Ein Modell zur Erklärung alltagskulturellen Wandels: das Beispiel deutsche Vereinigung und die Entwicklung des Rechtsextremismus in den neuen Bundesländern

Ein allgemeines Modell zur Erklärung des Wandels in der Alltagskultur wird vorgestellt und auf den Wandel der politischen Kultur am Beispiel der Entstehung des Rechtsextremismus angewendet. Dabei wird von P. Bourdieu ein Achsensystem zur Beschreibung gesellschaftlicher Positionen und von N. Elias die Vorstellung übernommen, dass sich Verhaltensnormen von den Eliten her in einer Gesellschaft ausbreiten, weil Menschen meinen, ihr Prestige steigern zu können, indem sie das Verhalten von Personen übernehmen, die sie als mit mehr Prestige ausgestattet wahrnehmen. Das zwingt die Eliten dazu, immer neue Verhaltensweisen zu entwickeln, um ihre hervorgehobene Stellung zu bewahren. Weil die neuen Verhaltensweisen wieder von aufstrebenden Schichten übernommen werden, entsteht beständig alltagskultureller Wandel, auch der Wandel der politischen Kultur. Auf diese Weise kann sich von den Eliten her ein Rechtsextremismus der gesamten Gesellschaft entwickeln. Subkultureller Rechtsextremismus wird im Modell - wiederum gestützt auf Elias - durch Aufstiegsblockade erklärt: Wenn Menschen den Eindruck gewinnen, dass die Übernahme von Verhaltensweisen zu keiner Prestigesteigerung führt, hören sie auf, sich an den höheren Schichten zu orientieren. Stattdessen setzen sie eine polemisch übersteigerte Gegenkultur gegen die Elitenkultur, von der sie sich ausgeschlossen fühlen. Dieser Erklärungsversuch wird anderen Erklärungsansätzen für den wachsenden Rechtsextremismus in Ostdeutschland gegenübergestellt.A model is being presented to explain changes in everyday culture and to explain the development of right wing extremism in political culture. From Bourdieu (1987) the dimensions to describe prestige-positions of persons were taken, from Elias (1980) the assumption that people in order to improve their standing in society tend to adopt the behaviour of persons who they perceive as having more prestige than themselves. For the elites this creates the necessity to develop new behavioural norms to continue to distinguish themselves from the groups trying to emulate them. The elites can invent new behaviours or adopt them from foreign elites or from avantgardes. These new behaviours are again emulated by the lower strata of society creating a continual stream of change in everyday culture including political culture. According to the model rightwing extremism coming from the elites will spread to the whole of society. Subcultural rightwing extremism will evolve if a segment of society perceives no possibility of increasing its prestige by imitating the behaviour of higher strata. Then they develop a spiteful counterculture which denounces the values of the culture from which they feel excluded

A Brief Assessment of Body Image Perception: Norm Values and Factorial Structure of the Short Version of the FKB-20

The Body Image Questionnaire-20 (FKB-20) is one of the most applied self-report measures in the context of body image assessment in German-speaking regions. A version of the FKB-20 capturing an ideal concept of body image is also available. A special property of the scale is its high sensitivity for individuals suffering from anorexia nervosa. The present research provided a short version of this scale (for both variants) and examined its validity in a representative sample (N = 2,347) of the German population. We utilized factor analysis methods to identify the optimal short scale of the measure, finding excellent model fit and reliability for a two-factor model (FKB-6) for both real and ideal body image. Both versions of the FKB-6 can be considered invariant across sex and age groups. Good reliability indices were shown for both versions of the FKB-6. The reliability indices were similar to those mentioned in previous studies. Our study also revealed, that large discrepancies between the real and an ideal body image are correlated with somatic and body dysmorphic symptoms. Finally, we provided norm values for comparisons of individual scores with the general population. The FKB-6 is a valid and a reliable measure that economizes assessments by clinicians and researchers

Psychological and Socio-Economical Determinants of Health: The Case of Inner German Migration

A substantial body of research has shown worse health conditions for East- vs. West-Germany in the wake of reunification. In the present study, we investigate how these differences between the two formerly divided regions developed and what maintains them. Specifically, we consider the associations between health status, income satisfaction, and health-related locus of control. In a quasi-experimental and longitudinal study design, we are particularly interested in the differences between individuals who stayed in East-Germany and those who were born in the East but migrated to West-Germany. To this end, we examined data from seven waves of the Saxony Longitudinal Study (2003–2009). Specifically, we tested a cross-lagged panel model with random effects, which evinced very good model fit. Most parameters and processes were equivalent between individuals who stayed in East-Germany vs. moved to West-Germany. Crucially, there was the expected pattern of positive correlations between health, income, and locus of control. In addition, we found substantially lower values for all three of these variables for the individuals who stayed in East-Germany (vs. moved to West-Germany). A possible explanation is the increase in socio-economic status that the internal migrants experienced. These findings present an important contribution of research in order to foster a better understanding on the social dynamics in Germany related to internal/domesticmigrants and implications in the context of health outcomes (e.g., significantly more unemployment in East vs. West-Germany), especially since almost 20–25% of East-German citizens migrated to West-Germany. Until now, there are no similar studies to the Saxony longitudinal project, since the data collection started in 1987 and almost every year an identical panel has been surveyed; which can be particularly useful for health authorities. The study mainly focuses on social science research and deals with the phenomenon of reunification, approaching several subjects such as mental and physical health, quality of life and the evaluation of the political system. Yet even though many people have experienced such a migration process, there has been little research on the subjects we approach. With our research we deepen the understanding of the health consequences of internal migration

"... statt um Fakten und abstrakte Prozesse ging es mal um uns.": Lehr-Lern-Projekte für Medizinstudierende in Sachsen

Die Aufnahme eines universitären Studiums bedeutet in vielerlei Hinsicht eine Umstellung. Die Studierenden müssen die Anpassung an eine neue, meist ungewohnte Lernumgebung bewältigen. Diese wartet mit einem höheren Leistungsniveau und einer komprimierten Darbietung von Lernstoff auf. Zumeist werden die Themen sehr inhaltsbezogen und in unterschiedlichen Formen unterrichtet. Eine selbständige sowie langfristige Zeitplanung ist dabei vonnöten ebenso wie selbstorganisiertes Arbeiten. Zudem sind die Unterscheidung von wichtigen und unwichtigen Inhalten sowie der Umgang mit fakultativen Veranstaltungen im Studium essenziell. Diese Kompetenzen werden zu Studienbeginn überwiegend vorausgesetzt. Die Problematik der Anpassung betrifft dabei auch und insbesondere Studierende der Medizin

Be smart against cancer! A school-based program covering cancer-related risk behavior

Background: Several studies suggest that most school-age children are poorly informed about cancer risk factors. This study examines the effectiveness of the ‘Be smart against cancer’ (BSAC) program in promoting cancer awareness and intentions to engage in health-promoting behavior. Methods: 235 seventh-grade students were randomized to either the intervention (N = 152) or the wait-control group (N = 83). The intervention included the modules: “What is cancer?,” “Sun protection,” “Non smoking,” and “Physical activity, Healthy nutrition, and Limited alcohol consumption.” Outcomes measured at baseline and at the end of the one week BSAC program included knowledge of cancer and its behavioral risk factors, health-promoting intentions, and reported risk behavior. Results: BSAC was effective in increasing knowledge about cancer and risk factors for cancer (p < .001), as well as in increasing intentions to engage in health-promoting behavior (p < .001), independent of a student’s risk profile. Knowledge did not serve as a mediator for intention building. Conclusions: The BSAC is an effective school-based program for raising awareness of cancer, associated risk factors and intentions to engage in cancer-preventive behavior. The results indicate that the effectiveness of BSAC is independent of a student’s risk profile. Therefore, it holds considerable promise as a broadly applicable program to raise cancer awareness and promote healthy behavior intentions

Standard values and relationship-specific validity of the Bielefeld Relationship Expectations Questionnaire (BFPE)

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The Bielefeld Partnership Expectations Questionnaire (BFPE) is a tool to assess attachment in the romantic relationships of adults. The attachment styles are operationalized as configuration patterns of scale scores. While convergent validity has already been investigated, discriminant validity is still lacking confirmation.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The present sample (n = 1509) is representative for the German population aged 18 to 50. The mean age was 34.6 years. Most of the participants lived in a relationship (77.3 %). Discriminant validity was analyzed using a marital quality questionnaire (PFB), a social support questionnaire (F-Soz-U K-14), and a life satisfaction questionnaire (FLZ).</p> <p>Results</p> <p>All the BFPE scales have a satisfying internal consistency between r = .79 and .86. Those individuals who showed a secure pattern, i.e. increased "Readiness for Self-Disclosure" and "Conscious Need for Care" as well as reduced "Fear of Rejection" experienced their partner as socially supportive, reported higher marital quality in all of its facets, and were more satisfied within the life-domains "family/children" and "relationship/sexuality". Standard values for each scale are presented.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The BFPE has repeatedly been verified as a short, reliable, and valid instrument applicable to research practice with healthy individuals as well as within clinical contexts.</p

A dataset for dental anxiety and psychological distress in 1550 patients visiting dental clinics

Objectives: Information was collected to identify anxiety in dental patients visiting a dental clinic using the Dental Anxiety Scale, their level of psychological distress using the Brief Symptom Inventory-18 and identifying a correlation between these groups as well as the gender and age. Data description: This data contains a set of 1550 patients’ answers to questionnaires taken before dental treatment in a dental clinic. It is divided into male and female patients as well as according to their age. The level of Dental Anxiety can be interpreted by answers chosen in the Dental Anxiety Scale (DAS) and the level of psychological distress by answers chosen in the Brief Symptom Inventory-18 (BSI-18). This dataset should help to encourage more research in the field of dental anxiety and we hope to see more comparisons with our data in the future or in different regions of the world

Psychological distress and anxiety compared amongst dental patients- results of a cross-sectional study in 1549 adults

Background This study aimed to identify anxiety in dental patients visiting a dental clinic using the Dental Anxiety Scale, their level of psychological distress using the Brief Symptom Inventory-18 and therefore identifying a correlation between these groups as well as their gender and age. Methods An adult sample of N = 1549 patients (865 females, 779 males) was examined over the course of three years using the Brief Symptom Inventory-18 to evaluate psychological distress and the Dental Anxiety Scale to determine anxiety before dental treatment. Evaluations were conducted according to age and gender. Results There was no correlation between different age groups of the sample the Dental Anxiety Scale. Anxiety, depression and GSI were more frequent in patients below the age of 46 than above. Women were more susceptible to signs of Anxiety and Somatization and scored higher on the Dental Anxiety Scale and the Global Severity Index than male patients. There was a significant positive correlation between scores of the BSI-18 categories: Somatization, Anxiety and Depression and the DAS for dental patients. Conclusions This study showed that a relationship between dental anxiety and psychological distress exists. It would be an improvement to use a short questionnaire like the Dental Anxiety Scale to evaluate a patient before his first treatment so that more appropriate treatments can be pursued