Obesity is a worldwide epidemic associated with severe health and psychological wellbeing impairments expressed by an increased prevalence of affective disorders. Emotional dysfunction is important due to its effect on social performance. The aim of the present narrative review is to provide a general overview of human research exploring emotional information processing in overweight and obese people. Evidence suggests that obesity is associated with an attenuation of emotional experience, contradictory findings about emotion recognition, and scarce research about automatic emotional information (...) processing. Finally, we made some concluding considerations for future research on emotional information processing in overweight and obese people. (shrink)

En el siguiente ensayo se reflexiona en torno a la propuesta de Emmanuel Levinas y su concepción de ética de la alteridad como un puente para enlazar con La ética de la Tierra, planteada por Aldo Leopold y así evolucionar el objeto de la ética de una alteridad que se refiere “al otro” para referirse a “lo otro” y poder hacer de los seres no humanos un objeto de obligaciones morales.

Esta investigación se presenta como un aporte a los estudios culturales de Rapa Nui a partir de un análisis de caso: la serie de fotografías de 1914 que documentan un evento multitudinario en Rapa Nui y donde varias personas aparecen disfrazadas con máscaras de lona. Complementando diversas fuentes y métodos –como fotografías, dibujos, análisis visual, bibliografía y entrevistas–, este artículo busca esclarecer el contexto y los sentidos posibles de lo que hemos denominado como una escena-puzzle, esto es, una escena de (...) la cual se intenta reconstruir una imagen general buscando fragmentos en diferentes fuentes de información. En este trabajo de desenmascaramiento representamos este evento como una fiesta de carácter nacional que incluyó elementos del repertorio cultural contemporáneo de las personas rapanui. (shrink)

Going beyond the scope of psychiatric diagnoses, this study introduces the concept of human vulnerability as a means of linking the phenomenological approach—focusing on the patient’s experience—with psychotherapeutic treatment. To this end, it applies Karl Jaspers’ concept of “limit situation” to the existential vulnerability in the manifestation of mental illness and the ontological vulnerability in schizophrenia. From a psychological or empathic standpoint, vulnerability, as experienced in different cases of mental illness, refers to the condition of being confronted with disturbing meaningful (...) social encounters with others. In these social encounters, existential meanings acquire disturbing qualities for a person’s integrity, giving rise to various psychopathological phenomena. This study incorporates the practice of psychotherapy and empirical research to suggest that the experience of vulnerability is crucial not only in understanding the manifestation of mental illness but also a key element of phenomenological psychotherapeutic treatment, and it uses schizophrenia as an example. (shrink)

“Es fundamental comprender que la verdadera autonomía se pelea a lo largo de la sociedad (incluyendo el Estado). Aclaro de nuevo aquí para que no haya malentendidos: creo que la construcción de la autonomía, lo que algunos llaman “contrapoder”, tiene que ser el horizonte fundamental de nuestra táctica política. Pero, para cambiar el mundo hay que encontrar la forma de desapoderar el Estado y reemplazarlo por otra forma de relación social. Las asambleas de barrio, las fábricas autogestionadas..

El vínculo entre músicos/as de rock y agencias estatales ha sido en nuestro país históricamente dinámico, intermitente, cambiante. Un clima de época iniciado en los años 2000, tanto en Argentina como en Latinoamérica, caracterizado por demandas de políticas culturales democrático-participativas, se tradujo en una modificación en el vínculo entre hacedores culturales y agentes estatales. Buscando contribuir al debate en torno al diseño e implementación de estas políticas, este artículo tiene como objetivo analizar las lógicas, las legitimidades y las disputas existentes (...) en el vínculo entre músicos/as de rock de la ciudad de La Plata y agencias estatales locales. Para ello, partiremos de un conjunto de políticas culturales que tuvo lugar durante 2016 y 2017 que permitió ver procesos de articulación entre ambos actores, así como instancias de tensión, consenso y reposicionamiento. La investigación se desarrolló en base a una estrategia metodológica de tipo cualitativa, aplicando distintas técnicas de recolección y producción de datos, como entrevistas en profundidad, observación participante, cartografía, sombreo (Jirón, 2012) y relevamiento y análisis de fuentes primarias y secundarias. (shrink)

REFORMA POLÍTICA E FINANCIAMENTO DE CAMPANHA: ENTRE A IDEOLOGIA E NECESSIDADE.

Los cineastas han definido unos estereotipos femeninos y maternos en aquellos filmes dedicados a la violencia política irlandesa desde 1926. La fuerte retórica nacionalista de estas películas ha mantenido casi inmutables los atributos de las madres como mímesis de la patria. Al iniciarse los Procesos de Paz en 1996 y tras la firma de los Acuerdos de Viernes Santo de 1998, directores y guionistas han enriquecido sus narrativas para mostrar la presencia de las mujeres en la esfera pública. La producción (...) de estas películas, realizada en tres países diferentes, Irlanda, Gran Bretaña y Estados Unidos, ha determinado los modelos de la maternidad en consonancia con el imaginario colectivo de los diferentes públicos, influyendo a su vez en la construcción del relato sobre el conflicto armado y las mujeres. (shrink)

El objetivo de ésta investigación es explorar y describir los elementos psicológicos derivados de la enseñanza y la práctica espiritual y religiosa de los entrevistados y objetivados en conductas y actitudes en la vida diaria.

Using the Bible in Christian ethics is often not as simple as many would expect it to be. This is particularly the case for the use of the Old Testament. Part of the challenge is the complexity of grasping the customs and norms that are reflected in the Old Testament. They are often at odds with what is acceptable in contemporary thinking. In this article, we examine the difficulty of using the Old Testament in Christian ethics by using the narrative (...) of Judah and Tamar in Genesis 38 as case study. We show that this particular text alerts us to the complex relationship between ethics and culture, not only in the world of the text, but also the world of the interpreter. Based on our analysis of the text we argue for its meta-ethical contribution to the practice of Christian ethics. We do not endeavour to resolve the perceived tension between the implied ethics of the text and that of contemporary interpreters, but view the unresolved tension as one of the text’s key contributions to the practice of Christian ethics. (shrink)

Es probable que todos nos hayamos encontrado alguna vez en la situación de no saber si la persona que tenemos delante habla en serio o bromea. Nuestra expresión de sorpresa acaba por dar lástima a nuestro interlocutor, y al final, resuelto el equívoco, los dos terminamos riéndonos. La ironía y el sarcasmo forman parte del lenguaje y de nuestra existencia desde etapas muy primitivas. Con la ironía hacemos frente a las tristezas, a las situaciones que no nos gustan, o simplemente, (...) nos divertimos un rato. Porque la ironía - no lo olvidemos - es un juego, lo practiquemos nosotros o lo practique el destino. Este libro intenta ofrecer respuestas a algunas de las preguntas que plantea su análisis. Su alumbramiento ha sido promovido por el grupo GRIALE (Grupo de la Ironía. Alicante, Lengua Española), pero en el camino nos han acompañado otros colegas y amigos, preocupados también por el mismo tema. Desde una perspectiva pragmática, se ha estructurado en tres grandes bloques: I. Las teorías, II. Indicadores y marcas de la ironía y III. Más allá de la ironía. Cada bloque se compone a su vez de diversos capítulos, y todos ellos se han concebido como un conjunto integrado que favorece la consulta y garantiza la coherencia. (shrink)

There is a worry that the ‘major transitions in evolution’ represent an arbitrary group of events. This worry is warranted, and we show why. We argue that the transition to a new level of hierarchy necessarily involves a nonselectionist chance process. Thus any unified theory of evolutionary transitions must be more like a general theory of fortuitous luck, rather than a rigid formulation of expected events. We provide a systematic account of evolutionary transitions based on a second-order regularity of chance (...) events, as stipulated by the ZFEL (Zero Force Evolutionary Law). And in doing so, we make evolutionary transitions explainable and predictable, and so not entirely contingent after all. (shrink)

This article seeks to clarify the way in which phenomenology is conceptualized and applied in empirical research in psychiatry and psychology, emphasizing the suitability of qualitative research. It will address the What, Why, and How of phenomenological interviews, providing not only preliminary answers but also a critical analysis, and pointing to future directions for research. The questions it asks are: First, what makes an interview phenomenological? What are phenomenological interviews used for in empirical research in psychiatry and psychology? Second, why (...) do we carry out phenomenological interviews with patients? Is merely contrasting phenomenological hypotheses or concepts enough to do justice to the patients’ involvement? Third, how should we conduct phenomenological interviews with patients? How can we properly perform analysis in empirical phenomenological research in psychiatry and psychology? In its conclusion, the article attempts to go a step beyond these methodological questions, highlighting the “bigger picture”: namely, the phenomenological scientific paradigm and its core philosophical claim of reality as mind-dependent. (shrink)

Today, phallocentrism is perpetuated by a flourishing medical construction that focuses exclusively on penile erections as the essence of men's sexual function and satisfaction. This article describes how this medicalization is promoted by urologists, medical industries, mass media, and various entrepreneurs. Many men and women provide a ready audience for this construction because of masculine ideology and gender socialization. While there may be some advantages to this construction, there are major disadvantages to men in terms of the inevitable failure of (...) the promised perfectible erection and the perpetuation of a falsely universalized and biologized vision of sexual experience. Any sexual interests of women in other than phallocentric sexual scripting are denied. (shrink)

Background: Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing [EMDR] is an innovative, evidence-based and effective psychotherapy for post-traumatic stress disorder [PTSD]. As with other psychotherapies, the effectiveness of EMDR contrasts with a limited knowledge of its underlying mechanism of action. In its relatively short life as a therapeutic option, EMDR has not been without controversy, in particular regarding the role of the bilateral stimulation as an active component of the therapy. The high prevalence of EMDR in clinical practice and the dramatic increase (...) in EMDR research in recent years, with more than 26 randomized controlled trials published to date, highlight the need for a better understanding of its mechanism of action. Methods: We conducted a thorough systematic search of studies published until October 2017, using PubMed, ScienceDirect, Web of Knowledge and Scopus databases that examined the mechanism of action of EMDR or provided conclusions within the framework of current theoretical models of EMDR functioning. Results: Seventy-five studies were selected for review and classified into three overarching models; (i) psychological models (ii) psychophysiological models and (iii) neurobiological models. The evidence available from each study was analysed and discussed. Results demonstrated a reasonable empirical support for the working memory hypothesis and for the physiological changes associated with successful EMDR therapy. Recently, more sophisticated structural and functional neuroimaging studies using high resolution structural and temporal techniques are starting to provide preliminary evidence into the neuronal correlates before, during and after EMDR therapy. Discussion: Despite the increasing number of studies that published in recent years, the research into the mechanisms underlying EDMR therapy are still in its infancy. Studies in well-defined clinical and non-clinical populations, larger sample sizes and tighter methodological control are further needed in order to establish firm conclusions. (shrink)

This book provides an up-to-date revision of materialism’s central tenets, its main varieties, and the place of materialistic philosophy vis a vis scientific knowledge. Materialism has been the subject of extensive and rich controversies since Robert Boyle introduced the term for the first time in the 17th century. But what is materialism and what can it offer today? The term is usually defined as the worldview according to which everything real is material. Nevertheless, there is no philosophical consensus about whether (...) the meaning of matter can be enlarged beyond the physical. As a consequence, materialism is often defined in stark exclusive and reductionist terms: whatever exists is either physical or ontologically reducible to it. This conception, if consistent, mutilates reality, excluding the ontological significance of political, economic, sociocultural, anthropological and psychological realities. Starting from a new history of materialism, the present book focuses on the central ontological and epistemological debates aroused by today’s leading materialist approaches, including some little known to an anglophone readership. The key concepts of matter, system, emergence, space and time, life, mind, and software are checked over and updated. Controversial issues such as the nature of mathematics and the place of reductionism are also discussed from different materialist approaches. As a result, materialism emerges as a powerful, indispensable scientifically-supported worldview with a surprising wealth of nuances and possibilities. (shrink)

Scientists are becoming increasingly aware of a “replicability crisis” in the behavioral, social, and biomedical sciences. Researchers have made progress identifying statistical and methodological...

Este artigo propõe-se a refletir sobre a relação da epistemologia instrumentalista de John Dewey com a neurociência cognitiva, a partir de sua crítica à psicologia tradicional. Realiza-se uma análise da tentativa de John Dewey de relacionar a verdade com a cognição destacando seus argumentos fundamentados no progresso da fisiologia e da psicologia, no avanço da biologia e no desenvolvimento do método experimental. O texto discute a possibilidade de o pragmatismo de Dewey contribuir com a neurociência cognitiva, já que a atitude (...) naturalista do autor em relação ao ser humano e todas as suas funções reforça que é a mente que toma as decisões e controla o comportamento. (shrink)

The problem with reductionism in biology is not the reduction, but the implicit attitude of determinism that usually accompanies it. Methodological reductionism is supported by deterministic beliefs, but making such a connection is problematic when it is based on an idea of determinism as fixed predictability. Conflating determinism with predictability gives rise to inaccurate models that overlook the dynamic complexity of our world, as well as ignore our epistemic limitations when we try to model it. Furthermore, the assumption of a (...) strictly deterministic framework is unnecessarily hindering to biology. By removing the dogma of determinism, biological methods, including reductive methods, can be expanded to include stochastic models and probabilistic interpretations. Thus, the dogma of reductionism can be saved once its ties with determinism are severed. In this paper, I analyze two problems that have faced molecular biology for the last 50 years—protein folding and cancer. Both cases demonstrate the long influence of reductionism and determinism on molecular biology, as well as how abandoning determinism has opened the door to more probabilistic and unconstrained reductive methods in biology. (shrink)

This paper presents a modified random network model to illustrate how groups can form in the absence of evolutionary forces, assuming groups are collections of entities at any level of organization. This model is inspired by the Zero Force Evolutionary Law, which states that there is always a tendency for diversity and complexity to increase in any evolutionary system containing variation and heredity. That is, in the absence of evolutionary forces, the expectation is a continual increase in diversity and complexity (...) at any level of biological hierarchy. I show that, when modeled, this expectation of increasing variation results not only in the formation of groups, but also in a higher probability of group formation than is found in a model that is purely random. (shrink)

There has been much debate recently on the question whether essence can explain modality. Here, I examine two routes to an essentialist account of modality. The first is Hale's argument for the necessity of essence, which I will argue is — notwithstanding recent attempted defences of it — invalid by its very structure. The second is the proposal that it is essential to essential truth that it is necessary. After offering three possible versions of the view, I will argue that (...) each fails to provide a metaphysical explanation of necessity in terms of essence. (shrink)

There are decision problems in which rational deliberation fails to result in choosing a pure act. This phenomenon is known as decision instability and has been discussed in the literature on causal decision theory. In this paper we investigate another type of instability, called structural instability in dynamical systems theory. Structural instability indicates that certain qualitative features of the process of rational deliberation are under-determined in a decision situation. We illustrate some of the issues arising from structural instability with a (...) recent argument against causal decision theory proposed by Caspar Hare and Brian Hedden. We show that their argument is undermined by considerations arising from decision instability and structural instability. (shrink)

Transformar el modo de vida individual es necesario para abordar la crisis ecosocial, y resulta perentorio que las políticas comprometidas con su resolución promocionen una capacidad individual de acción ecosocial. Sin embargo, parece que cierta brecha motivacional está obstaculizando la transformación del modo de vida individual. A fin de dar respuesta a esta brecha, ensayamos una mixtura del enfoque de las capacidades con las teorías de Hartmut Rosa. Argumentamos que la resonancia natural funge de factor personal de conversión necesario, si (...) bien no suficiente, para la capacidad de acción ecosocial; y que una política que promocione la resonancia natural se adecuaría también a los requisitos impuestos al desarrollo humano tanto por el enfoque de las capacidades como por la sostenibilidad. (shrink)

En este trabajo nos proponemos abordar la relación entre la perspectiva teórica de la narrativa, con sus anclajes en la filosofía, la lingüística, la teoría literaria y el psicoanálisis -entre otros- y la problemática contemporánea de identidades y subjetividades desde una perspectiva no esencialist..

A critical commentary on the article “The Epistemic Harms of Empathy in Phenomenological Psychopathology” by Lucienne Spencer and Matthew Broome (2023) is presented. The authors committed the “fallacy of ambiguous or vague definition” by incorrectly interpreting Karl Jaspers’ conceptualizations, resulting in difficulties following logical arguments and arriving at reasonable conclusions. To overcome this fallacy, the commentary provides conceptual clarifications regarding Jaspers’ empathic understanding (einfühlendes Verstehen), conceived as the foundational concept of his project to develop a phenomenologically oriented psychopathology. Jaspers initially (...) introduced this concept in the article “Die phänomenologische Forschungsrichtung in der Psychopathologie” [The Phenomenological Research Direction in Psychopathology], published in 1912, and extended in his magnum opus “Allgemeine Psychopathologie” [General Psychopathology], published in 1913. (shrink)

Since 2001, filmmakers have reflected in their works the consequences of terrorism on those women who, directly or indirectly, have been victims of political violence. This article analyzes the cinematographic treatment given to these victims in four countries - Ireland, Germany, Italy and Spain - after the terrorist groups laid down their arms. The objective is to know the differences and similarities of the stereotypes proposed in the films. Those women who were silenced during the hardest years of the armed (...) struggle will now be defined with characteristics that serve as a universal model to understand the role of women in society after conflicts. (shrink)