The observation and experience of actions, emotions, touch, and pain activates overlapping cortical regions. However, the aetiology and function of these so-called "mirrored" representations is unclear. By focusing on the effects of viewing others in pain, this thesis extends our understanding of both the underlying mechanisms and behavioural consequences of vicarious cortical activity. We used muIti-voxel pattern analysis to explore whether the type of viewed pain, for example stinging or stabbing pain, was represented by the observer. Our findings demonstrate that only the general experience of pain, rather than the precise sensory consequences of an action, can be accurately identified in regions outside of visual cortex. We predicted that viewing others in pain goes beyond cortical representation, to selective behaviour change in the observer. In a series of experiments, participants viewed a hand either grasp, or avoid, objects that were potentially painful or not painful, whilst detecting tactile stimulation delivered to their right index finger. Participants were faster and more biased to report touch on their own body when viewing someone else in pain. Two further control experiments demonstrated that the "painful grasp effect" was both sensory specific, and could not be explained by attentional effects. These data suggest that shared representations of pain enable the prediction of the sensory consequences of a painful grasp, leading to potentially adaptive behaviour change in the observer. Interestingly, the effects of viewing others in pain are not automatic, but are mediated by tasks demands and relevance of the stimuli to self. Only when participants made judgements about the appropriateness of an action (engaging self referential thought), or viewed the actions from a first person perspective, was the "painful grasp effect" revealed. In contrast to understanding the actions of others, our data support a system that utilises one's own motor repertoire to represent actions similar to, or relevant to, self.

The observation and experience of actions, emotions, touch, and pain activates overlapping cortical regions. However, the aetiology and function of these so-called “mirrored” representations is unclear. By focusing on the effects of viewing others in pain, this thesis extends our understanding of both the underlying mechanisms and behavioural consequences of vicarious cortical activity. We used multi-voxel pattern analysis to explore whether the type of viewed pain, for example stinging or stabbing pain, was represented by the observer. Our findings demonstrate that only the general experience of pain, rather than the precise sensory consequences of an action, can be accurately identified in regions outside of visual cortex. We predicted that viewing others in pain goes beyond cortical representation, to selective behaviour change in the observer. In a series of experiments, participants viewed a hand either grasp, or avoid, objects that were potentially painful or not painful, whilst detecting tactile stimulation delivered to their right index finger. Participants were faster and more biased to report touch on their own body when viewing someone else in pain. Two further control experiments demonstrated that the “painful grasp effect” was both sensory specific, and could not be explained by attentional effects. These data suggest that shared representations of pain enable the prediction of the sensory consequences of a painful grasp, leading to potentially adaptive behaviour change in the observer. Interestingly, the effects of viewing others in pain are not automatic, but are mediated by tasks demands and relevance of the stimuli to self. Only when participants made judgements about the appropriateness of an action (engaging self referential thought), or viewed the actions from a first person perspective, was the “painful grasp effect” revealed. In contrast to understanding the actions of others, our data support a system that utilises one’s own motor repertoire to represent actions similar to, or relevant to, self.

This study constitutes an exploration of the role of the experience of loss in the social processes of meaningmaking - regarding self, other and the world - especially as it applies to therapists. Traditionally a focus on loss has entailed a description of the mourning processes brought about by this inevitable but dreadful event. Here the lens is widened to evolve a description of how the loss experience can contribute to a transformation of a person's sense of her self and of her patterns of relating. This description. rests on a social constructionist understanding of the experience of self. A person's sense(s) of self is seen to evolve within the usual and seemingly predictable patterns of connecting and disconnecting that constitutes the social webs of the discursive communities that people move in. Thus her sense of I is indelibly linked to 'Nho and 'Nhere her Yous are. Indeed, all meaning is proposed to evolve from a template of connection-disconnection patterns. The experience of loss is seen to be able to disrupt these seemingly stable patterns within such a community sufficiently, as to be able to bring about in depth transformation of the meanings evolving from these habits of relating. One nuance of these meanings in transformation, entails a person's sense of her self. Experiences of, and struggles around connection and disconnection are centrally important in the world of therapists. It does not only constitute a basic focus of their 'M)rk, but is also the template in their personal lives that contributes to their O\Ml evolution as therapists. Thus the experience of loss is specifically explored as potentially transformational - on a personal and professional level - in the lives of therapists. / Psychology / D.Litt. et Phil. (Psychology)

This study constitutes an exploration of the role of the experience of loss in the social processes of meaningmaking - regarding self, other and the world - especially as it applies to therapists. Traditionally a focus on loss has entailed a description of the mourning processes brought about by this inevitable but dreadful event. Here the lens is widened to evolve a description of how the loss experience can contribute to a transformation of a person's sense of her self and of her patterns of relating. This description. rests on a social constructionist understanding of the experience of self. A person's sense(s) of self is seen to evolve within the usual and seemingly predictable patterns of connecting and disconnecting that constitutes the social webs of the discursive communities that people move in. Thus her sense of I is indelibly linked to 'Nho and 'Nhere her Yous are. Indeed, all meaning is proposed to evolve from a template of connection-disconnection patterns. The experience of loss is seen to be able to disrupt these seemingly stable patterns within such a community sufficiently, as to be able to bring about in depth transformation of the meanings evolving from these habits of relating. One nuance of these meanings in transformation, entails a person's sense of her self. Experiences of, and struggles around connection and disconnection are centrally important in the world of therapists. It does not only constitute a basic focus of their 'M)rk, but is also the template in their personal lives that contributes to their O\Ml evolution as therapists. Thus the experience of loss is specifically explored as potentially transformational - on a personal and professional level - in the lives of therapists. / Psychology / D.Litt. et Phil. (Psychology)

Dans cette thèse, nous avons évalué le stress psychologique, à travers les troubles d’amertumes et posttraumatiques, les stratégies d’ajustement, ainsi que la qualité de vie des réfugiés et des demandeurs d'asile au Luxembourg. Dans un premier temps, 33 entretiens semi structurés ont été menés et ont montré que les processus administratifs installent la peur d’un rapatriement, alors que l'isolement social, la solitude, le manque d'amis et de communication avec les familles sont associés à des difficultés sociales, financières et d'acculturation. Dans un deuxième temps, 102 demandeurs d'asile ont complété un questionnaire de trouble amertume post-traumatique et révélé des scores très élevés. Dans un troisième temps, 221 demandeurs d’asile ont complété les questionnaires suivants : soutien social, attitudes multiculturelles, stratégies d’ajustement au stress, qualité de vie et auto-efficacité. Avec l'aide d'un modèle d'équation structurelle, le soutien social, l'auto-efficacité, l'attitude multiculturelle ont prédit de manière significative les stratégies d’ajustement au stress psychologique. L'effet médiateur des stratégies d’ajustement et prédictif du soutien social sur la qualité de vie ont été établis. Une partie des modèles n’étaient pas bien ajustés aux données. Grâces aux résultats obtenus nous avons pu dégager quelques pistes pour la prise en charge multidisciplinaire des réfugiés et des demandeurs d’asile / In this dissertation we assessed psychological stress through post-traumatic embitterment disorder, quality of life among refugees and asylum seekers in Luxembourg. At N = 33, semi structured interviews indicated that asylum seeking administrative processes install fear of repatriation while social isolation, loneliness, lack of friends and of communication with families was linked to social, financial and acculturation difficulties. At N = 102, there were good indications that asylum seekers are victims of post-traumatic embitterment disorder. Additionally, 221 asylum seekers responded to ways of coping, social support, multicultural attitude, self-efficacy and quality of life questionnaires. With the help of structural equation modeling, social support, multicultural attitude and self-efficacy significantly predicted adaptive ways of coping with psychological stress. At the same time, there was the mediating and predictive effect of adaptive ways of coping and social support on quality of life respectively. Part of the models did not fit well to the data. Based on our findings, tracks for a multidisciplinary care model for refugees and asylum seekers were identified

Les sapeurs-pompiers (SP) ont pour activité principale la gestion de situations dynamiques, qu'il s'agisse d'interventions courantes, de sinistres ou de crises. Les SP interviennent constamment en équipe. Pour pouvoir analyser leur activité lors d’une gestion de crise, il s'avère donc nécessaire de comprendre le fonctionnement d'une équipe et de ses déterminants. Ce travail de thèse porte sur la gestion de crise chez les SP et poursuit l’objectif d’identifier les facteurs qui déterminent l’efficacité des équipes dans ces situations. Les facteurs considérés sont différents processus d’équipe mais également des variables « psychosociales ». Nous examinons l'hypothèse générale selon laquelle les éléments qui déterminent l’efficacité des équipes lors de gestion de crises se retrouvent en partie dans la gestion de sinistres et d’interventions courantes. Trois études ont été réalisées. La première a porté sur la gestion d’interventions courantes en situation réelle. Il s’agissait d’interventions en Véhicule de Secours et d’Assistance aux Victimes (VSAV). La seconde étude a consisté à analyser, en situation simulée, la gestion de sinistre en Lot de Sauvetage et Protection Contre les Chutes (LSPCC). Enfin, la dernière étude portait sur la simulation d’une gestion de crise, plus précisément un feu dans le métro. Les principaux résultats ont montré que, quel que soit le type d’intervention, les processus d’équipe (la communication, les interactions émotionnelles et les adaptations) ont un effet sur l’efficacité des équipes SP. La motivation semble être indirectement liée à l’efficacité des équipes par l’intermédiaire du processus d’équipe. Cependant, bien que les variables qui déterminent l’efficacité des équipes SP soient les mêmes dans les trois études, ce ne sont pas toujours les mêmes modalités qui interviennent ou qui sont déterminantes. La gestion de crise présente notamment des spécificités en termes de processus d’équipe. Ces études confirment l’intérêt de prendre en compte à la fois des variables psychosociales et des processus d’équipe pour comprendre ce qui détermine l’efficacité des SP. Elles permettent également de préconiser des actions en termes de formation notamment. Ces actions sont susceptibles de soutenir l’amélioration continue de l’efficacité des équipes de SP et de favoriser la prise en compte de certaines variables psychosociales au sein des SDIS. / The main activity of firefighters is the management of dynamic situations, whether common interventions, accidents, or crises. They are constantly working in teams. Therefore, to analyze their activity in a crisis management situation, it is necessary to understand how they function as a team and the determinants of the team. This thesis focuses on firefighters’ crisis management, and its purpose is to identify the factors that determine the efficiency of teams in crisis situations. The factors considered are various team processes and psychosocial variables. We examine the general hypothesis that the elements that determine team effectiveness in crisis management can be found in part within the handling of common interventions and accidents. Three studies were conducted. The first focused on the management of common interventions in real situations, which were observed in the first response vehicle of a fire department. The second study analyzed how simulated excavation rescues were conducted. The final study involved the crisis management of a simulated subway fire. Key results showed that team processes (communication, emotional interactions, and adaptations) have an effect on team effectiveness, regardless of the kind of intervention. Motivation seems to be indirectly related to team effectiveness through team processes. However, although the variables that determine team effectiveness are the same, they are not always involved in the same way. Crisis management, in particular, shows specific features in terms of team processes. These studies confirm the value of taking into account both psychosocial variables and team processes to understand what determines the effectiveness of firefighter teams. They also help recommend specific actions in training programs. These actions are likely to contribute to continuous improvement in the effectiveness of firefighter teams and promote taking psychosocial variables into account within firefighter structures.

L’étude de locutions de soldats, de La Jeune Parque de Valéry et de Calligrammes de Apollinaire manifeste une variété de fonctionnements psychiques durant la Première Guerre mondiale. La lecture utilise les instruments d’intelligibilité de la psychologie collective proposés par Freud. Collecté par Gaston Esnault, Le poilu tel qu’il se parle révèle les inventions des soldats pour supporter la guerre et la dénoncer. Le régime de terreur n’empêcha pas les soldats de fonctionner en collectifs démocratiques. Le réalisme et la décence de locutions en témoignent malgré l’horreur ou la détresse vécues : compromis entre la violence et sa dénonciation par l’humour. Paul Valéry a participé à l’idéologie patriotique : La Jeune Parque présenta aux classes sociales dominantes un miroir. La censure collective a refusé d’entendre la présence de la guerre dans ce poème. Certains mots, images suggérées, indices figurent la sujétion de Valéry au régime dominant. La lecture de vers en regard des événements éclaire des phrases obscures. Le référentiel de l’Antiquité masque la guerre. Dans Calligrammes, Apollinaire dit à ses lecteurs sa mélancolie, à l’œuvre dès avant son engagement dans la guerre, amplifiée au fur et à mesure qu’il agit la guerre, en revient blessé, puis se dégage des identifications collectives. Une lecture attentive du poème Il y a révèle sa fonction dans le recueil : un calligramme issu de la guerre et adressé à la femme aimée, figurant la guerre dans son horreur et ses angoisses. Apollinaire dénonce la censure collective. La langue commune offre aux locuteurs, même en temps de guerre, la possibilité de fonctionner en régime démocratique. / The study of the sayings of soldiers, of La Jeune Parque by Paul Valéry, and Calligrammes by Guillaume Apollinaire demonstrates a variety of psychic functions during the First World War. The readings use the tools of the intelligibility of collective psychology put forward by Freud. Collected by Gaston Esnault, Le poilu tel qu'il se parle reveals the creative ways in which ordinary soldiers contrived to bear and denounce the war. The regime of terror imposed did not stop the troops functioning, wherever possible, in democratic collectives. The realism, the decency of certain sayings testifies to this, despite the horror and distress the troops experienced. Certain sayings remain coarse and constitute a compromise between violence and its denunciation by humour. Paul Valéry participated in the patriotic ideology : La Jeune Parque presented a mirror to the dominant social classes. Collective censorship has refused to see the presence of the war in this poem. Certain words, implicit images, sometimes clues reveal Valéry's subjection to the collective dominant regime. The reading of verses in light of events clarifies obscure phrases. The classical frame of reference masks the contemporary war. In Calligrammes, Apollinaire tells his readers of his melancholy, already present even before his engagement in the war, and which has been amplified proportionately by his participation in the war, coming back wounded, then disengaging himself from collective identifications. A close reading of the poem Il y a reveals its function in the collection : a 'calligramme' born of the war and addressed to the beloved, featuring the horror and anguish of the war. Apollinaire denounces collective censorship. Everyday language offers its speakers, even in wartime, the possibility of functioning in a democratic process.

The literature survey reports that persons electing cosmetic plastic surgery for aesthetic or medical reasons, or those persons not electing any form of surgery, often experience physical, psychological and socio-cultural problems. The complexity among the associated variables, body images, identity status, fashionable clothing behaviour and social self-consciousness were investigated comparatively, using a biopsychosocial approach. The samples consisted of cosmetic surgery patients (n=25), Black and White female fashion participants (n=60) and breast oncology case studies (n=3). The research methods included descriptive and inferential statistics. A maximum of six questionnaires was administered per individual. The results indicated that a positive body image perception was related to identity integrity, fashionable dressing and a sense of social acceptance. Insight into the importance placed on the body as a means of self-expression can contribute to successful cosmetic and breast oncology surgery and also promote intercultural harmony, by reducing body-based prejudice. / Psychology / M.A. (Psychology)

The literature survey reports that persons electing cosmetic plastic surgery for aesthetic or medical reasons, or those persons not electing any form of surgery, often experience physical, psychological and socio-cultural problems. The complexity among the associated variables, body images, identity status, fashionable clothing behaviour and social self-consciousness were investigated comparatively, using a biopsychosocial approach. The samples consisted of cosmetic surgery patients (n=25), Black and White female fashion participants (n=60) and breast oncology case studies (n=3). The research methods included descriptive and inferential statistics. A maximum of six questionnaires was administered per individual. The results indicated that a positive body image perception was related to identity integrity, fashionable dressing and a sense of social acceptance. Insight into the importance placed on the body as a means of self-expression can contribute to successful cosmetic and breast oncology surgery and also promote intercultural harmony, by reducing body-based prejudice. / Psychology / M.A. (Psychology)

La Guerre Civile libanaise (1975-1990) fut notamment marquée par l’enlèvement de militaires mais aussi de civils. Depuis la loi d’Amnistie de 1991, nous examinerons précisément les répercussions sur la santé psychique de familles d’enlevés, grâce à des entretiens non directifs et la collecte de récits poétiques comme épistolaires, selon la lecture du TAT. La justice transitionnelle est une prospective de reconstruction du Liban. Elle permettrait de lever le voile d’ignorance sur le sort des disparus, pour faciliter le processus de deuil. Mais pour l’heure, les familles souffrent du silence de l’Etat qui enterre l’histoire du Liban, ceci tant que le sort des disparus demeurera inidentifiable. En dépit de ce silence qui annihile toute entreprise de séparation psychique entre les familles et les disparus, condamnant ainsi les mères libanaises à la répétition infinie du trauma, à l’instar de Pénélope tissant et détissant sans cesse les liens du linceul de Télémaque, celles-ci peuvent réaccoucher d’elles-mêmes ; et se tourner, en pleine conscience, vers un avenir, une destinée propre, via le processus du « deuil paradoxal ». Ce concept, loin d’abonder dans le sens de l’évitement ou du déni des disparus, consiste en une réapparition du moi des mères, dans l’opération psychosomatique de procéder au deuil, non de leurs proches, mais du traumatisme qui les avait de prime abord anéanties, jusqu’au vide dépressif. C’est, paradoxalement, grâce à leur fonctionnement limite que les mères des disparus libanais vont pouvoir opérer ce « retour » à leur moi qu’elles imaginaient perdu. / The Lebanese Civil War (1975 - 1990) has been mainly remarkable as far as the kidnapping of soldiers as much as of civilians is concerned. Up to the 1991 Amnesty Law, we will precisely examine the consequential effects on psychic health on rapted families thanks to non guiding interwiews, and the gathering poetical or written accounts, according to the reading of TAT.The transitional justice is a prospective for the rebuild of Lebanon. It could help to clear the mist about the missing's fate, to help people to go out of mourning. But at the present time, the families are enduring the silence of the State, that is burying and forgetting the history of Lebanon, that the missing's fate will remain unestablished for ever. In spite of this silence that destroys any attempt of psychic breaking up between the families and the missings, blocking up that way the Lebanese mothers in the perpetual repetition of the trauma, like Penelope doing and undoing her work that consisted in weawing the shroud of Telemaque's father- in - law, they can deliver of herselves; and decide to look at a future, an own destiny, through the process of "paradoxal nourning".This concept,far from avoiding or denying the missings, consists in a new coming out of the mother's ego, in the psychosomatic way to initiate mourning not of the next of kin, but the traumatism that had prostrated them first up to the depressive emptyness. Paradoxically, bringing the mothers of Lebanese missings to their extreme limits will next allow them to get back to their ego that they imagined as lost for ever at first.