Anxiety and Mentalizing: Uncertainty as a Driver of Egocentrism

Emotions shape how people understand and interact with others. Here, we review evidence on the relationship between anxiety—a future-oriented emotion characterized by negative valence, high arousal, and uncertainty—and mentalizing—the ascription of mental content to other agents. We examine three aspects of this relationship: how people with anxiety disorders perform on mentalizing tasks relative to controls; how situational anxiety alters mentalizing performance; and how autistic people, who experience the impacts of mentalizing differences, are at high risk of anxiety. We propose a bidirectional model for understanding how short-term and longer term anxiety are related to mentalizing. Key to this relationship is the aversive experience of uncertainty and the motivations that result from it

Does attachment style moderate the effect of computer-mediated versus face-to-face conflict discussions?

Successful conflict resolution is important in romantic relationships. With the advent of computer-mediated communication (CMC), partners can resolve conflict using CMC. But is CMC as effective as face-to-face communication for conflict resolution? And does the effectiveness depend on attachment style? We asked 100 romantic couples to discuss a conflict topic and randomly assigned them to do so face-to-face or via CMC. Levels of distress, anger, and conflict resolution did not differ between face-to-face and CMC discussions.Attachment style did not moderate these findings. A more anxious and a more avoidant attachment style were associated with higher levels of distress andanger. We conclude that there is no indication that resolving conflict face-to-face has advantages over resolving conflict via CMC

The Relationship Between Self-Reported Emotional Intelligence and Emoji Identification Accuracy in College Students

The current study examined the use and interpretation of emojis by neurotypical college students through emotional recognition and social understanding and the implications for their use in supportive communication inside the classroom for individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Emotional awareness and reciprocity are essential for establishing friendships and developing social skills. At this point, there remains limited research on the implications of emoji use for individuals with ASD and any boundaries that may be associated with emojis in social understanding and emotional awareness. The specific research questions that will be addressed in this study are as follows: (1) Is there a correlation between self-reported emotional intelligence and emoji identification accuracy? (2) Is there a correlation between degree of emoji use and emoji identification accuracy? (3) Are certain demographic characteristics (i.e., gender, age, years of smartphone use) related to emoji identification accuracy? A total of 101 undergraduate and graduate students completed a 53-item survey which included demographic questions, emoji identification tasks, and self-reported measures of emotional intelligence. Results indicated that there is not a relationship between an individual’s ability to correctly identify emojis and their level of self-reported emotional intelligence (r = .161; p = .131). Participants’ identification accuracy was not found to be related to degree of emoji use, gender or age (p \u3e .05). However, the relationship between identification accuracy and years of smartphone use was found to be approaching significance (p = .051). The results provide preliminary evidence for future researchers to investigate whether there is a relationship between individuals with ASD’s emoji identification accuracy and emotional intelligence

Experiences of mental illness, treatment and recovery in schizophrenia. An existential-phenomenological exploration

This study explores in depth the narratives and experience of recovery from a convenience sample of seven participants with a schizophrenia diagnosis, but now remitted (Andreasen et al, 2005). Three lifeworlds (phases) emerged using hermeneutic phenomenology: (A) Losing existential grounding; (B) Being-within-the-system (i.e. hospitalised); and (C) Outside schizophrenia. Outside has a double meaning as it both emerges from the narratives and also is an important base for existential exploration: what else needs to happen except psychiatry? Each lifeworld had a different meaning and different behaviours connected to it. Two necessary transitions were identified: First, accepting help; and second, an existential construction or re- construction depending on where in your life course you become affected. Psychotherapy was useful, but not necessary for remission and recovery

Psychological underpinnings of communication channel choice in socio-emotional contexts

Communication about socio-emotional issues can come with a range of pleasant or undesirable experiences for those involved. For example, while we might be eager to share with someone the news about our most recent achievement, telling them we will cancel our long-planned trip definitely puts us in a certain distress. In advance of such conversations, people anticipate their course and potential impact, and accordingly pursue communicational strategies that minimize negative and maximize positive experiences and outcomes. One powerful means in this endeavor is the deliberate choice of communication channels that support those strategies. As mediated channels differ from face-to-face conversations in several regards and to varying degrees, they are perceived more or less suited for the pursuit of different communication goals. The present thesis is thus dedicated to the psychological question of why people choose particular channels in socio-emotional situations (research question 1), how their choices differ between contexts (research question 2), and how those choices could be influenced (research question 3). The included set of six studies follows this structure of interrelated research questions. A first qualitative study explored the variety of reasons people refer to when choosing channels for socio-emotional communication and associates them with channel characteristics or contextual factors (study 1.1). Qualitative responses are linked to existing theoretical concepts and further transposed into an integrative model of different reasons behind communication channel choices. Basically, three sets of categories are identified in pragmatic, symbolic, and control-based reasons. Pragmatic reasons comprise choices out of convenience or habit that happen rather casually. Symbolic reasons pertain to choices that occur consciously but are largely predetermined by the respective situation. Control-based reasons are classified as reasons that stem from the intention to deliberately influence the communication process. These control-based reasons are further distinguished into categories of interaction control, i.e., reasons focusing on the synchronicity of channels, and emotion control, i.e., reasons focusing on the richness of channels. These two kinds of control-based reasons represent instances of strategic channel choice, which are the main focus of subsequent studies presented within this thesis. A potential psychological mechanism behind the strategic choice of channels is the intention to utilize their varying degree of subjective buffer, which regulates the interactional and emotional intensity of communication. This buffer effect of channels is defined as their subjective capacity to provide a psychological shield between individuals that mitigates emotional exposure and facilitates deliberate disclosure. Communication channels with a higher buffer effect therefore support face-saving impression management and the pursuit self-presentational goals. Studies 2.1 - 2.4 explored under which contextual circumstances people tend to strategically choose communication channels with higher buffer effects. This occurred when senders were to deliver negative (vs. positive) messages and when the socio-emotional issue focused on themselves (vs. the receiver) (study 2.1). The same preferences were shown by receivers, i.e., they chose channels with a higher buffer effect if the message was negative (vs. positive) and focused on themselves (vs. the sender) (study 2.2). I ascribe these tendencies in channel choices to a generally increased salience of self-presentational goals in socio-emotional communication, especially when the issue is negative and revolves around oneself. In close relationships, however, effects of valence were inverted, such that senders chose channels with lower buffer effects in negative (vs. positive) situations, while the opposite held true in distant relationships (study 2.3). There was no effect regarding the locus of the issue (focus on sender vs. receiver) in either of the relationship conditions. I attribute this moderating effect of interpersonal closeness to the increased relevance of relational goals (compared to self-presentational goals) in close relationships. A general decline in the relevance of self-presentational goals might also explain why people in a work context chose channels with higher buffer effects for communicating negative (vs. positive) messages to recipients of a superior or equal hierarchical status, while there was no difference for subordinates (study 2.4). An additional study explored the possibility to influence channel choice without changing the socio-emotional context itself by manipulating an individual’s regulatory focus (study 3.1). Following a regulatory focus induction, people’s channel choices in a potential conflict situation were assessed. The induction of a prevention (vs. promotion) focus led to the choice of channels with higher buffer effects and to a lower probability of choosing richer communication media, even when controlled for chronic regulatory focus and interpersonal closeness. This exploration constitutes a first example of how communication channel research could advance its implications by not only examining determinants and outcomes of channel choices but also ways to intentionally influence them. Following the overview of empirical studies and their concise summary, I elaborate on how they add to previous research and why widely applied media theories are frequently not suited to predict channel choices in socio-emotional situations. In order to not further the proliferation of theories in the field, I point out how the delivered insights can be integrated into the different stages of the impression management model, on which several of the present studies are predicated on. Subsequently, I present practical implications that may be derived from these works and refer to exemplary technical implementations that can serve as an orientation in this endeavor. This thesis concludes with a discussion of its limitations and directions for future research that go beyond what is already covered by the constituent works.Die Kommunikation über sozio-emotionale Themen kann für die Beteiligten einhergehen mit einer Reihe von angenehmen und unerwünschten Erfahrungen. Während wir beispielsweise erpicht darauf sind, Neuigkeiten über unsere neuste Errungenschaft mit jemandem zu teilen, bringt uns das Absagen einer lang geplanten gemeinsamen Reise durchaus in eine gewisse Bedrängnis. Im Vorfeld solcher Gespräche antizipieren Menschen deren Verlauf und Auswirkungen und verfolgen bewusst Strategien bei der Kommunikation, die zur Minimierung negativer und Maximierung positiver Erlebnisse und Konsequenzen führen. Ein wirksames Mittel in diesem Unterfangen ist die bewusste Wahl von Kommunikationskanälen, die diese Strategien unterstützen. Da Kommunikationsmedien sich in mehrerlei Hinsicht und zu unterschiedlichen Graden von persönlichen Gesprächen unterscheiden, werden sie mehr oder weniger geeignet für die Verfolgung unterschiedlicher Kommunikationsziele wahrgenommen. Die vorliegende Arbeit widmet sich daher der psychologischen Fragestellung, warum Personen bestimmte Kanäle in sozio-emotionalen Situationen wählen (Forschungsfrage 1), wie ihre Wahl zwischen Kontexten variiert (Forschungsfrage 2) und wie die Entscheidung zwischen Kanälen beeinflusst werden kann (Forschungsfrage 3). Die hier enthaltene Zusammenstellung von sechs Studien folgt dieser Struktur ineinander verwobener Forschungsfragen. Eine erste qualitative Studie diente der Exploration der Vielzahl an Gründen, auf die sich Leute beziehen, wenn sie Kanäle für sozioemotionale Kommunikation wählen, und bringt diese in Verbindung mit Kanalcharakteristiken oder Kontextfaktoren (Studie 1.1). Die qualitativen Antworten werden mit bestehenden theoretischen Konzepten verknüpft und daraufhin übertragen in ein integratives Modell von Beweggründen, die hinter der Wahl von Kommunikationskanälen stehen. Grundsätzlich werden mit pragmatischen, symbolischen und kontroll-basierten Gründen drei Arten von Kategorien identifiziert. Pragmatische Gründe umfassen Wahlentscheidungen aus Bequemlichkeit oder Gewohnheit, die eher beiläufig auftreten. Symbolischen Gründe beziehen sich auf eine Wahl, die bewusst geschieht, aber größtenteils vorgegeben ist durch die jeweilige Situation. Als kontroll-basierte Gründe sind diejenigen Gründe klassifiziert, die der Absicht entspringen, den Kommunikationsprozess bewusst zu beeinflussen. Diese kontroll-basierten Gründe sind weiter unterteilt in die Kategorien Interaktionskontrolle, d.h., Gründe, die auf der Synchronität von Kommunikationskanälen aufbauen, und Emotionskontrolle, d.h., Gründe, die auf der Reichhaltigkeit von Kommunikationskanälen fußen. Diese beiden Arten von kontroll-basierten Gründen repräsentieren Fälle strategischer Kommunikationskanalwahl, auf denen der Hauptfokus der in dieser Arbeit anschließend dargestellten Studien liegt. Ein potenzieller psychologischer Mechanismus hinter der Wahl von Kommunikationskanälen ist die Absicht, sich deren unterschiedliche Grade an subjektivem Puffer zunutze zu machen, welcher die Interaktions- und Emotionsintensität bei der Kommunikation beeinflusst. Dieser Puffer-Effekt von Kommunikationskanälen wird definiert als ihre subjektive Fähigkeit einen psychologischen Schutzschild zwischen Individuen zu schaffen, der das emotionale Erleben bei der Kommunikation abschwächt und eine bewusste Preisgabe von Informationen erleichtert. Dementsprechend unterstützen Kommunikationskanäle mit höherem Puffer-Effekt eine gesichtswahrende Steuerung des Eindrucks auf andere (engl. impression management) und damit die Verfolgung von Selbstdarstellungszielen. Die Studien 2.1 – 2.4 untersuchten, unter welchen kontextuellen Rahmenbedingungen Menschen dazu tendieren, strategisch Kommunikationskanäle mit einem höheren Puffer-Effekt zu wählen. Dies trat auf, wenn Sender eine negative (vs. positive) Nachricht überbringen sollten und wenn sich das sozio-emotionale Thema auf sie selbst (vs. den Empfänger) bezog (Studie 2.1). Für Empfänger zeigten sich dieselben Präferenzen, d.h., sie wählten Kanäle mit höherem Puffer-Effekt, wenn die Nachricht negativ (vs. positiv) war und die eigene Person (vs. den Sender) betraf (Studie 2.2). Ich führe diese Kanalentscheidungen auf eine grundsätzlich gesteigerte Salienz von Selbstdarstellungszielen bei der sozioemotionalen Kommunikation zurück, insbesondere, wenn das Thema negativ ist und sich um einen selbst dreht. In engen Beziehungen hingegen zeigten sich umgekehrte Valenz-Effekte, sodass Sender in negativen (vs. positiven) Situationen Kanäle mit niedrigerem Puffer-Effekt wählten, während in distanzierten Beziehungen das Gegenteil der Fall blieb (Studie 2.3). In keiner der Beziehungsbedingungen zeigte sich ein Effekt der Lokalisierung des Themas (Fokus auf Sender vs. Empfänger). Ich schreibe diesen Moderationseffekt zwischenmenschlicher Nähe der gesteigerten Relevanz von Beziehungszielen (im Vergleich zu Selbstdarstellungszielen) in engen Beziehungen zu. Eine generelle Abnahme der Relevanz von Selbstdarstellungszielen könnte auch erklären, warum Personen im Arbeitskontext Kommunikationskanäle mit einem höheren Puffer-Effekt wählten, um negative (vs. positive) Nachrichten an Empfänger eines höheren oder gleichen hierarchischen Status zu überbringen, während sich kein Unterschied für untergeordnete Empfänger zeigte (Studie 2.4). Eine weitere Studie untersuchte die Möglichkeit, Kanalentscheidungen zu beeinflussen, ohne den sozio-emotionalen Kontext zu verändern, indem der regulatorische Fokus eines Individuums manipuliert wird (Studie 3.1). Im Anschluss an die Induktion eines regulatorischen Fokus wurde die Kanalwahl von Personen in einer potenziellen Konfliktsituation erhoben. Die Induktion eines Präventions-Fokus (vs. Promotions-Fokus) führte zur Wahl von Kanälen mit einem höheren Puffer-Effekt und zu einer niedrigeren Wahrscheinlichkeit sich für reichhaltigere Kommunikationskanäle zu entscheiden, sogar wenn für den Einfluss des chronischen regulatorischen Fokus und der zwischenmenschlichen Nähe kontrolliert wurde. Diese Untersuchung bietet ein erstes Beispiel dafür, wie die Forschung zu Kommunikationskanälen ihre Anwendungsbereiche noch erweitern könnte, indem nicht nur Voraussetzungen und Auswirkungen von Kanalentscheidungen untersucht werden, sondern auch Wege diese bewusst zu beeinflussen. Im Anschluss an den Überblick über die empirischen Studien und deren knappe Zusammenfassung führe ich weiter aus, wie sie zu früherer Forschung beitragen und warum weit verbreitete Medientheorien häufig nicht geeignet sind, um Kanalentscheidungen in sozio-emotionalen Situationen vorherzusagen. Um nicht weiter zur ausufernden Zahl an Theorien im Forschungsfeld beizutragen, wird aufgezeigt, wie die gewonnenen Einsichten in die verschiedenen Stufen des Eindruckssteuerungsmodells (engl. impression management model), auf dem einige der vorliegenden Studien aufbauen, integriert werden können. Daran anschließend präsentiere ich praktische Implikationen, die von diesen Arbeiten abgeleitet werden können, und nehme Bezug auf beispielhafte technische Umsetzungen, die hierbei als Orientierung dienen könnten. Die Arbeit schließt ab mit einer Diskussion ihrer Limitationen und zukünftiger Forschungsrichtungen, die über das hier dargestellte Forschungsvorhaben hinausgehen

Determination of Social Anxiety Levels of Distance Education University Students

The rapid spread of the Covid-19 pandemic worldwide has affected all areas of life. Social media platforms create a new kind of social situation in terms of the presence of nonverbal cues. Emotions associated with social anxiety can be affected during the pandemic, due to possible changes in social interaction and isolation. This study was conducted to determine the social anxiety levels of university students receiving distance education. 670 university students who receiving distance education in the 2020-2021 academic year participated in the study. Study data were collected using the Liebowitz Social Anxiety Inventory (LSAS) and The Brief Fear of Negative Evaluation Scale (BFNE). The total score of the students’ LSAS was 94.10 ± .95, and the total score of BFNE was 30.38 ± 9.07. The social situations in which the students experienced the most anxiety were speaking up at a meeting without prior preparation, acting, performing, or speaking in front of an audience, being the center of attention, giving a prepared oral talk to a group. It was concluded that the students considered online education as a safe environment to cope with the fear of negative evaluation. This situation can lead to an increase in the anxiety level of the socially anxious individual and to experience difficulties in real social situations that may occur in the classroom environment when face-to-face education is started. It is recommended to increase the exposure of students with social anxiety to online social situations during the pandemic process

Freud\u27s Dream of Interpretation

Frieden explores methods of dream interpretation in the Bible, the Talmud, and in the writings of Sugmund Freud, and brings to light Freud\u27s Troubled relationship to his Judaic forerunners. This book reveals unfamiliar associations in intellectual history and challenges received ideas in biblical, Talmudic, and Freudian scholarship.https://surface.syr.edu/books/1011/thumbnail.jp

Monologues and dialogues in the language classroom: a study of students' experience in trying to learn English as a compulsory component at a Mexican university

This thesis investigates students’ perceptions towards English classes in a Mexican public university. I argue that the lack of engagement of a small group of students taking part in English classes which are a compulsory component in their tertiary program is not a product of a lack of interest or ability as would normally be argued. This thesis establishes an alternative possibility. Through an interpretive approach to research using several ethnographic techniques and discourse analysis to make sense of the data, the thesis suggests that in order to sustain an engaged position as language learners, students and teachers should construct dialogical spaces that could lead to a better understanding of each other and as a result a more conscious position as engaged learners of a foreign language. The data demonstrate that contradictory discourses within the institution’s policies and those from different departments contribute to a disengaged attitude towards learning English where learning a second language competes with other subjects that are considered central for future professional practice within their disciplines of interest. Data also reveal that aside from the marginalized position that English appears to have, there are issues of students’ marginalization at classroom level which could be the result of monologic positions the teachers and students that participated in this study appear to construct. To better sustain an engaged attitude towards the subject, I suggest that safe spaces could become arenas to raise the awareness of what being a language learner takes. I also suggest that many of the practices within a language classroom stem from monologic discourses and might be considered the source of many of the issues raised in this study. This research challenges some views currently held about motivation as these do not fit with understandings emerging from this study

The discreet charm of surrealism in Eastern European animation : when repression fosters creativity

The focus of this dissertation is Surrealism in animation films created during the Soviet period of 1956 – 1989 in Russia, Poland, and Czechoslovakia. These thirty-three years of the Soviet regime were characterized by the domination of censorship, a persecution of "formalism" and control over artistic expression. However, in these dark conditions the animation industry flourished and striking political films appeared. These films told personal stories and intimate secrets in a way that was not immediately recognizable, sometimes thought of as madness or simply overlooked by the censorship for the simple reason, that animation was thought of as an art for children that could not pose any danger. This dissertation aims at recognizing political revolt and subversion in the animation industry through an analysis of the ambivalent conditions of the Soviet repression system that simultaneously curbed and led to a rise in creativity. This gives rise to the main question: “Did censorship, under these specific conditions, foster artistic creativity in animation films?”O foco deste trabalho é o surrealismo nos filmes de animação criados durante o período soviético de 1956 - 1989, na União Soviética, Polónia e Tchecoslováquia. Aqueles trinta e três anos do regime Soviético são caraterizados pelo domínio forte de censura, perseguição do assim chamado "formalismo" e pelo controlo da expressão artística. No entanto, nestas condições obscuras, a indústria de animação floresceu imenso o que resultou na criação de marcantes filmes políticos. Eles contaram histórias pessoais e segredos íntimos de uma forma que estes não eram imediatamente reconhecíveis pela censura, por vezes considerados como loucura ou simplesmente ignorados, pela simples razão, de que a animação foi pensada como uma arte para as crianças e que não poderia representar qualquer perigo. Este trabalho visa reconhecer a revolta política e subversão na indústria da animação e menciona uma análise das condições ambivalentes do sistema soviético de repressão que levou a um aumento da criatividade nesta categoria de arte, representando uma questão central: "será que a censura, nestas condições específicas, fomentou a criatividade artística nos filmes de animação?