Abstract The aim of the study was to compare the expression of religious feelings in pre-school children and the perception of these feelings by the children’s’ mothers. Ninety Polish children from Catholic families aged 4, 5 and 6 participated in the study. A picture method along with interviews with children’s mothers were employed to gather the data. Data from the two sources was compared, taking into consideration the content and ways of expression of the described feelings. Relations between positive and negative feelings were investigated and further statistical analyses were focused mainly on negative feelings. It was found that structure of negative religious feelings obtained directly from the children bears significant similarity to the mothers’ perception.
{"title":"Religious feelings in pre-school children in their own and their mothers’ perception","authors":"Małgorzata Tatala, Maria Mańkowska","doi":"10.2478/pepsi-2015-0001","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2478/pepsi-2015-0001","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract The aim of the study was to compare the expression of religious feelings in pre-school children and the perception of these feelings by the children’s’ mothers. Ninety Polish children from Catholic families aged 4, 5 and 6 participated in the study. A picture method along with interviews with children’s mothers were employed to gather the data. Data from the two sources was compared, taking into consideration the content and ways of expression of the described feelings. Relations between positive and negative feelings were investigated and further statistical analyses were focused mainly on negative feelings. It was found that structure of negative religious feelings obtained directly from the children bears significant similarity to the mothers’ perception.","PeriodicalId":30599,"journal":{"name":"Journal for Perspectives of Economic Political and Social Integration","volume":"21 1","pages":"15 - 33"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2015-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"69246150","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Abstract Human religiousness is a complex and multidimensional reality embedded in basic human needs and connected with people’s desires, anxieties, and hopes. The aim of the paper is to assess religiousness, considered in terms of meaning and cognitive emotion regulation strategies, in adolescents. The religious meaning system is a multidimensional construct encompassing convictions, beliefs, emotional connotations, and the rules of worship. In situations of negative events or unpleasant experiences, young people resort to various coping strategies. Cognitive emotion regulation strategies concern relatively stable conscious ways of regulating emotions, which consist in mentally handling the incoming information that evoke emotions. The study concerned young people aged 13 to 16 years (N = 130). Religiousness was assessed using D. Krok’s Religious Meaning System Questionnaire (RMSQ) and cognitive coping strategies were measured using the Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (CERQ) by N. Garnefski and V. Kraaij. The results show that there are relations between religiousness, understood in terms of the young participants’ meaning system, and adaptive as well as maladaptive emotion regulation strategies. The results of the study are discussed in the light of theory and research.
{"title":"Religiousness and cognitive emotion regulation strategies in adolescence","authors":"Maria Oleś, M. Woźny","doi":"10.2478/pepsi-2015-0002","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2478/pepsi-2015-0002","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract Human religiousness is a complex and multidimensional reality embedded in basic human needs and connected with people’s desires, anxieties, and hopes. The aim of the paper is to assess religiousness, considered in terms of meaning and cognitive emotion regulation strategies, in adolescents. The religious meaning system is a multidimensional construct encompassing convictions, beliefs, emotional connotations, and the rules of worship. In situations of negative events or unpleasant experiences, young people resort to various coping strategies. Cognitive emotion regulation strategies concern relatively stable conscious ways of regulating emotions, which consist in mentally handling the incoming information that evoke emotions. The study concerned young people aged 13 to 16 years (N = 130). Religiousness was assessed using D. Krok’s Religious Meaning System Questionnaire (RMSQ) and cognitive coping strategies were measured using the Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (CERQ) by N. Garnefski and V. Kraaij. The results show that there are relations between religiousness, understood in terms of the young participants’ meaning system, and adaptive as well as maladaptive emotion regulation strategies. The results of the study are discussed in the light of theory and research.","PeriodicalId":30599,"journal":{"name":"Journal for Perspectives of Economic Political and Social Integration","volume":"21 1","pages":"35 - 62"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2015-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.2478/pepsi-2015-0002","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"69245705","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2014-07-17DOI: 10.2478/v10241-012-0014-6
Pietro Cavaleri
Abstract Considering the values and the cultural model today prevailing, all centred on narcissistic individualism and extreme competition, Chiara Lubich’s thought on gift and self – giving is likely to look ingenuous and absurd. However, this thought is confirmed in the secular culture of today and in particular in the psychological studies.
{"title":"From Man as Predator to Man as Giver. Reflections on the Gift and the Self-Giving in Psychology","authors":"Pietro Cavaleri","doi":"10.2478/v10241-012-0014-6","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2478/v10241-012-0014-6","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract Considering the values and the cultural model today prevailing, all centred on narcissistic individualism and extreme competition, Chiara Lubich’s thought on gift and self – giving is likely to look ingenuous and absurd. However, this thought is confirmed in the secular culture of today and in particular in the psychological studies.","PeriodicalId":30599,"journal":{"name":"Journal for Perspectives of Economic Political and Social Integration","volume":"19 1","pages":"155 - 163"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2014-07-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"69114955","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2014-07-17DOI: 10.2478/v10241-012-0009-3
M. Menditto
Abstract The last century has catapulted us into a world full of instability, uncertainty, and a sense of bewilderment. The financial-economic crisis has been added to our difficulties, further polluting our environment, our relationships, our feelings, our wounds. Pre-cariousness, lack of work and of a vision for the future have been added to our sense of emptiness and disorientation. Hope has given way to darkness. We are immersed in the crisis. The feeling of tranquillity and security that we desire is fading, far away, and even forgotten. We are poised upon unstable ground, which makes us tremble and amplifies our need for stability and support. The single person favours self control and mastery, retiring narcissistically into him or herself and refusing help from anyone, not accepting any kind of wound or fragility. Behind these widespread attitudes lies the myth of total independence and of self sufficiency. Psychological and psychotherapeutic disciplines bring a change, within this context, towards a “relational turning point”, discovering in the dynamics of reciprocity the source of individual wellbeing, balance in relationships, and a sense of belonging to a community. The connection with another person makes it possible to build up a sense of oneself where multiplicity and unity, difference and belonging, individual and community coexist. Individuality and belonging are no longer opposed to one another, causing irresolvable conflict in the development of the self, but thanks to reciprocity, to the capacity of self giving and to ethics, they can be fully integrated and contribute to the daily activities, both in the individual and collective dimension, of each person.
{"title":"The Way We Are Together Today: Identity and Relationships in Contemporary Societies","authors":"M. Menditto","doi":"10.2478/v10241-012-0009-3","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2478/v10241-012-0009-3","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract The last century has catapulted us into a world full of instability, uncertainty, and a sense of bewilderment. The financial-economic crisis has been added to our difficulties, further polluting our environment, our relationships, our feelings, our wounds. Pre-cariousness, lack of work and of a vision for the future have been added to our sense of emptiness and disorientation. Hope has given way to darkness. We are immersed in the crisis. The feeling of tranquillity and security that we desire is fading, far away, and even forgotten. We are poised upon unstable ground, which makes us tremble and amplifies our need for stability and support. The single person favours self control and mastery, retiring narcissistically into him or herself and refusing help from anyone, not accepting any kind of wound or fragility. Behind these widespread attitudes lies the myth of total independence and of self sufficiency. Psychological and psychotherapeutic disciplines bring a change, within this context, towards a “relational turning point”, discovering in the dynamics of reciprocity the source of individual wellbeing, balance in relationships, and a sense of belonging to a community. The connection with another person makes it possible to build up a sense of oneself where multiplicity and unity, difference and belonging, individual and community coexist. Individuality and belonging are no longer opposed to one another, causing irresolvable conflict in the development of the self, but thanks to reciprocity, to the capacity of self giving and to ethics, they can be fully integrated and contribute to the daily activities, both in the individual and collective dimension, of each person.","PeriodicalId":30599,"journal":{"name":"Journal for Perspectives of Economic Political and Social Integration","volume":"19 1","pages":"71 - 89"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2014-07-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"69115242","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2014-07-17DOI: 10.2478/v10241-012-0017-3
D. Kornas-Biela
Abstract The traditional approach to the relation between parents and their prenatal child presents the child as a fetus, a mainly passive recipient of the mother’s vital biological resources. Contemporary prenatal psychology and pedagogy recognizes this relationship in a quite different perspective: the prenatal child is a member of the family and may be seen as an active member of the wider family as a community, extended to grandparents and other relatives. Between parents and their child in the womb exists a reciprocal relationship at a physiological (hormonal), psychological and spiritual level. The prenatal child communicates with the parents in different ways and reacts to their stimulation (acoustic, tactile, loco-motoric, chemo-receptive, thermo-receptive, and emotional). This dialogue of the parents and their prenatal child enriches each member of the family community. In this sense, the prenatal child is a gift and a challenge for the parents to develop their personality, social competences and spiritual life. The reflections presented in this paper fit the conception of the paradigm of unity applied into the area of prenatal education and prenatal pedagogy as a new pedagogical subdisciline. The concept of paradigm in the philosophy of science was introduced by T. Kuhn (1962). In his understanding, paradigm means a mental breakthrough in the way of ujmowaniu/describing/approaching the subject of study, and/or in the research methods used, but above all in the theoretical and systemic vision of reality, which is the basis for formulating research questions and hypotheses, operationalising the research procedure, analyzing the obtained research results and a theoretical interpretation of these results. To Kuhn, a paradigm may be understood in such way only in the natural sciences, when new visions of the studied natural reality appear. This is accompanied by a mental change in the cognitive schema itself of understanding reality not only for the creator of this vision, but also in its/his/her broader scientific environment. Kuhn considered the most eminent example of such appearing paradigm in the history of science to be the Copernican revolution, thanks to which the view on the world of nature surrounding the human being has completely changed and there was a mental breakthrough in the 15th and 16th century not only in the area of science, but also in the worldview of people of those times, for whom the world has become more open and broad. Kuhn, however, did not consider a paradigm to be a methodological concept in the humanities or social sciences. He was of the opinion that they must first mature more and make their methodological status more precise if one wishes to talk about a paradigm in these sciences. A scientific event that gave an occasion to reflect on the possibility of introducing the concept of paradigm into social sciences was the occasion of granting the title of doctor honoris causa in the field of social sciences by
{"title":"The Paradigm of Unity in Prenatal Education and Pedagogy","authors":"D. Kornas-Biela","doi":"10.2478/v10241-012-0017-3","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2478/v10241-012-0017-3","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract The traditional approach to the relation between parents and their prenatal child presents the child as a fetus, a mainly passive recipient of the mother’s vital biological resources. Contemporary prenatal psychology and pedagogy recognizes this relationship in a quite different perspective: the prenatal child is a member of the family and may be seen as an active member of the wider family as a community, extended to grandparents and other relatives. Between parents and their child in the womb exists a reciprocal relationship at a physiological (hormonal), psychological and spiritual level. The prenatal child communicates with the parents in different ways and reacts to their stimulation (acoustic, tactile, loco-motoric, chemo-receptive, thermo-receptive, and emotional). This dialogue of the parents and their prenatal child enriches each member of the family community. In this sense, the prenatal child is a gift and a challenge for the parents to develop their personality, social competences and spiritual life. The reflections presented in this paper fit the conception of the paradigm of unity applied into the area of prenatal education and prenatal pedagogy as a new pedagogical subdisciline. The concept of paradigm in the philosophy of science was introduced by T. Kuhn (1962). In his understanding, paradigm means a mental breakthrough in the way of ujmowaniu/describing/approaching the subject of study, and/or in the research methods used, but above all in the theoretical and systemic vision of reality, which is the basis for formulating research questions and hypotheses, operationalising the research procedure, analyzing the obtained research results and a theoretical interpretation of these results. To Kuhn, a paradigm may be understood in such way only in the natural sciences, when new visions of the studied natural reality appear. This is accompanied by a mental change in the cognitive schema itself of understanding reality not only for the creator of this vision, but also in its/his/her broader scientific environment. Kuhn considered the most eminent example of such appearing paradigm in the history of science to be the Copernican revolution, thanks to which the view on the world of nature surrounding the human being has completely changed and there was a mental breakthrough in the 15th and 16th century not only in the area of science, but also in the worldview of people of those times, for whom the world has become more open and broad. Kuhn, however, did not consider a paradigm to be a methodological concept in the humanities or social sciences. He was of the opinion that they must first mature more and make their methodological status more precise if one wishes to talk about a paradigm in these sciences. A scientific event that gave an occasion to reflect on the possibility of introducing the concept of paradigm into social sciences was the occasion of granting the title of doctor honoris causa in the field of social sciences by ","PeriodicalId":30599,"journal":{"name":"Journal for Perspectives of Economic Political and Social Integration","volume":"19 1","pages":"193 - 206"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2014-07-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"69114982","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2014-07-17DOI: 10.2478/v10241-012-0003-9
P. Canna, Manuela Partinico
Abstract The significant social and cultural transformations which took place in recent decades brought about significant changes in the way couples interact and deal with “the risk of bonding”. The vulnerability that characterizes the couple in post-modernity is the consequence of these changes. The application of a co-therapy model with couples in crisis is based on the premise of mutual gift, which has to be understood as both an exchange of expertise and professionalism to the benefit of the couple, and as a bond of unity between co-therapists. The work that follows suggests some reflections which originate from the co-therapy model. The novelty of this model originates from the fact that the clinical work is based on two connected and complementary aspects: a deep attention towards the patient and a deep attention towards the relationship between the co-therapists. Both of these aspects are characterized by the dimension of gift. In this clinical model therapists transform any specific suffering lived by the couple in a positive relational experience between themselves which then becomes an example for the couple. Thus, for example, the inability to understand each other that the couple lives is contrasted by the capacity to listen to each other in a deep and authentic way by the therapists; the attitude of prevailing over each other in the couple, is counterbalanced by the therapists’ attention towards each other. And so on. This act of “overturning the limit” seems to reveal the therapeutic potential that a model of co-therapy, based on a new humanism, can offer to the clinical work with couples in crisis.
{"title":"The Experience the Gift in a Model of Co-Therapy","authors":"P. Canna, Manuela Partinico","doi":"10.2478/v10241-012-0003-9","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2478/v10241-012-0003-9","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract The significant social and cultural transformations which took place in recent decades brought about significant changes in the way couples interact and deal with “the risk of bonding”. The vulnerability that characterizes the couple in post-modernity is the consequence of these changes. The application of a co-therapy model with couples in crisis is based on the premise of mutual gift, which has to be understood as both an exchange of expertise and professionalism to the benefit of the couple, and as a bond of unity between co-therapists. The work that follows suggests some reflections which originate from the co-therapy model. The novelty of this model originates from the fact that the clinical work is based on two connected and complementary aspects: a deep attention towards the patient and a deep attention towards the relationship between the co-therapists. Both of these aspects are characterized by the dimension of gift. In this clinical model therapists transform any specific suffering lived by the couple in a positive relational experience between themselves which then becomes an example for the couple. Thus, for example, the inability to understand each other that the couple lives is contrasted by the capacity to listen to each other in a deep and authentic way by the therapists; the attitude of prevailing over each other in the couple, is counterbalanced by the therapists’ attention towards each other. And so on. This act of “overturning the limit” seems to reveal the therapeutic potential that a model of co-therapy, based on a new humanism, can offer to the clinical work with couples in crisis.","PeriodicalId":30599,"journal":{"name":"Journal for Perspectives of Economic Political and Social Integration","volume":"143 1","pages":"47 - 54"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2014-07-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"69115103","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2014-07-17DOI: 10.2478/v10241-012-0011-9
D. García-Villamisar, A. L. D. Armentia
Abstract An emerging literature has begun to document the emotional consequences of everyday executive functions on emotional distress. Little is known, however, about whether this relation is mediated by other variables. A multiple mediation model was proposed to integrate core concepts of daily executive dysfunctions with emotional distress in order to increase understanding of their relationship to psychological well-being and emotional regulation. The working hypothesis was that dimensions of well-being and emotional regulation may be a suitable mediator. It was hypothesized that dimensions of well-being and emotional regulation are a possible mediator between the executive dysfunctions and psychological distress. Participants were 122 undergraduate students from university courses in General Education and Social Education at, the Universidad Complutense de Madrid, with a mean age of 21.76. Results indicate that several dimensions of psychological well-being and emotional reappraisal strategies mediate the relationships between daily executive dysfunctions and psychological distress. Implications of these data are discussed.
{"title":"The Mediating Role of Well-Being and Self-Regulation of Emotions in Daily Executive Dysfunctions and Psychological Distress","authors":"D. García-Villamisar, A. L. D. Armentia","doi":"10.2478/v10241-012-0011-9","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2478/v10241-012-0011-9","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract An emerging literature has begun to document the emotional consequences of everyday executive functions on emotional distress. Little is known, however, about whether this relation is mediated by other variables. A multiple mediation model was proposed to integrate core concepts of daily executive dysfunctions with emotional distress in order to increase understanding of their relationship to psychological well-being and emotional regulation. The working hypothesis was that dimensions of well-being and emotional regulation may be a suitable mediator. It was hypothesized that dimensions of well-being and emotional regulation are a possible mediator between the executive dysfunctions and psychological distress. Participants were 122 undergraduate students from university courses in General Education and Social Education at, the Universidad Complutense de Madrid, with a mean age of 21.76. Results indicate that several dimensions of psychological well-being and emotional reappraisal strategies mediate the relationships between daily executive dysfunctions and psychological distress. Implications of these data are discussed.","PeriodicalId":30599,"journal":{"name":"Journal for Perspectives of Economic Political and Social Integration","volume":"19 1","pages":"123 - 139"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2014-07-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"69115301","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2014-07-17DOI: 10.2478/v10241-012-0007-5
S. Zappalà
Abstract Workplaces are often described as places in which individuals are motivated by their self-interests and in which negative events like time pressure, anxiety, conflict with co-workers, miscomprehensions, difficulties in solving problems, not-transmitted or not-exchanged information that lead to mistakes, and in some cases to injuries, stress or control, are part of everyday life (Dormann & Zapf, 2002; Schabracq, Winnubst and Cooper, 2003). Such situations are often the result of the limited comprehension of needs, skills, or information available to colleagues, supervisors, subordinates, clients or providers. However, workplaces are also places in which employees take care of clients, support colleagues and subordinates (Rhoades & Eisenberger, 2002), are enthusiastic about their job (Bakker et al., 2008), are motivated by leaders that encourage employees to transcend their own self-interests for the good of the group or the organization and provide them with the confidence to perform beyond expectations (Bass, 1997). Thus positive relationships at work are becoming a new interdisciplinary domain of inquiry (Dutton & Ragins, 2006). Within this positive relationships framework, in this paper we focus on a positive component of workplaces, and particularly on an individual cognitive and emotional process that has an important role in the workplace because it facilitates interpersonal relations and communications: it is the perspective taking process. In order to describe perspective taking, we will refer to some empirical studies and particularly to the review published by Parker, Atkins and Axtell in 2008 on the International Review of Industrial and Organizational Psychology. Perspective taking is a well established psychological construct, investigated both in the field of human development, as an important component of reasoning and moral development, and also in social and clinical psychology, where it is considered a component of social behaviors and of the therapeutic process (Parker & Axtell, 2001). It has also been conceptualized in different ways. Duan and Hill (1996) describe three approaches to explain reasons for perspective taking behavior: a dispositional approach, that considers empathy as a relatively stable trait or a general ability; a cognitive-affective experience influenced by situational conditions; and finally as a multiphased experiential process. However, although in modern organizations working cooperatively and taking into account customers’ needs and experiences are becoming even more important (Schneider, White, and Paul, 1998; West, Tjosvold and Smith, 2003), very few studies have considered perspective taking process within organizations (Parker & Axtell, 2001). This is interesting because taking into account the perspective of others may contribute to more collaborative workplaces, where it is pleasant to work, as also enlighted in the title of the Parker, Atkins and Axtell’s (2008) paper: “Building better wo
{"title":"Perspective Taking in Workplaces","authors":"S. Zappalà","doi":"10.2478/v10241-012-0007-5","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2478/v10241-012-0007-5","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract Workplaces are often described as places in which individuals are motivated by their self-interests and in which negative events like time pressure, anxiety, conflict with co-workers, miscomprehensions, difficulties in solving problems, not-transmitted or not-exchanged information that lead to mistakes, and in some cases to injuries, stress or control, are part of everyday life (Dormann & Zapf, 2002; Schabracq, Winnubst and Cooper, 2003). Such situations are often the result of the limited comprehension of needs, skills, or information available to colleagues, supervisors, subordinates, clients or providers. However, workplaces are also places in which employees take care of clients, support colleagues and subordinates (Rhoades & Eisenberger, 2002), are enthusiastic about their job (Bakker et al., 2008), are motivated by leaders that encourage employees to transcend their own self-interests for the good of the group or the organization and provide them with the confidence to perform beyond expectations (Bass, 1997). Thus positive relationships at work are becoming a new interdisciplinary domain of inquiry (Dutton & Ragins, 2006). Within this positive relationships framework, in this paper we focus on a positive component of workplaces, and particularly on an individual cognitive and emotional process that has an important role in the workplace because it facilitates interpersonal relations and communications: it is the perspective taking process. In order to describe perspective taking, we will refer to some empirical studies and particularly to the review published by Parker, Atkins and Axtell in 2008 on the International Review of Industrial and Organizational Psychology. Perspective taking is a well established psychological construct, investigated both in the field of human development, as an important component of reasoning and moral development, and also in social and clinical psychology, where it is considered a component of social behaviors and of the therapeutic process (Parker & Axtell, 2001). It has also been conceptualized in different ways. Duan and Hill (1996) describe three approaches to explain reasons for perspective taking behavior: a dispositional approach, that considers empathy as a relatively stable trait or a general ability; a cognitive-affective experience influenced by situational conditions; and finally as a multiphased experiential process. However, although in modern organizations working cooperatively and taking into account customers’ needs and experiences are becoming even more important (Schneider, White, and Paul, 1998; West, Tjosvold and Smith, 2003), very few studies have considered perspective taking process within organizations (Parker & Axtell, 2001). This is interesting because taking into account the perspective of others may contribute to more collaborative workplaces, where it is pleasant to work, as also enlighted in the title of the Parker, Atkins and Axtell’s (2008) paper: “Building better wo","PeriodicalId":30599,"journal":{"name":"Journal for Perspectives of Economic Political and Social Integration","volume":"19 1","pages":"55 - 70"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2014-07-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.2478/v10241-012-0007-5","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"69115110","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2014-07-17DOI: 10.2478/v10241-012-0010-x
N. O'Donnell
Abstract The title of this congress begins with the word “identity”. It also includes the word “reciprocity,” which indicates a form of relationship and finally, “gift of self”. This would lead us to conclude that the identity of the human person has something to do with reciprocity and that reciprocity involves giving of oneself to others. This talk will attempt to shed light on how the concept of gender might in some way be incorporated into these three concepts. Defining what constitutes the identity of the human person has been explored, and attempts to define it have been made by every major theorist in the field of psychology. At a previous Psychology and Communion congress one of the talks (Ionata, 2002) spoke of loving and being loved in return as the basic foundation of human identity. In that presentation we find the following observation: “The identity of the human person can be compared to the identity of a book: we know where and when it was printed; but the author is certainly not the publishing house, nor is the typesetter who prepared the text…The same is true for us human beings: we know the time and date of birth. But who is author?” (31). We ask ourselves, therefore: what lies at the core of the identity of this being who is born at a certain time on a certain date? Before proceeding, I think it is important to note that the basic idea regarding the identity of the human person, as we have defined and understood it from the inception of psychology and communion and explored in previous encounters, remains unchanged. I will use a quote of Chiara Lubich here that perhaps many of you know but which can serve the purpose of laying the foundation for what follows: Human beings are “(…) all equal but distinct. To each person [God] gave his own beauty so that they would be desirable and lovable by others; and so that in love (the common substance in which they recognize themselves as one and see themselves in each other) they would be recomposed into the One who had created them with his Light, which is Himself.” Now we ask ourselves: What exactly is this “beauty” that Chiara is speaking of? What are the components, if you will, of our identity that makes us “… desirable and lovable by others…”?
{"title":"Masculinity and Femininity: Essential to the Identity of the Human Person","authors":"N. O'Donnell","doi":"10.2478/v10241-012-0010-x","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2478/v10241-012-0010-x","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract The title of this congress begins with the word “identity”. It also includes the word “reciprocity,” which indicates a form of relationship and finally, “gift of self”. This would lead us to conclude that the identity of the human person has something to do with reciprocity and that reciprocity involves giving of oneself to others. This talk will attempt to shed light on how the concept of gender might in some way be incorporated into these three concepts. Defining what constitutes the identity of the human person has been explored, and attempts to define it have been made by every major theorist in the field of psychology. At a previous Psychology and Communion congress one of the talks (Ionata, 2002) spoke of loving and being loved in return as the basic foundation of human identity. In that presentation we find the following observation: “The identity of the human person can be compared to the identity of a book: we know where and when it was printed; but the author is certainly not the publishing house, nor is the typesetter who prepared the text…The same is true for us human beings: we know the time and date of birth. But who is author?” (31). We ask ourselves, therefore: what lies at the core of the identity of this being who is born at a certain time on a certain date? Before proceeding, I think it is important to note that the basic idea regarding the identity of the human person, as we have defined and understood it from the inception of psychology and communion and explored in previous encounters, remains unchanged. I will use a quote of Chiara Lubich here that perhaps many of you know but which can serve the purpose of laying the foundation for what follows: Human beings are “(…) all equal but distinct. To each person [God] gave his own beauty so that they would be desirable and lovable by others; and so that in love (the common substance in which they recognize themselves as one and see themselves in each other) they would be recomposed into the One who had created them with his Light, which is Himself.” Now we ask ourselves: What exactly is this “beauty” that Chiara is speaking of? What are the components, if you will, of our identity that makes us “… desirable and lovable by others…”?","PeriodicalId":30599,"journal":{"name":"Journal for Perspectives of Economic Political and Social Integration","volume":"19 1","pages":"109 - 122"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2014-07-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.2478/v10241-012-0010-x","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"69115251","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2014-07-17DOI: 10.2478/v10241-012-0021-7
Maddalena Ionata, Benedetta Ionata, Stefania Del Torre, Maria Regina Liberti
Abstract The object of this research is gentleness, a construct maybe not treated enough in the literature, but just in the area of the so called Positive Psychology. And precisely from his representative Martin Seligman, the inspiration for the construction of a questionnaire and of a specific hypothesis has been born, including the use of a precise terminology. In general terms, maybe the most interesting result lies in the fact of having found a correlation between the various items, therefore between the various constructs, in accordance with the idea of gentleness proposed as a synergy of “quality”. This idea has also been supported from recent research in which has emerged a very tight bond between optimism and a particular character trait that is extroversion. Being placed at a higher, transcendental level, the “gift of oneself” could become the “jump of quality” to fulfil ourselves in the relation with the other.
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