Die "Wemütige Klage" des Hermann Löher. Eine Anklageschrift gegen Hexenverfolgung als Ego-Dokument

Die "Wemütige Klage der frommen Unschültigen" des ehemaligen Rheinbacher Schöffen Hermann Löher (gedruckt zu Amsterdam 1676) war gedacht als eine Anklageschrift gegen den Wahnsinn der Hexenverfolgungen und richtete sich in erster Linie an den Papst, den Kaiser und alle Fürsten und hohen Geistlichen des Reiches. Damit fällt die "Wemütige Klage" eigentlich unter die Kategorie 'Sachbuch' und nicht unter 'Autobiographie'. Doch durch den Erzählstil des Autors, der selbst bei der Diskussion der dämonologischen Literatur seiner Zeit immer wieder sein eigenes Erleben als Gerichtsschöffe einbringt, gerät die sachliche Erörterung unversehens zum Ego-Dokument.

Ego in amorem inciderem ... et ego tristis spectator - Die Autobiographie des jülich-bergischen Rates Petrus Simonius Ritz (1562-1622)

Der vorliegende Beitrag stellt die 1604 verfasste und bislang unveröffentlichte Autobiographie des kurtrierischen, jülich-bergischen und nach dem Zerfall der Vereinigten Herzogtümer Jülich-Kleve-Berg pfalz-neuburgischen Rates Petrus Simonius Ritz (1562-1622) vor. Seit 1595 stand der Schreiber in jülich-bergischen Diensten und nahm bis zu seinem Tod an fast allen bedeutsamen Ereignissen der damals angespannten politischen Situation am Niederrhein teil. Bei Beachtung der Klischees, die Simonius in seiner Selbstdarstellung verwendet, dürfte die mitunter sehr detaillierte und aufmerksame Beschreibung seiner alltäglichen Wahrnehmungen den besonderen Wert der Aufzeichnungen ausmachen. Er erzählt von seinem Bildungsweg, von Heirat, Krankheit und dem Tode seiner ersten Frau, der anschließenden Wiederverheiratung und natürlich auch vom Alltag bei Hofe.

Ego-Dokument oder Ich-Konstruktion? Selbstzeugnisse als Quellen zur Erforschung des frühneuzeitlichen Menschen

Der Beitrag führt in die methodologische Diskussion um Ego-Dokumente und Selbstzeugnisse ein. Diese zielt insbesondere im deutschsprachigen Raum auf eine adäquate Begrifflichkeit zur Charakterisierung beziehungsweise quellentypologischen Einordnung der betreffenden Texte. Trotz aller formalen Unterschiede, die sich aus einer solchen Typologisierung ergeben, werden Ego-Dokumente/Selbstzeugnisse in ihrer Gesamtheit als Quellen verstanden, die einen Zugang zum historischen Individuum und seinen Lebensäußerungen ermöglichen. Aber welche Art von 'Ich' begegnet uns in einem Tagebuch, einer Autobiographie, einem Brief oder einem Verhörprotokoll? Wie jeder historiographische Text ist eine Äußerung zur eigenen Person stets eine narrative Sinnkonstruktion, die das 'Ich' eines Menschen nicht unmittelbar oder unverfälscht zeigt. Vielmehr konstruiert sich das historische Subjekt im Text jeweils neu und begegnet letztlich immer nur als Bild seiner selbst. Diese Ich-Konstruktion spiegelt dennoch die historische Mentalität des jeweiligen Verfassers wider und ermöglicht im besten Fall Einblicke in seine individuelle Gedanken- und Gefühlswelt.

ON THE STABILITY OF SUPER-EARTH ATMOSPHERES

We investigate the stability of super-Earth atmospheres around M stars using a seven-parameter, analytical framework. We construct stability diagrams in the parameter space of exoplanetary radius versus semimajor axis and elucidate the regions in which the atmospheres are stable against the condensation of their major constituents, out of the gas phase, on their permanent nightside hemispheres. We find that super-Earth atmospheres that are nitrogen-dominated (Earth-like) occupy a smaller region of allowed parameter space, compared to hydrogen-dominated atmospheres, because of the dual effects of diminished advection and enhanced radiative cooling. Furthermore, some super-Earths which reside within the habitable zones of M stars may not possess stable atmospheres, depending on the mean molecular weight and infrared photospheric pressure of their atmospheres. We apply our stability diagrams to GJ 436b and GJ 1214b, and demonstrate that atmospheric compositions with high mean molecular weights are disfavored if these exoplanets possess solid surfaces and shallow atmospheres. Finally, we construct stability diagrams tailored to the Kepler data set, for G and K stars, and predict that about half of the exoplanet candidates are expected to harbor stable atmospheres if Earth-like conditions are assumed. We include 55 Cancri e and CoRoT-7b in our stability diagram for G stars

Anxiety, ego depletion, and sports performance

In the present article, we analyzed the role of self-control strength and state anxiety in sports performance. We tested the hypothesis that self-control strength and state anxiety interact in predicting sports performance on the basis of two studies, each using a different sports task (Study 1: performance in a basketball free throw task, N = 64; Study 2: performance in a dart task, N = 79). The patterns of results were as expected in both studies: Participants with depleted self-control strength performed worse in the specific tasks as their anxiety increased, whereas there was no significant relation for participants with fully available self-control strength. Furthermore, different degrees of available self-control strength did not predict performance in participants who were low in state anxiety, but did in participants who were high in state anxiety. Thus increasing self-control strength could reduce the negative anxiety effects in sports and improve athletes' performance under pressure.

Ego depletion, attentional control, and decision making in sport

Objectives: Athletes differ at staying focused on performance and avoiding distraction. Drawing on the strength model of self-control we investigated whether athletes do not only differ inter-individually in their disposition of staying focused and avoiding distraction but also intra-individually in their situational availability of focused attention. Design/method: In the present experiment we hypothesized that basketball players (N = 40) who have sufficient self-control resources will perform relatively better on a computer based decision making task under distraction conditions compared to a group who's self-control resources have been depleted in a prior task requiring self-control. Results: The results are in line with the strength model of self-control by demonstrating that an athlete's capability to focus attention relies on the situational availability of self-control strength. Conclusions: The current results indicate that having sufficient self-control strength in interference rich sport settings is likely to be beneficial for decision making.

The effect of ego depletion on sprint start reaction time

In the current study, we consider that optimal sprint start performance requires the self-control of responses. Therefore, start performance should depend on athletes' self-control strength. We assumed that momentary depletion of self-control strength (ego depletion) would either speed up or slow down the initiation of a sprint start, where an initiation that was sped up would carry the increased risk of a false start. Applying a mixed between- (depletion vs. nondepletion) and within- (before vs. after manipulation of depletion) subjects design, we tested the start reaction times of 37 sport students. We found that participants' start reaction times decelerated after finishing a depleting task, whereas it remained constant in the nondepletion condition. These results indicate that sprint start performance can be impaired by unrelated preceding actions that lower momentary self-control strength. We discuss practical implications in terms of optimizing sprint starts and related overall sprint performance.

Ego depletion after social interference

The present study examines whether social interference (i.e., interference with one’s goal attainment by the bodily presence of others) depletes the limited resource of self-control strength. In an experimental laboratory study (N = 34), half the participants experienced social interference whereas the other half did not experience social interference by two confederates during a dexterity task. Afterwards, we measured participants’ momentary self-control strength applying a Stroop colour-naming task. In line with our prediction, participants’ performance in the Stroop task indicated that social interference reduced self-control strength. We discuss implications for crowding research and crowding in natural settings.

Primum et super omnium: nihil nocere Operationsindikation im Wandel bei Divertikulitis

Diverticulitis is a common disease in western countries and its incidence is increasing especially among young patients. Colonic diverticulosis, incidentally diagnosed by endoscopy or CT-scanning, has no immediate clinical consequences. Progression to diverticulitis develops in only 4 % of cases. In the last decades management of diverticular disease evolved and expectative treatment and less invasive techniques have gained importance. Elective resection has traditionally been advised after a second episode of diverticulitis or after a first episode if the patient was less than 50 years of age or complicated disease occurred. Recent changes in understanding the natural history of diverticular disease have substantially modified treatment paradigms. Elective resection in case of recurrent diverticular disease should be performed on a individual basis and in cases with complications like intestinal obstruction or fistulas. Primary anastomosis is an option even in emergency surgery due to colonic perforation, while diverting operations are indicated for selected patient groups with a high risk profile. Several prospective studies showed good results for laparoscopic drainage and lavage in the setting of perforated diverticulitis with generalized peritonitis, though this concept needs to be controlled with randomized clinical trials before application into the daily practice. This article should provide a short overview of trends in the surgical treatment of diverticulitis, help to understand the natural history of the disease and thereby explain the currently lower frequency of surgical interventions for diverticulitis.

Ego depletion in color priming research: Self-control strength moderates the detrimental effect of red on cognitive test performance

Colors have been found to affect psychological functioning. Empirical evidence suggests that, in test situations, brief perceptions of the color red or even the word "red" printed in black ink prime implicit anxious responses and consequently impair cognitive performance. However, we propose that this red effect depends on people's momentary capacity to exert control over their prepotent responses (i.e., self-control). In three experiments (Ns = 66, 78, and 130), first participants' self-control strength was manipulated. Participants were then primed with the color or word red versus gray prior to completing an arithmetic test or an intelligence test. As expected, self-control strength moderated the red effect. While red had a detrimental effect on performance of participants with depleted self-control strength (ego depletion), it did not affect performance of participants with intact self-control strength. We discuss implications of the present findings within the current debate on the robustness of priming results