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Based on a review of the diverse practices of how armed groups tax, we highlight that a full account of why armed groups tax needs to go beyond revenue motivations, to also engage with explanations related to ideology, legitimacy, institution building, legibility and control of populations, and the performance of public authority. This article builds on two distinct literatures, on armed groups and on taxation, to provide the first systematic exploration of the motivations of armed group taxation. We problematize common approaches toward armed group taxation and state-building, and outline key questions of a new research agenda. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aiming at the problems of chameleon swarm algorithm (CSA), such as slow convergence speed, poor robustness, and ease of falling into the local optimum, a multi-strategy improved chameleon optimization algorithm (ICSA) is herein proposed. Firstly, logistic mapping was introduced to initialize the chameleon population to improve the diversity of the initial population. Secondly, in the prey-search stage, the sub-population spiral search strategy was introduced to improve the global search ability and optimization accuracy of the algorithm. Then, considering the blindness of chameleon's eye turning to find prey, the Lévy flight strategy with cosine adaptive weight was combined with greed strategy to enhance the guidance of random exploration in the eyes' rotation stage. Finally, a nonlinear varying weight was introduced to update the chameleon position in the prey-capture stage, and the refraction reverse-learning strategy was used to improve the population activity in the later stage so as to improve the ability of the algorithm to jump out of the local optimum. Eighteen functions in the CEC2005 benchmark test set were selected as an experimental test set, and the performance of ICSA was tested and compared with five other swarm intelligent optimization algorithms. The analysis of the experimental results of 30 independent runs showed that ICSA has stronger convergence performance and optimization ability. Finally, ICSA was applied to the UAV path-planning problem. The simulation results showed that compared with other algorithms, the paths generated by ICSA in different terrain scenarios are shorter and more stable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Greed combines dissatisfaction with one's current state of affairs with an unsatisfiable desire for more. It motivates people to acquire more and has many societal implications. Various scholars have argued that greed is associated with, or even equated to the motive of self-interest. And hence, they have also argued that greed is associated negatively with other-interest (some definitions even suggest that greed produces negative externalities and harm-to-others). To date, however, these ideas have not been scrutinized empirically. In this article we report three survey studies (N1 = 145, N2 = 302, and N3 = 346) that adopted an individual differences perspective to investigate how dispositional greed, self-interest, and other-interest are related to each other. The results from correlational analyses and confirmatory factor analyses indicate that greed is distinct from self-interest, and from other-interest. The results also reveal that greed and self-interest are differentially related to various distinct behavioral inclinations. The current findings corroborate recent research on greed and adds to the understanding of this motivational construct and the potential harm it can inflict on others. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gambling is common in the US, yet nearly one in three players experience gambling-related problems. Using Self-Determination Theory, this study explores how three causality orientations—autonomous, controlled, and impersonal—affect the severity of problem gambling. The study further investigates the mediating roles of nonattachment, dispositional greed, and anhedonia to illuminate how these orientations relate to problem gambling. The data from 675 participants (59% male; Mean age = 40.4 years, SD = 12.9) via Amazon's Mechanical Turk were collected following a screening procedure to identify at-risk players. Findings showed that dispositional greed mediated the impact of a controlled orientation on problem gambling severity, while anhedonia mediated the effect of impersonal orientation. Unexpectedly, nonattachment did not explain the effect of autonomous orientation on problem gambling, though a negative association was still observed. This research enhances understanding of how individual differences and causality orientations contribute to problem gambling behavior. The implications are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The factors contributing to corruption within the construction sector have yet to be associated with the phenomenon of greed—the pursuit of self-interest and a widely recognized and extensively studied primary catalyst for corrupt practices. The mechanisms by which self-centeredness culminates in corruption within the construction industry, the prevalence of greed among the various stakeholders involved in the construction industry, and the potential impact of greed and its diverse manifestations on corruption within the construction industry remain elusive. Thus, this study analyses the diverse impacts of different manifestations of greed and self-interest on the various forms of corruption observed among construction stakeholders. The individuals involved in this study are contractors who are actively involved in the execution of building and construction projects within the geographical boundaries of Nigeria. A factor structure validity, construct validity, convergent validity, and hypothesis test using structural equation modeling were performed on the items assessed in the questionnaire. A statistically significant positive correlation was found between greed and self-interest in five specific pathways. The study found that the manifestations of corruption among contractors are subject to varying degrees of strength, contingent upon the influence of greed and self-interest. It was evident in the findings that the coexistence of biological, psychological, and social disorders contributes to an increased susceptibility to partake in corruption. The study contributes to knowledge by revealing that corruption is a sequential phenomenon initiated by greed, intensified by insatiable desires, and ultimately manifested through self-interested associations. These associations create an intricate web of influences and a complex network that enable corrupt practices within the construction industry. Practical Applications: Practical applications of this study's findings are in terms of understanding the multifaceted nature of corruption and designing effective interventions aimed at addressing greed and self-interest-related issues within the construction sector. The study enables an understanding of the drivers behind insatiable needs by explaining that the types and severity of corruption are inherent in the different levels of greed and the different ways in which self-interest drives individuals to engage in corrupt activities. The study's practical application in developing corruption interventions or prevention strategies is the need to promote transparency, accountability, and integrity in both the public and private sectors by exploring the relationship between socioeconomic disparities, cultural norms, political systems, international cooperation, technology, and economic consequences. The interventions should focus on education, raising awareness about the negative consequences of greed, and promoting empathy and altruism as a means to counter excessive self-interest, and laying emphasis on the benefits of cooperation and collaboration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The renaissance of Aristotelian virtue ethics has produced an extensive philosophical literature that criticizes markets for a lack of virtues. Drawing on Michael Sandel's virtue-ethical critique of price gouging during natural disasters, we (1) identify and clarify serious misunderstandings in recurring price-gouging debates between virtue-ethical critics and economists. Subsequently, (2) we respond to Sandel's call for interdisciplinary dialogue. However, instead of solely calling on economics to embrace insights from virtue ethics, we prefer a two-sided version of interdisciplinary dialogue and argue that virtue ethics should embrace economic insights. In particular, we argue that if virtue ethics is to preserve its social relevance under modern conditions, it should re-conceptualize its notion of virtue and re-evaluate the self-interested but effective—and in this sense solidary—help among strangers via markets as virtuous rather than devaluate it as greed, that is, as vicious price gouging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on in-depth interviews with 29 active drug robbers (25 male, 4 female) from St. Louis, MO (USA), we explore restraint among people and in circumstances where there should be none. Focusing on greed restraint at the crime's payoff point (i.e., not taking everything one could when rewards are seized), we identify the decision-making constructs and conceptual pathways by which this happens and discuss their implications for improved specification of the relationship between criminal propensity, self-regulation, and risk sensitivity. We contend that self-centeredness is the one dimension of criminal propensity that is sufficiently receptive to risk sensitivity to make self-regulation possible, and that individuals with low trait self-control can show state self-control when ambiguity aversion and reference point expectations align to sate anomic greed. This refinement offers novel pathways for future study of dual-influence models of crime, and suggests that offender decision-making is best conceptualized as a process that unfolds during crimes rather than a discrete event that precedes them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Evangelicals living in a democracy are faced with the pressures of constitutionalism and the influence of secularism. These two forces unsettle God from the public spaces and enhance decadent culture. This article addresses the current challenges Evangelicals face in the decadent culture of democracy in South Africa. The essence of the proposal is how South African Evangelicals should maintain their confession, while surrounded by unethical practices of corruption and greed. An interdisciplinary approach is followed, so literature from the disciplines of Church History, Systematic Theology, Ethics, Cultural Anthropology, Sociology, and Political Studies are reviewed to address the problem. The history of the Evangelical faith and the rationale behind Evangelical awakenings open the discussion into the presentation. The Evangelical dogma is highlighted, followed by the definition of democracy with its entrenched decadent culture. Church, government, and the family are identified as places of contestation, where Evangelicals sense the threat to their doctrinal tenets. The challenge faced by Evangelicals can be addressed by remaining evangelically rooted and by holding unswervingly to three major doctrinal tenets, which are the doctrine of the Trinity, the doctrine of human depravity, and in the belief that the Bible is the measure of faith and conduct. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Psychologists define greed as a desire to acquire more and the dissatisfaction of never having enough, but studies have not examined the psychological processes that underlie and sustain this disposition. We propose that a desire to attain pride might be one emotional mechanism that promotes greedy acquisition. In this account, greedy people experience a boost of pride from acquisition but these feelings are short‐lived, potentially leading to the perpetual acquisitiveness characteristic of dispositional greed. Method: Four studies (including one reported in the SOM due to space limitations) using correlational, longitudinal, and daily‐diary methods (N = 1778) test hypotheses about how individuals high in dispositional greed respond emotionally to new acquisitions, both when they occur and several weeks later. Results: Greedy people experience heightened feelings of authentic pride in response to new acquisitions, but these feelings quickly fade. This pattern is distinct to authentic pride and not attributable to shared variance with positive affect. Greedy people also feel elevated hubristic pride in response to acquisitions, but this seems to be part of a dispositional tendency observed in response to a range of events. Conclusions: These studies provide a new understanding of a psychological process that is associated with, and could partially explain, greedy acquisition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The brief account of an inheritance dispute between brothers in Luke 12,13–15 marks a turning point in the broader discourse of Luke 12,1–34 and also serves as an introduction to the subsequent parable of the rich fool (12,16–21). The purpose of this study is threefold. First, a careful analysis of the scene shows how Luke employs the legal institution of the arbitratum to shape the episode. Second, nine petitions from Ptolemaic and Roman Egypt concerning inheritance disputes between siblings are selected in order to help imagine a similar social context in which familial greed could often degenerate into physical violence or other forms of abuse. Finally, the often neglected consequences of the problem of inheritance are explored in relation to the following parable, which curiously centers on a question from God about the future destination of goods (12,20b). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research aims to clarify the inaccuracies in A.A. Navis's short fiction. The study utilizes a descriptive qualitative methodology, employing a mimetic approach and critical reading of the short tale "Tamu Yang Datang Di Hari Lebaran" by A.A. Navis to gather data. The narrative is a reflection of reality in Indonesian culture. Using a mimetic technique, the researcher analyzed the short tale "Tamu Yang Datang Di Hari Lebaran" by A.A. Navis and concluded that there are two types of mimesis. First, A.A. Navis' short narrative "Tamu Yang Datang Di Hari Lebaran" highlights several societal aspects, such as (1) the custom of returning home for Eid, (2) the halal bihalal customs, (3) the avarice of the powerful. Second, the social phenomena in A.A. Navis's short novel "Tamu Yang Datang Di Hari Lebaran" are distorted; they include the interpretation of Eid customs and the moral and social standards of officials who take advantage of their positions. Mimetic theory may, therefore, be used to study the short tale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, we will first comment on some texts, belonging to the Middle Ages and the Golden Age, related to loyalty and vassalage. Next, the limits of loyalty in Don Quixote will be pointed out. Thirdly, Quevedo's assessment of vassalage and loyalty will be investigated. In his theoretical writings he repeatedly praises loyal advisors, ministers and favorites, and reprimands bad servants, calls as a stoic for the suppression of affections such as greed criticizes human stupidity and vanity, and in his work Cómo ha de ser el privado he compiles all the good qualities necessary in this political figure. However, in El Buscón Quevedo shows exactly the opposite. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The extractivism of resources that guarantee the continuity of life in dignified conditions accompanies the concentration of capital in a few hands; it means the alienated reification of reality, in favor of maintaining class privileges. These injustices use racist biopolitical mechanisms in order to classify and segregate populations as a correlate of the social division of labor that structures capitalist rapacity. Situation that causes the breakdown of democratic ways of coexistence. Subverting this provision deserves to destructure the mechanisms of population subjection by regulating fair human relations; calls for the collective appropriation of the right to manifest culture as self-care. Therefore, the research analyzes racism as a characteristic alienation of contemporary counterdemocracies; Next, it advocates ethically mediating community relations by taking advantage of the emancipatory capacity of humanizing pedagogies. It is a bibliographical study, of a diachronic nature, which is organized according to the deductive rationalist approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The term polycrisis, coined by Edgar Morin at the turn of the millennium (Morin and Kern 1999), has been picked up by a handful of commentators recently, and it was also recently the topic of a special issue of Anthropology Today (Henig and Knight 2023, see also Kalb 2023). Ranging from biodiversity loss and climate change to mounting inequalities both globally and domestically, a widespread sense of powerlessness spreads even in countries considered democratic, often feeding conspirators, ethnonationalists, right-wing populists and others who promise simple answers to complex questions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the relationship between the motive of greed and various asset market indicators, such as trading activity and bubble formation (i.e., mispricing, overpricing, and price amplitude). We ran experimental asset markets that allowed us to measure individuals' greed in order to create markets populated with greedy individuals and markets with non-greedy individuals. Regarding trading activity, we found that greedier individuals had higher trading activity on the individual level but not on the market level. On the market level, high-greed markets exhibited less frequent and smaller price bubbles than markets with less greedy traders. If our findings translate to actual markets, greed itself might not contribute to asset market bubbles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper goes beyond — transcends — "pedagogy as justice," recognizing that justice, particularly in these present times, may not be enough. Its wager is with pedagogies of and for life; pedagogies that plant and cultivate, that push and enable other modes of living, despite the capitalist‐modern‐colonial‐racist system, beyond the system, and in the system's margins, borders, fissures, and cracks. These pedagogies, as Catherine Walsh argues here, are necessarily tied to and constitutive of decolonial(izing) praxis, a praxis that, while not negating justice, takes us beyond it. The argument here is for the pedagogical‐praxistical work being done now, and yet to be done; the actional thought, thoughtful action, and ongoing creation and construction of an otherwise for existence, for dignity, and for life in these times of multiple entwined pandemic‐viruses, including capitalist greed, systemic racism, heteropatriarchy, and existential‐territorial dispossession in which COVID is/was one more thread of the entwine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

By introducing a subsampling strategy, we propose a randomized block Kaczmarz-Motzkin method for solving linear systems. Such strategy not only allows one to determine the block size in advance, but also combines and extends two famous strategies, i.e., randomness and greed, and hence can inherit their advantages. Theoretical analysis shows that the proposed method converges linearly in expectation to the least-Euclidean-norm solution. Several numerical examples are reported to verify the efficiency and feasibility of the new method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Scholarship evaluating public support for redistribution has emphasized that stereotypical perceptions of low-income people inform citizens' willingness to redistribute wealth to the poor. Less understood, however, is the extent to which stereotypical perceptions of high-income people lead to greater willingness to raise taxes on high-income individuals. These perceptions likely involve resource-based considerations (i.e. what rich people have). However, following recent scholarship, perceptions of the wealthy may also involve more fundamental, trait-based considerations (i.e. who the rich are as people). In this Research Note, we isolate causal effects, utilizing conjoint experiments, of both resource-based and character-based attributes of the rich on support for taxing wealthy people. We find evidence that two character traits—avarice and elitism—significantly increase support for raising taxes on wealthy individuals, and this pattern appears to be the case even among groups generally opposed to redistribution (e.g. Republicans and conservatives). We conclude that, while resource-based considerations remain important, the scholarly literature on redistribution may also benefit from a deeper understanding of the trait-based foundations of public attitudes toward taxing the wealthy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent models of personality development have emphasized the role of the environment in terms of selection and socialization effects and their interaction. Our study provides partial evidence for these models and, crucially, extends these models by adding a person variable: Core beliefs, which are defined as mental representations of experiences that individuals have while pursuing need-fulfilling goals. Specifically, we report results from a longitudinal investigation of the development of trait greed across time. Based on data from the German Personality Panel, we analyzed data on 1,965 young adults on up to 4 occasions, spanning a period of more than 3 years. According to our results, negative core beliefs that have so far been proposed only in the clinical literature (e.g., being unloved or being insecure) contributed to the development of trait greed, indicating that striving for material goals might be a substitute for unmet needs in the past. Additionally, greedy individuals more often self-selected themselves into business-related environments, which presumably allow them to fulfill their greed-related need to earn a lot of money. Our results expose important mechanisms for trait greed development. Regarding personality development in general, core beliefs were identified as an important variable for future theory building. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is essential that leaders within an organization routinely meet with employees to ensure needs are met and employees understand the values, which the organization is founded. Leadership and ethical decision-making play a vital role in maintaining a cohesive organization. Leaders must retain a stable work ethic and corporate culture within the organization by clearly defining goals and behaviors, values, decisions, and communications that align with the mission. The purpose of this narrative inquiry is to investigate accounting leaders' stories related to ethical practices in accounting. How do leaders make decisions that support an ethical environment? Non-profit leaders who head up accounting departments are duty bound to enforce best practices and be held to high standards as organizational leaders working in the southern region of Louisiana. The data collection method used was in the form of semi-structured interviews. Ten open-ended semi-structured questions were posed to explore accounting leaders' stories related to their ethical practices in non-profit accounting. Data analysis administered several thematic codes using NVivo 12 software. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social media are at the forefront of modern political campaigning. They allow politicians to communicate directly with constituents and constituents to endorse politicians' messages and share them with their networks. Analyzing every tweet of all US senators holding office from 2013 to 2021 (861,104 tweets from 140 senators), we identify a psycholinguistic factor, greed communication, that robustly predicts increased approval (favorites) and reach (retweets). These effects persist when tested against diverse established psycholinguistic predictors of political content dissemination on social media and various other psycholinguistic variables. We further find that greed communication in the tweets of Democratic senators is associated with greater approval and retweeting compared to greed communication in the tweets of Republican senators, especially when those tweets also mention political outgroups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research on public opinion about economic redistribution has made important progress by incorporating the psychological microfoundation that shapes support for redistribution to the poor. However, one piece is missing: the microfoundation shaping support for redistribution from the rich. I provide a novel theory about this facet of redistributive attitudes and how it is distinct. Observational data from three nationally representative samples in two different welfare systems and an experiment show that attitudes about taking from the rich are mainly driven by perceptions of their prosociality—whether they are greedy or generous. This contrasts with public opinion about giving to the poor that is mainly driven by perceptions of the efforts of poor people. Furthermore, while compassion shapes attitudes about giving to the poor, the emotions of admiration and envy shape attitudes about taking from the rich. These findings have important theoretical and empirical implications for public opinion about economic redistribution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 1691, after leaving the post of viceroy of Peru and during his return to Spain, Melchor de Navarra y Rocafull, Duke of La Palata, died in Portobelo. The news of his death was received in Lima with some poems against him written by the poet Juan del Valle y Caviedes. In these verses, using mainly the model of funeral poetry, a series of accusations are made against the duke in which his avarice and pride are criticized. In this paper I will comment a poetic epitaph, in the form of a sonnet, in which, in addition to moral accusations, echoes of political attacks against the ex-viceroy are also manifest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We conducted three studies examining the reliability, factor structure, and validity of Multidimensional Dispositional Greed Assessment (MDGA) scores with samples of undergraduate college students. The MDGA is an instrument developed to measure adults' levels of dispositional greed. In study 1 (test-retest reliability; N = 150), we assessed the stability of MDGA scores over time. In study 2, we examined the stability and factor structure of the 20-item MDGA (confirmatory factor analysis; N = 2,178), and measurement invariance across demographic groups (multiple group confirmatory factor analysis) among a sample of undergraduate college students in the United States. In study 3 (multiple linear regression; N = 486), we investigated evidence of concurrent validity through measuring the relationship between MDGA and Dispositional Greed Scale scores. Through these studies, we identified evidence for good test–retest reliability for MDGA total and subscale scores. The results also provided evidence for measurement invariance of MDGA items across gender and race/ethnicity groups. Lastly, we found evidence for concurrent validity of MDGA through identifying large positive predictive relationship between MDGA and DGS total scores, while there was a weaker positive correlation with the MDGA's more unique factor, retention motivation. We provide an overview of the implications of this study, and suggest potential areas of future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dans Le Moulin de Pologne (1952) de Jean Giono, le « destin des Costes », saisis d'un vertige de mort, traduit l'impasse d'une société où la fusion désirée des individus avec le monde, sous l'effet de la « passion » ou instinct de « perte », n'est plus possible car le monde s'est fermé au désir humain sous la pression de l'Histoire récente. C'est pourquoi, dans la petite ville où se déroule l'histoire, au xixe siècle, règne l'« avarice », non seulement d'argent, mais d'abord du désir. Avares, les notables de la ville qui assouvissent indirectement – par victime interposée – le leur en lui offrant en pâture la perte des Costes lesquels, en désespoir de cause, se donnent au néant. Le personnage de M. Joseph, figure de l'écrivain – comme est aussi le narrateur –, bâtit autour de Julie, son épouse, la plus éperdue des Costes, un vaste domaine où elle peut vivre librement sa passion. Ce domaine est la mise en abyme du contre-monde de formes que l'écrivain, l'avare par excellence, avare sublime, élabore dans l'écriture pour qu'on puisse s'y perdre ad libitum , à défaut de pouvoir le faire pour de bon dans le réel. À la mort de M. Joseph, le destin funeste des Costes reprend de plus belle et va à son terme. Il ne reste alors plus à l'écrivain qu'à passer au livre suivant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This essay is a contribution to this issue's forum on French Jewish studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the "k‐volunteer's dilemma" benefit accrues to all members if at least k members volunteer, and receive nothing otherwise. We use experiments to examine (a) volunteering behavior when threshold k increases from 1 to 2, and (b) whether volunteering behavior shifts toward norms associated with one of two primed identities—charitable or competitive. We find that increasing the threshold increases an individual's probability of volunteering, but the likelihood of good provision is lower. Neither priming affects volunteering behavior when k = 1, but competitive priming effectively increases volunteering when k = 2. Both greed and fear of non‐provision appear to affect volunteering. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this special issue on justice, ethics, and philosophy of religion, let us consider a historical case study. The trade of slaves across the Atlantic lasted 400 years and led to the forcible removal of about 12.5 million people from Africa, south of the Sahara. This paper examines the African slave trade in light of the notion that evil of whatever form is a menace to our very existence and a rupture of the very essence of hope. It will focus on the nature, development, and growth of the African/European Slave Trade, as it interrogates issues such as: if evil is coterminous with human cruelty, then the slave trade was the apogee of human evil and avarice; the notion of slavers saving the enslaved from themselves; and providing an avenue for conversion into Abrahamic religions. The essay will also be interested in how slavers—European and Africans alike—rationalized slavery and how the enslaved and onlookers responded to the spectacle of enslavement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Few figures in the medieval West were as religiously ambivalent as the medieval jongleur , a broad French term for a popular entertainer. Ecclesiastical authorities typically critiqued jongleurs, aligning them with avarice, folly, and prostitution. However, by the thirteenth century, the jongleur emerged as a more complex figure. Far from being a disciple of the devil, the jongleur could imitate the humility of King David and, by extension, the Passion of Christ. In religious texts and imagery, the jongleur's embodied performance could exemplify a sacred rite. Showcasing the medieval European jongleur, this article argues that the divide between the sacred and the profane is not as rigid as much scholarship assumes. Ultimately, this study shows the importance of bodily performance in Western medieval religion and therefore complicates the presumed binary between written/Western and embodied/Eastern religiosity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of the research is to analyze the validity of human rights during digital activity, since new work relationships are likely to serve to undermine work achievements when rapacity prevails against individual and collective well-being. It is a bibliographical study of a diachronic nature from the deductive rationalist approach. It identifies the consequent stress of the overexploitation of those who work together with the transfer of value when the activities are virtually legally unregulated. Therefore, it insists on the legislative appropriation of societies for the normalization of social practices for the benefit of the collective. The implementation of mechanisms that avoid work stress is demanded as strategies that give rise to the best conditions. It implies restraint and cultural responsibility as ethical provisions that allow correct situations, by repealing permissiveness for the production of fair coexistence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a time when so many died of infectious diseases, avarice was nonexistent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper considers the Twilight novels alongside the Vampire Academy books, as young adult readers regularly invoke these series as touchstones of the contemporary adolescent Gothic genre. The abiding appeal of these vampire novels is related to the ways they reflect the experiences of young adults with the rapacity and greed displayed in our time, especially in our recent financial crises. This paper examines the limitations of Stephenie Meyer's resolution to the conflicts attending growing up among vampires through a comparative analysis of her novels and those of Richelle Mead. The theories of psychologist Melanie Klein about infant development are used to show that these two series represent different responses to the greed of our times. Klein's insights distinguish Meyer's Bella Swan and Mead's Rose Hathaway with respect to their psychic integration and in the way each models a process for readers of dealing with a society structured by vampiric rapacity. Bella learns to control herself in the stage Klein calls persecutory anxiety, but without the larger-scale integration that betokens maturity. She displays an acceptance of the fundamental nature of her world, with no attempt to revise or improve it beyond gaining peace for her own household. Rose achieves a better balance on the personal level, and she works to effect change in the fabric of her society. Her actions convey a message of hope to readers with respect to the struggles they must undergo in their own world. The contrasting way of dealing with societal greed that is exemplified by these books is especially important to young adults who are in the process of developing their personal identity, providing them with assistance with the anxiety attending their changing attitudes to financial responsibilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The therapeutic intentions of Augustine's preaching have recently been noted by scholars who have focused on how the cures of varying states of emotions are discussed in the sermons. One of the techniques used in this task was sermocinatio, or fictitious dialogue between different characters during the sermon. In this article, I will discuss three different cases in which Augustine makes use of this traditional rhetorical device in voicing out varying reactions and inner responses to ethical instructions on forgiveness, greed and fear. As in other contexts of the fictitious dialogues in Augustine's sermons, the preacher regularly attempts to answer these voices with the living, authoritative voice of Scripture, thus confronting his hearers with a directly personal and divine address. The aim of this address is to offer functional and habitual therapy for common forms of temptations in Augustine's audience. The entertainment value of these dialogues is designed to make them persuasive and easy to remember in actual instances of mala cogitatio. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Education is widely known for its positive effect on conventional politics and nonviolent protest as well as its suppressive effect on violence. However, recent studies have connected education to violence through its effect on relative deprivation and frustration–aggression mechanisms. We address these divergent findings by presenting a theory of the conditional effect that education has on violence. To do so, we build on literature addressing education's positive association with political participation, such as voting and protests, and question how this relationship translates to contexts in which conventional and nonviolent channels are unlikely to be effective – specifically, in cases of politically excluded ethnic groups. We argue that education increases ethnic group members' resources and desire to address grievances. Yet, because the ethnic group is politically excluded, opportunities for conventional politics and nonviolent protest are limited. Educated ethnic group members are limited in political options, and are thus more likely to address their grievances through the support of rebel groups, increasing the probability of violence. Violence then occurs in localities where members of a politically excluded ethnic group are located and where those members have higher levels of education. Using geo-spatial data and statistical analysis, we demonstrate that education has divergent effects on violence in areas populated by politically excluded versus politically included ethnic groups in Africa and Central America. Areas with highly educated politically excluded ethnic group members are the most likely to experience violent events. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes an analysis of Juvenal’s XIV Satire based on the expressions avarus felix and pauper beatus, which shape a relevant dilemma to the interpretation of the Satire. First, I will evaluate avarus felix, looking to show that, besides being an incompatibility, it holds the notion of egestas, which would lower the individual to the moral quality of a slave. Second, I will point out that along the Satire XIV several pictures show individuals under that very conception of needed beings, so that no matter how much they show themselves publicly as free romans, in a moral level they are quite the contrary. Finally, I will evaluate pauper beatus and explain that true wealth is not the indiscriminate amassing of goods but sufficiency achieved through those owned. Thus, the relation shown by Juvenal between morality and wealth would be mediated by the ideas of sufficiency and necessity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The churches in Indonesia have been struggling to address the problems of poverty, injustice, radicalism, and ecological destruction. They believe that these matters are interlinked with and rooted in human greed, which threatens the unity of the nation. It is a problem of spirituality. The churches are committed to promoting spiritualitas keugaharian, or the "spirituality of moderation." Only the love of Christ can move and change the hearts of people: from self‐centredness to care for others; from the tendency to accumulate power and wealth to restraint and sharing of resources; from hatred to reconciliation; from disintegration to unity for justice and peace for all creation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The stalker appeared to pursue the victim with an insatiable greed, the defence of "Idealisation of the Breast Greedily", (Klein, [17]) determined to fuse with or take from the victim/breast, and consume them whole, thereby satiating their own emptiness but also taking everything from the victim. The stalker here exhibits traits of the Intimacy Seeker, Rejected and Resentful stalker typologies (Mullen et al., [24]), with the victim falling under the Professional Contact victim category. Keywords: envy; greed; stalking; melanie klein; psychodynamic; attachment pathology EN envy greed stalking melanie klein psychodynamic attachment pathology 170 186 17 04/21/22 20220501 NES 220501 Introduction I "[T]he ego hates, abhors, and pursues with intent to destroy all objects which are a source of unpleasurable feeling for it." By examining and interpreting the unconscious processes being enacted in the stalker-victim dynamic, exploring the impact of envy and greed in this insidious dance of love and hate, and facilitating a processing and metaphorical decontaminating and "handing back" of the disowned and split-off parts of the stalker, the victim can begin a journey of healing. [Extracted from the article]

This article is split in to two parts. Part One of the article aims to explore the theory, processes and presence of envy and greed in the dynamic between stalkers and their victims. In doing so, I wish to contribute to, rather than critique, the current vast and existing field of understanding of the psychodynamics of stalking as well as furthering an understanding of how such processes impact the victim. Part Two will draw upon a case vignette to further illustrate these ideas and how these processes might be worked with therapeutically to enable recovery and a reclaiming of the violated-self in the aftermath of being subjected to envy-driven stalking behaviours. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Now that the UK has left the EU, and two successive US administrations have shown little interest in the UK, the FCDO needs to relearn the art of hard diplomacy. How Britain broke the world: war, greed and blunders from Kosovo to Afghanistan, 1997-2022 It is true that some of Britain's recent mistakes have had negative global consequences. [Extracted from the article]

In the article "You are the Devil in Disguise: The Theme of Disguise in 1 Samuel and 1 Kings," Timothy Yap examines the motif of disguise in the books of Samuel and Kings. He notes that three royal figures wear disguises in the final days of their reign. These stories place special emphasis on the word of God and end with punishments proclaimed by the respective prophets. Yap explores the purpose and function of disguise, as well as its relationship to the word of God and the judgments faced by the kings. He answers questions such as why these royal figures disguise themselves and what symbolic meaning this holds. Disguise allows the kings to conceal their true identity while simultaneously revealing their true attitude towards the word of God. Instead of embarking on the journey themselves, Jeroboam recruits his wife to disguise herself and go to Shiloh incognito. Jeroboam wants to prevent the people of Israel from learning about her visit, fearing that their loyalty may return to Rehoboam. However, despite the disguise, Ahijah immediately recognizes who she is and condemns the house of Jeroboam. In the story of Ahab, the motif of disguise is used to reveal Ahab's true nature. After defeating the king of Damascus, Ahab makes a treaty with him and lets him go, demonstrating his greed and desire for territorial gains and trade concessions. Thus, the motif of disguise serves to uncover the true intentions and character traits of the protagonists. The text addresses the theme of disguise in the stories of Ahab, Saul, and Jeroboam. Disguise serves to reveal the true nature of the characters and their attitude towards the prophetic word of God. Despite their attempts to manipulate the prophetic word, they have no control over their fate and are ultimately judged by God's word. Clothing plays an important symbolic role in the stories of Saul and Jeroboam, marking their loss of kingship. All the stories end with a judgment on the characters. The article examines the theme of disguise in the books of Samuel and Kings, focusing on three royal figures: Saul, Jeroboam, and Ahab. The disguises serve to conceal the characters' origins and bypass God's word. At the same time, the disguises reveal the characters' attitudes and intentions towards the prophetic word. Despite their attempts to manipulate the prophetic word, the disguises are ultimately useless, as God's word has the final say. The article also emphasizes how the motif of disguise helps explain the nature of the concluding judgments in the narratives. [Extracted from the article]

Corruption is ubiquitous in practice and has severe negative consequences for organizations and societies at large. Drawing on a laboratory experiment, we propose that individuals high in moral commitment are less likely to engage in corrupt behaviors and prefer foregoing financial benefits. Specifically, we posit that individuals refrain from corruption (i) the more they endorse integrity (incorruptibility) as a protected value and (ii) the higher their level of Honesty-Humility. The results of a two-step experiment largely support our expectations: people who treat compromises to integrity as unacceptable were less willing to accept bribes, and Honesty-Humility decreased bribe-giving. The findings are robust to demographic variables (e.g., age, gender, cultural background) and additional personal characteristics (e.g., risk tolerance, dispositional greed) and have important implications for ongoing theory-building efforts and business practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article addresses the problems of environmental degradation, as illustrated and explored in Imbolo Mbue's recent novel How Beautiful We Were (2021), which juxtaposes the fictional oil company Pexton's corporate greed with the push for rapid economic growth in a less developed world. Intrusions into the fictional African country's sovereignty are manifested by foreign capital's extraction of its most valuable natural resource--oil--which results in environmental harm and the disruption of Indigenous, communal life. The novel critiques the hazardous methods of crude oil exploitation, which put human health and life at risk. It demonstrates how uneven distribution of oil's benefits sanctions corruption and fosters economic injustice, while all attempts at restoring justice are thwarted as much by local as by foreign culprits. The novel's defense of traditional ways and the critique of Western modernity and capitalism encourage the search for grounds on which alternate epistemologies could be built. At the intersection of Western dominance and Indigenous response, the novel explores how local groups mobilize the visions of the past to oppose extractive projects. As the novel's nostalgic title signals the happy times now bygone, its multigenerational interest brings modernity into focus. Finally, I argue that the novel's memories of colonial extractive practices not only highlight the importance of resource temporalities around resource extraction but also emphasize their impact on the future of local communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]