subject. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Terror Management Theory (TMT) posits that controlling death anxiety is a driving force behind many aspects of social behavior. The objective in this systematic review was to explore how TMT is used to explain children's, adolescents', and parents' behavior when exposed to situations that increase mortality salience. A systematic search identified 2484 papers; 14 studies met eligibility criteria. Key topics explored were mortality salience, death thoughts, and distal defenses. Findings indicate that adolescents comprehend death and have mortality salience reactions like adults, highlighting the potential for TMT to be used to explain children's and adolescents' social behavior in high-stress situations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explicates Descartes' theory of intuition (intuitus). Departing from certain commentators, I argue that intuition, for Descartes, is a form of clear and distinct intellectual perception. Because it is clear and distinct, it is indubitable, infallible, and provides a grade of certain knowledge he calls 'cognitio'. I pay special attention to why he treats intuition as a form of perception, and what he means when he says it is 'clear and distinct'. Finally, I situate his view in relation to those of his Scholastic predecessors on one hand and current theories on the other. His view anticipates the contemporary 'perceptual model of intuition', though it is much bolder with its promise of certainty. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is a growing need for psychologists with specialized training in geriatric mental health competencies. The Geriatric Scholars Program for Psychologists (GSP-P) was created to address this shortage within a large integrated healthcare system. In 2019, GSP-P piloted an advanced workshop designed to enhance expertise in geriatric mental health competencies among graduates of its foundational competencies core course. The workshop included 3.5 days of expert-led seminars regarding the biopsychosocial needs of older adults with chronic medical illness and was followed by completion of an individualized learning plan. This paper describes the evaluation of the course using a mixed methods with data collected prior to the workshop, immediately post-workshop, and six months post-workshop. Results indicated enthusiasm for the workshop, significant improvements in four geropsychology domains on the Pikes Peak Geropsychology Knowledge and Skill Assessment Tool, and benefit from completion of the independent learning plans. Our findings demonstrate that continued enhancement of geropsychology competencies through advanced coursework is feasible and improves knowledge and skill, particularly when combined with individualized learning plans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The seminal Lost in the Mall study has been enormously influential in psychology and is still cited in legal cases. The current study directly replicated this paper, addressing methodological weaknesses including increasing the sample size fivefold and preregistering detailed analysis plans. Participants (N = 123) completed a survey and two interviews where they discussed real and fabricated childhood events, based on information provided by an older relative. We replicated the findings of the original study, coding 35% of participants as reporting a false memory for getting lost in a mall in childhood (compared to 25% in the original study). In an extension, we found that participants self-reported high rates of memories and beliefs for the fabricated event. Mock jurors were also highly likely to believe the fabricated event had occurred and that the participant was truly remembering the event, supporting the conclusions of the original study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In my recent book Affective Gibsonian Psychology (2022), I made a relatively sharp distinction between affordances and invitations. I argued that to understand (some of) our behavior, we need to distinguish between the two. In the present paper, I develop the argument for this distinction a little further. It is argued that the concept of affordances aids in capturing the ecological values in the animals' environments. This helps one to determine the adaptiveness and appropriateness of behavior. However, drawing upon examples from everyday life, it is argued that the concept of affordances does not suffice to account for our behavior. It needs to be complemented by the concept of the field of invitations. We are affective beings—the world always affects us, and it does so in a rich variety of ways. Hence, any psychology attempting to understand our everyday activity needs to capture how we are moved by the environment. I end with detailing the field of invitations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There are observable realistic factors – economic, legal and political – that contribute to initiating and maintaining international conflicts, including starting wars. Behind such factors there are also various psychological elements. This paper recalls correspondence between Albert Einstein and Sigmund Freud and Freud's pessimistic response to the question "Why War?" and explores this question from the point of view of large-group psychology. The term "large group" describes thousands or millions of people, most of whom never see or even know about each other as individuals, but who share many of the same sentiments and the same realistic or fantasied ancestral history. This paper defines a concept, "large-group identity", and describes how protecting it plays a key role in maintaining and even initiating war-like situations or wars. This paper also considers the psychological make-up of a decision-maker with political power who encourages war. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The efficacy studies of neurocognitive training have focused on the components of the programmes and general methodological questions, not presenting a rationale for the individualization of the intervention, even though this is an essential factor for efficacy. The main objective of this manuscript is to propose a framework for the individual planning of neurocognitive training sessions based on the results of neuropsychological assessment. The proposed framework is coined Branched Programmed Neurocognitive Training (BPNT). BPNT is based on the programmed learning approach and inspired on the Luria's neurocognitive model. The main premises of this framework are the interdependence and hierarchical organization of the cognitive functions, and the individualization of neurocognitive training with multiple patient-tailored paths. The BPNT framework provides guidelines for planning an individualized neurocognitive training in four stages. The potential advantages of this proposal are discussed at various levels, including the role of reward in neurocognitive training and the potential effects of the model on the maintenance and generalization of intervention results. The BPNT framework can be used as an algorithm for the development and adaptation of paper and pencil programmes, as well as computerized rehabilitation platforms. Studies are in place to examine the feasibility of this framework. Individualized neurocognitive training guided by neuropsychological assessment is most likely to be effective. Branched Programmed Neurocognitive Training (BPNT) model provides guidelines to organize the neurocognitive training based on the results of neuropsychological assessment. BPNT is based on the programmed learning model and the Luria neurocognitive model, addresses the role of reward in neurocognitive training and considers the fundamental principle of Errorless Learning. BPNT can be used as an algorithm for the development and adaptation of paper and pencil programmes and computerized rehabilitation platforms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses the various appearances of theater in the writings of L. S. Vygotsky. Starting with an overview of his early and still little explored production of theatrical criticism, we observe how theater gradually entered the field of psychology and came to be analyzed as a psychological problem. The analysis of this topic reveals an important shift in Vygotskian thought, i.e., a turn from objective to concrete psychology. With respect to Vygotsky's aesthetic stance, the paper provides a commentary about the relations between art and society, an underlying topic for the cultural-historical perspective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Visibility of the transgender community has increased, particularly in the media. Trans teachers face a challenge, as their professional roles are both public and private. In an effort to seek personal and professional support, trans teachers have turned to social media outlets. Additionally, current research does not always encompass intersectional experiences of trans BIPOC teachers. Aim: This paper presents an autohistoria-teoría, or autoethnographical case study account of the author's experience coming out in the workplace as a trans teacher in Texas. Methods: Guided by Slavin et al. multicultural model of the stress process coupled with intersectionality, this paper attempts to describe how a trans teacher of color navigates the workplace. The data for this study are a collection of all of the author's social media posts from 2005 to 2015. Results: Findings reveal that allies provided some support, and that this trans teacher used deflection as a coping strategy in posts. Conclusion: The results suggest that administrative and peer support can impact transgender workers' mental well-being. In this paper, autohistoria-teoría is used as a powerful way for a trans BIPOC teacher's narrative to be told, which contributed to cultural healing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Significance judgements lie at the heart of EIA and provide the basis and justification for overall decision-making. Although the subjective nature of significance judgements is widely recognized, there has been limited research aimed at gaining a deeper understanding of its implications. This paper builds on the growing tradition of exploring learning from psychology in dealing with challenges in EIA practice, in this case, significance judgements. The aim of this research is therefore, to gain a deeper understanding of the psychology underpinning significance judgements. This is achieved by applying 10 concepts from psychology to the four steps in the 'significance spectrum model', namely: decide thresholds, make predictions, judge acceptability and consider mitigation. The results suggest that significance judgements should (with underpinning concepts from psychology provided in parentheses) aim for a limited number of key thresholds (paradox of choice); design thresholds with future gains in mind (loss aversion), reconsider probability scoring (possibility and certainty effect); avoid judgements based on limited information (What You See Is All There Is, WHYSIATI); utilise statistical prediction over expert opinion (expert fallacy); communicate carefully (priming, framing and cognitive ease); and consider personal attitudes and biases (affect heuristic). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Philosophers have argued that subjects who act wrongly in the situationist psychology experiments are morally responsible for their actions. This paper argues that though the obedient subjects in Milgram's 'Obedience to Authority' experiments are blameworthy, since most of us would have acted in the same manner they did, it is inappropriate for most of us to blame them. On Todd's ([2019]. "A Unified Account of the Moral Standing to Blame." Noûs 53 (2): 347–374.) recent account of standing to blame, agents lack the standing to blame others for a wrong when they are not sufficiently committed to the moral values which would condemn that wrong. I argue that the obedient subjects lack sufficient commitment to the kinds of values which would condemn their wrongdoing. This is evidenced by the fact that the wrongdoing was severe, that the subjects had the capacity to avoid wrongdoing, and that there was very little cost to avoiding wrongdoing. Since these studies are very well-replicated, most of us in the moral community would have acted as they did for similar reasons. At least 80% of us therefore lack the standing to blame the obedient subjects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While university participation has widened, retention and success rates remain lower for some diverse Australian undergraduate cohorts, e.g. students from low socioeconomic status backgrounds, Indigenous students and students with disability. Institutional characteristics and culture are more important factors in attrition than student characteristics. This paper explores how universities could develop learning and teaching communities that are more inclusive through insights into some complex relationships between student diversity, academic roles and identities. Using a critical discursive psychology approach, we identified 12 different subject positions that Australian academics from 19 universities adopted in constructing their identities as teachers of students from diverse backgrounds. We critically discuss illustrative findings from one academic who adopted seven different subject positions to explore the impact of institutional context on social positioning and dynamics related to learning, teaching and student diversity. We conclude that a 'students-as-partners' approach could help universities to better recognise and value diversity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Identity is a complex concept that can be informed by various factors, involving biological, psychological, experiential, and social influences. Specifically, one's social identity refers to the ways in which individuals can adopt attributes from established collective categories, like cultural identities, ethnic identities, gender identities, and class identities, amongst others. Social identity can encompass unique and diverse interactions at an individual level, known as micro-identities, that may be selectively expressed, hidden, or downplayed, contingent on distinct sociocultural settings. However, the formation of social identity is recurrently defined in opposition to perceptions of the Other, which can entail adverse paradigms of marginalisation, stigma, and discrimination. Although this theory of Otherness has been developed across different fields, particularly sociology, it may be important in psychiatric contexts as it can engender inherent risk factors and mental health inequalities. Consequently, this paper seeks to bring attention towards these issues, exploring the construction of Otherness and its detrimental outcomes for psychiatry, such as systemic discrimination and disparities in therapeutic support, alongside recommended initiatives to mitigate against the effects of Otherness. This may require multifactorial approaches that include cultural competency training, interventions informed by micro-identities and intersectionality, patient advocacy, and structural changes to mental health policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social model recovery is a peer centered approach to alcohol and drug problems that is gaining increased attention. This approach is well-suited to services in residential settings and typically includes living in a shared alcohol- and drug-free living environment where residents give and receive personal and recovery support. Sober Living Houses (SLHs) are recovery residences that explicitly use a social model approach. This paper describes recent research on SLHs, including new measures designed to assess their social and physical environments. We conclude that our understanding of social model is rapidly evolving to include broader, more complex factors associated with outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper revisits Michael Cole's influential Cultural Psychology. The goal is to reconstruct Cole by putting him into critical and creative dialogue with John Dewey's theory of transaction. It explores four advantages that arise by reconstructing Cole as a fully consistent Darwinian naturalist understood in terms of an equally consistent Deweyan transactionalism. One advantage is that transactional coordination can replace Cole's reliance on mediation. Second, one can recognize potentiality as a category of existence. Third, it becomes easier for Cole to engage the embodied aspects of mental functioning. Finally, transactionalism overcomes Cole's residual culture versus nature dualism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mental health and mental illness have been contested concepts for decades, with a wide variety of models being proposed. To date, there has been no exhaustive review that provides an overview of existing models. To conduct a quasi-systematic review of theoretical models of mental health problems. We searched academic databases, reference lists, and an electronic bookshop for literature that proposed, endorsed, reviewed, or critiqued such models. Papers, book chapters, and books were included with material by researchers, clinicians, non-medical professions, and service users writing between 2000 to June 2020 being considered. The study was registered with the Open Science Framework (No. osf.io/r3tjx). Based on 110 publications, we identified 34 different models which were grouped into five broader categories. Many models bridged two or more categories. Biological and psychological approaches had the largest number of models while social, consumer and cultural models were less diversified. Due to the non-empirical nature of the publications, several limitations in terms of search and quality appraisal apply. We conclude that mental health care needs to acknowledge the diversity of theoretical models on mental health problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the head of more than one researcher there will be a concern that arises from this work: Is it possible to arrive at a definition that reconciles and makes compatible different definitions of morality in psychology? The Need for an Explicit, Systematic, and Precise Definition A logical argument for establishing a technical definition of morality, which is not shared by all, at least as far as morality is concerned, (e.g., Stich, [16]; Wynn & Bloom, [21]), is that the first step in doing research on something is to have a definition about that something to be studied. In his interesting, ambitious, and most probably controversial article, Dahl (this issue) has tried to propose a definition of morality for psychology, with an explicit (no doubt controversial) goal of achieving greater theoretical integration between different paradigms: "The hope behind this paper is that clarity on definitions will help our field capitalize on its empirical advances and achieve greater theoretical integration" (p. 54). However, in embarking on this task, Dahl proposes a technical definition of morality that is clearly based on the definition of the Social Domains Theory (Turiel, [18], [19]). [Extracted from the article]

This paper identifies and examines interpretations of the ontological categories of “food” and “drugs” in allopathic medicine, psychology, and psychiatry. I unearth some implicit interpretive modes in these fields to draw attention to emerging patterns of interpretation. I advance two central claims: First, while practitioners in these fields often interpret food and drugs as existing in a dichotomous relationship with one another, there are demonstrable shifts toward interpretations of food and drugs (in both the “medicinal” and “illicit/detrimental” senses of the term) as categories that overlap with one another. Second, practitioners in these fields ought to recognize these interpretations as interpretations, which both shape and are shaped by our collective experiences, in order to develop a greater understanding and more earnest evaluations of different ontological conceptions of the food-drug relationship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In any given environmental education program there are students who have experienced trauma, yet the field has not expanded to consider the particular needs of these students. This paper weaves together strands from psychology, education, and healthcare to outline the concept of trauma and how it manifests in students and to introduce a series of principles for trauma-informed environmental education. Trauma-informed environmental education is not a form of ecotherapy. Rather, it asks environmental educators to have an operational understanding of how trauma shows up in their students and to adopt approaches that have the highest likelihood of supporting these students as they learn and develop lasting bonds with nature. Environmental educators have the challenge of helping students experience trust and safety in nature even where trauma (including individual, systemic, and cultural) affects the ability of many students to connect and feel safe. Interdisciplinary collaboration around trauma-informed environmental education is needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses why and how the operation of power is a central part of the Power Threat Meaning Framework (PTMF). Following a brief review of evidence linking social context to psychological distress and troubling behavior, and of psychology and psychiatry's limited engagement with this evidence, the paper focuses on the different approach adopted in the PTMF. It reviews conceptual resources drawn on in examining the nature and role of power and key ways in which the operation of power is central to the development and maintenance of troubling experiences and behavior which may be encountered in mental health systems and beyond. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Minority stress, including that experienced by sexual minority (SM) individuals, has been studied extensively in social and developmental contexts. Still, sexual orientation microaggressions (i.e., exposure to frequent heterosexist/homophobic language) can persist within the family structure. The focus of this paper is on the internalization of these experiences and the deleterious impact they could have on identity and developed systems of pathological accommodation, referring to attempts at rejecting one's sexual identity to achieve acceptance from parents. A composite case is presented to demonstrate the effects of persistent discriminatory events within the family structure; this serves as a set of model scenes, that in aggregate, can lead to internalized homophobia. This paper explores a treatment process that integrates concepts of intersubjective self psychology and affirmative therapy to arrive at a theoretical approach that helps to mitigate internalized homophobia as can be present in gay identifying male clients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines how an intersection of critical cultural disability studies and rhetorical studies can inform a critical education on 'mental health (problems)' for psychology students. Building on cultural theories of disability/impairment, a conception of 'mental health (problems)' as culturally constituted is introduced. We propose the rhetorical perspective as a particularly relevant analytical and pedagogical approach to enable students to critically reflect on the cultural assumptions underpinning various (professional) understandings of 'mental health (problems)'. Our contribution is based on a research project in which clinical psychology students rhetorically analysed cultural constructions of 'mental health (problems)' in a graphic novel on 'bipolar disorder'. Based on a qualitative analysis of students' reflective reports, we argue that rhetorical perspectives enable students to develop reflexive stances towards the different cultural logics, and the ethical and political ramifications of these logics, in which psychological practice and knowledge on 'mental health (problems)' are inevitably embedded. This article argues that clinical psychology students need to think critically about the language they use to think and talk about mental health problems because this language has an impact on their beliefs, attitudes and actions towards people experiencing mental health problems. Educators can support students in this endeavour by introducing them to stories that challenge some of the dominant ways society thinks and talks about mental health problems, for example by working with stories or art work of survivors. In this study, clinical psychology students read an autobiographical graphic novel on 'bipolar disorder'. The graphic novel made students reflect on how the main character in the novel experiences mental health problems, on their personal and professional assumptions about mental health problems, and on dominant societal assumptions about mental health problems and their impact. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Risky alcohol use is a major public health problem globally and in Sri Lanka. While a reduction in alcohol consumption can result in physical, mental, and social benefits, behaviour change is difficult to achieve. Effective, context-adapted interventions are required to minimise alcohol-related harm at a community level. THEATRE is a complex, community-based intervention evaluating whether a promising Sri Lankan pilot study that utilised arts-based research to moderate alcohol use can be scaled up. While the scaled-up pilot study protocol is presented elsewhere, the aim of this protocol paper is to describe the intervention programme theory and evaluation design, and modifications made to the study resulting from COVID-19 and the financial crisis. Drawing on the Behaviour Change Wheel (BCW) and Theoretical Domains Framework, behaviour change theories are presented with potential pathways to guide implementation and evaluation. Alcohol consumption patterns and context of drinking is detailed. The multifaceted intervention targets individuals and communities using arts-based interventions. Four of nine BCW functions are employed in the design of the intervention: education, persuasion, modelling and enablement, and training. Modifications made to the study due to COVID-19 and the financial crisis are described. Ethical approval was obtained from the Ethics Review Committee, Faculty of Medicine and Allied Sciences, Rajarata University of Sri Lanka (ERC/2018/21—July 2018 and Feb 2022) and the University of Sydney (2019/006). Findings will be disseminated locally to community members and key stakeholders and via international peer-reviewed publications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to identify, synthesize, and evaluate the current state of research on the use of technology-based interventions in clinical psychology through 2017 as a recent innovative area of study. It was intended to provide a critical overview of trends in different tools and populations and identify future areas of interest. This paper focuses on studies published in psychological interventions in childhood, adolescents, adults, and geriatric populations using new technologies, including web-based intervention, virtual reality, augmented reality, mobile applications, and robotics, with particular attention to methodology. To achieve this aim, a systematic search was made in the ISI Web of Science for intervention, psychology, and the technological tools previously mentioned. The results of the study show that the use of information and communication technologies in psychology has been an innovative and growing field of study for the last 10 years. In total, 743 were included in this study. A growing trend has been observed in publications related to psychology and the use of technologies since 2007. Resea0rch topics were focused mainly on interventions on specific problems or disorders such as depression. The largest number of publications were found for the web-based intervention, in randomized clinical trials and applied to adults [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes the application of structured peer group supervision (SPGS) to support trainees in two distinct but interrelated professional training programs (i.e., school psychology and behavior analysis [online]) implemented within parallel supervision courses at the same university. SPGS was implemented virtually and synchronously and included members from both disciplines. Attention is given to the importance of supervision in school psychology and behavior analysis training and practice. The potential role of SPGS in supervision training is considered. Lessons learned from this cross-disciplinary collaboration are highlighted to enhance potential transferability for those wishing to similarly incorporate SPGS into supervision training. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we propose a reinforcement learning (RL) mechanism for social robots to select an action based on users' learning performance and social engagement. We applied this behavior selection mechanism to extend the emotion and memory model, which allows a robot to create a memory account of the user's emotional events and adapt its behavior based on the developed memory. We evaluated the model in a vocabulary-learning task at a school during a children's game involving robot interaction to see if the model results in maintaining engagement and improving vocabulary learning across the four different interaction sessions. Generally, we observed positive findings based on child vocabulary learning and sustaining social engagement during all sessions. Compared to the trends of a previous study, we observed a higher level of social engagement across sessions in terms of the duration of the user gaze toward the robot. For vocabulary retention, we saw similar trends in general but also showing high vocabulary retention across some sessions. The findings indicate the benefits of applying RL techniques that have a reward system based on multi-modal user signals or cues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Criteria are briefly proposed for final conclusions, research problems, and research hypotheses in quantitative research. Moreover, based on a proposed definition of applied and basic/general research, it is argued that (1) in applied quantitative research, while research problems are necessary, research hypotheses are unjustified, and that (2) in basic/general quantitative hypothesis-testing research, research hypotheses are sufficient, while research problems are unjustified. These arguments are partly related to the distinction between taking knowledge for granted and regarding knowledge as being on trial. The paper illustrates the central role played by the study's general aim and its relation to existing knowledge in the research domain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]