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Sample records for personally construct meaning

  1. A Semantic Basis for Meaning Construction in Constructivist Interactions

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Badie, Farshad

    2015-01-01

    . In this research I will analyse 'meaning construction' within constructivism. I will focus on a semantic loop that the learner and mentor as intentional participants move through and organise their personal constructed conceptions in order to construct meanings and produce their individual meaningful...... comprehensions. Subsequently, I will provide a semantic framework for analysing the meaning construction based on personal knowings and personal conceptions within constructivist interactions. This research could propose a new scheme for interpretation based on semantics and on interaction....

  2. Personal Usability Constructs

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hertzum, Morten; Clemmensen, Torkil; Hornbæk, Kasper

    2011-01-01

    Whereas the concept of usability is predominantly defined analytically, people relate to systems through personal usability constructs. Based on 48 repertory-grid interviews, this study investigates how such personal constructs are affected by two factors crucial to the international development...

  3. My Wartime Self: Meaning Construction in Narratives of World War II

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Julie B. Wiest

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available We are all storytellers. We tell stories in a variety of settings, to a variety of audiences, and for a variety of reasons. We tell structured stories about personal experiences—narratives—as a means of understanding the past, constructing identities, and communicating ourselves to others. Drawing on social psychological literature on narratives, identities, and autobiographical memories, this study examines the construction, recitation, and evaluation of 28 World War II veterans’ narratives. Findings indicate cultural influences in the ways these veterans constructed their war stories, the ways they constructed meanings about their war experiences, and the ways they constructed their identities in relation to those experiences.

  4. BASES OF CONSTRUCTIVITY OF MODERN PERSONALITY

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    Natalya Petrovna Shatalova

    2014-11-01

    Full Text Available Formation of bases of constructibility is important process at this stage of de-velopment of our state. Personality of modern type must be capable to self-determination, competent adoption of constructive decisions and manifestation of a personal responsibility for the constructive election, personality of modern type must be capable for self-determination, competent adoption of constructive decisions and manifestation to a personal responsibility for the constructive choice. Formation of bases of constructibility in the course of education is caused by use of constructive tasks and the constructive educational environment which define innovative recep-tions and skills of influence as methods of pedagogical influence taking into account constantly changing circumstances. Extent of mastering each member of society bases of constructibility defines a spiritual condition of society, of the present and the future of our country, development of economy and culture in general.Purpose: consideration of question about development of constructive thinking and constructive skills of personality in modern constructive educational environ-ment.Methodology: formal pedagogical method, the theoretical modeling, the meth-od of participant observation.Results. In the article is give the short analysis of problem of development of personality in modern society, opened the concept of constructibility of the personali-ty and her basic components, classification constructive tasks investigated, specified preparatory steps for organization of the conditions of development of a constructibil-ity and gives a brief description of their. Article has the scientific value as contains au-thor's generalizations possessing scientific novelty and the conclusions directed on disclosure of problems of formation and development of the modern personality, considered from the point of view of the theory of democratic constructivism in edu-cation.Practical implications: pedagogical

  5. Between altruism and narcissism: An action theoretical approach of personal homepages devoted to existential meaning

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Hijmans, E.J.S.; Selm, M. van

    2002-01-01

    This article aims to examine existential meaning constructions from an action theoretical perspective in a specific Internet environment: the personal homepage. Personal homepages are on-line multi-media documents addressing the question Who am I? Authors of personal homepages provide information on

  6. Personal and social meanings of wilderness: Constructing and contesting places in a global village

    Science.gov (United States)

    Daniel R. Williams

    2000-01-01

    Description: This paper takes a social constructionist approach to examine the nature and dynamics of personal and social meanings of wilderness. The paper builds on geographic and social theory to discuss the ways in which conflicts over the meaning and value of wilderness are significant consequences of modernization and globalization. The process of modernization...

  7. Teachers' Personal Constructs on Problem Behaviour

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    H.A. Everaert; J.T.E. van Beukering; J.M.F. Touw

    2005-01-01

    Present study focuses on revealing and developing personal constructs regarding problem behaviour in classrooms. The main idea is that teachers’ opinions about their students and themselves influence the way they interact with them. Their thoughts and ideas about students - their personal constructs

  8. Personal exposure to inhalable cement dust among construction workers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Peters, Susan; Kromhout, Hans; Thomassen, Yngvar; Fechter-Rink, Edeltraud

    2009-01-01

    A case study was carried out in 2006-2007 to assess the actual cement dust exposure among construction workers involved in a full-scale construction project and as a comparison among workers involved in various stages of cement and concrete production. Full-shift personal exposure measurements were performed for several job types. Inhalable dust and cement dust (based on analysis of elemental calcium) concentrations were determined. Inhalable dust exposures at the construction site ranged from 0.05 to 34 mg/m3, with a mean concentration of 1.0 mg/m3. For inhalable cement dust mean exposure was 0.3 mg/m3 (range 0.02-17 mg/m3). Reinforcement and pouring workers had the lowest average concentrations. Inhalable dust levels in the ready-mix and pre-cast concrete plants were, on average, below 0.5 mg/m3 for inhalable dust and below 0.2 mg/m3 for inhalable cement dust. Highest dust concentrations were measured in cement production, particularly during cleaning tasks (inhalable dust GM=55 mg/m3; inhalable cement dust GM=33 mg/m3) at which point the workers wore personal protective equipment. Elemental measurements showed highest but very variable cement percentages in the cement plant and very low percentages of cement during reinforcement work and pouring.

  9. Constructive processes in person cognition.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fiedler, K

    1993-12-01

    The notion of constructive memory processes is imported from research on eyewitness memory to the area of social cognition. Mere questioning about the applicability of personality attributes to a target person is shown to affect subsequent memory-based judgements of that person. These constructive influences are to be distinguished, conceptually, from the global notion of priming effects. In Expt 1, the target person was first described as an extravert; afterwards, subjects had to indicate whether either desirable aspects of extraversion (self-confidence) or undesirable aspects (exhibitionism) apply to the target or not. Mere questioning resulted in a congruent judgment bias towards the questioned attributes that did not generalize to a global halo effect. Experiment 2 replicated the basic finding and demonstrated that this phenomenon is independent of a generation effect (i.e. the memory advantage of self-generated inferences). These results are interpreted in terms of (a) a reframing of the categorical distribution representing the information about the target person in memory and (b) a regressive tendency to assume intermediate default values rather than extreme values for questioned attributes under uncertainty. Alternative explanations in terms of demand effects or a conformation bias cannot provide sufficient accounts. The relevance of constructive processes to understanding self-fulfilling prophecies and other phenomena in social interaction is discussed.

  10. Personality construct of Sasang Personality Questionnaire in an adolescent sample

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Han Chae

    2015-03-01

    Conclusion: The validity of the SPQ construct was confirmed with adolescents. Further investigation on its personality construct would extend the clinical application of SPQ to young age groups including children.

  11. A Semantic Basis for Meaning Construction in Constructivist Interactions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Badie, Farshad

    2015-01-01

    Regarding constructivism as a learning philosophy and/or a model of knowing, a person (learner or mentor) based on her/his preconceptions and on personal knowings could actively participate in an interaction with another person (learner or mentor) in order to construct her/his personal knowledge. In this research I will analyse "meaning…

  12. Systems of Selves: the Construction of Meaning in Multiple Personality Disorder

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hughes, Dureen Jean

    Current models for understanding both Multiple Personality Disorder and human mentation in general are both linear in nature and self-perpetuating insofar as most research in this area has been informed and shaped by extant psychological concepts, paradigms and methods. The research for this dissertation made use of anthropological concepts and methods in an attempt to gain a richer understanding of both multiple personality and fundamental universal processes of the mind. Intensive fieldwork using in-depth, open-ended interviewing techniques was conducted with people diagnosed with Multiple Personality Disorder with the purpose of mapping their personality systems in order to discover the nature of the relationships between the various alternate personalities and subsystems comprising the overall personality systems. These data were then analyzed in terms of dynamical systems theory ("Chaos Theory") as a way of understanding various phenomena of multiple personality disorder as well as the overall structure of each system. It was found that the application of the formal characteristics of nonlinear models and equations to multiple personality systems provided a number of new perspectives on mental phenomena. The underlying organizational structure of multiple personality systems can be understood as a phenomenon of spontaneous self-organization in far-from -equilibrium states which characterizes dissipative structures. Chaos Theory allows the perspective that the nature of the process of the self and the nature of relationship are one and the same, and that both can be conceived as ideas in struggle at a fractal boundary. Further, such application makes it possible to postulate an iterative process which would have as one of its consequences the formation of a processural self who is conscious of self as separate self. Finally, given that the iterative application of a few simple rules (or instructions) can result in complex systems, an attempt was made to discern

  13. [Meaning in life and mental health: personal meaning systems of psychotherapists and psychotherapy patients].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Löffler, Sabine; Knappe, Rainer; Joraschky, Peter; Pöhlmann, Karin

    2010-01-01

    This study investigated differences in the personal meaning systems of psychotherapists and psychotherapy patients as well as correlations between meaning in life and mental health. We qualitatively assessed the content and structure of the personal meaning systems of 41 psychotherapists and 77 psychotherapy patients. In addition, the participants completed questionnaires measuring meaning in life (LRI-r-d), sense of coherence (SOC-9L), self-esteem (RSES), satisfaction with life (SWLS), self-efficacy (SWK), and depression (BDI). The personal meaning systems of psychotherapists were more complex and coherent compared to psychotherapy patients. In the group of psychotherapy patients, a more elaborate structure of the personal meaning system correlated with the subjective sense of meaning. We were able to confirm correlations between meaning in life and mental health for most of the instances. Psychotherapists had more elaborate and coherent meaning systems than psychotherapy patients. Especially for psychotherapy patients elaborate and coherent meaning systems turned out to be important for mental health.

  14. The Personal Meaning of Participation: Enduring Involvement.

    Science.gov (United States)

    McIntyre, N.

    1989-01-01

    Examines the personal meaning of participation, discussing recreation and consumer behavior literature, the development of an instrument to measure the concept, and the relationship between commitment to camping and choice of campground setting. Personal meaning of participation seems to be best represented by the concept of enduring involvement.…

  15. Personal exposure to inhalable cement dust among construction workers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Peters, Susan; Thomassen, Yngvar; Fechter-Rink, Edeltraud; Kromhout, Hans

    2009-01-01

    Objective- A case study was carried out to assess cement dust exposure and its determinants among construction workers and for comparison among workers in cement and concrete production.Methods- Full-shift personal exposure measurements were performed and samples were analysed for inhalable dust and its cement content. Exposure variability was modelled with linear mixed models.Results- Inhalable dust concentrations at the construction site ranged from 0.05 to 34 mg/m(3), with a mean of 1.0 mg/m(3). Average concentration for inhalable cement dust was 0.3 mg/m(3) (GM; range 0.02-17 mg/m(3)). Levels in the ready-mix and pre-cast concrete plants were on average 0.5 mg/m(3) (GM) for inhalable dust and 0.2 mg/m(3) (GM) for inhalable cement dust. Highest concentrations were measured in cement production, particularly during cleaning tasks (inhalable dust GM = 55 mg/m(3); inhalable cement dust GM = 33 mg/m(3)) at which point the workers wore personal protective equipment. Elemental measurements showed highest but very variable cement percentages in the cement plant and very low percentages during reinforcement work and pouring. Most likely other sources were contributing to dust concentrations, particularly at the construction site. Within job groups, temporal variability in exposure concentrations generally outweighed differences in average concentrations between workers. 'Using a broom', 'outdoor wind speed' and 'presence of rain' were overall the most influential factors affecting inhalable (cement) dust exposure.Conclusion- Job type appeared to be the main predictor of exposure to inhalable (cement) dust at the construction site. Inhalable dust concentrations in cement production plants, especially during cleaning tasks, are usually considerably higher than at the construction site.

  16. Adding Personality to Gifted Identification: Relationships among Traditional and Personality-Based Constructs

    Science.gov (United States)

    Carman, Carol A.

    2011-01-01

    One of the underutilized tools in gifted identification is personality-based measures. A multiple confirmatory factor analysis was utilized to examine the relationships between traditional identification methods and personality-based measures. The pattern of correlations indicated this model could be measuring two constructs, one related to…

  17. Death education for oncology professionals: a personal construct theory perspective.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rainey, L C

    1983-01-01

    Using observations from a psychosocial training program for oncology professionals, this article illustrates how one can model, while training the student, the very methods he or she can adopt in working with patients and families. One starts with an elicitation of the student's (patient's) operative personal constructs and then devises strategies to elaborate, integrate, loosen, tighten, preempt, or take other action, as needed. The very means used to promote movement within the student's own death-related constructs can be adopted for use by him or her in the clinical situation. As the helper's pathways of action and thought with regard to this domain become more comprehensive and as the helper becomes more skilled at moving freely along them, he or she becomes more perceptive and resourceful to those in need.

  18. [Effects of construct accessibility and self-schema on person memory].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kitamura, H

    1991-10-01

    The present study investigated the relationship among construct accessibility, self-schema and person memory. Three hundred and thirty-four subjects received 40 behavioral descriptions of a stimulus person, consisting of eight specific behaviors on each of five trait-dimensions. Subjects also rated personality traits of their acquaintances and themselves on nine-point bipolar scales and ranked the importance of the five trait-dimensions. Weights, which subjects assigned to each of the five dimensions, were calculated as indices of construct accessibility. Self-schema scores of each subject were also calculated based on his/her ratings. Multiple regression analyses indicated that the dimensional weights and self-schema scores were positively correlated with the recall performance of the descriptions of the stimulus person. The schematics recalled significantly more descriptions than the aschematics, whether their self-schema was positive or negative. Subjects who had positive self-schema showed higher construct accessibility than the aschematics. It was argued that the relationship between construct accessibility and self-schema might be affected by motivational factors such as self-esteem.

  19. Personal-organisational value conflicts and job satisfaction of internal construction stakeholders

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Babak Panahi

    2016-03-01

    Full Text Available This paper concerns the issue of value conflicts in construction organizations. This research was conducted in the Malaysian construction industry to fill the gap in the knowledge in areas of organizational behaviour in the construction industry in terms of the possible effects of conflicts on the job satisfaction of internal construction stakeholders. The conflicts considered are those rooted in differences between personal and organizational values. This research targeted professional project consultants identified as architects, engineers, and quantity surveyors as the internal construction stakeholders in Malaysia. The personal-organizational values and the level of job satisfaction of the stakeholders were assessed using a questionnaire survey. To achieve the research objective, comparative and hierarchical regression analyses were performed. The results generated by the analyses indicated a high level of value conflicts in the construction organizations which significantly and negatively affected job satisfaction of the internal stakeholders. Therefore this research, through investigating the potential effect of value conflicts on the stakeholders’ job satisfaction, reveals the importance of the interaction between personal and organizational values in construction organizations which contributes to the extant literature of organizational behaviour in construction.

  20. Is the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, histrionic personality disorder category a valid construct?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bakkevig, Jonas F; Karterud, Sigmund

    2010-01-01

    The study investigated crucial aspects of the construct validity of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM-IV) histrionic personality disorder (HPD) category. The study included 2289 patients from the Norwegian Network of Psychotherapeutic Day Hospitals. Construct validity was assessed by means of prevalence, comorbidity with other personality disorders, internal consistency among HPD criteria, severity indices, as well as factor analyses. The prevalence of HPD was very low (0.4 %). The comorbidity was high, especially with borderline, narcissistic, and dependent personality disorders. The internal consistency was low. The criteria seemed to form 2 separate clusters: the first contained exhibitionistic and attention-seeking traits and the other contained impressionistic traits. The results indicated poor construct validity of the HPD category. Different options for the future of the category are discussed. The authors suggest the HPD category to be deleted from the DSM system. However, the clinical phenomena of exhibitionism and attention-seeking, which are the dominant personality features of HPD, should be preserved in an exhibitionistic subtype of narcissism. Copyright 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  1. How Do DSM-5 Personality Traits Align With Schema Therapy Constructs?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bach, Bo; Lee, Christopher; Mortensen, Erik Lykke; Simonsen, Erik

    2016-08-01

    DSM-5 offers an alternative model of personality pathology that includes 25 traits. Although personality disorders are mostly treated with psychotherapy, the correspondence between DSM-5 traits and concepts in evidence-based psychotherapy has not yet been evaluated adequately. Suitably, schema therapy was developed for treating personality disorders, and it has achieved promising evidence. The authors examined associations between DSM-5 traits and schema therapy constructs in a mixed sample of 662 adults, including 312 clinical participants. Associations were investigated in terms of factor loadings and regression coefficients in relation to five domains, followed by specific correlations among all constructs. The results indicated conceptually coherent associations, and 15 of 25 traits were strongly related to relevant schema therapy constructs. Conclusively, DSM-5 traits may be considered expressions of schema therapy constructs, which psychotherapists might take advantage of in terms of case formulation and targets of treatment. In turn, schema therapy constructs add theoretical understanding to DSM-5 traits.

  2. Evaluating Callous-Unemotional Traits as a Personality Construct.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Frick, Paul J; Ray, James V

    2015-12-01

    We evaluate the importance of callous-unemotional (CU) traits as a personality construct in isolation from other facets of psychopathy. Specifically, we review research suggesting that these traits are useful for designating a subgroup of youth with serious conduct problems who differ from other antisocial youth on important biological, emotional, cognitive, and social characteristics. In addition, the temperamental features related to CU traits are risk factors for impairments in conscience development in young children. Thus, these traits could advance theoretical models explaining the development of severe antisocial behavior and psychopathy. CU traits also have important clinical utility because they designate a particularly severe and impaired subgroup of antisocial youth, leading to their inclusion in the DSM-5. As a result of this inclusion in diagnostic classification, there has been an increased focus on how to best assess CU traits, and we discuss several key issues in their assessment, highlighting several limitations in existing measures. Finally, the increased use of CU traits, separately from other facets of psychopathy, makes it important to determine how these traits relate to other personality constructs. Thus, we examine how measures of CU traits relate to the broader construct of psychopathy and to other basic personality dimensions. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  3. Approaching multidimensional forms of knowledge through Personal Meaning Mapping in science integrating teaching outside the classroom

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hartmeyer, Rikke; Bolling, Mads; Bentsen, Peter

    2017-01-01

    knowledge dimensions is important, especially in science teaching outside the classroom, where “hands-on” approaches and experiments are often part of teaching and require procedural knowledge, among other things. Therefore, this study investigates PMM as a method for exploring specific knowledge dimensions......Current research points to Personal Meaning Mapping (PMM) as a method useful in investigating students’ prior and current science knowledge. However, studies investigating PMM as a method for exploring specific knowledge dimensions are lacking. Ensuring that students are able to access specific...... in formal science education integrating teaching outside the classroom. We applied a case study design involving two schools and four sixth-grade classes. Data were collected from six students in each class who constructed personal meaning maps and were interviewed immediately after natural science...

  4. Development and Validation of Triarchic Construct Scales from the Psychopathic Personality Inventory

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hall, Jason R.; Drislane, Laura E.; Patrick, Christopher J.; Morano, Mario; Lilienfeld, Scott O.; Poythress, Norman G.

    2014-01-01

    The Triarchic model of psychopathy describes this complex condition in terms of distinct phenotypic components of boldness, meanness, and disinhibition. Brief self-report scales designed specifically to index these psychopathy facets have thus far demonstrated promising construct validity. The present study sought to develop and validate scales for assessing facets of the Triarchic model using items from a well-validated existing measure of psychopathy—the Psychopathic Personality Inventory (PPI). A consensus rating approach was used to identify PPI items relevant to each Triarchic facet, and the convergent and discriminant validity of the resulting PPI-based Triarchic scales were evaluated in relation to multiple criterion variables (i.e., other psychopathy inventories, antisocial personality disorder features, personality traits, psychosocial functioning) in offender and non-offender samples. The PPI-based Triarchic scales showed good internal consistency and related to criterion variables in ways consistent with predictions based on the Triarchic model. Findings are discussed in terms of implications for conceptualization and assessment of psychopathy. PMID:24447280

  5. Personal Homepage Construction as an Expression of Social Development

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schmitt, Kelly L.; Dayanim, Shoshana; Matthias, Stacey

    2008-01-01

    In 2 studies, the authors explored preadolescent and adolescent use of personal homepages in relation to mastery and identity formation. In Study 1, the authors attempted to determine the prevalence of personal homepage and online journal (blog) construction among a random sample (N = 500) of preadolescents and adolescents. Adolescents were more…

  6. Validating the Type D personality construct in Chinese patients with coronary heart disease.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yu, Doris S F; Thompson, David R; Yu, Cheuk Man; Pedersen, Susanne S; Denollet, Johan

    2010-08-01

    Type D personality predicts poor prognosis in coronary heart disease (CHD) but little is known about Type D in non-Western cultures. We examined the (a) validity of the Type D construct and its assessment with the DS14 scale in the Chinese culture, (b) prevalence of Type D, and (c) gender vs. Type D discrepancies in depression/anxiety, among Chinese patients with CHD. Patients with CHD (N=326) completed the Chinese version of the DS14. The NEO Five Factor Inventory (NEO-FFI), Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), and Stress Symptom Checklist (SSC) were administered to subsamples to establish construct and discriminant validity. Administration of the DS14, HADS, and SSC was repeated at 1 month after hospital discharge in 66 patients, and stability of the DS14 was examined in another subsample of 100 patients. The theoretical structure of the Type D construct in the Chinese culture was supported (chi(2)/df=2.89, root mean square error of approximation=0.08, normal fit index=0.91, non-normal fit index=0.91, comparative fit index=0.93). The Negative Affectivity (NA) and Social Inhibition (SI) subscales of the DS14 in the entire sample were internally consistent (Cronbach's alpha=0.89/0.81), measured stable traits (3-month test-retest ICC=0.76/0.74), and correlated significantly with the neuroticism (NA/neuroticism, r=0.78, Ppersonality was 31%. Type D was not related to transient emotional states. However, Chinese patients with a Type D personality were at increased concurrent risk of anxiety (P=.002) and depression (P=.016). Type D personality is a cross-culturally valid construct, is associated with an increased risk of anxiety and depression, and deserves prompt attention in estimating the prognostic risk of Chinese CHD patients. Copyright 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  7. Teachers’ personal constructs on problem behaviour: towards professional development & Personal constructs on (problem) pupils: a teacher’s view

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    H. Everaert; J.T.E. van Beukering; J.M.F. Touw; P. Kos

    2005-01-01

    This study focuses on revealing and developing personal constructs regarding problem behaviour in classrooms. Twenty-nine teachers (initial and in-service students) took part in the project. The main idea is that teachers’ opinions about their pupils and themselves influence the way they act in

  8. Constructive Deviance, Destructive Deviance and Personality: How do they interrelate?

    OpenAIRE

    Bodankin, Moran; Tziner, Aharon

    2009-01-01

    In recent years deviant behavior in organizations has drawn increasing attention. However, surprisingly little research has focused on constructive rather than destructive deviance. In an attempt to bridge this gap, the present study investigated both constructive and destructive deviance at work and their relationship to employee personality. Using 89 hitech employees, constructive and destructive (interpersonal and organizational) deviance were regressed on the big-five factors of personali...

  9. K-means clustering for support construction in diffractive imaging.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hattanda, Shunsuke; Shioya, Hiroyuki; Maehara, Yosuke; Gohara, Kazutoshi

    2014-03-01

    A method for constructing an object support based on K-means clustering of the object-intensity distribution is newly presented in diffractive imaging. This releases the adjustment of unknown parameters in the support construction, and it is well incorporated with the Gerchberg and Saxton diagram. A simple numerical simulation reveals that the proposed method is effective for dynamically constructing the support without an initial prior support.

  10. Construct Validity of Adolescent Antisocial Personality Disorder

    Science.gov (United States)

    Taylor, Jeanette; Elkins, Irene J.; Legrand, Lisa; Peuschold, Dawn; Iacono, William G.

    2007-01-01

    This study examined the construct validity of antisocial personality disorder (ASPD) diagnosed in adolescence. Boys and girls were grouped by history of DSM-III-R conduct disorder (CD) and ASPD: Controls (n = 340) had neither diagnosis; CD Only (n = 77) had CD by age 17 but no ASPD through age 20; Adolescent ASPD (n = 64) had ASPD by age 17. The…

  11. Students' personal professional theories in competence-based vocational education : the construction of personal knowledge through internalisation and socialisation.

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Marieke van der Schaaf; Paul Kirschner; Prof.Dr. Elly de Bruijn; Dr. Harmen Schaap

    2009-01-01

    This article aims to provide an insight into how students construct their professional knowledge and what the content and nature of personal professional knowledge is through the concept of PPTs (personal professional theories).

  12. Using Personal Construct Theory to Explore Self-Image with Adolescents with Learning Disabilities

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thomas, Samantha; Butler, Richard; Hare, Dougal Julian; Green, David

    2011-01-01

    A young person's construct of self can be fundamental to their psychological well being (Glick 1999; Emler 2001). However limited research has been conducted in the United Kingdom to explore self-image with adolescents with learning disabilities. Previous studies have demonstrated the effective use of personal construct theory with children…

  13. Constructing Meanings and Utilities within Algebraic Tasks

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ainley, Janet; Bills, Liz; Wilson, Kirsty

    2004-01-01

    The Purposeful Algebraic Activity project aims to explore the potential of spreadsheets in the introduction to algebra and algebraic thinking. We discuss two sub-themes within the project: tracing the development of pupils' construction of meaning for variable from arithmetic-based activity, through use of spreadsheets, and into formal algebra,…

  14. Personal values and meaning in the use of methamphetamine among HIV-positive men who have sex with men.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chartier, Maggie; Araneta, Angela; Duca, Lindsey; McGlynn, Lawrence M; Gore-Felton, Cheryl; Goldblum, Peter; Koopman, Cheryl

    2009-04-01

    Our aim with this qualitative study was to understand the role of personal values, meaning, and impact of drug use among HIV-positive men who have sex with men (MSM) who struggle with methamphetamine use. Participants were 22 MSM recruited from an ethnically diverse county in the San Francisco Bay area of California. Grounded theory was used to analyze the data collected in individual interviews. Emergent constructs of context, meaning, and perceived impact were identified and are described in a theoretical narrative format. The importance of broadening our understanding of HIV and methamphetamine addiction and their interaction is highlighted. This study contributes to the understanding of the complexity of methamphetamine use within the specific population of MSM living with HIV/ AIDS, and suggests possible directions for addressing important maintaining factors like adaptive use and enhancing factors that could contribute to an individual's ability to make better choices based on meaning and personal values.

  15. Students’ personal professional theories in competence-based vocational education: the construction of personal knowledge through internalisation and socialisation

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Schaap, Harmen; De Bruijn, Elly; Van der Schaaf, Marieke; Kirschner, Paul A.

    2009-01-01

    Schaap, H., De Bruijn, E., Van der Schaaf, M. F., & Kirschner, P. A. (2009). Students' personal professional theories in competence-based vocational education: the construction of personal knowledge through internalisation and socialisation. Journal of Vocational Education & Training, 61(4),

  16. Mean Profiles of the NEO Personality Inventory

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Allik, J.; Church, A.T.; Ortiz, F. A.; Rossier, J.; Hřebíčková, Martina; De Fruyt, F.; Realo, A.; McCrae, R. R.

    2017-01-01

    Roč. 48, č. 3 (2017), s. 402-420 ISSN 0022-0221 Institutional support: RVO:68081740 Keywords : personality * five-factor model * cross-cultural research * traits * country mean scores * NEO-PI-R * NEO-PI-3 Subject RIV: AN - Psychology OBOR OECD: Psychology (including human - machine relations) Impact factor: 1.657, year: 2016

  17. Measuring single constructs by single items: Constructing an even shorter version of the "Short Five" personality inventory.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kenn Konstabel

    Full Text Available The aim of this study was to construct a short, 30-item personality questionnaire that would be, in terms of content and meaning of the scores, as comparable as possible with longer, well-established inventories such as NEO PI-R and its clones. To do this, we shortened the formerly constructed 60-item "Short Five" (S5 by half so that each subscale would be represented by a single item. We compared all possibilities of selecting 30 items (preserving balanced keying within each domain of the five-factor model in terms of correlations with well-established scales, self-peer correlations, and clarity of meaning, and selected an optimal combination for each domain. The resulting shortened questionnaire, XS5, was compared to the original S5 using data from student samples in 6 different countries (Estonia, Finland, UK, Germany, Spain, and China, and a representative Finnish sample. The correlations between XS5 domain scales and their longer counterparts from well-established scales ranged from 0.74 to 0.84; the difference from the equivalent correlations for full version of S5 or from meta-analytic short-term dependability coefficients of NEO PI-R was not large. In terms of prediction of external criteria (emotional experience and self-reported behaviours, there were no important differences between XS5, S5, and the longer well-established scales. Controlling for acquiescence did not improve the prediction of criteria, self-peer correlations, or correlations with longer scales, but it did improve internal reliability and, in some analyses, comparability of the principal component structure. XS5 can be recommended as an economic measure of the five-factor model of personality at the level of domain scales; it has reasonable psychometric properties, fair correlations with longer well-established scales, and it can predict emotional experience and self-reported behaviours no worse than S5. When subscales are essential, we would still recommend using the

  18. Personal Meaning Orientations and Psychosocial Adaptation in Older Adults

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gary T. Reker

    2011-04-01

    Full Text Available This study examined how different patterns of sources of meaning in life impact the psychosocial adaptation of older adults. A total of 120 (62 women and 58 men community-residing older adults completed self-report measures of sources of meaning in life, physical health, life satisfaction, depression, personality, existential regrets, attitudes toward aging, and attitudes toward life. Cluster analysis of sources of meaning revealed four distinct meaning orientations: self-transcendent (n = 32, collectivistic (n = 24, individualistic (n = 34, and self-preoccupied (n = 30. MANCOVA analysis of the four groups, controlling for age, marital status, education, and financial satisfaction, revealed a strong multivariate main effect for meaning orientation. No statistically significant gender and Gender × Meaning orientation interaction effects were found. Older adults, who derive meaning from self-transcendent sources, are more extraverted, open to experience, agreeable, and conscientious; perceive greater purpose and coherence in life; feel more in control in directing their lives; express a stronger desire to get more out of life; and are less depressed compared with those who derive meaning through pursuing self-serving interests without any real commitment to personal, interpersonal, or societal development. The implications of the findings for positive aging are discussed.

  19. Teaching of History: argumentation and the construction of meaning

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Patricia Bastos de Azevedo

    2011-06-01

    Full Text Available The aim of this article is to discuss the construction of meaning through argumentation in the teaching of History. The field research was carried out in a municipal school in Niterói – RJ. The research included 30 hours of recordings of History classes of a group of the 4th cycle of Elementary Education (also called 8th year of Elementary Education. The data analysis articulated the theoretical elements related to curriculum, language and culture. It can be pointed out a possibility of theoretical approximation of these three fields of knowledge relating them to the concrete space of the History class. The challenge is to create a dialogue among the theories from the curriculum, language and culture fields, aiming to understand the construction of meaning in the teaching of History by means of argumentation.

  20. Refining the construct of narcissistic personality disorder: diagnostic criteria and subtypes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Russ, Eric; Shedler, Jonathan; Bradley, Rebekah; Westen, Drew

    2008-11-01

    Narcissistic personality disorder has received relatively little empirical attention. This study was designed to provide an empirically valid and clinically rich portrait of narcissistic personality disorder and to identify subtypes of the disorder. A random national sample of psychiatrists and clinical psychologists (N=1,201) described a randomly selected current patient with personality pathology. Clinicians provided detailed psychological descriptions of the patients using the Shedler-Westen Assessment Procedure-II (SWAP-II), completed a checklist of axis II diagnostic criteria, and provided construct ratings for each axis II personality disorder. Descriptions of narcissistic patients based on both raw and standardized SWAP-II item scores were aggregated to identify, respectively, the most characteristic and the most distinctive features of narcissistic personality disorder. A total of 255 patients met DSM-IV criteria for narcissistic personality disorder based on the checklist and 122 based on the construct ratings; 101 patients met criteria by both methods. Q-factor analysis identified three subtypes of narcissistic personality disorder, which the authors labeled grandiose/malignant, fragile, and high-functioning/exhibitionistic. Core features of the disorder included interpersonal vulnerability and underlying emotional distress, along with anger, difficulty in regulating affect, and interpersonal competitiveness, features that are absent from the DSM-IV description of narcissistic personality disorder. These findings suggest that DSM-IV criteria for narcissistic personality disorder are too narrow, underemphasizing aspects of personality and inner experience that are empirically central to the disorder. The richer and more differentiated view of narcissistic personality disorder suggested by this study may have treatment implications and may help bridge the gap between empirically and clinically derived concepts of the disorder.

  1. Beyond sperm cells: a qualitative study on constructed meanings of the sperm donor in lesbian families.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wyverkens, E; Provoost, V; Ravelingien, A; De Sutter, P; Pennings, G; Buysse, A

    2014-06-01

    What meanings do lesbian couples construct regarding their sperm donor? For some parents, the donor was increasingly presented as a person, whereas for other parents, the donor was seen as an instrument from the moment they received the sperm donation. Few studies specifically focus on how lesbian couples deal with the issue of third-party anonymous gamete donation. It is often assumed that they have fewer difficulties than heterosexual couples with the involvement of a male procreator, since their status as a donor conception family is 'socially visible' and there is no social father who fears exclusion. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 10 lesbian couples (20 participants), recruited via the Ghent University Hospital. All couples had at least one child, conceived through anonymous donor insemination, between 7 and 10 years old. Within the data corpus, a particular data set was analyzed where couples referred to their donor and his position in their family. Step-by-step inductive thematic analysis was performed resulting in themes that are grounded in the data. All phases of the analysis were followed by team discussion. This study reveals different donor constructs, indicating different ways of dealing with the third-party involvement in the family. Some parents diminish the role of the donor throughout family life and continue to present him as an instrument: something they needed in order to become parents. Others show an increasing interest in the donor as the children mature, which results in a more personalized account of the donor. In our qualitative cross-sectional study, we collected retrospectively constructed stories. Longitudinal qualitative and quantitative research is required to allow for an extrapolation of the conclusions made. This study shows how the concept of the donor is constructed within lesbian families and how it is challenged by the child's developing personality and features. When counseling prospective parents, it could

  2. Personal exposure to inhalable cement dust among construction workers.

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Peters, S.M.; Thomassen, Y.; Fechter-Rink, E.; Kromhout, H.

    2009-01-01

    Objective- A case study was carried out to assess cement dust exposure and its determinants among construction workers and for comparison among workers in cement and concrete production.Methods- Full-shift personal exposure measurements were performed and samples were analysed for inhalable dust and

  3. Meaning in life of older persons : An integrative literature review

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    MSc S.H.A. Hupkens; Anja Machielse; Dr. M.J.B.M. Goumans; P. Derkx

    2016-01-01

    The aim of this integrative review for nurses is to synthesize knowledge from scholarly literature to provide insight into how older persons find meaning in life, what are influencing circumstances, and what are their sources of meaning. The review serves as a starting point for including meaning in

  4. Meaning and purpose in the lives of persons with AIDS.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Coward, D D

    1994-10-01

    Little research has been reported that explores meaning-discovery and meaning-making in persons with AIDS. Self-transcendence experiences, as proposed by Reed (1991), may lead to maintenance or restoration of mental health in persons facing end-of-life issues. Nurses who work with persons with life-threatening illness, such as men and women with AIDS, have opportunities to facilitate choices that lead to experiences from which meaning and emotional well-being may be obtained. This study used a phenomenological approach to describe experiences of 10 men and 10 women with AIDS that led to feelings of increased self-worth, purpose, and meaning in their lives. Participants provided oral or written descriptions of experiences associated with feelings of increased connectedness with others, sense of well-being, and hope for longer life. Data were analyzed using Colaizzi's phenomenological technique (1978). Although men and women with AIDS faced some of the same issues, their responses were different. By incorporating gender and individual differences, nurses may be better able to create therapeutic exchanges in which self-transcendence views and behaviors are fostered in both men and women with AIDS.

  5. Students' Personal Professional Theories in Competence-Based Vocational Education: The Construction of Personal Knowledge through Internalisation and Socialisation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schaap, H.; de Bruijn, E.; Van der Schaaf, M. F.; Kirschner, P. A.

    2009-01-01

    Competence-based vocational education is based on a constructivist learning paradigm, where the development of students' personal professional knowledge is emphasised. However, there is a lack of insight into how students construct their own professional knowledge and what the content and nature of personal professional knowledge is. This article…

  6. Measuring single constructs by single items: Constructing an even shorter version of the “Short Five” personality inventory

    Science.gov (United States)

    Konstabel, Kenn; Lönnqvist, Jan-Erik; Leikas, Sointu; García Velázquez, Regina; Qin, Hiaying; Verkasalo, Markku; Walkowitz, Gari

    2017-01-01

    The aim of this study was to construct a short, 30-item personality questionnaire that would be, in terms of content and meaning of the scores, as comparable as possible with longer, well-established inventories such as NEO PI-R and its clones. To do this, we shortened the formerly constructed 60-item “Short Five” (S5) by half so that each subscale would be represented by a single item. We compared all possibilities of selecting 30 items (preserving balanced keying within each domain of the five-factor model) in terms of correlations with well-established scales, self-peer correlations, and clarity of meaning, and selected an optimal combination for each domain. The resulting shortened questionnaire, XS5, was compared to the original S5 using data from student samples in 6 different countries (Estonia, Finland, UK, Germany, Spain, and China), and a representative Finnish sample. The correlations between XS5 domain scales and their longer counterparts from well-established scales ranged from 0.74 to 0.84; the difference from the equivalent correlations for full version of S5 or from meta-analytic short-term dependability coefficients of NEO PI-R was not large. In terms of prediction of external criteria (emotional experience and self-reported behaviours), there were no important differences between XS5, S5, and the longer well-established scales. Controlling for acquiescence did not improve the prediction of criteria, self-peer correlations, or correlations with longer scales, but it did improve internal reliability and, in some analyses, comparability of the principal component structure. XS5 can be recommended as an economic measure of the five-factor model of personality at the level of domain scales; it has reasonable psychometric properties, fair correlations with longer well-established scales, and it can predict emotional experience and self-reported behaviours no worse than S5. When subscales are essential, we would still recommend using the full version

  7. Cultural Meanings Construction: An Analysis of the Organic Grape Juice Market

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marlon Dalmoro

    2015-04-01

    Full Text Available Regarding the meanings networks that involve markets, this research aims to analyze cultural meanings production in the organic grape juice market, involving consumers and producers agents. It was adopted a qualitative approach with an interpretative character by interviews with 25 consumers and producers. Cultural meanings construction description and analysis involved the socio-cultural context, interaction between agents (producers and consumers and meanings assigned by each agent. Organics are meant as food for both agents. However, others meanings associated to organics operate in dichotomic levels. It results in a non-homogeneous network between producers and consumers, reflecting the different cultural universe of each agent. These results mainly contribute in understanding the patterns of production and consumption around the food market. The lack of consolidated networks of meanings limit the construction and establishment of organic products market structures.

  8. An Integrative Analysis of the Narcissistic Personality Inventory and the Hypomanic Personality Scale: Implications for Construct Validity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stanton, Kasey; Daly, Elizabeth; Stasik-O'Brien, Sara M; Ellickson-Larew, Stephanie; Clark, Lee Anna; Watson, David

    2017-09-01

    The primary goal of this study was to explicate the construct validity of the Narcissistic Personality Inventory (NPI) and the Hypomanic Personality Scale (HPS) by examining their relations both to each other and to measures of personality and psychopathology in a community sample ( N = 255). Structural evidence indicates that the NPI is defined by Leadership/Authority, Grandiose Exhibitionism, and Entitlement/Exploitativeness factors, whereas the HPS is characterized by specific dimensions reflecting Social Vitality, Mood Volatility, and Excitement. Our results establish that (a) factor-based subscales from these instruments display divergent patterns of relations that are obscured when relying exclusively on total scores and (b) some NPI and HPS subscales more clearly tap content specifically relevant to narcissism and mania, respectively, than others. In particular, our findings challenge the construct validity of the NPI Leadership/Authority and HPS Social Vitality subscales, which appear to assess overlapping assertiveness content that is largely adaptive in nature.

  9. SOCIAL CONSTRUCTION OF MEANINGS ABOUT PREGNANCY-MOTHERHOOD AMONG ADOLESCENTS

    OpenAIRE

    Araujo, Nayara Bueno de; Mandú, Edir Nei Teixeira

    2015-01-01

    ABSTRACT This study aimed to comprehend the social construction of meanings about pregnancy-motherhood among pregnant adolescents. An explicative study, conducted in 2014, with 12 adolescents, using individual and group interview, local context observation, consultation of documents and precepts of Fairclough's Critical Discourse Analysis. The meaning of compatibility between pregnancy and adolescence was found, and the contraposition to the dominant discourse of adolescent pregnancy as a pro...

  10. Metaphor, Multiplicative Meaning and the Semiotic Construction of Scientific Knowledge

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Yu; Owyong, Yuet See Monica

    2011-01-01

    Scientific discourse is characterized by multi-semiotic construction and the resultant semantic expansions. To date, there remains a lack of analytical methods to explicate the multiplicative nature of meaning. Drawing on the theories of systemic functional linguistics, this article examines the meaning-making processes across language and…

  11. How Do DSM-5 Personality Traits Align With Schema Therapy Constructs?

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bach, Bo; Lee, Christopher; Mortensen, Erik Lykke

    2016-01-01

    therapy was developed for treating personality disorders, and it has achieved promising evidence. The authors examined associations between DSM-5 traits and schema therapy constructs in a mixed sample of 662 adults, including 312 clinical participants. Associations were investigated in terms of factor......DSM-5 offers an alternative model of personality pathology that includes 25 traits. Although personality disorders are mostly treated with psychotherapy, the correspondence between DSM-5 traits and concepts in evidence-based psychotherapy has not yet been evaluated adequately. Suitably, schema...

  12. Measuring personality functioning in older adults: construct validity of the Severity Indices of Personality Functioning - Short Form (SIPP-SF).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rossi, Gina; Debast, Inge; van Alphen, S P J

    2017-07-01

    The dimensional personality disorders model in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM)-5 section III conceptually differentiates impaired personality functioning (criterion A) from the presence of pathological traits (criterion B). This study is the first to specifically address the measurement of criterion A in older adults. Moreover, the convergent/divergent validity of criterion A and criterion B will be compared in younger and older age groups. The Severity Indices of Personality Functioning - Short Form (SIPP-SF) was administered in older (N = 171) and younger adults (N = 210). The factorial structure was analyzed with exploratory structural equation modeling. Differences in convergent/divergent validity between personality functioning (SIPP-SF) and pathological traits (Personality Inventory for DSM-5; Dimensional Assessment of Personality Pathology-Basic Questionnaire) were examined across age groups. Identity Integration, Relational Capacities, Responsibility, Self-Control, and Social Concordance were corroborated as higher order domains. Although the SIPP-SF domains measured unique variation, some high correlations with pathological traits referred to overlapping constructs. Moreover, in older adults, personality functioning was more strongly related to Psychoticism, Disinhibition, Antagonism and Dissocial Behavior compared to younger adults. The SIPP-SF construct validity was demonstrated in terms of a structure of five higher order domains of personality functioning. The instrument is promising as a possible measure of impaired personality functioning in older adults. As such, it is a useful clinical tool to follow up effects of therapy on levels of personality functioning. Moreover, traits were associated with different degrees of personality functioning across age groups.

  13. Servant Leadership and Constructive Development Theory: How Servant Leaders Make Meaning of Service

    Science.gov (United States)

    Phipps, Kelly A.

    2010-01-01

    A connection between servant leadership and constructive developmental theory is proposed. A theoretical framework is offered that examines the subject and object relationship for servant leaders at progressive stages of meaning making, showing how the way leaders make meaning of service evolves with their constructive development. The framework…

  14. Assessing Personal Constructs of Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Person-Centered Measure of Social Cognition

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hess, Sean; Self, Trisha; DiLollo, Anthony

    2018-01-01

    Many protocols assessing social communication skills of adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are based on behavioral observations. It has been suggested, however, that social cognition encompasses processes underlying observable behaviors. Such processes include personal constructs, which can be assessed using repertory grids. Personal…

  15. An Examination of the Personality Constructs Underlying Dimensions of Creative Problem-Solving Style

    Science.gov (United States)

    Isaksen, Scott G.; Kaufmann, Astrid H.; Bakken, Bjørn T.

    2016-01-01

    This study investigated the personality facets that underpin the construct of problem-solving style, particularly when approaching more creative kinds of problem-solving. Cattell's Sixteen Personality Factors Questionnaire and VIEW--An Assessment of Problem Solving Style were administered to 165 students from the Norwegian Business School. We…

  16. Assessment of personality disorder by means of NeuroSPECT

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mena G, Ismael; Nader N, Armando; Valdes M, Cecilia; Riquelme V, Raul

    2012-01-01

    We report on functional imaging results in 24 patients of Personality Disorder (P.D.) performed with NeuroSPECT by means of Tc99m HMPAO, in Basal state and during frontal cortical activation by means of the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test. Results demonstrate that we can make the diagnosis of P.D. when we detect significant hypoperfusion (- 2 Stand/ Deviations below the normal mean for the same age group) in the subgenual area (Area 25 of Brodmann) and in Area 24 of Brodmann, the anterior cingulated gyrus. Both areas are paradoxically more hypoperfused during the Wisconsin Test. Among patients diagnosed with P.D. NeuroSPECT can distinguish between patients of Cluster B from the ones from Cluster C in both Basal and Activation State, while Cluster A from B could be differentiated only in Basal State. On the other hand Motor Impulsivity patients could be differentiated from the Cognitive group due to paradoxical hypoperfusion in motor areas 1,2,3, and 4 of Brodmann. While the number of patients studied appears reduced these results demonstrate the capability of diagnosing Personality Disorder and also the capability to improved understanding of the subgroups of this Disorder

  17. LINKING PERSONAL COMPETENCIES WITH TRANSFORMATIONAL LEADERSHIP STYLE EVIDENCE FROM THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY IN THAILAND

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kedsuda Limsila

    2008-06-01

    Full Text Available This study explored the linkage between personal competencies and leadership behaviours as well as their influences on leadership outcomes and subordinates’ work performance. Personal competencies were measured using the Project Manager Competency Development (PMCD tool. Leadership behaviours and outcomes were measured using Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ. Data was collected from construction projects in Thailand. Findings revealed that leadership outcomes have significant positive relationship with all personal competencies specified in the PMCD framework, every factor in the transformational style and contingent reward factor in the transactional style. Transformational leaders tend to produce high work quality, work quantity, and problem solving creativity from subordinates. Findings further verified that all PMCD personal competencies have significant positive relationship with every factor in the transformational style. It implies that project managers who apply the transformational style and/or have high personal competencies indicated in PMCD framework are likely to generate greater leadership outcomes and work performance on construction projects.

  18. Personal and common meanings of sexualised coercion

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Pedersen, Bodil Maria

    In 2003 a research project on the personal and common meanings of sexualised coercion was initiated at the Centre for Victims of Sexual Assault at the University Hospital of Copenhagen. Right from its start in the year 2000 first and second generation migrant women were among those seeking help...... on their difficulties in the aftermath of their experience of sexualised coercion. Reversely, a point of departure in psychiatric diagnosis such as PTSD and depression may contribute to the symbolic violence implicit in many dominant discourses concerning gender, violence as well as ethnicity. My presentation...

  19. Design and construction of a personal radiation monitor

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Oliveira, A.H. de.

    1979-01-01

    The design and construction of a personal radiation monitor is dealt with. It provides a direct and reliable reading of the received dose, and sounds an alarm in the event of an excessive dose rate. A detailed analysis of its design, construction and caracteristics is given, as well a comparison with usual dosimeters. The apparatus is based on large-scale integrated electronics, it is reliable, easy to read, and can be used in the same manner as a film-badge. Contrariwise to both the film-badge and the termoluminescent dosimeters, it allows a direct reading. Also, it is not susceptible to false readings due to mechanical shocks, which is the weak point of the pocket ionization chamber. The dosimeter described herein is equipped with a special corrective shield that gives the correct dose reading, regardless of the photon energy. It is also highly immune to neutron interference. (Author) [pt

  20. Family-nurse co-construction of meaning: a central phenomenon of family caring.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Meiers, Sonja J; Tomlinson, Patricia S

    2003-06-01

    The purpose of the study was to understand and interpret caring in the family health experience by exploring the interactional phenomenon of family-nurse co-construction of meaning in the paediatric intensive care unit (PICU). A hermeneutic phenomenological method within a framework of existentialism and symbolic interactionism was used in the investigation. The convenience sample for this study was four family-nurse dyads, that is four families of critically ill children (all with positive outcomes) and the four nurses assigned to their care who were participating in a larger study. Data were derived from semi-structured interviews regarding significant interactions throughout the child's illness and subsequent significant interactions of families with other nurses and nurses with other families. Trustworthiness of the study was addressed through the criteria of credibility, dependability, transferability and confirmability. Co-construction of meaning in the family health experience was found to have two dimensions: interdependent and independent. Both families and nurses described being like family as an essential component of the interdependent experience. Independent dimensions for families were journeying through troubled waters of learning the meaning of the illness event and sensing family comfort through the nurse's care. Independent dimensions described by nurses were journeying through troubled waters of learning to care for families and living with another's fear. The family-nurse interaction, the relational connection and the evolution of meanings that families and nurses construct, was affirmed as the major vehicle in the co-construction experience. Family caring is influenced by the existential meaning constructing, process-oriented, interactional nature of the family health experience. Caring in the family health experience is enhanced through actions the nurse performs on behalf of, and with, the family while understanding the family's unique

  1. Construction and communication of meanings in popular music

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Julián Céspedes Guevara

    2010-11-01

    Full Text Available Both musicology and the psychology of music have traditionally approached the construction and communication of musical meanings using a functionalist model of communication. The purpose of this research is to study these phenomena within the context of popular music, using a constructivist theoretical framework. Two songs from a funk-rock band and 2 songs from a jazz band were heard individually by 6 members of the bands and by 14 participants without formal musical training. The participants were asked to indicate the moments in which the music called their attention, and to elaborate on the meaning of each song. The findings were interpreted as evidence that musical meaning is not inherent to music, that popular music is not always perceived an expression of emotions, and that musical communication depends on the existence of shared symbolic referents by musicians and listeners. As a conclusion, a constructivist conceptual model of musical communication is proposed

  2. Personality Traits and Positive/Negative Affects: An Analysis of Meaning in Life among Adults

    Science.gov (United States)

    Isik, Serife; Üzbe, Nazife

    2015-01-01

    This study examines the impact of positive and negative affects and personality traits on meaning in life in an adult population. The sample consisted of 335 subjects: 190 females and 145 males, and a Meaning in Life Questionnaire (MLQ), positive and negative schedule (PANAS), and adjective-based personality scale (ABPT) were used in the research.…

  3. The Questionnaire of Personality Disorders (VMO: Construction and preleminary research

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Emil Benedik

    2004-09-01

    Full Text Available The article describes the development of the self-report Questionnaire of Personality Disorders (VMO, which was constructed on the basis of DSM-IV classification for personality disorders(American Psychiatric Association, 1994, Beck's theory of dysfunctional cognitive schemas (Beck in Freeman, 1990 and psychoanalytic theories of basic personality structures. We focused on the basic experiencing of self and others, which is characteristic of specific personality type. In regard to these theories we believe that personality disorder is a broader term; the disorders within it are not limited to existing DSM-IV axis II categories. The personality disorders are complex phenomenon, which are better described on dimensional then categorical scales as well. The questionnaire consists of 213 items, which correspond to 12 clinical scales (for histrionic, obsessive-compulsive, passive-aggressive, avoidant, dependent, depressive, narcissistic, borderline, antisocial, paranoid, schizoid and schizotypal personality disorders and a lie scale. According to the personality organization theory (Kernberg, 1986 and other psychoanalytic theories it is divided into four parts: for neurotic (histrionic, obsessive-compulsive, passive-aggressive and avoidant disorders, depressive (dependent and depressive disorders, borderline (narcissistic, borderline and antisocial disorders and psychotic disorders (paranoid, schizoid and schizotypal disorders. The questionnaire was administered to 415 adult psychiatric patients and 215 health persons of both sexes. They were compared according to the responses of the questionnaire. The internal reliability of scales is sufficient, but correlation between scales is quite strong. The validity was tested with the Personality Diagnostic Questionnaire (PDQ-4, Hyler, 1994 and through comparing of the results of healthy individuals and psychiatric patients with different diagnosis. The results are generally in accordance with the

  4. Teaching secondary science constructing meaning and developing understanding

    CERN Document Server

    Ross, Keith; McKechnie, Janet

    2010-01-01

    Now fully updated in its third edition Teaching Secondary Science is a comprehensive guide to all aspects of science teaching, providing a wealth of information and ideas about different approaches. With guidance on how children understand scientific ideas and the implications this has on teaching, teachers are encouraged to construct their own meanings and become reflective in their practice. Relating science to government agendas, such as the National Strategies, Assessment for Learning and Every Child Matters, this new edition reflects and maps to changes in national standards. Ke

  5. Relationships of Personality Traits and the Meaning and Value of Work for Junior College Students

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kazanas, H. C.; Morrison, R. E.

    1977-01-01

    Technical associate of science degree students and transfer associate of arts degree students were compared on personality traits and factors associated with the meaning and value of work. Results indicated several personality traits and factors of the meaning and value of work could be used as predictors of curricular choice. (Author)

  6. Personal selling constructs and measures: Emic versus etic approaches to cross-national research

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    J. Herché (Joel); M.J. Swenson (Michael); W.J.M.I. Verbeke (Willem)

    1996-01-01

    textabstractEvaluates transportability of personal selling measures across cultural boundaries. Concept of measurement development; Emic and etic approaches to developing measures for cross-cultural applications; Cross-national dimensionality, reliability and construct validity of adaptive selling

  7. Poor Validity of the DSM-IV Schizoid Personality Disorder Construct as a Diagnostic Category.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hummelen, Benjamin; Pedersen, Geir; Wilberg, Theresa; Karterud, Sigmund

    2015-06-01

    This study sought to evaluate the construct validity of schizoid personality disorder (SZPD) by investigating a sample of 2,619 patients from the Norwegian Network of Personality-Focused Treatment Programs by a variety of statistical techniques. Nineteen patients (0.7%) reached the diagnostic threshold of SZPD. Results from the factor analyses indicated that SZPD consists of three factors: social detachment, withdrawal, and restricted affectivity/ anhedonia. Overall, internal consistency and diagnostic efficiency were poor and best for the criteria that belong to the social detachment factor. These findings pose serious questions about the clinical utility of SZPD as a diagnostic category. On the other hand, the three factors were in concordance with findings from previous studies and with the trait model for personality disorders in DSM-5, supporting the validity of SZPD as a dimensional construct. The authors recommend that SZPD should be deleted as a diagnostic category in future editions of DSM-5.

  8. Personal construct psychology: a theory to help understand professional development, a philosophy to support it.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brocklehurst, Paul R

    2010-10-01

    The aim of this paper is to introduce the reader to personal construct psychology as a theory to help understand the process of change in facilitative and mentoring relationships. Continuing professional development is critical if practitioners are to keep up to date with new ideas, techniques, and materials. However, is it important not only to consider what is learnt, it is also important to understand the how of learning in order to develop an approach that leads to lifelong learning. Mentoring, coaching, and appraisal are all facilitative processes that aim to encourage professionals to engage with their own development. This leads to differing degrees of both behavioural and attitudinal change. As a result, it is useful to have a theory that can help an individual to understand these changes and to identify any difficulties that are associated with them. Personal construct psychology has long been recognised as a potential framework for personal development. It has been used extensively in a broad range of domains, including clinical and educational psychology, management, and psychotherapy. Personal construct psychology is a useful theory for understanding the facilitative process because it enables the facilitator to form a conceptual framework to comprehend behavioural and attitudinal change. Its underlying philosophical approach also supports lifelong learning, given its emphasis on an enquiring mind and reflection, both of which are key to continuing professional development.

  9. An integral approach to town planning: lessons from personal construct theory, part 1

    OpenAIRE

    A Jackson

    1986-01-01

    Personal construct theory is introduced as an all-embracing philosophy which provides a consistent framework for integrating different notions about the planning process. The implication is that 'man-the-planner' does not necessarily have constructs which are better, more accurate, or more predictive than his subject, 'man-the-planned'. Policies can be seen as theories, in which case they should be clearly expressed as such. The theory and its methodology have been used in an empirical invest...

  10. Review: Johanna Mutzl (2005. "Die Macht von Dreien ..." Medienhexen und moderne Fangemeinschaften. Bedeutungskonstruktionen im Internet ["Three's Power"—Media Witches and Modern Fan Communities. The Construction of Meaning on the Internet

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Angela Tillmann

    2006-03-01

    Full Text Available Johanna MUTZL's study is concerned with the construction of meaning on the Internet amongst fans of the TV series Charmed. Conducted in both German and English, the study is based on a discourse and genre analysis, an e-mail questionnaire, and a grounded theory evaluation of over 200 fan sites. The study persuasively demonstrates how the Internet has contributed to the development of new means of production and distribution as well as the formation of creative communities. According to this study, fans derive personal relevance for their own, daily experience from media images of womanhood and witchcraft. Constructing personally relevant discourses, their productivity is setting up new (discursive spaces on fan pages and social communication networks on the Internet. MUTZL describes these as "fan spaces", in reference to Doreen MASSEY (1994, whose approach she has elaborated into her own three-pronged model. URN: urn:nbn:de:0114-fqs0602287

  11. Personal selling constructs and measures: Emic versus etic approaches to cross-national research

    OpenAIRE

    Herché, Joel; Swenson, Michael; Verbeke, Willem

    1996-01-01

    textabstractEvaluates transportability of personal selling measures across cultural boundaries. Concept of measurement development; Emic and etic approaches to developing measures for cross-cultural applications; Cross-national dimensionality, reliability and construct validity of adaptive selling (ADAPTS) and customer-oriented selling (SOCO).

  12. Construct Validity of the Psychopathic Personality Inventory Two-Factor Model with Offenders

    Science.gov (United States)

    Patrick, Christopher J.; Edens, John F.; Poythress, Norman G.; Lilienfeld, Scott O.; Benning, Stephen D.

    2006-01-01

    Much of the research on psychopathy has treated it as a unitary construct operationalized by total scores on one (or more) measures. More recent studies on the Psychopathic Personality Inventory (PPI) suggest the existence of two distinct facets of psychopathy with unique external correlates. Here, the authors report reanalyses of two offender…

  13. The co-construction of medical humanitarianism: analysis of personal, organizationally condoned narratives from an agency website.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ager, Alastair; Iacovou, Melina

    2014-11-01

    Recent years have seen significant growth in both the size and profile of the humanitarian sector. However, little research has focused upon the constructions of humanitarian practice negotiated by agencies and their workers that serve to sustain engagement in the face personal challenges and critique of the humanitarian enterprise. This study used the public narrative of 129 website postings by humanitarian workers deployed with the health-focused international humanitarian organization Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) to identify recurrent themes in personal, organizationally-condoned, public discourse regarding humanitarian practice. Data represented all eligible postings from a feature on the agency's UK website from May 2002 to April 2012. The text of postings was analysed with respect to emergent themes on an iterative basis. Comprehensive coding of material was achieved through a thematic structure that reflected the core domains of project details, the working environment, characteristics of beneficiaries and recurrent motivational sub-texts. Features of the co-construction of narratives include language serving to neutralize complex political contexts; the specification of barriers as substantive but surmountable; the dominance of the construct of national-international in understanding the operation of teams; intense personal identification with organization values; and the use of resilience as a framing of beneficiary adaptation and perseverance in conditions that--from an external perspective--warrant despair and withdrawal. Recurrent motivational sub-texts include 'making a difference' and contrasts with 'past professional constraints' and 'ordinary life back home.' The prominence of these sub-texts not only highlights key personal agendas but also suggests--notwithstanding policy initiatives regarding stronger contextual rooting and professionalism--continuing organizational emphasis on externality and volunteerism. Overall, postings illustrate a

  14. Muslim personal law and the meaning of "law" in the South African and Indian constitutions

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    C Rautenbach

    1999-12-01

    Full Text Available The Muslim population of South Africa follows a practice which may be referred to as Muslim personal law. Although section 15 of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa 108 of 1996 recognises religious freedom and makes provision for the future recognition of other personal law systems, Muslim personal law is, at this stage, not formally recognised in terms of South African law. Since Muslim personal law receives no constitutional recognition the question may be asked whether the 1996 Constitution, and in particular the Bill of Rights as contained in chapter 2 of the 1996 Constitution, is applicable to "non-recognised" Muslim personal law. The answer to this question depends to a large extent on the meaning of "law" as contained in the 1996 Constitution.When the viewpoint of academic writers and the courts are evaluated it seems as if the meaning of law in South Africa is restricted to the common law, customary law and legislation. If such a viewpoint is to be followed, Muslim personal law is excluded from the scrutiny of the Bill of Rights. It is, however, inconceivable that there might be certain areas of "law" that are not subject to the scrutiny of the Bill of Rights. In this note it will be argued that Muslim personal law should be regarded as law in terms of the 1996 Constitution, or in the alternative, that Muslim personal law (or at least Muslim marriages should be recognised in terms of section 15 of the 1996 Constitution.Due to the historical resemblance between South Africa and India the meaning of "law" as contained in the 1996 Constitution will be compared with the meaning of "law" as contained in the Constitution of India. Although the Constitution of India indirectly gives recognition to various personal laws in India, these personal laws are not subject to the provisions of the Constitution of India. Therefore, it would be argued that one should approach the Constitution of India with caution when its provisions are

  15. Personal Construction of Cough Medicine among Young Substance Abusers in Hong Kong

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Daniel T. L. Shek

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available Although cough medicine abuse is a growing problem in many places, there is no study examining the views of young substance abusers toward cough medicine. The objective of this study was to examine personal constructions of cough medicine abusers via the repertory grid tests (=11. Several observations are highlighted from the study. First, personal constructions of cough medicine were mixed, including the benefits and harmful effects of its abuse. Second, although the informants perceived cough medicine to be addictive and harmful, they perceived cough medicine to be less addictive and less harmful than did heroin. Third, while the informants construed cough medicine to be similar to ketamine and marijuana, they also perceived cough medicine to possess some characteristics of heroin. Fourth, relative to the construed similarity between heroin and the gateway drugs (cigarette, beer, and liquor, the informants construed cough medicine to be more similar to the gateway drugs. Finally, a higher level of perceived dissimilarity between cough medicine and gateway drugs was related to a higher level of perceived harm of cough medicine abuse.

  16. Social construction of arctic wilderness: place meanings, value pluralism, and globalization

    Science.gov (United States)

    Daniel R. Williams

    2002-01-01

    This paper offers a social constructionist approach to examining the nature and dynamics of arctic wilderness meanings and values. Viewing wilderness as a socially constructed place responds to growing critiques of modern "Enlightenment" views of nature and society in three ways examined here. First, wilderness landscapes are seen as geographically organized...

  17. Personality traits in old age: measurement and rank-order stability and some mean-level change.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mõttus, René; Johnson, Wendy; Deary, Ian J

    2012-03-01

    Lothian Birth Cohorts, 1936 and 1921 were used to study the longitudinal comparability of Five-Factor Model (McCrae & John, 1992) personality traits from ages 69 to 72 years and from ages 81 to 87 years, and cross-cohort comparability between ages 69 and 81 years. Personality was measured using the 50-item International Personality Item Pool (Goldberg, 1999). Satisfactory measurement invariance was established across time and cohorts. High rank-order stability was observed in both cohorts. Almost no mean-level change was observed in the younger cohort, whereas Extraversion, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, and Intellect declined significantly in the older cohort. The older cohort scored higher on Agreeableness and Conscientiousness. In these cohorts, individual differences in personality traits continued to be stable even in very old age, mean-level changes accelerated.

  18. Disarming the Threat to Feminist Identification: An Application of Personal Construct Theory to Measurement and Intervention

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moradi, Bonnie; Martin, Annelise; Brewster, Melanie E.

    2012-01-01

    Many individuals endorse feminist values but do not identify as feminist. The present set of studies tests the concept of threat, grounded in G. A. Kelly's personal construct theory of personality, as a potential factor in feminist nonidentification. Study 1 introduces the theoretically grounded "Feminist Threat Index" and evaluates its…

  19. Integrating the Differentiated: A Review of the Personal Construct Approach to Cognitive Complexity

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Kovářová, Marie; Filip, Miroslav

    2015-01-01

    Roč. 28, č. 4 (2015), s. 342-366 ISSN 1072-0537 R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GAP407/12/2432 Institutional support: RVO:68081740 Keywords : cognitive complexity * psychology of personal constructs * repertory grid technique Subject RIV: AN - Psychology Impact factor: 0.333, year: 2015

  20. Personal values underlying ethnic food choice: Means-end evidence for Japanese food

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yeong S. Tey

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available Background: Ethnic cuisines are increasingly popular in global food markets. This study identifies the personal values underlying Malaysian consumers' decision making with respect to Japanese food. Methods: A total of 134 Malaysian consumers were interviewed and analyzed using means-end chain methodology. Results: Our findings indicate that Japanese food is chosen for the values that the attribute “tasty” can help achieve, not for that attribute per se. Conclusion: Identified values primarily related to longevity, meaningful life-style and sense of accomplishment. The identification of these connections is an important step in understanding why a particular ethnic food is favored by foreign consumers. Our findings could be helpful to restaurateurs in meeting marketing strategies with consumer values and policymakers when designing health campaigns. Keywords: Attributes, Japanese food, Means-end chain, Personal values, Product attributes, Cognition

  1. Relationship between meanings, emotions, product preferences and personal values. Application to ceramic tile floorings.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Agost, María-Jesús; Vergara, Margarita

    2014-07-01

    This work aims to validate a conceptual framework which establishes the main relationships between subjective elements in human-product interaction, such as meanings, emotions, product preferences, and personal values. The study analyzes the relationships between meanings and emotions, and between these and preferences, as well as the influence of personal values on such relationships. The study was applied to ceramic tile floorings. A questionnaire with images of a neutral room with different ceramic tile floorings was designed and distributed via the web. Results from the study suggest that both meanings and emotions must be taken into account in the generation of product preferences. The meanings given to the product can cause the generation of emotions, and both types of subjective impressions give rise to product preferences. Personal reference values influence these relationships between subjective impressions and product preferences. As a consequence, not only target customers' demographic data but specifically their values and criteria must be taken into account from the beginning of the development process. The specific results of this paper can be used directly by ceramic tile designers, who can better adjust product design (and the subjective impressions elicited) to the target market. Consequently, the chance of product success is reinforced. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd and The Ergonomics Society. All rights reserved.

  2. How personal resources predict work engagement and self-rated performance among construction workers: a social cognitive perspective.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lorente, Laura; Salanova, Marisa; Martínez, Isabel M; Vera, María

    2014-06-01

    Traditionally, research focussing on psychosocial factors in the construction industry has focused mainly on the negative aspects of health and on results such as occupational accidents. This study, however, focuses on the specific relationships among the different positive psychosocial factors shared by construction workers that could be responsible for occupational well-being and outcomes such as performance. The main objective of this study was to test whether personal resources predict self-rated job performance through job resources and work engagement. Following the predictions of Bandura's Social Cognitive Theory and the motivational process of the Job Demands-Resources Model, we expect that the relationship between personal resources and performance will be fully mediated by job resources and work engagement. The sample consists of 228 construction workers. Structural equation modelling supports the research model. Personal resources (i.e. self-efficacy, mental and emotional competences) play a predicting role in the perception of job resources (i.e. job control and supervisor social support), which in turn leads to work engagement and self-rated performance. This study emphasises the crucial role that personal resources play in determining how people perceive job resources by determining the levels of work engagement and, hence, their self-rated job performance. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed. © 2014 International Union of Psychological Science.

  3. Construction Meaning of Mixed Marriages for Indonesian Muslim Women

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zikri Fachrul Nurhadi

    2016-07-01

    Full Text Available The background of this problem is the increasing number of Indonesian citizens who perform mixed marriages, especially women who are married to foreign nationals. This, resulted in the problem starts from differences of religion or belief, culture and lifestyle are different. The purpose of this study is to find and explain the motives, meaning and experience of Indonesian Muslim women as perpetrators of intermarriage. This research method using the phenomenological method that focuses on the study of meaning in everyday life from the perspective of those who experience it. Data collection techniques used participant observation, interview and documentation study. Subjects were Indonesian Muslim women aged 30-40 years, were married to foreign nationals by purposive sampling technique. The results showed that mixed marriages have a motive "because" that is the motive trauma and interest, while the motive "for" consists of the dream motive, worship and repair descent. Likewise intermarriage experience demonstrated mutual culturally adjust, adapt to a multicultural, open and romantic attitude. While the meaning of marriage is an interesting mix, happy, merging two cultures, respect for differences, mutual understanding, complex, beautiful. Construction of meaning formed that a mixed marriage is a marriage of attractive, beautiful, full of challenges in the face of differences in terms of culture, habits and mindset in running family life.

  4. Validating the Type D personality construct in Chinese patients with coronary heart disease

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Yu, Doris S F; Thompson, David R; Yu, Cheuk Man

    2010-01-01

    Type D personality predicts poor prognosis in coronary heart disease (CHD) but little is known about Type D in non-Western cultures. We examined the (a) validity of the Type D construct and its assessment with the DS14 scale in the Chinese culture, (b) prevalence of Type D, and (c) gender vs. Typ...

  5. The social construction of violence among Northern Plains tribal members with antisocial personality disorder and alcohol use disorder.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jervis, Lori L; Spicer, Paul; Belcourt, Annie; Sarche, Michelle; Novins, Douglas K; Fickenscher, Alexandra; Beals, Janette

    2014-02-01

    Whereas recent reports from national studies have presented extremely high rates for many personality disorders in American Indian communities, persistent concerns about the meaning of these symptoms have left many troubled by these reports. American Indians as a group are known to suffer disproportionately from a number of violent experiences, but the dynamics of this violence have received little attention. This paper examines perspectives on violence in the lives of 15 northern plains tribal members who met criteria for antisocial personality disorder and comorbid alcohol use disorder. It explores how study participants constructed and understood their own violent encounters, as well as the motivations they described (characterized here as reputation, leveling, retaliation, catharsis, and self-defense). Violence was gendered in this study, with men generally presenting as perpetrators and women as victims. Men often described themselves as ready participants in a violent world, while women were quite clear that aggression for them was often simply required as they tried to defend themselves from male violence. While this analysis does not replace clinical analyses of violence in antisocial personality disorder, it does reveal an underlying cultural logic that may play a role in shaping the recourse to violence for that minority of individuals for whom it appears to be the obvious choice.

  6. The Investigation of Construct Validity of Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorder-5 Personality Traits on Iranian sample with Antisocial and Borderline Personality Disorders.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Amini, Mehdi; Pourshahbaz, Abbas; Mohammadkhani, Parvaneh; Ardakani, Mohammad-Reza Khodaie; Lotfi, Mozhgan

    2014-12-01

    The goal of this study was to examine the construct validity of the diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorder-5 (DSM-5) conceptual model of antisocial and borderline personality disorders (PDs). More specifically, the aim was to determine whether the DSM-5 five-factor structure of pathological personality trait domains replicated in an independently collected sample that differs culturally from the derivation sample. This study was on a sample of 346 individuals with antisocial (n = 122) and borderline PD (n = 130), and nonclinical subjects (n = 94). Participants randomly selected from prisoners, out-patient, and in-patient clients. Participants were recruited from Tehran prisoners, and clinical psychology and psychiatry clinics of Razi and Taleghani Hospital, Tehran, Iran. The SCID-II-PQ, SCID-II, DSM-5 Personality Trait Rating Form (Clinician's PTRF) were used to diagnosis of PD and to assessment of pathological traits. The data were analyzed by exploratory factor analysis. Factor analysis revealed a 5-factor solution for DSM-5 personality traits. Results showed that DSM-5 has adequate construct validity in Iranian sample with antisocial and borderline PDs. Factors similar in number with the other studies, but different in the content. Exploratory factor analysis revealed five homogeneous components of antisocial and borderline PDs. That may represent personality, behavioral, and affective features central to the disorder. Furthermore, the present study helps understand the adequacy of DSM-5 dimensional approach to evaluation of personality pathology, specifically on Iranian sample.

  7. The investigation of construct validity of diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorder-5 personality traits on iranian sample with antisocial and borderline personality disorders

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mehdi Amini

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Background: The goal of this study was to examine the construct validity of the diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorder-5 (DSM-5 conceptual model of antisocial and borderline personality disorders (PDs. More specifically, the aim was to determine whether the DSM-5 five-factor structure of pathological personality trait domains replicated in an independently collected sample that differs culturally from the derivation sample. Methods: This study was on a sample of 346 individuals with antisocial (n = 122 and borderline PD (n = 130, and nonclinical subjects (n = 94. Participants randomly selected from prisoners, out-patient, and in-patient clients . Participants were recruited from Tehran prisoners, and clinical psychology and psychiatry clinics of Razi and Taleghani Hospital, Tehran, Iran. The SCID-II-PQ, SCID-II, DSM-5 Personality Trait Rating Form (Clinician′s PTRF were used to diagnosis of PD and to assessment of pathological traits. The data were analyzed by exploratory factor analysis. Results: Factor analysis revealed a 5-factor solution for DSM-5 personality traits. Results showed that DSM-5 has adequate construct validity in Iranian sample with antisocial and borderline PDs. Factors similar in number with the other studies, but different in the content. Conclusions: Exploratory factor analysis revealed five homogeneous components of antisocial and borderline PDs. That may represent personality, behavioral, and affective features central to the disorder. Furthermore, the present study helps understand the adequacy of DSM-5 dimensional approach to evaluation of personality pathology, specifically on Iranian sample.

  8. Using personal construct methodology to explore relationships with adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Murphy, Mark; Burns, Jan; Kilbey, Elizabeth

    2017-11-01

    Research shows that adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) experience difficulties developing friendships, and that loneliness is a significant factor contributing to higher incidence of anxiety and depression within this population. This study aimed to provide an in-depth analysis of relationships as described by adolescents with ASD, and, from these descriptions, to explore what can be inferred about the development of successful interpersonal relationships for these individuals. Eight adolescents with ASD participated in semi-structured interviews using established personal construct theory (PCT) techniques. PCT was found to be a helpful approach to elicit rich, qualitative data. A thematic analysis identified four themes: relationships as a source of support, perceptions of similarity and difference, valued qualities in self and others, and the development and maintenance of relationships. Whilst this exploratory study highlighted some commonality in terms of perceptions of family support and friendships as protective and desirable, participants differed in their ability to establish and maintain peer relationships. Participants valued personal qualities such as intelligence, humour and trust within relationships, and recognised the important role of peers and siblings in the development of social skills, a finding which has implications for the delivery of social skills training and other interventions. The study provides empirical support for the application of personal construct methodologies in ASD research and offers a potentially useful approach to therapeutic intervention. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  9. Validity of the Type D personality construct in Danish post-MI patients and healthy controls

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Pedersen, Susanne S.; Denollet, Johan

    2004-01-01

    Type D personality has been associated with increased risk of depression, vital exhaustion, social alienation, a higher number of reinfarctions, and higher mortality rates in patients with established coronary artery disease (CAD) independent of traditional biomedical risk factors. The construct ...

  10. Integrating the Differentiated: A Review of the Personal Construct Approach to Cognitive Complexity

    OpenAIRE

    Kovářová, M. (Marie); Filip, M. (Miroslav)

    2015-01-01

    This article reviews personal construct psychology (PCP) research on cognitive complexity. It examines conceptual foundations, measures of cognitive complexity, and a large body of empirical findings. It identifies several ambiguities in the conceptualization of the two components of cognitive complexity: differentiation and integration. These ambiguities lead to inconsistent interpretations of indexes proposed for their measurement and consequently to an inconsistent interpretation of em...

  11. Usability Constructs

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hertzum, Morten; Clemmesen, Torkil; Hornbæk, Kasper Anders Søren

    2007-01-01

    Whereas research on usability predominantly employs universal definitions of the aspects that comprise usability, people experience their use of information systems through personal constructs. Based on 48 repertory-grid interviews, this study investigates how such personal constructs are affected...... use of constructs traditionally associated with usability (e.g., easy-to-use, intuitive, and liked). Further analysis of the data is ongoing...

  12. The Experience of Chinese Bereaved Persons: A Preliminary Study of Meaning Making and Continuing Bonds

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chan, Cecilia L. W.; Chow, Amy Y. M.; Ho, Samuel M. Y.; Tsui, Yenny K. Y.; Tin, Agnes F.; Koo, Brenda W. K.; Koo, Elaine W. K.

    2005-01-01

    This study explores the bereavement process of Chinese persons in Hong Kong, with the focus on how they make meaning of the death as well as how they maintain a bond with the deceased. A review of video- and audiotapes of 52 bereaved persons in bereavement counseling pointed to how these concepts are reflected in key themes that appeared…

  13. The right place? Users and professionals' constructions of the place's influence on personal recovery in community mental health services.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Femdal, Ingrid

    2018-01-01

    Current mental health policy emphasizes the importance of community-based service delivery for people with mental health problems to encompass personal recovery. The aim of this study is to explore how users and professionals construct the place's influence on personal recovery in community mental health services. This is a qualitative, interpretive study based on ten individual, semi-structured interviews with users and professionals, respectively. A discourse analysis inspired by the work of Foucault was used to analyze the interviews. The findings show how place can be constructed as a potential for and as a barrier against recovery. Constructions of the aim of the services matter when choosing a place for the services. Further, constructions of user-professional relationships and flexibility are important in the constructions of an appropriate place for the services. The aim of the service, the user-professional relationship, and flexibility in choosing place were essential in the participants' constructions. To find "the right place" for mental health services was constructed as context-sensitive and complex processes of assessment and co-determination. Trial registration The study is approved by the Regional Committee for Medical Research Ethics, Norway (REK-Midt 2011/2057).

  14. Content Analysis of the Construction of Self and Others in Women with Bulimia Nervosa.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dada, Gloria; Izu, Sheila; Montebruno, Claudia; Grau, Antoni; Feixas, Guillem

    2017-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to explore the content of personal constructs in people diagnosed with bulimia nervosa (BN). We expected to find differences in the predominant content of the construct systems between women with and without BN. We analyzed the constructs elicited using the repertory grid technique from 120 women aged between 18 to 45 years, divided into two groups: a clinical group of women diagnosed with bulimia ( n = 62) and a control group of university students ( n = 58). The constructs were categorized using the Classification System for Personal Constructs (CSPC), composed of six themes which are broken down into 45 categories. For this study, a new area called "Physical" was included, and it consists of three categories. The results indicated that women diagnosed with bulimia used significantly more constructs related to the body, while the control group used more constructs from the personal area. In addition, the congruent constructs from the clinical sample were predominantly moral, or related to values and interests, while discrepant constructs were personal and physical. The findings provide evidence for the clinical use of the CSPC as an instrument for exploring the content of personal meaning systems. Understanding the patient's personal constructions about herself and others is useful for treatment. Moreover, it is important for clinicians to explore the content of constructs related to symptomatic areas, which could be hindering change, and focus on them to facilitate improvement.

  15. Basic personal values and the meaning of left-right political orientations in 20 countries

    OpenAIRE

    Piurko, Yuval; Schwartz, Shalom H; Davidov, Eldad

    2011-01-01

    This study used basic personal values to elucidate the motivational meanings of ‘left’ and ‘right’ political orientations in 20 representative national samples from the European Social Survey (2002-3). It also compared the importance of personal values and socio-demographic variables as determinants of political orientation. Hypotheses drew on the different histories, prevailing culture, and socio-economic level of 3 sets of countries—liberal, traditional and post-communist. As hy...

  16. The meaning and validation of social support networks for close family of persons with advanced cancer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sjolander, Catarina; Ahlstrom, Gerd

    2012-09-17

    To strengthen the mental well-being of close family of persons newly diagnosed as having cancer, it is necessary to acquire a greater understanding of their experiences of social support networks, so as to better assess what resources are available to them from such networks and what professional measures are required. The main aim of the present study was to explore the meaning of these networks for close family of adult persons in the early stage of treatment for advanced lung or gastrointestinal cancer. An additional aim was to validate the study's empirical findings by means of the Finfgeld-Connett conceptual model for social support. The intention was to investigate whether these findings were in accordance with previous research in nursing. Seventeen family members with a relative who 8-14 weeks earlier had been diagnosed as having lung or gastrointestinal cancer were interviewed. The data were subjected to qualitative latent content analysis and validated by means of identifying antecedents and critical attributes. The meaning or main attribute of the social support network was expressed by the theme Confirmation through togetherness, based on six subthemes covering emotional and, to a lesser extent, instrumental support. Confirmation through togetherness derived principally from information, understanding, encouragement, involvement and spiritual community. Three subthemes were identified as the antecedents to social support: Need of support, Desire for a deeper relationship with relatives, Network to turn to. Social support involves reciprocal exchange of verbal and non-verbal information provided mainly by lay persons. The study provides knowledge of the antecedents and attributes of social support networks, particularly from the perspective of close family of adult persons with advanced lung or gastrointestinal cancer. There is a need for measurement instruments that could encourage nurses and other health-care professionals to focus on family members

  17. Competitiveness of personality as a psychological phenomenon: The content of the construct and its typology

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Klyueva, Olga A.

    2016-06-01

    Full Text Available Human activity (professional and production-related occurs within the context of explicit or implicit competition and proves to be more or less productive and creative. Operationalization and measurement of the competitiveness of personality without due regard for personal and situational interactions reduces the content of the notion. Competitiveness requires a high degree of personal energy, flexibility, intelligence, and creativity in regulating activity. However, enlarging the domain of psychological studies has necessitated the study of personality in the context of the natural social situations in which it functions. This structural and functional analysis allows expansion of the description of the phenomenology of the competitiveness of personality as well as classification of the strategies of competitive behavior. In this study competitive-behavior strategies (1,064 critical incidents in professional activities were analyzed using the Critical Incident Technique and thematic content analysis. To classify the data set, I used two-step cluster analysis as an exploratory method and analyzed the cross-tables of several categorical variables using the log-linear method of model selection. I applied the Solution Tree method for categorical variables to build a dependent-variable hierarchical model with the relevant predictor values. Through analysis of the results of the cluster analysis, the hierarchical model, and the functional and situational analysis of the context, it is possible to single out and validate three types of competitiveness strategies: the dependent, irrational, destructive, short-term strategy (quasi-competitiveness; the dependent, rational, constructive, short-term strategy; and the free, rational, constructive, long-term strategy. Study of the nature of competition and a subject’s competitive-behavior strategies is required to analyze, predict, and correct destructive strategies for enhancing performance.

  18. Viewing the Personality Traits Through a Cerebellar Lens: a Focus on the Constructs of Novelty Seeking, Harm Avoidance, and Alexithymia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Petrosini, Laura; Cutuli, Debora; Picerni, Eleonora; Laricchiuta, Daniela

    2017-02-01

    The variance in the range of personality trait expression appears to be linked to structural variance in specific brain regions. In evidencing associations between personality factors and neurobiological measures, it seems evident that the cerebellum has not been up to now thought as having a key role in personality. This paper will review the most recent structural and functional neuroimaging literature that engages the cerebellum in personality traits, as novelty seeking and harm avoidance, and it will discuss the findings in the context of contemporary theories of affective and cognitive cerebellar function. By using region of interest (ROI)- and voxel-based approaches, we recently evidenced that the cerebellar volumes correlate positively with novelty seeking scores and negatively with harm avoidance scores. Subjects who search for new situations as a novelty seeker does (and a harm avoiding does not do) show a different engagement of their cerebellar circuitries in order to rapidly adapt to changing environments. The emerging model of cerebellar functionality may explain how the cerebellar abilities in planning, controlling, and putting into action the behavior are associated to normal or abnormal personality constructs. In this framework, it is worth reporting that increased cerebellar volumes are even associated with high scores in alexithymia, construct of personality characterized by impairment in cognitive, emotional, and affective processing. On such a basis, it seems necessary to go over the traditional cortico-centric view of personality constructs and to address the function of the cerebellar system in sustaining aspects of motivational network that characterizes the different temperamental traits.

  19. Perspective on the personal and professional needs of the project leader in construction industry in Libya: a case study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Abdul Hamid kadir Pakir

    2010-05-01

    Full Text Available The quality of leadership is one of the most important factors in determining the success and survival of groups and organizations. The purpose of this paper is to examine the leadership needs of the project manger in the Libyan construction companies. The objective was identified the most important and crucial personal and professional needs of the project manager. This study attempted to identify the needs of the project managers in the construction industry in Libya. The finding has shown that all managers surveyed basically agreed that adherence to law/legality, specific, concise and rational, followed by intuitive and open minded are ranked as the most crucial personal needs that should be acquired to become an effective project manager in the construction industry. On the other hand, attention to details, project focus, adherence to construction industries/ professional codes, time concious / constraints, problem solving were ranked as the crucial professional needs that required the respondents.

  20. [Primary healthcare and the construction of meanings for oral health: a social constructionist interpretation of discourses by the elderly].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bulgarelli, Alexandre Favero; Lorenzi, Carla Guanáes; Silva, Rosalina Carvalho da; Mestriner, Soraya Fernandes; Villa, Teresa Cristina Scatena; Pinto, Ione Carvalho

    2012-08-01

    Dentistry is nowadays open to new ideas about the constructions of meanings for oral health. This openness tallies with the social production of health and shows the need to contextualize the social, historical and sundry knowledge in the development of oral health for different communities. The scope of this research is to build meanings for oral health with a group of elderly people. With this in mind, we propose an approximation between the discourses of the elderly on oral health and the Social Constructionist discourse. Thus, we interviewed 14 elderly people registered with a Family Health Unit in Ribeirão Preto in the State of São Paulo in the first semester of 2010. This enabled us to identify two Interpretative Repertoires with the use of Discourse Analysis, which showed the relationship between: 1 - Lack of dental information and assistance in childhood; and 2 - Primary Healthcare constructing meaning for oral health. We concluded that Social Constructionism assists epistemologically for the construction of meaning for oral health and that Primary Healthcare is essential for valuing healthcare for the construction of meaning for oral health on the part of the elderly by fostering conditions for self care and healthy attitudes.

  1. A Conceptual Framework for Knowledge Creation Based on Constructed Meanings within Mentor-Learner Conversations

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Badie, Farshad

    2016-01-01

    focus of this article is on construction of conceptual knowledge and its development. This research localises the constructivist learning in the context of mentor-learner interactions. It will analyse meaning construction relying on my own conceptual framework that represents a semantic loop......Constructivism is a learning philosophy and an educational theory of learning. In the framework of constructivism, a human being with insights based on her/his pre-structured knowledge and on background knowings could actively participate in an interaction with another human being. The central...

  2. Analysis of means of improving the uncontrolled lateral motions of personal airplanes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mckinney, Marion O , Jr

    1951-01-01

    A theoretical analysis has been made of means of improving the uncontrolled motions of personal airplanes. The purpose of this investigation was to determine whether such airplanes could be made to fly uncontrolled for an indefinite period of time without getting into dangerous attitudes and for a reasonable period of time (1 to 3 min) without deviating excessively from their original course. The results of this analysis indicated that the uncontrolled motions of a personal airplane could be made safe as regards spiral tendencies and could be greatly improved as regards maintenance of course without resort to an autopilot. The only way to make the uncontrolled motions completely satisfactory as regards continuous maintenance of course, however, is to use a conventional type of autopilot.

  3. Fostering Personal Meaning and Self-Relevance: A Self-Determination Theory Perspective on Internalization

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vansteenkiste, Maarten; Aelterman, Nathalie; De Muynck, Gert-Jan; Haerens, Leen; Patall, Erika; Reeve, Johnmarshall

    2018-01-01

    Central to self-determination theory (SDT) is the notion that autonomously motivated learning relates to greater learning benefits. While learners' intrinsic motivation has received substantial attention, learners also display volitional learning when they come to endorse the personal meaning or self-relevance of the learning task. In Part I of…

  4. How personal resources predict work engagement and self-rated performance among construction workers: A social cognitive perspective

    OpenAIRE

    Lorente Prieto, Laura; Salanova Soria, Marisa; Martínez Martínez, Isabel M.; Vera Perea, María

    2014-01-01

    Traditionally, research focussing on psychosocial factors in the construction industry has focused mainly on the negative aspects of health and on results such as occupational accidents. This study, however, focuses on the specific relationships among the different positive psychosocial factors shared by construction workers that could be responsible for occupational well-being and outcomes such as performance. The main objective of this study was to test whether personal resources predict se...

  5. The environment and the construction of meanings in elementary education

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Patrícia Barbosa Pereira

    2012-12-01

    Full Text Available Reflecting about the possibility of multiple meanings (the polisemy, parallel to the practices that bring the mecanism of repetition (paraphrase, we investigated which meanings students in school can understand under the framework of environment. Also, we analyzed how reading and writing may contribute for the construction of these different possibilities of meanings about environment. We adopted the French Discourse Analysis (DA as a methodological and theoretical frame of work. In addition, under the influence of Science, Technology and Society (STS studies, with a objective of a broader, more critical and reflexive approach for the concept of environment. Through of an education proposal, with the central theme of the environment, we developed, from the influence of media materials in the school context, activities that are related to the presence of an opening for polysemy in the classroom. We find that the paraphrase has become common in many activities, a sense of movement affiliation, in which, sometimes, the students have joined an environment with mainly natural features, sometimes with a social environment. Thus, the background provided by STS concomitantly with the arguments based in our teaching objectives, were able to disrupt this discourses dynamics throughout the course of these activities

  6. Trails of meaning construction: Symbolic artifacts engage the social brain.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tylén, Kristian; Philipsen, Johanne Stege; Roepstorff, Andreas; Fusaroli, Riccardo

    2016-07-01

    Symbolic artifacts present a challenge to theories of neurocognitive processing due to their hybrid nature: they are at the same time physical objects and vehicles of intangible social meanings. While their physical properties can be read of their perceptual appearance, the meaning of symbolic artifacts depends on the perceiver's interpretative attitude and embeddedness in cultural practices. In this study, participants built models of LEGO bricks to illustrate their understanding of abstract concepts. They were then scanned with fMRI while presented to photographs of their own and others' models. When participants attended to the meaning of the models in contrast to their bare physical properties, we observed activations in mPFC and TPJ, areas often associated with social cognition, and IFG, possibly related to semantics. When contrasting own and others' models, we also found activations in precuneus, an area associated with autobiographical memory and agency, while looking at one's own collective models yielded interaction effects in rostral ACC, right IFG and left Insula. Interestingly, variability in the insula was predicted by individual differences in participants' feeling of relatedness to their fellow group members during LEGO construction activity. Our findings support a view of symbolic artifacts as neuro-cognitive trails of human social interactions. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  7. The Mini Questionnaire of Personal Organization (MQPO): preliminary validation of a new post-rationalist personality questionnaire.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nardi, Bernardo; Arimatea, Emidio; Giovagnoli, Sara; Blasi, Stefano; Bellantuono, Cesario; Rezzonico, Giorgio

    2012-01-01

    The Mini Questionnaire of Personal Organization (MQPO) has been constructed in order to comply with the inward/outward Personal Meaning Organization's (PMO) theory. According to Nardi's Adaptive Post-Rationalist approach, predictable and invariable caregivers' behaviours allow inward focus and a physical sight of reciprocity; non-predictable and variable caregivers' behaviours allow outward focus and a semantic sight of reciprocity. The 20 items of MQPO have been selected from 29 intermediate (n = 160) and 40 initial items (n = 204). Psychometric validation has been conducted (n = 296), including Internal Validity (Item-Total Correlation; Factor Analysis), Internal Coherence by Factor Analysis, two analyses in Discriminant Validity (n = 132 and n = 80) and Reliability by Test-Retest Analysis (n = 49). All subjects have been given their written informed consent before beginning the test. The validation of the MQPO shows that the ultimate version is consistent with its post-rationalist paradigm. Four different factors have been found, one for each PMO. Validity of the construct and the internal reliability index are satisfying (Alpha = 0.73). Moreover, the results obtained are constant (from r = 0.80 to r = 0.89). There is an adequate agreement between the MQPO scales and the clinical evaluations (72.5%), as well as an excellent agreement (80.0%) between the scores of the MQPO and those of the Personal Meaning Questionnaire. The MQPO is a tool able to study personality as a process by focusing on the relationships between personality and developmental process axes, which are the bases of the PMO's theory, according to the APR approach. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  8. The meaning and validation of social support networks for close family of persons with advanced cancer

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    Sjolander Catarina

    2012-09-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background To strengthen the mental well-being of close family of persons newly diagnosed as having cancer, it is necessary to acquire a greater understanding of their experiences of social support networks, so as to better assess what resources are available to them from such networks and what professional measures are required. The main aim of the present study was to explore the meaning of these networks for close family of adult persons in the early stage of treatment for advanced lung or gastrointestinal cancer. An additional aim was to validate the study’s empirical findings by means of the Finfgeld-Connett conceptual model for social support. The intention was to investigate whether these findings were in accordance with previous research in nursing. Methods Seventeen family members with a relative who 8–14 weeks earlier had been diagnosed as having lung or gastrointestinal cancer were interviewed. The data were subjected to qualitative latent content analysis and validated by means of identifying antecedents and critical attributes. Results The meaning or main attribute of the social support network was expressed by the theme Confirmation through togetherness, based on six subthemes covering emotional and, to a lesser extent, instrumental support. Confirmation through togetherness derived principally from information, understanding, encouragement, involvement and spiritual community. Three subthemes were identified as the antecedents to social support: Need of support, Desire for a deeper relationship with relatives, Network to turn to. Social support involves reciprocal exchange of verbal and non-verbal information provided mainly by lay persons. Conclusions The study provides knowledge of the antecedents and attributes of social support networks, particularly from the perspective of close family of adult persons with advanced lung or gastrointestinal cancer. There is a need for measurement instruments that could

  9. Islamic Constructs of Nursi’s Perspective and Their Impacts on Psychology

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    MUSTAFA TEKKE

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available This study proposed new constructs to the field of Islamic psychology. It is particularly noteworthy to articulate the views of Said Nursi in the context of Islamic psychology. Based on fundamental aims of Qur’an, it clearly shows that Tawhid (Belief in God, Nubuwwa (Awareness of Prophetic Teaching, Hashr (Belief in Resurrection, and Ibadah (Worship as for main constructs of Qur'an greatly influential on a person's belief and thought.The proposed four constructs were thoroughly scrutinized to determine the possible meanings with human belief and thought. In line with chosen method, this paper applies the views of Nursi as a device for synthesizing arguments. Islamic psychology clearly indicates the Tawhid and  Nubuwwa, called shahadah, are fundamental of Islamic belief and thought and included with awareness of hereafter and doing worship. The other constructs of Hashr and Ibadah are also essential for an Islamic psychology model for understanding human personality. They were conceptually evaluated within the context of psychology, as indicatives of the concept of Islamic personality. These four constructs can be interpreted as inner experience depicting human’s emotions, desires, wishes, and intentions. Thus, they are strongly suggested to employ in newly developing Islamic personality scales.

  10. Towards a Methodology for the Analysis of Associative-Derivational Meaning of a Personal Name

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    Lyubov A. Feoktistova

    2016-07-01

    Full Text Available Based on appellative lexical units derived from the Russian personal name Ivan, as well as on idioms with this name, the author advances an analytical approach for the investigation into the associative-derivational meaning of a personal name. The approach suggested in this article relies on the theoretical model of the meaning of a proper name proposed by Marina Golomidova and complemented by Elena Berezovich. The model distinguishes two ranges of semantic properties. The first one, “vertical”, represents an hierarchical set of components similar to those of an appellative meaning (conceptual core, pragmatic meanings and semantic relations. The second one, “horizontal”, covers all possible semantic “spreadings” of the name determined by its capacity to participate in derivational processes. Thus, each fact of secondary (appellative or quasi-appellative use of a name can be represented as a projection of one or several constituents of its original proprial meaning. The article focuses on those elements of the proprial meaning which pertain to the semantic core: general and particular “categorial” meanings (determining the opposition of the name to an appellative and to other categories of names, individualizing semantic component (reference to a particular denotatum, but also information on the name’s use and its connotations. The semantic field formed by the derivatives from the name Ivan provides rich data for such theoretical observations. It also enables to extend and to specify the original theoretical model by adding gender and ethnic semantic components pertaining respectively to the semantic core and the pragmatic zone of the proprial meaning. The author also points out that deonyms may have multiple motivations when several semantic components of the name are actualized simultaneously or due to other systemic linguistic mechanisms (extension of an existing pattern of deonymic derivation, influence of the connotative

  11. Validity aspects of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, narcissistic personality disorder construct.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Karterud, Sigmund; Øien, Maria; Pedersen, Geir

    2011-01-01

    The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), Fourth Edition, narcissistic personality disorder (NPD) construct has been criticized for being too narrowly defined, for example, by focusing on overt grandiosity at the expense of exhibitionism and narcissistic vulnerability and thus covering only parts of the domain of narcissism. The purpose of this study was to elucidate several validity aspects of the NPD construct. The material consisted of data from 2277 patients (80% of whom had a personality disorder [PD]) who were admitted to units connected to The Norwegian Network of Psychotherapeutic Day Hospitals. The Axis II diagnoses were assessed by Structured Clinical Interview for DSM, Fourth Edition, Axis II Personality Disorders. The frequency of NPD was very low (0.8%). Male patients were overrepresented both on a diagnostic level and on criteria levels. The NPD category was positively associated with other cluster B disorders and negatively associated with avoidant PD. The criteria "demands excessive admiration" and "fantasies of unlimited success" correlated almost as highly with the histrionic PD category and loaded primarily on a histrionic factor. The dominant NPD factor also included the antisocial criterion of "showing no regret having injured others." The major part of the patients' personality pathology could be attributed to other PD criteria. The results challenge the notion of NPD as a distinct diagnostic category. Rather, narcissism should be conceived as personality dimensions pertinent to the whole range of PDs. The results support the views put forward by Russ et al (Refining the construct of narcissistic personality disorder: diagnostic criteria and subtypes. Am J Psychiatry 2008;11:1473-1481) that what clinicians conceive as narcissism consists of several subtypes (dimensions). Our data support the existence of a grandiose/malignant type and an exhibitionistic type. Unfortunately, there was no measure of hypersensitivity. The

  12. New contexts, new processes, new strategies: the co-construction of meaning in plurilingual interactions

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Filomena Capucho

    2016-11-01

    In this paper, we will present the analysis of an extract from the Bucharest-Cinco corpus that will allow us to identify the strategies developed in the process of co-construction of meaning in multilingual contexts through a close examination of verbal and non-verbal features.

  13. Long-term correlated change between personality traits and perceived social support in middle adulthood.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Allemand, Mathias; Schaffhuser, Kathrin; Martin, Mike

    2015-03-01

    This study investigated long-term correlated change between personality traits and perceived social support in middle adulthood. Two measurement occasions with an 8-year time interval from the Interdisciplinary Longitudinal Study on Adult Development (ILSE) were used. The sample consisted of 346 middle-aged adults (46-50 years at T1). Four different types of perceived social support were assessed. Personality traits were assessed with the NEO-Five-Factor Inventory (NEO-FFI). Longitudinal measurement invariance (MI) was established for both measures. The mean rank-order stabilities were .79 and .62 for personality traits and for perceived social support, respectively. The results demonstrated a mean-level increase for neuroticism and a decrease for extraversion and significant change variances for all constructs. The results of latent change models showed significant initial level correlations and correlated changes between personality traits and social support, implying that changes in these constructs show commonality. The results can expand our current thinking about correlated change in personality. © 2015 by the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, Inc.

  14. Construct validity of adolescents' self-reported big five personality traits: importance of conceptual breadth and initial validation of a short measure.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Morizot, Julien

    2014-10-01

    While there are a number of short personality trait measures that have been validated for use with adults, few are specifically validated for use with adolescents. To trust such measures, it must be demonstrated that they have adequate construct validity. According to the view of construct validity as a unifying form of validity requiring the integration of different complementary sources of information, this article reports the evaluation of content, factor, convergent, and criterion validities as well as reliability of adolescents' self-reported personality traits. Moreover, this study sought to address an inherent potential limitation of short personality trait measures, namely their limited conceptual breadth. In this study, starting with items from a known measure, after the language-level was adjusted for use with adolescents, items tapping fundamental primary traits were added to determine the impact of added conceptual breadth on the psychometric properties of the scales. The resulting new measure was named the Big Five Personality Trait Short Questionnaire (BFPTSQ). A group of expert judges considered the items to have adequate content validity. Using data from a community sample of early adolescents, the results confirmed the factor validity of the Big Five structure in adolescence as well as its measurement invariance across genders. More important, the added items did improve the convergent and criterion validities of the scales, but did not negatively affect their reliability. This study supports the construct validity of adolescents' self-reported personality traits and points to the importance of conceptual breadth in short personality measures. © The Author(s) 2014.

  15. Meaning construction in remembering

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Wagoner, Brady

    2011-01-01

    F.C. Bartlett and L.S.Vygotsky were two seminal figures in the psychological study of remembering. Both emphasized the role of meaning and imagination in this process. Bartlett did this by showing the systematic and holistic changes that ensue when cultural material is repeatedly reproduced outsi...

  16. Threat and Guilt Aspects of Internalized Antilesbian and Gay Prejudice: An Application of Personal Construct Theory

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moradi, Bonnie; van den Berg, Jacob J.; Epting, Franz R.

    2009-01-01

    Building on G. A. Kelly's (1991a, 1991b) personal construct theory, this study introduced concepts of threat and guilt as different manifestations of internalized antilesbian and gay prejudice. Results with 102 lesbian and gay participants indicated that internalized threat and guilt each accounted for unique variance in global internalized…

  17. Rethinking Constructive Journalism by Means of Service Journalism

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    From, Unni; Kristensen, Nete Nørgaard

    2018-01-01

    This article argues that constructive journalism scholarship should look to service journalism and its subfields, cultural journalism and lifestyle journalism, to understand key characteristics of this newer type of journalism. Though constructive journalism is typically associated...... with the reporting of political and social issues, it is also seen to challenge traditional ways of writing about such hard news topics due to its positive and solution-oriented approach. In this respect, constructive journalism seems to reuse some of the approaches known from service journalism, especially in terms...... of audience address and an expanded social role for journalists. However, service journalism emerged in the increasingly commercialized and globalized media landscape of the post-WW2-period, whereas constructive journalism has emerged in the digital media landscape of the 2010s. These historical contexts...

  18. Examining the construct validity of the Basic Traits Inventory and the Ten-Item Personality Inventory in the South African context

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Samantha A. Metzer

    2014-08-01

    Full Text Available Orientation: As there has recently been a need for researchers to consider shorter personality measures, we compared the construct validity of a longer and a shorter personality measure in the South African context. Research purpose: The main purpose of this study was to examine the discriminant and convergent validity of two personality measures that measure the big five personality factors: the longer Basic Traits Inventory (BTI and the shorter Ten-Item Personality Inventory (TIPI. Motivation for the study: Researchers have indicated a need for shorter personality measures, such as the TIPI, to assess personality dimensions. This study assessed the validity of the shorter measure in comparison with the BTI, which is considered cross-culturally valid in the South African context. Research approach, design and method: This study used a quantitative research design. Both personality measures were administered manually to a convenience sample of student participants (n = 662, and data were analysed through factor analysis utilising oblique rotation for all items. Main findings: The main findings indicate that, although the construct validity of both measures was satisfactory, the TIPI yielded unsatisfactory reliability. Practical/managerial implications: The BTI is a more reliable measure than the TIPI, which should only be used when time is limited. Contribution/value-add: In addition to providing insight into how the length of an assessment impacts on the reliability of a measure, this study further reinforces the use of the basic traits inventory as a measure that reliably measures personality in South Africa.

  19. Consumption symbols as carriers of culture: a study of Japanese and Spanish brand personality constructs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aaker, J L; Benet-Martínez, V; Garolera, J

    2001-09-01

    This research argues that the meaning embedded in consumption symbols, such as commercial brands, can serve to represent and institutionalize the values and beliefs of a culture. Relying on a combined emic-etic approach, the authors conducted 4 studies to examine how symbolic and expressive attributes associated with commercial brands are structured and how this structure varies across 3 cultures. Studies 1 and 2 revealed a set of "brand personality" dimensions common to both Japan and the United States (Sincerity, Excitement, Competence, and Sophistication), as well as culture-specific Japanese (Peacefulness) and American (Ruggedness) dimensions. Studied 3 and 4, which extended this set of findings to Spain, yielded brand personality dimensions common to both Spain and the United States (Sincerity, Excitement, and Sophistication), plus nonshared Spanish (Passion) and American (Competence and Ruggedness) dimensions. The meaning of these brand personality dimensions is discussed in the context of cross-cultural research on values and affect, globalization issues, and cultural frame shifting.

  20. The Little Six Personality Dimensions From Early Childhood to Early Adulthood: Mean-Level Age and Gender Differences in Parents' Reports.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Soto, Christopher J

    2016-08-01

    The present research pursues three major goals. First, we develop scales to measure the Little Six youth personality dimensions: Extraversion, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, Neuroticism, Openness to Experience, and Activity. Second, we examine mean-level age and gender differences in the Little Six from early childhood into early adulthood. Third, we examine the development of more specific nuance traits. We analyze parent reports, made using the common-language California Child Q-Set (CCQ), for a cross-sectional sample of 16,000 target children ranging from 3 to 20 years old. We construct CCQ-Little Six scales that reliably measure each Little Six dimension. Using these scales, we find (a) curvilinear, U-shaped age trends for Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, and Openness, with declines followed by subsequent inclines; (b) monotonic, negative age trends for Extraversion and Activity; (c) higher levels of Conscientiousness and Agreeableness among girls than boys, as well as higher levels of Activity among boys than girls; and (d) gender-specific age trends for Neuroticism, with girls scoring higher than boys by mid-adolescence. Finally, we find that several nuance traits show distinctive developmental trends that differ from their superordinate Little Six dimension. These results highlight childhood and adolescence as key periods of personality development. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  1. [Primary healthcare and the construction of meanings of oral health: a social constructionist interpretation of discourses of the elderly].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bulgarelli, Alexandre Favero; Pinto, Ione Carvalho; Lorenzi, Carla Guanaes; Villa, Teresa Cristina Scatena; Mestriner, Soraya Fernandes; Silva, Rosalina Carvalho da

    2012-05-01

    Dentistry currently reveals itself to be open to new ideas about the construction of meanings for oral health. This openness leads to the social production of health revealing the contextualization of the social and historical aspects of the sundry knowledge in the development of oral health for different communities. With this research, we seek to build meanings for oral health with a group of elderly people. With this objective in mind, we propose an approximation between discourses on oral health mentioned by the elderly and the Social Constructionist discourse. We interviewed 14 elderly people enrolled in a Family Health Unit in Ribeirão Preto, State of São Paulo, in the first semester of 2010, and identified two interpretative repertoires through Discourse Analysis, which showed the relationship between 1 - Lack of information and dental assistance in childhood, and 2 - Primary Health Care building the meaning of oral health. We concluded that Social Constructionism works epistemologically for the construction of meanings for oral health and that primary health is essential for appreciation and health care that enables the construction of meanings in oral health by the elderly that create conditions for self-care and healthy attitudes.

  2. The networked student: A design-based research case study of student constructed personal learning environments in a middle school science course

    Science.gov (United States)

    Drexler, Wendy

    This design-based research case study applied a networked learning approach to a seventh grade science class at a public school in the southeastern United States. Students adapted emerging Web applications to construct personal learning environments for in-depth scientific inquiry of poisonous and venomous life forms. The personal learning environments constructed used Application Programming Interface (API) widgets to access, organize, and synthesize content from a number of educational Internet resources and social network connections. This study examined the nature of personal learning environments; the processes students go through during construction, and patterns that emerged. The project was documented from both an instructional and student-design perspective. Findings revealed that students applied the processes of: practicing digital responsibility; practicing digital literacy; organizing content; collaborating and socializing; and synthesizing and creating. These processes informed a model of the networked student that will serve as a framework for future instructional designs. A networked learning approach that incorporates these processes into future designs has implications for student learning, teacher roles, professional development, administrative policies, and delivery. This work is significant in that it shifts the focus from technology innovations based on tools to student empowerment based on the processes required to support learning. It affirms the need for greater attention to digital literacy and responsibility in K12 schools as well as consideration for those skills students will need to achieve success in the 21st century. The design-based research case study provides a set of design principles for teachers to follow when facilitating student construction of personal learning environments.

  3. The mean and the individual: Integrating variable-centered and person-centered analyses of cognitive recovery in patients with substance use disorders

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marsha E. Bates

    2013-12-01

    Full Text Available Neuropsychological and cognitive deficits are observed in the majority of persons with alcohol and drug use disorders and may interfere with treatment processes and outcomes. Although, on average, the brain and cognition improve with abstinence or markedly reduced substance use, better understanding of the heterogeneity in the time-course and extent of cognitive recovery at the individual level is useful to promote bench-to-bedside translation and inform clinical decision making. This study integrated a variable-centered and a person-centered approach to characterize diversity in cognitive recovery in 197 patients in treatment for a substance use disorder. We assessed executive function, verbal ability, memory, and complex information processing speed at treatment entry, and then 6, 26, and 52 weeks later. Structural equation modeling was used to define underlying ability constructs and determine the mean level of cognitive changes in the sample while minimizing measurement error and practice effects on specific tests. Individual-level empirical growth plots of latent factor scores were used to explore prototypical trajectories of cognitive change. At the level of the mean, small to medium effect size gains in cognitive abilities were observed over one year. At the level of the individual, the mean trajectory of change was also the modal individual recovery trajectory shown by about half the sample. Other prototypical cognitive change trajectories observed in all four cognitive domains included Delayed Gain, Loss of Gain, and Continuous Gain. Together these trajectories encompassed between 86% and 94% of individual growth plots across the four latent abilities. Further research is needed to replicate and predict trajectory membership. Replication of the present findings would have useful implications for targeted treatment planning and the new cognitive interventions being developed to enhance treatment outcomes.

  4. Meaning given to spirituality, religiousness and personal beliefs: explored by a sample of a Norwegian population.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Torskenæs, Kristina B; Kalfoss, Mary H; Sæteren, Berit

    2015-12-01

    The aim of this article is to explore the meanings given to the words 'spirituality', 'religiousness' and 'personal beliefs' by a Norwegian sample of healthy and sick individuals. Studies show that a high proportion of nurses do not identify the spiritual needs of their patients, even if the nurses are educated to give care for the whole person, including the spiritual dimension. This study used an exploratory qualitative design. Qualitative data generated from six focus groups were collected in southeast Norway. The focus groups were comprised of three groups of health professionals (n = 18) and three groups of patients from different institutions (n = 15). The group discussions revealed that the meanings of spirituality, religiousness and personal beliefs were interwoven, and the participants had difficulty in finding a common terminology when expressing their meanings. Many of the participants described the spiritual dimension with feelings of awe and respect. They were dependent on spirituality in order to experience balance in life and cope with life crises. The themes and categories identified by the focus group discussion highlights that spirituality ought to be understood as a multilayered dimension. An appreciation of the spiritual dimension and it's implication in nursing may help to increase health and decrease suffering. Health professionals need to be cognizant of their own sense of spirituality to investigate the spiritual needs among their patients. This study's focus group discussions helped both patients and health professionals to improve their knowledge regarding the meanings given to the spiritual dimension. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  5. Brand personality, product meaning and impulsiveness when buying: a study in a shopping center environment [doi: 10.21529/RECADM.2017007

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marconi Freitas da Costa

    2017-10-01

    Full Text Available This study aims to analyze the influence of product meaning, brand personality and impulsiveness when buying in the mall environment. The research seeks to explain impulse buying taking into account the importance of the individual impulsivity as a significant factor influence on impulse buying and bring a contribution to the inclusion of two theories that hitherto have not been explored jointly in studies of impulse buying: product meaning and brand personality. A descriptive and correlational research was done with quantitative approach. The sample is composed of 317 respondents. The results allowed us to confirm that individuals who are more impulsive tend to make impulse purchases more frequently, that is, they have difficulty controlling their buying impulses. In addition, and as a contribution to this research, products purchased impulsively are those compatible with the image of consumers that reflect who they are. The participants noted that they were attributed personalities to products purchased impulsively. The more the brand personality can identify with the consumer and his lifestyle, more products would be likely to be purchased impulsively.   Keywords Impulse buying; Impulsiveness; Brand personality; Product meaning; Shopping Center.

  6. The Personality Inventory for DSM-5 Brief Form: Evidence for Reliability and Construct Validity in a Sample of Community-Dwelling Italian Adolescents.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fossati, Andrea; Somma, Antonella; Borroni, Serena; Markon, Kristian E; Krueger, Robert F

    2017-07-01

    To assess the reliability and construct validity of the Personality Inventory for DSM-5 Brief Form (PID-5-BF) among adolescents, 877 Italian high school students were administered the PID-5-BF. Participants were administered also the Measure of Disordered Personality Functioning (MDPF) as a criterion measure. In the full sample, Cronbach's alpha values for the PID-5-BF scales ranged from .59 (Detachment) to .77 (Psychoticism); in addition, all PID-5-BF scales showed mean interitem correlation values in the .22 to .40 range. Cronbach's alpha values for the PID-5-BF total score was .83 (mean interitem r = .16). Although 2-month test-retest reliability could be assessed only in a small ( n = 42) subsample of participants, all PID-5-BF scale scores showed adequate temporal stability, as indexed by intraclass r values ranging from .78 (Negative Affectivity) to .97 (Detachment), all ps <.001. Exploratory structural equation modeling analyses provided at least moderate support for the a priori model of PID-5-BF items. Multiple regression analyses showed that PID-5-BF scales predicted a nonnegligible amount of variance in MDPF Non-Cooperativeness, adjusted R 2 = .17, p < .001, and Non-Coping scales, adjusted R 2 = .32, p < .001. Similarly, the PID-5-BF total score was a significant predictor of both MDPF Non-Coping, and Non-Cooperativeness scales.

  7. Missing data methods for dealing with missing items in quality of life questionnaires. A comparison by simulation of personal mean score, full information maximum likelihood, multiple imputation, and hot deck techniques applied to the SF-36 in the French 2003 decennial health survey.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Peyre, Hugo; Leplège, Alain; Coste, Joël

    2011-03-01

    Missing items are common in quality of life (QoL) questionnaires and present a challenge for research in this field. It remains unclear which of the various methods proposed to deal with missing data performs best in this context. We compared personal mean score, full information maximum likelihood, multiple imputation, and hot deck techniques using various realistic simulation scenarios of item missingness in QoL questionnaires constructed within the framework of classical test theory. Samples of 300 and 1,000 subjects were randomly drawn from the 2003 INSEE Decennial Health Survey (of 23,018 subjects representative of the French population and having completed the SF-36) and various patterns of missing data were generated according to three different item non-response rates (3, 6, and 9%) and three types of missing data (Little and Rubin's "missing completely at random," "missing at random," and "missing not at random"). The missing data methods were evaluated in terms of accuracy and precision for the analysis of one descriptive and one association parameter for three different scales of the SF-36. For all item non-response rates and types of missing data, multiple imputation and full information maximum likelihood appeared superior to the personal mean score and especially to hot deck in terms of accuracy and precision; however, the use of personal mean score was associated with insignificant bias (relative bias personal mean score appears nonetheless appropriate for dealing with items missing from completed SF-36 questionnaires in most situations of routine use. These results can reasonably be extended to other questionnaires constructed according to classical test theory.

  8. Religious meaning and subjective well-being in late life.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Krause, Neal

    2003-05-01

    The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between religious meaning and subjective well-being. A major emphasis is placed on assessing race differences in the relationship between these constructs. Interviews were conducted with a nationwide sample of older White and older Black adults. Survey items were administered to assess a sense of meaning in life that is derived specifically from religion. Subjective well-being was measured with indices of life satisfaction, self-esteem, and optimism. The findings suggest that older adults who derive a sense of meaning in life from religion tend to have higher levels of life satisfaction, self-esteem, and optimism. The data further reveal that older Black adults are more likely to find meaning in religion than older White adults. In addition, the relationships among religious meaning, life satisfaction, self-esteem, and optimism tend to be stronger for older African Americans persons than older White persons. Researchers have argued for some time that religion may be an important source of resilience for older Black adults, but it is not clear how these beneficial effects arise. The data from this study suggest that religious meaning may be an important factor.

  9. Body language in the brain: constructing meaning from expressive movement

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Christine Marie Tipper

    2015-08-01

    Full Text Available This fMRI study investigated neural systems that interpret body language - the meaningful emotive expressions conveyed by body movement. Participants watched videos of performers engaged in modern dance or pantomime that conveyed specific themes such as hope, agony, lust, or exhaustion. We tested whether the meaning of an affectively laden performance was decoded in localized brain substrates as a distinct property of action separable from other superficial features, such as choreography, kinematics, performer, and low-level visual stimuli. A repetition suppression (RS procedure was used to identify brain regions that decoded the meaningful affective state of a performer, as evidenced by decreased activity when emotive themes were repeated in successive performances. Because the theme was the only feature repeated across video clips that were otherwise entirely different, the occurrence of RS identified brain substrates that differentially coded the specific meaning of expressive performances. RS was observed bilaterally, extending anteriorly along middle and superior temporal gyri into temporal pole, medially into insula, rostrally into inferior orbitofrontal cortex, and caudally into hippocampus and amygdala. Behavioral data on a separate task indicated that interpreting themes from modern dance was more difficult than interpreting pantomime; a result that was also reflected in the fMRI data. There was greater RS in left hemisphere, suggesting that the more abstract metaphors used to express themes in dance compared to pantomime posed a greater challenge to brain substrates directly involved in decoding those themes. We propose that the meaning-sensitive temporal-orbitofrontal regions observed here comprise a superordinate functional module of a known hierarchical action observation network, which is critical to the construction of meaning from expressive movement. The findings are discussed with respect to a predictive coding model of action

  10. Some Enlightenments of "Beautiful Rural Construction" on Rural Energy Policy in Beijing—Applying Informatization Means

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhi, Wang; Kongan, Wu

    2018-06-01

    "Beautiful rural construction" is a systematic project, rural energy is one of the important contents of its construction. In accordance with the concept of eco-friendly construction, Beijing carried out a thorough "structural adjustment of rural energy optimization," "Earthquake energy-saving projects of rural housing" and other measures. By conventional heating technology research in Beijing 13 counties and 142 villages, we predict the future of rural energy will further the implementation of solar heating, electric heating and other new green energy technologies. It is suggested to establish the "Beijing Rural Information Service Platform" and "Beautiful Rural Information Resource Bank" through the means of informatization, which will greatly strengthen the regulation and control of rural people-land relationship and realize the systematic optimization, making the cities and villages have. Space for human survival and sustainable development.

  11. The concept of ego threat in social and personality psychology: is ego threat a viable scientific construct?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Leary, Mark R; Terry, Meredith L; Batts Allen, Ashley; Tate, Eleanor B

    2009-08-01

    Although widely invoked as an explanation for psychological phenomena, ego threat has been conceptualized and induced in a variety of ways. Most contemporary research conceptualizes ego threat as a threat to a person's self-image or self-esteem, but experimental operationalizations of ego threat usually confound threats to self-esteem with threats to public image or decreased control over negative events, leading to an inability to distinguish the effects of threats to people's personal egos from threats to public image or threats to feelings of control. This article reviews research on ego threat, discusses experimental manipulations that confound ego threat with other processes, and makes recommendations regarding the use of ego threat as a construct in personality and social psychology.

  12. Personalized Assessment as a Means to Mitigate Plagiarism

    Science.gov (United States)

    Manoharan, Sathiamoorthy

    2017-01-01

    Although every educational institution has a code of academic honesty, they still encounter incidents of plagiarism. These are difficult and time-consuming to detect and deal with. This paper explores the use of personalized assessments with the goal of reducing incidents of plagiarism, proposing a personalized assessment software framework…

  13. Negotiation of Meaning and Co-Construction of Knowledge: An Experimental Analysis of Asynchronous Online Instruction

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hull, Darrell M.; Saxon, Terrill F.

    2009-01-01

    Variations in group co-construction of knowledge and the extent to which participants engaged in negotiating meaning were directly related to instruction. The authors examined social interaction resulting from controlled variation in instruction using a counter-balanced design in two professional development courses for teachers. Both courses were…

  14. Comparisons of Belief-Based Personality Constructs in Polish and American University Students: Paranormal Beliefs, Locus of Control, Irrational Beliefs, and Social Interest.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tobacyk, Jerome J.; Tobacyk, Zofia Socha

    1992-01-01

    Uses Social Learning Theory to compare 149 university students from Poland with 136 university students from the southern United States for belief-based personality constructs and personality correlates of paranormal beliefs. As hypothesized, Poles reported a more external locus of control and significantly greater endorsement of irrational…

  15. Ideologies Revealed During the Construction of Meaning in an EFL Class

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Néstor Ricardo Fajardo Mora

    2014-10-01

    Full Text Available This article reports on an interpretive qualitative study conducted at a public university in Bogotá with 26 pre-service social studies teachers. It is focused on unveiling which ideologies are discovered when they construct the meaning of texts through text-based tasks in an English as a foreign language class. The data were collected by using class video recordings and students’ artifacts. The data analysis procedure follows an inductive process based on grounded theory. Results indicated three subsidiary categories called Shattering the Establishment, Perspectives From a Counter-Hegemonic Position, and Resisting the Mainstream. Furthermore, there is the core category Habitus, which assembles those subsidiary categories in an internalized system of fixed dispositions.

  16. Personal and Shared Experiences as Resources for Meaning Making in a Philosophy of Science Course

    Science.gov (United States)

    Arvaja, Maarit

    2012-01-01

    The aim of this case study was to explore health-education students' personal and collaborative meaning making activities during an online science philosophy course in the higher-education context. Through applying the dialogical perspective for learning, the focus was on studying how different contextual resources were used in building…

  17. Personality disorder assessment: the challenge of construct validity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Clark, L A; Livesley, W J; Morey, L

    1997-01-01

    We begin with a review of the data that challenge the current categorical system for classifying personality disorder, focusing on the central assessment issues of convergent and discriminant validity. These data indicate that while there is room for improvement in assessment, even greater change is needed in conceptualization than in instrumentation. Accordingly, we then refocus the categorical-dimensional debate in assessment terms, and place it in the broader context of such issues as the hierarchical structure of personality, overlap and distinctions between normal and abnormal personality, sources of information in personality disorder assessment, and overlap and discrimination of trait and state assessment. We conclude that more complex conceptual models that can incorporate both biological and environmental influences on the development of adaptive and maladaptive personality are needed.

  18. The burden of neck pain: its meaning for persons with neck pain and healthcare providers, explored by concept mapping

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Carlijn H. van Randeraad-van der Zee; Anna Beurskens; Raymond Swinkels; Jan Pool; Roy Batterham; Richard Osborne; Henrica de Vet

    2015-01-01

    Purpose To empirically define the concept of burden of neck pain. The lack of a clear understanding of this construct from the perspective of persons with neck pain and care providers hampers adequate measurement of this burden. An additional aim was to compare the conceptual model obtained with the

  19. The burden of neck pain : its meaning for persons with neck pain and healthcare providers, explored by concept mapping

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Carlijn H. van Randeraad-van der Zee; Anna J.H.M. Beurskens; Reymond A.H.M. Swinkels; Jan J.M. Pool; Richard H. Osborne; Roy W. Batterham; Henrica C.W. de Vet

    2015-01-01

    Purpose To empirically define the concept of burden of neck pain. The lack of a clear understanding of this construct from the perspective of persons with neck pain and care providers hampers adequate measurement of this burden. An additional aim was to compare the conceptual model obtained with the

  20. Development and Validation of Triarchic Psychopathy Scales from the Multidimensional Personality Questionnaire

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brislin, Sarah J.; Drislane, Laura E.; Smith, Shannon Toney; Edens, John F.; Patrick, Christopher J.

    2015-01-01

    Psychopathy is conceptualized by the triarchic model as encompassing three distinct phenotypic constructs: boldness, meanness, and disinhibition. In the current study, the Multidimensional Personality Questionnaire (MPQ), a normal-range personality measure, was evaluated for representation of these three constructs. Consensus ratings were used to identify MPQ items most related to each triarchic (Tri) construct. Scale measures were developed from items indicative of each construct, and scores for these scales were evaluated for convergent and discriminant validity in community (N = 176) and incarcerated samples (N = 240). A cross the two samples, MPQ-Tri scale scores demonstrated good internal consistencies and relationships with criterion measures of various types consistent with predictions based on the triarchic model. Findings are discussed in terms of their implications for further investigation of the triarchic model constructs in preexisting datasets that include the MPQ, in particular longitudinal and genetically informative datasets. PMID:25642934

  1. Competing Meanings of Childhood and the Social Construction of Child Sexual Abuse in the Caribbean

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pasura, Dominic; Jones, Adele D.; Hafner, James A. H.; Maharaj, Priya E.; Nathaniel-DeCaires, Karene; Johnson, Emmanuel Janagan

    2013-01-01

    This article examines the dynamic interplay between competing meanings of childhood and the social construction of sexual abuse in the Caribbean. Drawing on qualitative data from a study undertaken in six Caribbean countries, the article suggests that Caribbean childhoods are neither wholly global nor local but hybrid creations of the region's…

  2. Use of Personal Protective Equipment among Building Construction Workers in Kampala, Uganda

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jonathan Izudi

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Background. 270 million workplace accidents occur annually. In Uganda, Kampala district has the highest workplace injury and fatality rates. However, information on personal protective equipment (PPE—hand gloves, hardhats, overalls, safety boots, earplugs, safety harness with lanyard, and face shields—utilization among building construction workers remains scarce. We assessed PPE utilization and determinants among building construction workers in Kampala, Uganda. Methods. This cross-sectional study involved 385 respondents. Data collected by structured questionnaire was double-entered in EpiData and analyzed in STATA at 5% significance level. Independent determinants of PPE use were established by a stepwise backward logistic regression analysis. Results. 305 (79.2% respondents were males, 290 (75.3% were 18–30 years, 285 (74.0% completed secondary education, and 197 (51.2% were temporary employees. 60 (15.6% respondents used PPE. Female sex (adjusted odds ratio (AOR = 6.64; 95% CI: 1.55–28.46; P=0.011, temporary (AOR = 0.05; 95% CI: 0.01–0.27; P<0.001 and casual (AOR = 0.01; 95% CI: 0.001–0.071; P<0.001 employment, and previous knowledge of safety measures (AOR = 100.72; 95% CI: 26.00–390.16; P<0.001 were associated with PPE use. Conclusion. PPE use was low in Kampala, Uganda. Building construction companies should implement measures of the Uganda Occupational Health and Safety Act.

  3. Personal values Involved in choosing a College: Analysis Using the Means-End Chain Approach

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lílian Carolina Viana

    2014-04-01

    Full Text Available The investigation the reasons for choice of products and services by consumers stands out as relevant in the area of ​​market studies, as well as notes management for any organization. Through the Theory of Means-End Chain proposed by Gutman (1982, which relates the “means” (attributes and benefits linked to the consumption of products or services with the “ends” in terms of personal values achieved, it is possible understand of the meanings that consumers attribute the choice of products and services in a more abstract level. Thus, the objective of this study is to understand what aspects, considering attributes, consequences and personal values ​​guide the behavior of students in choosing the nursing course at a private institution of higher education. Based on the theory mentioned it was adopted the technique laddering, in-depth interview and analysis methodology and representation of the hierarchical value map, which was interpreted and analyzed in order to understand the cognitive structure of students’ choice.The analysis of the results indicate that students are guided primarily by hedonistic values of happiness itself the choice of nursing in college studied.

  4. Children’s experiences and meaning construction on parental divorce: A focus group study

    OpenAIRE

    Maes, Sofie DJ; De Mol, Jan; Buysse, Ann

    2011-01-01

    The global aim of this study was to explore children's narratives of parental divorce. A convenience sample, composed of 11- and 14-year-old children, was recruited. A total of 22 children (12 male, 10 female) participated in this focus group study. The findings show that two components seem to be really important for children during the divorce process: the ability to construct meaning about their parents' decision to divorce and their feeling to count in the process of family transition. Ch...

  5. Mean-level personality development across childhood and adolescence: a temporary defiance of the maturity principle and bidirectional associations with parenting

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    van den Akker, A.L.; Deković, M.; Asscher, J.; Prinzie, P.

    2014-01-01

    In this study, we investigated mean-level personality development in children from 6 to 20 years of age. Additionally, we investigated longitudinal, bidirectional associations between child personality and maternal overreactive and warm parenting. In this 5-wave study, mothers reported on their

  6. Capturing Parenting as a Multidimensional and Dynamic Construct with a Person-Oriented Approach.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zheng, Yao; Pasalich, Dave S; Oberth, Carla; McMahon, Robert J; Pinderhughes, Ellen E

    2017-04-01

    Although parenting is one of the most commonly studied predictors of child problem behavior, few studies have examined parenting as a multidimensional and dynamic construct. This study investigated different patterns of developmental trajectories of two parenting dimensions (harsh discipline [HD] and parental warmth [PW]) with a person-oriented approach and examined the associations between different parenting patterns and child externalizing problems and callous-unemotional traits. Data were drawn from the combined high-risk control and normative sample (n = 753) of the Fast Track Project. Parent-reported HD and observer-reported PW from kindergarten to grade 2 were fit to growth mixture models. Two subgroups were identified for HD (low decreasing, 83.0 %; high stable, 17.0 %) and PW (high increasing, 78.7 %; low increasing, 21.3 %). The majority of parents (67.0 %) demonstrated the low decreasing HD and high increasing PW pattern, while the prevalence of the high stable HD and low increasing PW pattern was the lowest (6.8 %). Parenting satisfaction, parental depression, family socioeconomic status, and neighborhood safety predicted group memberships jointly defined by the two dimensions. Children from the high stable HD and low increasing PW pattern showed the highest levels of externalizing problems in grades 4 and 5. Children from the low decreasing HD and low increasing PW pattern showed the highest levels of callous-unemotional traits in grade 7. These findings demonstrate the utility and significance of a person-oriented approach to measuring parenting as a multidimensional and dynamic construct and reveal the interplay between HD and PW in terms of their influences on child developmental outcomes.

  7. USING A PERSONAL CONSTRUCT APPROACH TO EXPLORE QUAUTY OF LIFE ISSUES WITH PEOPLE WITH LEARNING DISABILTTIES

    OpenAIRE

    BOYES, CLAIRE MARIE

    1999-01-01

    While an agreed definition of quality of life rennains elusive, research into the quality of life of people with learning disabilities has developed significantly. Following a discussion of this work, the author argues that these assessment processes should be refocused towards the views of people with learning disabilities themselves, particularly given the idiosyncratic nature of the quality of life issue. This study explores the use of the Personal Construct Psychology...

  8. Ageing out of place: The meaning of home among hispanic older persons living in the United States.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Curtin, Alicia; Martins, Diane C; Gillsjö, Catharina; Schwartz-Barcott, Donna

    2017-09-01

    To explore the meaning of home among older Hispanic immigrants who are "aging out of place." Emerging evidence supports the concept of older persons ageing in place. Nurse researchers have demonstrated that older person who age in place have better physical, psychological and cognitive outcomes. Less, however, is known about older persons who are "aging out of place," meaning out of their country of origin. With the growth of home health care, there is a need to understand the older immigrants' meaning of home when ageing out of their country of origin. An inductive, qualitative descriptive research design was used. Seventeen Hispanic participants, ranging in age from 65 to 83 years were interviewed using a semi-structured interview protocol. Two major finding of the study focused on participants' descriptions of home in their country of origin and in the USA. The majority of participants described their home in their native country as the community, countryside or town (pueblo) and in the U.S.A. as family. The level of social isolation and loneliness among participants was evident. Older Hispanic immigrants who are "aging out of place" integrate their past experiences of sense of place in their native country with their present experiences of home in the USA. The need to understand the role of the community and the family in the provision of nursing care in the home may be more important than the physical structure or setting in which it is delivered. Further intra- and cross-national studies are needed to provide a framework for understanding the issues of ageing and immigration globally. Gerontological nurses need to recognise the complexity of family relationships for older Hispanic persons who are ageing out of place of origin and their risk of depression, social isolation, and loneliness. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  9. Free Associations Mirroring Self- and World-Related Concepts: Implications for Personal Construct Theory, Psycholinguistics and Philosophical Psychology

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Kuška, M.; Trnka, R.; Kuběna, Aleš Antonín; Růžička, J.

    2016-01-01

    Roč. 7, č. 1 (2016), č. článku 981. ISSN 1664-1078 R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GBP402/12/G097 Institutional support: RVO:67985556 Keywords : psycholinguistics * world * personal construct theory * free association * association network Subject RIV: AN - Psychology Impact factor: 2.323, year: 2016 http://library.utia.cas.cz/separaty/2016/E/kubena-0464017.pdf

  10. Digital-Networked Images as Personal Acts of Political Expression: New Categories for Meaning Formation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mona Kasra

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available This article examines the growing use of digital-networked images, specifically online self-portraits or “selfies”, as deliberate and personal acts of political expression and the ways in which meaning evolves and expands from their presence on the Internet. To understand the role of digital-networked images as a site for engaging in a personal and connective “visual” action that leads to formation of transient communities, the author analyzes the nude self-portrait of the young Egyptian woman Aliaa Magda Elmahdy, which during the Egyptian uprisings in 2011 drew attention across social media. As an object of analysis this image is a prime example of the use of digital-networked images in temporally intentional distribution, and as an instance of political enactment unique to this era. This article also explains the concept of participatory narratives as an ongoing process of meaning formation in the digital-networked image, shaped by the fluidity of the multiple and immediate textual narratives, visual derivatives, re-appropriation, and remixes contributed by other interested viewers. The online circulation of digital-networked images in fact culminates in a flow of ever-changing and overarching narratives, broadening the contextual scope around which images are traditionally viewed.

  11. Theory of Work Adjustment Personality Constructs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lawson, Loralie

    1993-01-01

    To measure Theory of Work Adjustment personality and adjustment style dimensions, content-based scales were analyzed for homogeneity and successively reanalyzed for reliability improvement. Three sound scales were developed: inflexibility, activeness, and reactiveness. (SK)

  12. Analogy and construction of meaning in science teaching physics for engineering students

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Thamara FAGÚNDEZ ZAMBRANO

    2011-12-01

    Full Text Available Normal 0 21 false false false ES X-NONE X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Tabla normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";} An analogy can be interpreted as a structured mapping between two domains, one called domain-domain and another named source-goal. This is one of functions can play an analogy, and this function we are interested in this work to analyze how specific an analogy involved in construction and justification of new knowledge. The research finds about the use of analogies as a teaching resource are three teachers experienced in college physics classes. More specifically on the role of that resource in the construction of scientific knowledge and its contribution the teaching and learning of college-level physics and general training of the engineering student. The context of the study is Faculty of Engineering, University of Carabobo, Venezuela. The approach methodology is qualitative. This is a descriptive-interpretative cases study.  Analysis and results to identify and classify analogies by use given by teachers and their contribution to the construction of meaning scientists. Implications for improving teaching practice are extracted

  13. A Comparison of Jungian, Person-Centered, and Gestalt Approaches to Personal Growth Groups.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Day, Bryon; Matthes, William

    1992-01-01

    Compares Jungian approach to personal growth groups to Person-centered and Gestalt approaches. Notes similarities, though Jungian approach adds dimension of "cognitive map" not found in other two. Notes that cognitive map uses constructs from Jung's theory of individuation process, hypothesizing that integration of these constructs into…

  14. "Talking like a Book?" Socioeconomic Differences of Maternal Conversational Styles in Co-Constructing Personal Narratives with Young Taiwanese Children

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lai, Wen-Feng

    2010-01-01

    The study investigated how Taiwanese mothers with different socioeconomic statuses (SES) co-constructed personal experience with their children in narrative conversations. Forty dyads recruited in Taiwan participated in the study, half from middle-class families and half from the working-class. Narrative conversations in Mandarin Chinese were…

  15. Some suggestions for the DSM-5 schizotypal personality disorder construct.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hummelen, Benjamin; Pedersen, Geir; Karterud, Sigmund

    2012-05-01

    This study relates to the schizotypal personality disorder (SPD) proposal of the upcoming fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) by investigating the construct validity of SPD as defined by DSM-IV in a large sample of patients from the Norwegian Network of Personality-Focused Treatment Programs (N = 2619), assessed by structured diagnostic interviews and the Longitudinal, Expert All Data standard. We investigated factor structure and psychometric properties of the SPD criteria, as well as co-occurrence patterns between SPD and other PDs. Thirty-six patients were diagnosed with SPD and 513 patients (21%) endorsed at least 2 schizotypal criteria. We found that 2 factors were specific for SPD, a cognitive-perceptual factor (ideas of reference, magical thinking, and unusual perceptual experiences) and an oddness factor (odd thinking and speech, constricted affect, and odd appearance or behavior). The criteria belonging to these factors had appropriate psychometric properties. The criteria of the cognitive-perceptual factor were more strongly associated with borderline personality disorder (PD) than with the other PDs. We did not find support for a consistent factor that reflected interpersonal problems. The criteria that used to be part of this factor (suspiciousness, lack of friends or confidants, and excessive social anxiety) performed poorly as specific SPD criteria. SPD was more strongly associated with antisocial PD and paranoid PD than with the other PDs. We suggest that ideas of reference should be included explicitly under the schizotypal facet of cognitive dysregulation in DSM-5, with less emphasis on the social phobic aspects of this feature. Furthermore, there should be more emphasis on the cognitive aspects of suspiciousness in SPD, and it should be considered to split up the affectivity criterion into constricted affect and inappropriate affect, with the latter type of affect being the expression of problems with

  16. Social Identification in Sports Teams: The Role of Personal, Social, and Collective Identity Motives.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thomas, William E; Brown, Rupert; Easterbrook, Matthew J; Vignoles, Vivian L; Manzi, Claudia; D'Angelo, Chiara; Holt, Jeremy J

    2017-04-01

    Based on motivated identity construction theory (MICT; Vignoles, 2011), we offer an integrative approach examining the combined roles of six identity motives (self-esteem, distinctiveness, belonging, meaning, continuity, and efficacy) instantiated at three different motivational levels (personal, social, and collective identity) as predictors of group identification. These identity processes were investigated among 369 members of 45 sports teams from England and Italy in a longitudinal study over 6 months with four time points. Multilevel change modeling and cross-lagged analyses showed that satisfaction of four personal identity motives (individuals' personal feelings of self-esteem, distinctiveness, meaning, and efficacy derived from team membership), three social identity motives (individuals' feelings that the team identity carries a sense of belonging, meaning, and continuity), and one collective identity motive (a shared belief in group distinctiveness) significantly predicted group identification. Motivational processes underlying group identification are complex, multilayered, and not reducible to personal needs.

  17. Beyond Disease: Happiness, Goals, and Meanings among Persons with Multiple Sclerosis and Their Caregivers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Delle Fave, Antonella; Bassi, Marta; Allegri, Beatrice; Cilia, Sabina; Falautano, Monica; Goretti, Benedetta; Grobberio, Monica; Minacapelli, Eleonora; Pattini, Marianna; Pietrolongo, Erika; Valsecchi, Manuela; Amato, Maria Pia; Lugaresi, Alessandra; Patti, Francesco

    2017-01-01

    The experience of persons with multiple sclerosis (MS) and their caregivers is usually investigated in terms of emotional distress and health-related quality of life, while well-being indicators remain largely underexplored. In addition, findings are often interpreted from the clinical perspective, neglecting socio-cultural aspects that may crucially contribute to individuals' functioning. At the methodological level, most studies rely on scaled instruments, not allowing participants to freely express their needs and resources. Based on the bio-psycho-social perspective endorsed by the International Classification of Functioning, well-being indicators were investigated among 62 persons with MS (PwMS), their 62 caregivers and two control groups, matched by age and gender. Participants completed the Positive Affect Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS), the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS), and the Eudaimonic and Hedonic Happiness Investigation instrument (EHHI). EHHI provides information on participants' happiness, goals and meanings through scaled and open-ended questions, contextualized within major life domains. No relevant differences emerged among PwMS and caregivers, compared with the respective control groups, as concerns life domains associated with happiness, goals and meaning. Participants across groups prominently mentioned family, highlighting its intrinsic value and its relevance as a sharing context; health did not represent a major theme for PwMS; community, society and religion/spirituality issues were substantially neglected by all participants. PwMS and caregivers reported lower levels of positive affect than their control groups, while no substantial differences emerged for negative affect, happiness and meaningfulness levels in life and across most domains. Results suggest that the experience of MS is associated with well-being in relevant life domains, such as family and close relationships. Although PwMS and caregivers identified a lower number

  18. Beyond Disease: Happiness, Goals, and Meanings among Persons with Multiple Sclerosis and Their Caregivers

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Antonella Delle Fave

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available The experience of persons with multiple sclerosis (MS and their caregivers is usually investigated in terms of emotional distress and health-related quality of life, while well-being indicators remain largely underexplored. In addition, findings are often interpreted from the clinical perspective, neglecting socio-cultural aspects that may crucially contribute to individuals' functioning. At the methodological level, most studies rely on scaled instruments, not allowing participants to freely express their needs and resources. Based on the bio-psycho-social perspective endorsed by the International Classification of Functioning, well-being indicators were investigated among 62 persons with MS (PwMS, their 62 caregivers and two control groups, matched by age and gender. Participants completed the Positive Affect Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS, the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS, and the Eudaimonic and Hedonic Happiness Investigation instrument (EHHI. EHHI provides information on participants' happiness, goals and meanings through scaled and open-ended questions, contextualized within major life domains. No relevant differences emerged among PwMS and caregivers, compared with the respective control groups, as concerns life domains associated with happiness, goals and meaning. Participants across groups prominently mentioned family, highlighting its intrinsic value and its relevance as a sharing context; health did not represent a major theme for PwMS; community, society and religion/spirituality issues were substantially neglected by all participants. PwMS and caregivers reported lower levels of positive affect than their control groups, while no substantial differences emerged for negative affect, happiness and meaningfulness levels in life and across most domains. Results suggest that the experience of MS is associated with well-being in relevant life domains, such as family and close relationships. Although PwMS and caregivers identified a

  19. Analysing the impact of buyers' personality constructs on the market structure of brands

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Chrysochou, Polymeros; Krystallis, Athanasios; Rungie, Cam

    2008-01-01

    In order to operationalize brand loyalty, various models have been applied that estimate brand measures and further describe patterns and the structure of the markets. A well known model in this area is the Dirichlet-NBD model. Despite major advancements to those models, how buyers' characteristics...... and psychographics influence actual brand measures and the overall market structure in repeat purchase occasions is still under-researched. Moreover, measuring the type and magnitude of buyer-related effects on brand loyalty could provide additional valuable information to brand managers. Aim of this paper...... is to provide an approach of estimating the effect that various personality constructs have on brand measures and overall market structure through revealed preference data....

  20. Mean-level personality development across childhood and adolescence: a temporary defiance of the maturity principle and bidirectional associations with parenting.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Van den Akker, Alithe L; Deković, Maja; Asscher, Jessica; Prinzie, Peter

    2014-10-01

    In this study, we investigated mean-level personality development in children from 6 to 20 years of age. Additionally, we investigated longitudinal, bidirectional associations between child personality and maternal overreactive and warm parenting. In this 5-wave study, mothers reported on their child's personality from Time 1 (T1) through Time 4 (T4), and children provided self-reports from Time 2 (T2) through Time 5 (T5). Mothers reported on their levels of overreactive and warm parenting from T2 through T4. Using cohort-sequential latent growth curve modeling, we investigated mother reported child personality from 6 to 17 years of age and child reported personality from 9 to 20 years of age. Extraversion decreased linearly across the entire study. Benevolence and conscientiousness increased from middle to late childhood, temporarily declined from late childhood to mid-adolescence, and increased again thereafter. Imagination decreased from middle childhood to mid-adolescence and also increased thereafter. Mothers reported a temporary decline in emotional stability with an increase thereafter, whereas children did not. Boys and girls differed in mean-levels of the personality dimensions and, to a lesser extent, in the degree and direction of changes. Latent difference score modeling showed that child personality predicted changes in parenting and that, to a lesser extent, parenting predicted changes in child traits. Additionally, changes in child personality were associated with changes in maternal parenting. Results of the present study show that personality change is not directed at increasing maturity from childhood to mid-adolescence and that it elicits and is shaped by both positive and negative parenting. 2014 APA, all rights reserved

  1. Using Personality Traits to Construct Linear Growth Models of Mental Health in Family Members of Individuals With Severe Brain Injury

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Trujillo, Michael; Perrin, Paul B; Doser, Karoline

    2016-01-01

    Objective: No studies have examined the impact of personality traits on mental health among caregivers of individuals with severe brain injury. Therefore, the purpose of the current study was to construct linear growth models to examine whether the personality traits of family members...... neuroticism had lower anxiety and depression over time, as well as a more accelerated decrease in anxiety and depression. Conclusions: Caregivers' personality traits were strongly associated over time with mental HRQoL, anxiety, and depression, with neuroticism being especially important for trajectories...... the Short Form-36 assessing mental HRQoL (vitality, social functioning, role limitations-emotional, mental health), anxiety, and depression across 5 time points during the 1st year after injury. The measure of personality was administered 3 months after the patients' discharge. Results: All mental HRQo...

  2. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, paranoid personality disorder diagnosis: a unitary or a two-dimensional construct?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Falkum, Erik; Pedersen, Geir; Karterud, Sigmund

    2009-01-01

    This article examines reliability and validity aspects of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM-IV) paranoid personality disorder (PPD) diagnosis. Patients with personality disorders (n = 930) from the Norwegian network of psychotherapeutic day hospitals, of which 114 had PPD, were included in the study. Frequency distribution, chi(2), correlations, reliability statistics, exploratory, and confirmatory factor analyses were performed. The distribution of PPD criteria revealed no distinct boundary between patients with and without PPD. Diagnostic category membership was obtained in 37 of 64 theoretically possible ways. The PPD criteria formed a separate factor in a principal component analysis, whereas a confirmatory factor analysis indicated that the DSM-IV PPD construct consists of 2 separate dimensions as follows: suspiciousness and hostility. The reliability of the unitary PPD scale was only 0.70, probably partly due to the apparent 2-dimensionality of the construct. Persistent unwarranted doubts about the loyalty of friends had the highest diagnostic efficiency, whereas unwarranted accusations of infidelity of partner had particularly poor indicator properties. The reliability and validity of the unitary PPD construct may be questioned. The 2-dimensional PPD model should be further explored.

  3. Keep Meaning in Conversational Coordination

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Elena Clare Cuffari

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available Coordination is a widely employed term across recent quantitative and qualitative approaches to intersubjectivity, particularly approaches that give embodiment and enaction central explanatory roles. With a focus on linguistic and bodily coordination in conversational contexts, I review the operational meaning of coordination in recent empirical research and related theorizing of embodied intersubjectivity. This discussion articulates what must be involved in treating linguistic meaning as dynamic processes of coordination. The coordination approach presents languaging as a set of dynamic self-organizing processes and actions on multiple timescales and across multiple modalities that come about and work in certain domains (those jointly constructed in social, interactive, high-order sense-making. These processes go beyond meaning at the level that is available to first-person experience. I take one crucial consequence of this to be the ubiquitously moral nature of languaging with others. Languaging coordinates experience, among other levels of behavior and event. Ethical effort is called for by the automatic autonomy-influencing forces of languaging as coordination.

  4. Disabled person: construction of concept by this population

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lorita Marlena Freitag Pagliuca

    2015-11-01

    Full Text Available Objective: to build the concept of disabled person. Methods: study of analysis of concept using the phases field work andstatistical analysis with 120 individuals divided into three groups of 40 people with hearing, visual and motor disability.Results: there was predomination of men (68%, 18-29 years old (55%, with superior education (35% and married/common-law married (75%. The attribute accepted was person with limitation and still able to perform activity, witha difference between groups (p = 0.018; the keyword accepted was limitation (p = 0.001; the expression was disabledperson, with intergroup difference (p = 0.013. Concept of choice by group was deaf (97.51%; blind (45% and person withvisual disability (45% and; person with physical disability (27.5%. Conclusion: attributes, keywords used in the literatureand public policy were not accepted. They prefer to be called deaf; blind or visually impaired; They reject people with motordisability and wheelchair user.

  5. Changing character: A narrative review of personality change in psychotherapies for personality disorder.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Keefe, John R; DeRubeis, Robert J

    2018-01-19

    Personality disorder (PD) is a negative prognostic indicator for treatment, and absolute improvements in functioning among these patients are often modest. This may be because personality features that give rise to dysfunction in PD are not targeted optimally during most treatments. Attachment, mentalization, core beliefs, and personality organization/defense use were identified as personality constructs that have been pursued in treatment studies and that are proposed to underlie PD. All constructs correlate with psychiatric symptoms, PD diagnosis, and functioning. Defense mechanisms and core beliefs further distinguish specific PDs, whereas personality organization separates more versus less severe PDs. Evidence from treatment and naturalistic studies indicate that maturation of defense mechanisms temporally precedes improvements in symptoms and functioning. Changes in attachment and mentalization correlate with some outcomes, but mediation of improvement has not been established. In psychodynamic therapy, transference interpretations may promote amelioration of personality dysfunction. With the exception of attachment, the experimental literature is lacking that could explicate the mechanisms by which these personality constructs maintain psychosocial dysfunction. Future research should aim to identify changes in these mechanisms that mediate positive outcomes in PD, as well as the specific therapeutic procedures that best promote positive change in PD.

  6. Interest Profile Elevation, Big Five Personality Traits, and Secondary Constructs on the Self-Directed Search: A Replication and Extension

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bullock, Emily E.; Reardon, Robert C.

    2008-01-01

    The study used the Self-Directed Search (SDS) and the NEO-FFI to explore profile elevation, four secondary constructs, and the Big Five personality factors in a sample of college students in a career course. Regression model results showed that openness, conscientiousness, differentiation high-low, differentiation Iachan, and consistency accounted…

  7. Interpersonal Hierarchy Expectation: Introduction of a New Construct

    OpenAIRE

    Schmid Mast, Marianne

    2005-01-01

    The goal of these series of studies was to introduce a new individual difference construct, interpersonal hierarchy expectation (IHE), and to show that it predicts interpersonal perception. IHE means expecting social interactions and relationships to be hierarchically structured. I developed a self-report questionnaire to measure IHE (IHE Scale [IHES]). In 5 studies, 581 undergraduates took the IHES together with an array of self-report personality measures. Three studies included a measure o...

  8. Person-centered osteopathic practice: patients’ personality (body, mind, and soul and health (ill-being and well-being

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Elin Fahlgren

    2015-10-01

    Full Text Available Background. Osteopathic philosophy and practice are congruent with the biopsychosocial model, a patient-centered approach when treating disease, and the view of the person as a unity (i.e., body, mind, and soul. Nevertheless, a unity of being should involve a systematic person-centered understanding of the patient’s personality as a biopsychosociospiritual construct that influences health (i.e., well-being and ill-being. We suggest Cloninger’s personality model, comprising temperament (i.e., body and character (i.e., mind and soul, as a genuine paradigm for implementation in osteopathic practice. As a first step, we investigated (1 the relationships between personality and health among osteopathic patients, (2 differences in personality between patients and a control group, and (3 differences in health within patients depending on the presenting problem and gender.Method. 524 osteopathic patients in Sweden (age mean = 46.17, SD = 12.54, 388 females and 136 males responded to an online survey comprising the Temperament and Character Inventory and measures of health (well-being: life satisfaction, positive affect, harmony in life, energy, and resilience; ill-being: negative affect, anxiety, depression, stress, and dysfunction and suffering associated to the presenting problem. We conducted two structural equation models to investigate the association personality-health; graphically compared the patients’ personality T-scores to those of the control group and compared the mean raw scores using t-tests; and conducted two multivariate analyses of variance, using age as covariate, to compare patients’ health in relation to their presenting problem and gender.Results. The patients’ personality explained the variance of all of the well-being (R2 between .19 and .54 and four of the ill-being (R2 between .05 and .43 measures. Importantly, self-transcendence, the spiritual aspect of personality, was associated to high levels of positive emotions

  9. Reader Identity: A Case Study of Korean Graduate Students' Meaning Construction of an L2 Literary Text

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shin, Changok; Riazantseva, Anastasia

    2015-01-01

    Grounded in constructivist theories of reading and informed by the contemporary theories of identity, this study explored how three Korean adult speakers of English as a foreign language (EFL) constructed meaning of the novel "The Catcher in the Rye", and how their identities mediated this process. Sources of data included think aloud…

  10. Relation between constructs of BisBas questionnaire and some personality constructs

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nataša Sedlar

    2008-04-01

    Full Text Available The goal of this study was to examine relation between constructs relevant for Gray's neuropsychological model of motivation. According to Gray's theory, two general motivational systems underlie behavior and affect: a behavioral inhibition system (BIS and a behavioral activation system (BAS. BIS is sensitive to aversive stimuli, causes avoidance behaviors and is responsible for individual differences in anxiety. BAS is responsive to appetitive stimuli, triggers approach behavior and has been associated with individual differences in impulsivness. BIS activity has been related to the experience of negative emotions, whereas BAS activity has been associated with the experience of positive emotions. A total of 122 Slovenian students, aged 17–19 years, completed the BIS/BAS scale, the Impulsiveness-Venturesome-Empathy Scale IVE, State Trait Anxiety Inventory STAI-X2, The Positive and Negative Affect Schedule PANAS, and The Big Five Questionairre BFQ. Our results are consistent with those from recent empirical studies and provide support for Gray's theory. Measures of BIS were found to be positively related to trait anxiety and neuroticism, whereas measures of BAS were found to be positively related to impulsiveness and extraversion. Emotional component measured with PANAS did not distinguish BIS from BAS constructs. Both were found to be related to negative affect. With respect to construct validity these findings suggest that BIS/BAS scale is reasonably effective.

  11. [Relation between personality traits and personal values in cocaine-dependent patients].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Saiz, Jesús; Álvaro, José Luis; Martínez, Isabel

    2011-01-01

    To describe the relationship between personal values and personality traits in cocaine-using patients and analyze their specificity in the explanation of different types of constructs. A study was carried out to explore the association between these variables in a group of 230 patients receiving treatment for cocaine dependence. The Portrait Values Questionnaire was used for measuring personal values, while the Big-Five Factors Questionnaire was used to measure personality traits. In addition, we explored the relationship of values and traits with the variables "degree of satisfaction with life" (life satisfaction) and "belonging to a religious association" (religiosity). A significant association was found between personal values and personality traits. At the same time, their conceptual and empirical differences were revealed, as it was demonstrated that personal values better explain "belonging to a religious association", whilst personality traits better explain "degree of satisfaction with life". Thus, it was found that personal values better explain behaviours that depend on greater cognitive control, while personality traits would have more influence on tendencies and behaviours that are subject to lower cognitive control levels. Considering the relationship between the two constructs, and given that cocaine use is associated with both high and low cognitive control, in explanations of cocaine use it would be appropriate to take into account the explanatory contribution of personal values and personality traits in a complementary way.

  12. Personal meaning in relation to daily functioning of a patient in physical therapy practice: narratives of a patient, a family member, and physical therapist.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Oosting, Ellen; Dronkers, Jaap; Hoogeboom, Thomas; van Meeteren, Nico; Speelman, Willem Marie

    2018-05-01

    To get insight into personal meaning of a person involved in a physical therapy intervention. Mrs. A, a 76-year-old woman is referred to a physical therapist (PT) for assessment of functioning and training before total hip arthroplasty (THA). The patient, her daughter, and PT were asked to write a story about their daily life. Stories were analyzed according to the narrative scheme based on a method to find meaning in daily life, which consists of four phases: 1. Motivation; 2. Competences; 3. Performance; and 4. Mrs. A was mainly motivated by her will to do enjoyable social activities and stay independent. Although she tried her best to undertake activities (performance) that made her proud (evaluation), her pain and physical limitations were anti-competences that motivated her to attend healthcare. Although the PT seemed to be aware of personal participation goals, her main motivation was to improve and evaluate functions and activities. The daughter was motivated by good relationships and did not see herself as informal caregiver. The narrative method was a valuable tool to clarify motivations, competences, and values in the process of creating personal meaning related to functioning. This knowledge could help caregivers in applying patient-centered goal-setting and treatment on a participation level. Implications for rehabilitation Personal meaning of people's functioning within their daily context can be clarified from daily life stories. This case report demonstrates that motivations and goals may differ between patient and therapist; the PT seems to focus on improving and evaluating functions and activities, while the patient seems to focus her motivations and personal meaning on participation. This approach may help in patient-centered goal-setting at the level of activities and participation.

  13. Postcolonial constructions of HIV/AIDS: meaning, culture, and structure.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sastry, Shaunak; Dutta, Mohan J

    2011-01-01

    As a field of inquiry, postcolonial health communication seeks to apprehend processes implicated in the construction of "primitive" versus "modern" with respect to issues of health. In the case of HIV/AIDS, the sociocultural representations of the disease have a profound impact on how the disease is configured medically and symbolically in dominant cultural imagination. Postcolonial constructions of disease are mobilized around the political and economic interests of the dominant power structures in global spaces. In this article, a thematic analysis of the constructions of HIV/AIDS in India in the mainstream U.S. news media was conducted. A corpus of news articles from the Lexis-Nexis database was created with the keywords "HIV," "AIDS," and "India." Three themes emerged from the study: (a) India as a site of biomedical control; (b) the economic logics of HIV/AIDS; and (c) AIDS, development, and the "Third World." Copyright © Taylor & Francis Group, LLC

  14. Ten-year stability and latent structure of the DSM-IV schizotypal, borderline, avoidant, and obsessive-compulsive personality disorders.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sanislow, Charles A; Little, Todd D; Ansell, Emily B; Grilo, Carlos M; Daversa, Maria; Markowitz, John C; Pinto, Anthony; Shea, M Tracie; Yen, Shirley; Skodol, Andrew E; Morey, Leslie C; Gunderson, John G; Zanarini, Mary C; McGlashan, Thomas H

    2009-08-01

    Evaluation of the validity of personality disorder (PD) diagnostic constructs is important for the impending revision of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. Prior factor analytic studies have tested these constructs in cross-sectional studies, and models have been replicated longitudinally, but no study has tested a constrained longitudinal model. The authors examined 4 PDs in the Collaborative Longitudinal Personality Disorders study (schizotypal, borderline, avoidant, and obsessive-compulsive) over 7 time points (baseline, 6 months, 1 year, 2 years, 4 years, 6 years, and 10 years). Data for 2-, 4-, 6- and 10-year assessments were obtained in semistructured interviews by raters blind to prior PD diagnoses at each assessment. The latent structure of the 4 constructs was differentiated during the initial time points but became less differentiated over time as the mean levels of the constructs dropped and stability increased. Obsessive-compulsive PD became more correlated with schizotypal and borderline PD than with avoidant PD. The higher correlation among the constructs in later years may reflect greater shared base of pathology for chronic personality disorders.

  15. Seeking Meaning, Living Authenticity and Leadership in Public Space. A Philosophical Perspective

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sandu FRUNZĂ

    2018-02-01

    Full Text Available Postmodern man has a strong drive to build a horizon of life quality, meaning, and authentic living experiences that he increasingly wishes to be part of his personal life and public life. His action in the public space is based on a special vocation to cultivate the qualities of institutional leadership and informal leadership, including public sector leaders. Every time, philosophy makes available instruments for learning, communication, meaningfulness and reality construction meant to meet the human need for authenticity. The present text conveys a few aspects by which appropriating a life philosophy may ensure leaders’ personal development and may increase their influence upon the others.  

  16. The philosophical and educational potential ecopsychology as means of forming ecological culture of personality

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    O. V. Kisyel

    2014-09-01

    Full Text Available The current ecological crisis is largely caused by the dominance of anthropocentric environmental awareness. To overcome it and move humanity to a model of sustainable social and environmental development required the establishment of environmental consciousness ecocentric type, which is the aim of environmental education, namely, the formation of personality type ecocentric environmental awareness. The purpose of the article is to study the philosophical and educational potential environmental psychology as a means of transformation of personal values and attitudes toward nature. Analysis of the concepts of subjective attitude to nature, subjective perception of the natural world, environmental knowledge, empaurment-method pedagogy. Education for Sustainable Development aims to develop such knowledge, skills and values that will enable people to make individual and collective decisions of local and global nature to improve the quality of life without endangering future generations. The basic methodological principle of environmental psyhopedahohiky is in strict accordance with the environmental education teaching psychological process of environmental awareness. Interaction with nature is a great psychological and pedagogical potential that should be used in the environmental education that will allow him to become a factor in the overall development and personality development. So effectively targeted formation ekospozhyvchoyi culture of all populations requires training of qualified specialists in the field of eco-educational activities and environmental education and its philosophical and educational foundation.

  17. Examining the construct validity of the Basic Traits Inventory and the Ten-Item Personality Inventory in the South African context

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Samantha A. Metzer

    2014-08-01

    Research purpose: The main purpose of this study was to examine the discriminant and convergent validity of two personality measures that measure the big five personality factors: the longer Basic Traits Inventory (BTI and the shorter Ten-Item Personality Inventory (TIPI. Motivation for the study: Researchers have indicated a need for shorter personality measures, such as the TIPI, to assess personality dimensions. This study assessed the validity of the shorter measure in comparison with the BTI, which is considered cross-culturally valid in the South African context. Research approach, design and method: This study used a quantitative research design. Both personality measures were administered manually to a convenience sample of student participants (n = 662, and data were analysed through factor analysis utilising oblique rotation for all items. Main findings: The main findings indicate that, although the construct validity of both measures was satisfactory, the TIPI yielded unsatisfactory reliability. Practical/managerial implications: The BTI is a more reliable measure than the TIPI, which should only be used when time is limited. Contribution/value-add: In addition to providing insight into how the length of an assessment impacts on the reliability of a measure, this study further reinforces the use of the basic traits inventory as a measure that reliably measures personality in South Africa.

  18. Is the Assessment of Personality Comparable in Persons Who Have and Have Not Experienced Depressive, Anxiety, and Substance Use Disorders? An Examination of Measurement Invariance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Olino, Thomas M; Benini, Laura; Icenogle, Grace; Wilson, Sylia; Klein, Daniel N; Seeley, John R; Lewinsohn, Peter M

    2017-08-01

    Numerous studies have focused on characterizing personality differences between individuals with and without psychopathology. For drawing valid conclusions for these comparisons, the personality instruments used must demonstrate psychometric equivalence. However, we are unaware of any studies that examine measurement invariance in personality across individuals with and without psychopathology. This study conducted tests of measurement invariance for positive emotionality, negative emotionality, and disinhibition across individuals with and without histories of depressive, anxiety, and substance use disorders. We found consistent evidence that positive emotionality, negative emotionality, and disinhibition were assessed equivalently across all comparisons with each demonstrating strict invariance. Overall, results suggest that comparisons of personality measures between diagnostic groups satisfy the assumption of measurement invariance and these scales represent the same psychological constructs. Thus, mean-level comparisons across these groups are valid tests.

  19. Testing the Construct Validity of Proposed Criteria for "DSM-5" Autism Spectrum Disorder

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mandy, William P. L.; Charman, Tony; Skuse, David H.

    2012-01-01

    Objective: To use confirmatory factor analysis to test the construct validity of the proposed "DSM-5" symptom model of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), in comparison to alternative models, including that described in "DSM-IV-TR." Method: Participants were 708 verbal children and young persons (mean age, 9.5 years) with mild to severe autistic…

  20. Algorithm for assessment of mean annual gonad dose and genetically significant dose from the data of personal dosimetry

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tomasevic, M.; Radovanovic, R.

    1986-01-01

    During one year more than 40,000 items of information on radiation exposure of personnel involved in the handling of radiation sources and more than 5,000,000 items on irradiation of other people are collected in the authors' laboratory. Considerable progress in assessment of mean annual gonad dose of genetically sifnificant dose was attained by means of an algorithm for a personal computer. This simple and inexpensive system has led to a higher accuracy in the application of protective measures. (author)

  1. Can DSM-IV borderline personality disorder be diagnosed via dimensional personality traits? Implications for the DSM-5 personality disorder proposal.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Miller, Joshua D; Morse, Jennifer Q; Nolf, Kimberly; Stepp, Stephanie D; Pilkonis, Paul A

    2012-11-01

    The proposal for the diagnosis of personality disorders (PDs) in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th edition (DSM-5;American Psychiatric Association, in preparation) involves, in part, the use of elevated scores on dimensional personality traits. For instance, the diagnosis of borderline personality disorder (BPD) in the DSM-5 will require evidence of self- and interpersonal impairment as well as elevated scores on traits of emotional lability, anxiousness, separation insecurity, depressivity, impulsivity, risk taking, and hostility. Using a sample of individuals from the community (N = 134), half of whom were receiving psychiatric treatment, we tested whether the summation of relevant personality trait scores, using data derived from a measure of the Five-Factor Model of personality (FFM), would result in a construct that corresponds to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th ed. (DSM-IV, American Psychiatric Association, 2000) BPD construct as scored by expert consensus ratings. The DSM-IV and FFM BPD scores were significantly correlated (r = .60) and generated highly similar patterns of relations (ricc = .84) with key constructs from BPD's nomological network. These data should serve to allay concerns that the DSM-5's new diagnostic approach will be detrimental to the identification of BPD. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved).

  2. The development of a personalized patient education tool for decision making for postmenopausal women with osteoporosis

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Hiligsmann, M.; Ronda, G.; Weijden, T.T. van der; Boonen, A.

    2016-01-01

    A personalized patient education tool for decision making (PET) for postmenopausal women with osteoporosis was developed by means of a systematic development approach. A prototype was constructed and refined by involving various professionals and patients. Professionals and patients expressed a

  3. Domestic Violence Against Partners According to Wife-Beaters: Construction of Lifestyle and Life Meaning.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vignansky, Efrat; Timor, Uri

    2017-08-01

    This qualitative study examines the life stories of men who committed violent crimes against their intimate partners, for which they have served prison sentences. For the study, nine men in a rehabilitation hostel in Israel were interviewed. The study aim was to understand the psychological process that had brought the participants to behave violently towards their partners. Narrative analysis of the life stories resulted in two main themes. The first, childhood, was related to how the interviewee during his childhood perceived his personal identity and his parents. The second theme represented the adult interviewee's worldview of violence in general and of intimate partner violence in particular. The findings revealed a subjective feeling of inferiority and lack of worth and volition during childhood, a feeling of chaos, and the absence of existential meaning. To avoid these feelings in adulthood, the participants chose a lifestyle that included the use of force and violence, which provided them with a sense of control and meaning. Discussion of the findings is based on the individual psychology theory of Adler and his followers, as well as on the existentialist orientation. According to these approaches, the study participants, who lacked a sense of positive "existential being," developed a negative lifestyle that enabled them to feel a sense of security, value, and meaning.

  4. Constructivism and the projective assessment of meaning in Rorschach administration.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Raskin, J D

    2001-08-01

    Constructivist perspectives on the Rorschach are outlined. I discuss ways in which constructivism complements and adds to existing Rorschach methodologies. It is suggested hat the constructivist emphasis on personally and socially constructed meanings is very consistent with many of the ways the Rorschach has been used and resonates with recent emphases on the Rorschach as a representational task. Furthermore, constructivist perspectives on Rorschach also provide an opportunity to supplement Exner's (1993, 1995) efforts to standardize and norm the Rorschach in a way that maintains the instrument's historic and admirable attention to relational elements of assessment and psychotherapy. I present a variety of meaning-based techniques for conducting Rorschach assessment, incorporating both the constructivist and social constructionist perspective.

  5. 38 CFR 18.423 - New construction.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... 38 Pensions, Bonuses, and Veterans' Relief 2 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false New construction. 18.423... construction. (a) Design and construction. Each facility or part of a facility constructed by, on behalf of, or... facility is readily accessible to and usable by handicapped persons, if the construction was commenced...

  6. Construct Equivalence and Latent Means Analysis of Health Behaviors Between Male and Female Middle School Students

    OpenAIRE

    Park, Jeong Mo; Han, Ae Kyung; Cho, Yoon Hee

    2011-01-01

    Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the construct equivalence of the five general factors (subjective health, eating habits, physical activities, sedentary lifestyle, and sleeping behaviors) and to compare the latent means between male and female middle school students in Incheon, Korea. Methods: The 2008 Korean Youth Risk Behavior Survey data was used for analysis. Multigroup confirmatory factor analysis was performed to test whether the scale has configural, metric, and...

  7. 45 CFR 84.23 - New construction.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    ... 45 Public Welfare 1 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false New construction. 84.23 Section 84.23 Public... construction. (a) Design and construction. Each facility or part of a facility constructed by, on behalf of, or... of the facility is readily accessible to and usable by handicapped persons, if the construction was...

  8. Construct Validity of the MMPI-2-RF Triarchic Psychopathy Scales in Correctional and Collegiate Samples.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kutchen, Taylor J; Wygant, Dustin B; Tylicki, Jessica L; Dieter, Amy M; Veltri, Carlo O C; Sellbom, Martin

    2017-01-01

    This study examined the MMPI-2-RF (Ben-Porath & Tellegen, 2008/2011) Triarchic Psychopathy scales recently developed by Sellbom et al. ( 2016 ) in 3 separate groups of male correctional inmates and 2 college samples. Participants were administered a diverse battery of psychopathy specific measures (e.g., Psychopathy Checklist-Revised [Hare, 2003 ], Psychopathic Personality Inventory-Revised [Lilienfeld & Widows, 2005 ], Triarchic Psychopathy Measure [Patrick, 2010 ]), omnibus personality and psychopathology measures such as the Personality Assessment Inventory (Morey, 2007 ) and Personality Inventory for DSM-5 (Krueger, Derringer, Markon, Watson, & Skodol, 2012 ), and narrow-band measures that capture conceptually relevant constructs. Our results generally evidenced strong support for the convergent and discriminant validity for the MMPI-2-RF Triarchic scales. Boldness was largely associated with measures of fearless dominance, social potency, and stress immunity. Meanness showed strong relationships with measures of callousness, aggression, externalizing tendencies, and poor interpersonal functioning. Disinhibition exhibited strong associations with poor impulse control, stimulus seeking, and general externalizing proclivities. Our results provide additional construct validation to both the triarchic model and MMPI-2-RF Triarchic scales. Given the widespread use of the MMPI-2-RF in correctional and forensic settings, our results have important implications for clinical assessment in these 2 areas, where psychopathy is a highly relevant construct.

  9. Personality and persona: personality processes in self-presentation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Leary, Mark R; Allen, Ashley Batts

    2011-12-01

    This article examines the role that personality variables and processes play in people's efforts to manage their public images. Although most research on self-presentation has focused on situational influences, people differ greatly in the degree to which they care about others' impressions of them, the types of impressions they try to convey, and their evaluations of their self-presentational effectiveness. Personality constructs such as public self-consciousness, approval motivation, and fear of negative evaluation are associated with the motive to manage one's impressions, and people who differ in self-disclosure and desire for privacy differentially reveal information about themselves to others. Other variables relating to people's self-concepts, interpersonal goals, and traits influence the construction of specific images. Finally, the extent to which people believe they are capable of making desired impressions influences their impression management strategies and how they respond to other people's evaluations. © 2010 The Authors. Journal of Personality © 2011, Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  10. What does big data mean for personalized medicine?

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Sieverink, Floor; Tjin-Kam-Jet-Siemons, Liseth; Braakman-Jansen, Louise Marie Antoinette; van Gemert-Pijnen, Julia E.W.C.

    2015-01-01

    Background The rapid and ongoing digitalization of society leads to an exponential growth of both structured and unstructured data, so-called Big Data. This wealth of information opens the door to the development of more sophisticated personalized health technologies. The analysis of log data from

  11. [Darwinism and the meaning of "meaning"].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Castrodeza, Carlos

    2009-01-01

    The problem of the meaning of life is herewith contemplated from a Darwinian perspective. It is argued how factors such as existential depression, the concern about the meaning of "meaning," the problem of evil, death as the end of our personal identity, happiness as an unachievable goal, etc. may well have an adaptive dimension "controlled" neither by ourselves nor obscure third parties (conspiracy theories) but "simply" by our genes (replicators in general) so that little if anything is to be done to find a radical remedy for the human condition.

  12. Gender based violence and psychosocial intervention at Quito. Weaving narratives to construct new meanings

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Paz Guarderas

    2014-11-01

    Full Text Available Very few studies have been done in Ecuador on psychosocial interventions involving gender violence. This article, based on research carried out in Quito with people who have experienced this type of violence, is intended to contribute to the debate on the subject. Through narrative production methodology, we hope to construct new meanings of psychosocial intervention and gender violence. The participants offer conceptions of gender violence that go beyond aspects usually taken into account in the creation of laws and services. They point out that current psychosocial intervention in response to gender violence tends to homogenize women, providing services that reduce these situations to woman/victim-man/perpetrator scenarios.

  13. Filipino women living in Canada: constructing meanings of body, food, and health.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Farrales, L L; Chapman, G E

    1999-01-01

    This qualitative study explored the understandings of body size, food and eating, and health held by Filipino women living in Canada. Women (n = 11) aged 19 to 30 years old who were born in the Philippines and living in British Columbia participated in individual interviews where they discussed their beliefs and practices relating to their body, food, and health. Informants' comments reflected contrasting "Canadian" and "Filipino" meanings. Canadian beliefs emphasized the desirability of thinness, "watching" intake of fat, rice, and junk food, and minimizing disease risk. Filipino beliefs valued fatness, "just eating" fat and rice, and maximizing disease resistance. While most informants appeared to have adopted the Canadian values, Filipino beliefs continued to be of some significance in their lives. These findings demonstrate the socially constructed nature of health beliefs and illustrate how members of a minority ethnic group negotiate among conflicting cultural beliefs about body size, food and health.

  14. Person-centered osteopathic practice: patients' personality (body, mind, and soul) and health (ill-being and well-being).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fahlgren, Elin; Nima, Ali A; Archer, Trevor; Garcia, Danilo

    2015-01-01

    Background. Osteopathic philosophy and practice are congruent with the biopsychosocial model, a patient-centered approach when treating disease, and the view of the person as a unity (i.e., body, mind, and soul). Nevertheless, a unity of being should involve a systematic person-centered understanding of the patient's personality as a biopsychosociospiritual construct that influences health (i.e., well-being and ill-being). We suggest Cloninger's personality model, comprising temperament (i.e., body) and character (i.e., mind and soul), as a genuine paradigm for implementation in osteopathic practice. As a first step, we investigated (1) the relationships between personality and health among osteopathic patients, (2) differences in personality between patients and a control group, and (3) differences in health within patients depending on the presenting problem and gender. Method. 524 osteopathic patients in Sweden (age mean = 46.17, SD = 12.54, 388 females and 136 males) responded to an online survey comprising the Temperament and Character Inventory and measures of health (well-being: life satisfaction, positive affect, harmony in life, energy, and resilience; ill-being: negative affect, anxiety, depression, stress, and dysfunction and suffering associated to the presenting problem). We conducted two structural equation models to investigate the association personality-health; graphically compared the patients' personality T-scores to those of the control group and compared the mean raw scores using t-tests; and conducted two multivariate analyses of variance, using age as covariate, to compare patients' health in relation to their presenting problem and gender. Results. The patients' personality explained the variance of all of the well-being (R (2) between .19 and .54) and four of the ill-being (R (2) between .05 and .43) measures. Importantly, self-transcendence, the spiritual aspect of personality, was associated to high levels of positive emotions and

  15. The reflective experimental construction of meanings about the shape of the Earth and the alternation of day and night

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Paulo Varela

    2012-11-01

    Full Text Available The purpose of this paper is to describe and analyze the process of construction of meaning about the shape of the Earth and the alternation of day and night, which is inherent to the practice of experimental science teaching. This teaching practice was gradually done by the researcher in a 1st grade class of a Portuguese primary school. The class was composed of 18 students, ten girls and eight boys, with ages ranging from six to seven years old. The analysis of the meaning construction process focused on the class diary prepared by the researcher, based on the field notes and audio recordings made during the participant observation in the classroom. The goals of the interpretive analysis of the diary were as follows: a identifying the students' initial ideas expressed during class about the shape of the Earth, b characterizing the processes that promote the construction of knowledge about the topics under study; c and presenting the learning that takes place during class. These instances of learning described in the class diary, combined with the results of a true or false questionnaire, suggest that most students developed a good understanding about the shape of the Earth and the alternation of day and night.

  16. Perceptions of student nurses on the writing of reflective journals as a means for personal, professional and clinical learning development

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hazel T. Mahlanze

    2017-10-01

    Full Text Available Background: Reflective journals are used by the students to voice their views on the daily activities during clinical placement. Reflective journals are aimed at helping the student to observe and record as many facts about daily practice as the student finds relevant. Reflective journal writing can therefore be used as a tool to evaluate that clinical learning is actually taking place and what challenges students are experiencing which may influence their learning. Findings by Harris (2006:460–461 are encouraging that through journaling students will develop ability to identify and analyse their difficulties, make suggestions for solving problems and ask and pursue questions on their own. Some of the participants confirmed improved values clarification, self-valuing and personal growth. Bulman & Schutz (2008:172 recommends journal writing for recording processes the student observe, copy and internalize in her journey towards professional development. Objectives: This study aimed to determine student nurses' perceptions of reflective journal writing as a means for personal, professional development and clinical learning development. Method: A quantitative and descriptive survey was conducted in September 2013. Forty participants were recruited from second year student nurses of a University of Technology in uMgungundlovu District of KwaZulu-Natal. Purposive convenience sampling strategy was used. A structured questionnaire was designed by the researcher from literature reviewed. The questionnaire was piloted and modified, then used after permission had been granted by the Ethics Committee of the university concerned. The Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS 17 programme was used for data analysis. Results: Results indicated that the participants generally experienced writing of reflective journals to be a valuable tool enhancing personal development, professional growth and clinical learning. A significant number (n = 24

  17. Person-centered approaches in medicine: clinical tasks, psychological paradigms, and postnonclassic perspective

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mezzich J.E.

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available The article aims to demonstrate advances in methodological means suggested by Vygotsky’s cultural-historical concept in association with a theoretical model of a Person-centered diagnosis and practical use of the construct for clinical psychology and medicine. This, to a greater extent, arises from the fact that the cultural-historical concept (due to its humanistic nature and epistemological content is closely related to the person-centered integrative approach. But for all that the concept corresponds to the ideals of postnonclassical model of scientific rationality with a number of ‘key’ features. Above all it manifests its “methodological maturity” to cope with open self-developing systems, which is most essential at the modern stage of scientific knowledge.The work gives consideration to ‘defining pillars’ of Person-centered approach in modern medicine, to humanistic traditions of the Russian clinical school, and high prospects in diagnostics of such mental constructs as “subjective pattern of disease” and “social situation of personal development in disease” - within the context of person-centered integrative diagnosis.This article discusses the need for implementation a cross-cultural study of subjective pattern of disease and its correlation with a particular “social situation of personality development under disease conditions”. It aims at development and substantiation of the model of person-centered integrative approach, enhancement of its diagnostic scope and, consequently, improvement of the model of person-centered care in modern psychiatry and medicine.

  18. Effects of personal experiences on the interpretation of the meaning of colours used in the displays and controls in electric control panels.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Inseok; Hwang, Won-Gue

    2015-01-01

    A survey was conducted to examine how personal experiences affect the interpretation of the meaning of display and control colours on electric control panels (ECPs). In Korea, the red light on ECPs represents a normal state of operation, while the green light represents a stopped state of operation; this appears to contradict the general stereotypes surrounding these colours. The survey results indicated that the participants who had experience in using ECPs interpreted the colour meaning differently from the other participant group. More than half of the experienced participants regarded the coloured displays and controls as they were designed, while most participants in the other group appeared to interpret the colours in accordance with the stereotypes. It is presumed that accidents related to human errors can occur when non-experienced people use the ECPs, which are easily accessible in many buildings. Practitioner Summary: A survey was conducted to investigate how personal experiences affect the interpretation of the function meanings of coloured lights on electrical control panels. It was found that the interpretation varies according to personal experiences, which can induce accidents related to human errors while operating electrical equipment.

  19. Validation of a Modified Life-Space Assessment in Multimorbid Older Persons With Cognitive Impairment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ullrich, Phoebe; Werner, Christian; Bongartz, Martin; Kiss, Rainer; Bauer, Jürgen; Hauer, Klaus

    2018-01-31

    To investigate the validity, reliability, sensitivity to change, and feasibility of a modified University of Alabama at Birmingham Study of Aging Life-Space Assessment (UAB-LSA) in older persons with cognitive impairment (CI). The UAB-LSA was modified for use in persons with CI Life-Space Assessment for Persons with Cognitive Impairment (LSA-CI). Measurement properties of the LSA-CI were investigated using data of 118 multimorbid older participants with CI [mean age (SD): 82.3 (6.0) years, mean Mini-Mental State Examination score: 23.3 (2.4) points] from a randomized controlled trial (RCT) to improve motor performance and physical activity. Construct validity was asessed by Spearman's rank (rs) and point-biseral correlations (rpb) with age, gender, motor, and cognitive status, psychosocial factors, and sensor-derived (outdoor) physical activity variables. Test-retest reliability was analyzed using intra-class correlation coefficients (ICCs). Sensitivity to change was determined by standardized response means (SRMs) calculated for the RCT intervention group. The LSA-CI demonstrated moderate to high construct validity, with significant correlations of the LSA-CI scores with (outdoor) physical activity (rs = .23-.63), motor status (rs = .27-.56), fear of falling-related psychosocial variables (rs = |.24-.44|), and demographic characteristics (rpb = |.27-.32|). Test-retest reliability was good to excellent (ICC = .65-.91). Sensitivity to change was excellent for the LSA-CI composite score (SRM = .80) and small to moderate for the LSA-CI subscores (SRM = .35-.60). A completion rate of 100% and a mean completion time of 4.1 min) documented good feasibility. The LSA-CI represents a valid, reliable, sensitive, and feasible interview-based life-space assessment tool in multimorbid older persons with CI. © The Author(s) 2018. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Gerontological Society of America. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  20. The burden of neck pain: its meaning for persons with neck pain and healthcare providers, explored by concept mapping.

    Science.gov (United States)

    van Randeraad-van der Zee, Carlijn H; Beurskens, Anna J H M; Swinkels, Raymond A H M; Pool, Jan J M; Batterham, Roy W; Osborne, Richard H; de Vet, Henrica C W

    2016-05-01

    To empirically define the concept of burden of neck pain. The lack of a clear understanding of this construct from the perspective of persons with neck pain and care providers hampers adequate measurement of this burden. An additional aim was to compare the conceptual model obtained with the frequently used Neck Disability Index (NDI). Concept mapping, combining qualitative (nominal group technique and group consensus) and quantitative research methods (cluster analysis and multidimensional scaling), was applied to groups of persons with neck pain (n = 3) and professionals treating persons with neck pain (n = 2). Group members generated statements, which were organized into concept maps. Group members achieved consensus about the number and description of domains and the researchers then generated an overall mind map covering the full breadth of the burden of neck pain. Concept mapping revealed 12 domains of burden of neck pain: impaired mobility neck, neck pain, fatigue/concentration, physical complaints, psychological aspects/consequences, activities of daily living, social participation, financial consequences, difficult to treat/difficult to diagnose, difference of opinion with care providers, incomprehension by social environment, and how person with neck pain deal with complaints. All ten items of the NDI could be linked to the mind map, but the NDI measures only part of the burden of neck pain. This study revealed the relevant domains for the burden of neck pain from the viewpoints of persons with neck pain and their care providers. These results can guide the identification of existing measurements instruments for each domain or the development of new ones to measure the burden of neck pain.

  1. A Personal Reflection on Educating for Meaning

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nash, Robert J.

    2008-01-01

    The major premise of this article is inspired by Viktor Frankl's words: "The truth is that as the struggle for survival has subsided, the question has emerged--survival for what? Ever more people today have the "means" to live, but no "meaning" to live for." Thousands of students who have come through the author's college courses during the last…

  2. The meaning of living close to a person with Alzheimer disease.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bergman, Mette; Graff, Caroline; Eriksdotter, Maria; Fugl-Meyer, Kerstin S; Schuster, Marja

    2016-09-01

    Only a few studies explore the lifeworld of the spouses of persons affected by early-onset Alzheimer disease (AD). The aim of this study is to explore the lifeworld of spouses when their partners are diagnosed with AD, focusing on spouses' lived experience. The study employs an interpretative phenomenological framework. Ten in-depth interviews are performed. The results show that spouses' lifeworld changes with the diagnosis. They experience an imprisoned existence in which added obligations, fear, and worry keep them trapped at home, both physically and mentally. In their longing for freedom, new strategies and attitudes helps the spouses to create an extended "lived space" with their partner. The findings stress the importance of paying attention to the lifeworld of spouses and making clinical recommendations on this basis. Most importantly, the lifeworld perspective has implications for how we understand what care is. We hope to challenge all different healthcare professionals and invite them to discuss the deep meaning of care and the definition of being professional in encounters with vulnerable others from a lifeworld perspective.

  3. Assessing the Role of Attachment to God, Meaning, and Religious Coping as Mediators in the Grief Experience

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kelley, Melissa M.; Chan, Keith T.

    2012-01-01

    Research has examined the relationship of styles of attachment to others and meaning with grief and the stress-related growth process. Less has been written on styles of attachment to God and patterns of religious coping and how these constructs may impact adjustment in persons dealing with loss. This study examines the roles of attachment to God,…

  4. Science Communication in Teacher Personal Pronouns

    Science.gov (United States)

    Oliveira, Alandeom W.

    2011-09-01

    In this study, I explore how personal pronouns used by elementary teachers during science inquiry discussions communicate science and frame teacher-student-science relations. A semiotic framework is adopted wherein teacher pronominal choices are viewed as symbolically expressing cognitive meanings (scientific thinking, forms of expression, and concepts) and indexically communicating social meanings (hidden messages about social and personal aspects of science-human agency, science membership, and gender). Through the construction of interactional maps and micro-ethnographic analysis of classroom video-recordings, I focus specifically on participant examples (oral descriptions of actual or hypothetical situations wherein the teacher presents herself and/or her students as characters to illustrate topics under discussion). This analysis revealed that the teacher use of the generalised you communicated to the students how to mean scientifically (i.e. to speak like a scientist), while I communicated scientific ways of thinking and reasoning. Furthermore, teacher pronouns communicated the social nature of science (NOS) (e.g. science as a human enterprise) as well as multiple teacher-student-science relational frames that were inclusive of some students (mainly boys) but excluded girls (i.e. positioned them as science outsiders). Exclusive use of he was taken as indicative of a gender bias. It is argued that science teachers should become more aware of the range of personal pronouns available for science instruction, their advantages and constraints for science discussions, their potential as instructional tools for humanising and personalising impersonal science curricula as well as the risk of 'NOS' miscommunication.

  5. A qualitative research on the psychological means of developing one’s personal image and appearance

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Natalya A. Kaminskaya

    2017-03-01

    Full Text Available This paper analyzes the internal mechanisms of the individual positive and negative attitude towards appearance, the description of which is under-represented in the psychological literature. The process of creating a consistent image of the physical «Self» and maintaining a positive emotional evaluation of the body and appearance particularly seen through the idea of assigning the individual components of appearance, committed throughout the whole course of life, and is understood as a specific psychological problem, addressable only in human personality as integrative unity, preserving and maintaining its integrity. The hypothesis of the study made by the assumption that a positive attitude to their external appearance is ensured, actualization processes semantic and symbolic mediation of the physical and expressive features, and on the contrary, a negative attitude toward the appearance indicates the failure of such processes. The following characteristics of body image were considered: emotional assessment and the nature of the work on the body, the internal means of maintaining a positive attitude to their appearance, and also the broader context of personal characteristics, particularly the motivational sphere, psychological defenses, the general harmony, integration of personality structure. Differences were demonstrated between conscious and unconscious relation to the external appearance among the subjects, presented significant correlations between the non-integration of personal organization and the negative attitude towards appearance, and between the presence of supervaluation group needs and the negative assessment by the subjects of their appearance. The subjects who accept their appearance are characterized by a greater representation of mediation systems as the assignment of funds in the structure of the physical image «Self», as compared to subjects not receiving their physical appearance.

  6. 45 CFR 605.23 - New construction.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    ... 45 Public Welfare 3 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false New construction. 605.23 Section 605.23 Public... Accessibility § 605.23 New construction. (a) Design and construction. Each facility or part of a facility... persons, if the construction was commenced after the effective date of this part. (b) Alteration. Each...

  7. The Means-End Approach to Understanding Customer Values of a On-Line Newspaper

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    André Luiz Maranhão de Souza Leão

    2007-01-01

    Full Text Available Customer value is understood as one of the constructs that best explains consumer decision making. Its proposal is to understand how consumers translate product or service characteristics and consequences of use into personal self-relevant values. The means-end theory is a way of systematically thinking in this hierarchicalrepresentation. The most commonly used method to achieve means-end chains is laddering. This theory and method were used to understand customer values of an important on-line Brazilian newspaper, which is an innovative approach, since on-line laddering is uncommon. The findings indicate that values related to goals of a personal nature are the most important ones. However, other values indicate the increase of the public man pointing to an alternative vision of what is commonly thought of as the contemporary isolated and selfish human. Academic research could benefit from a broader understanding and use of the means-end theory and laddering on the Web. Future research for managerial practices is warranted in areas such as segmentation, satisfaction measuring and customer value reevaluation, in addition to copy tests.

  8. Names in Psychological Science: Investigating the Processes of Thought Development and the Construction of Personal Identities.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Quaglia, Rocco; Longobardi, Claudio; Mendola, Manuela; Prino, Laura Elvira

    2016-06-01

    This paper examines the name as an issue of interest in the psychology field. In thinking about the role played by names for some of the most important approaches on the psychology panorama, it has been found that the analysis of names can be used as an instrument for the investigation of thought formation processes, or as an element in the process of constructing personal identity. In the first case, the focus is on the so-called "common" names, which designate objects; in the second case, instead, it is on people's given names and on the way they are perceived by their bearers and those who surround them. We have examined both domains, since it is essential to understand how the psychological concepts related to names develop in children's minds, if we aim to grasp their importance as designators of people's internal and external realities. Lastly, we have proposed our own view of the person's name, linked to the relational systems perspective which essentially sees the name as a signifier or "representative" of the child-parent relationship, while the "relationship" is the signified.

  9. Personality Psychology and Economics

    OpenAIRE

    Almlund, Mathilde; Duckworth, Angela Lee; Heckman, James J.; Kautz, Tim

    2011-01-01

    This paper explores the power of personality traits both as predictors and as causes of academic and economic success, health, and criminal activity. Measured personality is interpreted as a construct derived from an economic model of preferences, constraints, and information. Evidence is reviewed about the "situational specificity" of personality traits and preferences. An extreme version of the situationist view claims that there are no stable personality traits or preference parameters tha...

  10. Seismic impact of the railway on the geotechnical constructions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stolárik, Martin; Pinka, Miroslav

    2017-09-01

    Nowadays, the focus on more ecological means of material and persons transport is still higher. Big loads can be transported on railways more effectively and with lower environment impact than on roads. The geotechnical structures are inherent parts of railway infrastructure, such as embankments, sides of notches and, of course, tunnels, foundation constructions of buildings or pillars of bridges and the others geotechnical constructions (e.g. retaining walls, culverts, transition area of bridges). By train pass, vibrations are caused and these vibrations are relayed to the soil. These vibrations can make adverse impact to surrounding objects and to technologies placed in. This so far uncared-for influence gets into the foreground by current trend of everyday life technical equipment increasing. The article introduces different kinds of geotechnical structures and the influence of by-passing railway transport on their constructions and surroundings. The data are evaluated in the amplitude and frequency domain.

  11. Life Themes and Interpersonal Motivational Systems in the Narrative Self-construction

    Science.gov (United States)

    Veglia, Fabio; Di Fini, Giulia

    2017-01-01

    What makes unique and unrepeatable individuals is their ability to write their own story attributing meaning, sharing it through narration, giving coherence to the information related to the interpersonal motivational systems, and creating alternative hierarchies to those biologically provided by the genetic code. Through clinical narratives and narrative literature, we can observe the recurrence of specific topics, across time and different cultures. Hence, we wondered whether there are some evolutionary suggestions that guide us in the construction of the narrative-autobiographical contents. In this article we proposed a theoretical-clinical hypothesis about the existence of a biological disposition to identify as fundamental six Life Themes (LTs) that contribute to defining the image of the self and the world: Love, Personal Value, Power, Justice, Truth, and Freedom. Besides the innumerable narratives dependent upon context, there may be many ways of telling stories that, instead, would be reported to these few essential themes. A narrative review of the literature about these concepts follows the systematic explanation of the perspective about the LTs as attractors of meaning. The manuscript considers also the process of co-construction of meanings within the interpersonal relationships and the influences of these on the narratives. In particular, we focused on the importance of episodic and autobiographical memory related to the attachment and significant figures, in the construction of the personal story and the LTs. We also explained the possible clinical implications of the theoretical hypothesis of LTs. Within clinical conversations, the LTs could be expressed rigidly or, otherwise, in a confused way. The lack of narrative integration may lead to the dominance of chaos or rigidity that generates suffering. A better comprehension of the LTs in patients’ narrations could be useful to identify a narrative profile about the areas of greatest suffering

  12. Ecological sustainability and personal behavior: relations demonstrated by the decision-making process of selecting a certain transportation mean

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Priewasser, Reinhold [Linz Univ., Inst. for Environmental Management in Enterprises and Regions, Linz (Austria)

    1999-07-01

    Facing the aim of ecological sustainability only little emphasis has been placed on the fact that the extent of environmental stresses is not only a consequence of certain factual or structural conditions but also essentially determined by varying human behaviour patterns. Technologies and structures are not ecologically effective by themselves, their environmental relevance strongly depends on the persons' way of acting within the prevailing system. Recognising the importance of that perspective psychological and social theories about the generation of personal behaviour as well as the theoretical models of learning can offer useful indications concerning the interpersonal and extrapersonal preconditions of environmentally oriented acting. With reference to the decision-making process of selecting a certain transportation mean, the influences of rational and emotional factors and obstacles to an ecologically sustainable personal act should be exemplary demonstrated. At the same time very effective points of departure for behavioural change can be identified. (Author)

  13. 46 CFR 161.012-7 - Construction.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    ... 46 Shipping 6 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Construction. 161.012-7 Section 161.012-7 Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) EQUIPMENT, CONSTRUCTION, AND MATERIALS: SPECIFICATIONS AND APPROVAL ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT Personal Flotation Device Lights § 161.012-7 Construction. (a...

  14. A Twin Study of Normative Personality and DSM-IV Personality Disorder Criterion Counts: Evidence for Separate Genetic Influences.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Czajkowski, Nikolai; Aggen, Steven H; Krueger, Robert F; Kendler, Kenneth S; Neale, Michael C; Knudsen, Gun Peggy; Gillespie, Nathan A; Røysamb, Espen; Tambs, Kristian; Reichborn-Kjennerud, Ted

    2018-03-21

    Both normative personality and DSM-IV personality disorders have been found to be heritable. However, there is limited knowledge about the extent to which the genetic and environmental influences underlying DSM personality disorders are shared with those of normative personality. The aims of this study were to assess the phenotypic similarity between normative and pathological personality and to investigate the extent to which genetic and environmental influences underlying individual differences in normative personality account for symptom variance across DSM-IV personality disorders. A large population-based sample of adult twins was assessed for DSM-IV personality disorder criteria with structured interviews at two waves spanning a 10-year interval. At the second assessment, participants also completed the Big Five Inventory, a self-report instrument assessing the five-factor normative personality model. The proportion of genetic and environmental liabilities unique to the individual personality disorder measures, and hence not shared with the five Big Five Inventory domains, were estimated by means of multivariate Cholesky twin decompositions. The median percentage of genetic liability to the 10 DSM-IV personality disorders assessed at wave 1 that was not shared with the Big Five domains was 64%, whereas for the six personality disorders that were assessed concurrently at wave 2, the median was 39%. Conversely, the median proportions of unique environmental liability in the personality disorders for wave 1 and wave 2 were 97% and 96%, respectively. The results indicate that a moderate-to-sizable proportion of the genetic influence underlying DSM-IV personality disorders is not shared with the domain constructs of the Big Five model of normative personality. Caution should be exercised in assuming that normative personality measures can serve as proxies for DSM personality disorders when investigating the etiology of these disorders.

  15. Assessment of the type D personality construct in the Korean population

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Lim, Hong Euy; Lee, Moon-Soo; Ko, Young-Hoon

    2011-01-01

    This study aimed to develop a Korean version of the Type D Personality Scale-14 (DS14) and evaluate the psychiatric symptomatology of Korean cardiac patients with Type D personality. Healthy control (n = 954), patients with a coronary heart disease (n = 111) and patients with hypertension...... and no heart disease (n = 292) were recruited. All three groups completed DS14, the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (EPQ), the state subscale of Spielberger State and Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI-S), the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Short Depression Scale (CESD), and the General Health Questionnaire...... for identifying Type D personality. The general population and cardiovascular patients with Type D personality showed higher rate of depression, anxiety and psychological distress regarding their health. Therefore, identifying Type D personality is important in clinical research and practice in chronic medical...

  16. Cooperativeness and competitiveness as two distinct constructs: validating the Cooperative and Competitive Personality Scale in a social dilemma context.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lu, Su; Au, Wing-Tung; Jiang, Feng; Xie, Xiaofei; Yam, Paton

    2013-01-01

    The present research validated the construct and criterion validities of the Cooperative and Competitive Personality Scale (CCPS) in a social dilemma context. The results from three studies supported the notion that cooperativeness and competitiveness are two independent dimensions, challenging the traditional view that they are two ends of a single continuum. First, confirmatory factor analyses revealed that a two-factor structure fit the data significantly better than a one-factor structure. Moreover, cooperativeness and competitiveness were either not significantly correlated (Studies 1 and 3) or only moderately positively correlated (Study 2). Second, cooperativeness and competitiveness were differentially associated with Schwartz's Personal Values. These results further supported the idea that cooperativeness and competitiveness are two distinct constructs. Specifically, the individuals who were highly cooperative emphasized self-transcendent values (i.e., universalism and benevolence) more, whereas the individuals who were highly competitive emphasized self-enhancement values (i.e., power and achievement) more. Finally, the CCPS, which adheres to the trait perspective of personality, was found to be a useful supplement to more prevalent social motive measures (i.e., social value orientation) in predicting cooperative behaviors. Specifically, in Study 2, when social value orientation was controlled for, the CCPS significantly predicted cooperative behaviors in a public goods dilemma (individuals who score higher on cooperativeness scale contributed more to the public goods). In Study 3, when social value orientation was controlled for, the CCPS significantly predicted cooperative behaviors in commons dilemmas (individuals who score higher on cooperativeness scale requested fewer resources from the common resource pool). The practical implications of the CCPS in conflict resolution, as well as in recruitment and selection settings, are discussed.

  17. Meaning Construction and Integration in Children with Hydrocephalus

    Science.gov (United States)

    Barnes, Marcia A.; Faulkner, Heather; Wilkinson, Margaret; Dennis, Maureen

    2004-01-01

    Text comprehension processes were investigated in children with hydrocephalus, a neurodevelopmental disorder associated with good word decoding, but deficient reading comprehension. In Experiment 1, hydrocephalus and control groups were similar in processes related to activating word meanings and using context to enhance meaning. The hydrocephalus…

  18. Phraseology as a means of moral values of Russian national personality reflection

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kovalenko E. G.

    2016-07-01

    Full Text Available the article deals with the peculiarities of linguistic personality; examines the ideographic groups of phraseological units, an integral semantics of which reflects the most important semantic dominants of the concept of Russian national personality; restores on the basis of phraseology of the moral sphere of human the positive type (portrait of Russian national personality.

  19. Opening our hearts and minds: the meaning of international clinical nursing electives in the personal and professional lives of nurses.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Callister, Lynn Clark; Cox, Amy Harmer

    2006-06-01

    Although international opportunities are the hallmark of nursing education at a large private university, the meaning of participating in such clinical nursing electives has not been described. The purpose of this phenomenological study of nurses was to examine the personal and professional meaning of participating in international clinical nursing electives during their undergraduate nursing studies. Audiotaped interviews were conducted with 20 former nursing students who had had this opportunity. "Opening our hearts and minds" was described by the study's participants, with the following themes: increasing understanding of other cultures and peoples, increasing understanding of global sociopolitical and health issues, increasing the commitment to make a difference, experiencing personal and professional growth, contributing to professional development in the host country, making interpersonal connexions, and developing cultural competence. This study makes an important contribution to the documentation of the meaning of participating in international nursing clinical experiences. Data are being used for long-term curricular planning in the development and refinement of future international clinical nursing electives and to provide outcomes data for professional accreditation. There are broader implications for the movement beyond individual cultural competence to increasing global consciousness and the improvement of global health care.

  20. Personal resilience resources predict post-stem cell transplant cancer survivors' psychological outcomes through reductions in depressive symptoms and meaning-making.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Campo, Rebecca A; Wu, Lisa M; Austin, Jane; Valdimarsdottir, Heiddis; Rini, Christine

    2017-01-01

    This longitudinal study examined whether post-transplant cancer survivors (N = 254, 9 months to 3 years after stem cell transplant treatment) with greater personal resilience resources demonstrated better psychological outcomes and whether this could be attributed to reductions in depressive symptoms and/or four meaning-making processes (searching for and finding reasons for one's illness; searching for and finding benefit from illness). Hierarchical linear regression analyses examined associations of survivors' baseline personal resilience resources (composite variable of self-esteem, mastery, and optimism), which occurred an average of 1.7 years after transplant, and 4-month changes in psychological outcomes highly relevant to recovering from this difficult and potentially traumatic treatment: post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms and purpose in life. Boot-strapped analyses tested mediation. Greater personal resilience resources predicted decreases in PTSD stress symptoms (b = -0.07, p = 0.005), mediated by reductions in depressive symptoms (b = -0.01, 95% CI: -0.027, -0.003) and in searching for a reason for one's illness (b = -0.01, 95% CI: -0.034, -0.0003). In addition, greater resilience resources predicted increases in purpose in life (b = 0.10, p meaning-making (searching for a reason for one's illness) was also important for reducing PTSD symptoms.

  1. Measuring the contribution of art therapy in multidisciplinary treatment of personality disorders: The construction of the Self-expression and Emotion Regulation in Art Therapy Scale (SERATS).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Haeyen, Suzanne; van Hooren, Susan; van der Veld, William M; Hutschemaekers, Giel

    2018-02-01

    Despite the use of art therapy in clinical practice, its appreciation and reported beneficial results, no instruments are available to measure specific effects of art therapy among patients with personality disorders cluster B/C in multidisciplinary treatment. In the present study, we described the development and psychometric evaluation of the Self-expression and Emotion Regulation in Art Therapy Scale (SERATS). Structural validity (exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis), reliability, construct validity and sensitivity to change were examined using two independent databases (n = 335; n = 34) of patients diagnosed with personality disorders cluster B/C. This resulted in a nine-item effect scale with a single factor with a high internal reliability and high test-retest reliability; it demonstrated discriminant validity and sensitivity to change. In conclusion, the SERATS is brief and content-valid and offers objective and reliable information on self-expression and emotion regulation in art therapy among patients with personality disorders cluster B/C. Although more research on construct validity is needed, the SERATS is a promising tool to be applied as an effect scale and as a monitoring tool during art therapy treatment. © 2017 The Authors Personality and Mental Health Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd. © 2017 The Authors Personality and Mental Health Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  2. Assessment of the type D personality construct in the Korean population: a validation study of the Korean DS14.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lim, Hong Euy; Lee, Moon-Soo; Ko, Young-Hoon; Park, Young-Min; Joe, Sook-Haeng; Kim, Yong-Ku; Han, Changsu; Lee, Hwa-Young; Pedersen, Susanne S; Denollet, Johan

    2011-01-01

    This study aimed to develop a Korean version of the Type D Personality Scale-14 (DS14) and evaluate the psychiatric symptomatology of Korean cardiac patients with Type D personality. Healthy control (n = 954), patients with a coronary heart disease (n = 111) and patients with hypertension and no heart disease (n = 292) were recruited. All three groups completed DS14, the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (EPQ), the state subscale of Spielberger State and Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI-S), the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Short Depression Scale (CESD), and the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ). The Korean DS14 was internally consistent and stable over time. 27% of the subjects were classified as Type D. Type D individuals had significantly higher mean scores on the STAI-S, CESD, and GHQ compared to non-Type D subjects in each group. The Korean DS14 was a valid and reliable tool for identifying Type D personality. The general population and cardiovascular patients with Type D personality showed higher rate of depression, anxiety and psychological distress regarding their health. Therefore, identifying Type D personality is important in clinical research and practice in chronic medical disorders, especially cardiovascular disease, in Korea.

  3. Cohesion and the Social Construction of Meaning in the Essays of Filipino College Students Writing in L2 English

    Science.gov (United States)

    Castro, Carolyn D.

    2004-01-01

    This study compares the degree of cohesion and coherence in the essays written by thirty Filipino college freshmen and analyzes how the social construction of meaning was made evident in their writing. Results showed that low, mid and highly rated essays were comparable in grammatical cohesive device use. Lexical repetition and use of synonyms…

  4. Personality Traits, Ego Development, and the Redemptive Self.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Guo, Jen; Klevan, Miriam; McAdams, Dan P

    2016-09-20

    Life narratives are the internalized stories that people construct to provide meaning, purpose, and coherence in their lives. Prior research suggests that psychologically healthy and socially engaged adults generally narrate their lives in a prototypical fashion labeled the redemptive self, consisting of five themes: (a) a sense of childhood advantage, (b) empathy for others' sufferings, (c) moral steadfastness, (d) turning of negative events into positive outcomes (redemption sequences), and (e) prosocial goals. The current study examines trait correlates of the redemptive self in 157 late-midlife adults. Summing thematic scores across 12 life story interview scenes, the redemptive self was positively associated with four of the Big Five traits: extraversion, conscientiousness, agreeableness, and emotional stability, but unrelated to cognitive features of personality, as assessed on openness and ego development. The findings suggest those with positive socio-emotional personality traits, but not necessarily a proclivity for sophisticated thoughts, tend to have redemptive life stories. © 2016 by the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, Inc.

  5. In Search of Ecological Norms in Brand Personality Diagnostics

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Oleg Gorbaniuk

    2017-03-01

    Full Text Available Purpose: The aim of this study is to determine a structure of brand personality at an ecological level and to develop norms for positioning a particular brand in relation to other brands by means of brand personality scales. Methodology: We present the results of a study in which 1,642 participants aged 15 to 82 (mean 35.3; 51.9% females were involved. Each respondent marked three to four brands from different categories of goods and services on a 20-item adjectival list for measuring brand personality. As a result, 6,548 descriptions of 224 brands from 46 categories were collected. Findings: Our analyses show that the structure of the differences among brand personalities on the Polish market can be described in terms of four dimensions: competence, spontaneity, subtlety, and egoism. The established dimensions explain 85% of the variance. A distribution of the results within the scales applied served as a basis for establishing specifc norms for each of the four scales. Limitations: The norms established have a country-level character and are inclusively adequate and reliable for companies that purchase products and services on the Polish market. Originality: Our study presents a new, ecological approach to thinking about brands. Namely, it enables a more precise determination of the position of a certain brand in relation to many other competing brands and allows for a more effcient use of the potential for constructing brand personality.

  6. Is ecological personality always consistent with low-carbon behavioral intention of urban residents?

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wei, Jia; Chen, Hong; Long, Ruyin

    2016-01-01

    In the field of low-carbon economics, researchers have become interested in residential consumption as a potential means for reducing carbon emissions. By analyzing and expanding the fundamental concept of personality, a type of personality, namely ecological personality (EP), was defined and a structural model of EP was constructed based on a five-factor model. The study surveyed 890 urban residents to examine the relationship between EP and low-carbon behavioral intention (LCBI). Ecological personality is a five-dimensional concept comprising eco-neuroticism, eco-agreeableness, eco-openness, eco-extraversion, and eco-conscientiousness. Ecological personality traits were positively correlated with the LCBI. However, a quadrifid graph model showed that the EP is not always consistent with LCBI, and respondents fell into two groups: one group comprised ecological residents with consistent traits (positive EP and high LCBI) and non-ecological residents with consistent traits (negative EP and low LCBI), and their EP was consistent with LCBI; the other group comprised ecological residents with gap traits (positive EP and low LCBI) and non-ecological residents with gap traits (negative EP and high LCBI), and neither showed any consistency between personality and intentions. A policy to guide the conversion of different groups into ecological residents with consistent traits is discussed. - Highlights: • The structural model of ecological personality was constructed. • The relationship between personality and behavioral intention was examined. • Ecological personality and low-carbon behavioral intention donot always match up. • A policy urging residents to be ecological was discussed.

  7. [Means and methods of personal hygiene in the experiment with 520-day isolation].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shumilina, G A; Shumilina, I V; Solov'eva, S O

    2013-01-01

    Six volunteers (3 Russians, a Frenchman, an Italian and a Chinese) participated in assessment of the input of sanitation and housekeeping provisions to their wellbeing during 520-day isolation and confinement. Subject of the study was quality and sufficiency of housekeeping agents and procedures as well as more than 60 names of personal hygiene items. The sanitation and housekeeping monitoring involved the clinical, hygienic and microbiological methods, and also consideration of crew comments on the items at their disposal and recommended procedures. Based on the analysis of the functional condition of the integument and oral cavity and entries in the questionnaires, i.e. objective data and subjective feelings, all test subjects remained in the invariably good state. Owing to the application of the selected hygienic means and methods the microbial status of the crew was stable throughout 520-day isolation.

  8. Logical Foundation of Inductive Meaning Constructing in Constructivist Interactions

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Badie, Farshad

    2018-01-01

    Constructivism is a learning philosophy that interprets the phenomenon of ‘learning’ as an active and dynamic process of knowledge construction. In the framework of constructivism, knowledge is not passively received, but, it is—dynamically—built up. This research has assumed that learners with i...

  9. Investigations of construction materials by means of cracking mechanics

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bilous, W.; Wasiak, J.

    1995-01-01

    The diagnostic procedure for typical construction materials based on cracking tests has been presented. Results of investigations for aluminium base alloys and tungsten sintered materials have been shown and discussed. Application of the method for pipelines testing has been also performed. 6 figs, 2 tabs

  10. The big five personality traits: psychological entities or statistical constructs?

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Franić, S.; Borsboom, D.; Dolan, C.V.; Boomsma, D.I.

    2014-01-01

    The present study employed multivariate genetic item-level analyses to examine the ontology and the genetic and environmental etiology of the Big Five personality dimensions, as measured by the NEO Five Factor Inventory (NEO-FFI) [Costa and McCrae, Revised NEO personality inventory (NEO PI-R) and

  11. The Big Five Personality Traits: Psychological Entities or Statistical Constructs?

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Franic, S.; Borsboom, D.; Dolan, C.V.; Boomsma, D.I.

    2014-01-01

    The present study employed multivariate genetic item-level analyses to examine the ontology and the genetic and environmental etiology of the Big Five personality dimensions, as measured by the NEO Five Factor Inventory (NEO-FFI) [Costa and McCrae, Revised NEO personality inventory (NEO PI-R) and

  12. The Lived Experiences of Persons Hospitalized for Construction of an Urgent Fecal Ostomy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Herlufsen, Per; Brødsgaard, Anne

    The purpose of this study was to describe the lived experiences of hospital stays for patients undergoing urgent ostomy surgery. Qualitative, descriptive, phenomenological study. Six persons undergoing acute hospital admission and urgent ileostomy or colostomy surgery (either permanent or temporary) participated in the study. Participants were of Danish ethnicity and between the ages of 48 and 75 years. The research setting was the surgical department at a university hospital in the Capital Region of Denmark. Data collection and analyses were guided by a Reflective Lifeworld Research approach; this approach is based on phenomenological philosophy. Data were collected during in-depth interviews using a semistructured interview guide. Their average length was 50 minutes (range, 30-65 minutes). Interviews were digitally recorded and transcribed. Transcriptions were analyzed in 4 phases according to the principles of Reflective Lifeworld Research. The phenomenon we labeled "lived experiences of acute hospitalization with construction of an urgent unplanned fecal ostomy" comprised 4 constituents: (1) undergoing unexpected bodily changes, (2) partnership with professional caregivers, (3) experience of vulnerability, and (4) a lack of continuity. These constituents can be described as a number of challenges due to both hospitalization and ostomy creation. We found that individuals experience a number of challenges due to acute hospitalization and urgent construction of a fecal ostomy. These challenges are due to the unexpected bodily changes and interpersonal and organizational conditions. Nurses should be aware of not only the physical implications of urgent creation of a fecal ostomy but also the individual and psychological implications of this event.

  13. Effects and meanings of a person-centred and health-promoting intervention in home care services - a study protocol of a non-randomised controlled trial.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bölenius, Karin; Lämås, Kristina; Sandman, Per-Olof; Edvardsson, David

    2017-02-16

    The literature indicates that current home care service are largely task oriented with limited focus on the involvement of the older people themselves, and studies show that lack of involvement might reduce older people's quality of life. Person-centred care has been shown to improve the satisfaction with care and quality of life in older people cared for in hospitals and nursing homes, with limited published evidence about the effects and meanings of person-centred interventions in home care services for older people. This study protocol outlines a study aiming to evaluate such effects and meanings of a person-centred and health-promoting intervention in home aged care services. The study will take the form of a non-randomised controlled trial with a before/after approach. It will include 270 older people >65 years receiving home care services, 270 relatives and 65 staff, as well as a matched control group of equal size. All participants will be recruited from a municipality in northern Sweden. The intervention is based on the theoretical concepts of person-centredness and health-promotion, and builds on the four pedagogical phases of: theory apprehension, experimental learning, operationalization, and clinical supervision. Outcome assessments will focus on: a) health and quality of life (primary outcomes), thriving and satisfaction with care for older people; b) caregiver strain, informal caregiving engagement and relatives' satisfaction with care: c) job satisfaction and stress of conscience among care staff (secondary outcomes). Evaluation will be conducted by means of self-reported questionnaires and qualitative research interviews. Person-centred home care services have the potential to improve the recurrently reported sub-standard experiences of home care services, and the results can point the way to establishing a more person-centred and health-promoting model for home care services for older people. NCT02846246 .

  14. [The reciprocity rule in the construction of relationships as the key in relational processes].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fenelli, Antonio; Volpi, Cecilia; Guarracino, Emanuele; Galli, Virginia; Esposito, Massimo

    2011-01-01

    Reciprocity as an expression of the therapist-patient relationship is pointed-out by Mario Reda who refers to Comparetti's studies on the mother-foetus reciprocity, mediated by the so-called "jumps". Reciprocal behaviours are clearly observable during bird and other animal courtship behaviour, whereas in the Sapiens sapiens species, we may observe the establishing of a very complex reciprocity system, which starts with gestures and bodily attitudes, subsequently activating sensory-motor emotional schemata and internal working models, thus enabling the construction of personal meanings. A relationship may result from an encounter provided that "compatible" meanings are constructed in the context of "possible reciprocity" of significant systems. The observation of reciprocity provides a concrete possibility to reduce the risk of absolute subjectivity related to the I or the you, superceding it through the us.

  15. The quality of the DSM-IV obsessive-compulsive personality disorder construct as a prototype category.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hummelen, Benjamin; Wilberg, Theresa; Pedersen, Geir; Karterud, Sigmund

    2008-06-01

    The study evaluated the quality of the DSM-IV obsessive-compulsive personality disorder (OCPD) construct as a prototype category. A sample of 2237 patients from the Norwegian Network of Psychotherapeutic Day Hospitals was examined by a variety of psychometric analyses. A high number of OCPD patients (77%) had co-occurrent PDs, but only the co-occurrence with paranoid was significantly higher than expected. Exploratory factor analysis of the PD criteria indicated that OCPD consists of 2 dimensions. The first dimension, perfectionism, was constituted by OCPD criteria only and was significantly related to obsessive-compulsive disorder. The second dimension, aggressiveness, included 2 OCPD criteria, reluctance to delegate and stubbornness, but was also defined by criteria from paranoid, antisocial, and borderline PD. Confirmatory factor analysis of the OCPD criteria indicated a poor fit of both a unitary model and a 3-dimensional model. Overall, the OCPD criteria had poor psychometric properties. Although it seems that the quality of the DSM-IV OCPD as a prototype construct is insufficient, it may be improved by deleting the criteria hoarding behavior and miserliness. Alternative criteria could be related to problems in close relationships involving the need for predictability. Such revisions may add a third dimension to the 2 dimensions of perfectionism and aggressiveness.

  16. Using Voice, Meaning, Mutual Construction of Knowledge, and Transfer of Learning to Apply an Ecological Perspective to Group Work Training

    Science.gov (United States)

    Orr, Jonathan J.; Hulse-Killacky, Diana

    2006-01-01

    Concepts of voice, meaning, mutual construction of knowledge, and transfer of learning are presented in this paper as critical ingredients that support the teaching of group work from an ecological perspective. Examples of these concepts are given to illustrate their application in group work classes. (Contains 1 table.)

  17. Cerebellum and personality traits.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Petrosini, Laura; Cutuli, Debora; Picerni, Eleonora; Laricchiuta, Daniela

    2015-02-01

    Personality traits are multidimensional traits comprising cognitive, emotional, and behavioral characteristics, and a wide array of cerebral structures mediate individual variability. Differences in personality traits covary with brain morphometry in specific brain regions. A cerebellar role in emotional and affective processing and on personality characteristics has been suggested. In a large sample of healthy subjects of both sexes and differently aged, the macro- and micro-structural variations of the cerebellum were correlated with the scores obtained in the Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI) by Cloninger. Cerebellar volumes were associated positively with Novelty Seeking scores and negatively with Harm Avoidance scores. Given the cerebellar contribution in personality traits and emotional processing, we investigated the cerebellar involvement even in alexithymia, construct of personality characterized by impairment in cognitive, emotional, and affective processing. Interestingly, the subjects with high alexithymic traits had larger volumes in the bilateral Crus 1. The cerebellar substrate for some personality dimensions extends the relationship between personality and brain areas to a structure up to now thought to be involved mainly in motor and cognitive functions, much less in emotional processes and even less in personality individual differences. The enlarged volumes of Crus 1 in novelty seekers and alexithymics support the tendency to action featuring both personality constructs. In fact, Novelty Seeking and alexithymia are rooted in behavior and inescapably have a strong action component, resulting in stronger responses in the structures more focused on action and embodiment, as the cerebellum is.

  18. Measuring the contribution of art therapy in multidisciplinary treatment of personality disorders: The construction of the Self‐expression and Emotion Regulation in Art Therapy Scale (SERATS)

    Science.gov (United States)

    van Hooren, Susan; van der Veld, William M.; Hutschemaekers, Giel

    2017-01-01

    Abstract Despite the use of art therapy in clinical practice, its appreciation and reported beneficial results, no instruments are available to measure specific effects of art therapy among patients with personality disorders cluster B/C in multidisciplinary treatment. In the present study, we described the development and psychometric evaluation of the Self‐expression and Emotion Regulation in Art Therapy Scale (SERATS). Structural validity (exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis), reliability, construct validity and sensitivity to change were examined using two independent databases (n = 335; n = 34) of patients diagnosed with personality disorders cluster B/C. This resulted in a nine‐item effect scale with a single factor with a high internal reliability and high test–retest reliability; it demonstrated discriminant validity and sensitivity to change. In conclusion, the SERATS is brief and content‐valid and offers objective and reliable information on self‐expression and emotion regulation in art therapy among patients with personality disorders cluster B/C. Although more research on construct validity is needed, the SERATS is a promising tool to be applied as an effect scale and as a monitoring tool during art therapy treatment. © 2017 The Authors Personality and Mental Health Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd PMID:28730717

  19. The Reflective Experimental Construction of Meanings about the Shape of the Earth and the Alternation of Day and Night

    Science.gov (United States)

    Varela, Paulo

    2012-01-01

    The purpose of this paper is to describe and analyze the process of construction of meaning about the shape of the Earth and the alternation of day and night, which is inherent to the practice of experimental science teaching. This teaching practice was gradually done by the researcher in a 1st grade class of a Portuguese primary school. The class…

  20. A personality and impairment approach to examine the similarities and differences between avoidant personality disorder and social anxiety disorder.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Carmichael, Kieran L C; Sellbom, Martin; Liggett, Jacqueline; Smith, Alexander

    2016-11-01

    The current study examined whether avoidant personality disorder (AvPD) and social anxiety disorder (SAD) should be considered distinct disorder constructs, which is a persistent and controversial issue in the clinical literature. We examined whether relative scores on SAD and AvPD were associated with the same personality profile and severity of impairment. The current research used a cross-sectional design and self-report inventories, including multiple measures of personality, impairment and psychopathology. Results from a mixed sample of 402 university and community participants found that scores on AvPD and SAD were similarly associated with personality traits and impairment indices. Moreover, a latent construct accounting for the shared variance for AvPD and SAD was associated with personality traits and impairment, whereas the residuals representing the uniquenesses of these disorder constructs were not. These findings support the view that AvPD and SAD are similar disorders from a phenotypic personality trait and impairment perspective. These findings are contrary to a prevalent view in the literature, known as severity continuum hypothesis, because the two disorders could not be meaningfully differentiated based on severity of impairment. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  1. 28 CFR 41.31 - Handicapped person.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... Persons § 41.31 Handicapped person. (a) Handicapped person means any person who has a physical or mental...: (1) Physical or mental impairment means: (i) Any physiological disorder or condition, cosmetic... disorder, such as mental retardation, organic brain syndrome, emotional or mental illness, and specific...

  2. Construct equivalence and latent means analysis of health behaviors between male and female middle school students.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Park, Jeong Mo; Han, Ae Kyung; Cho, Yoon Hee

    2011-12-01

    The purpose of this study was to investigate the construct equivalence of the five general factors (subjective health, eating habits, physical activities, sedentary lifestyle, and sleeping behaviors) and to compare the latent means between male and female middle school students in Incheon, Korea. The 2008 Korean Youth Risk Behavior Survey data was used for analysis. Multigroup confirmatory factor analysis was performed to test whether the scale has configural, metric, and scalar invariance across gender. Configural invariance, metric invariance, and factor invariance were satisfied for latent means analysis (LMA) between genders. Male and female students were significantly different in LMA of all factors. Male students reported better subjective health, consumed more fast food and carbonated drinks, participated in more physical activities, showed less sedentary behavior, and enjoyed better quality of sleep than female students. Health providers should consider gender differences when they develop and deliver health promotion programs aimed at adolescents. Copyright © 2011. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  3. Meaning-Construction in warring states philosophical discourse : a discussion of the palaeographic materials from Tomb Guōdiàn One

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Meyer, Dirk

    2008-01-01

    This book analyzes a defined corpus of philosophic texts from the Warring States period. It treats texts as objects in their own right and, in a broad sense, discusses the relationship between material conditions of text and manuscript culture, writing, techniques of meaning-construction, and

  4. Construction Safety Forecast for ITER

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    cadwallader, lee charles

    2006-11-01

    The International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) project is poised to begin its construction activity. This paper gives an estimate of construction safety as if the experiment was being built in the United States. This estimate of construction injuries and potential fatalities serves as a useful forecast of what can be expected for construction of such a major facility in any country. These data should be considered by the ITER International Team as it plans for safety during the construction phase. Based on average U.S. construction rates, ITER may expect a lost workday case rate of < 4.0 and a fatality count of 0.5 to 0.9 persons per year.

  5. National character does not reflect mean personality trait levels in 49 cultures

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Terracciano, A; Abdel-Khalek, A M; Adám, N

    2005-01-01

    ratings of 3989 people from 49 cultures and compared them with the average personality scores of culture members assessed by observer ratings and self-reports. National character ratings were reliable but did not converge with assessed traits. Perceptions of national character thus appear to be unfounded......Most people hold beliefs about personality characteristics typical of members of their own and others' cultures. These perceptions of national character may be generalizations from personal experience, stereotypes with a "kernel of truth," or inaccurate stereotypes. We obtained national character...

  6. Latent constructs of the autobiographical memory questionnaire: a recollection-belief model of autobiographical experience.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fitzgerald, Joseph M; Broadbridge, Carissa L

    2013-01-01

    Many researchers employ single-item scales of subjective experiences such as imagery and confidence to assess autobiographical memory. We tested the hypothesis that four latent constructs, recollection, belief, impact, and rehearsal, account for the variance in commonly used scales across four different types of autobiographical memory: earliest childhood memory, cue word memory of personal experience, highly vivid memory, and most stressful memory. Participants rated each memory on scales hypothesised to be indicators of one of four latent constructs. Multi-group confirmatory factor analyses and structural analyses confirmed the similarity of the latent constructs of recollection, belief, impact, and rehearsal, as well as the similarity of the structural relationships among those constructs across memory type. The observed pattern of mean differences between the varieties of autobiographical experiences was consistent with prior research and theory in the study of autobiographical memory.

  7. Personality traits and personal values: a meta-analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Parks-Leduc, Laura; Feldman, Gilad; Bardi, Anat

    2015-02-01

    Personality traits and personal values are important psychological characteristics, serving as important predictors of many outcomes. Yet, they are frequently studied separately, leaving the field with a limited understanding of their relationships. We review existing perspectives regarding the nature of the relationships between traits and values and provide a conceptual underpinning for understanding the strength of these relationships. Using 60 studies, we present a meta-analysis of the relationships between the Five-Factor Model (FFM) of personality traits and the Schwartz values, and demonstrate consistent and theoretically meaningful relationships. However, these relationships were not generally large, demonstrating that traits and values are distinct constructs. We find support for our premise that more cognitively based traits are more strongly related to values and more emotionally based traits are less strongly related to values. Findings also suggest that controlling for personal scale-use tendencies in values is advisable. © 2014 by the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, Inc.

  8. Building Evidence of Validity: The Relation between Work Values, Interests, Personality, and Personal Values

    Science.gov (United States)

    Leuty, Melanie E.; Hansen, Jo-Ida C.

    2013-01-01

    The current study used work values components (WVC) to examine the relationship between work values, vocational interests, personality, and personal values. Most intercorrelations between work values and other constructs were in the small effect range. Overall correlations between scale scores provided evidence of convergent and discriminant…

  9. The Construction Of Ethical Competence In The Perception Of Primary Care Nurses

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rafaela Schaefer

    2014-04-01

    Full Text Available The study intended to understand the perception of nurses of Primary Care Services about the construction of ethical competence on their formation and practices. This is a qualitative study, with an interpretative phenomenological approach and interviews with ten nurses of the community health services of Porto Alegre, RS. The results showed that the interviewed professionals had already experienced situations with ethical conflicts and knew what ethical competence means. The central themes point out three fundamental issues in the construction of the ethical competence: personal values, education and practice. Taking into account that ethical competence is in permanent construction, the study shows the importance to promote organizational and educational activities in a transversal manner, as a tool to cope the moral stress and contribute in improving the quality of care in the primary health attention.

  10. Comparing the meanings of fatigue in individuals with cancer in Thailand and Canada.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pongthavornkamol, Kanaungnit; Olson, Karin; Soparatanapaisarn, Nopadol; Chatchaisucha, Sirirat; Khamkon, Aphorn; Potaros, Darussanee; Kirshbaum, Marilyn N; Graffigna, Guendalina

    2012-01-01

    Illness is experienced in social contexts; its meaning is rooted in local beliefs and values as well as one's personal and family situation. Health professionals are steeped in knowledge of disease but know much less about illness. The objective of the study was to learn more about the social construction of illness by comparing the meanings of fatigue in Thai and Canadian individuals with cancer. Using an ethnoscience design, 10 Thai adults receiving chemotherapy for advanced lung cancer or colorectal cancer were interviewed twice. They were asked to sort words and phrases about fatigue from their first interview using Q-sort, triadic, and dyadic approaches; to name each pile; and to describe the similarities and differences between the piles. The card sorts were used to understand the relationships among key ideas in each interview. A table summarizing the card sorts was constructed, and patterns in the data were identified. Two segregates in the Thai data were identified: essential/constant and intermittent, with essential/constant including 2 segregates (feeble and altered cognition), and intermittent including 2 segregates (loss of mental strength and difficulty sleeping). The primary meanings of fatigue in the Thai data were related to temporality, whereas the primary meanings of fatigue in the Canadian data were related to the location of the fatigue (mind/body). These findings help us understand the social construction of fatigue, a common symptom in cancer. Further research in relation to links between fatigue and other related-symptoms is needed with the goal of developing cross-cultural interventions for managing fatigue in the future.

  11. Personalization of Rule-based Web Services.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Choi, Okkyung; Han, Sang Yong

    2008-04-04

    Nowadays Web users have clearly expressed their wishes to receive personalized services directly. Personalization is the way to tailor services directly to the immediate requirements of the user. However, the current Web Services System does not provide any features supporting this such as consideration of personalization of services and intelligent matchmaking. In this research a flexible, personalized Rule-based Web Services System to address these problems and to enable efficient search, discovery and construction across general Web documents and Semantic Web documents in a Web Services System is proposed. This system utilizes matchmaking among service requesters', service providers' and users' preferences using a Rule-based Search Method, and subsequently ranks search results. A prototype of efficient Web Services search and construction for the suggested system is developed based on the current work.

  12. The Biographical Personality Interview (BPI)--a new approach to the assessment of premorbid personality in psychiatric research. Part II: Psychometric properties.

    Science.gov (United States)

    von Zerssen, D; Barthelmes, H; Pössl, J; Black, C; Garzynski, E; Wessel, E; Hecht, H

    1998-01-01

    The Biographical Personality Interview (BPI) was applied to 179 subjects (158 psychiatric patients and 21 probands from the general population); 100 patients and 20 healthy controls served as a validation sample; the others had been interviewed during the training period or did not meet the inclusion criteria for the validation of the BPI. The acceptance of the interview was high, the inter-rater reliability of the ratings of premorbid personality structures ("types") varied between 0.81 and 0.88 per type. Concurrent validity of the typological constructs as assessed by means of the BPI was inferred from the intercorrelations of type scores and correlations of these scores with questionnaire data and proved to be adequate. Clinical validity of the assessment was indicated by statistically significant differences between diagnostic groups. Problems and further developments of the instrument and its application are discussed.

  13. Viewing the triarchic model of psychopathy through general personality and expert-based lenses.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Miller, Joshua D; Lamkin, Joanna; Maples-Keller, Jessica L; Lynam, Donald R

    2016-07-01

    The recently articulated and increasingly prominent triarchic model of psychopathy (TPM) posits the existence of 3 components of meanness, disinhibition, and boldness. In the current studies, 2 issues are addressed. First, although typically conceptualized in isolation from trait models of personality, the TPM components may be manifestations of basic personality dimensions. In Study 1 (N = 335), we test whether basic traits from the five-factor model (FFM) can account for the TPM's psychopathy domains. The FFM domains (Mean R2 = .65) and facets (Mean R2 = .75) accounted for substantial variance in the TPM domains, suggesting that the TPM can be viewed as being nested within a broader trait framework. Second, there is disagreement about which personality components are necessary and sufficient for psychopathy. In Study 2, we examine this issue using a between subject design in which expert raters (N = 46) were asked to view an FFM profile of the TPM domains and total score derived in Study 1 and rate the degree to which an individual with this profile would manifest symptoms of psychopathy, Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th ed.; DSM-5) personality disorders, and a variety of other psychiatric disorders. As expected, the profile associated with boldness was rated as less emblematic of psychopathy and related disorders (e.g., antisocial personality disorder; externalizing disorders) than the profiles for meanness or the total TPM score. These findings contribute to an ongoing debate addressing the degree to which domains like those articulated in the TPM are necessary or sufficient for the construct of psychopathy. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

  14. 欧阳修道德人格及其对知识分子人格建构的启示%Ouyang Xiu's Moral Personality and Its Enlightenment Concerning Construction of Personality of Modern Intellectuals

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    范卫平

    2012-01-01

    欧阳修“以文章道德为一世学者宗师”,其道德人格融忠直敢谏、磊落刚正与仁厚谦和、温婉宽恕这一相反对立的人格要素为一体,形成阳刚与阴柔和谐统一的人格范式。这一人格范式不仅影响和培育了有宋一代的士人人格,而且对于现代知识分子人格建构仍具有重要的启示意义。%Ouyang Xiu "Was a great scholar master of article and morality in his day", whose moral personality, showing his uprightness, loyalty, and courage to speak frankly, was merged with his clemency, and whose moral personality, characterized hy opposite personalities, was developed into a conformation paradigm, which harmoniously unifies masculinity and gentleness. Not only did the personality paradigm influence and develop the personalities of the intellectuals in Song Dynasty, but it has important and meaningful enlightenment concerning construction of personality of modern intellectuals as well.

  15. Increasing the Usage of Personal Protective Equipments in Constructing Subway Stations: An Application of Social Marketing Model

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M Shams

    2013-10-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background & aim: Although the relationship between the use of personal protective equipment and the reduction of workplace injuries is well-known the use of these devices during operation by the staff is not so desirable. This study was based on a model of social marketing interventions to increase the use of safety devices and personal protection on the subway-station staff. Methods: The present quasi-experimental study was based on the results of a formative research consisted of a qualitative (exploring employees’ views through focus group discussions and a quantitative study (measuring attitudes and behaviors by questionnaire and checklist. Based on the formative research findings, a free package includes a helmet with a label containing the message, an anti-cut safety gloves, a dust mask, and an educational pamphlet were delivered to intervention group. After four weeks, the check list of observational behaviors in two constructing stations was completed and the results were compared with before intervention. The data were analyzed by paired t-test, t-test and logistic regression. Results: Three common behaviors were observed among staff not using caps, masks and gloves. The odds ratio for helmet and mask usage in the intervention group was more than other groups. After the intervention, the use of safety helmets and masks significantly increased (p < 0.05. The odds ratio for the use of helmets and masks after intervention in the intervention group was significantly higher than other groups (p < 0.05. Conclusion: The experimental basis of the safety devices and personal protection needs and demands of the audience, material and immaterial costs of the equipment, supplies, and promoting their use in the right place, can encourage the staff to continuously use the safety devices at workplace. Key Words: Workplace, Injuries, Personal Protective Equipment, Social Marketing

  16. The big five personality traits: psychological entities or statistical constructs?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Franić, Sanja; Borsboom, Denny; Dolan, Conor V; Boomsma, Dorret I

    2014-11-01

    The present study employed multivariate genetic item-level analyses to examine the ontology and the genetic and environmental etiology of the Big Five personality dimensions, as measured by the NEO Five Factor Inventory (NEO-FFI) [Costa and McCrae, Revised NEO personality inventory (NEO PI-R) and NEO five-factor inventory (NEO-FFI) professional manual, 1992; Hoekstra et al., NEO personality questionnaires NEO-PI-R, NEO-FFI: manual, 1996]. Common and independent pathway model comparison was used to test whether the five personality dimensions fully mediate the genetic and environmental effects on the items, as would be expected under the realist interpretation of the Big Five. In addition, the dimensionalities of the latent genetic and environmental structures were examined. Item scores of a population-based sample of 7,900 adult twins (including 2,805 complete twin pairs; 1,528 MZ and 1,277 DZ) on the Dutch version of the NEO-FFI were analyzed. Although both the genetic and the environmental covariance components display a 5-factor structure, applications of common and independent pathway modeling showed that they do not comply with the collinearity constraints entailed in the common pathway model. Implications for the substantive interpretation of the Big Five are discussed.

  17. Validation of a performance model on entrepreneurship based on self-efficacy, personal goal orientation and environment goal orientation using Structural Equation Modeling

    OpenAIRE

    Figueroa Reyes, Rodrigo

    2013-01-01

    Master's thesis in International hotel and tourism management Three are the main contributions that I pretend to provide through this research. First, I will combine four theoretical constructs that, to my knowledge, have not been worked through this way before. I mean that this research is attempting to validate and estimate the existing relationships between Self-efficacy, Perceived Personal Goal Orientation, Perceived Environment Goal Orientation and Perceived Personal Performance. T...

  18. Personal responsibility and obesity: a constructive approach to a controversial issue.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brownell, Kelly D; Kersh, Rogan; Ludwig, David S; Post, Robert C; Puhl, Rebecca M; Schwartz, Marlene B; Willett, Walter C

    2010-01-01

    The concept of personal responsibility has been central to social, legal, and political approaches to obesity. It evokes language of blame, weakness, and vice and is a leading basis for inadequate government efforts, given the importance of environmental conditions in explaining high rates of obesity. These environmental conditions can override individual physical and psychological regulatory systems that might otherwise stand in the way of weight gain and obesity, hence undermining personal responsibility, narrowing choices, and eroding personal freedoms. Personal responsibility can be embraced as a value by placing priority on legislative and regulatory actions such as improving school nutrition, menu labeling, altering industry marketing practices, and even such controversial measures as the use of food taxes that create healthier defaults, thus supporting responsible behavior and bridging the divide between views based on individualistic versus collective responsibility.

  19. Design and construction the identification of nitriding plasma process parameters using personal computer based on serial communication

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Frida Iswinning Diah; Slamet Santosa

    2012-01-01

    Design and construction the identification of process parameters using personal computer based on serial communication PLC M-series has been done. The function of this device is to identify the process parameters of a system (plan), to which then be analyzed and conducted a follow-up given to the plan by the user. The main component of this device is the M-Series T100MD1616 PLC and personal computer (PC). In this device the data plan parameters obtained from the corresponding sensor outputs in the form of voltage or current. While the analog parameter data is adjusted to the ADC analog input of the PLC using a signal conditioning system. Then, as the parameter is processed by the PLC then sent to a PC via RS232 to be displayed in the form of graphs or tables and stored in the database. Software to program the database is created using Visual Basic Programming V-6. The device operation test is performed for the measurement of temperature parameter and vacuum level on the plasma nitriding machine. The results indicate that the device has functioning as an identification device parameters process of plasma nitriding machine. (author)

  20. Measurement of DSM-5 section II personality disorder constructs using the MMPI-2-RF in clinical and forensic samples.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Anderson, Jaime L; Sellbom, Martin; Pymont, Carly; Smid, Wineke; De Saeger, Hilde; Kamphuis, Jan H

    2015-09-01

    In the current study, we evaluated the associations between the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 Restructured Form (MMPI-2-RF; Ben-Porath & Tellegen, 2008) scale scores and the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th ed.; DSM-5; American Psychiatric Association, 2013) Section II personality disorder (PD) criterion counts in inpatient and forensic psychiatric samples from The Netherlands using structured clinical interviews to operationalize PDs. The inpatient psychiatric sample included 190 male and female patients and the forensic sample included 162 male psychiatric patients. We conducted correlation and count regression analyses to evaluate the utility of relevant MMPI-2-RF scales in predicting PD criterion count scores. Generally, results from these analyses emerged as conceptually expected and provided evidence that MMPI-2-RF scales can be useful in assessing PDs. At the zero-order level, most hypothesized associations between Section II disorders and MMPI-2-RF scales were supported. Similarly, in the regression analyses, a unique set of predictors emerged for each PD that was generally in line with conceptual expectations. Additionally, the results provided general evidence that PDs can be captured by dimensional psychopathology constructs, which has implications for both DSM-5 Section III specifically and the personality psychopathology literature more broadly. (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved.

  1. Case managers' experiences of personal growth: learning from consumers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stein, Catherine H; Craft, Scott A

    2007-04-01

    This study examines aspects of case managers' perceived personal growth in their work with consumers. Using a sample of 98 case managers, the psychometric properties of a brief self-report measure of personal growth of case managers were examined. The Case Manager Personal Growth Scale (CMPG) showed good reliability and construct validity as evidenced by negative correlations with scores on professional burnout and positive correlations with personal accomplishment and job satisfaction scores. CMPG scores were unrelated to social desirability scores or caseload size and positively related to age and tenure in the mental health system. Results suggest the strong relevance of the construct of personal growth for case managers.

  2. The nature, meanings, and dynamics of lived experiences of a person with syringomyelia: a phenomenological study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hilton, Edith L; Henderson, Lesley J

    2003-01-01

    Syringomyelia, considered a rare neurological disease, is relatively uninvestigated in the nursing literature. The aims of this qualitative phenomenological case study were to discover the nature, meanings, and dynamics of lived experiences of a 52-year-old Caucasian male with syringomyelia. Using van Manen's Method of Phenomenological inquiry (van Manen, 1990), data were collected, checked, and analyzed according to the philosophy, approach, and methodological procedures of phenomenology. Findings revealed an overarching theme of engulfment by disease. Essential themes included loss of abilities, struggles to adapt to changes, and life as a person who was disabled. Eleven sub-themes were also identified. Implications for nursing practice are discussed.

  3. Managing Pre-Construction and Construction Risks on Project Sites in Abuja-Nigeria

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jimoh R.A.

    2016-03-01

    Full Text Available Managing risks in construction projects has been acknowledged as a key direction process for the purposes of attaining the project goal in terms of time, cost, quality, safety, and environmental sustainability. Hence, the paper evaluated pre-construction and construction risks on active project sites in Abuja-Nigeria. This was achieved using survey method through the self-administration of 35 questionnaires to the professionals handling the 35 identified projects being undertaking at that time. Results showed that errors and omissions in design and improperly defined project scope had mean score values of 3.03 and 2.54, respectively, were the construction risks most experienced by the professionals during pre-construction. On the other hand, fluctuation in market prices and delays with mean score values of 3.14 and 2.74, respectively, were the construction risks experienced by the professionals during the construction phase of the projects. It is recommended that procurement methods such as construction management should be adopted and stakeholders should keep to their own side of the bargain to avoid unnecessary delays.

  4. Development and psychometric properties of the Maastricht Personal Autonomy Questionnaire (MPAQ) in older adults with a chronic physical illness.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mars, Godelief M J; van Eijk, Jacques Th M; Post, Marcel W M; Proot, Ireen M; Mesters, Ilse; Kempen, Gertrudis I J M

    2014-08-01

    To develop and test the Maastricht Personal Autonomy Questionnaire (MPAQ), an instrument measuring personal autonomy of older adults with a chronic physical illness in accordance with their experience of autonomy. Achievement of personal autonomy is conceptualized as correspondence between the way people's lives are actually arranged and the way people want to arrange their lives. A field test was conducted in three waves (n = 412, n = 125 and n = 244) among a random sample of people older than 59 years with either chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or diabetes mellitus. Construct validity, reproducibility and responsiveness were evaluated. The MPAQ entailing 16 items consists of three scales: degree of (personal) autonomy, working on autonomy and dilemmas. Construct validity was largely supported by confirmatory factor analysis and correlations between the MPAQ and other instruments. Intraclass correlation coefficients ranged from 0.61 to 0.80 and SRDsgroup from 0.10 to 0.13. Mean change was larger (0.54) than was SRDgroup (0.11) in patients who had deteriorated, but smaller in patients who had improved (0.07). The MPAQ has good content and construct validity and moderate reproducibility. Responsiveness is weak, although better for deterioration than for improvement.

  5. A New Measure to Assess Psychopathic Personality in Children: The Child Problematic Traits Inventory.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Colins, Olivier F; Andershed, Henrik; Frogner, Louise; Lopez-Romero, Laura; Veen, Violaine; Andershed, Anna-Karin

    2014-01-01

    Understanding the development of psychopathic personality from childhood to adulthood is crucial for understanding the development and stability of severe and long-lasting conduct problems and criminal behavior. This paper describes the development of a new teacher rated instrument to assess psychopathic personality from age three to 12, the Child Problematic Traits Inventory (CPTI). The reliability and validity of the CPTI was tested in a Swedish general population sample of 2,056 3- to 5-year-olds (mean age = 3.86; SD = .86; 53 % boys). The CPTI items loaded distinctively on three theoretically proposed factors: a Grandiose-Deceitful Factor, a Callous-Unemotional factor, and an Impulsive-Need for Stimulation factor. The three CPTI factors showed reliability in internal consistency and external validity, in terms of expected correlations with theoretically relevant constructs (e.g., fearlessness). The interaction between the three CPTI factors was a stronger predictor of concurrent conduct problems than any of the three individual CPTI factors, showing that it is important to assess all three factors of the psychopathic personality construct in early childhood. In conclusion, the CPTI seems to reliably and validly assess a constellation of traits that is similar to psychopathic personality as manifested in adolescence and adulthood.

  6. Using personality traits to construct linear growth models of mental health in family members of individuals with severe brain injury.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Trujillo, Michael; Perrin, Paul B; Doser, Karoline; Norup, Anne

    2016-11-01

    No studies have examined the impact of personality traits on mental health among caregivers of individuals with severe brain injury. Therefore, the purpose of the current study was to construct linear growth models to examine whether the personality traits of family members of individuals with severe brain injury could predict the trajectories of their own mental health-related quality of life (HRQoL), anxiety, and depression beginning in a neurointensive care unit through 1 year after injury. Danish family members of individuals with severe brain injury (n = 52) completed the Short Form-36 assessing mental HRQoL (vitality, social functioning, role limitations-emotional, mental health), anxiety, and depression across 5 time points during the 1st year after injury. The measure of personality was administered 3 months after the patients' discharge. All mental HRQoL, anxiety, and depression variables improved significantly over time. Caregivers who were less neurotic and less conscientious had higher vitality, social functioning, and mental health over time, whereas caregivers who were more agreeable had higher social functioning over time. Caregivers with lower neuroticism had lower anxiety and depression over time, as well as a more accelerated decrease in anxiety and depression. Caregivers' personality traits were strongly associated over time with mental HRQoL, anxiety, and depression, with neuroticism being especially important for trajectories of anxiety and depression. These results suggest that personality assessments for caregivers of individuals with severe brain injury could help identify those most at risk for poor mental health over the course of rehabilitation. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

  7. Examining the Construct Validity of the MMPI-2-RF Interpersonal Functioning Scales Using the Computerized Adaptive Test of Personality Disorder as a Comparative Framework.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Franz, Annabel O; Harrop, Tiffany M; McCord, David M

    2017-01-01

    This study aimed to examine the construct validity of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 Restructured Form (MMPI-2-RF) interpersonal functioning scales (Ben-Porath & Tellegen, 2008/2011 ) using as a criterion measure the Computerized Adaptive Test of Personality Disorder-Static Form (CAT-PD-SF; Simms et al., 2011 ). Participants were college students (n = 98) recruited through the university subject pool. A series of a priori hypotheses were developed for each of the 6 interpersonal functioning scales of the MMPI-2-RF, expressed as predicted correlations with construct-relevant CAT-PD-SF scales. Of the 27 specific predictions, 21 were supported by substantial (≥ |.30|) correlations. The MMPI-2-RF Family Problems scale (FML) demonstrated the strongest correlations with CAT-PD-SF scales Anhedonia and Mistrust; Cynicism (RC3) was most highly correlated with Mistrust and Norm Violation; Interpersonal Passivity (IPP) was most highly correlated with Domineering and Rudeness; Social Avoidance (SAV) was most highly correlated with Social Withdrawal and Anhedonia; Shyness (SHY) was most highly correlated with Social Withdrawal and Anxioiusness; and Disaffiliativeness (DSF) was most highly correlated with Emotional Detachment and Mistrust. Results are largely consistent with hypotheses suggesting support for both models of constructs relevant to interpersonal functioning. Future research designed to more precisely differentiate Social Avoidance (SAV) and Shyness (SHY) is suggested.

  8. Myopia and personality: the genes in myopia (GEM) personality study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    van de Berg, Robert; Dirani, Mohamed; Chen, Christine Y; Haslam, Nicholas; Baird, Paul N

    2008-03-01

    A long-held view among the medical and broader community is that people who are short-sighted (myopic persons) have distinctive personality characteristics such as introversion and conscientiousness. However, existing research on this question is flawed, and its findings are inconsistent. The authors therefore aimed to determine whether myopia and personality are associated. The authors examined twins recruited through the Australian Twin Registry and a clinical-based family sample through a proband from a Melbourne Excimer Laser Clinic. There was no relation between family members and twins recruited in our study. Each individual underwent a full eye examination, completed a standard medical and general questionnaire, and was administered a five-factor model International Personality Item Pool (IPIP) inventory (Openness, Conscientiousness, Extroversion, Agreeableness, Neuroticism). Myopia was defined as worse than or equal to -0.50 (DS) spherical equivalent in the eye with the least refractive error. Data from 633 individual twins aged 18 to 83 years (mean, 53.04 years) and 278 family members aged 11 to 90 years (mean, 49.84 years) were analyzed. Prevalence of myopia was 35.7% for twins and 47.6% for family members. Mean spherical equivalent was +0.13 DS (95% CI, +/-0.16) for twins and -1.13 DS (95% CI, +/-0.25) for family members. Correlation and regression results for personality for both sample cohorts after multivariate analysis did not support the view that myopic persons are introverted or conscientious; however, there was a significant but small association between myopia and Agreeableness (r = 0.08, P personality factors entered as predictors, Openness was the only significant personality predictor of myopia in both samples. This is the first multivariate study to assess links between personality and myopia using the IPIP. The long-held view that myopic persons are introverted and conscientious may reflect intelligence-related stereotypes rather than real

  9. Defining the student burnout construct: a structural analysis from three burnout inventories.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Maroco, João; Campos, Juliana Alvares Duarte Bonini

    2012-12-01

    College student burnout has been assessed mainly with the Maslach burnout inventory (MBI). However, the construct's definition and measurement with MBI has drawn several criticisms and new inventories have been suggested for the evaluation of the syndrome. A redefinition of the construct of student burnout is proposed by means of a structural equation model, reflecting burnout as a second order factor defined by factors from the MBI-student survey (MBI-SS); the Copenhagen burnout inventory-student survey (CBI-SS) and the Oldenburg burnout inventory-student survey (OLBI-SS). Standardized regression weights from Burnout to Exhaustion and Cynicism from the MBI-SS scale, personal burnout and studies related burnout from the CBI, and exhaustion and disengagement from OLBI, show that these factors are strong manifestations of students' burnout. For college students, the burnout construct is best defined by two dimensions described as "physical and psychological exhaustion" and "cynicism and disengagement".

  10. Embracing Psychosis: A Cognitive Insight Intervention Improves Personal Narratives and Meaning-Making in Patients With Schizophrenia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moritz, Steffen; Mahlke, Candelaria I; Westermann, Stefan; Ruppelt, Friederike; Lysaker, Paul H; Bock, Thomas; Andreou, Christina

    2018-02-15

    Schizophrenia is a complex psychiatric disorder with unknown and presumably heterogeneous etiology. While the disorder can have various outcomes, research is predominantly "deficit-oriented" emphasizing the hardship that the disorder inflicts on sufferers as well as their families and society. Beyond symptom reduction, imparting patients with hope and meaning in life is increasingly considered an important treatment target, which may raise self-esteem, and reduce self-stigma and suicidal ideation. The present study compared a psychotherapeutic treatment aimed at improving cognitive insight, individualized metacognitive intervention (MCT+), with an active control in order to elucidate if personal meaning-making and hope can be improved in patients with psychosis across time. A total of 92 patients were randomized to either individualized metacognitive therapy (MCT+) or CogPack (neuropsychological training) and followed up for up to 6 months. The "Subjective Sense in Psychosis Questionnaire" (SUSE) was administered which covers different salutogenetic vs pathogenetic views of the disorder, valence of symptom experiences and the consequences of psychosis. Patients in the MCT+ group showed a significant positive shift in attitudes towards the consequences of their illness over time relative to patients in the active control condition. There was some evidence that MCT+ also enhanced meaning-making. The perceived negative consequences of psychosis were highly correlated with depression and low self-esteem, as well as suicidality. The study shows that a cognitive insight training can improve meaning-making in patients and help them come to terms with their diagnosis.

  11. Using Machine Learning to Advance Personality Assessment and Theory.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bleidorn, Wiebke; Hopwood, Christopher James

    2018-05-01

    Machine learning has led to important advances in society. One of the most exciting applications of machine learning in psychological science has been the development of assessment tools that can powerfully predict human behavior and personality traits. Thus far, machine learning approaches to personality assessment have focused on the associations between social media and other digital records with established personality measures. The goal of this article is to expand the potential of machine learning approaches to personality assessment by embedding it in a more comprehensive construct validation framework. We review recent applications of machine learning to personality assessment, place machine learning research in the broader context of fundamental principles of construct validation, and provide recommendations for how to use machine learning to advance our understanding of personality.

  12. The Personality Inventory Scales: a self-rating clinical instrument for diagnosis of personality disorder.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Burgess, J W

    1991-12-01

    A personality inventory was developed as an aid in securing history and beliefs relevant to the assessment of personality structure and the diagnosis of personality disorders. The inventory was developed by restating DSM diagnostic criteria in everyday language, rewording the resulting statements in the form of True/False questions, and placing these questions in a short, self-paced booklet which subjects could complete in about 15 minutes. The following assessments were made and discussed: construct validity, split-half reliability, test-retest reliability, comparison with a standardized interview, and comparison with actual clinical assessments. The personality inventory is discussed as a useful accompaniment to the diagnostic interview in clinical settings and for research into personality structure and personality disorders.

  13. Values, dissection, and school science: An inquiry into students' construction of meaning

    Science.gov (United States)

    Doster, Elizabeth Christina Tsamas

    The purpose of this study is to question how the values found in the secondary science curriculum, specifically those which are inherent in the dissection experience, relate to the personal values of individual students. Additionally, by exploring the human connection between science and science learning, the study questions the implications of this value relationship in students' assignment of meaning to the science. Participants were selected from four basic and intermediate level high school biology classrooms. The data collection methods include participant observation, in-depth student interviews, and videotaping. Analysis of data followed a constant-comparative methodology. Findings indicate students' perception of the dissection experience were contingent on the consistency (or lack thereof) of their personal value systems with the underlying factors found in each of four dimensions of dissection. These dimensions affect students to varying degrees, and many times their influences are overlapping. Taken together, the four dimensions create a multifaceted tool for viewing the dissection phenomenon. The first dimension concerns the moral issues prevalent in the minds of students as they reflect on dissection. The second dimension explores epistemological issues associated with dissection. The third explores the phenomenon of physical aversion to the dissection experience. The fourth dimension focuses on the issue of familiarity as it relates to dissection. Embedded in these four dimensions are degrees of agreement with seven beliefs inherent in the practice of dissection as an aspect of the biology curriculum: (1) killing of animals for the purpose of learning is a justifiable and acceptable behavior; (2) touching the dead body of an animal is a socially and culturally acceptable behavior; (3) the greater the similarity between the body of the animal and the human body, the greater the gains in understanding of human anatomy; (4) cutting apart, probing, and

  14. Using personality neuroscience to study personality disorder.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Abram, Samantha V; DeYoung, Colin G

    2017-01-01

    Personality neuroscience integrates techniques from personality psychology and neuroscience to elucidate the neural basis of individual differences in cognition, emotion, motivation, and behavior. This endeavor is pertinent not only to our understanding of healthy personality variation, but also to the aberrant trait manifestations present in personality disorders and severe psychopathology. In the current review, we focus on the advances and limitations of neuroimaging methods with respect to personality neuroscience. We discuss the value of personality theory as a means to link specific neural mechanisms with various traits (e.g., the neural basis of the "Big Five"). Given the overlap between dimensional models of normal personality and psychopathology, we also describe how researchers can reconceptualize psychopathological disorders along key dimensions, and, in turn, formulate specific neural hypotheses, extended from personality theory. Examples from the borderline personality disorder literature are used to illustrate this approach. We provide recommendations for utilizing neuroimaging methods to capture the neural mechanisms that underlie continuous traits across the spectrum from healthy to maladaptive. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

  15. Personal Identity Online

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Rodogno, Raffaele

    2012-01-01

    Philosophers concerned with the question of personal identity have typically been asking the so-called re-identification question: what are the conditions under which a person at one point in time is properly re-identified at another point in time? This is a rather technical question. In our...... everyday interactions, however, we do raise a number of personal identity questions that are quite distinct from it. In order to explore the variety of ways in which the Internet may affect personal identity, I propose in this study to broaden the typical philosophical horizon to other more mundane senses...... of the question. In Section 2, I describe a number of possible meanings of personal identity observed in everyday contexts and more philosophical ones. With some caveats, I argue that it is the specific context in which the question arises that disambiguates the meaning of the question. Online contexts are novel...

  16. Construction Site Workers’ Awareness on Using Safety Equipment: Case Study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ulang N. Md

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Construction sector is an important sector and contributed significantly to national development. However, this sector poses higher risk to accident. This is due to fact that construction site can be considered as a dangerous zone to workers and to the public. Due to the variety of cases occurs on site, the contractor will usually have to pay the cost related to accidents in the form of higher insurance premium. Despite various measures, accidents still occur at construction sites. Personal Protective Equipment (PPE is one of the important means to protect the wearer from hazards in the workplace. Since this equipment is the last frontier of the wearer from worksite hazards, it is important to select it based on the job scope and the intended protection. Therefore, this study was formulated to find out the level of knowledge and awareness of construction workers on PPE usage. It was also important to know what make the workers would want or do not want to use the PPE. It was found in this study that the level of awareness and knowledge among workers on the proper use of PPE is moderate. Construction sites accident can be further be reduced with proper implementation of PPE voluntarily by all workers.

  17. (The feeling of) meaning-as-information.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Heintzelman, Samantha J; King, Laura A

    2014-05-01

    The desire for meaning is recognized as a central human motive. Yet, knowing that people want meaning does not explain its function. What adaptive problem does this experience solve? Drawing on the feelings-as-information hypothesis, we propose that the feeling of meaning provides information about the presence of reliable patterns and coherence in the environment, information that is not provided by affect. We review research demonstrating that manipulations of stimulus coherence influence subjective reports of meaning in life but not affect. We demonstrate that manipulations that foster an associative mindset enhance meaning. The meaning-as-information perspective embeds meaning in a network of foundational functions including associative learning, perception, cognition, and neural processing. This approach challenges assumptions about meaning, including its motivational appeal, the roles of expectancies and novelty in this experience, and the notion that meaning is inherently constructed. Implications for constructed meaning and existential meanings are discussed.

  18. Will and Narrative: Kierkegaard's Notion of the Person

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Dalsgaard, Matias Møl

    2010-01-01

    Within philosophy and psychology the view is today being advanced that the well-being of a person is essentially related to the person's capacity to construct and live out meaningful life narratives. Most notably, thinkers such as Alasdair MacIntyre, Paul Ricoeur and Charles Taylor represent this...... willing to be oneself. In discussing the notion of willing wholeheartedly the paper links Kierkegaard to Harry G. Frankfurt's philosophy of personhood.......Within philosophy and psychology the view is today being advanced that the well-being of a person is essentially related to the person's capacity to construct and live out meaningful life narratives. Most notably, thinkers such as Alasdair MacIntyre, Paul Ricoeur and Charles Taylor represent...

  19. Persuasion to use personal protective equipment in constructing subway stations: application of social marketing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shamsi, Mahmoud; Pariani, Abbas; Shams, Mohsen; Soleymani-nejad, Marzieh

    2016-04-01

    To study the effects of an intervention based on social marketing to persuade workers to use personal protective equipment (PPE) in constructing subway stations in Isfahan, Iran. This was a quasi-experimental study. Two stations were selected as intervention and control groups. Intervention was designed based on results of a formative research. A free package containing a safety helmet with a tailored message affixed to it, mask and gloves and an educational pamphlet was delivered to the intervention group. After 6 weeks, behaviours in the intervention and control stations were measured using an observational checklist. After the intervention, the percentage of workers who used PPE at the intervention station increased significantly. OR for helmet and mask usage was 7.009 and 2.235, respectively, in the intervention group. Social marketing can be used to persuade workers to use PPE in the workplace. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/

  20. Feeling like you know who you are: perceived true self-knowledge and meaning in life.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schlegel, Rebecca J; Hicks, Joshua A; King, Laura A; Arndt, Jamie

    2011-06-01

    The essence of who a person really is has been labeled the "true self," and an emerging area of research suggests that this self-concept plays an important role in the creation of a fulfilling existence. Three studies investigate the role of the subjective feeling that one possesses knowledge of one's true self in meaning in life judgments. Consistently, the perception of availability of true self-knowledge (operationalized as the metacognitive experience of ease in describing one's true self) predicted meaning in life judgments over and above other potentially related constructs such as mood and self-esteem. Conversely, the subjective availability of knowledge of how one actually behaves (i.e., one's actual self) was unrelated to meaning in life judgments. Implications and directions for future research are discussed.

  1. Personal factors and personality characteristics as predictors of ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    The study set to investigate personal factors and personality characteristics as Predictors of customers satisfaction with health care services. The study utilized Ex-Post Facto design. A total number of 100 participants took part in the study which were made up of 57 (57%) males and 48 (48%) females, with a mean age of ...

  2. Finding meaning in first episode psychosis: experience, agency, and the cultural repertoire.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Larsen, John Aggergaard

    2004-12-01

    The article examines individuals' attempts to generate meaning following their experiences with psychosis. The inquiry is based on a person-centered ethnographic study of a Danish mental health community program for early intervention in schizophrenia and involves longitudinal interviews with 15 of its participants. The article takes an existential anthropological perspective emphasizing agency and cultural phenomenology to investigate how individuals draw on resources from the cultural repertoire to make sense of personally disturbing experiences during their psychosis. It is suggested that the concept of "system of explanation" has advantages over, for example, "illness narrative" and "explanatory model" when demonstrating how some individuals engage in the creative analytic and theory-building work of bricolage, selecting, adding, and combining various systems of explanation. Delusions are equally derived from the cultural repertoire but are constructed as dogmatic explanations that are idiosyncratic to the individual who holds them.

  3. The impact of personal loss on the experience of health professions: graduate students in end-of-life and bereavement care.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Supiano, Katherine P; Vaughn-Cole, Beth

    2011-01-01

    This study explored the impact of prior personal experience with grief on self-reported personal and professional development of graduate students in nursing, social work, counseling, pastoral care, and genetic counseling involved as cofacilitators in bereavement support groups, and of medical students observing interdisciplinary inpatient palliative care. Personal experience with death of a family member or close friend was reported in 80% of the 35 participating students. Findings suggest that grief and the students' construction of the meaning of their loss can mediate the students' developing sense of self as a professional helper. Active engagement with suffering persons, the opportunity for self-disclosure and reflection, and teacher-facilitator provision of emotional guidance and modeling contributed positively to learning.

  4. RAPS: Robust and Efficient Automatic Construction of Person-Specific Deformable Models

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Sagonas, Christos; Panagakis, Yannis; Zafeiriou, Stefanos; Pantic, Maja

    The construction of Facial Deformable Models (FDMs) is a very challenging computer vision problem, since the face is a highly deformable object and its appearance drastically changes under different poses, expressions, and illuminations. Although several methods for generic FDMs construction, have

  5. Ideology, affect, semiotics: towards a non-personal theory of personality.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Larocco, Steve

    2014-06-01

    Personality theories, as Giordano (2014) argues, often treat Western versions of the self as having universal import. Eastern notions of self, however, offer a dramatically different basis for thinking about what personality might be. This paper, nonetheless, seeks to offer a general framework for theorizing about the epiphenomenon of personality in any culture, asserting that it is an effect of specific histories of ideological practices, semiotic networks and systems, and affect, which engage each other in dialogic and dialectical ways. The interactions of these factors, guided by ideology, regularize behavior and affective dynamics, largely in non-personal ways. Subjects are produced and reproduced from these complex interactions, which are situationally specific and simultaneously transpersonal. The subjects formed through these interactions are the basis for the folk psychology of personality, which treats the transient, varying effects of these interactions as more or less reified qualities that form a basis for the construction of selfhood, however conceived.

  6. Determination of muscle microcirculation of the limbs of healthy persons and patients with scleroderma by means of 133Xe clearance. 1

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wiemers, U.; Poenitzsch, I.; Schneider, G.

    1984-01-01

    By means of 133 Xe muscle clearance the blood flow of the musculus tibialis anterior and the musculus opponens pollicis was determined during nonischemic work and also after 3 minutes ischemia in 53 patients with healthy vessels. Additionally 133 Xe muscle clearance of the musculus opponens pollicis after influence of heat, cold as well as arterial flow reduction. The flow values after ischemia were higher than during nonischemic work. In relation to the functional test the reactive hyperemia after 3 minutes ischemia proved to be more favorable in realization and standardization. In persons under the age of 30 little increased flow values of the musculus tibialis anterior compared to persons over 30 were determined. (author)

  7. The Influence of Personal History on Preservice Malay, Tamil and Chinese Teacher Training.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bodycott, Peter

    1997-01-01

    This study explored the influence of personal history on preservice teachers' construction of the ideal language teacher. Written biographies and metaphors and personal construct interviews with Chinese, Tamil, and Malay preservice language teachers indicated that they entered teacher education with unique, well-developed constructs of the ideal…

  8. Development of personality and the remission and onset of personality pathology.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wright, Aidan G C; Pincus, Aaron L; Lenzenweger, Mark F

    2011-12-01

    The current study used the Longitudinal Study of Personality Disorders data set (Lenzenweger, 1999) to examine the development of personality traits in the context of the remission and onset of personality disorder (PD) symptoms. Despite high levels of stability, past research on the development of basic personality traits has also found a mean trend toward increased maturity and that individuals vary in their trajectories of trait development. Research on PD change has shown a similar pattern. We employed individual growth curve modeling to examine the relationship between personality trait development and PD symptom course. We found that both are indeed related and that remission in PD symptoms is associated with patterns of trait development associated with more rapid maturity. In contrast, deviating from the mean of trait development either through no change (i.e., stagnation) or change in the opposite direction (i.e., regression) was associated with developing PD symptoms over the course of the study.

  9. The Comparison of Different Levels of Religious Attitude on Sense of Meaning, Loneliness and Happiness in Life of Elderly Persons Under Cover of Social Wlfare Organisation of Urmia City

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mahnaz Aliakbari Dehkordi

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Objectives: The aim of this study was the comparison of different levels of religious attitude on the sense of meaning, loneliness and happiness in the life of elderly persons under cover of social wlfare organisation of urmia city. Methods & Materials: The study was a descriptive analytical research and sample size of 221 persons (81 women and 140 men aged over 60 years using a random cluster sampling were selected. The Khodayari`s religious attitude questionnaire, Russell`s loneliness questionnaire, Salehi`s questionnaire for sense of meaning and oxford’s happiness questionnaire were used as instruments in this study. Results: The results of multivariate analysis of variance and scheffe method of follow-up showed that stronger levels of religious attitudes is associated with happiness and meaning of life in elderly persons (P<0.05. Also, the elderly who have strong religious attitude in comparison of the others feel less alone. Conclusion: Religious attitude is a preventive factor to reduce the problems of the elderly and on this basis the relevant authorities could strengthen religious beliefs of elderly persons by proper planning and providing their participation in religious activities.

  10. Planning of a supply chain for anti-personal landmine disposal by means of robots

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rafael Guillermo García-Cáceres

    2012-09-01

    Full Text Available The current paper presents a Mixed-Integer-Linear Programming Model (MIP which incorporates strategic and tactical management decisions into the supply chain of an anti-personal landmine robotic detection and disposal system. Originally based on a mixed-integer-non-linear programming model (MINLP with stochastic elements, of which it is an approximation, the MIP model is obtained by means of two solution procedures that include redefining variables, treating stochastic and non-linear constraints, and incorporating valid constraints. The model included considerations such as uncertain procurement, stochastic inventories in plants, production scales, supply-production-distribution capacities, particular distribution-production infrastructure, locationallocation considerations, stochastic demand, and BOM. Additionally, the models detail optimal helicopter operation by considering each period’s trip frequency during the planning horizon. Finally, a sensibility analysis of the way in which parameters variations affect overall costs is presented. The suggested solution procedure is considered satisfactory in terms of time for the analyzed example.

  11. An effective self-assessment based on concept map extraction from test-sheet for personalized learning

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liew, Keng-Hou; Lin, Yu-Shih; Chang, Yi-Chun; Chu, Chih-Ping

    2013-12-01

    Examination is a traditional way to assess learners' learning status, progress and performance after a learning activity. Except the test grade, a test sheet hides some implicit information such as test concepts, their relationships, importance, and prerequisite. The implicit information can be extracted and constructed a concept map for considering (1) the test concepts covered in the same question means these test concepts have strong relationships, and (2) questions in the same test sheet means the test concepts are relative. Concept map has been successfully employed in many researches to help instructors and learners organize relationships among concepts. However, concept map construction depends on experts who need to take effort and time for the organization of the domain knowledge. In addition, the previous researches regarding to automatic concept map construction are limited to consider all learners of a class, which have not considered personalized learning. To cope with this problem, this paper proposes a new approach to automatically extract and construct concept map based on implicit information in a test sheet. Furthermore, the proposed approach also can help learner for self-assessment and self-diagnosis. Finally, an example is given to depict the effectiveness of proposed approach.

  12. Personal radiation protection in nuclear industry

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gol'dshtejn, D.S.; Koshcheev, V.S.

    1983-01-01

    Specific peculiarities of organization of personal radiation protection at various nuclear industry enterprises when dealing with radioactive and other toxic substances are illuminated. Effect of heatin.g and cooling microclimate is discussed. Medical and technical requirements for personal protection means and tasks of personal protection in the field of nuclear industry are considered in short along with some peculiarities of application of different kinds of personal protection means and psychological aspects of personnel protection

  13. Why a Train Set Helps Participants Co-Construct Meaning in Business Model Innovation

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Beuthel, Maria Rosa; Buur, Jacob

    In this position paper we show how participants in an innovation workshop employ tangible material – a toy train set – to co-construct understandings of a new business model. In multidisciplinary teams the process of developing new terms and concepts together is crucial for work to progress. Every...... to understand how they construct a concept. We observe that the final result of the workshop is indeed innovative and is co-constructed by all group members. We discuss why the toy train works: It keeps both hands and mind busy, it allows silent participation, and it expands the vocabulary of the discussion....

  14. Mystical-type experiences occasioned by psilocybin mediate the attribution of personal meaning and spiritual significance 14 months later.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Griffiths, Rr; Richards, Wa; Johnson, Mw; McCann, Ud; Jesse, R

    2008-08-01

    Psilocybin has been used for centuries for religious purposes; however, little is known scientifically about its long-term effects. We previously reported the effects of a double-blind study evaluating the psychological effects of a high psilocybin dose. This report presents the 14-month follow-up and examines the relationship of the follow-up results to data obtained at screening and on drug session days. Participants were 36 hallucinogen-naïve adults reporting regular participation in religious/ spiritual activities. Oral psilocybin (30 mg/70 kg) was administered on one of two or three sessions, with methylphenidate (40 mg/70 kg) administered on the other session(s). During sessions, volunteers were encouraged to close their eyes and direct their attention inward. At the 14-month follow-up, 58% and 67%, respectively, of volunteers rated the psilocybin-occasioned experience as being among the five most personally meaningful and among the five most spiritually significant experiences of their lives; 64% indicated that the experience increased well-being or life satisfaction; 58% met criteria for having had a 'complete' mystical experience. Correlation and regression analyses indicated a central role of the mystical experience assessed on the session day in the high ratings of personal meaning and spiritual significance at follow-up. Of the measures of personality, affect, quality of life and spirituality assessed across the study, only a scale measuring mystical experience showed a difference from screening. When administered under supportive conditions, psilocybin occasioned experiences similar to spontaneously occurring mystical experiences that, at 14-month follow-up, were considered by volunteers to be among the most personally meaningful and spiritually significant of their lives.

  15. Mystical-type experiences occasioned by psilocybin mediate the attribution of personal meaning and spiritual significance 14 months later

    Science.gov (United States)

    Griffiths, Roland R.; Richards, William A.; Johnson, Matthew W.; McCann, Una D.; Jesse, Robert

    2010-01-01

    Psilocybin has been used for centuries for religious purposes; however little is known scientifically about its long-term effects. We previously reported the effects of a double-blind study evaluating the psychological effects of a high psilocybin dose. This report presents the 14-month follow-up and examines the relationship of the follow-up results to data obtained at screening and on drug session days. Participants were 36 hallucinogen-naïve adults reporting regular participation in religious/spiritual activities. Oral psilocybin (30 mg/70kg) was administered on one of two or three sessions, with methylphenidate (40 mg/70kg) administered on the other session(s). During sessions, volunteers were encouraged to close their eyes and direct their attention inward. At the 14-month follow-up, 58% and 67%, respectively, of volunteers rated the psilocybin-occasioned experience as being among the five most personally meaningful and among the five most spiritually significant experiences of their lives; 64% indicated the experience increased well-being or life satisfaction; 58% met criteria for having had a “complete” mystical experience. Correlation and regression analyses indicated a central role of the mystical experience assessed on the session day in the high ratings of personal meaning and spiritual significance at follow-up. Of the measures of personality, affect, quality of life, and spirituality assessed across the study, only a scale measuring mystical experience showed a difference from screening. When administered under supportive conditions, psilocybin occasioned experiences similar to spontaneously-occurring mystical experiences that, at 14-month follow-up, were considered by volunteers to be among the most personally meaningful and spiritually significant of their lives. PMID:18593735

  16. Complementary approaches to the assessment of personality disorder. The Personality Assessment Schedule and Adult Personality Functioning Assessment compared.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hill, J; Fudge, H; Harrington, R; Pickles, A; Rutter, M

    2000-05-01

    Current concepts and measures of personality disorder are in many respects unsatisfactory. To establish agreement between two contrasting measures of personality disorder, and to compare subject-informant agreement on each. To examine the extent to which trait abnormality can be separated from interpersonal and social role dysfunction. Fifty-six subjects and their closest informants were interviewed and rated independently. Personality functioning was assessed using a modified Personality Assessment Schedule (M-PAS), and the Adult Personality Functioning Assessment (APFA). Subject-informant agreement on the M-PAS was moderately good, and agreement between the M-PAS and the APFA, across and within subjects and informants, was comparable to that for the M-PAS. This was equally the case when M-PAS trait plus impairment scores and trait abnormality scores were used. The M-PAS and the APFA are probably assessing similar constructs. Trait abnormalities occur predominantly in an interpersonal context and could be assessed within that context.

  17. Personalized persuasion: tailoring persuasive appeals to recipients' personality traits.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hirsh, Jacob B; Kang, Sonia K; Bodenhausen, Galen V

    2012-06-01

    Persuasive messages are more effective when they are custom-tailored to reflect the interests and concerns of the intended audience. Much of the message-framing literature has focused on the advantages of using either gain or loss frames, depending on the motivational orientation of the target group. In the current study, we extended this research to examine whether a persuasive appeal's effectiveness can be increased by aligning the message framing with the recipient's personality profile. For a single product, we constructed five advertisements, each designed to target one of the five major trait domains of human personality. In a sample of 324 survey respondents, advertisements were evaluated more positively the more they cohered with participants' dispositional motives. These results suggest that adapting persuasive messages to the personality traits of the target audience can be an effective way of increasing the messages' impact, and highlight the potential value of personality-based communication strategies.

  18. Discourse and media: construction of concepts about person with intellectual disability in advertisements

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Carla Maria de Schipper

    2015-05-01

    Full Text Available This study was designed in order to understand language work respecting  the construction of conceptions about Intellectual Disabilities in the contemporary discourse and their discursive genesis. The basis of the discourse analysis were advertisements published by an institution of special education in the period of 1980 to 2009. To perform this action, the Analysis of Discourse (AD from French perspective, especially the concepts of interdiscours, memory and heterogeneity, was used as a theoretical basis. Prior to analyzing, presenting some basic concepts of AD and the various conceptions of disability that have arisen throughout history was proven necessary. The Material for analysis is composed of five advertising texts published on a magazine that represents institutions devoted to the care of people with intellectual disabilities and an advertisement to raise funds. The recovery of memory discourse, considering the socio-historical condition of production of discourse, has given visibility to the different places occupied by the person with intellectual disability in the society in each time reported. At the speeches of subject enunciators, attempts to internalize the social roles focused on educational inclusion have been observed, but at the interdiscours, they proved to be voices that exceeded sediment paradigm of medicalization and work as mission.

  19. Culture as meaning-making

    OpenAIRE

    Lenkauskienė, Rūta; Liubinienė, Vilmantė

    2002-01-01

    The present paper analyses the role of social and cultural background knowledge in the cognition of meaning. Language and culture integrated studies have long been in the focus of attention. In order to study the language of a target culture, one should understand how human beings construct meanings, understand processes of meaning-making, account for different meanings, and examine their effects in social life. The language cannot be interpreted in the right way without taking the target cul...

  20. Emotional Meaning in Context in Relation to Hypomanic Personality Traits: An ERP Study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Terrien, Sarah; Gobin, Pamela; Coutté, Alexandre; Thuaire, Flavien; Iakimova, Galina; Mazzola-Pomietto, Pascale; Besche-Richard, Chrystel

    2015-01-01

    The ability to integrate contextual information is important for the comprehension of emotional and social situations. While some studies have shown that emotional processes and social cognition are impaired in people with hypomanic personality trait, no results have been reported concerning the neurophysiological processes mediating the processing of emotional information during the integration of contextual social information in this population. We therefore chose to conduct an ERP study dealing with the integration of emotional information in a population with hypomanic personality trait. Healthy participants were evaluated using the Hypomanic Personality Scale (HPS), and ERPs were recorded during a linguistic task in which participants silently read sentence pairs describing short social situations. The first sentence implicitly conveyed the positive or negative emotional state of a character. The second sentence was emotionally congruent or incongruent with the first sentence. We analyzed the difference in the modulation of two components (N400 and LPC) in response to the emotional word present at the end of the "target" sentences as a function of the HPS score and the emotional valence of the context. Our results showed a possible modulation of the N400 component in response to both positive and negative context among the participants who scored high on the Mood Volatility subscale of the Hypomanic Personality Scale. These results seem to indicate that the participants with hypomanic personality traits exhibited specificities in the integration of emotions at the level of the early-mobilized neurocognitive processes (N400). Participants with hypomanic personality traits found it difficult to integrate negative emotional contexts, while simultaneously exhibiting an enhanced integration of positive emotional contexts.

  1. Optical Methods in Fingerprint Imaging for Medical and Personality Applications.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Chia-Nan; Wang, Jing-Wein; Lin, Ming-Hsun; Chang, Yao-Lang; Kuo, Chia-Ming

    2017-10-23

    Over the years, analysis and induction of personality traits has been a topic for individual subjective conjecture or speculation, rather than a focus of inductive scientific analysis. This study proposes a novel framework for analysis and induction of personality traits. First, 14 personality constructs based on the "Big Five" personality factors were developed. Next, a new fingerprint image algorithm was used for classification, and the fingerprints were classified into eight types. The relationship between personality traits and fingerprint type was derived from the results of the questionnaire survey. After comparison of pre-test and post-test results, this study determined the induction ability of personality traits from fingerprint type. Experimental results showed that the left/right thumbprint type of a majority of subjects was left loop/right loop and that the personalities of individuals with this fingerprint type were moderate with no significant differences in the 14 personality constructs.

  2. Comparing two alternative measures of general personality in the assessment of psychopathy: a test of the NEO PI-R and the MPQ.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gaughan, Eric T; Miller, Joshua D; Pryor, Lauren R; Lynam, Donald R

    2009-08-01

    This study examined the interrelations between two measures of personality, the Revised NEO Personality Inventory (NEO PI-R; P. T. Costa & R. R. McCrae, 1992) and the Multidimensional Personality Questionnaire (MPQ; Tellegen & Waller, 2008), and their relations with psychopathy in a sample of undergraduates. Results revealed good convergence between conceptually related personality traits; however, the NEO PI-R facets accounted for more variance in the MPQ subscales (mean R(2)=.49) than did MPQ subscales in NEO PI-R facets (mean R(2)=.35). Both accounted for substantial proportions of variance in psychopathy scores, although the NEO PI-R accounted for larger proportions and manifested greater incremental validity when using the broader domains of each measure; the differences decreased when the narrower facets/subscales were used. The results suggest that, although both measures assess psychopathy-related traits, the NEO PI-R provides a more complete description because of its assessment of interpersonal antagonism and the central role of this construct in psychopathy.

  3. Discourse analysis and personal/professional development

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Boyes, C.

    2004-01-01

    The article discusses discourse analysis and its relevance to personal and professional development, drawing on elements of social theory. Related terms such as text, discourse and genre are defined and social theoretical implications explored. Practical application of discourse analysis to CPD is illustrated. A case is developed for understanding contemporary practice and the construction of personal and professional identity through discourse. Understanding discourse is presented as an enabling structure for personal and professional development

  4. Gender, sexuality, and the authoritarian personality.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Peterson, Bill E; Zurbriggen, Eileen L

    2010-12-01

    The political correlates of the authoritarian personality have been well established by researchers, but important linkages to other major constructs in psychology need fuller elaboration. We present new data and review old data from our laboratories that show the myriad ways in which authoritarianism is implicated in the important domain of gender roles. We show that women and men high in authoritarianism live in rigidly gendered worlds where male and female roles are narrowly defined, attractiveness is based on traditional conceptions of masculinity and femininity, and conventional sexual mores are prescribed. As a construct, authoritarianism is not just relevant for understanding people's politics, but it also affects the most personal of domains--romantic partnerships, lifestyle goals, and basic attitudes about male and female relationships. © 2010 The Authors. Journal of Personality © 2010, Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  5. Personality assessment based on the five-factor model of personality structure in patients with primary open-angle glaucoma.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mabuchi, Fumihiko; Yoshimura, Kimio; Kashiwagi, Kenji; Shioe, Kunihiko; Kanba, Shigenobu; Iijima, Hiroyuki; Tsukahara, Shigeo

    2005-01-01

    Several characteristic personality types have been reported for glaucoma patients in previous studies. However, none of the previous studies used a common structural theory of personality. In this study, we conducted a multicenter cross-sectional case-control study using the recently established five-factor model of personality structure. Personality was evaluated using the Neuroticism Extraversion Openness Five-Factor Inventory (NEO-FFI), which is a questionnaire specifically designed to test the five-factor model of personality: neuroticism (N), extraversion (E), openness (O), agreeableness (A), and conscientiousness (C). Eligible questionnaires were obtained from 196 patients with primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) (99 men, 97 women) and 223 reference subjects with no ocular disease except cataract (87 men, 136 women). The mean score of each NEO-FFI factor for POAG patients was compared to the scores for the reference subjects. Compared with the reference subjects, the mean N score was significantly higher (P = 0.013), the mean scores for A and C were significantly lower (P = 0.007 and P = 0.001, respectively), and the mean E score tended to be lower (P = 0.055) in male POAG patients. The mean E score was significantly lower (P = 0.023) in female POAG patients. Characteristic personality traits were noted in POAG patients, and a more significant relationship was found between personality and glaucoma in men than in women.

  6. Impact of child maltreatment on meaning in life in psychiatric patients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Weibel, Sébastien; Vidal, Sonia; Olié, Emilie; Hasler, Roland; Torriani, Catherine; Prada, Paco; Courtet, Philippe; Guillaume, Sébastien; Perroud, Nader; Huguelet, Philippe

    2017-05-01

    Child maltreatment (CM) worsens prognosis and quality of life in several psychiatric conditions. Meaning in life is a construct which relates to the sense of purpose that one can perceive in life, and is a key aspect of recovery in psychiatric patients. The lasting impact of CM on meaning in life and its mediating variables have not been studied in patients with chronic persistent psychiatric conditions. One hundred and sixty-six patients with bipolar disorder (N=35), psychotic disorder (N=73), anorexia nervosa (N=30) or borderline personality disorder (N=28) were assessed for meaning in life (revised version of the Life Regard Index (LRI-R)), for CM (Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ)) and for internalized/externalized psychopathology. CM was associated with a lower LRI score. Structural Equation Modeling showed that internalized psychopathology (depression, hopelessness and low self-esteem) was the main mediator of the impact of CM on meaning in life. The direct effect of CM on meaning in life was not significant. Having suffered from negligence or abuse during childhood is associated with lower meaning in life in adults with persistent and pervasive psychiatric disorders. Treating depressive symptoms and improving self-esteem may improve meaning in life in patients with severe mental disorders who were affected by CM. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  7. Personality self-reports are concurrently reliable and valid during acute depressive episodes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Costa, Paul T; Bagby, R Michael; Herbst, Jeffrey H; McCrae, Robert R

    2005-12-01

    It is alleged that depression distorts the assessment of general personality traits. To test that hypothesis, we examined scores on the Revised NEO Personality Inventory (NEO-PI-R) administered to acutely depressed patients at baseline and 14 to 26 weeks after treatment with antidepressant medication. Two hundred and fifty patients completed the NEO-PI-R at baseline, 109 patients after 14 to 26 weeks of antidepressant pharmacotherapy. 48 patients (49.5%) were identified as responders while 49 (50.5%) were identified as non-responders. The remaining 12 patients were excluded because they met HRSD response criteria but not the SCID-I MDD criteria at treatment completion. At baseline, NEO-PI-R scales showed high internal consistency and replicated the normative factor structure, suggesting that psychometric properties were preserved. Among non-responders, retest correlations were uniformly high (rs=.50 to .88) and mean levels showed little change, providing evidence for the consistency of personality self-reports during an acute depressive episode. NEO-PI-R scales showed construct validity in the concurrent prediction of a number of clinical criteria. Effective treatment had significant effects on the mean levels of neuroticism, which decreased, and extraversion, openness, and conscientiousness, which increased. The participants were from a clinical database and were not randomly assigned for the treatment. The results suggest that the effect of acute depression is to amplify somewhat the personality profile of people prone to depression. Rather than regard these depression-caused changes in assessed personality trait levels as a distortion, we interpret them as accurate reflections of the current condition of the individual. Personality traits have biological bases, and when they are changed (by disease or therapeutic interventions) trait levels change.

  8. Personal Epistemology of Urban Elementary School Teachers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pearrow, Melissa; Sanchez, William

    2008-01-01

    Personal epistemology, originating from social construction theory, provides a framework for researchers to understand how individuals view their world. The Attitudes About Reality (AAR) scale is one survey method that qualitatively assesses personal epistemology along the logical positivist and social constructionist continuum; however, the…

  9. A psycholexical route to content coverage in personality assessment

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    De Raad, B.; Hendriks, A.A.J.

    1997-01-01

    The psycholexical approach to personality, which has resulted in a widely accepted framework of personality trait description, is used for the development of the construction of a personality questionnaire. The principles and theoretical notions leading to the Big Five trait model are discussed, and

  10. Identity-related autobiographical memories and cultural life scripts in patients with Borderline Personality Disorder.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jørgensen, Carsten René; Berntsen, Dorthe; Bech, Morten; Kjølbye, Morten; Bennedsen, Birgit E; Ramsgaard, Stine B

    2012-06-01

    Disturbed identity is one of the defining characteristics of Borderline Personality Disorder manifested in a broad spectrum of dysfunctions related to the self, including disturbances in meaning-generating self-narratives. Autobiographical memories are memories of personal events that provide crucial building-blocks in our construction of a life-story, self-concept, and a meaning-generating narrative identity. The cultural life script represents culturally shared expectations as to the order and timing of life events in a prototypical life course within a given culture. It is used to organize one's autobiographical memories. Here, 17 BPD-patients, 14 OCD-patients, and 23 non-clinical controls generated three important autobiographical memories and their conceptions of the cultural life script. BPD-patients reported substantially more negative memories, fewer of their memories were of prototypical life script events, their memory narratives were less coherent and more disoriented, and the overall typicality of their life scripts was lower as compared with the other two groups. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  11. Optical Methods in Fingerprint Imaging for Medical and Personality Applications

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Chia-Nan Wang

    2017-10-01

    Full Text Available Over the years, analysis and induction of personality traits has been a topic for individual subjective conjecture or speculation, rather than a focus of inductive scientific analysis. This study proposes a novel framework for analysis and induction of personality traits. First, 14 personality constructs based on the “Big Five” personality factors were developed. Next, a new fingerprint image algorithm was used for classification, and the fingerprints were classified into eight types. The relationship between personality traits and fingerprint type was derived from the results of the questionnaire survey. After comparison of pre-test and post-test results, this study determined the induction ability of personality traits from fingerprint type. Experimental results showed that the left/right thumbprint type of a majority of subjects was left loop/right loop and that the personalities of individuals with this fingerprint type were moderate with no significant differences in the 14 personality constructs.

  12. Optical Methods in Fingerprint Imaging for Medical and Personality Applications

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Jing-Wein; Lin, Ming-Hsun; Chang, Yao-Lang; Kuo, Chia-Ming

    2017-01-01

    Over the years, analysis and induction of personality traits has been a topic for individual subjective conjecture or speculation, rather than a focus of inductive scientific analysis. This study proposes a novel framework for analysis and induction of personality traits. First, 14 personality constructs based on the “Big Five” personality factors were developed. Next, a new fingerprint image algorithm was used for classification, and the fingerprints were classified into eight types. The relationship between personality traits and fingerprint type was derived from the results of the questionnaire survey. After comparison of pre-test and post-test results, this study determined the induction ability of personality traits from fingerprint type. Experimental results showed that the left/right thumbprint type of a majority of subjects was left loop/right loop and that the personalities of individuals with this fingerprint type were moderate with no significant differences in the 14 personality constructs. PMID:29065556

  13. Effect of personality development program for medical and nursing students: A pilot study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Naresh Nebhinani

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Background: Personal development is an ongoing but complex process and it is crucial for the medical educator to recognize the trait and design the training for optimal development of students. Though importance of human personality is widely recognized for functional efficiency of an individual and organization, but its recognition is grossly missing from medical curriculum. Aim: To organize and evaluate the 'Personality Development Program' for medical and nursing students.Methods: First year medical and nursing students were recruited through total enumeration method. 'Personality development program' was conducted by a trained psychologist and it was evaluated through 'partially open ended anonymous structured feedback'.Results: Majority of the students found this program relevant, comprehensive and purposeful. Again majority had perceived some improvement in their confidence and level of communication, interpersonal relationships, planned time schedule, emotional confidence, and better stress management. They have also narrated shortcomings of the program along with some constructive suggestions.Conclusion: This preliminary attempt for personality development was highly appreciated by the students as well as their supervisors as a means to professional development. It further emphasizes the vital need of ongoing programs both for enhancing personality and professionalism.Key words: Personality development, enhancement, medical and nursing students

  14. The relationship between personality preferences, self-esteem and emotional competence

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Melinde Coetzee

    2006-10-01

    Full Text Available The relationship between leaders’ personality preferences, self-esteem and emotional competence is the focus of this article. A study was conducted to analyse the responses of a sample of 107 South African leaders in the manufacturing industry to measures of the three constructs. The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI, the Culturefree Self-esteem Inventories for Adults (CFSEI-AD, and the 360° Emotional Competency Profiler (ECP were administered. Positive relationships were found between the three constructs. The self-esteem construct appeared to be a more reliable predictor of emotional competence than the MBTI personality preferences. The findings of the study make an important contribution to the expanding body of knowledge concerned with the evaluation of personality variables that influence the effectiveness of leaders.

  15. Big Data Management with Incremental K-Means Trees–GPU-Accelerated Construction and Visualization

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jun Wang

    2017-07-01

    Full Text Available While big data is revolutionizing scientific research, the tasks of data management and analytics are becoming more challenging than ever. One way to remit the difficulty is to obtain the multilevel hierarchy embedded in the data. Knowing the hierarchy enables not only the revelation of the nature of the data, it is also often the first step in big data analytics. However, current algorithms for learning the hierarchy are typically not scalable to large volumes of data with high dimensionality. To tackle this challenge, in this paper, we propose a new scalable approach for constructing the tree structure from data. Our method builds the tree in a bottom-up manner, with adapted incremental k-means. By referencing the distribution of point distances, one can flexibly control the height of the tree and the branching of each node. Dimension reduction is also conducted as a pre-process, to further boost the computing efficiency. The algorithm takes a parallel design and is implemented with CUDA (Compute Unified Device Architecture, so that it can be efficiently applied to big data. We test the algorithm with two real-world datasets, and the results are visualized with extended circular dendrograms and other visualization techniques.

  16. HEALTH AND FITNESS: A BRIDGE BETWEEN KNOWLEDGE AND SUBJECTIVE MEANING

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    PERROTTA Francesco

    2010-06-01

    Full Text Available The pedagogical perspective is now acquired the undoubted importance that, when referring to the learning processes of those in children, the interconnection between those that are defined in informal and formal knowledge. The first relate to the meanings that they attach to their own subjects, and external events, according to their cultural coordinates of reference within their life contexts. The second concern the powers that come to these same phenomena from the acquisition of concept maps and behavioral patterns related to the knowledge transmitted and practices called for in educational institutions, aspects that have formalized and generalized.This approach has been applied in our case, the issues of health and well-being and interventions of their promotion in the school, whereas youth. In other words, the application of this perspective leads to say that such interventions, intended to encourage the construction of formal knowledge on these issues (from which toderive changes in our behavior, must in the first instance to consider the meanings attributed by young these issues involving their personal development and social meanings derived from their cultural contexts (informal knowledge.

  17. Measuring personal recovery - psychometric properties of the Swedish Questionnaire about the Process of Recovery (QPR-Swe).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Argentzell, Elisabeth; Hultqvist, Jenny; Neil, Sandra; Eklund, Mona

    2017-10-01

    Personal recovery, defined as an individual process towards meaning, is an important target within mental health services. Measuring recovery hence requires reliable and valid measures. The Process of Recovery Questionnaire (QPR) was developed for that purpose. The aim was to develop a Swedish version of the QPR (QPR-Swe) and explore its psychometric properties in terms of factor structure, internal consistency, construct validity and sensitivity to change. A total of 226 participants entered the study. The factor structure was investigated by Principal Component Analysis and Scree plot. Construct validity was addressed in terms of convergent validity against indicators of self-mastery, self-esteem, quality of life and self-rated health. A one-factor solution of QPR-Swe received better support than a two-factor solution. Good internal consistency was indicated, α = 0.92, and construct validity was satisfactory. The QPR-Swe showed preliminary sensitivity to change. The QPR-Swe showed promising initial psychometric properties in terms of internal consistency, convergent validity and sensitivity to change. The QPR-Swe is recommended for use in research and clinical contexts to assess personal recovery among people with mental illness.

  18. CORPORATE IDENTITY DAN PERSONALITY BANK SYARIAH DI SURAT KABAR NASIONAL (Tekstual Analisis Konstruksi Meelalui Publikasi Perusahaan

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Juwono Tri Atmodjo

    2015-05-01

    Full Text Available Corporate identity and personality manner that allows employers to formulate and differentiated from other companies (regular bank. Identity and personality can be realized by the company shows the vision and mission of the company, the company philosophy, corporate culture. The study is to assess the identity and personality were constructed through advetorian and Newspaper coverage related to the identity and personality of Islamic banks. Qualitative analysis with textual analysis strategy for observing any publication of the contents of the message, type, appearance, construction built with various combinations of text and images and the meaning behind it seems. Textual research results show that the identity and personality banks Islamic banks, care for the young entrepreneurs of the campus, BNI sharia requires political support, regulatory support, is an ISO 9001: 2008 as the bank has a good quality management. Construction as a bank with a foundation of Sharia as the implementation of Islamic teachings are constructed differently degan regular bank to provide the product name, the expression of interest, section or division, spirit or values and norms derived from the teachings of Islam. Ordinances of service, petuhas services, ornaments firm up souvenirs derived from the values of Islam. Cultural references conveyed Islamic banks oriented to the culture of Islamic countries that appear on the financial system based on gold. Identitas perusahaan dan personaliti cara yang memungkinkan perusahaan menyusun dan dibedakan dari perusahaan lain (reguler bank. Indentitas dan personaliti perusahaan dapat diwujudkan dengan menunjukkan visi dan misi perusahaan, filosofi perusahaan, budaya perusahaan. Studi ini untuk menilai identitas dan personaliti yang dikonstruksikan melalui advetorian dan liputan Surat Kabar berkaitan dengan identitas dan personaliti bank syariah. Analisis kualitatif dengan strategi analisis tektual untuk mengobservasi berbagai

  19. Educating medical students about the personal meaning of terminal illness using the film, "Wit".

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ozcakir, Alis; Bilgel, Nazan

    2014-08-01

    Addressing the emotional needs of dying patients is rarely found to have a place in formal medical curriculum and is also a difficult area to teach through classical medical lectures. "Cinemeducation" is a wonderful way to educate health care providers about the magnitude of emotions that arise during those difficult situations. The aims of this study were to test the relevance and usefulness of the movie 'Wit' in teaching medical students about the personal meaning of terminal illness and to assess the impact of this teaching method on students' attitudes toward palliative care. This was an education study using qualitative and quantitative data analysis of 518 first-year medical students in a single medical faculty in Turkey. Students watched the entire film, filled out an evaluation questionnaire, and answered questions about the film. Students also expressed their own feelings and thoughts about palliative care. Overall, 88% rated the film as excellent, very good, or good. According to 54% of the students, the emotions of terminally ill patients were fully portrayed in the film and in a very realistic way. Approximately 61.4% of the students found this film emotional. Most students (80.5%) stated that this film made them think about the emotional and spiritual suffering that dying patients go through and found this learning approach about palliative care more useful than didactic lectures and journal article readings but not more useful than bedside rounds. It was thought that caring for dying patients would be very or fairly personally satisfying for 65.3% of the students. The film 'Wit' gave the students an opportunity to explore their beliefs, values and attitudes in terms of the bio-psycho-social-spiritual aspects of health care and encouraged them to think more about the humanitarian issues of the medical profession.

  20. Evoked Feelings, Assigned Meanings and Constructed Knowledge Based on Mistakes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Luciane Guimarães Batistella Bianchini

    2017-09-01

    Full Text Available By means of Piaget's critical clinical method, the study investigated the meanings assigned to mistakes by four students in different activities and interactive situations. The research also analyzed the results of using self-regulatory situations in understanding mistakes initially committed by the students. Data collection instruments consisted of games, video recordings, diaries and interviews. Following intervention, the students were able to recognize their competence, establish positive interactions within the group, and avoid viewing mistakes as obstacles to learning. We concluded that the meanings assigned to mistakes depend on certain variables, among them feelings nurtured by the individuals about themselves, the other, and the object of knowledge.

  1. Hard-Hat Detection for Construction Safety Visualization

    OpenAIRE

    Shrestha, Kishor; Shrestha, Pramen P.; Bajracharya, Dinesh; Yfantis, Evangelos A.

    2015-01-01

    In 2012, 775 fatalities were recorded, and many more were injured at construction sites in the United States. Of these, 415 fatalities (54%) were due to fall, slips, and trips as well as being struck by falling objects. In order to decrease fatalities at construction sites to these types of events, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) provides Fall Prevention and OSHA-10 trainings to construction workers. Moreover, safety personnel monitor whether the workers use personal ...

  2. Muslim personal law and the meaning of "law" in the South African and Indian constitutions

    OpenAIRE

    Rautenbach, Christa

    1999-01-01

    The Muslim population of South Africa follows a practice which may be referred to as Muslim personal law. Although section 15 of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa 108 of 1996 recognises religious freedom and makes provision for the future recognition of other personal law systems, Muslim personal law is, at this stage, not formally recognised in terms of South African law. Since Muslim personal law receives no constitutional recognition the question may be asked whether the 199...

  3. Personality development and psychopathology

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    De Fruyt, Filip; De Clercq, Barbara; De Caluwé, E.A.L.; Verbeke, Lize; Specht, J.

    2017-01-01

    This chapter reviews the state of knowledge concerning personality development and psychopathology, as well as their mutual influence. Although these separate constructs are currently well documented, the research area concerning their interconnection is complex and is in need of more sophisticated

  4. Construction of a Mean Square Error Adaptive Euler–Maruyama Method With Applications in Multilevel Monte Carlo

    KAUST Repository

    Hoel, Hakon

    2016-06-13

    A formal mean square error expansion (MSE) is derived for Euler-Maruyama numerical solutions of stochastic differential equations (SDE). The error expansion is used to construct a pathwise, a posteriori, adaptive time-stepping Euler-Maruyama algorithm for numerical solutions of SDE, and the resulting algorithm is incorporated into a multilevel Monte Carlo (MLMC) algorithm for weak approximations of SDE. This gives an efficient MSE adaptive MLMC algorithm for handling a number of low-regularity approximation problems. In low-regularity numerical example problems, the developed adaptive MLMC algorithm is shown to outperform the uniform time-stepping MLMC algorithm by orders of magnitude, producing output whose error with high probability is bounded by TOL > 0 at the near-optimal MLMC cost rate б(TOL log(TOL)) that is achieved when the cost of sample generation is б(1).

  5. Grammatical Constructions as Relational Categories.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Goldwater, Micah B

    2017-07-01

    This paper argues that grammatical constructions, specifically argument structure constructions that determine the "who did what to whom" part of sentence meaning and how this meaning is expressed syntactically, can be considered a kind of relational category. That is, grammatical constructions are represented as the abstraction of the syntactic and semantic relations of the exemplar utterances that are expressed in that construction, and it enables the generation of novel exemplars. To support this argument, I review evidence that there are parallel behavioral patterns between how children learn relational categories generally and how they learn grammatical constructions specifically. Then, I discuss computational simulations of how grammatical constructions are abstracted from exemplar sentences using a domain-general relational cognitive architecture. Last, I review evidence from adult language processing that shows parallel behavioral patterns with expert behavior from other cognitive domains. After reviewing the evidence, I consider how to integrate this account with other theories of language development. Copyright © 2017 Cognitive Science Society, Inc.

  6. A clinical-empirical model of personality: life after the Mischelian ice age and the NEO-lithic era.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Westen, D

    1995-09-01

    A theory of personality should lead to both accurate prediction and interpretive understanding. Aside from its empirical uses, a personality theory should provide a grammar that allows personality psychologists to infer meaning from overt behavior with more sophistication than a layperson, and the best laboratory for testing the interpretive utility of a personality theory remains the clinic. With respect to the appropriate data for constructing and evaluating theories of personality, an overreliance on questionnaire data is problematic for several reasons: It assumes that understanding people requires no training, it mistakes research on the conscious self-concept for research on personality, it conflates implicit and explicit knowledge, it fails to address defensive biases, and it lacks interrater reliability. Consideration of both empirical and clinical data points to three questions that define the elements of personality necessary for a comprehensive assessment of an individual: (a) What psychological resources--cognitive, affective, and behavioral dispositions--does the individual have at his or her disposal? (b) What does the person wish for, fear, and value, and how do these motives combine and conflict? (c) How does the person experience the self and others, and to what extent can the individual enter into intimate relationships?

  7. Promoting Career Development in the Early Years of a Person's Life through Self- and Career Construction Counselling (Using an Integrated, Qualitative + Quantitative Approach): A Case Study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Maree, Jacobus G.

    2018-01-01

    This article reports on the value of career construction counselling (integrating qualitative and quantitative strategies and associated techniques) for a young person. The participant was purposefully selected from a number of people who had sought career counselling in a private practice context. An intrinsic, single-case study design was…

  8. Looking back on safety management in construction of advanced thermal nuclear power plant 'Fugen'

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Emori, Kengo

    1979-01-01

    The safety management of the advanced thermal nuclear power plant ''Fugen'' during the period from the preparation of plant construction in October, 1970, to the full power operation in March, 1979, is looked back and explained. Any large human and material accidents did not occur during the long construction time. The total numbers of persons and hours were 1.397 x 10 6 workers and 11.55 x 10 6 hours, respectively. The number of labor accidents was twenty with no dead person, the number of loss days was 645 days, the number of accident rate was 1.73, the intensity rate was 0.06, and the mean rate of labor accidents per year per 1000 workers was 6.4. The radiation exposure dose was 65.27 man-rem for the managed 1804 workers in total, during the testing and operating periods. These data show that the safety management for ''Fugen'' is very excellent, considering the following special features: 1) there were many works which were carried out for the first time, 2) the construction of the plant was conducted by five contractors taking partial charge, there were many kinds of construction works, the construction and testing periods were long, and the workers had to go to the site from Tsuruga city by car and bus. The organization of preventing disasters, the concrete implementation items for safety management, including the planning of activities, various meetings, patrol, education and training, the honoring system, the prevention of traffic accident and so on, and the results of actual safety management are explained with the reflection. (Nakai, Y.)

  9. Semantic Learning Service Personalized

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yibo Chen

    2012-02-01

    Full Text Available To provide users with more suitable and personalized service, personalization is widely used in various fields. Current e-Learning systems search for learning resources using information search technology, based on the keywords that selected or inputted by the user. Due to lack of semantic analysis for keywords and exploring the user contexts, the system cannot provide a good learning experiment. In this paper, we defined the concept and characteristic of the personalized learning service, and proposed a semantic learning service personalized framework. Moreover, we made full use of semantic technology, using ontologies to represent the learning contents and user profile, mining and utilizing the friendship and membership of the social relationship to construct the user social relationship profile, and improved the collaboration filtering algorithm to recommend personalized learning resources for users. The results of the empirical evaluation show that the approach is effectiveness in augmenting recommendation.

  10. Self-Relevance Constructions of Biology Concepts: Meaning-Making and Identity-Formation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Davidson, Yonaton Sahar

    2018-01-01

    Recent research supports the benefit of students' construction of relevance through writing about the connection of content to their life. However, most such research defines relevance narrowly as utility value--perceived instrumentality of the content to the student's career goals. Furthermore, the scope of phenomenological and conceptual…

  11. Towards a Semantics-based Framework for Meaning Construction in Constructivist Interactions

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Badie, Farshad

    2015-01-01

    Constructivism is known as either a learning philosophy or a model of knowing. It's possible to say that a successful learning science may be constructed and developed based on the proper foundation that is provided by constructivism. Jean Piaget, the originator of constructivism, argued that all...

  12. Deductive Sensemaking Principles Using Personal Constructs of the Field Commanders

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Ntuen, Celestine A; Leedom, Dennis

    2007-01-01

    .... It is assumed that the expert commander constructs diverse and asynchronous sensemaking models when confronted with asymmetric situations-evolving and changing dynamics of the battlefield information...

  13. PREPARATION OF CONSTRUCTION PRODUCTION OF METAL SHEET FOR MEANS OF TRANSPORT

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Piotr Penkała

    2013-03-01

    Full Text Available The design of sheet metal parts, pressed, used in the automotive industry is very complicated. Many factors influence the final shape of the part. Contemporary designer does not need to have the knowledge needed to understand the essence of its all requirements that are placed on parts of the body. It is only important that they are aware of their existence and know who in the company can help them in their fulfilment of the construction. Nowadays, only the constructor creates a CAD model geometry, which is assumed to provide the functionality. The rest of the aspects such as the provision of adequate stiffness, manufacturability, assembly features, vibration analysis, etc., are the arena of other specialists. This is the essence of constructing simultaneous, where many cell companies often work on the same element, giving it a set of features impossible to obtain by one expert on everything. Therefore, the role of the designer is often limited to being only a CAD system operator.

  14. Initial Construction and Validation of the Pathological Narcissism Inventory

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pincus, Aaron L.; Ansell, Emily B.; Pimentel, Claudia A.; Cain, Nicole M.; Wright, Aidan G. C.; Levy, Kenneth N.

    2009-01-01

    The construct of narcissism is inconsistently defined across clinical theory, social-personality psychology, and psychiatric diagnosis. Two problems were identified that impede integration of research and clinical findings regarding narcissistic personality pathology: (a) ambiguity regarding the assessment of pathological narcissism vs. normal…

  15. Resource-Based Thinking as a Means of Implementation of Personality’s Creative Potential

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mergalyas M. Kashapov

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available Introduction: the authors consider the resource-based thinking as a means of implementing the creative potential of personality. The relevance of the study is caused by the absence of theoretical and empirical research works about the resource-based thinking as a cognitive process of revealing the best ways to solve problems in a variety of areas of activities. The purpose of article is to conduct the empirical research and theoretical substantiation of a subject’s resource-based thinking capable to show initiative in search for the new and to be able to take the responsibility for process and result of cogni tive-transformative activity. Materials and Methods: the Life Line technique by A. A. Kronik and E. I. Golovakha was used in the research; a qualitative analysis of the empirical data was carried out; a synthesis of previously obtained results of the resource-based thinking study was achieved. Results: the resource-based thinking has a variable effect on the implementation of the personal creativity. The subsequent development of a person depends on the level of maturity of resource-based thinking in different stages of his/her life. The resource-based thinking can be a means of realising the personality’s creative potential or a means of their extinction depending on the congruence of potentials with the most important life events. Discussion and Conclusions: the resource-based thinking of a professional is associated with cognitive selfsupport and promotes a positive interpretation of the situation and a constructive change in self-perception. An analysis of certain life events influenced the future of a man, his personal development and formation in society is made. The conceptual basis of resource-based thinking with a description of functions, structural components, resource conditions, as well as the specifics of their formation and stages of implementation is presented. Understanding the resource-based essence of a man as a

  16. The cultural construction of emotions

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Mesquita, B.; Boiger, M.; De Leersnyder, J.

    A large body of anthropological and psychological research on emotions has yielded significant evidence that emotional experience is culturally constructed: people more commonly experience those emotions that help them to be a good and typical person in their culture. Moreover, experiencing these

  17. Distinct ADHD Symptom Clusters Differentially Associated with Personality Traits

    Science.gov (United States)

    McKinney, Ashley A.; Canu, Will H.; Schneider, H. G.

    2013-01-01

    Objective: ADHD has been linked to various constructs, yet there is a lack of focus on how its symptom clusters differentially associate with personality, which this study addresses. Method: The current study examines the relationship between impulsive and inattentive ADHD traits and personality, indexed by the Revised NEO Personality Inventory…

  18. Selected personality data from the SAPA-Project: On the structure of phrased self-report items

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    David M Condon

    2015-08-01

    Full Text Available These data were collected to evaluate the structure of personality constructs in the temperament domain. In the context of modern personality theory, these constructs are typically construed in terms of the Big Five (Conscientiousness, Agreeableness, Neuroticism, Openness, and Extraversion though several additional constructs were included here. Approximately 24,000 individuals were administered random subsets of 696 items from 92 public-domain personality scales using the Synthetic Aperture Personality Assessment method between December 8, 2013 and July 26, 2014. The data are available in rdata format and are accompanied by documentation stored as a text file. Re-use potential include many types of structural and correlational analyses of personality

  19. 7 CFR 33.2 - Person.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 2 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Person. 33.2 Section 33.2 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture AGRICULTURAL MARKETING SERVICE (Standards, Inspections, Marketing... ISSUED UNDER AUTHORITY OF THE EXPORT APPLE ACT Definitions § 33.2 Person. Person means an individual...

  20. A Taxonomy of Privacy Constructs for Privacy-Sensitive Robotics

    OpenAIRE

    Rueben, Matthew; Grimm, Cindy M.; Bernieri, Frank J.; Smart, William D.

    2017-01-01

    The introduction of robots into our society will also introduce new concerns about personal privacy. In order to study these concerns, we must do human-subject experiments that involve measuring privacy-relevant constructs. This paper presents a taxonomy of privacy constructs based on a review of the privacy literature. Future work in operationalizing privacy constructs for HRI studies is also discussed.

  1. Personal radiation monitoring with thermoluminescent dosemeters

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Miano, S.C.

    1987-01-01

    The technique of personal dosimetry used by SAPRA (Servico de Assessoria e Protecao Radiologica S/C Ltda., Brazil) is presented. Thermoluminescent monitors and CaSO 4 : Dy are used in pastilles united by teflon. Characteristics of the dosemeters are briefly reported. The system of thermoluminescent measurement, designed and constructed by SAPRA, and the system of personal monitoring are described. (M.A.C.) [pt

  2. Borders and Modal Articulations. Semiotic Constructs of Sensemaking Processes Enabling a Fecund Dialogue Between Cultural Psychology and Clinical Psychology.

    Science.gov (United States)

    De Luca Picione, Raffaele; Freda, Maria Francesca

    2016-03-01

    The notion of the border is an interesting advancement in research on the processes of meaning making within the cultural psychology. The development of this notion in semiotic key allows to handle with adequate complexity construction, transformation, stability and the breakup of the relationship between person/world/otherness. These semiotic implications have already been widely discussed and exposed by authors such Valsiner (2007, 2014), Neuman (2003, 2008), Simão (Culture & Psychology, 9, 449-459, 2003, Theory & Psychology, 15, 549-574, 2005, 2015), with respect to issues of identity/relatedness, inside/outside, stability/change in the irreversible flow of the time. In this work, after showing some of the basics of such semiotic notion of border, we discuss the processes of construction and transformation of borders through the modal articulation, defined as the contextual positioning that the person assumes with respect to the establishment of a boundary in terms of necessity, obligation, willingness, possibility, permission, ability. This modal subjective positioning acquires considerable interest from the clinical point of view since its degree of plasticity vs that of rigidity is the basis of processes of development or stiffening of relations between person/world/otherness.

  3. Modified crisis intervention for personality disorder.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rudnick, A

    1998-01-01

    This study proposes that the goal of crisis intervention for persons with personality disorders should be to return them to their pre-crisis level of functioning, even though this is maladaptive. This is contrasted with standard crisis intervention, which aims to return normal or neurotic persons to their pre-crisis normal or neurotic functioning, usually by means of few and short-term therapeutic encounters. The modification proposed costs more time and resources in persons with personality disorders in crisis and fits the intervention to the personality type. This is illustrated by the case of Eve, a patient in crisis, whose pre-crisis functioning was maladaptive because of a dependent personality disorder. The goal of (modified) crisis intervention in this case was to return the patient to her dependent lifestyle, by means of pharmacotherapy combined with intensive supportive psychotherapy during 3-4 months of partial (day) hospitalization. The special nature of crisis in personality disorders is discussed.

  4. [Taking personal responsibility in practice: what does it mean?--Insights into daily clinical routines].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hansen, Leonhard

    2012-01-01

    In our society, taking personal responsibility is basically regarded as a key step to adopting a more active lifestyle. In health care, however, personal responsibility is primarily equated with higher levels of financial contribution from patients. Obviously, the individual's responsibility for his or her health and towards the mutually supportive community is a highly emotional and ideological issue, so the debate is usually rather heated. This is, however, at odds with the "empowered patient" concept. In the present paper "personal responsibility in practice" will be understood to include both physician and patient responsibility. Examples will be employed to demonstrate that, on an individual level, physicians are responsible for diagnosing and treating their patients as indicated and that, on a collective level, they are expected to make responsible use of the resources allocated. Here, patient responsibility will be defined as both taking care for one's own health and the individual's obligation to contribute to the maintenance of our solidarity-based health care system. The tensions between solidarity and subsidiarity and personal responsibility, respectively, will be outlined, and a readjustment of the relation between external support and individual strengths, between solidarity and personal responsibility in terms of Sect. 1 of the Social Book Code V will be advocated. Copyright © 2012. Published by Elsevier GmbH.

  5. Research on the User Interest Modeling of Personalized Search Engine

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    LI Zhengwei; XIA Shixiong; NIU Qiang; XIA Zhanguo

    2007-01-01

    At present, how to enable Search Engine to construct user personal interest model initially, master user's personalized information timely and provide personalized services accurately have become the hotspot in the research of Search Engine area.Aiming at the problems of user model's construction and combining techniques of manual customization modeling and automatic analytical modeling, a User Interest Model (UIM) is proposed in the paper. On the basis of it, the corresponding establishment and update algorithms of User Interest Profile (UIP) are presented subsequently. Simulation tests proved that the UIM proposed and corresponding algorithms could enhance the retrieval precision effectively and have superior adaptability.

  6. The Labor Process in Construction: Control without Bureaucratic and Technological Means?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Steiger, Thomas L.; Form, William

    1991-01-01

    Data suggest that it is premature to conclude that management has succeeded in appropriating workers' knowledge, accountability, and responsibility for work. The labor market has become fluid and dynamic and no longer conforms to the traditional construct of an internal labor market. A refinement of labor process theory is in order. (JOW)

  7. Meaning profiles of dwellings, pathways, and metaphors in design: implications for education

    Science.gov (United States)

    Casakin, Hernan; Kreitler, Shulamith

    2017-11-01

    The study deals with the roles and interrelations of the meaning-based assessments of dwellings, pathways and metaphors in design performance. It is grounded in the Meaning Theory [Kreitler, S., and H. Kreitler. 1990. The Cognitive Foundations of Personality Traits. New York: Plenum], which enables identifying the cognitive contents and processes underlying cognitive performance in different domains, thus rendering them more accessible to educational training. The objectives were to identify the components of the meaning profiles of dwellings, pathways, and metaphors as perceived by design students; to analyse their interrelations; and to examine which of the identified components of these constructs serve as best predictors of design performance aided by the use of metaphors. Participants were administered a design task and questionnaires about the Dimensional Profiles of Dwellings, Pathways, and Metaphors, based on the meaning system. Factors based on the factor analyses of the responses to the three questionnaires were used in regression analyses as predictors of the performance score in a design task. The following three factors of the dimensional meaning profiles of metaphors were significant predictors of design performance: sensory, functional, and structural evaluations. Implications for design education are discussed, primarily concerning the important role of metaphor in design problem-solving.

  8. Validity of Type D personality in Iceland

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Svansdottir, Erla; Karlsson, Hrobjartur D; Gudnason, Thorarinn

    2012-01-01

    was 26-29%, and assessment of Type D personality was not confounded by severity of underlying coronary artery disease. Regarding risk markers, Type D patients reported more psychopharmacological medication use and smoking, but frequency of previous mental problems was similar across groups. Type D......Type D personality has been associated with poor prognosis in cardiac patients. This study investigated the validity of the Type D construct in Iceland and its association with disease severity and health-related risk markers in cardiac patients. A sample of 1,452 cardiac patients completed...... the Type D scale (DS14), and a subgroup of 161 patients completed measurements for the five-factor model of personality, emotional control, anxiety, depression, stress and lifestyle factors. The Icelandic DS14 had good psychometric properties and its construct validity was confirmed. Prevalence of Type D...

  9. The co-constructive processes in physiotherapy

    OpenAIRE

    Areskoug Josefsson, Kristina; Andersson, Ann-Christine

    2017-01-01

    To employ a person-centred approach, it is essential to work with the patient in deciding the important issues that the physiotherapy intervention should target, and to develop and adjust the individual treatment accordingly. Those co-constructive processes of physiotherapy consist of several parts, aiming to improve patient involvement and to optimize intervention outcomes. This paper aims to discuss and bring forward the role of the co-constructive processes in physiotherapy, by using persp...

  10. Investigating Meaning in Experimental Semiotics

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Roberts Gareth

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available Experimental semiotics is a new discipline developed over the last decade to study human communication. Studies within this discipline typically involve people creating novel signs by associating signals with meanings. Here we suggest ways this discipline can be used to shed light on how people create and communicate meaning. First we present observations drawn from studies in which participants not only construct novel signals, but also have considerable freedom over what these signals refer to. These studies offer intriguing insight on non-saussurian signs (where a single unit of meaning is associated with different signals, communicative egocentricity, private and public meaning, and the distinction between meaningful and meaningless units in linguistic structure, that is between morphemes and phonemes (or analogous entities. We then present a novel quantitative approach to determining the extent to which a signal unit is meaningful, and illustrate its use with data from a study in which participants construct signals to refer to predetermined meanings. Aside from these specific contributions, we show more generally how challenging investigating meaning in Experimental Semiotics is, but we argue that this reflects the difficulties we must face when studying meaning, outside the lab as well as in it.

  11. The coming revolution in personal care robotics: what does it mean for nurses?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sharts-Hopko, Nancy C

    2014-01-01

    The business sector provides regular reportage on the development of personal care robots to enable elders and people with disabilities to remain in their homes. Technology in this area is advancing rapidly in Asia, Europe, and North America. To date, the nursing literature has not addressed how nurses will assist these vulnerable populations in the selection and use of robotic technology or how robotics could effect nursing care and patient outcomes. This article provides an overview of development in the area of personal care robotics to address societal needs reflecting demographic trends. Selected relevant issues related to the human-robotic interface including ethical concerns are identified. Implications for nursing education and the delivery of nursing services are identified. Collaboration with engineers in the development of personal care robotic technology has the potential to contribute to the creation of products that optimally address the needs of elders and people with disabilities.

  12. Constructional and Conceptual Composition

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dodge, Ellen Kirsten

    2010-01-01

    Goldberg's (1995) recognition that, in addition to various word-level constructions, sentences also instantiate meaningful argument structure constructions enables a non-polysemy-based analysis of various verb 'alternations' (Levin 1993). In such an analysis, meaning variations associated with the use of the same verb in different argument…

  13. Personality, Organizational Orientations and Self-Reported Learning Outcomes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bamber, David; Castka, Pavel

    2006-01-01

    Purpose: To identify competencies connecting personality, organizational orientations and self-reported learning outcomes (as measured by concise Likert-type scales), for individuals who are learning for their organizations. Design/methodology/approach: Five concise factor scales were constructed to represent aspects of personality. Three further…

  14. Women's Construction of Embodiment and the Abject Sexual Body After Cancer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Parton, Chloe M; Ussher, Jane M; Perz, Janette

    2016-03-01

    Cancer and cancer treatments can cause significant changes to women's sexual well-being. We explored how women construct a sense of their bodies and sexual "selves" in the context of cancer. Sixteen women, across a range of ages (20-71 years), cancer types, and cancer stages, took part in in-depth semistructured interviews. We conducted a thematic discourse analysis, drawing on feminist poststructuralist theory, identifying "the abject body" as a dominant theme. Participants constructed abject bodies as being "beyond abnormality," "outside idealized discourses of embodied femininity," and "out of control." The women's accounts varied in management and resistance of the abject body discourse, through bodily practices of concealment, resisting discourses of feminine beauty, and repositioning the body as a site of personal transformation. The corporeality of the cancerous body can be seen to disrupt hegemonic discourses of femininity and sexuality, with implications for how women practice and make meaning of embodied sexual subjectivity. © The Author(s) 2015.

  15. PERSONALITY AND CHARACTER PREFERENCE IN ROLE-PLAYING GAMES

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Pedro José Ramos-Villagrasa

    2010-11-01

    Full Text Available In role-playing games players perform participative and episodic stories. Personality is a psychological construct associated with decision processes in many aspects of life. In this study, we analyzed if Big Five Personality Factors were related to game character preferences in the role-playing game “Dungeons & Dragons”. Results show that Personality is related only in the decision of character’s class. We also study the relationship between Personality and plots in role-playing games (action, intrigue, mystery, and personal relationships. Finally, recommendations to further investigation were given.

  16. How women construct meaning about their abortion experience

    OpenAIRE

    Emužienė, Vilma

    2006-01-01

    It is very important to understand the woman’s attitude to the experience of the abortion retrospectively: what this experience means to her after many years? The purpose of the article is to reveal the woman’s attitude to the abortion experienced as a fact. The following research methods were used: a systematic analysis of scientific literary sources related to the abortion and woman’s experience; a semi-structured interview (12 women who experienced artificial abortion were surveyed). The m...

  17. Socio-economic factors, cultural values, national personality and antibiotics use: A cross-cultural study among European countries.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gaygısız, Ümmügülsüm; Lajunen, Timo; Gaygısız, Esma

    There are considerable cross-national differences in public attitudes towards antibiotics use, use of prescribed antibiotics, and self-medication with antibiotics even within Europe. This study was aimed at investigating the relationships between socio-economic factors, cultural values, national personality characteristics and the antibiotic use in Europe. Data included scores from 27 European countries (14 countries for personality analysis). Correlations between socio-economic variables (Gross National Income per capita, governance quality, life expectancy, mean years of schooling, number of physicians), Hofstede's cultural value dimensions (power distance, individualism, masculinity, uncertainty avoidance, long-term orientation, indulgence), national personality characteristic (extraversion, neuroticism, social desirability) and antibiotic use were calculated and three regression models were constructed. Governance quality (r=-.51), mean years of schooling (r=-.61), power distance (r=.59), masculinity (r=.53), and neuroticism (r=.73) correlated with antibiotic use. The highest amount of variance in antibiotic use was accounted by the cultural values (65%) followed by socio-economic factors (63%) and personality factors (55%). Results show that socio-economic factors, cultural values and national personality characteristics explain cross-national differences in antibiotic use in Europe. In particular, governance quality, uncertainty avoidance, masculinity and neuroticism were important factors explaining antibiotics use. The findings underline the importance of socio-economic and cultural context in health care and in planning public health interventions. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

  18. Portfolio optimization with mean-variance model

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hoe, Lam Weng; Siew, Lam Weng

    2016-06-01

    Investors wish to achieve the target rate of return at the minimum level of risk in their investment. Portfolio optimization is an investment strategy that can be used to minimize the portfolio risk and can achieve the target rate of return. The mean-variance model has been proposed in portfolio optimization. The mean-variance model is an optimization model that aims to minimize the portfolio risk which is the portfolio variance. The objective of this study is to construct the optimal portfolio using the mean-variance model. The data of this study consists of weekly returns of 20 component stocks of FTSE Bursa Malaysia Kuala Lumpur Composite Index (FBMKLCI). The results of this study show that the portfolio composition of the stocks is different. Moreover, investors can get the return at minimum level of risk with the constructed optimal mean-variance portfolio.

  19. Underlying construct of empathy, optimism, and burnout in medical students.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hojat, Mohammadreza; Vergare, Michael; Isenberg, Gerald; Cohen, Mitchell; Spandorfer, John

    2015-01-29

    This study was designed to explore the underlying construct of measures of empathy, optimism, and burnout in medical students. Three instruments for measuring empathy (Jefferson Scale of Empathy, JSE); Optimism (the Life Orientation Test-Revised, LOT-R); and burnout (the Maslach Burnout Inventory, MBI, which includes three scales of Emotional Exhaustion, Depersonalization, and Personal Accomplishment) were administered to 265 third-year students at Sidney Kimmel (formerly Jefferson) Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University. Data were subjected to factor analysis to examine relationships among measures of empathy, optimism, and burnout in a multivariate statistical model. Factor analysis (principal component with oblique rotation) resulted in two underlying constructs, each with an eigenvalue greater than one. The first factor involved "positive personality attributes" (factor coefficients greater than .58 for measures of empathy, optimism, and personal accomplishment). The second factor involved "negative personality attributes" (factor coefficients greater than .78 for measures of emotional exhaustion, and depersonalization). Results confirmed that an association exists between empathy in the context of patient care and personality characteristics that are conducive to relationship building, and considered to be "positive personality attributes," as opposed to personality characteristics that are considered as "negative personality attributes" that are detrimental to interpersonal relationships. Implications for the professional development of physicians-in-training and in-practice are discussed.

  20. An Empirically Derived Taxonomy for Personality Diagnosis: Bridging Science and Practice in Conceptualizing Personality

    Science.gov (United States)

    Westen, Drew; Shedler, Jonathan; Bradley, Bekh; DeFife, Jared A.

    2013-01-01

    Objective The authors describe a system for diagnosing personality pathology that is empirically derived, clinically relevant, and practical for day-to-day use. Method A random national sample of psychiatrists and clinical psychologists (N=1,201) described a randomly selected current patient with any degree of personality dysfunction (from minimal to severe) using the descriptors in the Shedler-Westen Assessment Procedure–II and completed additional research forms. Results The authors applied factor analysis to identify naturally occurring diagnostic groupings within the patient sample. The analysis yielded 10 clinically coherent personality diagnoses organized into three higher-order clusters: internalizing, externalizing, and borderline-dysregulated. The authors selected the most highly rated descriptors to construct a diagnostic prototype for each personality syndrome. In a second, independent sample, research interviewers and patients’ treating clinicians were able to diagnose the personality syndromes with high agreement and minimal comorbidity among diagnoses. Conclusions The empirically derived personality prototypes described here provide a framework for personality diagnosis that is both empirically based and clinically relevant. PMID:22193534

  1. Exposure assessment and modeling of particulate matter for asthmatic children using personal nephelometers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wu, Chang-Fu; Delfino, Ralph J.; Floro, Joshua N.; Quintana, Penelope J. E.; Samimi, Behzad S.; Kleinman, Michael T.; Allen, Ryan W.; Sally Liu, L.-J.

    It has been shown that acute exposures to particulate matter (PM) may exacerbate asthma in children. However, most epidemiological studies have relied on time-integrated PM measurements taken at a centrally located stationary monitoring sites. In this article, we characterized children's short-term personal exposures to PM 2.5 (PM with aerodynamic diameters size-selective inlet was used to estimate real-time PM 2.5 concentrations on 20 asthmatic children, inside and outside of their residences, and at a central site. The personal and indoor pDRs were operated passively, while the home outdoor and central site instruments were operated actively. The subjects received 29.2% of their exposures at school, even though they only spent 16.4% of their time there. More precise personal clouds were estimated for the home-indoor and home-outdoor microenvironments where PM concentrations were measured. The personal cloud increased with increasing activity levels and was higher during outdoor activities than during indoor activities. We built models to predict personal PM exposures based on either microenvironmental or central-site PM 2.5 measurements, and evaluated the modeled exposures against the actual personal measurements. A multiple regression model with central site PM concentration as the main predictor had a better prediction power ( R2=0.41) than a three-microenvironmental model ( R2=0.11). We further constructed a source-specific exposure model utilizing the time-space-activity information and the particle infiltration efficiencies (mean=0.72±0.15) calculated from a recursive mass balance model. It was estimated that the mean hourly personal exposures resulting from ambient, indoor-generated, and personal activity PM 2.5 were 11.1, 5.5, and 10.0 μg/m 3, respectively, when the modeling error was minimized. The high PM 2.5 exposure to personal activities reported in our study is likely due to children's more active lifestyle as compared with older adult subjects in

  2. KAINGANG PERSONHOOD AND BODY CONSTRUCTION IN CONTEMPORARY SOCIETY

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Patrícia Carvalho Rosa

    2008-06-01

    Full Text Available This paper aims to discuss some aspects related to the concept of person and embodiement among the Kaingang. Througout an analysis of this terms used as a form of native self-designation, the article discuss how the construction of the body and person are articulated with gender dichotomies, social espaces and practices in this grup.

  3. Three-Pronged Assessment and Diagnosis of Personality Disorder and its Consequences: Personality Functioning, Pathological Traits, and Psychosocial Disability

    Science.gov (United States)

    Clark, Lee Anna; Ro, Eunyoe

    2014-01-01

    The alternative dimensional model of personality disorder (PD) in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5; American Psychiatric Association, 2013), Section III, has two main criteria: Impairment in personality functioning and one or more pathological personality traits. The former is defined as disturbances in self functioning (viz., identity, self-direction), and/or interpersonal functioning (viz., empathy, intimacy). Distinguishing personality functioning and traits is important conceptually, because simply having extreme traits is not necessarily pathological. However, adding personality functioning to PD diagnosis represents an empirical challenge, because the constructs overlap conceptually. Further, there is debate regarding whether diagnosis of mental disorder requires either distress or disability, concepts that also overlap with maladaptive-range personality traits and personality dysfunction. We investigated interrelations among these constructs using multiple self-report measures of each domain in a mixed community-patient sample (N = 402). We examined the structures of functioning (psychosocial disability and personality), and personality traits, first independently, then jointly. The disability/functioning measures yielded the three dimensions we have found previously (Ro & Clark, 2013). Trait measures had a hierarchical structure which, at the five-factor level, reflected neuroticism/negative affectivity (N/NA), (low) sociability, disinhibition, (dis)agreeableness, and rigid goal engagement. When all measures were co-factored, a hierarchical structure again emerged which, at the five-factor level, included (1) internalizing (N/NA and self-pathology vs. quality-of-life/satisfaction), (2) externalizing (social/interpersonal dysfunction, low sociability, and disagreeableness), (3) disinhibition, (4) poor basic functioning, and (5) rigid goal engagement. Results are discussed in terms of developing an integrated PD

  4. Teacher Educators' Personal Practical Knowledge of Language

    Science.gov (United States)

    Swart, Fenna; de Graaff, Rick; Onstenk, Jeroen; Knezic, Dubravka

    2018-01-01

    This paper describes teacher educators' understanding of language for classroom communication in higher education. We argue that teacher educators who are aware of their personal practical knowledge of language have a better understanding of their students' language use and provide better support for knowledge construction. Personal practical…

  5. Creating Personal Meaning through Technology-Supported Science Inquiry Learning across Formal and Informal Settings

    Science.gov (United States)

    Anastopoulou, Stamatina; Sharples, Mike; Ainsworth, Shaaron; Crook, Charles; O'Malley, Claire; Wright, Michael

    2012-01-01

    In this paper, a novel approach to engaging students in personal inquiry learning is described, whereby they carry out scientific investigations that are personally meaningful and relevant to their everyday lives. The learners are supported by software that guides the inquiry process, extending from the classroom into the school grounds, home, or…

  6. Assessment of dysfunctional beliefs in borderline personality disorder.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Butler, Andrew C; Brown, Gregory K; Beck, Aaron T; Grisham, Jessica R

    2002-10-01

    This study had two aims: to test the hypothesis that borderline personality disorder (BPD) patients hold numerous dysfunctional beliefs associated with a variety of Axis II disorders, and to construct a BPD belief scale which captures these beliefs. Beliefs were measured using the Personality Belief Questionnaire (PBQ) which is designed to assess beliefs associated with various personality disorders, although not specifically BPD. Eighty-four BPD patients and 204 patients with other personality disorders (OPD) were randomly split into two study samples. Fourteen PBQ items were found to discriminate BPD from OPD patients in both samples. These items came from the PBQ Dependent, Paranoid, Avoidant, and Histrionic scales and reflect themes of dependency, helplessness, distrust, fears of rejection/abandonment/losing emotional control, and extreme attention-seeking behavior. A BPD beliefs scale constructed from these items showed good internal consistency and diagnostic validity among the 288 study patients. The scale may be used to assist in diagnosis and cognitive therapy of BPD.

  7. Narrative Therapy in the Co-Construction of Experience and Family Coping when Facing an ADHD Diagnosis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Steve Fernando Pedraza-Vargas**

    2009-12-01

    Full Text Available The narrative therapy establishes that people give sense and meaning to their life and relations relating their experiences, and interacting with others in a meaning full way, modeling like this their own life and relations. This investigation/intervention pretended to understand the organization of the experience and family confront surrounding the possible Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD of a child under age from the narratives built by the family system in a therapy context. The new methodological design included four moments and 12 sceneries of investigation/intervention the process was developed with 3 families participating with reflexive team, the complex comprehension of the neuropsychological diagnosis and the co-construction of the alternative narratives. The results showed how the families built dominant narratives about the manifest symptoms in the child from prejudices and beliefs, and tend to evidence a coalition between the child and the person in charge of the child and the guiltiness between parents. The therapeutic dialogue helps the co-construction of other suitable meanings for the integration and cooperation among the family system and the participation of the wide systems.

  8. Deconstructing The Current Construction Of Mow: 'Meaning Of Work ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    ‟. It is argued that MOW could be ... This paper calls for debate on the ontological (the nature) and teleological (the purpose) base of the concept „work‟, its meaning in society and application in work psychology. Such debate would inform the ...

  9. Personal Identity in Enhancement

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jana Podroužková

    2015-09-01

    Full Text Available The aim of this paper is to introduce the concept of human enhancement, its methods and its relation to personal identity. Also several approaches to personal identity will be described. Transhumanism is a special think tank supporting human enhancement through modern technologies and some of its representatives claim, that even great changes to human organisms will not affect their personal identity. I will briefly describe the most important means of human enhancment and consider the problem of personal identity for each of them separately.

  10. A general factor of personality in a sample of inmates: Associations with indicators of life-history strategy and covitality

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Međedović Janko

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available This study looked for a General Factor of Personality (GFP in a sample of male convicts (N=226; mean age 32 years. The GFP was extracted from seven broad personality traits: FFM factors, Amoralism (the negative pole of the lexical Honesty-Humility factor and Disintegration (operationalization of Schizotypy. Three first-order factors were extracted, labeled Dysfunctionality, Antisociality and Openness, and GFP was found through the hierarchical factor analysis. The nature of the GFP was explored through analysis of its relations with markers of fast Life-History strategy and covitality. The results demonstrated that the GFP is associated with unrestricted sexual behavior, medical problems, mental problems, early involvement in criminal activity and stability of criminal behavior. The evidence shows that the GFP is a meaningful construct on the highest level of personality structure. It may represent a personality indicator of fitness-related characteristics and could be useful in research of personality in an evolutionary context.

  11. Personal Constructions of Biological Concepts – The Repertory Grid Approach

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Thomas J. J. McCloughlin

    2017-03-01

    Full Text Available This work discusses repertory grid analysis as a tool for investigating the structures of students’ representations of biological concepts. Repertory grid analysis provides the researcher with a variety of techniques that are not associated with standard methods of concept mapping for investigating conceptual structures. It can provide valuable insights into the learning process, and can be used as a diagnostic tool in identifying problems that students have in understanding biological concepts. The biological concepts examined in this work are ‘natural kinds’: a technical class of concepts which ‘appear’ to have invisible ‘essences’ meaning carrying more perceptual weight than being perceptually similar. Because children give more weight to natural-kind membership when reasoning about traits, it would seem pertinent to apply such knowledge to deep-level research into how children reason in biology. The concept of natural kinds has a particular resonance with biology since biological kinds hold the distinction of being almost all natural kinds, such as when the same ‘stuff or thing’ takes many different forms. We have conducted a range of studies using a diversity of biological natural kinds, but in this paper, we wish to explore some of the theoretical underpinnings in more detail. To afford this exploration, we outline one case-study in a small group of secondary school students exploring the concept of ‘equine’ – that is, what is an equine? Five positive examples were chosen to engaged with by the students and one ‘outlier’ with which to compare the construction process. Recommendations are offered in applying this approach to biological education research.

  12. Modeling of the Case Grammatical Meaning

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Алексей Львович Новиков

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available The article raises the problem of constructing a semantic model to describe the meaning of the grammatical category of case in the languages of different types. The main objective of this publication - to provide an overview of different points of view on the semantic structure of the category of case and to compare different models of case semantics. Initial impulse to the development of problems of case semantics became the grammar and typological ideas of A.A. Potebnya and R. Jakobson. The basis of these models, which differ from each other in the number and nature of the allocation of features is the idea of the possibility of representing grammatical meaning as a structured set of semantic features. The analysis shows that the construction of formal models of grammatical categories is impossible without referring to the content of the dominant semantic features in the structure of grammatical meaning. Despite all the difficulties of modeling grammatical semantics, to construct a semantic model of case is an interesting and promising task of general morphology and typological linguistics.

  13. Personality Trait Differences Between Young and Middle-Aged Adults: Measurement Artifacts or Actual Trends?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nye, Christopher D; Allemand, Mathias; Gosling, Samuel D; Potter, Jeff; Roberts, Brent W

    2016-08-01

    A growing body of research demonstrates that older individuals tend to score differently on personality measures than younger adults. However, recent research using item response theory (IRT) has questioned these findings, suggesting that apparent age differences in personality traits merely reflect artifacts of the response process rather than true differences in the latent constructs. Conversely, other studies have found the opposite-age differences appear to be true differences rather than response artifacts. Given these contradictory findings, the goal of the present study was to examine the measurement equivalence of personality ratings drawn from large groups of young and middle-aged adults (a) to examine whether age differences in personality traits could be completely explained by measurement nonequivalence and (b) to illustrate the comparability of IRT and confirmatory factor analysis approaches to testing equivalence in this context. Self-ratings of personality traits were analyzed in two groups of Internet respondents aged 20 and 50 (n = 15,726 in each age group). Measurement nonequivalence across these groups was negligible. The effect sizes of the mean differences due to nonequivalence ranged from -.16 to .15. Results indicate that personality trait differences across age groups reflect actual differences rather than merely response artifacts. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  14. Viewing relational aggression through multiple lenses: temperament, personality, and personality pathology.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tackett, Jennifer L; Kushner, Shauna C; Herzhoff, Kathrin; Smack, Avante J; Reardon, Kathleen W

    2014-08-01

    Dispositional trait frameworks offer great potential to elucidate the nature and development of psychopathology, including the construct of relational aggression. The present study sought to explore the dispositional context of relational aggression across three dispositional frameworks: temperament, personality, and personality pathology. Participants comprised a large community sample of youth, aged 6 to 18 years (N = 1,188; 51.2% female). Ratings of children's relational aggression, temperament, personality, and personality pathology traits were obtained through parent report (86.3% mothers). Results showed convergence and divergence across these three dispositional frameworks. Like other antisocial behavior subtypes, relational aggression generally showed connections with traits reflecting negative emotionality and poor self-regulation. Relational aggression showed stronger connections with temperament traits than with personality traits, suggesting that temperament frameworks may capture more relationally aggressive content. Findings at the lower order trait level help differentiate relational aggression from other externalizing problems by providing a more nuanced perspective (e.g., both sociability and shyness positively predicted relational aggression). In addition, there was little evidence of moderation of these associations by gender, age, or age2, and findings remained robust even after controlling for physical aggression. Results are discussed in the broader context of conceptualizing relational aggression in an overarching personality-psychopathology framework.

  15. Meaning in Work Life

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Ravn, Ib

    meaningful is still lacking (Harpaz & Fu, 2002), as are definitions of key terms. Here, I define meaning as the experience that something fits into a wider context or coheres within a larger whole.     I conceptualize meaning in work life as deriving from four factors, each of which helps us contribute...... to something larger than ourselves (Seligman, 2002) through our work. Thus, a person experiences meaning in work life when she... A. is able to use her signature strengths at work (Peterson and Seligman, 2004), B. makes an important contribution to the workplace (Drucker, 1999), C. participates in a productive...

  16. Personal Development Planning as a means to strengthen supervisory relationships in doctoral education

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kobayashi, Sofie; Grout, Brian William Wilson; Rump, Camilla Østerberg

    of ‘closeness’ building a robust and trustful relationship has been the topic of research in only a few studies. While personal development planning is used extensively in higher education in the UK to strengthen the learning process of students, this study documents another potent use of the tool....... In an introduction course for new PhD students at the University of Copenhagen participants are required to share their personal development plan with their supervisor, and our analysis of reflective notes reveal how this can contribute to a better working relationship....

  17. Constructive Use of Authoritative Sources in Science Meaning-Making

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yeo, Jennifer; Tan, Seng Chee

    2010-01-01

    Researchers are skeptical about the role of authoritative sources of information in a constructivist learning environment for fear of usurping students' critical thinking. Taking a social semiotics perspective in this study, authoritative sources are regarded as inscriptions of cultural artifacts, and science learning involves meaning-making of…

  18. Telos, Chronos, and Hermēneia: The Role of Metanarrative in Leadership Effectiveness through the Production of Meaning

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Justin A. Irving

    2004-09-01

    Full Text Available In this article, we argue for the existence of a relationship between metanarrative and leadership effectiveness that is mediated by personal meaning. After analyzing the relevant literatures, we present a model that attributes this relationship to the capacity of metanarrative to produce meaning through the interpretive frames of Telos (teleological context, Chronos (historical-narrative context, and Hermēneia (interpretive context. We begin with a review of the leadership effectiveness literature followed by a discussion of the theoretical foundations of the concepts of meaning and metanarrative. From this review, we derive a set of propositions that describe the nature of the interrelationships among the constructs of interest and present a theoretical model that captures the proposed relationships. We conclude by suggesting several streams of research designed to evaluate the proposed model and with recommendations for further study.

  19. The semiotic actor : From signs to socially constructed meaning

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Helmhout, M.; Jorna, R.J.J.M.; Gazendam, H.W.M.

    A semiotic actor creates, uses and transfers or communicates meaning with the help of signs in order to interact with other actors and society. For a complete understanding of the cognitive and social phenomena related to this process, we state that social science and cognitive science cannot stay

  20. Pictorial Personality Traits Questionnaire for Children (PPTQ-C)-A New Measure of Children's Personality Traits.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Maćkiewicz, Marta; Cieciuch, Jan

    2016-01-01

    In order to adjust personality measurements to children's developmental level, we constructed the Pictorial Personality Traits Questionnaire for Children (PPTQ-C). To validate the measure, we conducted a study with a total group of 1028 children aged between 7 and 13 years old. Structural validity was established through Exploratory Structural Equation Model (ESEM). Criterion validity was confirmed with a multitrait-multimethod analysis for which we introduced the children's self-assessment scores from the Big Five Questionnaire for Children. Despite some problems with reliability, one can conclude that the PPTQ-C can be a valid instrument for measuring personality traits, particularly in a group of young children (aged ~7-10 years).

  1. Career Construction with a Gay Client: A Case Study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Maree, Jacobus Gideon

    2014-01-01

    This article reports on the value of career construction counselling (CCC) with a gay person. The participant was selected purposively, with the selection criteria calling for a mid-career woman who had sought career counselling. The intervention involved administration of the "Career Construction Interview" (CCI) and the creation of a…

  2. 26 CFR 1.958-2 - Constructive ownership of stock.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ... who is legally separated from the individual under a decree of divorce or separate maintenance); and... in subdivisions (ii) and (iii) of this subparagraph, stock constructively owned by a person by reason... constructively owned by an individual by reason of the application of paragraph (b) of this section shall not be...

  3. The cultural grounding of personal relationship: the importance of attractiveness in everyday life.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Anderson, Stephanie L; Adams, Glenn; Plaut, Victoria C

    2008-08-01

    Previous research has suggested that physically attractive people experience more positive life outcomes than do unattractive people. However, the importance of physical attractiveness in everyday life may vary depending on the extent to which different cultural worlds afford or require individual choice in the construction and maintenance of personal relationships. The authors hypothesized that attractiveness matters more for life outcomes in settings that promote voluntaristic-independent constructions of relationship as the product of personal choice than it does in settings that promote embedded-interdependent constructions of relationship as an environmental affordance. Study 1 examined self-reported outcomes of attractive and unattractive persons. Study 2 examined expectations about attractive and unattractive targets. Results provide support for the hypothesis along four dimensions: national context, relationship context, rural-urban context, and experimental manipulation of relationship constructions. These patterns suggest that the importance of physical attractiveness documented by psychological research is the product of particular constructions of reality. (c) 2008 APA, all rights reserved

  4. 12 CFR 561.30 - Nonresidential construction loan.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... REGULATIONS AFFECTING ALL SAVINGS ASSOCIATIONS § 561.30 Nonresidential construction loan. The term nonresidential construction loan means a loan for construction of other than one or more dwelling units. ... 12 Banks and Banking 5 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Nonresidential construction loan. 561.30...

  5. Determinants of thoughts of death or suicide in depressed older persons

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Bogers, Ista C. H. M.; Zuidersma, Marij; Boshuisen, Marjolein L.; Comijs, Hannie C.; Voshaar, Richard C. Oude

    Background: In depressed persons, thoughts of death and suicide are assumed to represent different degrees of a construct: suicidality. However, this can be questioned in older persons facing physical and social losses. Thoughts of death in depressed older persons are hardly examined in the absence

  6. Understanding personal narratives: an approach to practice.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gaydos, H Lea

    2005-02-01

    This paper explores the need for and nature of personal narratives and their relevance to nursing practice. It proposes that the co-creative aesthetic process can be used to understand and co-create personal narratives through an emphasis on self-defining memories and metaphor. Many authors in nursing and other human sciences have recognized the need for and importance of personal narrative, its relationship to aesthetic knowing and its value in qualitative research and in practice. The role of memory and metaphor in the creation of meaning in personal narratives, however, has not been sufficiently explored in nursing literature. The nature of personal narrative is explored, focusing on the way meaning is created from self-defining memories using metaphor. Then, the importance of personal narratives in nursing practice is considered, followed by discussion about how meaning in personal narratives may be co-created between clients and nurses using an aesthetic process developed by the author. The co-creative aesthetic process is an example of nursing as art and can be used to co-create personal narratives in practice. The experience of co-creating a self story with a nurse can be healing, as the self story is heard by a caring person, memories are understood in new ways, and the self story is both confirmed and recreated.

  7. Neurobiology: From neurons through nonlinear dynamics to meaning

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Freeman, W.J. [Univ. of California, Berkeley, CA (United States)

    1996-12-31

    That branch of semiotics called semantics deals with the relationships between meanings and representations. In my view meanings exist only in brains without representation there. A meaning is the focus of an activity pattern that may occupy the entire available brain. It is constructed by intentional action followed by learning from the consequences of the action. Communication between brains requires reciprocal construction of representations in accordance with meanings, which elicit other meanings in other brains. A representation, as a material object or process, has no meaning in itself. EEG data indicate that neural patterns of meaning occur in trajectories of discrete steps marked by cortical state transitions, served by rapid exchanges of discrete wave packets between interactive cortical domains. These wave packets are made by self-organizing dynamics that control behavior and shape the sensitivities of sensory cortices to the sequellae of actions.

  8. Volunteer activity as a means of self-realization and personal selfdetermination

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Iryna Didukh

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available The article presents the tendency of regeneration and active development of such social phenomenon as volunteering in the life of a modern Ukrainian society. Volunteering nowadays has an important place in the formation of the spiritual culture, values and basic standards of the morality of a person and the society in general. Key words: volunteering, volunteer, charity, virtuousness, motive, reason.

  9. 47 CFR 24.103 - Construction requirements.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    ... 47 Telecommunication 2 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Construction requirements. 24.103 Section 24.103 Telecommunication FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION (CONTINUED) COMMON CARRIER SERVICES PERSONAL... formula developed or generally used by industry, provided that such formula is based on the technical...

  10. Disruption, control and coping: responses of and to the person with dementia in hospital.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Porock, Davina; Clissett, Philip; Harwood, Rowan H; Gladman, John R F

    2015-01-01

    This qualitative study aimed to gain insight into the experience of hospitalisation from the perspectives of the older person with dementia, their family care-giver and other patients sharing the ward (co-patients). Non-participant observation of care on 11 acute hospital wards was supplemented by 39 semi-structured interviews with 35 family care-givers and four co-patients following discharge. Constant comparative analysis produced the core problem facing all those involved: disruption from normal routine meaning that the experience of hospitalisation was disrupted by the presence and behaviour of the person with dementia. Disruption adversely affected the person with dementia, triggering constructive, disengaged, distressed and neutral behaviours. Using Kitwood's model of person-centred care, these behaviours were interpreted as attempts by the person with dementia at gaining a sense of control over the unfamiliar environment and experience. Family care-givers' lives and experiences both inside and outside the hospital were disrupted by the hospitalisation. They too attempted to gain a sense of control over the experience and to give a sense of control to the patient, co-patients and staff. Co-patients experienced disruption from sharing space with the person with dementia and were left feeling vulnerable and sometimes afraid. They too attempted to gain a sense of control over their situation and give some control by helping the person with dementia, the family care-giver and the staff.

  11. Life histories of female elementary teachers and their science/teacher role construction

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ramseur, Aletha Johnson

    The research conducted in this study focuses on life histories of female elementary teachers and their science/teacher role construction. Identity theorists argue that the self consists of a collection of identities founded on occupying a particular role. Who we are depends on the roles we occupy. These roles are often referred to as "role identities". In the case of these participants, many role identities (mother, wife, sibling, and teacher) exist. This study focuses primarily on their (science) teacher role identity. Literature on women's lives, as learners and teachers, suggest that women's experiences, currently and throughout history influenced their teacher role construction. There is however, little knowledge of women's lives as elementary teachers of science and the affect of their experiences, currently and throughout history, on their (science) teacher identity construction. Schools delineated by race, class, and gender relations, are similar to other sectors of society's, social and cultural spheres within which race, class, and gender identities are constructed. Using in-depth-interviews female elementary teachers were encouraged to actively reconstruct their life and work-life experiences focusing on family, school and science interactions. They addressed the intellectual and emotional connections between their life and work experiences by focusing on details of their past and present experiences and examining the meaning of those experiences. It was the scrutiny of these connections between their life and work experiences, the meaning derived from them and historical events, and the constraints imposed on their personal choices by broader power relations, such as those of class, race, and gender that informed why we teach, how we teach, and what we teach.

  12. Refining a complex diagnostic construct: subtyping Dysthymia with the Shedler-Westen Assessment Procedure-II.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huprich, Steven K; Defife, Jared; Westen, Drew

    2014-01-01

    We sought to determine whether meaningful subtypes of Dysthymic patients could be identified when grouping them by similar personality profiles. A random, national sample of psychiatrists and clinical psychologists (n=1201) described a randomly selected current patient with personality pathology using the descriptors in the Shedler-Westen Assessment Procedure-II (SWAP-II), completed assessments of patients' adaptive functioning, and provided DSM-IV Axis I and II diagnoses. We applied Q-factor cluster analyses to those patients diagnosed with Dysthymic Disorder. Four clusters were identified-High Functioning, Anxious/Dysphoric, Emotionally Dysregulated, and Narcissistic. These factor scores corresponded with a priori hypotheses regarding diagnostic comorbidity and level of adaptive functioning. We compared these groups to diagnostic constructs described and empirically identified in the past literature. The results converge with past and current ideas about the ways in which chronic depression and personality are related and offer an enhanced means by which to understand a heterogeneous diagnostic category that is empirically grounded and clinically useful. © 2013 Published by Elsevier B.V.

  13. Constructing sanctions

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jaeger, Mark Daniel

    2016-01-01

    such an effect. This paper explores sanctions conflicts as social constructs. It purports that rally-around-the-flag is all but one part of the discursive dimension of sanctions conflicts. Sanctions are intricately connected with the conflict setting they occur in. The study suggests a dialectical relation...... between how opponents perceive conflicts and the meaning of sanctions therein. This nexus of different constructions of sanctions moreover extends to “targeted” sanctions as well: As restrictive measures against Zimbabwe demonstrate, they are not the kind of minimally-invasive operations with clinical...

  14. From genogram to genograph: Using narrative means to contextualize social reality in the counselling session

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    P. J.M van Niekerk

    2006-04-01

    Full Text Available This article addresses a process that occurs when applying narrative therapy during a counselling session, namely moving away from the genogram towards the more effective genograph. Narrative therapy implies that we often talk and share stories about ourselves and that these stories are usually within a social context, whether it is our families, personal relationships or work. Stories are an important aspect in narrative therapy and therefore the counsellor must be aware of a family’s different contexts both as a family system, and as a group of individual members. The article takes as point of departure the thoughts of Charles Horton Cooley and George Herbert Mead and their influence on the development of the ‘self’ and the construction of our social reality within this process. It further argues in favour of the use of a genograph as a symbolic representation of the personal meanings of a family member’s experience of the dominant and alternative stories with which they live.

  15. Relating DSM-5 section III personality traits to section II personality disorder diagnoses.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Morey, L C; Benson, K T; Skodol, A E

    2016-02-01

    The DSM-5 Personality and Personality Disorders Work Group formulated a hybrid dimensional/categorical model that represented personality disorders as combinations of core impairments in personality functioning with specific configurations of problematic personality traits. Specific clusters of traits were selected to serve as indicators for six DSM categorical diagnoses to be retained in this system - antisocial, avoidant, borderline, narcissistic, obsessive-compulsive and schizotypal personality disorders. The goal of the current study was to describe the empirical relationships between the DSM-5 section III pathological traits and DSM-IV/DSM-5 section II personality disorder diagnoses. Data were obtained from a sample of 337 clinicians, each of whom rated one of his or her patients on all aspects of the DSM-IV and DSM-5 proposed alternative model. Regression models were constructed to examine trait-disorder relationships, and the incremental validity of core personality dysfunctions (i.e. criterion A features for each disorder) was examined in combination with the specified trait clusters. Findings suggested that the trait assignments specified by the Work Group tended to be substantially associated with corresponding DSM-IV concepts, and the criterion A features provided additional diagnostic information in all but one instance. Although the DSM-5 section III alternative model provided a substantially different taxonomic structure for personality disorders, the associations between this new approach and the traditional personality disorder concepts in DSM-5 section II make it possible to render traditional personality disorder concepts using alternative model traits in combination with core impairments in personality functioning.

  16. Four meanings of "categorization": A conceptual analysis of research on person perception

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Klapper, A.P.; Dotsch, R.; Rooij, I.J.E.I. van; Wigboldus, D.H.J.

    2017-01-01

    It is widely assumed that people tend to "categorize" other people. However, the term "categorization" has been used with qualitatively different underlying definitions in the person perception literature. We present a conceptual analysis in which we disentangle four existing definitions: (a)

  17. Ontological forms of religious meaning and the conflict between science and religion

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hathcoat, John D.; Habashi, Janette

    2013-06-01

    Epistemological constructions are central considerations in vivisecting an expressed conflict between science and religion. It is argued that the conflict thesis is only meaningful when examined from a specific socio-historical perspective. The dialectical relation between science and religion should therefore be considered at both a macro and micro level. At the macro level broad changes in the meaning of science and religion occur; whereas at the micro level individuals immersed within particular expressions of these concepts socially construct, re-construct, and appropriate meaning. Specific attention is given to expressions of meaning surrounding sacred texts in this dialectical relation. Two ontological forms of meaning are examined through a qualitative content analysis of 16 interviews with individuals from various religious affiliation and academic attainment. A monistic ontology constructs textual meaning as facts that have the qualities of being both self-evident and certain. Potential tension arises with scientific discourse given empirical evidence may either confirm or conflict with scriptural interpretation. The pluralistic ontology constructs textual meaning with multiple categories, which in turn have the qualities of being mediated by human consciousness and uncertain. The science-religion dichotomy appears to be less susceptible to conflict given the uncertainty embedded in this construction of scriptural meaning. This paper implies that truth as correspondence may not necessitate the conflict thesis.

  18. Exposure Characteristics of Construction Painters to Organic Solvents

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hyunhee Park

    2016-03-01

    Conclusion: From this study, we recognized that construction painters are exposed to various solvents, including carcinogens and reproductive toxins, and the levels of TVOC concentration in many of the painting tasks exceeded the exposure limits. Construction workers need to be protected from chemical agents during their painting works by using personal protective devices and/or work practice measures. Additional studies should focus on the exposure assessment of other hazards for construction workers, in order to identify high-risk tasks and to improve hazardous work environments.

  19. Construction work for prototype fast breeder reactor MONJU

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Suzuki, Yasuyuki; Tsuji, Koichi; Shimizu, Hisashi

    1991-01-01

    The main construction work of MONJU was started from the excavation for building foundation in October 1985, the containment vessel was prepared in April 1987, the reactor vessel was installed in October 1988, and the installation of the whole equipment was completed in April 1991. Fuji Electric made preparations for construction matching the above master schedule in consideration of construction schedule quality assurance and safety and accomplished the work within the scheduled time without personal injury as long as 2.35 million hours. (author)

  20. 31 CFR 596.308 - Person; entity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... FOREIGN ASSETS CONTROL, DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY TERRORISM LIST GOVERNMENTS SANCTIONS REGULATIONS General Definitions § 596.308 Person; entity. (a) The term person means an individual or entity. (b) The...

  1. Temperament and Personality Theory: The Perspective of Cognitive-Experiential Self-Theory.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Teglasi, Hedwig; Epstein, Seymour

    1998-01-01

    Illustrates the applicability of temperamental constructs to personality theory by mapping key temperament constructs onto Cognitive-Experiential Self-Theory (CEST). Examines the role of temperament in shaping experiences, and looks at the implications for education and socialization that stem from the synthesis of temperament constructs and…

  2. Pictorial Personality Traits Questionnaire for Children (PPTQ-C) – a new measure of children’s personality traits

    OpenAIRE

    Marta eMaćkiewicz; Jan eCieciuch

    2016-01-01

    In order to adjust personality measurements to children’s developmental level, we constructed the Pictorial Personality Traits Questionnaire for Children (PPTQ-C). To validate the measure, we conducted a study with a total group of 1028 children aged between 7 and 13 years old. Structural validity was established through Exploratory Structural Equation Model. Criterion validity was confirmed with a multitrait-multimethod analysis for which we introduced the children’s self-assessment scores f...

  3. Personality and recovery: integrating personality assessment data to facilitate the recovery process.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Donat, D C

    2001-01-01

    The relatively enduring and persistent nature of personality traits means that they will likely continue to impact the course of psychiatric recovery after Axis I symptoms are stabilized. These traits can significantly impact the choices that recovering persons make and the quality of interpersonal relationships with care providers who are trying to facilitate the recovery process. Despite this, they are often inadequately assessed and considered in providing psychiatric care. This manuscript reviews the common combinations of personality traits that have emerged across a variety of clinical samples. The implications of these personality features for the provision of care in an inpatient setting to facilitate recovery are discussed.

  4. An approach to meaning and significance of the injured body in prospective physical education teachers through autobiographic narratives

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gustavo González Calvo

    2009-01-01

    Full Text Available This study shows how a sport injury can lead to an event that changes a prospective physical educator’s life and the consequences for the personal development that result from it. The same way, the data highlight the dilemma that this person faces to feel comfortable with their own body when his «self-image» has been distorted. In doing so, the article seeks to help us to understand how individual subjectivities expressed on autobiographical narratives about sport injuries go as far as to construct and understand the body and the meaning of the self arising after the injury. With this intention in mind, we rely on the possibilities that life story provides as method of self-analysis, awareness, and a way of connecting with the embodied experiences of physical education student teachers.

  5. Personal Freedom beyond Limits

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Juan Fernando Sellés

    2013-07-01

    Full Text Available In this work we distinguish between freedom in the human manifestations (intelligence, will,actions and personal freedom in the personal intimacy. This second is beyond the freedom reached bythe classic and modern thought, since it takes root in the personnel act of being. Because of it, it is not possible to characterize this freedom like the classic description as ‘domain over the own acts’, becauseit is a description of ‘categorial’ order; neither like present day ‘autonomy’ or ‘independence’, becausethe existence of one person alone is impossible, since ‘person’ means relation, personal free openingto other persons, description of the ‘transcendental’ order and, therefore, to the margin of limits.

  6. Management of construction safety at RR site

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pathak, B.C.; Khatsuriya, J.R.

    2016-01-01

    Construction industries are one of the most hazardous industries and hence, promotion of safety remains one of the greatest challenges facing construction industry today. According to ILO estimates: Each year at least 60,000 fatal accidents occur on construction sites around the world or one fatal accident every ten minutes. One in six fatal accidents at work occurs on a construction site. In industrialized countries, as many as 25-40 per cent of work related deaths occur on construction sites, even though the sector employs only 6-10 per cent of the workforce. The number of fatalities occurring from construction work in India is also quite disturbing. Though, the fall of person from height and through openings were the major causes for fatal /serious accidents, the risk of fatal accident involving material handling equipment, either during handling or its maintenance is also significantly high due to use of large number of material handling equipments during construction work. (author)

  7. Preoccupied attachment and emotional dysregulation: specific aspects of borderline personality disorder or general dimensions of personality pathology?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Scott, Lori N; Kim, Yookyung; Nolf, Kimberly A; Hallquist, Michael N; Wright, Aidan G C; Stepp, Stephanie D; Morse, Jennifer Q; Pilkonis, Paul A

    2013-08-01

    Emotional dysregulation and impaired attachment are seen by many clinical researchers as central aspects of borderline personality disorder (BPD). Alternatively, these constructs may represent general impairments in personality that are nonspecific to BPD. Using multitraitmultimethod models, the authors examined the strength of associations among preoccupied attachment, difficulties with emotion regulation, BPD features, and features of two other personality disorders (i.e., antisocial and avoidant) in a combined psychiatric outpatient and community sample of adults. Results suggested that preoccupied attachment and difficulties with emotion regulation shared strong positive associations with each other and with each of the selected personality disorders. However, preoccupied attachment and emotional dysregulation were more strongly related to BPD features than to features of other personality disorders. Findings suggest that although impairments in relational and emotional domains may underlie personality pathology in general, preoccupied attachment and emotional dysregulation also have specificity for understanding core difficulties in those with BPD.

  8. Chronic daily headache: personality study by means of computerized MMPI-2

    OpenAIRE

    De Fidio, Dario; Sciruicchio, Vittorio; Pastore, Beatrice; Prudenzano, Maria Pia; Di Pietro, Elisa; Tramontano, Alfonso; Lorizio, Angelo; Granella, Franco; Bussone, Gennaro; Grazzi, Licia; Sarchielli, Paola

    2000-01-01

    Unresolved questions in headache research are the roles of drug abuse and psychopathology in headache disorder, especially in chronic daily headache. We investigated the utility of the revised version of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI-2) for assessing psychopathology in chronic daily headache patients. Chronic headache sufferers gave characteristic responses on Hy (hypochondria), D (depression) and Hs (hysteria) scales which are known as the ?neurotic triad?. Although o...

  9. Measurement Invariance and the Five-Factor Model of Personality: Asian International and Euro American Cultural Groups.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rollock, David; Lui, P Priscilla

    2016-10-01

    This study examined measurement invariance of the NEO Five-Factor Inventory (NEO-FFI), assessing the five-factor model (FFM) of personality among Euro American (N = 290) and Asian international (N = 301) students (47.8% women, Mage = 19.69 years). The full 60-item NEO-FFI data fit the expected five-factor structure for both groups using exploratory structural equation modeling, and achieved configural invariance. Only 37 items significantly loaded onto the FFM-theorized factors for both groups and demonstrated metric invariance. Threshold invariance was not supported with this reduced item set. Groups differed the most in the item-factor relationships for Extraversion and Agreeableness, as well as in response styles. Asian internationals were more likely to use midpoint responses than Euro Americans. While the FFM can characterize broad nomothetic patterns of personality traits, metric invariance with only the subset of NEO-FFI items identified limits direct group comparisons of correlation coefficients among personality domains and with other constructs, and of mean differences on personality domains. © The Author(s) 2015.

  10. On the Meaning of Being Real: Fantasy and 'the Real' in Personal ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    kinds of interpersonal encounters. Lacan's notion of the 'fundamental fantasy' incorporates the insight that phantasmic projections (of both self and other) form the basis of personal identity and interpersonal relations are a complex interplay between such projections. Nevertheless, in face of disconcerting pretence ...

  11. Construal operations of the English progressive construction

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jensen, Kim Ebensgaard

    2011-01-01

    present paper provides an overview of construal operations that are likely to be at play in the construction of the aspectual and actional meaning components of the progressive construction. The discussion also involves instances of the progressive construction, which display low semantic compatibility...

  12. My partner's stories: relationships between personal and vicarious life stories within romantic couples.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Panattoni, Katherine; Thomsen, Dorthe Kirkegaard

    2018-06-12

    In this paper, we examined relationships and differences between personal and vicarious life stories, i.e., the life stories one knows of others. Personal and vicarious life stories of both members of 51 young couples (102 participants), based on McAdams' Life Story Interview (2008), were collected. We found significant positive relationships between participants' personal and vicarious life stories on agency and communion themes and redemption sequences. We also found significant positive relationships between participants' vicarious life stories about their partners and those partners' personal life stories on agency and communion, but not redemption. Furthermore, these relationships were not explained by similarity between couples' two personal life stories, as no associations were found between couples' personal stories on agency, communion and redemption. These results suggest that the way we construct the vicarious life stories of close others may reflect how we construct our personal life stories.

  13. Deep learning for constructing microblog behavior representation to identify social media user’s personality

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Xiaoqian Liu

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available Due to the rapid development of information technology, the Internet has gradually become a part of everyday life. People would like to communicate with friends to share their opinions on social networks. The diverse behavior on socials networks is an ideal reflection of users’ personality traits. Existing behavior analysis methods for personality prediction mostly extract behavior attributes with heuristic analysis. Although they work fairly well, they are hard to extend and maintain. In this paper, we utilize a deep learning algorithm to build a feature learning model for personality prediction, which could perform an unsupervised extraction of the Linguistic Representation Feature Vector (LRFV activity without supervision from text actively published on the Sina microblog. Compared with other feature extractsion methods, LRFV, as an abstract representation of microblog content, could describe a user’s semantic information more objectively and comprehensively. In the experiments, the personality prediction model is built using a linear regression algorithm, and different attributes obtained through different feature extraction methods are taken as input of the prediction model, respectively. The results show that LRFV performs better in microblog behavior descriptions, and improves the performance of the personality prediction model.

  14. Exploring the Role of In-Person Components for Online Health Behavior Change Interventions: Can a Digital Person-to-Person Component Suffice?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Santarossa, Sara; Kane, Deborah; Senn, Charlene Y; Woodruff, Sarah J

    2018-04-11

    The growth of the digital environment provides tremendous opportunities to revolutionize health behavior change efforts. This paper explores the use of Web-based, mobile, and social media health behavior change interventions and determines whether there is a need for a face-to-face or an in-person component. It is further argued that that although in-person components can be beneficial for online interventions, a digital person-to-person component can foster similar results while dealing with challenges faced by traditional intervention approaches. Using a digital person-to-person component is rooted in social and behavioral theories such as the theory of reasoned action, and the social cognitive theory, and further justified by the human support constructs of the model of supportive accountability. Overall, face-to-face and online behavior change interventions have their respective advantages and disadvantages and functions, yet both serve important roles. It appears that it is in fact human support that is the most important component in the effectiveness and adherence of both face-to-face and online behavior change interventions, and thoughtfully introducing a digital person-to-person component, to replace face-to-face interactions, can provide the needed human support while diminishing the barriers of in-person meetings. The digital person-to-person component must create accountability, generate opportunities for tailored feedback, and create social support to successfully create health behavior change. As the popularity of the online world grows, and the interest in using the digital environment for health behavior change interventions continues to be embraced, further research into not only the use of online interventions, but the use of a digital person-to-person component, must be explored. ©Sara Santarossa, Deborah Kane, Charlene Y Senn, Sarah J Woodruff. Originally published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research (http://www.jmir.org), 11.04.2018.

  15. Bullying DEOCS 4.1 Construct Validity Summary

    Science.gov (United States)

    2017-08-01

    Bullying DEOCS 4.1 Construct Validity Summary DEFENSE EQUAL OPPORTUNITY MANAGEMENT INSTITUTE DIRECTORATE OF...excessive or abusive use of water; the forced consumption of food , alcohol, drugs, or any other substance; and degrading or damaging the person or his

  16. ‘Daring Leaps’ Construction of Meaning and Individual Agency in Career Change Narratives in the Media

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kirsi LaPointe

    2014-05-01

    Full Text Available The role of individual agency in crafting meaningful work has attracted increasing interest in recent studies of careers and working life. The purpose of this paper is to make visible the role of the media in reproducing and shaping understandings of careers and agency. By analyzing narratives of career change in the Finnish media, we identify three types of narrative and show how they construct meaningful careers by juxtaposing the past and present work in terms of setting, status, meaning, pace, and workload. Overall, these narratives depict a shift from traditional careers toward work that is concrete, meaningful, of lower status, and less hectic. Moreover, the narratives represent career changers as self-reliant heroes taking “daring leaps.” Hence, we argue that the media reproduces individualistic assumptions of careers and reinforces the dominant, neoliberal ideal of self-responsible, autonomous subjects. We conclude by calling for alternative narratives that recognize the need for more meaningful careers but help strengthen agency in a less individualistic fashion.

  17. The Factors Influence Intrapreneurship Behavior In Construction Company

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rojuaniah

    2015-08-01

    Full Text Available The intrapreneur is a person who focuses on innovation and creativity and who transforms a dream or an idea into a profitable business within the corporate environment. Intrapreneur spirited employees willing to take the risks and responsibility for their own decisions for all situational. This study aims to develop a conceptual model of intrapreneurship behavior by discussing the concepts and phenomena that occur in the construction company. The proposed model is intended to describe the phenomenon of the main factors intrapreneurship behavior in the construction company. This paper presents a model of the intrapreneurship behavior where factors are sourced from both internal and external organization. This paper provides a comprehensive analysis of existing models to develop a systematic approach to the process of formation of intrapreneurship behavior in organization. The results are a combination of study of various scientific papers interviews to the practician in the construction business and resume of all questioners especially in the construction company. The results can be a framework that can help organizations to identify potential strategies that could help intrapreneurial development. Based on the analysis results we found eight 8 factors that can develop employees intrapreneurship behavior on the construction companies. The eight 8 factors are leadership remuneration organizational culture communication openness work environment career development personal traits and technological aspects.

  18. The personal experience of time

    CERN Document Server

    Wessman, Alden

    1977-01-01

    The fundamental nature of human time experience has concerned artists, poets, philosophers, and scientists throughout the ages. Any consideration of human action requires awareness of its temporal aspects. However, simply to view time in the same units and dimensions as the physicist employs in describing events robs personal time of its "lived" quality. The use of physical time concepts in the description of human events is often artificial and misleading. It fails to account for the facts that human time estimates rarely match clock and calendar time; that societies and individuals demonstrate vast differences in their constructions and uses of time; and that temporal perceptions and attitudes change within an individual both during a single day and throughout his life span. The present volume does not view time as something that is sensed in the same way that one would sense or perceive spatial or sensory stimuli. Rather, it views time as a complex set of personally experienced cognitive constructs used by...

  19. 7 CFR 801.2 - Meaning of terms.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 7 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Meaning of terms. 801.2 Section 801.2 Agriculture... FOR GRAIN INSPECTION EQUIPMENT § 801.2 Meaning of terms. (a) Construction. Words used in the singular... used in this part 801. For the purposes of this part, the following terms shall have the meanings given...

  20. The Heritability of Cluster B Personality Disorders Assessed both by Personal Interview and Questionnaire

    OpenAIRE

    Torgersen, Svenn; Myers, John; Reichborn-Kjennerud, Ted; Røysamb, Espen; Kubarych, Thomas S.; Kendler, Kenneth S.

    2012-01-01

    Whereas the heritability of common personality traits has been firmly established, the results of the few published studies on personality disorders (PDs) are highly divergent, with some studies finding high heredity and others very low. A problem with assessing personality disorders by means of interview is errors connected with interviewer bias. A way to overcome the problem is to use self-report questionnaires in addition to interviews. This study used both interview and questionnaire for ...

  1. Two-Person Control: A Brief History and Modern Industry Practices

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Pedersen, Robert Douglas [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-CA), Livermore, CA (United States)

    2017-07-01

    Physical asset protection is the principal objective of many security and safeguard measures. One well-known means of asset protection is two-person control. This paper reviews literature regarding two-person control to gain insight into its origin, first demonstrated uses, and its presence in several modern industries. This literature review of two-person control is intended to benefit people and organizations with a desire to understand its origins and how the practice has evolved over time, as well as give some insight into the flexibility of this safeguarding technique. The literature review is focused in four main sections: (1) defining two-person control, (2) early history, (3) two-person control in modern industry, and (4) a theory on how two- person control entered modern industry. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The author would like to thank Jarret Lafleur and Scott Paap of Sandia National Laboratories, California's Systems Analysis & Engineering organization for the opportunity to work on this project. Jarret Lafleur provided very constructive and helpful feedback through all stages of the work. Amanda Thompson of the Sandia California Technical Library maintained a great spirit and always had a quick document turnaround that very much helped out this project's completion. Additionally, yet perhaps most importantly, the author would like to thank his wife and daughter, along with the rest of his family, for continued support over the years. Sandia National Laboratories is a multimission laboratory managed and operated by National Technology and Engineering Solutions of Sandia, LLC., a wholly owned subsidiary of Honeywell International, Inc., for the U.S. Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration under contract DE-NA0003525.

  2. 29 CFR 1926.95 - Criteria for personal protective equipment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ..., DEPARTMENT OF LABOR (CONTINUED) SAFETY AND HEALTH REGULATIONS FOR CONSTRUCTION Personal Protective and Life... in a sanitary and reliable condition wherever it is necessary by reason of hazards of processes or... construction for the work to be performed. (d) Payment for protective equipment. (1) Except as provided by...

  3. The Social Construction of Place Meaning: Exploring Multiple Meanings of Place as an Outdoor Teaching and Learning Environment

    OpenAIRE

    Gkoutis, Georgios

    2014-01-01

    This investigation explores the meanings primary school teachers who apply outdoor learning and teaching methods associate withthe places that encompass their teaching practices. A symbolic interactionist framework coupled with a social constructionistorientation was employed to analyze data collected from semi-structured interviews and photo elicitation techniques. The findingsillustrated that meaning ascribed to place derived from the interactional processes between the study’s respondents ...

  4. Politics of Meaning in Mathematics Education

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Skovsmose, Ole

    2016-01-01

    By a politics of meaning I refer to the social, economic, cultural and religious conditions for experiencing meaning. I refer as well to the layers of visons, assumptions, presumptions and preconceptions that might construct something as being meaningful. By addressing different politics of meani...... of such factors. Politics of meaning can be analysed with reference to sexism, racism, instrumentalism, the school mathematics tradition, critical mathematics education, and the banality of expertise....

  5. Assessment of the five-factor model of personality.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Widiger, T A; Trull, T J

    1997-04-01

    The five-factor model (FFM) of personality is obtaining construct validation, recognition, and practical consideration across a broad domain of fields, including clinical psychology, industrial-organizational psychology, and health psychology. As a result, an array of instruments have been developed and existing instruments are being modified to assess the FFM. In this article, we present an overview and critique of five such instruments (the Goldberg Big Five Markers, the revised NEO Personality Inventory, the Interpersonal Adjective Scales-Big Five, the Personality Psychopathology-Five, and the Hogan Personality Inventory), focusing in particular on their representation of the lexical FFM and their practical application.

  6. Parent Personality and Positive Parenting as Predictors of Positive Adolescent Personality Development over Time

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schofield, Thomas J.; Conger, Rand D.; Donnellan, M. Brent; Jochem, Rachel; Widaman, Keith F.; Conger, Katherine J.

    2012-01-01

    We investigated the degree to which parent positive personality characteristics in terms of conscientiousness, agreeableness, and emotional stability predict similar adolescent personality traits over time, as well as the role played by positive parenting in this process. Mothers and fathers of 451 White adolescents (52% female, mean age = 13.59…

  7. Construction industry in developing countries

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Moavenzadeh, F

    1978-01-01

    This paper provides a review of the construction capability available in the developing countries to meet the demand for shelter. It discusses the role of construction in the process of development and its importance to economic growth. It considers the issue facing the growth of a viable indigenous construction industry in the developing world within the context of the activities involved in the creation of constructed facilities--planning, design, contruction and maintenance; it also examines the environment within which the industry has developed. For each construction activity the paper reviews available capabilities, the various resources needed for the development of an indigenous industry, and some possible means of accommodating these needs.

  8. 'I am not a dyslexic person I'm a person with dyslexia': identity constructions of dyslexia among students in nurse education.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Evans, William

    2014-02-01

    To introduce how nursing students discursively construct their dyslexic identities. Identity mediates many important facets of a student's scholarly journey and the availability and use of discourses play a critical part in their ongoing construction. A discourse-based design was used to examine the language employed by students in constructing their dyslexic identities. Using narrative methods, 12 student nurses with dyslexia from two higher education institutions in the Republic of Ireland were interviewed during the period February-July 2012. Discourse analysis of interviews entailed a two-stage approach: leading identity analysis followed by thematic analysis. Discourses used by students to construct their dyslexic identity correspond with positions on an 'Embracer, Passive Engager and Resister' continuum heuristic. The majority of students rejected any reference to using medical or disabled discourses and instead drew on contemporary language in constructing their dyslexic identity. Nine of the 12 students did not disclose their dyslexic identity in practice settings and drew on not being understood to support this position. In addition, a discourse linking 'being stupid' with dyslexia was pervasive in most student narratives and evolved from historical as well as more recent interactions in nurse education. This study indicates variation in how students discursively construct their dyslexic identities, which, in turn, has an impact on disclosure behaviours. Policy leaders must continue to be mindful of wider sociocultural and individualized understandings of dyslexic identities to enhance inclusion prerogatives. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  9. The Influence of Organizational External Factors on Construction Risk Management among Nigerian Construction Companies

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A.Q. Adeleke

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available Background: Substantial empirical research has shown conflicting results regarding the influence of organizational external factors on construction risk management, suggesting the necessity to introduce a moderator into the study. The present research confirmed whether rules and regulations matter on the relationships between organizational external factors and construction risk management. Methods: Based on discouragement and organizational control theory, this research examined the effects of organizational external factors and rules and regulations on construction risk management among 238 employees operating in construction companies in Abuja and Lagos, Nigeria. A personally administered questionnaire was used to acquire the data. The data were analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling. Results: A significant positive relationship between organizational external factors and construction risk management was asserted. This study also found a significant positive relationship between rules and regulations and construction risk management. As anticipated, rules and regulations were found to moderate the relationship between organizational external factors and construction risk management, with a significant positive result. Similarly, a significant interaction effect was also found between rules and regulations and organizational external factors. Implications of the research from a Nigerian point of view have also been discussed. Conclusion: Political, economy, and technology factors helped the construction companies to reduce the chance of risk occurrence during the construction activities. Rules and regulations also helped to lessen the rate of accidents involving construction workers as well as the duration of the projects. Similarly, the influence of the organizational external factors with rules and regulations on construction risk management has proven that most of the construction companies that implement the

  10. Preoccupied Attachment and Emotional Dysregulation: Specific Aspects of Borderline Personality Disorder or General Dimensions of Personality Pathology?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Scott, Lori N.; Kim, Yookyung; Nolf, Kimberly A.; Hallquist, Michael N.; Wright, Aidan G.C.; Stepp, Stephanie D.; Morse, Jennifer Q.; Pilkonis, Paul A.

    2013-01-01

    Emotional dysregulation and impaired attachment are seen by many clinical researchers as central aspects of borderline personality disorder (BPD). Alternatively, these constructs may represent general impairments in personality that are nonspecific to BPD. Using multitrait-multimethod models, we examined the strength of associations among preoccupied attachment, difficulties with emotion regulation, BPD features, and features of two other personality disorders (i.e., antisocial and avoidant) in a combined psychiatric outpatient and community sample of adults. Results suggested that preoccupied attachment and difficulties with emotion regulation shared strong positive associations with each other and with each of the selected personality disorders. However, preoccupied attachment and emotional dysregulation were more strongly related to BPD features than to features of other personality disorders. Our findings suggest that although impairments in relational and emotional domains may underlie personality pathology in general, preoccupied attachment and emotional dysregulation also have specificity for understanding core difficulties in those with BPD. PMID:23586934

  11. Meaning in mathematics education

    CERN Document Server

    Valero, Paola; Hoyles, Celia; Skovsmose, Ole

    2005-01-01

    What does it mean to know mathematics? How does meaning in mathematics education connect to common sense or to the meaning of mathematics itself? How are meanings constructed and communicated and what are the dilemmas related to these processes? There are many answers to these questions, some of which might appear to be contradictory. Thus understanding the complexity of meaning in mathematics education is a matter of huge importance. There are twin directions in which discussions have developed - theoretical and practical - and this book seeks to move the debate forward along both dimensions while seeking to relate them where appropriate. A discussion of meaning can start from a theoretical examination of mathematics and how mathematicians over time have made sense of their work. However, from a more practical perspective, anybody involved in teaching mathematics is faced with the need to orchestrate the myriad of meanings derived from multiple sources that students develop of mathematical knowledge.

  12. Death: the ultimate social construction of reality.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brabant, Sarah

    Using Berger and Luckmann's thesis (1966) on the social construction of reality as rationale, this research analyzes the death drawings of 946 university students enrolled in a Death and Dying course between 1985 and 2004 to investigate the basic constructs elicited by the word "death": dying, moment of death, after death, after life, and bereavement. Consistent with earlier research, gender, race, religion, and religiosity proved to be significant factors. As expected, personal experience with grief was strongly correlated with drawings focused on bereavement. In contrast to earlier studies, fear of death was not significantly related to a particular construct. Implications for research, education, and counseling are discussed.

  13. Construction of renormalized coefficient functions of the Feynman diagrams by means of a computer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tarasov, O.V.

    1978-01-01

    An algorithm and short description of computer program, written in SCHOONSCHIP, are given. The program is assigned for construction of integrands of renormalized coefficient functions of the Feynman diagrams in scalar theories in the case of arbitrary subtraction point. For the given Feynman graph computer completely realizes the R-operation of Bogolubov-Parasjuk and gives the result as an integral over Feynman parameters. With the help of the program the time construction of the whole renormalized coefficient function is equal approximately 30 s on the CDC-6500 computer

  14. What Do Students "Construct" According to Constructivism in Science Education?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bächtold, Manuel

    2013-12-01

    This paper aims at shedding light on what students can "construct" when they learn science and how this construction process may be supported. Constructivism is a pluralist theory of science education. As a consequence, I support, there are several points of view concerning this construction process. Firstly, I stress that constructivism is rooted in two fields, psychology of cognitive development and epistemology, which leads to two ways of describing the construction process: either as a process of enrichment and/or reorganization of the cognitive structures at the mental level, or as a process of building or development of models or theories at the symbolic level. Secondly, I argue that the usual distinction between "personal constructivism" (PC) and "social constructivism" (SC) originates in a difference of model of reference: the one of PC is Piaget's description of "spontaneous" concepts, assumed to be constructed by students on their own when interacting with their material environment, the one of SC is Vygotsky's description of scientific concepts, assumed to be introduced by the teacher by means of verbal communication. Thirdly, I support the idea that, within SC, there are in fact two trends: one, in line with Piaget's work, demonstrates how cooperation among students affects the development of each individual's cognitive structures; the other, in line with Vygotsky's work, claims that students can understand and master new models only if they are introduced to the scientific culture by their teacher. Fourthly, I draw attention to the process of "problem construction" identified by some French authors. Finally, I advocate for an integrated approach in science education, taking into account all the facets of science learning and teaching mentioned above and emphasizing their differences as well as their interrelations. Some suggestions intended to improve the efficiency of science teaching are made.

  15. Utilisation of employee assistance programme to reduce absenteeism on construction sites

    OpenAIRE

    2013-01-01

    M.Tech (Construction Management) Many construction companies are beginning to realize the value of their employees. Employees are to a large extent the engine of the organisation. Todays employees are under a lot of pressure and stress from home and at the construction sites. The construction industry just like any other industry, is faced with the challenges of dealing with personal as well as work related problems. These problems they have effect on job performance. An Employee assistanc...

  16. Development and Validation of MMPI-2-RF Scales for Indexing Triarchic Psychopathy Constructs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sellbom, Martin; Drislane, Laura E; Johnson, Alexandria K; Goodwin, Brandee E; Phillips, Tasha R; Patrick, Christopher J

    2016-10-01

    The triarchic model characterizes psychopathy in terms of three distinct dispositional constructs of boldness, meanness, and disinhibition. The model can be operationalized through scales designed specifically to index these domains or by using items from other inventories that provide coverage of related constructs. The present study sought to develop and validate scales for assessing the triarchic model domains using items from the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2-Restructured Form (MMPI-2-RF). A consensus rating approach was used to identify items relevant to each triarchic domain, and following psychometric refinement, the resulting MMPI-2-RF-based triarchic scales were evaluated for convergent and discriminant validity in relation to multiple psychopathy-relevant criterion variables in offender and nonoffender samples. Expected convergent and discriminant associations were evident very clearly for the Boldness and Disinhibition scales and somewhat less clearly for the Meanness scale. Moreover, hierarchical regression analyses indicated that all MMPI-2-RF triarchic scales incremented standard MMPI-2-RF scale scores in predicting extant triarchic model scale scores. The widespread use of MMPI-2-RF in clinical and forensic settings provides avenues for both clinical and research applications in contexts where traditional psychopathy measures are less likely to be administered. © The Author(s) 2015.

  17. Perception of Construction Participants in Construction delays: A case study in Tamilnadu, India.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rathinakumar, V.; Vignesh, T.; Dhivagar, K.

    2017-07-01

    Delays in the construction industry are universal fact, which affects the construction participants. The research work spotlights on determining the prevailing delays in the cities of Tamil Nadu, as perceived by the participants. After a few field level interactions, a questionnaire was framed and administered to the participants i.e., Consultants (50 Nos.), contractors (50 Nos.) and clients (150 Nos.) to understand their perception on the causes of delays. The factors for delay was categorized into 4 groups say Improper project planning, Design related issues, Finance related issues and Resource related issues. The responses were analysed using the SPSS software by applying ANOVA and Regression analysis. From the analysis, it was found that the personal financial problems of the client dominantly affect the entire construction progress and the subsequent design changes by the clients, Inadequate early project planning, labour related issues. Also, the delay groups were found to be the improper project planning and the Resource related issues.

  18. Law And Literature: The Construction of me and Other

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gretha Leite Maia

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available One of the fundamental legal concepts is person as its seem by the law. The aim of this study is to connect the concept of person and the concepts of "me" and "other," and highlight the role of literature in the construction of those concepts. The study starts with the proposal of understanding the law as a system founded on the reciprocity, and it also explores the concepts of otherness and identity. For this part of the research, we brought references established both in manuals of Law and in legal anthropology. After, it presents the literature as a tool to reading and writing the world. It explores the idea that the construction (or invention of human rights had the participation of engaged literature. In this research, we analyzed two literary works, one in the universal perspective and another in the national perspective: Les Miserables, by Victor Hugo, e Capitães dareia, by Jorge Amado. The study demonstrates that literature contributes to the establishment of person protected by law, expanding the strictly legal conception of what is a "person" in law.

  19. Imagery Rescripting for Personality Disorders

    Science.gov (United States)

    Arntz, Arnoud

    2011-01-01

    Imagery rescripting is a powerful technique that can be successfully applied in the treatment of personality disorders. For personality disorders, imagery rescripting is not used to address intrusive images but to change the implicational meaning of schemas and childhood experiences that underlie the patient's problems. Various mechanisms that may…

  20. Understanding Your Band, Orchestra, and Choir Students: Personality Similarities and Differences and What They Mean for You

    Science.gov (United States)

    MacLellan, Christin Reardon

    2011-01-01

    Stereotypes about the personalities of musicians, which have evolved over time, seem to direct our perception of musical experiences that take place in different ensembles. This article presents the stereotypes often associated with musicians' personalities and examines eight personality trends of high school band, orchestra, and choir students…

  1. Computing meaning v.4

    CERN Document Server

    Bunt, Harry; Pulman, Stephen

    2013-01-01

    This book is a collection of papers by leading researchers in computational semantics. It presents a state-of-the-art overview of recent and current research in computational semantics, including descriptions of new methods for constructing and improving resources for semantic computation, such as WordNet, VerbNet, and semantically annotated corpora. It also presents new statistical methods in semantic computation, such as the application of distributional semantics in the compositional calculation of sentence meanings. Computing the meaning of sentences, texts, and spoken or texted dialogue i

  2. Effects of parent drug use and personality on toddler adjustment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brook, J S; Whiteman, M; Shapiro, J; Cohen, P

    1996-03-01

    The interrelation between parental drug use and parental personality and the effects on 18-month-old children's adjustment were examined. Data on the parents were available at four points in time: Time 1 at mean age 6.1 years, Time 2 at mean age 13.7 years, Time 3 at mean age 16.4 years, and at Time 4 at mean age 22.2 years. Data on their toddlers at 18 months of age were also available. Structured interviews were used to assess personality and drug use and the toddlers' adjustment. Time 3 parental personality traits were related to Time 4 personality traits, which in turn were related to toddler adjustment. The influence of parental alcohol involvement (Time 3) on toddler adjustment was mediated by parental personality (Times 3 and 4) and parental alcohol problems (Time 4). Interactive effects demonstrated that protective parental personality traits (nondrug conducive) enhanced the effects of low parental drug use, resulting in the highest amounts of toddler adjustment. There are significant pathways between parental personality and drug use and toddler adjustment. Parental protective factors enhance the effect of parental low drug use on toddler adjustment.

  3. An Investigation of the Construct Validity of the Personality Trait of Self-Directed Learning

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lounsbury, John W.; Levy, Levy J.; Park, Soo-Hee; Gibson, Lucy W.; Smith, Ryan

    2009-01-01

    Based on samples of 398 middle school students, 568 high school students, and 1159 college students, self-directed learning was found to be related to cumulative grade-point-average at all levels as well as to Big Five personality traits (Openness, Conscientiousness, Emotional Stability, and Extraversion), narrow personality traits (Optimism,…

  4. Relationship between alexithymia and dependent personality disorder: a dimensional analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Loas, Gwenolé; Baelde, Olympe; Verrier, Annie

    2015-02-28

    The present study had two aims and used two different samples. The first aim was to determine if alexithymia and dependent personality disorder (DPD) are distinct or overlapping constructs. The second aim was to determine the specificity and the stability of the relationship between alexithymia and DPD. The first study used exploratory principal components analysis (PCA) in a sample of 477 non-clinical subjects who completed three questionnaires measuring alexithymia (Twenty item Toronto Alexithymia Scale, i.e. TAS-20), dependent personality disorder (Dependent Personality Questionnaire, i.e. DPQ) and depression (Beck Depression Inventory-II, i.e. BDI-II). The second study used a sample of 305 subjects consecutively admitted to an outpatient department of legal medicine. The subjects completed (at admission and 3 months later) the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV, screen questionnaire (SCID-II-SQ), the TAS-20 and the BDI. Multiple regressions were done. For the first study, the PCA yielded a four-factor solution with no overlap of the significant factor loadings for the items from each scale and with the factors corresponding to their respective construct. For the second study, multiple regressions showed that only avoidant personality disorder was an independent predictor of the TAS-20 scores. Alexithymia is a construct that is distinct and separate from DPD and depression. Alexithymia is not a stable feature of DPD while it is a core feature of avoidant personality disorder. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  5. Constructing leadership identities through stories

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Frimann, Søren; Hersted, Lone

    2016-01-01

    This article analyzes the construction of leadership identities through stories found in four narrative interviews from a qualitative study and leadership development project based on social constructionism and action learning. We argue that leadership development and the construction of leadership...... that the concept of coauthoring is useful in developing leadership and leadership identities through reflexive dialogs and emerging stories....... identities in a postmodern paradigm are based on the negotiation and co-construction of meanings, relationships, and stories. The following questions are investigated: What happens when a group of leaders from different organizations construct, deconstruct, and reconstruct their identity as leaders through...

  6. 31 CFR 596.313 - United States person.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... FOREIGN ASSETS CONTROL, DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY TERRORISM LIST GOVERNMENTS SANCTIONS REGULATIONS General Definitions § 596.313 United States person. The term United States person means any United States...

  7. Personality traits in learning and education

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    De Raad, B.

    Personality traits judged relevant for the context of learning and education are identified as a subset of a comprehensive set of 1203 trait descriptive adjectives, constructed by Brokken (1979). The identification procedure is described and relevant statistics are provided. Self- and peer-ratings

  8. Adaptive constructive processes and the future of memory

    OpenAIRE

    Schacter, Daniel L.

    2012-01-01

    Memory serves critical functions in everyday life, but is also prone to error. This article examines adaptive constructive processes, which play a functional role in memory and cognition but can also produce distortions, errors, or illusions. The article describes several types of memory errors that are produced by adaptive constructive processes, and focuses in particular on the process of imagining or simulating events that might occur in one’s personal future. Simulating future events reli...

  9. Psychopathy/antisocial personality disorder conundrum.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ogloff, James R P

    2006-01-01

    Psychopathy has traditionally been characterised as a disorder primarily of personality (particularly affective deficits) and, to a lesser extent, behaviour. Although often used interchangeably, the diagnostic constructs of psychopathy, antisocial personality disorder, and dissocial personality disorder are distinct. In this article, the relevant historical and contemporary literature concerning psychopathy is briefly reviewed. The diagnostic criteria for psychopathy, antisocial personality disorder, and dissocial personality disorder are compared. Consideration is given to the assessment, prevalence, and implications of psychopathy for violence risk and treatment efficacy. The DSM-IV-TR criteria for antisocial personality disorder, in particular, are largely behaviourally based. The ICD criteria for dissocial personality disorder, while paying more attention to affective deficits, also do not represent the broad personality and behavioural components of psychopathy. Since 1980, a great deal of research on these disorders has been conducted, using the Hare Psychopathy Checklist, Revised (PCL-R). The PCL-R assesses both personality (interpersonal and affective) and behavioural (lifestyle and antisocial) deficits. As such, the research and clinical implications of psychopathy, as operationalised by the PCL-R, cannot be readily extrapolated to the diagnoses of antisocial personality disorder and dissocial personality disorder. As currently construed, the diagnosis of antisocial personality disorder grossly over-identifies people, particularly those with offence histories, as meeting the criteria for the diagnosis. For example, research shows that between 50% and 80% of prisoners meet the criteria for a diagnosis of antisocial personality disorder, yet only approximately 15% of prisoners would be expected to be psychopathic, as assessed by the PCL-R. As such, the characteristics and research findings drawn from the psychopathy research may not be relevant for those

  10. Determinants of dust exposure in tunnel construction work.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bakke, Berit; Stewart, Patricia; Eduard, Wijnand

    2002-11-01

    In tunnel construction work, dust is generated from rock drilling, rock bolting, grinding, scaling, and transport operations. Other important dust-generating activities are blasting rock and spraying wet concrete on tunnel walls for strength and finishing work. The aim of this study was to identify determinants of dust exposure in tunnel construction work and to propose control measures. Personal exposures to total dust, respirable dust, and alpha-quartz were measured among 209 construction workers who were divided into 8 job groups performing similar tasks: drill and blast workers, shaft drilling workers, tunnel boring machine workers, shotcreting operators, support workers, concrete workers, outdoor concrete workers, and electricians. Information on determinants was obtained from interviewing the workers, observation by the industrial hygienist responsible for the sampling, and the job site superintendent. Multivariate regression models were used to identify determinants associated with the dust exposures within the job groups. The geometric mean exposure to total dust, respirable dust, and alpha-quartz for all tunnel workers was 3.5 mg/m(3) (GSD = 2.6), 1.2 mg/m(3) (GSD = 2.4), and 0.035 mg/m(3) (GSD = 5.0), respectively. A total of 15 percent of the total dust measurements, 5 percent of the respirable dust, and 21 percent of the alpha-quartz exceeded the Norwegian OELs of 10 mg/m(3), 5 mg/m(3), and 0.1 mg/m(3), respectively. Job groups with highest geometric mean total dust exposure were shotcreting operators (6.8 mg/m(3)), tunnel boring machine workers (6.2 mg/m(3)), and shaft drilling workers (6.1 mg/m(3)). The lowest exposed groups to total dust were outdoor concrete workers (1.0 mg/m(3)), electricians (1.4 mg/m(3)), and support workers (1.9 mg/m(3)). Important determinants of exposure were job group, job site, certain tasks (e.g., drilling and scaling), the presence of a cab, and breakthrough of the tunnel. The use of ventilated, closed cabs appeared to be

  11. The MMPI-2 Restructured Form Personality Psychopathology Five Scales: bridging DSM-5 Section 2 personality disorders and DSM-5 Section 3 personality trait dimensions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Finn, Jacob A; Arbisi, Paul A; Erbes, Christopher R; Polusny, Melissa A; Thuras, Paul

    2014-01-01

    This study examined in a college sample and a sample of non-treatment-seeking, trauma-exposed veterans the association between the MMPI-2 Restructured Form (MMPI-2-RF) Personality Psychopathology Five (PSY-5) Scales and DSM-5 Section 2 personality disorder (PD) criteria, the same system used in DSM-IV-TR, and the proposed broad personality trait dimensions contained in Section 3 of DSM-5. DSM-5 Section 2 PD symptoms were assessed using the SCID-II-PQ, and applying a replicated rational selection procedure to the SCID-II-PQ item pool, proxies for the DSM-5 Section 3 dimensions and select facets were constructed. The MMPI-2-RF PSY-5 scales demonstrated appropriate convergent and discriminant associations with both Section 2 PDs and Section 3 dimensions in both samples. These findings suggest the MMPI-2-RF PSY-5 scales can serve both conceptually and practically as a bridge between the DSM-5 Section 2 PD criteria and the DSM-5 Section 3 personality features.

  12. The contamination of personal space : boundary construction in a prison environment

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Sibley, David; van Hoven, Bettina

    In this paper, inmates in dormitories in a prison in New Mexico, USA, talk about their everyday lives. We are particularly interested in the ways in which they think about space. Their principal concern appears to be the definition of personal space in an environment where boundaries are weak. The

  13. Design Features for Linguistically-Mediated Meaning Construction: The Relative Roles of the Linguistic and Conceptual Systems in Subserving the Ideational Function of Language.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Evans, Vyvyan

    2016-01-01

    Recent research in language and cognitive science proposes that the linguistic system evolved to provide an "executive" control system on the evolutionarily more ancient conceptual system (e.g., Barsalou et al., 2008; Evans, 2009, 2015a,b; Bergen, 2012). In short, the claim is that embodied representations in the linguistic system interface with non-linguistic representations in the conceptual system, facilitating rich meanings, or simulations, enabling linguistically mediated communication. In this paper I build on these proposals by examining the nature of what I identify as design features for this control system. In particular, I address how the ideational function of language-our ability to deploy linguistic symbols to convey meanings of great complexity-is facilitated. The central proposal of this paper is as follows. The linguistic system of any given language user, of any given linguistic system-spoken or signed-facilitates access to knowledge representation-concepts-in the conceptual system, which subserves this ideational function. In the most general terms, the human meaning-making capacity is underpinned by two distinct, although tightly coupled representational systems: the conceptual system and the linguistic system. Each system contributes to meaning construction in qualitatively distinct ways. This leads to the first design feature: given that the two systems are representational-they are populated by semantic representations-the nature and function of the representations are qualitatively different. This proposed design feature I term the bifurcation in semantic representation. After all, it stands to reason that if a linguistic system has a different function, vis-à-vis the conceptual system, which is of far greater evolutionary antiquity, then the semantic representations will be complementary, and as such, qualitatively different, reflecting the functional distinctions of the two systems, in collectively giving rise to meaning. I consider the

  14. Experimental ratio between the 'real' dose per organ and the calculated dose determined by means of the Embalse nuclear power plant's personal dosimeter

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Thomasz, E.; Salas, C.A.

    1987-01-01

    The specific purpose of the study was to determine the experimental ratio between the reading of dosimeters used by the personnel of the Embalse nuclear power plant and the 'real' dose absorbed by the worker in different organs. An anthropomorphic phantom ALDERSON internal and externally loaded with approximately 150 TLD crystals was used. This phantom was placed in five enclosures that were usually occupied by workers of the Embalse nuclear power plant. In this way, the average dose per organ and the effective equivalent dosis in each enclosure could be calculated and compared with the personal dosimeters placed over the thorax and the conversion factor rem/rem for each enclosure was determined. The average factor resulting from the five considered enclosures was 0.73 rem/rem. This means that the personal dosimeters over value the real dosis absorbed by the personnel of the Embalse nuclear power plant in approximately 37%. (Author)

  15. The means/side-effect distinction in moral cognition: A meta-analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Feltz, Adam; May, Joshua

    2017-09-01

    Experimental research suggests that people draw a moral distinction between bad outcomes brought about as a means versus a side effect (or byproduct). Such findings have informed multiple psychological and philosophical debates about moral cognition, including its computational structure, its sensitivity to the famous Doctrine of Double Effect, its reliability, and its status as a universal and innate mental module akin to universal grammar. But some studies have failed to replicate the means/byproduct effect especially in the absence of other factors, such as personal contact. So we aimed to determine how robust the means/byproduct effect is by conducting a meta-analysis of both published and unpublished studies (k=101; 24,058 participants). We found that while there is an overall small difference between moral judgments of means and byproducts (standardized mean difference=0.87, 95% CI 0.67-1.06; standardized mean change=0.57, 95% CI 0.44-0.69; log odds ratio=1.59, 95% CI 1.15-2.02), the mean effect size is primarily moderated by whether the outcome is brought about by personal contact, which typically involves the use of personal force. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  16. The Sequence of Acquisition of Personal Pronoun Case and Person Reference among 6 Year Old Children in Two Selected Malaysian Kindergartens

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Arshad Abd Samad

    2017-03-01

    Full Text Available Pronoun case and person reference refer to the position of the pronoun in the sentence and the person the pronoun refers to respectively.  Examining the acquisition of pronoun case and person reference among young children can be insightful as, besides their obvious relevance to language development, both these constructs can have implications on other aspects of child development.  Attention given by children to these various constructs may indicate the importance children place on the concept of ego and self as well as on social relations.  The sequence of acquisition of personal pronouns among these children is therefore an important phenomenon to be examined as it can reflect linguistic and socio-cognitive development.  This largely descriptive study examines the sequence of acquisition of the English pronouns among forty 6 year old Malaysian children learning ESL in two kindergartens.  The children in the study were presented with 33 drawings to assess their familiarity with case and person reference expressed through English personal pronouns.  They were required to select the correct pronoun from three pronouns that were used to describe each drawing.  This paper reports on the accuracy rates for each pronoun and assumes that high accuracy rates indicate a more complete acquisition of the pronoun.  Error forms by the children were also be identified and examined.  Data obtained were compared to acquisition sequences in the literature and general implications related to the acquisition of personal pronouns among children in an ESL setting in Malaysia will be discussed.

  17. Alternative dimensional models of personality disorder

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Widiger, Thomas A; Simonsen, Erik

    2005-01-01

    The recognition of the many limitations of the categorical model of personality disorder classification has led to the development of quite a number of alternative proposals for a dimensional classification. The purpose of this article is to suggest that future research work toward the integration...... of these alternative proposals within a common hierarchical structure. An illustration of a potential integration is provided using the constructs assessed within existing dimensional models. Suggestions for future research that will help lead toward a common, integrative dimensional model of personality disorder...

  18. The Daemon as Educator: Ubiquitous Access to A Personal Mentor

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bernard Rosell

    2011-08-01

    Full Text Available In Socratic philosophy, human beings had access to an inner voice that could be counted on to provide guidance and assistance when needed. This inner voice or daemon was always available and had access to realms of knowledge that mortal consciousness did not have. We propose that the field of Machine Learning has reached the level of maturity where the construction of a personal daemon is now feasible. The ubiquity of broadband access to the internet can guarantee that this personal daemon is always available. Such a construct can greatly increase the efficacy and availability of education for all citizens.

  19. Experimentally Manipulating Items Informs on the (Limited Construct and Criterion Validity of the Humor Styles Questionnaire

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Willibald Ruch

    2017-04-01

    Full Text Available How strongly does humor (i.e., the construct-relevant content in the Humor Styles Questionnaire (HSQ; Martin et al., 2003 determine the responses to this measure (i.e., construct validity? Also, how much does humor influence the relationships of the four HSQ scales, namely affiliative, self-enhancing, aggressive, and self-defeating, with personality traits and subjective well-being (i.e., criterion validity? The present paper answers these two questions by experimentally manipulating the 32 items of the HSQ to only (or mostly contain humor (i.e., construct-relevant content or to substitute the humor content with non-humorous alternatives (i.e., only assessing construct-irrelevant context. Study 1 (N = 187 showed that the HSQ affiliative scale was mainly determined by humor, self-enhancing and aggressive were determined by both humor and non-humorous context, and self-defeating was primarily determined by the context. This suggests that humor is not the primary source of the variance in three of the HQS scales, thereby limiting their construct validity. Study 2 (N = 261 showed that the relationships of the HSQ scales to the Big Five personality traits and subjective well-being (positive affect, negative affect, and life satisfaction were consistently reduced (personality or vanished (subjective well-being when the non-humorous contexts in the HSQ items were controlled for. For the HSQ self-defeating scale, the pattern of relationships to personality was also altered, supporting an positive rather than a negative view of the humor in this humor style. The present findings thus call for a reevaluation of the role that humor plays in the HSQ (construct validity and in the relationships to personality and well-being (criterion validity.

  20. Experimentally Manipulating Items Informs on the (Limited) Construct and Criterion Validity of the Humor Styles Questionnaire.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ruch, Willibald; Heintz, Sonja

    2017-01-01

    How strongly does humor (i.e., the construct-relevant content) in the Humor Styles Questionnaire (HSQ; Martin et al., 2003) determine the responses to this measure (i.e., construct validity)? Also, how much does humor influence the relationships of the four HSQ scales, namely affiliative, self-enhancing, aggressive, and self-defeating, with personality traits and subjective well-being (i.e., criterion validity)? The present paper answers these two questions by experimentally manipulating the 32 items of the HSQ to only (or mostly) contain humor (i.e., construct-relevant content) or to substitute the humor content with non-humorous alternatives (i.e., only assessing construct-irrelevant context). Study 1 ( N = 187) showed that the HSQ affiliative scale was mainly determined by humor, self-enhancing and aggressive were determined by both humor and non-humorous context, and self-defeating was primarily determined by the context. This suggests that humor is not the primary source of the variance in three of the HQS scales, thereby limiting their construct validity. Study 2 ( N = 261) showed that the relationships of the HSQ scales to the Big Five personality traits and subjective well-being (positive affect, negative affect, and life satisfaction) were consistently reduced (personality) or vanished (subjective well-being) when the non-humorous contexts in the HSQ items were controlled for. For the HSQ self-defeating scale, the pattern of relationships to personality was also altered, supporting an positive rather than a negative view of the humor in this humor style. The present findings thus call for a reevaluation of the role that humor plays in the HSQ (construct validity) and in the relationships to personality and well-being (criterion validity).

  1. Low Correlations between Intelligence and Big Five Personality Traits: Need to Broaden the Domain of Personality

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lazar Stankov

    2018-05-01

    Full Text Available The correlations between the measures of cognitive abilities and personality traits are known to be low. Our data based on the popular Big Five model of intelligence show that the highest correlations (up to r = 0.30 tend to occur with the Openness to Experience. Some recent developments in the studies of intelligence (e.g., emotional intelligence, complex problem solving and economic games indicate that this link may become stronger in future. Furthermore, our studies of the processes in the “no-man’s-land” between intelligence and personality suggest that the non-cognitive constructs are correlated with both. These include the measures of social conservatism and self-beliefs. Importantly, the Big Five measures do not tap into either the dark traits associated with social conservatism or self-beliefs that are known to be good predictors of academic achievement. This paper argues that the personality domain should be broadened to include new constructs that have not been captured by the lexical approach employed in the development of the Big Five model. Furthermore, since the measures of confidence have the highest correlation with cognitive performance, we suggest that the trait of confidence may be a driver that leads to the separation of fluid and crystallized intelligence during development.

  2. Visual Guidebooks: Documenting a Personal Thinking Language

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shambaugh, Neal; Beacham, Cindy

    2017-01-01

    A personal thinking language consists of verbal and visual means to transform ideas to action in social and work settings. This verbal and visual interaction of images and language is influenced by one's personal history, cultural expectations and professional practices. The article first compares a personal thinking language to other languages…

  3. Translation and Psychometric of Personality Disorders Inventory According to DMS-V

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Vahideh Nayeri

    2017-03-01

    Full Text Available Background and Objectives: Personality disorders are prevalent among psychiatric patients. These disorders can exist along with other psychiatric disorders or predispose the patients to them. Patients with personality disorder are usually not aware of their disease, and their treatment is difficult and complicated. The present research was performed with the purpose of determining affected patients usually do not have insight about their condition and it make the treatment a complex and hard process. The aim of current study was to determine construct and criterion validity of personality disorders diagnostic tool according to DSM-V. Methods: This study was a cross-sectional study with correlational design. In this study, Personality Disorder Inventory was translated based on DSM-V, and its psychometric was determined in Persian. The questionnaire’s validity was determined by concurrent validity method using NEO personality inventory. A total of 74 patients and 29 students with personality disorders, whose disorder was recognized by clinical interview, completed two questionnaire. The correlation between domains of the two questionnaires was determined by Pearson correlation test. Results: There were significant correlations between the domains of Personality Disorder Inventory and those of NEO Personality Inventory (p<0.001(. Conclusion: The results of the present research showed that the Persian version of PID-5 has appropriate criterion, construct, and convergence validity compared to NEO personality inventory.

  4. Physiognomy: Personality Traits Prediction by Learning

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    Ting Zhang; Ri-Zhen Qin; Qiu-Lei Dong; Wei Gao; Hua-Rong Xu; Zhan-Yi Hu

    2017-01-01

    Evaluating individuals' personality traits and intelligence from their faces plays a crucial role in interpersonal relationship and important social events such as elections and court sentences.To assess the possible correlations between personality traits (also measured intelligence) and face images,we first construct a dataset consisting of face photographs,personality measurements,and intelligence measurements.Then,we build an end-to-end convolutional neural network for prediction of personality traits and intelligence to investigate whether self-reported personality traits and intelligence can be predicted reliably from a face image.To our knowledge,it is the first work where deep learning is applied to this problem.Experimental results show the following three points:1)"Rule-consciousness" and "Tension" can be reliably predicted from face images.2) It is difficult,if not impossible,to predict intelligence from face images,a finding in accord with previous studies.3) Convolutional neural network (CNN) features outperform traditional handcrafted features in predicting traits.

  5. Knowledge-Based Personal Health System to empower outpatients of diabetes mellitus by means of P4 Medicine.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bresó, Adrián; Sáez, Carlos; Vicente, Javier; Larrinaga, Félix; Robles, Montserrat; García-Gómez, Juan Miguel

    2015-01-01

    Diabetes Mellitus (DM) affects hundreds of millions of people worldwide and it imposes a large economic burden on healthcare systems. We present a web patient empowering system (PHSP4) that ensures continuous monitoring and assessment of the health state of patients with DM (type I and II). PHSP4 is a Knowledge-Based Personal Health System (PHS) which follows the trend of P4 Medicine (Personalized, Predictive, Preventive, and Participative). It provides messages to outpatients and clinicians about the achievement of objectives, follow-up, and treatments adjusted to the patient condition. Additionally, it calculates a four-component risk vector of the associated pathologies with DM: Nephropathy, Diabetic retinopathy, Diabetic foot, and Cardiovascular event. The core of the system is a Rule-Based System which Knowledge Base is composed by a set of rules implementing the recommendations of the American Diabetes Association (ADA) (American Diabetes Association: http://www.diabetes.org/ ) clinical guideline. The PHSP4 is designed to be standardized and to facilitate its interoperability by means of terminologies (SNOMED-CT [The International Health Terminology Standards Development Organization: http://www.ihtsdo.org/snomed-ct/ ] and UCUM [The Unified Code for Units of Measure: http://unitsofmeasure.org/ ]), standardized clinical documents (HL7 CDA R2 [Health Level Seven International: http://www.hl7.org/index.cfm ]) for managing Electronic Health Record (EHR). We have evaluated the functionality of the system and its users' acceptance of the system using simulated and real data, and a questionnaire based in the Technology Acceptance Model methodology (TAM). Finally results show the reliability of the system and the high acceptance of clinicians.

  6. Pictorial Personality Traits Questionnaire for Children (PPTQ-C – a new measure of children’s personality traits

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marta eMaćkiewicz

    2016-04-01

    Full Text Available In order to adjust personality measurements to children’s developmental level, we constructed the Pictorial Personality Traits Questionnaire for Children (PPTQ-C. To validate the measure, we conducted a study with a total group of 1028 children aged between 7 and 13 years old. Structural validity was established through Exploratory Structural Equation Model. Criterion validity was confirmed with a multitrait-multimethod analysis for which we introduced the children’s self-assessment scores from the Big Five Questionnaire for Children. Despite some problems with reliability, one can conclude that the PPTQ-C can be a valid instrument for measuring personality traits, particularly in a group of young children (aged approximately 7 to 10 years.

  7. Systematic Review about Personal Growth Initiative

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Clarissa Pinto Pizarro de Freitas

    Full Text Available The present study aimed to realize a systematic review of publications about personal growth initiative. A literature review was realized in Bireme, Index Psi, LILACS, PePSIC, Pubmed - Publisher's Medlme, Wiley Online Library, PsycINFO, OneFile, SciVerse ScienceDirect, ERIC, Emerald Journals, PsycARTICLES - American Psychological Association, Directory of Open Access Journals - DOAJ, SAGE Journals, SpringerLink, PLoS, IngentaConnect, IEEE Journals & Magazines and SciELO databases. The literature review was performed from December of 2014 to January of 2015, without stipulating date limits for the publication of the articles. It was found 53 studies, excluded seven, and analyzed 46 researches. The studies aimed to investigate the psychometric properties of personal growth initiative scale and personal growth initiative scale II. The relations of personal initiative growth and others constructs were also evaluated. Furthermore the studies investigated the impact of interventions to promote personal growth initiative. Results of these studies showed that personal growth initiative was positively related to levels of well-being, selfesteem and others positive dimensions, and negatively to anxiety, depression and others negative factors.

  8. Person-Environment Congruence and Personality Domains in the Prediction of Job Performance and Work Quality

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kieffer, Kevin M.; Schinka, John A.; Curtiss, Glenn

    2004-01-01

    This study examined the contributions of the 5-Factor Model (FFM; P. T. Costa & R. R. McCrae, 1992) and RIASEC (J. L. Holland, 1994) constructs of consistency, differentiation, and person-environment congruence in predicting job performance ratings in a large sample (N = 514) of employees. Hierarchical regression analyses conducted separately by…

  9. Life Stories, Cultural Métissage, and Personal Identities

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ricardo Vieira

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available This article encompasses an underlying notion of personal identities and processes of interaction, which distinguish essentialist identity from relational identity in contexts involving subjects, fields of possibilities, and cultural metamorphosis. It addresses the idea of the individual and her/his transformations: “I am who I want to be if I can be that person.” Any one of us could hypothetically have been someone else. The question of the reconstruction of individual identities is a vital aspect in the relationship between objective social conditions and what each person subjectively does with them, in terms of auto-construction. The complexity of this question reflects the idea of a cultural kaleidoscope, in which similar social conditions experienced by different individuals can produce differentiated identities. The title and structure of this text also seek to encompass the idea that in a personal life story, the subject lives between various spheres and sociocultural contexts, with a composite, mestizo, and superimposed or displaced identity, in each context. This occurs as the result of a cultural metamorphosis, which is constructed both by the individual as well as by heterogeneous influences between the context of the starting and finishing points at a given moment. This complex process of cultural metamorphosis—the fruit of interweaving subjective and objective forces—reveals a new dimension: the truly composite nature of personal identities.

  10. 50 CFR 36.2 - What do these terms mean?

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    ... (CONTINUED) THE NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE SYSTEM ALASKA NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGES Introduction and General... or family consumption; for barter or sharing for personal or family consumption; and, for customary..., or adoption, or any person living within the household on a permanent basis; and (2) Barter means the...

  11. What does confidence mean to people who have had a stroke? A qualitative interview study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Horne, Jane; Lincoln, Nadina Berrice; Preston, Jenny; Logan, Pip

    2014-11-01

    To explore the meaning of confidence to stroke patients after stroke in order to inform the development of a measurement tool. Qualitative interview study using interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA). Ten stroke survivors were purposively selected from those participating in a multi-centre randomised trial of outdoor mobility rehabilitation. Interviews about confidence were conducted in participants' homes, audio recorded and transcribed verbatim. Six themes emerged from the analysis. These were loss of identity, fear, social confidence, role confidence, mastering skill and attitudes and beliefs. Loss of identity was particularly evident in the early stages of stroke recovery. Fear was a barrier to regaining confidence and was associated with avoidance behaviours. Lack of social confidence was a common problem which appeared difficult to resolve. Life roles motivated participants to re-engage in daily life activities. Personal attitudes and beliefs, combined with the attitudes of significant others, contributed to personal feelings of competence. This study provides a coherent definition of the meaning of confidence through the experiences of stroke survivors. Being successful in gradually re-engaging in activities, including social activities and life roles helped to establish a positive self-belief. The influence of others, such as family and friends reinforce self-beliefs. Confidence and self-efficacy appear to be a similar construct. However, participants in this study also identified a relationship between confidence and self-esteem. The findings indicate that all six themes need to be included in a confidence measure to encompass the meaning of confidence as described by participants with stroke. © The Author(s) 2014.

  12. The construct validation of the relationship harmony and soft-heartedness scales of the South African Personality Inventory

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Hill, C.; French, L.; Morton, N.; van de Vijver, F.J.R.; Valchev, V.H.; Adams, B.G.; de Bruin, G.P.

    2013-01-01

    This study forms part of the South African Personality Inventory project that aims to develop: (a) an indigenous theoretical model of personality; and (b) a unique personality measure that is in line with South African legislation and that can be used fairly to assess personality across different

  13. Reader and reading: considerations about text types and meaning construction / Leitor e leituras: considerações sobre gêneros textuais e construção de sentidos

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sandra Patrícia Ataíde Ferreira

    2005-01-01

    Full Text Available The present paper emphasizes reading as an activity of meaning construction which implies the dynamic relationship between reader and text. First we present the idea that reading varies accord to the reader and his aims. The reader can concept it as a cognitive- affective activity and a social practice. Later we discuss the text concepts, context and textual types, with the focus in the idea the meaning is constituted in the dialectic relationship among author/text/reader/context. This relationship is which offers many meaning and at the same time, gives limits to the possibilities of the variations and also determines the game of the implicit and the explicit.

  14. 30 CFR 75.1708-1 - Surface structures; fireproof construction.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... 30 Mineral Resources 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Surface structures; fireproof construction. 75... Surface structures; fireproof construction. Structures of fireproof construction is interpreted to mean structures with fireproof exterior surfaces. ...

  15. The four roles of supply chain management in construction

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Vrijhoef, R.; Koskela, L.

    2000-01-01

    It is argued that due to construction peculiarities, supply chain management has four specific roles in construction. Practical initiatives in each role to advance the construction supply chain are analysed. The present status of construction supply chains is investigated by means of case studies

  16. Construction industry, e-business and marketing. Are the dot.coms pushing aside personal relationships?

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Tijhuis, Willem

    2001-01-01

    In the present globalizing construction industry, parties in construction industry are looking more internationally for enhancing their business-activities. But what stimulates these developments specifically? It seems to be that the role of information-technology is one of the big drivers for it,

  17. Modification of the Assessment of Life Habits (LIFE-Hm) to consider personalized satisfaction with participation in activities and roles: results from a construct validity study with older adults.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Roy-Bouthot, Kathleen; Filiatrault, Patrick; Caron, Cyndi; Gagnon, Maxime; Prémont, Stéphanie; Levasseur, Mélanie

    2014-01-01

    Participation, defined as a person's involvement in activities and roles, is a primary intervention goal in rehabilitation. To achieve client-centered practice, rehabilitation professionals need to go beyond objective accomplishment criteria and consider satisfaction with and the importance of participation in activities and roles. To our knowledge, no instrument considers accomplishment, satisfaction and importance of activities and roles, and allows numerical scoring and comparison. The objectives of this study were to modify the Assessment of Life Habits questionnaire (LIFE-Hm) to consider personalized satisfaction (satisfaction weighted by importance) with participation in activities and roles, and to: (1) examine its convergent validity with quality of life (QOL) and (2) compare the associations between QOL on the one hand and, satisfaction (LIFE-H) and personalized satisfaction (LIFE-Hm) with participation on the other. A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted with 84 older adults, average age 76 years, with different functional autonomy levels. Quality of life was associated with personalized satisfaction for all categories of activities and roles (r = 0.45 to 0.75; p study found good construct validity of the LIFE-Hm with QOL. Personalization can add value in achieving client-centered practice. Implications for Rehabilitation The LIFE-Hm becomes the first instrument available in English and French that allows comparison between individuals and informs rehabilitation professionals about the level of accomplishment, satisfaction and personalized satisfaction with participation in activities and roles. Personalized satisfaction can add value in achieving client-centered practice as it considers not only how satisfying activities and roles are for the person, but also the importance that these activities and roles have for her/him. The LIFE-Hm offers the advantage of systematically identifying activities and roles which are not satisfactory but

  18. CAD on personal computers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lee, Seong U; Cho, Cheol Ho; Ko, Il Du

    1990-02-01

    This book contains four studies of CAD on personal computers. The first thing is computer graphics in computer-aided design by Seong U Lee. The second thing is graphics primer and programming with Fortran by Seong U Lee. The third thing is application of Auto cad by Il Do Ko. The last thing is application of CAD in building construction design by Cheol Ho Cho.

  19. Clothing and personal hygiene

    Science.gov (United States)

    Finogenov, A. M.; Azhayev, A. N.; Kaliberdin, G. V.

    1975-01-01

    The biomedical maintenance of astronauts is discussed in terms of personal hygiene. Principal characteristics and general requirements are described which must be followed in perfecting a system of hygienic practices and in devising means to maintain personal hygiene, flight clothing, underwear, bedding, and medical-domestic equipment for manned space flights of varying durations. Factors discussed include: disposable clothing, thermal protection, oral hygiene, cleansing of the skin, and grooming of the hair.

  20. Construction Site Workers’ Awareness on Using Safety Equipment: Case Study

    OpenAIRE

    Ulang N. Md; Salim N. S.; Baharum F.; Agus Salim N.A.

    2014-01-01

    Construction sector is an important sector and contributed significantly to national development. However, this sector poses higher risk to accident. This is due to fact that construction site can be considered as a dangerous zone to workers and to the public. Due to the variety of cases occurs on site, the contractor will usually have to pay the cost related to accidents in the form of higher insurance premium. Despite various measures, accidents still occur at construction sites. Personal P...

  1. The Relationship between Accounting Students' Personality, Professional Skepticism and Anticipatory Socialization

    Science.gov (United States)

    Farag, Magdy S.; Elias, Rafik Z.

    2016-01-01

    Professional skepticism is an essential component of every successful audit. Research in psychology identified the trait professional skepticism as an enduring personality construct. The current study examines the relationship between the Big Five personality characteristics and accounting students' trait professional skepticism and their level of…

  2. Advanced customization in architectural design and construction

    CERN Document Server

    Naboni, Roberto

    2015-01-01

    This book presents the state of the art in advanced customization within the sector of architectural design and construction, explaining important new technologies that are boosting design, product and process innovation and identifying the challenges to be confronted as we move toward a mass customization construction industry. Advanced machinery and software integration are discussed, as well as an overview of the manufacturing techniques offered through digital methods that are acquiring particular significance within the field of digital architecture. CNC machining, Robotic Fabrication, and Additive Manufacturing processes are all clearly explained, highlighting their ability to produce personalized architectural forms and unique construction components. Cutting-edge case studies in digitally fabricated architectural realizations are described and, looking towards the future, a new model of 100% customized architecture for design and construction is presented. The book is an excellent guide to the profoun...

  3. Preserving the Person in Contemporary Psychiatry.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gabbard, Glen O

    2018-06-01

    Psychodynamic psychiatry is a way of thinking that places the person at the heart of diagnostic understanding and treatment. This emphasis on unique characteristics of an individual is at odds with much of contemporary psychiatric thought, which is geared to identifying a set of criteria designed to identify discrete diagnostic categories with biological underpinnings. This article addresses component parts of the person that are linked to psychodynamic constructs and lie at the heart of diagnostic understanding and treatment in psychodynamic psychiatry. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  4. Four meanings of ‘categorization’: a conceptual analysis of research on person perception

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Klapper, A; Dotsch, R.; van Rooij, I.J.E.I.; Wigboldus, D.H.J.

    2017-01-01

    It is widely assumed that people tend to “categorize” other people. However, the term “categorization” has been used with qualitatively different underlying definitions in the person perception literature. We present a conceptual analysis in which we disentangle four existing definitions: (a)

  5. [Influence of personality traits on collage works].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Miyazawa, Shiho

    2004-10-01

    The present study investigated whether personality traits may influence the outcome of collage works. In this study, 60 undergraduates were asked to fill Revised NEO Personality Inventory (NEO-PI-R) and generate collage works. The relations between the five factors of the NEO-PI-R (Neuroticism, Extraversion, Openness, Agreeableness, and Conscientiousness) and some evaluation measures of collage works (constructional features of collage works and characteristic behavior patterns in the process of their generation) were examined. Results indicated that several subscales of personality traits were substantially correlated with some indices of both two measures. These findings suggest that collage work may be a useful tool for psychological assessment.

  6. Levels and domains in personality: an introduction.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Emmons, R A

    1995-09-01

    This special issue is centered around the problem of levels and domains in personality functioning. What kind of constructs--and at what levels and in what domains--are needed to understand what a person is like? To account for the complexity and scope of human lives, personality psychologists have traditionally put forth lists and taxonomies of factors, features, and variables that must be taken into consideration in formulating an adequate psychological portrait of the whole person. The five-factor model of personality traits has recently been offered as a comprehensive framework; however, critical analyses of the trait concept have revealed the limitations of a trait-based model of personality. Recognizing that the concept of trait is indispensable to a vital psychology of personality, this special issue aims to (a) communicate recent developments and organizational frameworks for understanding the person at multiple levels and in varied domains, and (b) articulate and elaborate units of analysis that, when combined with trait assessments, yield a psychology of personality that is commensurate with the complexity of individual functioning and that offers greater potential for the attainment of the original goals of the discipline.

  7. Narrating personality change.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lodi-Smith, Jennifer; Geise, Aaron C; Roberts, Brent W; Robins, Richard W

    2009-03-01

    The present research investigated the longitudinal relations between personality traits and narratives. Specifically, the authors examined how individual differences in 170 college students' narratives of personality change (a) were predicted by personality traits at the beginning of college, (b) related to actual changes and perceived changes in personality traits during college, and (c) related to changes in emotional health during college. Individual differences in narratives of personality trait change told in the 4th year of college fell into 2 dimensions: affective processing, characterized by positive emotions, and exploratory processing, characterized by meaning making and causal processing. Conscientious, open, and extraverted freshmen told exploratory stories of change as seniors. Emotionally healthy freshmen told stories of change that were high in positive affect. Both positive affective and exploratory stories corresponded to change in emotional stability and conscientiousness during college above and beyond the effects of perceived changes in these traits. In addition, both positive affective and exploratory narratives corresponded to increases in emotional health during college independent of the effects of changes in personality traits. These findings improve our understanding of how individuals conceptualize their changing identity over time.

  8. Constructive thinking skills and impulsivity dimensions in conduct and substance use disorders: differences and relationships in an adolescents' sample.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Urben, Sébastien; Suter, Maya; Pihet, Sandrine; Straccia, Claudio; Stéphan, Philippe

    2015-06-01

    Impact of conduct disorder (CD) and substance use disorder (SUD) on constructive thinking skills and impulsivity was explored. 71 offending adolescents were assessed for CD and SUD. Furthermore, the constructive thinking inventory, the immediate and delayed memory tasks and the UPPS impulsive behaviour scale were administered. Results showed that youths with CD, independently from SUD, presented higher personality impulsivity (urgency) and altered constructive thinking skills (categorical thinking and personal superstitious thinking). Furthermore, trait-impulsivity explained variation in constructive thinking skills. The implications of these results were discussed.

  9. Some personality and cognitive correlates of career maturity

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    S. Coertse

    2004-10-01

    Full Text Available The principal objective of this study was to determine the personality and cognitive correlates of career maturity. The sample comprised 1476 first-year students from different faculties at a South-African university. The Career Development Questionnaire was used to determine the career maturity levels of the respondents. Based on the scores in respect of the Career Development Questionnaire the respondents were divided into a career mature, a career immature and a middle group. These groups were then compared in respect of various personality and cognitive constructs. Statistically significant differences were found in respect of most of the personality constructs but not in terms of the cognitive constructs. The implications of the findings are discussed. Opsomming Die hoofdoel van die studie was om die persoonlikheids- en kognitiewe korrelate van loopbaanvolwassenheid te bepaal. Die steekproef het uit 1476 eerstejaarstudente vanuit verskillende fakulteite by ’n Suid-Afrikaanse universiteit bestaan. Die Loopbaanontwikkelingsvraelys is gebruik om die loopbaanvolwassenheidsvlak van die respondente te bepaal. Die respondente is verdeel in ’n loopbaanvolwasse, loopbaanonvolwasse en ’n middel- groep, gebaseer op die tellings van die Loopbaanontwikkelingsvraelys. Die onderskeie groepe is vergelyk ten opsigte van verskillende persoonlikheids- en kognitiewe konstrukte. Statisties- beduidende verskille is gevind ten opsigte van die persoonlikheidskontrukte, maar nie ten opsigte van die kognitiewe konstrukte nie. Die implikasies van die bevindinge word bespreek.

  10. Personal literary interpretation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Michał Januszkiewicz

    2015-11-01

    Full Text Available The article titled “Personal literary interpretation” deals with problems which have usually been marginalized in literary studies, but which seem to be very important in the context of the humanities, as broadly defined. The author of this article intends to rethink the problem of literary studies not in objective, but in personal terms. This is why the author wants to talk about what he calls personal literary interpretation, which has nothing to do with subjective or irrational thinking, but which is rather grounded in the hermeneutical rule that says that one must believe in order tounderstand a text or the other (where ‘believe’ also means: ‘to love’, ‘engage’, and ‘be open’. The article presents different determinants of this attitude, ranging from Dilthey to Heidegger and Gadamer. Finally, the author subscribes to the theory of personal interpretation, which is always dialogical.

  11. Constructive thinking, rational intelligence and irritable bowel syndrome.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rey, Enrique; Moreno Ortega, Marta; Garcia Alonso, Monica-Olga; Diaz-Rubio, Manuel

    2009-07-07

    To evaluate rational and experiential intelligence in irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) sufferers. We recruited 100 subjects with IBS as per Rome II criteria (50 consulters and 50 non-consulters) and 100 healthy controls, matched by age, sex and educational level. Cases and controls completed a clinical questionnaire (including symptom characteristics and medical consultation) and the following tests: rational-intelligence (Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale, 3rd edition); experiential-intelligence (Constructive Thinking Inventory); personality (NEO personality inventory); psychopathology (MMPI-2), anxiety (state-trait anxiety inventory) and life events (social readjustment rating scale). Analysis of variance was used to compare the test results of IBS-sufferers and controls, and a logistic regression model was then constructed and adjusted for age, sex and educational level to evaluate any possible association with IBS. No differences were found between IBS cases and controls in terms of IQ (102.0 +/- 10.8 vs 102.8 +/- 12.6), but IBS sufferers scored significantly lower in global constructive thinking (43.7 +/- 9.4 vs 49.6 +/- 9.7). In the logistic regression model, global constructive thinking score was independently linked to suffering from IBS [OR 0.92 (0.87-0.97)], without significant OR for total IQ. IBS subjects do not show lower rational intelligence than controls, but lower experiential intelligence is nevertheless associated with IBS.

  12. Personality and Attachment in Transsexual Adults.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lingiardi, Vittorio; Giovanardi, Guido; Fortunato, Alexandro; Nassisi, Valentina; Speranza, Anna Maria

    2017-07-01

    The main aim of this study was to investigate the associations between personality features and attachment patterns in transsexual adults. We explored mental representations of attachment, assessed personality traits, and possible personality disorders. Forty-four individuals diagnosed with gender identity disorder (now gender dysphoria), 28 male-to-female and 16 female-to-male, were evaluated using the Shedler-Westen assessment procedure-200 (SWAP-200) to assess personality traits and disorders; the adult attachment interview was used to evaluate their attachment state-of-mind. With respect to attachment, our sample differed both from normative samples because of the high percentage of disorganized states of mind (50% of the sample), and from clinical samples for the conspicuous percentage of secure states of mind (37%). Furthermore, we found that only 16% of our sample presented a personality disorder, while 50% showed a high level of functioning according to the SWAP-200 scales. In order to find latent subgroups that shared personality characteristics, we performed a Q-factor analysis. Three personality clusters then emerged: Healthy Functioning (54% of the sample); Depressive/Introverted (32%) and Histrionic/Extroverted (14%). These data indicate that in terms of personality and attachment, GD individuals are a heterogeneous sample and show articulate and diverse types with regard to these constructs.

  13. Hardiness and the Big Five Personality Traits among Chinese University Students

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Li-fang

    2011-01-01

    This study examines the construct of hardiness with the Big Five personality traits among 362 Chinese university students. Participants in the study responded to the Dispositional Hardiness Scale (Bartone, Ursano, Wright, & Ingraham, 1989) and the Revised NEO Personality Inventory (Costa & McCrae, 1992). Results indicate that personality…

  14. Factorial versus Typological Models: A Comparison of Methods for Personality Data

    Science.gov (United States)

    von Davier, Matthias; Naemi, Bobby; Roberts, Richard D.

    2012-01-01

    This article describes an exploration of the distinction between typological and factorial latent variables in the domain of personality theory. Traditionally, many personality variables have been considered to be factorial in nature, even though there are examples of typological constructs dating back to Hippocrates. Recently, some…

  15. Who Takes Risks in High-Risk Sports? A Typological Personality Approach

    Science.gov (United States)

    Castanier, Carole; Le Scanff, Christine; Woodman, Tim

    2010-01-01

    We investigated the risk-taking behaviors of 302 men involved in high-risk sports (downhill skiing, mountaineering, rock climbing, paragliding, or skydiving). The sportsmen were classified using a typological approach to personality based on eight personality types, which were constructed from combinations of neuroticism, extraversion, and…

  16. Psychosocial and Pedagogical Means of Reduction of Hyper Dynamic Manifestations Syndrome Within the Affective Personality Disorder

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Liana Novitska

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available The problem of correction of affective personality disorders (for example, reducing the manifestations of hyper dynamic syndrome, analyzes the main approaches to its solution. We determined the causes and forms of attention deficit disorder with hyperactivity. To characterize the basic correction means reducing the manifestations of hyper dynamic behavior, which includes two areas with different content and psycho social and recreational components. The first direction is connected with the conduct of an individual or group psycho-correction work; the second – social and recreational include tasks aimed at providing social and psychological support to the individual. It is shown that the problem of hyperactive behavior is determined by the individual variability and natural features caused by human development. Psychological studies suggest the importance of external, social factors, primarily adequate forms of organization and communication, the influence of family relations on the manifestations of hyperactivity. It is shown that the implementation of psycho-pedagogical bases of overcoming hyperactivity leads to increased self-esteem, developing the ability to plan and predict their own behavior and, as a consequence – the disclosure of the individual adaptation possibilities.

  17. Construction of pilot system for the Korea information system of occupational exposure

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Na, Seong Ho; Park, Moon Il; Im, Bok Soo; Lee, Seon Mi; Kim, Hyung Uk; Chae, Eun Yeong

    2003-01-01

    In this study, the construction of Korea Information System of Occupational Exposure (KISOE) system is designed with occupational exposure control system based on information evaluation technology and it makes the reliability of the personal exposure by use of personal dose verification. While the operation of national based radiation worker protection system, this system are settled the control system for radiation worker and ALARA. The purpose of construction and operation of pilot system of KISOE systematically is to derive the master plan of KISOE, stable development of this system, and serve the high quality radiation use internationally

  18. Construction of pilot system for the Korea information system of occupational exposure

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Na, Seong Ho [Korea Institute of Nuclear Safety, Taejon (Korea, Republic of); Park, Moon Il; Im, Bok Soo; Lee, Seon Mi; Kim, Hyung Uk; Chae, Eun Yeong [ADDLAB Co., Ltd., Taejon (Korea, Republic of)

    2003-01-15

    In this study, the construction of Korea Information System of Occupational Exposure (KISOE) system is designed with occupational exposure control system based on information evaluation technology and it makes the reliability of the personal exposure by use of personal dose verification. While the operation of national based radiation worker protection system, this system are settled the control system for radiation worker and ALARA. The purpose of construction and operation of pilot system of KISOE systematically is to derive the master plan of KISOE, stable development of this system, and serve the high quality radiation use internationally.

  19. Constructing the truth: from 'confusion of tongues' to 'constructions in analysis'.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Press, Jacques

    2006-04-01

    The author hypothesizes that the papers Freud wrote in the period 1934-9 constitute a final turning point in his work resulting from an attempt to work through, by means of self-analysis, early traumatic elements reactivated by the conditions of his life in the 1930s. The author emphasizes that the ups and downs of Freud's relationship with Sándor Ferenczi and the mourning which followed his death in 1933 played an important role in this traumatic situation. He suggests that through these last works, Freud pursued a posthumous dialogue with Ferenczi. This working through led Freud, in Moses and monotheism, to an ultimate revision of his theory of trauma, a revision which the author examines in full, in the light of the works of the Egyptologist, Jan Assmann. A new analytical paradigm emerges: that of constructions in analysis developed in the article of the same name. The activity of construction appears as an alternative to the mutual analysis proposed by Ferenczi and is closely bound up with the notion of historical truth. In psychoanalysis, it would mean constructing a historical truth whose anchoring in the material truth of the past is essential, though it should not be confused with it.

  20. Tolerance of ambiguity, perfectionism and resilience are associated with personality profiles of medical students oriented to rural practice.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Eley, Diann S; Leung, Janni K; Campbell, Narelle; Cloninger, C Robert

    2017-05-01

    Resilience, coping with uncertainty and learning from mistakes are vital characteristics for all medical disciplines - particularly rural practice. Levels of coping constructs were examined in medical students with and without a rural background or an interest in rural practice. Cross-sectional surveys identified two personality profiles, and their association with levels of Tolerance of Ambiguity, Resilience, Perfectionism-High Standards and Concern over mistakes as constructs indicative of coping. Medical students (N = 797) were stratified by rural background and degree of rural interest. Mediation analysis tested the effect of personality profile on levels of the coping constructs. More (72%) rural background students had Profile 1 which was associated with higher levels of Tolerance of Ambiguity, High standards, and Resilience, but lower Concern over mistakes. Non-rural background students reporting a strong rural interest also had Profile 1 (64%) and similar levels of coping constructs. Personality profile mediated the association between rural interest and levels of coping constructs regardless of background. Having a rural background or strong rural interest are associated with a personality profile that indicates a better capacity for coping. Personality may play a part in an individual's interest in rural practice. Rural workforce initiatives through education should encourage and nurture students with a genuine interest in rural practice - regardless of background.