7,168 research outputs found

    Utilitarianism and the Social Nature of Persons

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    This thesis defends utilitarianism: the view that as far as morality goes, one ought to choose the option which will result in the most overall well-being. Utilitarianism is widely rejected by philosophers today, largely because of a number of influential objections. In this thesis I deal with three of them. Each is found in Bernard Williams’s ‘A Critique of Utilitarianism’ (1973). The first is the Integrity Objection, an intervention that has been influential whilst being subject to a wide variety of interpretations. In Chapter Two I give my interpretation of Williams’s Integrity objection; in Chapter Three I discuss one common response to it, and in Chapters Four and Five I give my own defence of utilitarianism against it. In Chapter Six I discuss a second objection: the problem of pre-emption. This problem is also found in Williams, but has received greater attention through the work of other authors in recent years. It suggests that utilitarianism is unable to deal with some of the modern world’s most pressing moral problems, and raises an internal tension between the twin utilitarian aims of making a difference and achieving the best outcomes. In Chapter Seven I discuss a third objection: that utilitarianism is insufficiently egalitarian. I find this claim to be unwarranted, in light of recent social science and philosophy. My responses to Williams’s objections draw upon resources from the socialist tradition – in particular, that tradition’s emphasis on the importance of social connections between individuals. Socialists have often been hostile to utilitarianism, in part for socialist-inflected versions of Williams’s objections. Thus, in responding to these objections I aim to demonstrate that socialist thought contains the means to defuse not only mainstream philosophy’s rejection of utilitarianism but also its own, and thus to re-open the possibilities for a productive engagement between the two traditions

    An onto-epistemological (re)framing and (re)connecting of organisations as praxeological multi-capital value systems

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    Organisation stands as one of humankind’s greatest inventions, and reconceptualising organisations to meet the ever-diversifying needs of the modern stakeholder community one of its most significant challenges. Historically, scientific management principles simplified the challenge through a profitable operations practice imperative, which reinforced a creation and destruction value dualism, and causal and value dead ends. However, value is contingent upon meeting needs, demanding that organisations leverage a wider and connected set of capitals to meet the diverse needs of modernity. This research seeks to understand how praxeologically inert legacy organisations can generate value by (re)connecting capitals and (re)framing as multi-capital value systems. The study’s setting is the university-led Made Smarter Leadership Development programme which provided an insightful longitudinal case study over the two-year programme life-cycle. The research surfaced rich qualitative insights on participant sense-making journeys across a diverse set of participant-researcher touchpoints, and also collected associated quantitative survey data. Analysis was conducted in three streams, and iteratively built up a complementary organisational model ontology. Stream one, a qualitative ethnographic study utilised grounded theory analysis to surface the prâxis (re)framing priorities of organisations. Analysis of such priorities yielded an onto-epistemological perspective of an organisation, and novel insights were generated on prâxis (re)framing strategies, organisational maturity, and how prâxes and frames combine as a relational onto-epistemological duality. Stream two’s quantitative analysis of respondent data identified the 20 significant prâxis-elements that form six systemically correlated and causally related capital factors. Findings indicate how multiple capitals connect as an organisational structure which orchestrates value flows between capital factors. Stream three elaborated on the prior two streams’ empirically-grounded foundations through sensemaking systems dynamics theory. This modelling produced both empirical findings and a generalisable methodology to reconceptualise organisations as a connected praxeological multi-capital value system. Specifically, findings informed how means-ends dynamics orchestrate complex capital interactions, which form pan-organisational value journeys, and ultimately form generalisable value archetypes. In summary, the research confirmed an organisation is a connected multi-capital praxeological value system, this outcome enabled by the discovery of a novel onto-epistemological perspective of organisations

    Casting a Line to the Land: Narratologies of Embodied Rituals and Connectivity to Place

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    This research argues for a re-conceptualisation and extension of place within architectural praxis that is reflective of broader discussions of meaning and environmental experience. This study examines the alignment between place and ritual theory as a way to better understand phenomenon that inform a greater connectivity between embodied and meaningful experiences with the environment. This will be explored through the act of fly fishing. Fly-fishing is relevant as the focus of the study owing in part to the author’s own experience as a fly angler. The relationship between the act of fly fishing, being part of nature and being in the world is meaningful. By conceptualising fly fishing as a form of ritual and process of ritualization, this study looks at how ritual affords fly anglers a connective relationship with place. This ritualized connection extends beyond mere doing and evokes cultivation of a deeper sensibility of and towards place. Present here is recognition of the role the body and ritual plays in enabling the formation of this sensibility of place. This research is advanced through narratological methods of autoethnography, storytelling, cognitive mapping and film. This way of working builds on the power of narrative and image-making to expose individual meaning-making. Employing these methods forms a holistic representation of experience, and so overcome potential disconnects that can arise between meaning-making efforts and actual experience. This research recognises that we that are embodied beings, and our embodied experiences are central to our relationships with place. Through this study, the researcher aims to develop a greater understanding of what place means – notably in how we generate a connection to place through our bodies – and to draw upon this insight to expand architectural discourse with a better understanding of connective and meaningful phenomena

    The Relationship Between Perceived Occupational Stress, Gender, Education, and Job Skill Level

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    AbstractOccupational stress is a common problem among workers, and it may have implications for productivity, job satisfaction, and employee wellness. The purpose of this study was to explore different skill levels related to perceived occupational stress and whether gender and education influence it. Publicly available secondary data for this study came from the Public Library of Science at-risk and intervention thresholds of occupational stress using a Perceived Stress Scale 14 survey from June 2017. The 500 participants in the secondary data were a random sample of workers from five occupational health centers recruited during annual work medical examinations. Findings indicated that there were not significant correlations between gender and professional roles, indicating that professional roles and sex did not collectively explain a significant proportion of variation in perceived occupational stress. Additionally, there were significant relationships between all levels of education and professional roles, such that there were significant positive relationships between skilled workers and having a bachelor’s degree, midlevel workers and having a bachelor’s degree, unskilled workers and having a high school diploma, and senior executives and having a master’s degree. The findings of this study promote positive social change by encouraging organizations to improve current work practices to increase the available training programs for employees to better understand and cope with occupational stress, which may promote higher productivity and greater satisfaction with work

    The Prophets’ Use of the Shepherd Motif and Its Contribution to Their Presentation of the Character of God

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    The shepherd motif provides one of the most significant portraits of God in the Old and New Testaments. Various research on the historical metaphor within these studies frequently focuses on the relationship between rulers and leaders in the ancient Near East. The shepherd motif provides a tangible picture of the characteristics of deities and kings in their world. Therefore, it is a natural step for the prophets of the Old Testament to utilize a commonly used metaphor. In modern research, numerous studies in Ezekiel 34 have explored different facets of the shepherd motif. Several studies are related to leadership roles. The shepherd is one of the most beloved metaphors, and Psalm 23 is one of the most used funeral passages. In addition, much research relates to Jesus and the Good Shepherd in John 10. However, most essays and books discuss leadership and how humanity should act or lead. But do these passages express something about the character of God? Are these passages in the prophets contributing to a theology of God reflecting his nature? Yes, in the Old Testament, the prophets painted God with familiar imagery and explained his role and character to his people. In addition, the shepherd imagery demonstrates the purpose and plan of Yahweh through human agents. Lastly, the prophets express a theology of God utilizing the shepherd motif that reflects his mercy, judgment, compassion, and faithfulness, which displays the character of God

    Locked down during the COVID-19 pandemic: the experience of mothers living alongside their child with social, emotional and mental health (SEMH) special educational needs, a psychosocial approach

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    Between March and September, 2020, the U.K. government enforced a nationwide lockdown to protect citizens against Covid-19. Children with social, emotional and mental health (SEMH) special educational needs and their parents stayed at home, and parents were responsible for home schooling their children with variable support from the schools they attended. Emerging global qualitative research and articles from news outlets in the U.K. reported the significant negative impact the lockdown was having on family dynamics, including rises in mental health difficulties. Orientated to psychoanalytic theories of SEMH needs, an impetus developed for exploring the impact of lockdown on the relational dynamics between mother and child. A review of literature found a gap in research exploring experiences of parents home educating primary aged children with SEMH needs as separate case studies. A psychosocial methodological approach was taken, orientated in psychosocial ontological and epistemological positions. Three mothers were recruited from a specialist primary SEMH provision where their son attended, and they were interviewed using Free Association Narrative Interviewing (Hollway and Jefferson, 2013) on two occasions. Participant experiences were analysed using thematic and psychosocial analysis. Findings suggested the mothers experienced the lockdown as emotionally straining to lesser or greater extents according to their personal circumstances and past experiences. All mothers struggled to home-school their sons, feeling anxiety for differing reasons. The relational dynamics between the mother-child dyads intensified due to being forced together with limited breaks from each other, leading to emotional challenges and several unconscious processes to be enacted, including splitting, projection, rationalisation, and humour. The research was justified as useful for educational psychologist (EP) practice as it elucidated the experiences of parents of SEMH needs, the relationship dynamic within families during lockdowns, and insight for EPs working with parents who are forced to home educate their children in the future

    The Psychological Processes Underlying a Trauma-Informed Approach in Primary Schools:The Perspectives of Leaders

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    This thesis comprises a literature review, a research paper and a critical review of the research process. In the literature review, meta-ethnography was used to identify and synthesise 13 qualitative studies that explored teachers’ experiences of supporting student mental health. A conceptual model was developed, highlighting: (1) the pressures on teachers to adopt this role despite limited training, (2) a choice around whether to accept this responsibility, (3) the use of personal resources and judgement, (4) facilitators and barriers to this process and (5) the personal impact that this had on teachers. Teachers’ readiness to support students’ mental health is highlighted, however their ability to accomplish this is dependent on the support of the system around them. The study presented in the research paper utilised a grounded theory methodology. Fourteen participants, including external advisors in trauma-informed education and members of senior leadership teams were interviewed to explore their experiences of developing and implementing a trauma-informed approach in primary schools. The findings present a preliminary model outlining the relational processes at each level of the school system that underlie trauma-informed change. These processes were underpinned by the principles of safety, trust, collaboration, compassion, belonging, regulation, and attunement to needs. The findings suggest a need to shift attention within this field from program content to system- wide relational processes. The critical appraisal explores the psychological theory underlying the relational processes found within the research paper and draws the findings of the literature review and empirical papers together. Reflections on the research process are offered, followed by wider considerations of the importance of context, and of insuring credibility of the approach. Finally, a case for the role of clinical psychology within this work is proposed
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