Terror threat perception and its consequences in contemporary Britain

The terrorist attacks of 9/11, and subsequent terrorist acts around the world, have alerted social psychologists to the need to examine the antecedents and consequences of terrorist threat perception. In these two studies we examined the predictive power of demographic factors (age, sex, location), individual values and normative influences on threat perception and the consequences of this perception for behavioural change and close relationships. In study 1 (N = 100) gender, benevolence values and normative influences were all correlates of threat perception, whilst sense of personal threat was correlated with increased contact with friends and family. In study 2 (N = 240) age, sex, location, and the values of Openness to Change and Hedonism, all predicted threat perception, which in turn predicted behavioural change and relationship contact. Such findings point to the important role social psychologists should play in understanding responses to these new terrorist threats

IN DIVISION I HOCKEY, DOES THE PUCK STOP JUNIOR YEAR?

The 2004-2005 National Hockey League (NHL) lockout has had a twofold effect on men’s Division I college hockey programs. First, NHL entry-level contracts are now much less expensive than they were before the lockout. As a consequence, NHL teams are now more inclined to induce Division I hockey players to forego years of remaining eligibility. Second, the age of unrestricted free agency has dropped, encouraging rookies to begin their NHL career at a younger age. The authors show that there has been not only a surge in the number of Division I college players who have signed NHL contracts in the two years after 2004-2005 lockout than in the two years before the lockout, but since the lockout disproportionately more NHL bound college players have left college in their junior year.

Modelling psychological responses to the great East Japan earthquake and nuclear incident

This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited - Copyright @ 2012 Goodwin et al.This article has been made available through the Brunel Open Access Publishing Fund.The Great East Japan (Tōhoku/Kanto) earthquake of March 2011was followed by a major tsunami and nuclear incident. Several previous studies have suggested a number of psychological responses to such disasters. However, few previous studies have modelled individual differences in the risk perceptions of major events, or the implications of these perceptions for relevant behaviours. We conducted a survey specifically examining responses to the Great Japan earthquake and nuclear incident, with data collected 11-13 weeks following these events. 844 young respondents completed a questionnaire in three regions of Japan; Miyagi (close to the earthquake and leaking nuclear plants), Tokyo/Chiba (approximately 220 km from the nuclear plants), and Western Japan (Yamaguchi and Nagasaki, some 1000 km from the plants). Results indicated significant regional differences in risk perception, with greater concern over earthquake risks in Tokyo than in Miyagi or Western Japan. Structural equation analyses showed that shared normative concerns about earthquake and nuclear risks, conservation values, lack of trust in governmental advice about the nuclear hazard, and poor personal control over the nuclear incident were positively correlated with perceived earthquake and nuclear risks. These risk perceptions further predicted specific outcomes (e.g. modifying homes, avoiding going outside, contemplating leaving Japan). The strength and significance of these pathways varied by region. Mental health and practical implications of these findings are discussed in the light of the continuing uncertainties in Japan following the March 2011 events

Through the funhouse looking glass: Europe's ship of states

What is the nature of the European Union? Does it have the characteristics of a state, and if so, which? We employ a single imagea poster that won a Marshall Plan competition in 1950to examine the various legal perspectives of the EU that have emerged over the past six decades. Created as a symbol of European unity at the outset of European integration, the image was used half a century later on the book cover of Andrew Moravcsik's instant classic on intergovernmentalism. Here, we reinterpret the image yet againin four different ways. This attempt to sort out the legal perspectives of the EU was inspired by the Lisbon Treaty Case that is currently before the German Constitutional Court and will be decided in May 2009. --

Wordlessness (to be Continued)

This is the first part of some thoughts toward how to open up again the question of the theoretical issues around the expressivity of the body, especially given the example of silent cinema. It is an old semiotic problem of what meanings words convey and what the body without words can be said to “express.” After deciding that “silence” is not the operative concept we want I return briefly to the no-word advocates like Béla Balász, and “pure cinema” theorists Germaine Dulac, Jean Epstein, and Louis Delluc, as well as to Christian Metz who was highly dismissive of what he called the “gibberish” of the silent screen. Peter Brooks comes in for some scrutiny for coming so close in his “Text of Muteness” chapter in The Melodramatic Imagination, but I find that he still sits on the fence, wanting to give the day to silent expression, but then signaling a preference for words. So I keep asking what is meant by the phrase “words cannot express,” wanting to know if this means that they fall short or that other signs must take up the slack, or that words will never substitute for gestures. Concluding with Lillian Gish’s essay on “Speech Without Words” and Asta Nielsen’s position that the American cinema had too many words, I call this an exercise in defining a problem although I do not consider this project anything more than “to be continued.

The Strong Black Woman’s Perceptions of Self-Care Engagement

The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to identify self-care knowledge, perceptions, and behaviors of Strong Black Women (SBW) executives with graduate degrees. Stress has substantial damaging impact on health, and it may cause some of the disproportionately high rates of adverse health conditions that Black women experience. Neglect or postponement of self-care has been identified as a contributing factor to SBW’s health disparities. This study sought to identify the factors that limit self-care and those that may lead to engagement, enhanced self-care, and improved health for Black women. The study population consisted of Strong Black Women, between the ages of 40 and 60, with at least a master’s degree, and who were employed full-time in an executive or professional position at the time of the study. Using data from personal interviews with 10 Black women who self-identified with the superwoman schema, five themes emerged. The themes were: spirituality, physical being, intentionality, expectations of self and others, and support. The overlapping answers to the research questions concluded that for the participants of this study, self-care is individualized. Findings include that Strong Black Women’s definitions and understanding of self-care are multifaceted. The participants did not equate self-care, by their definitions, with contributing to their health but rather as contributing to their overall well-being. Recommendations for SBW regarding self-care include engaging in self-care, as personally defined which can support wellness, relaxation, and happiness, resulting in reduced stress. SBW also need to pay attention to engaging in health-related care practices

Southern Histories: Public, Personal, and Sacred

Transforming past and present: The historian\u27s role in shaping the New South The southern community forged after the Civil War, argues historian David Goldfield in Southern Histories, has been shaken to its foundation by the civil rights movement and, more recently, an i...

The Confederate Battle Flag: America\u27s Most Embattled Emblem

Flag flaps From commemoration to provocation A symbol of southern heritage and pride or racism and hatred? The Confederate battle flag means different things to different people; it especially evokes contrasting emotions among whites and blacks. Its display--on T-shirts, pickup t...

Denmark Vesey’s Garden: Slavery and Memory in the Cradle of the Confederacy

In the wake of Dylann Roof’s murders at a Charleston church and another death during the violence at the Lee Monument in Charlottesville, a public debate over taking down Confederate monuments has intensified. The resulting discussion of the meaning of the Confederacy and the use of Confederate symbols can help Americans better understand their racial past. In coming to terms with that past, however, it may be even more important to address how Americans remember and present the history of slavery. If so, Ethan J. Kytle’s and Blain Roberts’ fascinating study of how one city, Charleston, South Carolina, remembered slavery becomes particularly timely and important