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Drawing from women's testimonials in The Guardian and from contributions of feminist writers, Virginia Woolf, Julia Kristeva, and Margaret Mead, we start a conversation on the positive and energizing aspects of menopause in the workplace. We propose a social interpretation of menopause that challenges a pervasive perspective of medical decline: A theorization of "the dialectic of zest," as inspired by the writings of Margaret Mead. By problematizing the experiences of women going through this transition in the workplace, we reveal how well‐intentioned awareness campaigns can lead to further stigmatization. We thus encourage organizations to not only favor an approach of "education for all" but also extend their social imaginaries beyond medicalized perspectives and coping views. Organizations can then embrace the potential of "zest," a positive side of menopause that remains largely unknown. We argue that organizations, inspired by a holistic view of menopause in the workplace, can creatively support the professional progressions and ambitions of not only women but also all employees. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Auditory temporal resolution plays a critical role in the everyday experience of listening to complex acoustic patterns. Amplitude modulation detection thresholds are widely used to measure auditory temporal resolution. In an attempt to develop a standardized clinical test of auditory temporal resolution, we used ZEST (Zippy Estimation by Sequential Testing, a Bayesian threshold estimation procedure, to measure amplitude modulation detection thresholds. ZEST utilizes prior knowledge about a listener's thresholds, as represented by a probability density function of the thresholds, and psychometric functions of the listener's responses. This paper reports a preliminary study in which ZEST parameters that could be used for measurements of amplitude modulation detection thresholds were sought. For this purpose, we created histograms of the detection thresholds for a wide range of modulation frequencies, measured the psychometric functions of amplitude modulation detection, and performed computer simulations of ZEST threshold estimation. The results suggested that, with appropriately-set parameters, ZEST allows for the accurate estimation of amplitude modulation detection thresholds within 20 trials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Empirical evidence shows that life satisfaction is positively related to character strengths, and although this association has been observed in different populations, it is scarce in breast cancer patients. This study analyzes the relationship between character strengths and life satisfaction in Spanish women diagnosed with breast cancer. Methods: A sample of 117 women completed the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS) and the Spanish version of the VIA Inventory of Strengths (VIA-IS). Correlation analysis and regression modeling were performed to determine which strengths predict life satisfaction. Results: The results of the correlation analysis showed that 15 strengths were positively and significantly associated with life satisfaction, with the highest correlations corresponding to zest, hope, curiosity, social intelligence, love, gratitude, and judgment. Regression modeling indicated that of these, zest and hope were key strengths for predicting life satisfaction. Conclusions: These findings suggest that intervention programs based on the development of zest and hope could help to improve life satisfaction and, therefore, the psychological well-being of women with breast cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study reports on the preliminary development of the Positive Experiences at School Scale (PEASS), which was developed to measure a new construct, student covitality-conceptualized as the synergistic experience of well-being that results from the interactions of multiple school-grounded positive traits in youth. The PEASS is a brief, self-report, developmentally-appropriate assessment with subscales measuring four school-anchored positive-psychological traits that are linked with youth well-being and school engagement: gratitude, zest, optimism, and persistence. The composite score of the four PEASS subscales was hypothesized to represent student covitality. Construct validity was examined using confirmatory factor analyses, invariance analysis, and latent means analysis. Factor analysis results supported four first-order PEASS subscales; in addition, multigroup invariance testing showed that a measurement model including the second-order covitality latent trait was a good fit for both males, RMSEA = .040, 90 % CI [.033, .046], and females, RMSEA = .053, 90 % CI [.047, .059], providing support for student covitality as a parsimonious construct representing youths' global positive experiences at school. Additional concurrent validity analyses were conducted by examining the association between student covitality and other behavioral and psychological variables (i.e., feelings of school safety, bullying experiences, and responses to a school-anchored Prosocial Behavior scale and the Psychological Sense of School Membership scale). Implications for theory, practice, and future research are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While more and more clinicians are practicing a relationalcultural approach to therapy, many work in settings that continue to reinforce the normative values of separation and disconnection. Consequently, practitioners face the challenges of helping clients heal and grow-throughconnection while navigating work settings that are all too often professionally disempowering, disconnecting, and isolating, i.e., "cultures of disconnection." This article begins a conversation about the complexities of practicing Relational-Cultural Theory in nonrelational work situations and explores new possibilities for creating movement and change in these setlings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Change is inevitable but it can go in a positive direction toward growth or in a negative direction. Extending Patricia Hill Collins" concept of controlling images (2000), we can see how these images interact with relational images and strategies of disconnection to obstruct growth on both the societal and the personal level. In therapy, change is defined as movement-in-relationship toward better connection; and increased connection leads to growth. Several aspects of therapy that lead to deeper and wider connection are explored, especially increasing the patient's power. Prior versions of parts of this article were presented at the Jean Baker Miller Summer Training Institutes in 2001 and 2002 and at the 2002 Learning from Women Conference sponsored by the Jean Baker Miller Training Institute and the Harvard Medical School/Cambridge Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts. As therapists, we're "in the business" of change-change for the better. That's our goal. Another word for change for the better is growth. Change is the essence of life. It is most obvious in children but it is a necessity through all of life. Change will occur inevitably but it can go in a positive or a negative direction. Further, I believe change toward growth creates pleasure. We feel most alive and zestful when we are engaged in this expanding activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This is the first of two articles examining Alfred North Whitehead's notion of the rhythm of the university. Here, I concentrate on the rhythm of teaching and learning, the importance of academic freedom to an imaginative faculty, and the relationship between Whitehead's own pedagogy and his considerable administrative practice. My purpose is to show how his views enlarge our understanding of universities today. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]