Higher Education in Israel: An Overview

The Global Village is changing and, with it, the higher education landscape. In the present article, the changes that have happened globally are reviewed, and particularly in Israel. In general, due to privatization and global competition, higher education is becoming more accessible; thus, there is a concern that quantity may come at the price of quality education. The article ends with an attempt to foresee what lies ahead for higher education in Israel

Pearls of Wisdom: Israeli Elderly Reflect on Their Lives, and Make Suggestions for Future Generations

Reminiscing by older adults can facilitate beneficial outcomes through the preparation for the end of life, the cohesiveness of life narratives, and creation of life meanings. Given this, and the historical challenges of communication between generations, the objective of this study was two-fold: (1) to harness the beneficial role reminiscence can play in the mental health of older adults; (2) to facilitate generational learning by documenting and thematically analyzing the experiences and knowledge of older adults. We hypothesized that our interviews, which had the stated goal of helping younger people navigate life challenges, would not only act as catalyst for the participants to reminisce but also create a corpus of knowledge which could be later distilled into accessible “pearls of wisdom”. The interviews were conducted in Israel with 102 participants who were between 60 and 93 years of age with six questions constructed to promote further commentary. Through the interviews we were successful in producing a large representation of the older adults’ experiences and what they believed would be beneficial for the younger generation. Due to the potential benefits for participants and larger communities we recommend this approach be adopted for future studies

Leadership and Loneliness

This article addresses leadership and loneliness and examines the interaction of these two constructs. The literature suggests that leaders (educational, state, business, and organizational) endure stress, alienation, loneliness, and emotional turmoil. These may lead to health problems and negatively affect social and familial relationships as well. The interaction of leadership and loneliness will be highlighted. Relevant literature will be reviewed on leadership and its characteristics and effects on those who succeed and get to the “top.” Loneliness will be examined and how it may affect people in general, and leaders in particular; the article will close with suggested strategies as to how leaders may cope with their loneliness

The Effect of Gender and Culture on Loneliness: A Mini Review

Loneliness is an experience determined by a person’s characteristics, her situational variables, gender, and background.  This review article describes the myriad of studies, with sometimes contradictory results about the relation of loneliness to gender [with women commonly expressing, though not necessarily experiencing, greater loneliness], and the relation between loneliness and collectivistic and individualistic culture

Loneliness in Pre and Post-operative Cancer Patients: A Mini Review

This review explored the experience of hospitalization and the experience of cancer patients who were undergoing Ear Nose and Throat [ENT] surgery.  Hospitals, which were designed with treatment and healing in mind, are known to be the source of uncontrollable noise, physicians who talk in a language that patients do not understand. Entering the hospital as a patient, one becomes part of that very complex system, which may include being treated as a ‘nonperson,’ not getting enough information, and losing control of daily activities. Hospitalized patients’ social contact is limited to interaction with the medical staff which thus become a key factor in determining the quality of care, and whether the patients can successfully cope with the stress of their hospitalization experience. Loneliness was found to be associated with a range of negative physical health outcomes such as dementia, increased blood pressure, suicidal thinking and unhealthy and damaging behaviors such as smoking, excess alcohol consumption and lack of exercise leading and contributing to increased mortality.  Being, both, hospitalized and in the midst of a frightening illness they experience loneliness and isolation

The Psychotherapist, the Client, and Loneliness: A Mini Review

The present article examines the interaction between loneliness and psychotherapy; the salient features of psychotherapy, the needs of the lonely client, and the promise in the therapeutic process of being an agent of help to the lonely survive and aim at helping them emerge from their ordeal, emotionally strengthened and spiritually enriched

Coping with loneliness in old age: a cross-cultural comparison

The present study is an examination of the influence of cultural background on the ways in which the aged cope with loneliness. Thirty-six participants from Canada and 105 from Portugal (60-83 years old) answered an 86-item questionnaire which examined the beneficial strategies which they used to cope with loneliness. The strategies which were examined included Acceptance and Reflection, Self-Development and Understanding, Social Support Network, Distancing and Denial, Religion and Faith, and Increased Activity. Results indicated that the elderly of the two cultures differ on three subscales. Gender differences between and within cultures were also examined

Existential Loneliness and end-of-life care: A Systematic Review

Contains fulltext : 88662.pdf (publisher's version ) (Closed access)Patients with a life-threatening illness can be confronted with various types of loneliness, one of which is existential loneliness (EL). Since the experience of EL is extremely disruptive, the issue of EL is relevant for the practice of end-of-life care. Still, the literature on EL has generated little discussion and empirical substantiation and has never been systematically reviewed. In order to systematically review the literature, we (1) identified the existential loneliness literature; (2) established an organising framework for the review; (3) conducted a conceptual analysis of existential loneliness; and (4) discussed its relevance for end-of-life care. We found that the EL concept is profoundly unclear. Distinguishing between three dimensions of EL-as a condition, as an experience, and as a process of inner growth-leads to some conceptual clarification. Analysis of these dimensions on the basis of their respective key notions-everpresent, feeling, defence; death, awareness, difficult communication; and inner growth, giving meaning, authenticity-further clarifies the concept. Although none of the key notions are unambiguous, they may function as a starting point for the development of care strategies on EL at the end of life.1 april 201

The Ramifications of Loneliness: A Commentary

Loneliness was a major concern of people during the recent COVID-19 pandemic. Now, that the pandemic is mainly gone, it is still a global issue. This commentary reviews the impact on that loneliness has on our cognitive, behavioral and affective functioning. These effects are described, along with the stigma that often accompanies loneliness and which makes it hard for people to acknowledge and admit that they are lonely, and seek help from healthcare professionals. This commentary, aside from describing the various negative implications of loneliness, highlights the need for society to address the issue. While it cannot be eliminated, the population can be taught how to recognize it, and how to offer assistance to those who struggle with it