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Regarding the fact that gay men leave less offspring than straight men, it is appropriate to raise a question by which means is male homosexuality maintained in a population and what could eventually be its evolutionary role. The aim of this paper is to summarize theories that try to explain male homosexuality within the framework of evolution. Furthermore, it aims to critically evaluate the results of empirical research that support particular theories or give evidence against them. In the first part, the paper provides a review of knowledge about the genetic and immunological origins of male homosexuality which consequently serves as a theoretical base for the main part of the paper that pursues the five most influential evolutionary theories of male homosexuality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this theoretical review is to outline how the levels of retirement (retirement as an institution, life stage and personal experience) go together and what it means for psychological retirement research. The first section summarizes the brief history of the retirement institution. The second part describes the situation when the baby boomers generation comes into retirement age. In this generation, changes in life cycle patterns, such as work or parental delays, may be observed, but in particular, it is the introduction of a third phase of life that changes the meaning of a traditionally understood retirement. The third part of the paper presents theories on which psychological retirement research is based (role theory, continuity theory, the life course perspective and the resource-based dynamic model). Characterized are the topics that are examined most (retirement as decision making, late career development and adjustment). The author argues that the psychological theory of retirement can not be constructed, as the retirement is not a psychological phenomenon. This, however, does not diminish the potential of the psychological knowledge of this life stage in the present historical period. Therefore, the fourth and fifth parts of the paper address two themes where "old" notions and "new" external retirement options are encountered: retirement transition and retirement adjustment. It points to the fragmentation and diversity of current retirement transition and its implications for research. The problem of the persistence of the (low) retirement age is analyzed. When examining retirement adjustment, the sequence of this process and the need to separate adjustment and retirement life satisfaction indicators are highlighted. In conclusion, the author states that psychological retirement research faces the challenge of reflecting societal changes and examining their consequences for the psychological functioning and well-being of individuals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this theoretical paper is to organize and elaborate on the conception of stages in the ritualization of experience. Erikson frames the ritualization as a process of playful adaptation that individualizes formal and informal ritual practices. Despite the many inspirations Erikson brought to psychology and play theory, the relation between ontogenesis, ritualization, and playfulness is not fully explored. This paper advocates the important role of playfulness during human development drawing on conclusions from contemporary research and play theory. Subsequently, the eight stages of ritualization are put in a context of ego integrity construction. According to Erikson, play forms the mental space in mind and reality that enables ego to develop mastery over reality and achieve greater coherence. The later stages of life are emphasized here to propose the potential role of playfulness in successful aging and coping with death. Playfulness is then discussed as an idealistic principle of general development and as the specific style of ego integrity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction. With growing interest in hallucinogens, majority of psychedelic research focus mostly on the therapeutic potential and benefits. The objective of this paper is to explore how users of psychedelics verbalize their experience and perceived risks of using such substances. Methods. The authors used a questionnaire with open-ended and multiple-choice items. The sample included persons with at least one phenomenological experience with psychedelics (N = 422, age M=27.78; SD=7.84; SE=0.38; 35.1% women). Qualitative data were analyzed using concepts of The Grounded Theory using the Atlas.ti suite. Results. The target group uses terms taken from the English language ("bad trip", "set and setting", "sitter", or the grammatically localized version of the word „psychedelic"), with shared and well-understood semantic meaning within the community. The central domain "inappropriate set and setting" and its inadequate preparation is linked to the negative experience of "bad trip" which can lead to difficult "integration of experience" or even "psychotic disorders". Users of psychedelics report various harm reduction strategies which are consistent with relevant literature. Conclusion. This study illustrates that Slovak users of psychedelics seem to understand and use the established terminology of international discourse related to these substances. At the same time the authors suggest that users seem to use various relevant strategies to lower risks associated with the use of psychedelics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives. Previous research has shown that the acquisition of personal pronouns benefits from input with higher amounts of stable reference. This paper aims to provide more evidence of how input is structured. The language under study is Slovak, a pro-drop language, allowing to extend the study of input to verb marking. Participants and setting. The longitudinal study follows speech directed to three children in two families from the age 1;9 to 3;0. Hypotheses. It was hypothesised that the incidence of first and second person singular pronouns and verb marking as expressions with shifting reference grows with the child's age while the incidence of proper names and category names as expressions with stable reference decreases with the child's age. Statistical analysis. Occurrences of first and second person singular pronouns and verb marking as expressions with shifting reference as well as proper names and category names referring to the speaker and addressee as expressions with stable reference were found and analysed. Simple regression analysis testing was conducted on the data. Results. The results confirm the hypothesis, showing an increase in first and second person singular pronouns and verb marking over time, at the expense of proper names and category names referring to the speaker and the addressee. Study Limitations. The study is limited by the size of the sample. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As in the previous paper, the authors investigated the history of post-war Czech and Slovak psychology based predominantly on archival sources. In the present article, they focused on the topic of graduate education in psychology and how it changed through the decades. The trends in various areas are mapped and the differences from the current state of the art are articulated, together with the role of historical context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Currently, mental disorders are usually conceptualized as a hidden causal factor, manifested by its symptoms. This notion rests upon the reflective latent model, which is implicitly at work every time complex symptomatology gets summarized by a single number or a categorical state. The present paper reflects on the quantitative, testable implications of this psychometric model and shows how its restraints are untenable for most mental disorders. The observed data are instead consistent with mental disorders being complex dynamic systems. Instead of being treated as interchangeable measures of the same latent factor, symptoms likely act as independent causal entities, directly affecting each other. In recent years, this shift in ontological stance toward psychopathology has laid a basis for adapting the network theory. Under this theory, a mental disorder is a relatively stable emergent state, which arises due to a pronounced and recurrent interaction of causally linked symptoms. It is discussed how models embedded within the network theory can help provide insight into the etiopathogenesis of mental disorders and address clinical intervention. In conclusion, limits and future challenges to the network theory are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Neuropsychiatric symptoms (NS), such as depression, apathy, hallucinations, etc., as well as changes in creativity in older age, are telltale marks in the development of such neurodegenerative diseases as Alzheimer's disease, frontotemporal lobar degeneration, Lewy body disease, and Parkinson's disease. Both NS and creativity are important non-cognitive aspects of behavior that changes as a result of neurodegeneration, similar to the development of cognitive deficit. NS can occur in the preclinical stages of neurodegeneration, as well as in the clinical stages (mild cognitive impairment or dementia). However, in clinical routine, their presence is underestimated, or patients with neurodegeneration are often considered to have psychiatric disorders, which may negatively affect their treatment. Scientific research is increasingly devoted to the analysis of the non-cognitive aspects of neurodegenerative diseases, resulting in the newly defined concept of Mild Behavioral Impairment (MBI). In this paper, a review of the most common NS and changes in creativity as a result of neurodegeneration with a special focus on Alzheimer's disease, frontotemporal lobar degeneration, Lewy body disease, and Parkinson's disease is presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives. The study presents a social psychological theory of political correctness. Political correctness is conceived as a tool which aims to attain a society in which members of minority groups will share the same degree of dignity as members of majority. To achieve this ideal, it works on three different levels. On the level of civic society it serves to heighten and to shield prestige of minorities, on the level of political system it serves to attain some political goals of progressive left, and on the level of ideology it serves to defend a neo-Marxist theory of social stratification. The crux of political correctness is a proscriptive social norm. Hypotheses. According to the main hypothesis political correctness is applied on each level in the same three steps: (1) in the first step, politically incorrect words, utterances, data and acts are identified. (2) In the next step, an ideological stereotype is applied. This stereotype explains the use of politically incorrect words and utterances by means of racism, sexism, homophobia, etc. (3) in the last step the nonconforming behavior is punished. Sample and settings. Some two hundred articles were read, analyzed and categorized. Analyses. There are a dozen of citations and direct quotations from the original articles which are in support of the hypotheses. At the same time some alternative hypotheses are presented and demonstrated to be problematic. Results. The results of these analyses are in a good fit with the theory. Study limitation. The work is based primarily on papers describing Czech scene so the results may not be generalizable to different cultures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Maternal depression is one of the most common prenatal and postnatal complications. Such complications may seriously compromised the neuropsychological development of the new being. This paper provides an overview of potential biological, neurological and psychological factors that might be involved into the risk factors. Perinatal maternal depression is presented and reviewed as an example of the interaction of placental, epigenetic and early parenting factors elevating risk of poor fetus, neonatal, infant and child development. Available evidence points to the importance of in-utero influences as well as the importance of early attachment and parenting. It is pointed out that models of the early aetiology of mental disorders, such as perinatal depression, are complex with a range of potential factors from genetic and epigenetic to environmental influencing neurological, emotional and psychosocial development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a chronic condition, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) significantly reduces the quality of life of young working age population. The etiopathogenesis of IBD is multifactorial, combining several genetic and environmental factors. Psychosocial aspects that affect the progress of the disease and may have therapeutic effects on the disease are currently being extensively studied, and a clear conceptual approach to their role in IBD management has yet to be identified. The attachment theory states that a relation to a primary caregiver is critical to forming relations with others and to viewing the world around us. A sense of security seems to protect us against psychological disorders and somatic diseases. The paper presented is a synthesis of previous studies dealing with individual expressions of the attachment theory and their effect on the progress and the management of the disease, offering a potential pathogenetic mechanism of the attachment with respect to the origin and development of IBD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Goals. The aim of the paper is to support the process of differentiation of the victims affected by bullying in the workplace as based on behavioral and subjective indicators of workplace as same as to examine the characteristics of the mental state of the bullied employees with the support of factual significance in individual subgroups. Sample and method. The survey sample consisted of 7,103 employees, aged 18-68 (26.26% men and 73.74% women, M = 42, SD = 11.03). The variables were recorded using the Czech version of the revised Negative Acts Questionnaire (NAQ-R) and the Structure and Dynamics of Subjective States (SUPSO) including the anamnestic questionnaire. Statistical analysis. Using the Statistica 12 program, the descriptive values, t-tests, including two vectors of the average values of the Hotelling test were carried out. The effect size (Cohen' s d) were calculated using the formula from the basic numerical characteristics. Results. The results of the survey showed that bullying at the workplace is related with psychological well-being, activity, impulsiveness, tension, depression, anxiety and depression in the defined subgroups of bullied employees. Limitations. The major limitations of the study include the methodological limitations of the questionnaire. The questionnaire NAQ-R is also associated with limited comparability of the empirical findings concerning the prevalence of workplace bullying in different countries, due to the cultural, social, organizational and other specifics of the already realized studies. Also, choosing the local SUPSO method can open the question of comparability. The limit of research is also non-representativeness of selected sample of workers, as well as the unequal representation of men and women or the disparity between the state, non-profit and private sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper deals with Lars Tornstam's Theory of Gerotranscendence. The author had been elaborating his theory for twenty years based on qualitative and quantitative research. Doing this he had in his mind, in particular, persons over the age of 85, i.e. persons in the fourth age, the oldest old. The aim of the article is to draw attention to the Tornstam's view of age and aging that has remained almost unrecognized in our country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives. The purpose of this paper was (a) description of characteristic traits of inner disposition to aggressive conduct; (b) verification of association of the construct and accompanying factors and launching mechanisms; (c) construction of local norms using responses from incarcerated adolescents. Subjects and settings. Responses were obtained from a sample of 191 boys presently confined in five prisons for adolescents, average age 16,85; SD=1,55; range 14-19 years. The subjects filled in the BPAQ-SF, NIM18 questionnaires, a scale reflecting social status of respondents, and a scale describing relations of respondents to parents individually. Administration of instruments was individual, anonymous, and after signing informed consent. Results. The psychometric integrity of instruments was supported using confirmatory factor analysis. Item analysis of the BPAQ-SF scale revealed primarily well-marked negative emotional life experience, general dissatisfaction and proclivity to reactive aggression. Distribution of the scale scores was positively skewed but the range of values comprised only the higher part of theoretical interval. The readiness to react violently was noticeably associated with uneasy relation to mother, responding without proper consideration or reflection, deficit of interpersonal skills, and accompanied by social alienation, low social status, disregard of consensual social norms. Local norms were constructed in percentile format together with 95% CI using Bayesian approach. Study limitation. Sample of adolescents was not representative and self-reporting within forensic populations is especially susceptible to social desirability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper is to present international image theory (IIT) that is unknown in Czech and Slovak psychology. This theory is used in political psychology to investigate intergroup stereotypes in the international arena. It is argued that the IIT provides an integrative framework for stereotype content research in the international arena, anchored in particular political and cultural context. The first part of the paper presents the historical background of the theory and offers a synthetic definition of five main images - enemy, ally, barbarian, imperialist and dependent - based on critical analysis of existing literature. The second part focuses on image theory limitations, especially as far as the operationalization of images and the theory use outside of the context of international relations are concerned. The third part outlines perspectives for further research and practical implications of image theory, mainly for political communication, international conflicts and crises resolution and relations between ethnic groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper reflects a long-term ambiguity in the theoretical concept of affective phenomena. The focal point of this study is the conceptualization of the term "affect" with regard to the other affective phenomena (specifically emotion and mood). Our definition of affect is substantially different than existing Czech terminology and we define affect as the necessary component of all affective processes. Contrary to the Czech traditional concept of affect, we do not attribute characteristics such as "high intensity" or "disorganising influence" on cognitive processes, behaviour, etc. per se. We define affect in accordance with many authors, as a point in the continuum of affective stream and the basic unit of all affective phenomena. Affective phenomena or processes we consider as an umbrella term for a complex phenomenon like affect, emotion, mood, emotional episode, interpersonal attitude, sentiment, passion and so on: their common component is the affect. We consider emotion as a figure that emerges in the affective stream as a complex reaction to the event that has meaning for an individual and is interpreted with respect to the experience, context, individual characteristic, and sociocultural environment of the individual. Contrary to the Czech tradition, emotions are viewed as "just" one type of affective phenomena with a relatively specific definitional framework. The moods are considered parts of the affective stream continuum that have a specific and for consciousness accessible quality. The concepts of affect, emotion and mood discussed in this paper are contrasted; however, we have described where they overlap conceptually. The relationships of all affective phenomena have been considered as interacting with a tendency to synchronize into one (for an individual typical) affective stream. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Trust is a very important part of life of every human and at the same time the theme for psychological science. It is the phenomenon related to all forms of life, activity, behavior, and human consciousness, without which, the human existence in contemporary world is not possible. Although it is the principal theme, there is to the present day no overview study in Czech describing complexly this phenomenon. The main goal of the paper is the description of the trust phenomenon, specific circumstances, selected characteristics, and processes connected to this phenomenon, namely by the means of analyses of accessible studies and by analyzing, which characteristics of trust are studied in contemporary research and in which context. The further goal of the paper is to map and organize the knowledge concerning the relevance and functions of trust and mistrust phenomenon in the existence and development of an individual on the basis of contemporary research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although the deserved attention is paid to the phenomenon of spirituality and its linkage to health, the prevailing feature of these studies is noticeable both in Czech and international context: the nonsufficient conceptualization and non-distinguishing between spirituality and religiosity. The paper intends to highlight the differences between these two phenomena, on the basis of selected thoughts of Max Scheler (spirit as non-object particularity of human existence and self-realization), Viktor Frankl (spirit as a sphere of existential sense of life), and Mircea Eliade (distinguishing of sacred and profane modalities of existence). The distinction between religion and religiosity (transcendence into sacred sphere), and spirituality (transcendence of everydayness remaining in profane sphere) appears, with possibility of application on the health phenomenon. The linkage of spirituality and health is possible in dual form: the first is the search for the influence of spirituality on (physical or mental) health, the second is the peculiar mode of spiritual health. The paper points to selected studies elaborating both these possibilities in the form of brief overview. But the core of the text consists in highlighting the possibilities of the concept of spiritual health and its operationalization by specifying five factors constituting the spiritual health: authentic mode of existence (i.e. the relation to self), relation to other people in trust and openness, relation to nature as a exceeding whole, inquiring about sense of life, and becoming aware of overlapping and transcendence of everydayness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study deals with the construct of personal goals from the point of view of research in motivation. The development of this construct especially in last two decades is described. Personal goals are described as a generic construct including also some further similar former terms (personal project, life tasks, personal strivings). The main benefit of this construct is the complex perspective of relations among motivation, personality, and behavior of individual in the social context. While discussing these relations personal goals are presented as multilevel construct, the level of goal content and the level of the process of goals striving are described. The paper pays attention to problems of goal selfconcordance, to the role of goals autonomy, conflicts of goals, and to the multi-finality of goal directed activities. Further part of the paper is devoted to methodological questions of personal goals research. In the conclusion, the question of personal goals stability and the possibility to derive personally specific ways of goals selection and striving are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives. The purpose of this paper was (a) verification of basic psychometric attributes of the BPAQ-SF; (b) construction of norms for Czech adolescents stratified according to age and gender. Subjects and settings. Responses were obtained from a representative sample of 7981 (boys/girls: 4368/3613) Czech schoolchildren between 13 and 17 years. Results. The instrument was tested from the viewpoint of factor structure, inner consistency, items attributes, taking age and gender into consideration. Norms, constructed for boys, girls and stratified according to age and gender, are presented in percentile format with 95% CI. Study limitation. The findings are based on selfreported data and collected in school environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fidelity (also known as process evaluation) represents the accuracy with which any therapeutic or prevention intervention is implemented. This multidimensional construct is used rather scarcely in the Czech research practice. This paper aims to introduce the fidelity, its dimensions, its importance and scope within prevention research and practice, as well as to introduce measurement procedures, the possibilities and limits when researchnig fidelity of interventions focused on prevention of risk behaviors. In studies that focus on studying effectiveness of prevention interventions, fidelity illustrates the "background" of experimentally implemented prevention activities. Fidelity is the key to greater control (esp. confounding) variables that may have an impact on the results of the experiment. Studies that measure fidelity, often come with better results compared to studies in which fidelity is not measured. Information that fidelity provides facilitate the development and implemention of interventions into practice. Fidelity increases the credit of the intervention under evaluation and of the research team in front of the stakeholders, and multiplies the chances when publishing results in scientific journals. Last but not least, fidelity facilitates the rapid translation of high-quality and effective prevention interventions and other research findings into practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives. The study introduces Czech adaptation of the Game Addiction Scale. Psychometric properties of the method were evaluated - factor structure, internal consistency and construct validity. Subjects and Settings. The research sample consisted of 423 adolescents (48% females). The questionnaire was administered in paper&pencil form in school settings in three major Czech cities - Prague, Brno, Ostrava. Data collection was performed in autumn 2015 and spring 2016. Data analysis. Internal consistency was estimated using Cronbach's a. Confirmatory factor analysis and structural model capturing construct validity were performed using Lavaan package in the R statistical environment. Results. Psychometric properties of the Czech adaptation of the method are comparable with original findings and can be described as satisfactory. Based on the presented results the Czech version of the Game Addiction Scale for research and diagnostic use in adolescents can be recommended. Limitations. Relatively smaller proportion of respondents addicted to video game playing could have a negative impact on the level of construct validity in terms of impaired parameter estimates of relationships between video game addiction and other variables. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Goal. The paper reports on a standardization of a short parent-report screening tool for quick assessment of vocabulary in children aged 16 to 42 months. The tool should capture the early signs of a delayed or disrupted language development. The method asks for children's use and comprehension of 40 words. Participants. The tool was standardized on a group of 1047 children (535 boys) that was demographically diverse and was obtained in different regions of the Czech Republic. Analysis. Developmental norms and growth curves were calculated using generalized additive linear models. Linear regression was used to test the effects of various demographic factors on the scores. Results. The norms correspond to the expectations about the growth of vocabulary with age. Girls show statistically significant advantages in both production and comprehension. Statistically significant but weak relations were found between comprehension scores on one hand, and maternal education and population size of the hometown on the other. Limitations. The method is based on parent reports, which may result in lower reliability. This norming study has not directly assessed concurrent validity with other methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of the review is to discuss research papers related to supervision as one of the possibilities of prevention and affection of burnout syndrome among health care workers. The selection included studies examining supervision in relation to burnout syndrome. For the review were used electronic databases EbscoHost, Scopus, Medline, Cinahl with full text and OvidSP. The criterion for the search was the publishing between years 1995 and 2015, the availability of full text in Czech or English language and the link to the research question. There were found 350 studies in total. For the final processing were used 28 studies which fullfiled chosen criteria. According to the analysis of the studies and sources, there is some influence of clinical supervision on different aspects of burnout syndrome and also on factors associated with job satisfaction, interpersonal relationship and selfawareness/self-improvement. The most important factor is the personality of the supervisor and the interval of provided clinical supervision during the evaluation process. According to this study and available theoretical resources, there is the impact of clinical supervision on health care workers. There is an association between burnout syndrome (particularly depersonalization and emotional exhaustion) and the participation in the clinical supervision. Apart from burnout syndrome, there is some influence on job satisfaction and quality of provided care. The factors which affect the influence of clinical supervision are the personality of the supervisor and duration of clinical supervision. As for barriers to implement the clinical supervision to practice, it was identified e.g., the disorganisation, work on shifts, lack of guidelines and limited financial sources. Although there are some barriers of implementation of clinical supervision to clinical practice, the authors stress the fact that the clinical supervision is a preventive factor against burnout syndrome for professionals in health care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives. The purpose of this paper was (a) to develop a tool for assessment precursors of propensity to aggressive behavior, (b) establish relationship between specific style of reality processing and inclination to solve social problems using aggressive strategies moderated by feelings of insecurity. Subjects and setting. Responses were obtained from a representative sample of 3,159 Czech schoolchildren between 13 and 15 years of age in the context of a project Opinions, experiences and feelings of schoolchildren. The interval covers the critical transition period from childhood to early adolescence. The subjects were asked to fill in the online questionnaire anonymously via the internet during regular classes under the supervision of their teachers. Results. The findings indicated noticeable role of security feeling, defined by a child standing in the family, at school, and life satisfaction, as a mediator of relationship between natural predispositions to break social norms, inherent tendency to react impulsively without taking into account consequences, social marginality and aggressive problem -- solving style. The results suggest the possibility of educational intervention as a crucial means in modification of a sociably undesirable behavior. Study limitation. Conclusions are limited by informational scope of the database. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study provides an overview of the findings from the naturalistic decision making field, specifically about the recognition-primed decision model, its main characteristics and broader context. This model describes how experienced decision makers can quickly make situation assessment and select satisficing course of action. Its initial version originated in the research of decision making of fire ground commanders in real world situations and in the present it has three variations (simple match, diagnose the situation, evaluate course of action), which describe the application of typical options. Although it is discussed mainly in the relation to macrocognition and microcognition, assumed task-relevant emotions may function in it. Furthermore, the paper focuses on the key assumption of the model -- experience represented in the form of mental models stored in the memory. Because novices have little experience, they do not use the recognitional decision strategy so often. Experienced decision makers use it especially in routine situations, but also in nonroutine situations under time pressure. Research studies providing empirical support for the model and many of its extensions and computational implementations providing suggestions for decision support systems and training programs are also presented here. The limits summarized in the conclusion show that the model does not describe universal decision strategy and it does not address some cognitive aspects of decision making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives. In the Alternative DSM-5 Model for Personality Disorders, the diagnosis of specific personality disorders is obtained through Personality Inventory for DSM-5 (PID-5) assessment of dimensional personality traits associated in 25 "lower order" facets and 5 "higher order" domains. The aim of the study was to test PID-5 psychometric properties (internal consistency, validity and discrimination capacity). Participants and setting. PID-5 was administered to a community volunteers sample (n = 351) and a clinical sample of psychiatric patients (n = 143) individually and in a group setting using pen-paper method and online data collection. 33 respondents completed the inventory twice to check test-retest reliability. Hypotheses. Evidence will be found to support internal consistency and convergent validity of the PID-5 personality trait domains, as well as their stability in time. Moreover, significant mean-level differences will be found between the two samples. Statistical analyses. The data were analyzed with parallel analysis, Pearson's correlation coefficient, t-tests, and ROC analysis. Results. The study results confirmed excellent internal consistency and satisfactory reliability of all five PID-5 domains in time. Unidimensional structure of the measure was confirmed for 22 of 25 facets. Significant correlations of all trait facets of the tested domains (r = 0.53 - 0.65 for the community sample, and r = 0.43 - 0.66 for the clinical sample) confirmed convergent validity. Significant differences between the two samples in the test scores of four of the five tested domains (absolute value of effect size d = 0.74 - 1.34 within 95% CI) show good discrimination capacity of the method. Study limitations. Two different forms of administration; prevalence of students in the community sample; different test-retest time periods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Psychological research on poverty stands aside from the mainstream Slovak research interests. However, on a global scale, psychological research on poverty enjoys significant attention, especially when it comes to its subjective reasons and psychological consequences. The paper analyzes current research studies and formulates proposals for three potential areas of poverty research in Slovakia: 1) Finding out what are the causes of poverty in selected population groups and which of them can be considered as its subjective reasons. It is proposed that poverty has been analyzed as a variable of a multi-determinate nature, and so it is desirable to include subjective and objective factors in the research into it. 2) Finding out what are the psychological consequences of poverty for the selected groups of people. A multilevel research appears to be appropriate, i.e. one which takes into account the impact of poverty on different age groups and which distinguishes between immediately-acting factors and mediators. 3) The third recommendation is checking the type of relationships between psychological consequences of poverty and persistence in poverty. It is assumed that there is a double psychological effect of poverty: the negative impact of poverty on the affective aspect of its experiencing has a consequence in the form of persistence in poverty. This effect has not yet been sufficiently investigated and confirmed by research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pain, from its origin through its treatment and in its subsequent maintenance, is influenced by psychosocial factors. For this reason, psychotheraphy is also used in pain treatment. The use of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is dominant. The paper describes the history of CBT and its three basic approaches: behavioral, (operant), cognitive, and cognitive-behavioral. The indications to CBT and the most frequent problems in treatment are isolated. Basic CBT techniques in chronic pain treatment, namely the cognitive restructuration and the practice of skills for pain and stress management (education, adaptive positive self-instruction, relaxation and imagination, increasing activity, exposition, structured problem solving, and relapse coping) are specified. Particular fields of chronic pain which represent the goal of multidisciplinary program of pain treatment including CBT are examined. The author structures basic assumptions of successful program: direct and indirect positive reinforcement of pain behavior, positive reinforcement of required behavior, improvement of physical condition, cognitive reframing, education, training in CBT in pain treatment, and conforming to the CBT principles. The paper sumarizes the efficiency of CBT in chronic pain treatment in adult patients, describes problems in its monitoring and suggests some innovations for increasing its use [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper deals with the main physical and physiological determinants of human performance during a spaceflight and also addresses so far insufficiently discussed psychological context of being in this extreme environment. The greatest attention is paid to the issue of microgravity, radiation and circadian rhythms, with emphasis on the adaptive changes in physiological and psycho-physiological processes. The study explores the issue of data acquisition and the quality of information processing under the condition of isolation and confinement from natural stimuli and indicators. In this way, the paper further deals with the signals available to crew members about the changes in their cognitive, affective and motivational processes. The paper claims that besides the physiological and psycho-physiological adaptation to the space environment, psychological adaptation necessarily goes on at the same time. It is concluded that the in-depth qualitative investigation of the psychological adaptation could provide a more complete understanding of the accommodation of cognitive, affective and motivational processes during spaceflights. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Paper gives an overview of brief history, main results, current status, and further perspectives of the Prague (N = 98) and Brno (N = 83) Longitudinal Studies on Life-span Development running since 1956 (Prague) and 1961 (Brno). These build upon the longitudinal studies of children carried in the National Institute of Public Health at Prague and Institute of Psychology of the Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences at Brno in the sixties and seventies. The paper starts with information about the original project and how we have searched for participants and built on current samples from the original cohorts. Then the main conclusions from the first two stages of the research in adulthood are reported. As to the current status of the studies, from 2010 both research teams act in a coordinated way and share common methodology. Finally, paper presents research plan for the next stage of the study focused on optimal development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper deals with the problem that the socalled mentally ill people do not have a free relationship with their feelings. This lack limits their contacts with their existential possibilities. There is investigated the complicated connection betweenn the existential attonement on one side, and the feelings on the other side. The sense of feeling is seen to be the information about the fulfillment of the individual's own possibility of autentic existence. There is introduced the concrete procedure of therapy in regard with feelings. The paper emphasises the positive influence of group setting on the therapy of feelings. Work with feelings in daseinsanalysis is not conceived as a mere psychological technique. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of the lexicon and its structure is an essential indicator of the level of language acquisition and cognitive development. This paper summarizes the basic methods used in the research on lexical development, namely the analysis of spontaneous speech production, experimental procedures and vocabulary testing. Parental report inventories are examined in detail, focusing on the MacArthur-Bates Communicative Development Inventories (MAB CDI). The structure, psychometric characteristics and usage of the MAB CDI are described. The paper reports on the design and results of the first pilot study of MAB CDI for toddlers (16 - 30 months) in Czech. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main focus of this paper is the research of emotions by means of the International Affective Picture System. It is a set of photographs which according to the authors' assumptions differ in two basic dimensions of emotions - valence and arousal. The paper discusses the studies carried out using this system, theoretical context of this approach, its theoretical and methodological limitations and possible starting points. The authors believe that this system is primarily based on the necessity to study the semantic content of pictures, or in other words, on a psychosemantic approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper gives an overview of current developments in discourse analysis, including its most prominent trends, protagonists, theories, and concepts. The paper emphasizes diversity of approaches to discourse analysis and gives specific examples of their application to research in health psychology, feminist psychology, and counselling and psychotherapy. In this way, the paper aims to document the relevance of discourse analysis for psychological research and, by implication, for psychological theory and practice. The debate includes Potter's and Wetherell's approach to discourse analysis, rhetorical psychology, discursive psychology, conversation analysis, poststructural discourse analysis and critical discursive psychology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Goals. Phenomenon of stereotype threat is considered to be one of the causes of gender differences in mathematics. It occurs in achievement situations, in which the girls are aware of lower expectations of surroundings related to them. The paper presents the results of an experimental study of gender stereotype threat in mathematics. The goal of the study was to verify if this phenomenon exists also in Czech female pupils. Sample and procedure. The research sample consisted of male and female pupils of the eighth grade of basic schools and corresponding grades of multi-year grammar schools who were divided into the experimental and control groups. In the first phase, the measure of identification with mathematics and the measure of gender stereotypicity were assessed. Some weeks later, the mathematical test was assigned to pupils, which introduction included an experimental manipulation aiming to activate the gender stereotype in girls. Hypotheses. The authors expected that the activation of gender stereotype will lead to lower achievement in mathematical test in girls. Statistical analyses. Data were analyzed by means of series of four hierarchic regressions, in which the common predictors were the note in mathematics in the first step, the group in the second step, and factors of further followed variables were added into particular models in the third step. Results. The results of the study confirmed the existence of phenomenon of stereotype threat in Czech female pupils: the activation of the gender stereotype led to lowering of the achievement in the mathematical test in girls, the similar effect did not occur in boys. Limits. The potential limit of the study can be the high heterogeneity of the sample, given by different types of school educational programs and used textbooks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Goals. The study aimed to collect a set of psycholinguistic norms for subjective properties of words, and describe the relations between these properties and the lexical decision times for the words. Sample and procedure. The set of words included 63 nouns and 35 verbs. Two questionnaires were created that included these words. One was an online questionnaire assessing the adult-rated age of acquisition (AoA). The main questionnaire was a paper questionnaire administered to the final-year high-school students (N=249, age 18-20). The students always rated one of the following properties: concreteness, imageability, specificity, and familiarity. In addition to these ratings, the frequencies of the words in corpora of spoken and written Czech were used, and lexical decision latencies measured. Hypotheses. One hypothesis was that the lexical decision times will be related to the word ratings: lower AoA, and higher imageability/ concreteness/specificity/familiarity, should be related to faster decision times. Statistical analyses. The data were evaluated using the Pearson correlation coefficient, the partial correlation coefficient, and linear regression. Results. The data from Czech confirmed the findings from other languages: nouns show higher imageability than verbs, imageability and concreteness are highly correlated, familiarity is related to spoken frequency more closely than to written frequency. Regression models showed that all subjective norms have statistically significant relation with the lexical decision times, above and beyond frequency and word length. Limitations. The principal limitation for further generalizations is the small sample of words for which ratings were obtained. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives. The study was aimed: (a) to investigate correlations between measured personality variables (boundaries, absorption, alexithymia) and dream recall frequency (drf), nightmare recall frequency (nmf), as well as nightmare variety; (b) to find out predictors of drf and nmf. Sample and setting. The research sample consisted of 469 students mostly from Palacký University in Olomouc. Women comprised 80% of the sample. Participants filled in inventories during their classes using paper-and-pencil method. Statistical analysis. Methods of descriptive, parametric, and nonparametric statistics (Cronbach's alpha, Pearson's, and Spearman's correlations, Bonferroni's correction, multiple regression analysis, and ordinal regression) were used. Results. Absorption as measured by MODTAS, correlates with drf and nmf. Boundary permeability as measured by BPQ, correlates positively with dream recall frequency, and negatively with EOT scale of TAS-20. Absorption correlates positively with nightmare variety, and negatively with EOT scale of TAS-20. Drf correlates with nightmare frequency and variety. Combination of high scores on MODTAS and low scores on TAS-20 predicts a higher drf. Nightmare frequency is influenced by sex differences (men has lower nmf than women), and drf. Combination of high absorption, nmf, and drf predicts higher nightmare variety. Study limitation. The non-representative research sample with substantially higher number of women than men was used. Test battery consisted only of the Czech translations of foreign inventories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper deals with the concept of criminal thinking or attitudes that has received considerable research attention in foreign countries especially because of its proven relationship to antisocial behavior and potential for changing it through elimination of these attitudes (e.g. Blud et al., 2003; Henning, Frueh, 1996; Walters, 2005b). Nevertheless criminal thinking still remains almost undescribed in the Czech Republic. The aim of this study is to introduce to Czech readers its wide theoretical and empirical background and applicability in praxis. The presented study tries at the same time to overcome terminological confusion and opinion discrepancies connected with this topic and to reach a useful definition of this concept. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pain represents a signal that an organism is in danger. It attracts attention, it disturbs ongoing mental processes and it brings about fear. In addition, cognitive appraisal of the pain brings about fear as well. The resulting fear triggers coping. If the coping fails, it is followed by anxiety, anger, depression and negative evaluation of one's ability to cope with the pain and to live well. Assumption of the processes forms the basis of the Dynamic Model of Psychological Processes in Chronic Pain (DM). The original DM, similarly to other recent models of chronic pain, may be considered a locally independent model (i.e., explained "by itself'). The present paper contains an analysis of "triggering" processes of the DM, the feeling and cognitive processing of the pain, as well as the fear caused by both processes. In addition, the DM assumption is expanded by an "external" variable - Trait Anxiety - representing another condition of the fear. In a group of 272 patients with non-malignant pain (age: M=47.9, SD=10.7 years; duration of pain: M=11.1, SD=9.6 years), the authors gradually tested the regression model: together with the original DM factors of Pain (Pain Intensity, Pain Unpleasantness, and Cognitive Processing of Pain) a new "external" variable Trait Anxiety was entered and the linear regression on the Fear of Pain was calculated. After reducing the model containing 8 measured values (CFI=0.81) to a model having 5 measured values (CFI=0.84), additional variables were included and covariance between Permanence of Pain and Trait Anxiety was computed. Resulting model fits the data very well (CFI=0.95). The assumption of a direct relationship between the Permanence of Pain and Trait Anxiety significantly increases correspondence of the model with the data. The results show that the fear of pain is primarily cognitively dependent on expectation that pain will last in future and that pain is blamed on the others. Two effects of Trait Anxiety in the Fear of Pain were found: a) the Fear of Pain represents specific manifestation of Trait Anxiety under pain conditions, b) Trait Anxiety influences cognitive setting, which leads to expectation that pain will last and it thus creates Fear of Pain. The effect of Pain Intensity and Pain Unpleasantness on the Fear of Pain is small. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study gives an overview of personality factors as well as of cumulative and additive effects of personality factors in the connection with health related behavior. The paper offers possibilities of practical applications of knowledge concerning personality in the relation to health related behavior [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of the paper is to inform about the process and some results obtained in Slovak adaptation of Delis-Kaplan Executive Functions System. Basal standardization sample consisted of 250 children attending fourth year of elementary school with mean age 9,7 yrs. To get additional information regarding reliability and validity of D-KEFS selected tests, another two samples were studied (n = 200) with age ranging 10 - 15 years. For validation study - besides D-KEFS - Woodcock-Johnson test battery, some subtests selected from WISC-III, Porteus labyrinths and indicators of school achievement were used, too. Results showed that distributions of raw score in almost all D-KEFS indicators were significantly skewed which implies that these indicators discriminate probably better in children with low achievements than those with average and high achievements. Norms obtained for Slovak children are, comparing to American, slightly harder because of generally higher achievements in Slovak children. Reliability and validity of Slovak D-KEFS adaptation suggest usability of these tests in psychological assessment in clinical and consulting praxis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper analyzes Freud's little-known manuscript Project for a Scientific Psychology and attempts to show that in the context of his psychoanalytic issues the Project is completely unique piece. Freud's aim here is to establish a theory of human mind, which would be empirically supported by neurophysiology (psychophysics) prevailing in the scientific research at that time and could explain the fundamental clinical knowledge. First the basic principles of his concept of neurophysiology of mind are introduced, three functionally distinct types of neurons and neuronal networks distinguished, and then Freud's understanding of the concept of consciousness at the level of neurophysiological interpretation is articulated. The aim is to show that Freud's approach to the theory of consciousness anticipates some of the later neuroscientific knowledge. It reminds us a quest for neurophysiological correlates of consciousness and has some characteristics of emergentism. Some contemporary, especially neuropsychoanalytically minded authors find in the theses of the Project number of points common to the current neuroscientific research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]