Resource Tag: PERSONAL CONSTRUCT THEORY

The author attempts to illuminate Spinzoa’s treatment of selfhood as it pertains to the possibility of self-destruction. The author argues that Spinzoa’s conception of human essence as necessarily self-affirming is implausible because suicide is a sign of an internal weakness in the face of a hostile world. Thus, the author contends that Spinzoa cannot make […]

The author discusses both the political & aesthetical implications of Mishima Yukio’s suicide on 25 November, 1970 in the traditional Japanese warrior manner of seppuku, following an unsuccessful attempt to incite a unit of the Self-Defence Forces to a coup d’etat.

To address the concerns of some medical ethicists & physicians as to the meaning of legalized physician-assisted death for vulnerable populations, this project sought feedback on end-of-life issues from women whose life circumstances could be expected to leave them relatively disempowered in making decisions regarding healthcare. Study subjects included senior citizens, non-English speaking Latinas, homeless […]

This is primarily a discussion of the relationships of birth, suicide & the doctrine of creation “ex nihilo”, with regard to the analogy that one’s relationship to the world as creation is similar to that of the relationship of God to the creation of the world “ex nihilo”.

This letter to the editor describes a study conducted by the author which analyzed the impact of absolute versus relative values on approval of birth control for single women, euthanasia, & abortion. 92 outpatient veterans attending a nicotine-reduction treatment groups completed questions related to vignettes describing these issues. Absolutists reported themselves to have more education […]

This article examines why Aboriginal youth have one of the highest suicide rates in all of Canada. The article also critiques why current prevention methods are ineffective. The article examines such topics as crisis identity in youth, individualism versus collectivism, & the effects of colonization. The article concludes with recommendations on current suicide prevention programs […]

This article examined physicians’ willingness to be involved in cases of capital punishment by surveying 1,000 randomly selected practicing physicians. Results indicated that many physicians would be willing to be involved in the execution of adults. Approval of assisted suicide was correlated with this willingness to participate in executions of adults. (18 refs) (SC)

This article presents a study of four key psychodynamic concepts (self-directed aggression, object loss, ego functioning disturbance, and pathological object relations) of suicidal behavior. Results support an object-rational view of suicidal behavior. Attempters of suicide were found to be significantly more likely to report a history of childhood loss combined with a recent loss in […]

This chapter discusses the philosophical tenets presented by Schopenhauer regarding death & suicide. Schopenhauer’s theory of palingenesis which asserts that death must be viewed as the disintegration & reconstitution of the individual is summarized. The concept of the will as the dominant feature of individuals is presented. The philosopher’s argument that ‘suicide is opposed to […]

This chapter examines the philosophical tenet that individuals possess a right to choose death by self-inflicted means whenever they wish. Arguments regarding life as property, suicide as a right of autonomy, & suicide as a fundamental human right are included. A summary of Battin’s thesis (that suicide is a fundamental right) is presented. The author […]

The present study examined whether attitudes toward a person’s suicide are affected by the suicide’s gender or marital status, & whether the suicide is a parent or childless. It was found that female & male repondents differed in their attitudes toward a person’s suicidal behavior to some degree. A parent’s suicide was viewed more negatively […]

Includes a brief comment noting two anomalies in the Cohen article: “Conundrums of Gender & ‘Amikam'” by L Suss.

This article describes the negative beliefs that Australian youths view the future of society. The author asserts that these beliefs reveal a fundamental failing of modern western culture (the absence of a shared ideal or vision of our society & its future) & the collapse of the central tenet of western culture (the belief in […]

This article discusses the effects of postmodernism on people’s definition of the meaning of life. The author asserts that as religion (which traditionally defined the meaning of life, moral values, & personal goals) diminishes in importance, young people are struggling with meaning & boundaries in their lives. He states that youth suicide & drug-overdose deaths […]

The authors traces Mayakovsky’s poetic career by tracing the recurring theme of time in his poetry. In particular, the author focuses on Mayakovsky’s relationship with the future, which at first was confident, but which suffered a series of breaks in 1920s Communist Russia, & eventually culminated in his own suicide in 1930.

This paper utilizes Nietzsche & the 17th Century Japanese Zen Master Bankei as antidotes to the nihilism that prompts teenage self-destruction. Both thinkers offer counsel addressing the overwhelming hopelessness & self-lacerating regret youth can feel when confronted with societal demands to capitulate. Distinguishing between consummatory actions & acts of fulfillment, the paper plays with “bridging” […]

Fourteen Norwegian, three Danish, & two Swedish physicians employed at a Norwegian psychiatric hospital narrated their lived experiences in caring for suicidal psychiatric patients. The interview text was transcibed & interpreted using a phenomenological-hermeneutics method, inspired by Ricoeur’s philosophy. Two main themes were found: 1) Power Over (communicating with the patients; not accepting one’s own […]

Promotion of the regular rehearsal or practice of belief- in the self, in the family, in the peer group, in the country, or in some higher force- may be the key to survival in those who have personal or contextual risk factors for suicide that increase the odds of lifetime suicide.

The authors argue that recently a range of experimental studies have revealed certain cognitive characteristics of suicidal patients. They explore the three main areas of functioning that have been found to be affected in suicidal groups: memory; future-oriented thinking; and problem solving abilities. The relationship between different cognitive deficits is discussed, as well as implications […]

The purpose of this essay is to show how one can be a pacifist who opposes killing in war (especially killing of the innocent) and still see euthanasia in specific circumstances as morally permissible. The author concentrates on the thought James Rachels.

Claims that life is God’s property or gift have been prominent among reasons for rejecting the choice of death as morally legitimate. This essay examines the worth of arguments based upon such claims, considering what assumptions these arguments would require and what implications an approach based on them might have for particular types of cases. […]

This chapter analyzes philosophical tenets regarding suicide offered by Camus, the Stoics, the Epicureans, & the Existentialists. Issues of free will, consent, involvement, abstract liberty & repetition of events throughout history are discussed. The philosophical tenet that the world is absurd is evaluated according to the attitudes of various philosophers. The author notes that suicide […]

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