27 research outputs found
Ideology is theft: Thoughts on the legitimacy of a Maori psychology
âWar, in fact, can be seen as a process of achieving equilibrium among unequal technologiesâ (McLuhan, 1964)
We are at war. As Western science and its accompanying technology expands the frontiers of knowledge at an ever-increasing rate, âindigenousâ perspectives of knowledge are exiled into the borderlands of special interest groups and localized research programmes. Mainstream scientific thought lays claim to objective interpretations of experience at the expense of alternative realities offered by emerging theories of knowledge. Furthermore, as localized worldviews (i.e., those derived from ancestral knowledge bases and pre-industrial or non-scientific premises) challenge existing paradigms, the inevitable interactions threaten to undermine the fidelity of this knowledge. One such arena where this ideological conflict is apparent is the growing field of Maori psychology
Bizarre thoughts, magical ideations, and voices from the unconscious: Exploring issues of anomalous experience
This project was initially concerned with the clinical interpretations of âbizarreâ or
âmagicalâ ideations (i.e., statements considered to have little or no validity in our
predominant western culture). The first study explored clinical assessment issues
of who determines the validity of expressed beliefs and what kinds of criteria such
decisions are based on in the mental health field. The present study examined a
particular type of magical ideation, an auditory phenomenon involving claims that
forward spoken conversation contains hidden backwards speech embedded in the
vocal sounds. Thirty-two participants were invited to listen to various audio
samples of the alleged phenomenon and provide interpretations of what was heard.
Participants were assigned to four groups, each differing in the level of pre-emptive
information. A comparative measure revealed that priming and suggestion could
not be dismissed as alternative explanations of the reported effects. Clinical and
social implications will be discussed
Culture is our business: Issues and challenges for forensic and correctional psychologists
Psychology has made significant advances in the development of more empirical, standardized, and consistent approaches to the prediction, assessment, and treatment of offending behaviour. However, crime occurs in a cultural context. Similarly, forensic and correctional psychology derive from a cultural basis that privileges certain types of knowledge and promotes certain forms of practice that are incommensurate with the outlook and realities of some offenders and their communities. While there is an emerging literature on ethnicity and race in criminal justice psychology, very little research that addresses culture is published. The reasons for this knowledge gap are complex, not least because the worldviews of indigenous and diverse communities do not superimpose neatly onto current best-practice models of risk assessment or offender rehabilitation. Given Australia and New Zealandâs commitment to the involvement and wellbeing of indigenous peoples as well as the shared experience of progressively more pluralistic societies, it is argued that there is a critical need to bring the somewhat disparate domains of forensic psychology and culture into conversation with a view to informing policy and practice. The example of risk assessment is used to illustrate some of the complexities of working with cultural difference. Central to this article is a call for a culturally-engaged and proactive philosophy of practice that embraces the needs of diverse offenders, victims and communities
Te Ahurei a Rangatahi sexual health programme: An evaluation
The Maori and Psychology Research Unit was engaged in August 2001 to evaluate a
sexual health programme delivered by Te Ahurei a Rangatahi. Established in 1997,
Te Ahurei a Rangatahi is a community based charitable trust that delivers a variety of
programmes to Rangatahi
The Maunakea Spectroscopic Explorer Book 2018
(Abridged) This is the Maunakea Spectroscopic Explorer 2018 book. It is
intended as a concise reference guide to all aspects of the scientific and
technical design of MSE, for the international astronomy and engineering
communities, and related agencies. The current version is a status report of
MSE's science goals and their practical implementation, following the System
Conceptual Design Review, held in January 2018. MSE is a planned 10-m class,
wide-field, optical and near-infrared facility, designed to enable
transformative science, while filling a critical missing gap in the emerging
international network of large-scale astronomical facilities. MSE is completely
dedicated to multi-object spectroscopy of samples of between thousands and
millions of astrophysical objects. It will lead the world in this arena, due to
its unique design capabilities: it will boast a large (11.25 m) aperture and
wide (1.52 sq. degree) field of view; it will have the capabilities to observe
at a wide range of spectral resolutions, from R2500 to R40,000, with massive
multiplexing (4332 spectra per exposure, with all spectral resolutions
available at all times), and an on-target observing efficiency of more than
80%. MSE will unveil the composition and dynamics of the faint Universe and is
designed to excel at precision studies of faint astrophysical phenomena. It
will also provide critical follow-up for multi-wavelength imaging surveys, such
as those of the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope, Gaia, Euclid, the Wide Field
Infrared Survey Telescope, the Square Kilometre Array, and the Next Generation
Very Large Array.Comment: 5 chapters, 160 pages, 107 figure
Does hyperthyroidism worsen prognosis of thyroid carcinoma? A retrospective analysis on 2820 consecutive thyroidectomies
The last defence against gang crime: Exploring community approaches to gang member reintegration
There is a need to recognise that gangs are a form of community with accompanying norms, values, processes and practices internal to those communities. Any behaviour change efforts with members of these groups would benefit from being âgang-informedâ. However, a workable theory of gangs that informs about function, susceptibility to join, structure (and variations), processes of entry and exit, and outcome issues has yet to developed beyond general theories of crime and desistance. Strategic interventions that are informed by gang cultures â in addition to theories of crime and desistance â are suggested as a constructive area of further research
Assessing risk with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander offenders: considerations for forensic practice
Forensic professionals and courts have frequently expressed concern about the susceptibility of contemporary risk assessment tools to cultural bias. Furthermore, progress in the development of valid methods of assessment for offenders who identify from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultural backgrounds has been slow. This paper considers how cultural perspectives on risk are essential to the development of assessment methods that have greater validity and acceptance by both courts and the community. This will involve considering the social, cultural and political determinants of risk in each cultural group and the identification of those risk factors that are most relevant to forensic decision-making