Effects of a multi-session Cognitive Bias Modification program on interpretative biases and social anxiety symptoms in a sample of Iranian socially-anxious students

This study examines the effects of a multi-session Cognitive Bias Modification (CBM) program on interpretative biases and social anxiety in an Iranian sample. Thirty-six volunteers with a high score on social anxiety measures were recruited from a student population and randomly allocated into the experimental and control groups. In the experimental group, participants received 4 sessions of positive CBM for interpretative biases (CBM-I) over 2 weeks in the laboratory. Participants in the control condition completed a neutral task matched the active CBM-I intervention in format and duration but did not encourage positive disambiguation of socially ambiguous scenarios. The results indicated that after training the positive CBM-I group exhibited more positive (and less negative) interpretations of ambiguous scenarios and less social anxiety symptoms relative to the control condition at both 1 week post-test and 7 weeks follow-up. It is suggested that clinical trials are required to establish the clinical efficacy of this intervention for social anxiety.

Materialising bodies : there is nothing more material than a socially constructed body.

Over the last one of two decades, researchers within the physical education (PE) and sport pedagogy research frequently use the concept ‘the material body’. An initial purpose of this article is to explore what a concept of a ‘material body’ might mean. What other bodies are there? Who would dispute the materiality of bodies? I suggest that the use of a concept as ‘the material body’ suggests a hesitation before the radicalism of the linguistic turn in the sense that the concept ‘discourse’ does not include a material dimension. In this way ‘the material body’ relates to an interpretation of ‘the socially (or discursively) constructed body’ as void of matter. A further purpose with the article is to re-inscribe matter in the concept of ‘discourse’. This is done by way of discussing what theorists like Michel Foucault and, in particular, Judith Butler, has to say about the materiality of the body. In their writings, discourse should not be limited to spoken and/or written language. Rather, discourse is understood in terms of actions and events that create meanings—that matters. One conclusion of the article is that it is important to problematise the mundane view of discourse as ‘verbal interchange’ because it reinforces the promise of an objective knowledge that will eventually shed light on the ‘real’ body and the mysteries of sexual difference, what its origins are, what causes it. Another conclusion is that the PE and sport pedagogy research should pay less attention to the body as an object (what it ‘is’), and pay more attention to how the body matters, and e.g. how movements make bodies matter.

Decision Support Systems And Promoting Socially Just Environmental Management

The Mauri Model DMF is unique in its approach to the management of water resources as the framework offers a transparent and inclusive approach to considering the environmental, economic, social and cultural aspects of the decisions being contemplated. The Mauri Model DMF is unique because it is capable of including multiple-worldviews and adopts mauri (intrinsic value or well-being) in the place of the more common monetised assessments of pseudo sustainability using Cost Benefit Analysis. The Mauri Model DMF uses a two stage process that first identifies participants’ worldviews and inherent bias regarding water resource management, and then facilitates transparent assessment of selected sustainability performance indicators. The assessment can then be contemplated as the separate environmental, economic, social and cultural dimensions of the decision, and collectively as an overall result; or the priorities associated with different worldviews can be applied to determine the sensitivity of the result to different cultural contexts or worldviews.

"Não somos diferentes das outras pessoas": a vida cotidiana de mulheres com deficiência mental contada por elas mesmas

O objetivo desta pesquisa foi investigar a vida cotidiana de mulheres rotuladas como deficientes mentais, através de seus relatos biográficos pessoais. As entrevistadas descreveram sua rotina em casa e na instituição, falaram sobre suas famílias, relacionamentos, dificuldades em integração social, e sobre seus problemas físicos e de aprendizagem. Ficou clara no discurso deste grupo a dicotomia entre o mundo “de dentro", compreendendo os espaços protegidos da casa e da instituição, e o mundo ameaçador e violento “de fora", representado pela rua. Seus relacionamentos sociais restringem-se aos personagens do mundo “de dentro": a família, os profissionais, e os colegas da instituição, e muitas entrevistadas disseram se· sentir discriminadas pelas pessoas “de fora". Embora várias mulheres tenham exprimido o desejo de ser independentes (trabalhar fora, sair sozinhas, etc), na prática mantém urna relação de extrema dependência familiar. A pesar de dois terços das entrevistadas terem mais de 20 anos, elas não parecem ter nenhuma perspectiva concreta de morar sozinhas, casar, ou vir a formar sua própria família. Um dos pressupostos deste estudo era de que o estigma da deficiência mental, seria o terna central nas histórias de vida. Entretanto, mais da metade dos sujeitos não abordou esta questão, e muito poucas se autodenominaram deficientes. Foi postulado que os efeitos do estigma talvez sejam minimizados neste grupo devido à superproteção familiar e institucional por um lado, e a evitação do mundo "de fora" (onde esta condição seria denunciada mais abertamente) por outro. Assim sendo, em sua prática diária, a maioria dessas mulheres têm poucas oportunidades de se confrontar com a situação de marginalização. Deficiência mental foi analisada como um fenômeno socialmente construído, e acredita-se que estas pessoas funcionem em um nível mais dependente do que sua condição orgânica exigiria, por terem sido reforçadas por representar o papel social de deficientes. Apesar das características comuns, cada história de vida provou ser original e única, mostrando o erro em se considerar as pessoas portadoras de deficiência mental como um grupo homogêneo e bem definido. Além disso, a não ser pela dependência familiar, falta de participação autônoma e integrada na comunidade, e relacionamento amoroso e sexual restrito, a ideia dessas mulheres não é qualitativamente diferente do resto da população.

Are we building competitive and liveable cities?: Guidelines for developing eco-efficient and socially inclusive infrastructure

This guideline jointly published by The UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), the UN Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), and the UN Human Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT), in partnership with the Urban Design Lab of the Earth Institute, Columbia University, provides practical tools for city planners and decision makers to reform urban planning and infrastructure design according to the principles of eco-efficiency and social inclusiveness. It includes case studies from the Republic of Korea, the Philippines, Japan and Sri Lanka.

O relacionamento fraterno na presença da deficiência

This research was developed during four years, in different regions of the country. Its purpose was to better understand the possible influences that handicapped siblings have on the development of non- handicapped siblings. Participated in the study 80 siblings, with ages ranging between 14 and 26 years. There were 20 siblings of physical handicapped (PH), 20 siblings of auditory handicapped (AH), 20 of mental handicapped (MH), and 20 of non handicapped, in number and ages equivalent.The participants answered a questionnaire containing “characteristics of handicapped person”, “characteristics of respondent sibling”, “characteristics of family”, a questionnaire with eleven closed questions and one open, but for the control group there was on less question. The phenomena studied in this research in some situations present themselves differently for each group of respondent sibling (ex: greater concern of the parents with the MH sibling, calling attention more for siblings of PH and MH, more responsibility in the family, taking care of the handicapped sibling, fear of having handicapped children, and the perception of (in) dependency of the handicapped sibling) and in others present themselves in similar manner (ex: more concern of the parents with the brother with PH, nature of the relationship, to feel or not ashamed of the sibling, talking about the sibling development). In conclusion, some phenomena, so far socially perceived as causing differences in sibling relations and attributed to de presence of a handicap are not, since between siblings of non handicapped these same phenomena present themselves in a similar way. Differently from the control group, siblings of handicapped need correct information, as well as therapeutic support to elaborate feelings of fear, anger, shame that they may have due to their condition. It is important to stress, also, the need that these siblings have to be themselves without the stigma of sibling of handicapped.

Social inclusion of vulnerable groups through participatory and emancipatory approaches. Implementing active citizenship and socially innovative actions in the framework of civil & human rights model of disability

The research hypothesis of the thesis is that “an open participation in the co-creation of the services and environments, makes life easier for vulnerable groups”; assuming that the participatory and emancipatory approaches are processes of possible actions and changes aimed at facilitating people’s lives. The adoption of these approaches is put forward as the common denominator of social innovative practices that supporting inclusive processes allow a shift from a medical model to a civil and human rights approach to disability. The theoretical basis of this assumption finds support in many principles of Inclusive Education and the main focus of the hypothesis of research is on participation and emancipation as approaches aimed at facing emerging and existing problems related to inclusion. The framework of reference for the research is represented by the perspectives adopted by several international documents concerning policies and interventions to promote and support the leadership and participation of vulnerable groups. In the first part an in-depth analysis of the main academic publications on the central themes of the thesis has been carried out. After investigating the framework of reference, the analysis focuses on the main tools of participatory and emancipatory approaches, which are able to connect with the concepts of active citizenship and social innovation. In the second part two case studies concerning participatory and emancipatory approaches in the areas of concern are presented and analyzed as example of the improvement of inclusion, through the involvement and participation of persons with disability. The research has been developed using a holistic and interdisciplinary approach, aimed at providing a knowledge-base that fosters a shift from a situation of passivity and care towards a new scenario based on the person’s commitment in the elaboration of his/her own project of life.

Determining the Socially Optimal Recycling Rate

What municipal recycling rate is socially optimal? One credible answer would consider the recycling rate that minimizes the overall social costs of managing municipal waste. Such social costs are comprised of all budgetary costs and revenues associated with operating municipal waste and recycling programs, all costs to recycling households associated with preparing and storing recyclable materials for collection, all external disposal costs associated with waste disposed at landfills or incinerators, and all external benefits associated with the provision of recycled materials that foster environmentally efficient production processes. This paper discusses how to estimate these four components of social cost to then estimate the optimal recycling rate. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The Socially Optimal Recycling Rate: Evidence from Japan

This paper estimates the average social cost of municipal waste management as a function of the recycling rate. Social costs include all municipal costs and revenues, costs to recycling households to prepare materials estimated with an original method, external disposal costs, and external recycling benefits. Results suggest average social costs are minimized with recycling rates well below observed and mandated levels in Japan. Cost-minimizing municipalities are estimated to recycle less than the optimal rate. These results are robust to changes in the components of social costs, indicating that Japan and perhaps other developed countries may be setting inefficiently high recycling goals. (C) 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

An Elaboration of the Psycho-Physiological Method and its Application on the Process of Socialization of Mentally Handicapped People

The socialisation of mentally handicapped people is a long-term process during which the disabled person learns new habits and abilities step by step through education and training. Anxiety and neuroses due to an inadequate social environment can place obstacles in the path of the disabled person's integration into society. A method of regulating the psycho-physiological condition of mentally handicapped people (MRPC) was developed in order to reduce anxiety and neuropsychological tension and to establish positive social attitudes. Both verbal and non-verbal means of manipulating the psycho-physiological condition were used and experimental and control groups were formed from among the clients of Israelian's institute. The experimental groups applied the new method for six months, leading to a significant shift in the response of the clients involved. Expressed anxiety and defensive responses to mental tasks were transformed into orienting responses after 30 psycho-regulative exercises. Cognitive functions such as attention and memory also improved significantly. EEG examinations of the actual process of psycho-regulation revealed a tendency towards a change of brain activity by increasing the fast pulse frequency values in the alpha zones. Israelian concludes that the application of the MRPC creates better functional conditions for the socialisation of mentally handicapped people.

Is a General Theory of Socially Disapproved Violence Possible (or Necessary)?

A model of theoretical science is set forth to guide the formulation of general theories around abstract concepts and processes. Such theories permit explanatory application to many phenomena that are not ostensibly alike, and in so doing encompass socially disapproved violence, making special theories of violence unnecessary. Though none is completely adequate for the explanatory job, at least seven examples of general theories that help account for deviance make up the contemporary theoretical repertoire. From them, we can identify abstractions built around features of offenses, aspects of individuals, the nature of social relationships, and different social processes. Although further development of general theories may be hampered by potential indeterminacy of the subject matter and by the possibility of human agency, maneuvers to deal with such obstacles are available.