La goutte et la feuille. Transfigurations de la beauté naturelle dans la littérature européenne: Chateaubriand, Hölderlin et Leopardi.

La goutte et la feuille . Transfigurations de la beauté naturelle dans la littérature européenne : Chateaubriand , Hölderlin et Leopardi . La thèse se présente comme une étude morphologique de l'esthétique de la nature à la fin de 18 ans. Siècle. Le dénominateur commun est une étude comparative des paradigmes scientifiques et des images symboliques utilisés dans la littérature européenne . Sous ce point de vue la thèse identifie les formes originaires de la goutte et de la feuille comme un point de contact entre des moments culturels distincts, même si entrelacés. Un passage particulièrement important du travail est l'analyse structurelle du paysage . Le paysage est le point culminant d'accès aux secrets de l'écriture romantique. Le paysage commence avec la représentation classique du jardin édénique et se termine avec la forêt exotique américaine. Celle-ci est décrite par Chateaubriand, en tant qu’objet d’une KOINONIE stylistique à l’immensité sublime du désert et l'océan . Hölderlin place avec la beauté naturelle devient une harmonie secrète et sombre dans l'inconscient symbolique de l'âme humaine . Leopardi est l'auteur du désenchantement , et pourtant il est encore capable de pressentir empathiquement la mesure de l’imagination envers la beauté naturelle. Avec Léopards , cependant, s’accomplit la séparation finale entre l’EPOS de la beauté naturelle et l’ETHOS de la nature . Cette dernière est une grandeur morale, et au fait elle représente le moment de la dissolution nihiliste, notamment magnitude de l’esthétique typiquement romantique . Après Chateaubriand , Leopardi , et Hölderlin beauté naturelle ne seront plus transfigurant .

Betreuungsbedürfnisse von Patientinnen im Rahmen der gynäkologischen Krebsfrüherkennungsuntersuchung : Entwicklung eines Erfassungsinstrumentes

Da es bis dato kein spezifisches Instrument gibt, um die Betreuungsbedürfnisse von Patientinnen im Rahmen der gynäkologischen Krebsfrüherkennungsuntersuchung zu erfassen, war es das Ziel der vorliegenden explorativen Studie, eben jene subjektiven Betreuungsbedürfnisse aufzudecken und sie in ein praxistaugliches und messbares Format zu überführen - den Fragebogen „Betreuungsbedürfnisse – Gynäkologische Krebsfrüherkennungsuntersuchung (BB-G KFU)“. Wir stellten hierzu folgende Hypothesen auf: Es ist möglich (a) Betreuungsbedürfnisse zu explorieren und in reliablen Skalen abzubilden, (b) die Wichtigkeit der Betreuungsbedürfnisse in Form einer Wertigkeitsrangfolge abzubilden, (c) Determinanten der Betreuungsbedürfnisse (Alter, Sozialstatus, Familienstand, Gesundheitsbezogene Kontrollüberzeugungen) zu detektieren. Wir entwickelten einen Fragebogen auf der Basis einer ausführlichen systematischen Literaturrecherche, Leitfadeninterviews mit gynäkologischen Patientinnen sowie einer Befragung von 18 Experten. Dieser Fragebogen beinhaltete 58 Arzt bezogene Betreuungsbedürfnisse-Items, 12 Arzthelferinnen bezogene Betreuungsbedürfnisse-Items und 21 Praxisorganisation und Praxisstruktur bezogene Betreuungsbedürfnisse-Items. Die Probandinnen bewerteten die Wichtigkeit der Erfüllung jedes Items anhand einer fünfstufigen Antwortskala im Likert-Format (1 = nicht wichtig, 5 = sehr wichtig). Zudem wurden soziodemografische Daten sowie gesundheitsbezogene Kontrollüberzeugungen der Probandinnen erhoben. Im Sinne einer multizentrisch angelegten Querschnittstudie wurde der Fragebogen an 1.000 Patientinnen in zehn gynäkologischen Praxen in drei deutschen Bundesländern ausgegeben. Insgesamt erhielten wir 965 ausgefüllte Fragebögen zurück. Mittels deskriptiver Statistiken konnten die soziodemografischen Daten sowie die einzelnen Betreuungsbedürfnisse-Items ausgewertet werden. Zur Entwicklung reliabler Betreuungsbedürfnis-Skalen wurde der Datensatz einer Hauptkomponentenanalyse (PCA mit Varimax-Rotation) unterzogen. Auf diesem Wege konnte ein Erfassungsinstrument (Fragebogen „Betreuungsbedürfnisse – Gynäkologische Krebsfrüherkennungsuntersuchung (BB-G KFU)“) bestehend aus sieben reliablen Betreuungsbedürfnis-Skalen (BB-S) entwickelt werden, welche die psychosozialen Betreuungsbedürfnisse und -wünsche von Patientinnen mit Bezug auf den Gynäkologen (BB-S-A), die Arzthelferin (BB-S-AH) sowie die Praxisstruktur (BB-S-P) abzubilden vermögen: „Bedürfnis nach Information“ (BB-S-A-I), „Bedürfnis nach Respekt und Einfühlungsvermögen im Rahmen der körperlichen Untersuchung“ (BB-S-A-RE), „Bedürfnis nach Zuwendung und Verfügbarkeit“ (BB-S-A-ZV), „Bedürfnis nach Zuwendung und Service“ (BB-S-AH-ZS), „Bedürfnis nach logistischer Unterstützung“ (BB-S-AH-L), „Bedürfnis nach Basisausstattung und Erreichbarkeit“ (BB-S-P-BE) und „Bedürfnis nach Zusatzausstattung“ (BB-S-P-Z). Die durch die drei arztbezogenen Komponenten (bestehend aus 33 Items) aufgeklärte Gesamtvarianz beträgt 40,29%, die der arzthelferinnenbezogenen 2-Komponentenlösung (11 Items) 48,92%, und die Totalvarianz der zwei Dimensionen mit Bezug auf die Praxisstruktur (19 Items) liegt bei 41,68%. Die Reliabilitäten der sieben Skalen sind als akzeptabel bis sehr gut zu bewerten (Cronbachs α = .71 - .89). Anhand der Korrelationen zum KKG (Fragen zu Kontrollüberzeugungen über Krankheit und Gesundheit von Lohaus und Schmitt) konnten erste positive Hinweise auf die Validität des BB-G KFU gefunden werden. Durch den Vergleich der einzelnen Mittelwerte konnte die hierarchische Organisation der Betreuungsbedürfnisse gemäß ihrer Wichtigkeit sichtbar gemacht werden: Die Arbeit zeigt, dass Patientinnen im Rahmen der gynäkologischen KFU der Informationsvermittlung durch den Arzt (BB-S-A-I; M = 1,51; SD = 0,47) wie auch der ärztlichen Zuwendung und Verfügbarkeit (BB-S-A-ZV; M = 1,39; SD = 0,38) in der Wertigkeitsrangfolge einen besonders hohen Platz einräumen. Die Datenanalysen zeigen zudem eine Abhängigkeit der Betreuungsbedürfnisse vom Alter und vom Sozialstatus der Patientinnen, jedoch nicht vom Familienstand und den gesundheitsbezogenen Kontrollüberzeugungen.

Because someone has recommended it - Patients’ reasons for choosing acupuncture or qigong

Question: Recent research has indicated a considerable contribution of placebo effects to the outcome of acupuncture treatments: especially patients’ expectations seem to have an influence [1] and [2]. In this context it is important to better understand the patient–practitioner relationship. The aim of this study was to investigate why patients in Switzerland choose acupuncture or qigong, and what they expect from the treatment and the practitioners [3]. Methods: A qualitative survey with open questions was performed among 38 patients newly enrolled for treatment in 7 different practices for Traditional Chinese Medicine ((TCM); 6 practices for acupuncture, 1 for qigong). Questions aimed to identify reasons for choosing TCM, knowledge about its range of indications, and patients’ expectations towards method and therapist. Answers were categorised and analysed by frequency. Results: The most common reasons for choosing TCM were recommendation by acquaintances, the idea of trying a new treatment and the perception of TCM as being a gentle method. The majority of respondents had poor knowledge about the range of conditions to be treated with TCM: pain of the musculoskeletal system, headaches and chronic problems were considered as main indications. Surprisingly, gynaecological or gastro-intestinal diseases were not mentioned by the respondents. Practitioners were expected to have professional competence, provide information, empathy and understanding. Conclusions: The most striking result of this survey was the fact that patients knew very little about TCM and its indications. Thus, more precise information about TCM and other complementary methods should be offered to the general public, which would help patients to decide whether to consider TCM for the treatment of their disease. And, on the other hand, for the therapists it is important to better understand and respond to patients’ expectations in order to achieve better treatment results. The results of this qualitative survey were briefly discussed with the participating practitioners, who found them remarkable and support further quantitative studies. We plan to further investigate this topic. References 1. J. Pariente, P. White, R.S.J. Frackowiak, G. Lewith. Neuroimage, 25 (2005), pp. 1161–1167 2. M. Karst, D. Schneidewind, D. Scheinichen. Forsch Komplementmed, 17 (2010), pp. 21–27 3. S.D. Klein. Dt Ztschr f Akup, 52 (2009), pp. 18–23

The Politics of Purchasing Power: Feminist Tourism and Women's Development in Nepal

My purpose in this essay is to explore how ideas about women and development are created and circulated at the moment of consumption of wares produced at a women's development project in Nepal. I analyze the project as an example of the ways that women's development is an object of material and discursive consumption. Artifacts produced and sold by Nepali women, and purchased by tourists from the "first world," become part of an international exchange of power, money, and meaning. Based on a survey of consumers and ethnographic observations, I conclude that feminist tourists forge relations with disempowered "Others" through the pleasurable activity of an alienated market transaction. Consumers of crafts produced at a women's development project assume a position of empowerment and enlightenment, ready to help out their "women" counterparts through their support of an enterprise with circular logic: within the industry of development (although not necessarily for feminist tourists themselves), at least one of the central projects of development is the development project itself. At the same time, feminist tourists locate themselves outside the oppressive structures and ideologies affecting their "third-world sisters." This is a relation of sympathy and imagined empathy, with no sense of differential location within systems of oppression. They fail to examine or articulate the global link between their own purchasing power and local living conditions of Maithil women; the connection is effectively built out of the discourse.

Social Cognition And Functional Brain Imaging: Extending The Broader Autism Phenotype

Evidence suggests that the social cognition deficits prevalent in autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) are widely distributed in first degree and extended relatives. This ¿broader autism phenotype¿ (BAP) can be extended into non-clinical populations and show wide distributions of social behaviors such as empathy and social responsiveness ¿ with ASDs exhibiting these behaviors on the lower ends of the distributions. Little evidence has previously shown relationships between self-report measures of social cognition and more objective tasks such as face perception in functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and event-related potentials (ERPs). In this study, three specific hypotheses were addressed: a) increased social ability, as measured by an increased Empathy Quotient, decreased Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS-A) score, and increased Social Attribution Task score, will predict increased activation of the fusiform gyrus in response to faces as compared to houses; b) these same measures will predict N170 amplitude and latency showing decreased latency and increased amplitude for faces as compared to houses with increased social ability; c) increased amygdala volume will predict increased fusiform gyrus activation when viewing faces as compared to houses. Findings supported all of the hypotheses. Empathy scores significantly predicted both right FFG activation [F(1,20) = 4.811, p = .041, ß = .450, R2 = 0.20] and left FFG activation [F(1,20) = 7.70, p = .012, ß = .537, R2 = 0.29]. Based on ERP results increased right lateralization face-related N170 was significantly predicted by the EQ [F(1,54) = 6.94, p = .011, ß = .338, R2 = 0.11]. Finally, total amygdala volume significantly predicted right [F(1,20) = 7.217, p = .014, ß = .515, R2 = 0.27] and left [F(1,20) = 36.77, p < .001, ß = .805, R2 = 0.65] FFG activation. Consistent with the a priori hypotheses, traits attributed to the BAP can significantly predict neural responses to faces in a non-clinical population. This is consistent with the face processing deficits seen in ASDs. The findings presented here contribute to the extension of the BAP from unaffected relatives of individuals with ASDs to the general population. These findings also give continued evidence in support of a continuous distribution of traits found in psychiatric illnesses in place of a traditional, dichotomous ¿all-or-nothing¿ diagnostic framework of neurodevelopmental and neuropsychiatric disorders.

Social Cognition and Neural Substrates of Face Perception: Implications for Neurodevelopmental and Neuropsychiatric Disorders

BACKGROUND: Social cognition is an important aspect of social behavior in humans. Social cognitive deficits are associated with neurodevelopmental and neuropsychiatric disorders. In this study we examine the neural substrates of social cognition and face processing in a group of healthy young adults to examine the neural substrates of social cognition. METHODS: Fifty-seven undergraduates completed a battery of social cognition tasks and were assessed with electroencephalography (EEG) during a face-perception task. A subset (N=22) were administered a face-perception task during functional magnetic resonance imaging. RESULTS: Variance in the N170 EEG was predicted by social attribution performance and by a quantitative measure of empathy. Neurally, face processing was more bilateral in females than in males. Variance in fMRI voxel count in the face-sensitive fusiform gyrus was predicted by quantitative measures of social behavior, including the Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS) and the Empathizing Quotient. CONCLUSIONS: When measured as a quantitative trait, social behaviors in typical and pathological populations share common neural pathways. The results highlight the importance of viewing neurodevelopmental and neuropsychiatric disorders as spectrum phenomena that may be informed by studies of the normal distribution of relevant traits in the general population. Copyright 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Reciprocal cooperation between unrelated rats depends on cost to donor and benefit to recipient

Background Although evolutionary models of cooperation build on the intuition that costs of the donor and benefits to the receiver are the most general fundamental parameters, it is largely unknown how they affect the decision of animals to cooperate with an unrelated social partner. Here we test experimentally whether costs to the donor and need of the receiver decide about the amount of help provided by unrelated rats in an iterated prisoner's dilemma game. Results Fourteen unrelated Norway rats were alternately presented to a cooperative or defective partner for whom they could provide food via a mechanical apparatus. Direct costs for this task and the need of the receiver were manipulated in two separate experiments. Rats provided more food to cooperative partners than to defectors (direct reciprocity). The propensity to discriminate between helpful and non-helpful social partners was contingent on costs: An experimentally increased resistance in one Newton steps to pull food for the social partner reduced the help provided to defectors more strongly than the help returned to cooperators. Furthermore, test rats provided more help to hungry receivers that were light or in poor condition, which might suggest empathy, whereas this relationship was inverse when experimental partners were satiated. Conclusions In a prisoner's dilemma situation rats seem to take effect of own costs and potential benefits to a receiver when deciding about helping a social partner, which confirms the predictions of reciprocal cooperation. Thus, factors that had been believed to be largely confined to human social behaviour apparently influence the behaviour of other social animals as well, despite widespread scepticism. Therefore our results shed new light on the biological basis of reciprocity.

Educating...for what?: Engagement and Citizenry

Higgins School of the Humanities/Difficult Dialogues: Video Recording from 11/3/2011 event featuring Tom Hayden and Bob Ross "Engagement and Citizenry" Event Description: During their undergraduate years, students participate in a community that is a microcosm of society, and have the opportunity to learn about what it means to be a member of a society—a citizen—while they live it. How do we as educators (and humanists) best support and model this process? Where in our pedagogy can we enhance and develop the qualities of skillful empathy, effective analysis and motivated responsibility that good citizenship demands? Our guest for a conversation on engagement and citizenry is long-time activist Tom Hayden, who was the primary author of the Port Huron Statement of Students for a Democratic Society, which became known for its advocacy of “participatory democracy”. He is joined in conversation by Professor Bob Ross of Clark University, who participated with Hayden in the founding of SDS.

Stereocopic Photography Encounters the Staircase

The staircase is presented as the architectural component that most potently embodies thresholds, boundaries and passages due to its diagonal orientation and essence as an intermediary zone. Connections then are made between the kinesthetic requirements of traversing a staircase and viewing a stereoscopic photograph. From this foundation, the haptic essence of stereoscopic photography is proposed as uniquely qualified medium through which to view a staircase and therefore thresholds, boundaries, and passages within architecture. Analyses of stereoviews of staircases in the Palais de Justice in Brussels, the Library of Congress in Washington, and the Palais Garnier (Opéra) in Paris close the essay.

The power of emotional valence – from cognitive to affective processes in reading

The comprehension of stories requires the reader to imagine the cognitive and affective states of the characters. The content of many stories is unpleasant, as they often deal with conflict, disturbance or crisis. Nevertheless, unpleasant stories can be liked and enjoyed. In this fMRI study, we used a parametric approach to examine (1) the capacity of increasing negative valence of story contents to activate the mentalizing network (cognitive and affective theory of mind, ToM), and (2) the neural substrate of liking negatively valenced narratives. A set of 80 short narratives was compiled, ranging from neutral to negative emotional valence. For each story mean rating values on valence and liking were obtained from a group of 32 participants in a prestudy, and later included as parametric regressors in the fMRI analysis. Another group of 24 participants passively read the narratives in a three Tesla MRI scanner. Results revealed a stronger engagement of affective ToM-related brain areas with increasingly negative story valence. Stories that were unpleasant, but simultaneously liked, engaged the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), which might reflect the moral exploration of the story content. Further analysis showed that the more the mPFC becomes engaged during the reading of negatively valenced stories, the more coactivation can be observed in other brain areas related to the neural processing of affective ToM and empathy.

"Because someone has recommended it" - patients' reasons for choosing acupuncture or qigong

Background Recent research has indicated a considerable contribution of placebo effects to the outcome of acupuncture treatments: especially patients’ expectations seem to have an influence [1, 2]. In this context it is important to better understand the patient-practitioner relationship. The aim of this study was to investigate why patients in Switzerland choose acupuncture or qigong, and what they expect from the treatment and the practitioners [3]. Method A qualitative survey with open questions was performed among 38 patients newly enrolled for treatment in 7 different practices for Traditional Chinese Medicine ((TCM); 6 practices for acupuncture, 1 for qigong). Questions aimed to identify reasons for choosing TCM, knowledge about its range of indications, and patients’ expectations towards method and therapist. Answers were categorised and analysed by frequency. Results The most common reasons for choosing TCM were recommendation by acquaintances, the idea of trying a new treatment and the perception of TCM as being a gentle method. The majority of respondents had poor knowledge about the range of conditions to be treated with TCM: pain of the musculoskeletal system, headaches and chronic problems were considered as main indications. Surprisingly, gynaecological or gastro-intestinal diseases were not mentioned by the respondents. Practitioners were expected to have professional competence, provide information, empathy and understanding. Discussion The most striking result of this survey was the fact that patients knew very little about TCM and its indications. Thus, more precise information about TCM and other complementary methods should be offered to the general public, which would help patients to decide whether to consider TCM for the treatment of their disease. And, on the other hand, for the therapists it is important to better understand and respond to patients’ expectations in order to achieve better treatment results. The results of this qualitative survey were briefly discussed with the participating practitioners, who found them remarkable and support further quantitative studies. We plan to further investigate this topic. Literature 1 Pariente J et al., Neuroimage 2005;25:1161-67 2 Karst M et al., Forsch Komplementmed 2010;17:21-7 3 Klein SD., Dt Ztschr f Akup. 2009;52:18-23

Gamma-hydroxybutyrate enhances mood and prosocial behavior without affecting plasma oxytocin and testosterone.

Gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB) is a GHB-/GABAB-receptor agonist. Reports from GHB abusers indicate euphoric, prosocial, and empathogenic effects of the drug. We measured the effects of GHB on mood, prosocial behavior, social and non-social cognition and assessed potential underlying neuroendocrine mechanisms. GHB (20mg/kg) was tested in 16 healthy males, using a randomized, placebo-controlled, cross-over design. Subjective effects on mood were assessed by visual-analogue-scales and the GHB-Specific-Questionnaire. Prosocial behavior was examined by the Charity Donation Task, the Social Value Orientation test, and the Reciprocity Task. Reaction time, memory, empathy, and theory-of-mind were also tested. Blood plasma levels of GHB, oxytocin, testosterone, progesterone, dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), cortisol, aldosterone, and adrenocorticotropic-hormone (ACTH) were determined. GHB showed stimulating and sedating effects, and elicited euphoria, disinhibition, and enhanced vitality. In participants with low prosociality, the drug increased donations and prosocial money distributions. In contrast, social cognitive abilities such as emotion recognition, empathy, and theory-of-mind, and basal cognitive functions were not affected. GHB increased plasma progesterone, while oxytocin and testosterone, cortisol, aldosterone, DHEA, and ACTH levels remained unaffected. GHB has mood-enhancing and prosocial effects without affecting social hormones such as oxytocin and testosterone. These data suggest a potential involvement of GHB-/GABAB-receptors and progesterone in mood and prosocial behavior.

Narcissism and emotional contagion: do narcissists “catch” the emotions of others?

In this research, we investigated the association between narcissism and one central aspect of empathy, susceptibility for emotional contagion (the transfer of emotional states from one person to another). In an experimental study (N=101), we were able to compare actual susceptibility for emotional contagion (as indicated by a change in emotions that converges with the emotions of another person) and self-reported susceptibility for emotional contagion (assessed via questionnaire). Results showed that in the case of positive emotions, narcissists were actually less susceptible to emotional contagion than individuals low in narcissism. At the same time, however, narcissists believed they were more susceptible to contagion of positive emotions. Thus, narcissists were less likely to “catch the positive emotions” of others than individuals low in narcissism, but at the same time lacked the self-insight capabilities to notice this.

Evaluation of therapist and client language in Motivational Interviewing (MI) sessions: A secondary analysis of data from the Southern Methodist Alcohol Research Trial (SMART) study

In the United States, “binge” drinking among college students is an emerging public health concern due to the significant physical and psychological effects on young adults. The focus is on identifying interventions that can help decrease high-risk drinking behavior among this group of drinkers. One such intervention is Motivational interviewing (MI), a client-centered therapy that aims at resolving client ambivalence by developing discrepancy and engaging the client in change talk. Of late, there is a growing interest in determining the active ingredients that influence the alliance between the therapist and the client. This study is a secondary analysis of the data obtained from the Southern Methodist Alcohol Research Trial (SMART) project, a dismantling trial of MI and feedback among heavy drinking college students. The present project examines the relationship between therapist and client language in MI sessions on a sample of “binge” drinking college students. Of the 126 SMART tapes, 30 tapes (‘MI with feedback’ group = 15, ‘MI only’ group = 15) were randomly selected for this study. MISC 2.1, a mutually exclusive and exhaustive coding system, was used to code the audio/videotaped MI sessions. Therapist and client language were analyzed for communication characteristics. Overall, therapists adopted a MI consistent style and clients were found to engage in change talk. Counselor acceptance, empathy, spirit, and complex reflections were all significantly related to client change talk (p-values ranged from 0.001 to 0.047). Additionally, therapist ‘advice without permission’ and MI Inconsistent therapist behaviors were strongly correlated with client sustain talk (p-values ranged from 0.006 to 0.048). Simple linear regression models showed a significant correlation between MI consistent (MICO) therapist language (independent variable) and change talk (dependent variable) and MI inconsistent (MIIN) therapist language (independent variable) and sustain talk (dependent variable). The study has several limitations such as small sample size, self-selection bias, poor inter-rater reliability for the global scales and the lack of a temporal measure of therapist and client language. Future studies might consider a larger sample size to obtain more statistical power. In addition the correlation between therapist language, client language and drinking outcome needs to be explored.^

THE MEASUREMENT OF HUMANISTIC AND DEHUMANISTIC BEHAVIORS IN HOSPITAL NURSING ENVIRONMENTS

The purpose of this investigation was to develop a reliable scale to measure the social environment of hospital nursing units according to the degree of humanistic and dehumanistic behaviors as perceived by nursing staff in hospitals. The study was based on a conceptual model proposed by Jan Howard, a sociologist. After reviewing the literature relevant to personalization of care, analyzing interviews with patients in various settings, and studying biological, psychological, and sociological frames of reference, Howard proposed the following necessary conditions for humanized health care. They were the dimensions of Irreplaceability, Holistic Selves, Freedom of Action, Status Equality, Shared Decision Making and Responsibility, Empathy, and Positive Affect.^ It was proposed that a scale composed of behaviors which reflected Howard's dimensions be developed within the framework of the social environment of nursing care units in hospitals. Nursing units were chosen because hospitals are traditionally organized around nursing care units and because patients spend the majority of their time in hospitals interacting with various levels of nursing personnel.^ Approximately 180 behaviors describing both patient and nursing staff behaviors which occur on nursing units were developed. Behaviors which were believed to be humanistic as well as dehumanistic were included. The items were classified under the dimensions of Howard's model by a purposively selected sample of 42 nurses representing a broad range of education, experience, and clinical areas. Those items with a high degree of agreement, at least 50%, were placed in the questionnaire. The questionnaire consisted of 169 items including six items from the Marlowe Crowne Social Desirability Scale (Short Form).^ The questionnaire, the Social Environment Scale, was distributed to the entire 7 to 3 shift nursing staff (603) of four hospitals including a public county specialty hospital, a public county general and acute hospital, a large university affiliated hospital with all services, and a small general community hospital. Staff were asked to report on a Likert type scale how often the listed behaviors occurred on their units. Three hundred and sixteen respondents (52% of the population) participated in the study.^ An item analysis was done in which each item was examined in relationship to its correlation to its own dimension total and to the totals of the other dimensions. As a result of this analysis, three dimensions, Positive Affect, Irreplaceability, and Freedom of Action were deleted from the scale. The final scale consisted of 70 items with 26 in Shared Decision Making and Responsibility, 25 in Holistic Selves, 12 in Status Equality, and seven in Empathy. The alpha coefficient was over .800 for all scales except Empathy which was .597.^ An analysis of variance by hospital was performed on the means of each dimension of the scale. There was a statistically significant difference between hospitals with a trend for the public hospitals to score lower on the scale than the university or community hospitals. That the scale scores should be lower in crowded, understaffed public hospitals was not unexpected and reflected that the scale had some discriminating ability. These differences were still observed after adjusting for the effect of Social Desirability.^ In summary, there is preliminary evidence based on this exploratory investigation that a reliable scale based on at least four dimensions from Howard's model could be developed to measure the concept of humanistic health care in hospital settings. ^