|
Anthropos 3–4 (235-236) 2014
PSYCHOLOGY RESEARCH
-
The purpose of the study, which included 281 university students (76.9 % females) from the first year of study on different faculties of University of Maribor, was to investigate how much importance the research subjects attach to different characteristics of an ideal romantic partner. For the purpose of the study we developed The scale of partner’s characteristics and examined it’s subscales. We examined the correlations between importance which the subjects attach to different partner’s characteristics and their attachment styles, relationships with peers (e.g., trust, open communication and alienation) and personality dimensions (e.g., energy, agreeableness, conscientiousness, emotional stability and openness). The results demonstrated that subjects attached the highest importance to agreement with his/her partner (the female students significant higher than their male peers), his/ her behaviour and sociability. The male students attached higher importance to partner’s appearance that the female students. Attachment the importance to different partner’s characteristics was related with the subjects’ personality characteristics, attachment styles and relationships with their peers.
Key words: emerging adults, romantic partner, attachment, personality
-
Adolescence represents an important period in the life cycle characterized by a variety of developmental changes that are crucial for the physical self-concept formation. The latter occupies a unique position in the self-system because the body through its appearance, attributes and abilities provides substantive interface between the individual and the environment. The aim of the study was to examine the psychometric properties of the Slovenian version of the Physical-Self Description Questionnaire (PSDQ) on a sample of elementary school students aged between 13 and 15. The questionnaire has proved to be a reliable and valid measurement tool for studying the physical self-perceptions of adolescents. The results of confirmatory factor analysis have largely confirmed the 11-factor structure of the PSDQ. Gender differences in multidimensional physical self-concept were also found: boys showed a more favourable physical self in almost all of the PSDQ components compared with girls. The findings of the study may contribute to better understanding and appropriate study of physical self among Slovenian adolescents.
Key Words: physical self-concept, adolescents, reliability, validity, PSDQ
-
Adolescent to parent violence was first mentioned at the end of the seventies of the last century; however, it is still a very poorly known form of family violence. The paper is based on literature review and summarizes the most important findings about the characteristics of such violence (prevalence, forms, who are the victims and perpetrators). In Slovenia the data about adolescent to parent violence is non-existent and the paper is one of the first to draw attention to this important issue. In fact, it is estimated that 6 to 10% of adolescents are at least once abusive towards their parents. Knowing the characteristics of this kind of violence has many implications for practice.
Key words: Adolescent, child, violence against parents, family violence
-
Following Sigmund Freud’s assumption that neurosis hinders enjoyment and active achievement in life, we wanted to know whether promiscuity is a neurotic activity - or was Freud right? Are more promiscuous people really less neurotic than the less promiscuous ones? Does neuroticism have any negative interaction with libido in predicting promiscuous sexual deeds? Are there any significant differences between the sexes regarding the relationship between neuroticism and promiscuity? Our research shows that promiscuity is not a neurotic activity. More promiscuous women do not appear to be less neurotic, but more promiscuous men could well be less neurotic. Men generally appear to have a higher libido from women. A significant interaction between the sexual drive and neuroticism in predicting promiscuity was found, albeit in men only.
Keywords: Promiscuity, neuroticism, libido, interaction, sex differences
-
The contribution presents basic psychometrics characteristics of the Slovenian translation and adaptation of The Early Childhood Behaviour Questionnaire - Short Form (ECBQ-SF, Putnam, Jacobs, Gartstein & Rothbart, 2010). Up to date we did not have any psychometric tools to assessment child temperament in Slovenia. We decided to translate and adapt the ECBQ-SF because it has been widely used in many languages and research projects over the world. The questionnaire is designed to assess temperament in 18 months to 3 year old toddlers. It measures 18 discrete traits embedded within three higher-order factors: Surgency, Negative Affect and Effortful Control.
The study was carried out with a sample of 200 Slovenian toddlers. The questionnaire was filled out by their fathers. Majority of children (90.5%) were 18 months old, proportionally sampled by gender. Our results showed that the Slovenian version of the ECBQ-SF is a reliable measure of the fi ne-grained aspects of toddler temperament. The hierarchical structure of the questionnaire appeared very similar to the structure of the original (full) version of the ECBQ (Putnam et al., 2006), although confirmatory factor analysis did not provide a satisfactory model fi t. Because of a relatively small size of our sample and its homogeneous age structure, we decided to consider the factorial structure of the original version of the ECBQ as suggested by the authors in order to conduct our further analyses. We found modest correlations among the three hierarchically overarching factors. The only statistically significant but weak negative correlation was revealed between Effortful Control and Negative Affect. Significant gender differences were obtained for the specific scale of High Intensity Pleasure only, with fathers rating boys higher than girls.
Key words: toddler, temperament, reliability, gender differences
PHILOSOPHY RESEARCH
-
Undoubtedly, Jürgen Habermas is one of the greatest German philosophers currently reflecting on the crisis and its symptoms, depicted by the theoretical right as the crisis of values. The article emphasizes that, according to Habermas, the crisis is first and foremost economic in its nature, and has come about primarily due to numerous wrongly undertaken political-administrative and financial-banking measures, and not at all cultural, or that of ethical values. The crisis has even seen an ideological response, “ideological discharge”, in the form of strengthen the ethics of work, the rehabilitation of the principle of competition, the enhancement of productivity and work discipline and the apparent renouncing of the welfare state. What was called for was the re-activation of the traditional value of obedience and humility for the more efficient functioning of the capital. Such instrumentalization and the ethics of productivity have had direct influence on education, which literally followed the growing trends. The second aspect of “ideological discharge” is the “anti-political and apolitical private life”, followed by the “new subjectivism”, visible in fiction and historical, sociological and political treatises. The political right offers decidedly conservative solutions and responses. Habermas thus reveals the close relationship between politics and neo-conservatism, including various philosophical dimensions, summoned under the expression of postmodernism. The article summarizes Habermas’ principled orientation and endeavours to show that, even though his theory, and that of the critical theory or the Frankfurt School in general, evinces a theoretical pessimism, is also clearly evinces a practical optimism, devoid of cynicism.
Key words: Jürgen Habermas, the Frankfurt School, dialectic, values, the end of socialism
-
Author develops a thesis that besides the general spectacle, which was thoroughly analysed by Guy Debord, and specific media megaspectacles, which were extensively written about by Douglas Kellner, the contemporary man is inevitably surrounded by the kind of spectacle which was only fifty years ago unimaginable: the ecological spectacle. For the purpose of demonstration and argumentation of the thesis the author, firstly, broadly describes ancient forms of spectacle, and then familiarises the reader with crucial points of the analysis of the contemporary society controlled by the spectacle (Guy Debord), and particular manifestations of media spectacle. On this basis and with application of current social, political and economic trends on the theoretic background the author unfolds the concept of ecospectacle or ecological ideology, which contains all the elements of the spectacular discourse. This is followed by the meditation on self-preservation of man and the attack of politics on biology.
Key words: spectacle, ecology, ecospectacle, ideology, self-preservation, politics, biology.
-
The article examines the critique of metaphysics with the emphasis on the concept of “weak thought” by Gianni Vattimo. The first part perceives the basic problem of metaphysics, which is brought about by setting the ultimate foundation, and problematizes god, who is undoubtable and whose origin we do not question. In the second section nihilism occurs as a wish to surmount the gap in the question of the first truth. The diversity of the conception of nihilism, present in the history of metaphysics as well as in the contemporary Western philosophy, is applied through the overview of the idea of “weak thought” as a tool to surmount the crisis of metaphysics. In this, nihilism plays a crucial role of establishing new possibilities of thought-development - the ability to overcome the era of closed thought of logocentrism. The problem of the “violence” in metaphysical thought demonstrates the philosophical need to surmount traditional structures for the purpose of maintaining its own existence. That opens the key questions about the end of metaphysics/philosophy as the faith in objective truth.
The article therefore discusses the key notions in Vattimo’s establishment of the “weak thought”. The first part addresses metaphysics, the second one nihilism. If metaphysics is a question in the first part, the nihilism is the answer in the second part. Heidegger’s ontological difference enables a new perspective on the question of truth, thus enabling nihilistic thought to function as hermeneutics. The idea of “weak thought”, discussed in the third part, functions as the opposite of what we were used to in the time of metaphysical overcoming. The issue of “weak thought” deals with “breaking” the foundations so that the universality functions as the particularity. The universality could be presented only as a certain view, a certain context; and not as a final truth.
Key words: Vattimo, Heidegger, Nietzsche, nihilism, metaphysics.
-
The author of this article tries to articulate Husserl‘s idea about value superiority of transcendental phenomenology and present it as a condition of possibility of other sciences. Using the modern natural science criticism, Edmund Husserl tries to achieve the last, Arhimed‘s point where he stops right before the absolute nothing and comes back into the world with the help of the method of constitution. Of cardinal importance for him are philosopher‘s ascetics from the naivety of the natural attitude and the search for the essence of objects, which remain in the domain of transcendental subjectivity after the completion of phenomenological reduction.
Key words: Husserl, transcendental phenomenology, natural science, ontology
ASIAN STUDIES
-
Non-dual Kashmir Śaivism is an Indian spiritual tradition that philosophically establishes panentheistic vision of an integral monism. The whole manifestation is understood to be a free expression of the joy of the Absolute, but nevertheless even in non-dual Kashmir Śaivism the quest to reach spiritual liberation is of central importance. The question of the present paper is whether this fact alone is not already in contradiction with the ontology of the system. A critical examination of the ontology and soteriology of non-dual Kashmir Śaivism shows they are philosophically consistent. Even more, contrary to what might be expected it is possible to claim soteriology is even more consistent with monistic ontology, since there is no unsurmountable ontological gap between the immanent and the transcendent that would prevent an individual to experience the divine.
Key words: Kashmir Śaivism, monism, Indian philosophy, Indian spirituality, soteriology
-
The article discusses the structure of the concept from Indian aesthetics, rasa, which has nine forms, from which the last one is the source of the most complete aesthetic experience, reached through the process of liberation. Rasa in its different forms pervades also one of the essential works of Indian philosophical thought, the Bhagavad-Gītā, which with the doctrine of karma yoga offers a basis for revaluation of the concept of performing, and because of that it could become the sphere of aesthetic experience. In its way of liberation, the latter is supplemented through bhakti yoga and jñāna yoga, and together they make the majestic feeling, superior rasa, śānta. The sensation of numinous as a special aesthetic experience, is also analysed in the article, which is indicated through spectacle of images of god in the Bhagavad-Gītā, designated with boundlessness, dreadfulness and inconceivableness.
Keywords: rasa, the Bhagavad-Gītā, soteriology, karma, bhakti, jñāna, mysterium tremendum
ETHICS
-
As we all are responsible for a better world and peaceful coexistence, and an ethical decision is required from us, Hans Küng offers a possibility of new ethic orientation in his monograph Global Ethic. Undisputed moral guidelines, such as respect for life, solidarity, justice and tolerance, are common values of all religious and secular cultures. However, the rationality of moral judgements of concrete cultural practices is not solely based on common values as reasons are not composed merely of value convictions about the world, but also about convictions regarding “usual” facts of the world. Furthermore, Global Ethic explains neither how to understand certain values, such as man’s dignity, nor helps at making judgements in which ratio are values positioned among themselves. Hans Küng stresses that Global Ethic does not teach a moral lesson as the mere rational search for different ethic principles is inadequate, instead, it teaches moral awareness, treatment and an attitude. Nevertheless, in a secular world a profane attitude to the world’s traditional religions does not have such transforming power as lived religiosity. It seems that the above-mentioned issue reintroduces an old skill of philosophical teaching.
Key words: Global Ethic, factual and value judgements, dignity, religion, upbringing
-
Emmanuel Levinas was importantly defined by phenomenology, Judaism and also by the experience of WWII. Despite the tremendous influence by Heidegger, Levinas later distanced himself from his ontology and affirmed ethics as the first philosophy. He put particular emphasis on the relationship between the subject and the face of the Other, which defies ultimate recognition and evades any ontological framework. The Other subjects me to the infinite and asymmetrical responsibility and directs me to transcendence. This paper seeks to demonstrate that Levinas’ ethics is an interesting attempt of justifying the responsibility towards the Other, raising its voice against today’s instrumentalization of human life.
Key words: ethics, face, the Other, responsibility, phenomenology, Levinas, transcendence
TOPICAL
REVIEWS
|
|
|
