Inaug.-Diss.--Göttingen, 1855.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Chicago. / Includes bibliographical references. Also available on the Internet.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Chicago. / eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references.

The clinical data for the studies was collected at The PROMIS Recovery Centre, a Minnesota Model treatmentc entre for addictions,w hich encouragesth e membership and use of the 12 step Anonymous Fellowships, and is abstinence based. The area of addiction is contextualised in a review chapter which focuses on research relating to the phenomenon of cross addiction. A study examining the concept of "addictive orientations" in male and female addicts is described, which develops a study conductedb y StephensonM, aggi, Lefever, & Morojele (1995). This presents tudy found a four factor solution which appeared to be subdivisions of the previously found Hedonism and Nurturance factors. Self orientated nurturance (both food dimensions, shopping and caffeine), Other orientated nurturance (both compulsive helping dimensions and work), Sensation seeking hedonism (Drugs, prescription drugs, nicotine and marginally alcohol), and Power related hedonism (Both relationship dimensions, sex and gambling. This concept of "addictive orientations" is further explored in a non-clinical population, where again a four factor solution was found, very similar to that in the clinical population. This was thought to indicate that in terms of addictive orientation a pattern already exists in this non-clinical population, and that consideration should be given to why this is the case. These orientations are examined in terms of gender differences. It is suggested that the differences between genders reflect power-related role relationships between the sexes. In order to further elaborate the significance and meaning behind these orientations the next two chapters look at the contribution of personality variables and how addictive orientations relate to psychiatric symptomatology. Personality variables were differentially, and to a considerable extent predictably involved with the four factors for both males and females.C onscientiousnesws as positively associatedw ith "Other orientated Nurturance" and negatively associated with "Sensation seeking hedonism" (particularly for men). Neuroticism had a particularly strong association with the "Self orientated Nurturance" factor in the female population. More than twice the symptomatology variance was explained by the factor scores for females than it was for males. The most important factorial predictors for psychiatric symptomatology were the "Power related hedonism" factor for males, and "Self oriented nurturance" for females. The results are discussed from theoretical and treatment perspectives.

Hedonism is not terribly popular as a theory of well-being. And there are good reasons to question whether hedonism even supplies the best account of happiness. Yet hedonism captures something important, and it will be the goal of this essay to articulate just what that is. I suggest that hedonism provides the best account of phenomenal wellbeing (PWB). PWB is a restricted form of well-being that relates to the quality of the experience of a life—or, in other words, the quality of one’s phenomenal life. If wellbeing is characterized as “how well one’s life goes,” then PWB is “how well one’s life goes for her, from the inside.” In rating a life’s PWB, the life is judged solely on the basis of the contents of the experience of that life rated against the experience of the individual’s other possible lives. Unlike well-being, PWB is guaranteed to track more robust experiential benefits that a person gets out of living a life. In this work, I discuss the concept of well-being, including the feature of subjectrelativity that is sometimes ascribed to it; then, after introducing the concept of a phenomenal life, I develop the concept of phenomenal well-being. I propose what I take to be the best available account of PWB, which involves the hedonistic concept of satisfaction. An epistemic model of life-comparison (inspired by Peter Railton’s full information account of well-being) on which phenomenal lives are judged on the criterion of satisfaction is presented, followed by some objections, and replies, to PWB as satisfaction. Finally, some rival accounts of PWB are discussed and critiqued—notably, an account of cognitive life-satisfaction that resembles theories of “life-satisfaction” in happiness theory. The claim is that hedonism supplies the best answer to what makes the experience of our lives go best for us. In the closing chapter, I make some suggestions concerning the significance of this fact.

The prime objective of this thesis is to show that contrary to the common belief of historians of economic thought, hedonism has played a central and a continuous role in the development of economic theory. In the process of showing this, the thesis starts with a brief examination of the origins of hedonistic ideas in the works of ancient Greeks. The next chapter Is concerned with the reappearance (after a long break of several centuries) of the basic hedonistic ideas mainly In the thought of Gassendi, Helvetius and Hobbes, and their subsequent introduction to the field of economics with the work of Bentham, Mill, Senior and Cairnes. The main elements of hedonism (although somewhat modified) were also observed in the economic thought of leading marginalist theorists, the subject matter of the fourth chapter, With the marginalist school, hedonistically based terms became central to economic theory and generally economic theory was characterized by an explicit hedonistic orientation. The fifth chapter discusses the attempts to downplay hedonism as found in the work of Wicksteed, Pareto and Fisher. The reasons for these attempts were the heterodox criticism and the increasing influence of positivist scientific philosophies. The discussion supports the view that in essence hedonism did not disappear but was pushed into the background. The sixth chapter assesses the modern attempts towards a neutral economic science without psychological or philosophical connotations. The works of Robbins, Hicks, Samuelson as well as the current developments are examined. As a further indication of the hedonistic influence on economic theory, chapter seven deals with a discussion of alternative economic approaches which stem from non-hedonistic paradigms. Adam Smith, Marx and Keynes are mentioned as examples of non-hedonistically oriented economists, and lexicographic choice and non-maximizing theories of the firm are suggested as examples of theories which are independent of the hedonistic framework. The general conclusion of the thesis states that in spite of the neutralization attempts and contrary to the common belief of many theorists, hedonism is still an important underlying conceptual framework of economic theory.

No description available.

Inaug.-Diss.--Bonn. / Lebenslauf. "Allgemeine literatur": p. 63; "Spezialliteratur über Nietzsche": p. 64.

Thesis (doctoral)--Friedrich-Alexanders-Universität Erlangen, 1903. / Includes bibliographical references.

Inaug.-Diss.--Bonn. / Lebenslauf. "Allgemeine literatur": p. 63; "Spezialliteratur über Nietzsche": p. 64.