The Meaning of Body Experience Evaluation in Oncology

Evaluation of quality of life, psychic and bodily well-being is becoming increasingly important in oncology aftercare. This type of assessment is mainly carried out by medical psychologists. In this paper I will seek to show that body experience valuation has, besides its psychological usefulness, a normative and practical dimension. Body experience evaluation aims at establishing the way a person experiences and appreciates his or her physical appearance, intactness and competence. This valuation constitutes one’s ‘body image’. While, first, interpreting the meaning of body image and, second, indicating the limitations of current psychological body image assessment, I argue that the normative aspect of body image is related to the experience of bodily wholeness or bodily integrity. Since this experience is contextualized by a person’s life story, evaluation should also focus on narrative aspects. I finally suggest that the interpretation of body experience is not only valuable to assess a person’s quality of life after treatment, but that it can also be useful in counseling prior to interventions, since it can support patients in making decisions about interventions that will change their bodies. To apply this type of evaluation to oncology practice, a rich and tailored vocabulary of body experiences has to be developed

Not gods but animals : human dignity and vulnerable subjecthood

Drawing on earlier work on the conceptual structure of dignity, this paper will suggest a particular type of connectedness between vulnerability and human dignity; namely, that the ‘‘organizing idea’’ of human dignity is the idea of a particular sort of ethical response to universal human vulnerability. It is common ground among many, if not all, approaches to ethics that vulnerability requires us to respond ethically. Here, I argue that human dignity is distinctive among ethical values in that it values us because of, rather than in spite of, or regardless of, our universal vulnerability. The term ‘‘dignity’’ is used synonymously with ‘‘human dignity’’ here, since an investigation of the dignity of non-human entities forms no part of the present examination

A critical analysis of the efficacy of law as a tool to achieve gender equality and to address the problem of domestic violence : The case of Trinidad and Tobago

Law is often perceived as an instrument that can effect social change. National law in Trinidad and Tobago, prima facie providing for gender equality, does not fully contemplate issues of particular concern to women, such as domestic violence. Gender equality and domestic violence are unwitting partners as women cannot achieve the former without first addressing the latter. Additionally, problems such as male dominance in politico-legal structures and lack of political will create practical obstacles to the realisation of gender equality and/or the full potential of the law. A case study of Trinidad and Tobago shows that the achievement of legal advances for women is particularly difficult where practical measures are not implemented domestically. Honouring international commitments subsequently becomes problematic as they do not guarantee change nationally and they, too, are sidelined. Gender equality and domestic violence are not given priority domestically and laws aimed towards protecting women and women’s rights are ineffective, scant and/or not enforced. The only way to achieve gender equality is through a multilevel approach from above (the UN) and, perhaps, more importantly, from below, as women have the potential to effect real national and international legal and institutional change to ensure gender equality at both levels.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo