Behavioral Health and Performance (BHP) Standing Review Panel (SRP) Final Report

The first meeting of the Behavioral Health and Performance (BHP) Standing Review Panel (SRP) was held in Houston, TX on November 1-3, 2009. Our task was to assess the Integrated Research Plan (IRP) related to the fields covered in the SRP charge (see section VIII). Having considered and discussed the extensive materials distributed prior to the meeting, and the highly informative briefings by the NASA BHP Human Research Program (HRP) personnel during the site visit, the SRP agreed that the IRP is comprehensive and was developed carefully. Question and answer periods with the presenters were particularly productive and helpful to the SRP. The presenters' willingness to share information and positive responses to the SRP's suggestions were greatly appreciated. Although the IRP and related documents are impressive, the SRP does have a number of recommendations regarding both the overall plan and its component parts

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

Conflict in Clayoquot Sound: Using thematic content analysis to understand psychological aspects of environmental controversy

Abstract The present study examined the information campaigns of groups involved in the Clayoquot land-use debate for the presence of motivational and cognitive factors that may undermine the quality of forest land-use discussions. Integrative complexity, motive imagery (need for achievement, affiliation, and power) and value pluralism were measured in the publicity campaigns of 7 groups (3 environmentalist, a forest industry advocacy group, a forest company, the B.C. government, and a government-appointed forestry advisory panel). The campaigns were generally characterized by low levels of integrative complexity and of affiliation and achievement imagery, and high levels of power imagery. The complexity of the combined texts of the government and the advisory panel (M = 1.96) were significantly higher in integrative complexity (p < .05) than those of the environmental groups (M = 1.49). The complexity score of the forest industry advocates fell between those of the above groups (M = 1.80), and did not differ significantly from either. The values endorsed by the environmental and forest industry advocacy groups were non-overlapping, whereas the government/advisory texts contained values that overlapped with those of both advocacy groups, and had significantly (p = .02) higher levels of achievement imagery. Resume La presente etude a permis d'examiner les campagnes d'informations des groupes associes au debat sur l'utilisation du sol de Clayoquot pour determiner la presence de facteurs motivants et determinants qui pourraient miner la qualite des discussions sur l'utilisation du sol de la foret. La complexite integrative, l'imagerie motivationnelle (le besoin de reussite, d'affiliation et de pouvoir) et le pluralisme des valeurs ont ete mesures dans les campagnes publicitaires de 7 groupes (3 groupes ecologistes, un groupe d'intervention de l'industrie forestiere, une entreprise forestiere, le gouvernement de la Colombie-Britannique et un comite consultant sur la foresterie nomme par le gouvernement). Les campagnes THE CLAYOQUOT DISPUTE On April 13,1993, the government of British Columbia released a land-use plan for Clayoquot Sound, an area located on the west coast of Vancouver Island (see Disputes over land use arise from conflicting interests and values associated with a particular area. Because of the wide range of values involved, Clayoquot Sound provides perhaps the quintessential example of land-use conflicts. The coastal temperate rainforests of Clayoquot Sound are aesthetically magnificent and biologically diverse: home to numerous animal and plant species

Antarctica: Natural Laboratory and Space Analog for Psychological Research

International audienc

Value Hierarchies of Holocaust Rescuers and Resistance Fighters

There has been considerable theorizing and research on the motivations of individuals who rescued Jews from the Nazi Holocaust. Participants in armed resistance movements, the other major form of active opposition within Nazi- dominated Europe, have attracted less scientific attention. The study reported here compared members of these two groups using a quantitative measure applied to their own post-war memoirs and interviews. Thematic content analysis was used to score the relative strengths of eleven major value categories in materials produced by forty-seven members of resistance movements and fifty Holocaust rescuers. Benevolence, Universalism, and Spirituality were significantly higher among rescuers than among resistance fighters, with the opposite pattern for Security. There were some gender differences, but no differences based on country of residence. Comparisons with Schwartz’s international norm group results are also presented, and the implications of this research with respect to altruism in extreme circumstances are discussed