At the beginning of the 21st century, British tabloid newspapers, whose circulations were already in steep decline, faced twin existential challenges: a growing tendency by consumers to access free information and entertainment content from the internet, and demands for more stringent regulation of ‘print’ journalists, particularly those employed by, or servicing, ‘tabloid’ titles. The latter challenge was characterised in 2012 by the report of the Leveson Inquiry (Part 1) into the culture, practices and ethics of the press, ordered by the UK government as ‘phone-hacking’ revelations triggered the closure of the tabloid News of the World, then one of the most read English language newspapers in any country, and led to a string of high-profile court cases, one of which culminated in the conviction and imprisonment of the title’s former editor Andy Coulson. For decades, influential media theorists had condemned many aspects of British popular newspaper journalism, a critique fuelled by the Leveson Inquiry and associated criminal investigations. Some analysts argued that Britain would be psychosocially healthier if newspapers such as the News of the World’s sister publication, The Sun, either ceased to exist or were radically revised. However, this work uniquely explores the proposition that British tabloid journalism is driven archetypally by what Carl Jung identified as Trickster, a collective shadow reflecting an ambiguous but necessary principle portrayed in myths, folklore, literature and contemporary media as a disruptive, lascivious, liminoid troublemaker. This thesis investigates and amplifies earlier explorations of Trickster—notably, but not exclusively, by post-Jungian thinkers—and applies its conclusions to a depth-psychological assessment of contemporaneous popular British newspaper journalism. By revealing the archetype behind the tabloid stereotype, I suggest that UK statutory press regulation would ‘castrate’ the tabloid Trickster, rendering it unable to perform its psychosocial function, to the detriment of a society already challenged by a fragmenting post-modern media landscape.

Children and older adults are overrepresented in pedestrian accidents (Department for Transport, 2010a, 2010b). Gaze behaviour is cited as a contributing factor in the majority of such accidents (Department for Transport, 2010a, 2010b); however, remarkably little is known about how children, adults and older adults control their gaze during either real or simulated road-crossing tasks. Because evidence suggests that behaviour in the laboratory may not accurately reflect that in more realistic situations (Dicks et al., 2010; ‘t Hart et al., 2009), this thesis used a real-world, active road-crossing task to compare, for the first time, how pedestrians across the lifespan direct their gaze during real road crossing. A total of 70 participants took part in the studies: 42 children (mean age 8.6 yrs, SD = 0.4); 14 young adults (mean age 24.1 yrs, SD = 4.5) and 14 older adults (mean age 70.7 yrs, SD = 4.1). In the first experiment, participants were escorted on a short walk while wearing a mobile eye tracker and asked to cross the roads along the way when they felt it was safe to do so. Gaze behaviour during the last 3 seconds before crossing the road at a signalised crossing was analysed. Both children and older adults directed their gaze significantly less often to traffic-relevant features (such as the road and vehicles) than young adults. However, their gaze patterns were very different. Older adults looked more at the ground ahead of them, which most likely reflects a functional adaptation to reduce the risk of tripping and falling as falls represent a serious risk in this population (Jensen, 1999). Children fixated traffic-irrelevant features more, which may indicate poorer attentional control or insufficient practice or experience. A serendipitous finding from this study was that the presence of a distractor (ice cream) acted to further draw attention away from the direction of oncoming vehicles in the sample of children. Based on these findings, a subsequent aim of the thesis was to explore whether two road-crossing training interventions (Crossroads and Safety Watch) would improve the amount of time children fixated traffic-relevant features of the environment: neither programme was found to have a significant impact on gaze behaviour compared to the control condition (no intervention). Another aim of the thesis that followed from the results of the first experiment was to further examine the attentional control of gaze behaviour in children. Two simulated road-crossings were purposely developed in the laboratory, allowing more controlled investigation of gaze behaviour at (simulated) signalised and unsignalised crossings, with and without a non-spatial secondary task (counting in threes). It was found that the addition of this secondary task affected children's gaze behaviour in one of the simulation types but not the other. This demonstrated that cognitive processes are context dependent and not invariant across conditions. In light of the growing concern raised with respect to the use of artificial laboratory settings and tasks, the final aim of this thesis was to compare gaze behaviour of children under three display conditions: monitor simulation, projector simulation, and real-world; the results suggested that behaviour in the laboratory did not correspond with real-world behaviour. In real road-crossing situations, children looked significantly more often at the ground ahead of them (walkway) and at lights and signs than when performing in the “monitor” or “projector” simulations. These findings further emphasise the context-dependence of cognition and behaviour. This thesis contributes to the argument that a real-world setting provides rich and meaningful data and that, although the laboratory setting has certain methodological advantages, transfer of laboratory findings to the real-world context cannot be assumed. Similarly, road-crossing skills trained in a simulated setting (on a computer) do not appear to transfer to the real-world context. This thesis therefore advocates a real-world approach to the research and training of behaviour and underlying cognitive processes.

This study is conducted in the global contexts of policy calls for more men to work in early childhood education and care (ECEC) and of concerns over the assumed ‘feminisation’ of ECEC. The overarching aim is to critically interrogate whether men should be encouraged to work in the ECEC workforce in greater numbers in both the UK and China (Mainland China and Hong Kong). Framed by the poststructuralist theoretical framework of gender, this research aims to address four research questions: 1. How do practitioners posit themselves as women/men working with young children in ECEC? 2. How do children view their practitioners’ gender in relation to their daily interactions? 3. What is the nature of interactions between practitioners and children in ECEC settings? How far and to what extent can these interactions be seen to be gendered, and in what ways? 4. How far and to what extent can culturally-specific gender discourses be seen to have an impact on practitioner-child interactions in Scotland, Hong Kong and Mainland China, and in what ways? Qualitative, multiple-method and cross-cultural approaches were adopted. Research methods employed include observations in ECEC settings, interviews with ECEC practitioners, and pictorial activities with children. 17 ECEC settings were recruited from the cities of Edinburgh, Hong Kong, and Tianjin, and 34 ECEC practitioners and 280 children aged 3-6 years old participated in the research. The findings suggest that practitioners’ and children’s constructions of gender subjectivities can be diverse and dynamic processes through which individuals embody and ‘perform’ their gender with references to a variety of cultural and gender discourses that situate them. This study therefore argues that ECEC pedagogies and practices need to enable practitioners and children to interrogate dominant gender discourses and to become gender-sensitive and –flexible performers, in order to achieve gender equality, diversity and inclusion in ECEC. Current political drives in the UK, China and elsewhere to recruit more men to work in ECEC and to achieve a gender-balanced ECEC workforce need to reconsider their theoretical underpinnings and to make sure that such policies will not reinforce binary, hegemonic gender structures. A gender-diverse and –flexible approach to gender and ECEC is preferable for equitable and inclusive ECEC.

My central concern in this thesis is how science should be understood by the public. I argue that science should be understood, and valued for, the formative aspirations of the scientific community. The formative aspirations of the scientific community are the values members try to uphold as members of the group, even when this is not always possible. These aspirations are constitutive of the scientific ‘form of life’. I argue that science and religion are distinct forms of life, and through their formative aspirations can be differentiated from one another. Drawing on the theory of Elective Modernism (Collins and Evans 2017), I argue that the formative aspirations of science overlap with democratic values. Media representations of science shape public understanding. Non-fiction television is a ubiquitous and trusted medium for the communication of science. Non-fiction science television programme makers were interviewed to understand the process of science television production: the pressures, tensions and constraints inherent to this process. I analyse representations of science in British non-fiction television programmes and argue that a ‘religious’ portrayal of science can be identified in some programmes. I identify a contrasting ‘secular’ portrayal of science in other programmes. The religious portrayal presents science as providing a definitive creation narrative. In this portrayal scientific knowledge is presented as a set of certain and immutable truths which are revealed by nature with little or no human intervention. In this portrayal science is presented as providing meaning. The secular portrayal’s representation aligns more closely with a sociological understanding of science. In this portrayal scientific knowledge is represented as requiring human skill to produce and as being subject to change, revision and debate. Science in this portrayal is represented as producing both positive and negative outcomes for society. From the perspective of Elective Modernism, if citizens are to properly understand, engage with and value science they need an understanding informed by sociological conceptions of science which emphasise science’s formative aspirations as its defining characteristic. The requirements for the production of an ‘elective modernist’ portrayal of science, one which foregrounds the formative aspirations of science, are discussed. The problematic consequences of the religious portrayal of science are laid out. Presenting science as a religion disguises its formative aspirations. This provides an inaccurate picture of how science works and a widespread (mis)understanding of science as a religion would undermine democratic society.

Introduction: There has been a growing interest around the use of the Internet, and more recently the role of social media use, within all aspects of day-to-day living. Previous research has found contrasting relationship s between social media use and meaningful social connectivity. Some suggesting Facebook can provide a 'social compensation'; offering an opportunity of developing positive social relationships and self-exploration (Indian & Grieves, 2014; Selfout et al., 2009; Ellison, Steinfield & Lampe, 2008). Other research argued that those who most benefitted from social media already have good social links, thus a 'rich get richer' effect (Kraut et al., 2002). Aim: This study aimed to investigate the relationship between social anxiety symptoms, passive and active Facebook use and online and offline relationships (bridging and bonding) to life satisfaction. Method: A total of 124 completed online questionnaires were collected. The participants completed five quantitative measures. The link to the study was posted on related Facebook pages and online social anxiety forums. Results: The results demonstrated a positive correlation between social anxiety and passive and active Facebook use, but only a significant negative correlation between active Facebook use and life satisfaction. There was also a negative correlation between social anxiety and life satisfaction. A mediation analysis suggested that social anxiety acted as a significant mediating variable between active Facebook use and life satisfaction. Furthermore, a hierarchical regression suggested that it was, when controlling for social anxiety, face-to-face bonding relationship that was the most significant predictor variable for life satisfaction. Clinical implications: The study does not argue a causal relationship between Facebook use, social anxiety, relationship types and a negative impact on life satisfaction. However it does highlighted interesting significant correlation between Facebook use, social anxiety and life satisfaction. This would suggest that within clinical practice an individual’s digital life should be thought about, alongside the more traditional ideas of social networks. Furthermore, the clinical focus of developing of an individual’s face-to-face relationships remains an important factor associated with life satisfaction.

Failure to address poor mental health during childhood and adolescence results in higher risk of suicide, substance misuse, self-harm, and lower achievement in education and employment (Richards et al., 2009). Of the psychological factors underlying mental health, it has been argued that self-regulation is central (Posner & Rothbart, 2000). The Barkley (1997) model of self-regulation is reviewed, and evidence considered that suggests it has cross-diagnostic validity. The typical developmental courses of emotion regulation and effortful control, and how these are associated with mental health, are considered in order to inform applied psychology practice with children and young people. A refinement of the Barkley model is proposed to enable the synthesis of findings from different bodies of research, and to offer a framework by which psychopathological diagnoses might be etiologically, rather than behaviourally, defined. The research study used neuropsychological and self-report measures to test whether emotion dysregulation mediated the relationship between behavioural inhibition and psychopathological symptoms in adolescents. 39 pupils, aged 10 to 16 years, completed sustained attention subtests from the Test of Everyday Attention, the Attentional Control Scale, Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale, the Aggression Scale and the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. Adult-report versions of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire were also completed by parents and teachers. Significant, positive correlations between difficulties in emotion regulation and psychopathological symptoms were observed. Significant negative correlations were observed between behavioural inhibition and psychopathological symptoms. The mediation model was supported: emotion dysregulation fully mediated the relationship between behavioural inhibition and psychopathological symptoms. The relationship of the study results to the Barkley (1997) model of self-regulation is discussed. The study findings suggest that intervention to treat or prevent the development of psychopathological symptoms in adolescents is better targeted at reducing habits of emotion dysregulation than at improving the capacity for behavioural inhibition.

Background: The efficacy and effectiveness of Cognitive Stimulation Therapy (CST) in improving cognition and quality of life (QoL) in individuals with dementia has been well demonstrated (e.g. Spector Thorgrimsen, Woods et al., 2003). However, less is known about the mechanisms of change for these positive outcomes. Objective: This study aimed to explore potential mechanisms of change for CST, including loneliness, social-connectedness and self-efficacy. Design: A within group repeated measure study was adopted. Participants included older adults with mild-moderate dementia participating in CST groups within Older People Community Mental Health Teams across Greater Glasgow and Clyde. Methods: Participants were asked to complete assessment measures on loneliness, social connectedness and self-efficacy prior to, during, and following CST intervention. Wilcoxon signed rank tests explored whether there were significant differences in outcome scores post CST. Spearman correlations examined the relationship between changes in cognition and QoL scores with changes in loneliness, social connectedness and self-efficacy scores post CST. Results: Recruitment was lower than anticipated, with 22 participants recruited and 15 completing pre and post assessments. A significant improvement for self-efficacy was found post CST. Improved QoL scores were associated with decreased loneliness and improved self-efficacy post CST. Conclusions: There are suggestions within these preliminary findings that self-efficacy improves following CST, which is a novel finding. Results also revealed that improvements in QoL were associated with improvements in loneliness and self-efficacy following CST. However, the small sample size in this study means that conclusions that can be drawn are limited. Future research needs to clarify the role of loneliness and self-efficacy in the context of outcomes for CST intervention.

The research upon which this thesis is based aims to build on a rich and growing body of work about how imprisonment affects, is practiced by, and structures families with a loved one in prison. It aims to do this by contributing to knowledge on the lived experiences of prison visiting for the families of prisoners, who were until recently largely overlooked in prisons scholarship. In turn, this thesis aims to shed light on families’ overall experience of the imprisonment of a loved one(s). The research underpinning this thesis involved eliciting the experiences of families, through carrying out ethnographic observation and qualitative interviews in a unique field-site, the Visitors’ Centre at HMP Edinburgh, over a nine-month period (during 2014-2015). This thesis builds on the literature that documents the many negative effects of imprisonment for the families of those confined, particularly through its exploration of how imprisonment alters the space and time of families. This thesis notes that these myriad negative impacts require considered attention and action. Yet, this thesis also makes a key and critical argument that the experience of imprisonment for many families should be considered within the broader context of their lives. These families’ lives are often characterised by not only imprisonment(s), but by structural disadvantage, and by the presence and experience of varied and intrusive state interventions. This thesis argues that each of these too are often experienced as imprisoning, and in turn questions whether a focus exclusively on the pains specific to familial imprisonment- in scholarship, policy, and practice- risks encouraging a continuing focus on the prison as both the only cause of, and main site for finding solutions, to family difficulties.

This thesis explores and analyses the applicability and limitations of human rights law as it applies to transgender persons. As such limitations are most evident in a strictly sex segregated spaces, the thesis proposes a case study on detention to illustrate potential conflict between the binary models of the sexes, gender fluidity and application of international human rights law to those with transgender or non-binary gender identity. For this, the thesis reviews international human rights law sources, queer theory literature and transgender and non-binary gender studies. This research examines the issues of transgender and non-binary identities and their recognition in law, including developments in international human rights law and the recognition of transgender identities in human rights instruments. The thesis considers issues such as underlying principles of human rights, and substantive rights applicable to transgender persons while surveying the national jurisprudences to assemble and fully examine the available models of transgender recognition in law. The case study on detention analyzes the lived experiences of transgender prisoners and their life stories. It examines the international standards on the treatment of transgender prisoners and their human rights. The scope and applicable framework of protection is also discussed, considering the tension between binary nature of prisons and transgender persons’ non-binary gender. Overall, this thesis initiates a discussion about the binary/non-binary dichotomy in the prison context and asks a series of questions as to how transgender and non-binary gender identities can be accommodated in the prison context. It concludes with a number of recommendations for a deeper understanding of sex/gender and prison dichotomy both in theory and practice. The thesis also offers practical recommendations to international human rights mechanisms to provide specific guidelines on the application of human rights law to transgender and other non-binary gender prisoners.

Recognising the accounting implications of Islamic business principles, initiatives have been taken to develop a framework that primarily aims to serve the financial reporting needs of Islamic financial industry. Those initiatives started with the objective of developing separate Islamic accounting standards. However, they have ended up with significantly heterogeneous objectives. Employing Institutional Logics Perspective (ILP) as a theoretical framework and case-study approach as a research design, this study provides comparative accounts into the role of selected institutional logics (religion, profession, market, community and state) in shaping two Islamic financial reporting standardisation projects initiated by the Accounting and Auditing Organisation for Islamic Financial Institutions (AAOIFI) and the Malaysian Accounting Standard Board (MASB). Moreover, utilising ILP supplemented by remarks from the institutional entrepreneurship concept, this study examines the role of actors in initiating and then differently shaping the standardisation policies of these projects. Research findings informed by semi-structured interviews and document analysis indicate that Islamic financial reporting standardisation projects have been historically mapped by certain institutional logics. The dominance of those logics has experienced significant changes over time, resulting in subsequent changes in the standardisation strategies of those projects. Influential actors have also played an important role in shaping those projects through promoting certain organisational strategies in line with the institutional logics in which they are embedded This study concludes that the heterogeneity which AAOFI and MASB have shown in their standardisation strategies is attributed to: the relative dominance of certain logics in each institutional context; the centrality of those logics to organisational mission and goals; the extent to which prevailing institutional logics are represented within the organisation and the balance of power between different logics' representatives; and the extent to which actors have been able to promote their entrepreneurial vision and mobilise allies behind it.