abstract: Legal cynicism, a concept that reflects how individuals feel about the law, can be linked to different theoretical traditions. However, inconsistencies in the way legal cynicism is operationalized abound. This study aimed to develop a more complete and psychometrically-sound measure of legal cynicism. Factor-analytic procedures were used on a sample of 502 undergraduate university students to create the scale and to test its directional accuracy. Using promax-rotated principal-axis factor analysis, a 4 dimensional factor structure emerged—legal apathy, legal corruption, legal discrimination, and low legal legitimacy. The 21-item scale has a high level of internal consistency (Cronbach’s α = .85; mean inter-item r = .58). Results from ordinary least squares regression models confirmed that the multidimensional legal cynicism scale is significantly correlated with criminal offending (β = .34, p < .001), net of low self-control and demographic characteristics. / Dissertation/Thesis / Masters Thesis Criminal Justice 2015

The construction of critically literate students must be paramount among goals in the freshman composition classroom. The approach for constructing critical readers positioned in this thesis employs conceptualizing both the complexity of a text and the importance of comprehending the context within which a text is both read and written. It utilizes the rhetorical feature of irony.

Burnout is a condition that results from chronic work-related stress, and it is associated with impairments in cognitive and emotion-related functions, such as impaired executive functions and emotion regulation. This thesis aimed to conduct a systematic review of the neural correlates of burnout. The thesis investigates the following research question: do the neural correlates of burnout involve the same brain regions and/or functions as those implicated in the cognitive functions affected by burnout? The systematic literature search resulted in seven studies which studied either the functional, structural, or electrophysiological correlates of burnout. The results showed that burnout involves functional and structural alterations in regions involved in various higher-order cognitive functions. Structural findings indicate alterations in brain regions involved with emotion processing, memory and attention (i.e., medial prefrontal cortex, caudate, amygdala). Electrophysiological findings indicate differences in alpha power in burnout individuals compared to controls, suggesting that alpha power is reduced when burnout's specific symptoms (i.e., exhaustion) increase. Evident are also findings on functional differences in working memory (dorsolateral prefrontal cortex) and reduced functional connectivity between emotion processing areas (the amygdala and anterior cingulate cortex) and areas such as the motor cortex. The presented findings answer the research question. It can be concluded that the brain regions implicated in the cognitive functions affected by burnout resemble many of the regions affected in the neural correlates of burnout. Future studies should take into account the methodological issues of the existing studies.

Išanalizuoti ir įvertinti ciniškojo lyderio veiklos bruožus verslo ir politikos organizacijose. Pateikti praktines interpretacijas verslo ir politikos organizacijų vadovams. Mokslinėje literatūroje analizuojama cinizmo sąvokos samprata ir cinizmo ištakos, aptariami šiuolaikiniai ciniški lyderiai bei jų bruožai: avantiūrizmas, kritinis mąstymas, ironija. Remiantis moksline literatūra sukuriami šie cinizmo modeliai: kritiškasis modelis, hipinis (lėkštas) modelis, radikalusis modelis, autoritarinis modelis. Pateikiamos modelių charakteristikos. Siekiant nustatyti ciniškojo lyderio veiklos ir bruožų prototipus, atlikta kiekybinė Lietuvos verslo ir politikos atstovų apklausa. Atlikus Lietuvos politikų ir verslo organizacijų lyderių apklausą nustatyta, kad kritinis mąstymas yra svarbiausias tiek ciniškų verslo, tiek politikos lyderių bruožas. Savanaudiškumui tiek verslo, tiek politikos lyderiai teikia antrą prioritetą po kritinio mąstymo. Nors avantiūrizmas ir rizika būdingi abiems lyderių grupėms, tačiau, skirtingai nei pirmieji du ciniško lyderio bruožai, šie ciniško lyderio bruožai yra dažniau priskirtini verslo lyderiams. Remiantis literatūros analize bei tyrimo išvadomis pateiktos išvados ir praktinės rekomendacijos Lietuvos verslo ir politinių organizacijų vadovams. / Analize and evaluate activities and features of cynical leader in business and political organizations. Provide practical recommendations for leaders of business and political organizations. Academic literature analyses definition of cynicism and sources of cynicism. Scholars discuss contemporary cynical leaders and their attributes: adventurism, critical thinking and irony. Based on academic literature four models of cynicism are discussed: critical model, flat model, radical model and authoritarian model. Chraracteristics of the models are described. Quantitive survey of representatives of politics and business is conducted in order to determine prototypes of activities and features of cynical leader. The survey findings demonstrate that the key attiribute of cynical political and business leaders is critical thinking. Self-interest follows critical thinking as a priority. Even though adventurism and risk-taking feature in both groups, they are more prevalend among leaders of business organizations. The thesis provides practical recommendations for Lithuanian business and political leaders based on academic research and survey findings.

This dissertation is a study of cynical practices against a backdrop of increasing censorship and surveillance in Chinese everyday life. It takes a particular view that with its distinctive Chinese shades and hues, cynicism (in this work “wanshi”) as a mode of behavior and an outlook on life is embedded within what is often considered a marginal culture called “rivers and lakes” (jianghu). Oscillating back and forth between utopian vision and political reality, the cynics’ odyssey through space and time began in the imaginary world of jianghu conceived by fourth-century B.C. Taoist philosopher Zhuangzi. The jianghu of his literary creation is allegorically set in nature, a space outside officialdom and social order; only in this world can one truly roam free, unencumbered by constrictive career ambitions and complex human relationships. Jianghu alluded to the lifeworld of a hermit. About six centuries later, Zhuangzi’s vision captured the imagination of the wider intelligentsia in an empire crumbling under social and political turmoil not unlike that of the philosopher. Jianghu became a cultivated fantasy space among the literary and political elite in the cultural milieu characterized as “aesthetic hermitism”: from the construction of pleasure gardens, to hosting literary salons and drinking parties, to patronizing a hermit to dwell in the private garden for the otherworldly aura and the worldly status it brought to the hosts. Hermits jumped aboard the zeitgeist, moving from mountains and caves initially, to private gardens and later to court and marketplace that were emblematic of power and materialism. By this time, hermitism was no longer defined by the dwelling place, but rather by the inner strength unperturbed by earthly matters and surroundings. Eventually in the Song dynasty (960 – 1219), jianghu evolved into a socialized milieu for not just various misfits and outcasts that had been forced out of the longstanding clan system, but also powerful figures hiding in the imperial court with treacherous ambitions. Of the myriad jianghu figures, storytellers who disseminated historical tales of fraternal love and loyalty in taverns, in the name of righteousness, were key to popularizing the hitherto elite culture. These deviations from the original jianghu of Zhuangzi’s conception shaped the (a)social character of the emerging cynic, who is at once a realist and a player. This circuitous route to the genealogical line of the cynic affords the facilities and perspectives necessary to examine the contemporary figure of jianghu. Drawing on two years of ethnographic fieldwork in several artist communities in Beijing, particularly Songzhuang, where the artists referred to themselves and their social milieu as intrinsically jianghu, much of this dissertation looks into their lifeworld – conditions of their “habitat”, mode of existence and worldview – and their everyday practices and skills pertaining to agency and communication in order to bypass surveillance, censorship and outright subjugation. Bearing some resemblance to the bygone raconteurs in taverns, the artists’ techniques of coded communication were quickly appropriated and innovated by the general public on the constantly monitored social media and everywhere in cyperspace. Rather than discuss jianghu as a separate entity from the mainstream society, this work proposes to view it from a “practice” perspective. As such, the last part of the dissertation restages two larger-than-life online battles to reflect upon a range of potentialities of cynical practices as opposed to direct confrontations and ironic expressions in the age of hyperconnectivity.

Research has long documented beneficial associations between forgiveness and numerous health outcomes; however, its relationship to suicidal behavior has been relatively neglected. Both cynicism, and psychache, or agonizing psychological pain, have displayed deleterious associations with suicidal behavior, but have rarely been incorporated into more comprehensive models of suicidal behavior. Recent work has resulted in the development of a theoretical model of the forgiveness-suicidal behavior association, which can incorporate several mediator variables including cynicism and psychache. The present study used an undergraduate sample of college students (N = 312) to test a serial mediation model of the cross-sectional associations between forgiveness, cynicism, psychache, and suicidal behavior. Forgiveness of self and of uncontrollable situations were indirectly associated with suicidal behavior via psychache, while forgiveness of others was indirectly associated via cynicism and psychache in serial fashion. Implications in the context of previous literature and treatment, particularly acceptance-based interventions, are discussed.

A sample of recruits attending the East Tennessee Regional Law Enforcement Academy were surveyed about attitudes relating to a variety of topics, including their perceived role as police officers, domestic violence, its victims, perpetrators, and police interactions with domestic violence. The recruits completed the survey during their first week at the academy. The recruits completed the identical survey on the last week of academy training. No significant change in attitudes were found following the completion of the Regional Law Enforcement Academy training program. Conclusively, the results of this study show that the training provided at the East Tennessee Regional Law Enforcement Academy does not significantly change the attitudes and perceptions of the recruits toward domestic violence.

Abstract The purpose of this investigation is based on the revision model proposed by Ferris , Adams, Kolodinsky, Hochwarter, Ammeter,(2002).This research is deeply to examine the influence of perceptions of organizational politics on trust - organizational cynicism as mediator variable .The data were analyzed by SPSS 15.0 software and by structural equation modeling (SEM). The major results of this study are as following¡GThe perceptions of organizational politics were found have a significant negative relationship with trust. The perceptions of organizational politics were constructed from three patterns( general political behavior¡Bgo along to get ahead¡Bpay and promotion).Only general political behavior has a significant effect on trust.The other two patterns have no significant effect on trust. The perceptions of organizational politics were found have a significant positive relationship with organizationl cynicism . Organizationl cynicism has a significant negative relationship with trust.Organizationl cynicism has a mediating effect on the relationship between perceptions of organizational politics and trust. Key word¡Gperceptions of organizational politics , trust , organizationl cynicism , structural equation modeling

The purpose of this investigation is based on the revision model proposed by Ferris et al.(2002) , the discussion relates to the influence of perceptions of organization politics on Organizational Cynicism and on Organizational Citizenship Behavior. The sample consisted of 1890 employee selected from 40 organizations covering 9 industrial sectors in Taiwan. The data were analyzed by descriptive statistics, item analysis, reliability analysis, factor analysis, correlation analysis, regression analysis and hierarchical regression analysis. The major results of this study are as fallowing: 1. Perceptions of organizational politics has a significant effect on organizational cynicism. 2. Perceptions of organizational politics has a significant effect on organizational citizenship behavior. 3. Understanding has a moderate effect on the relationship between perceptions of organizational politics and organizational cynicism. 4. Understanding has a moderate effect on the relationship between perceptions of organizational politics and organizational citizenship behavior. 5. Perceived Control has no moderate effect on the relationship between perceptions of organizational politics and organizational cynicism. 6. Perceived Control has moderate effect on the relationship between perceptions of organizational politics and organizational citizenship behavior.

The foundation of the education of our country lies in the hands of the primary school teachers. Unfortunately, teachers have to juggle many roles - not only are they expected to teach diverse classes and be a role model, but they also have to deal with social problems - all for very little remuneration. Our teachers are becoming less motivated, frustrated and very despondent and as a result, an increasing number of teachers are suffering from burnout. The objective of this research was to investigate the job characteristics associated with burnout as well as the burnout-strain relationship among primary school teachers in the North-West Province. A stratified random sample of 646 primary school teachers in the North West Province was taken. The Maslach Burnout Inventory - General Survey (MBEGS), Job Characteristics Scale and Your Health Questionnaire (third questionnaire of the ASSET) were used as measuring instruments. Cronbach alpha coefficients, inter-item correlation coefficients, Pearsonproduct correlation coefficients and canonical correlation coefficients were used to analyse the data. Structural equation modelling (SEM) methods were used to construct job characteristic models of burnout. The results showed that overload leads to exhaustion, which leads to cynicism and in turn to lack of professional efficacy. Job resources was found to be related to all three dimensions of burnout, while rewards played a moderating effect between both overload and exhaustion, and job resources and burnout. Exhaustion and lack of professional efficacy lead to physical and psychological strain. Recommendations were made for further research. / Thesis (M.Com. (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2004.