Affective states of animals are emotions with positive or negative valance. Positive and negative affective states affect animal welfare, and can bias interpretation of information positively or negatively, respectively. Judgement bias tests measure affective states based on responses to ambiguous cues, intermediate to cues with learnt positive and negative outcomes. Responses closer to those of positive cues indicate positive affective state. However, animals need extensive training to learn initial associations to reference cues. Therefore, I here aimed to validate an alternative affective state test based on instinctive avoidance of patterns resembling eyespots. Responses to ambiguous eyespot cues similar to responses to full eyespot cues could indicate negative affective state. To test this, behavioural responses of red junglefowl (Gallus gallus) chicks to ambiguous cues from a validated judgement bias test were compared to responses to cues resembling eyespots. In a second cohort of birds, I developed simplified tests with only one ambiguous cue in each tests. I predicted that responses in both tests would correlate positively. In the original tests, shorter distance and latency to approach ambiguous cues correlated positively with latency to approach one of the eyespot cues, a full eyespot cue. This pattern was only observed in females. In the simplified tests, at 4 weeks of age, shortest latency to approach cues correlated among tests. This pattern was not observed when chicks were tested at 2 weeks of age. Overall, the eyespot test is a promising alternative affective state test, but further studies exploring sex- and age-effects, are needed.

Narrative identity in biographical narratives of extremist scene leaders in Central Europe Mgr. Adéla Zelenda Kupcová Abstract: Dissertation Narrative identity in biographical narratives of extremist scene leaders in Central Europe deals with analysis of biographical narratives of the extremist scene's prominent leaders in select Central European countries (the former German Democratic Republic, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary). It is based on the theory of social constructivism, and its aim is to analyze how and under what experience the leading representatives of the extremist scene construct their narrative identities, what life events have influenced their attitudes and worldviews, how they present themselves and how they understand themselves and their roles in life. It is focused mainly on the narrators' personal myths and life themes that they indicate as essential. Key words: political extremism, narrative, identity, personal myth, value, cultural pessimism

This is an essay about the swedish modernist writer and poet Gösta Oswald’s novel En privatmans vedermödor. The essay focuses on the question about how he uses the modernist language to portray the subject and main character Mr O. Oswald’s novel and his portrayal of the subject is compared and contrasted to earlier ideas about the subject in the modernist and pessimistic traditions presented by philosophers, e g Friedrich Nietzsche. Oswald’s literary style and ideas are also compared to his contemporary modernist writers, for instance Stig Dagerman. Through a psychoanalytical reading of Oswald’s novel using mostly Jacques Lacan’s theories about language the essay argues that it is a story about the nothingness of the subject. It’s also argued that the environment in the novel and Oswald’s use of mythological and classical motifs from Orpheus, Virgil and Dante enhances the themes of nothingness and the bleak outlook on life in the nihilistic post World War II cultural climate. / <p>Slutgiltigt godkännandedatum: 2023-05-30</p>

Narrative identity in biographical narratives of extremist scene leaders in Central Europe Mgr. Adéla Zelenda Kupcová Abstract: Dissertation Narrative identity in biographical narratives of extremist scene leaders in Central Europe deals with analysis of biographical narratives of the extremist scene's prominent leaders in select Central European countries (the former German Democratic Republic, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary). It is based on the theory of social constructivism, and its aim is to analyze how and under what experience the leading representatives of the extremist scene construct their narrative identities, what life events have influenced their attitudes and worldviews, how they present themselves and how they understand themselves and their roles in life. It is focused mainly on the narrators' personal myths and life themes that they indicate as essential. Key words: political extremism, narrative, identity, personal myth, value, cultural pessimism

Due to the fact that many of the secondary school pupils who experience difficulty in choosing a career, also appear to have problems with their time perspective, an investigation into the possible link between these concepts was undertaken. A literature study was done where the major dimensions of time perspective were identified continuity/directionality and locus of control; optimism/pessimism; structure. Analyses were done on the principal factors influencing time perspective and career choice. A reliable measuring instrument was developed in order to measure the secondary school pupil's time perspective. The results of the empirical investigation indicated that time perspective does play a significant role in the career choice of secondary school pupils. Gender and intellectual potential do not appear to have a significant bearing on time perspective. The educational implications of the findings are discussed, and guidelines regarding methods of improving a child's time perspective are given to both teachers and parents. / Psychology of Education / M. Ed. (with specialisation in Guidance and Counselling (Psychology of Education))

Cette étude tente de saisir l’ambiguïté du propos pessimiste dans trois romans de Catulle Mendès (1841-1909). D’un côté, la construction du héros suggère une critique psychopathologique du pessimisme conforme au moralisme de la doxa fin-de-siècle qui dénie à cette pensée toute valeur spéculative. De l’autre, la représentation d’une société dissimulatrice contre laquelle le héros est en lutte confère à celui-ci un pouvoir de dévoilement. Cette tension se trouve condensée dans le concept de monstre qui fait l’objet d’une double lecture, à la fois pathologique et herméneutique. La conscience du héros étant conforme par sa stérilité à la conscience décadente telle qu’elle est définie par Jankélévitch, le système de pensée qu’elle féconde peut être assimilé à un monstre. Or, le sens premier du monstre pessimiste est le caractère inhumain de la vérité, autant comme quête que comme révélation. Seul un monstre peut porter la vérité car celle-ci est à sa mesure, intolérable. Elle renvoie l’homme à la toute-puissance de l’instinct dont découlent ses idéaux. Partant d’une conception pessimiste, le propos de Mendès débouche ainsi sur une morale idéaliste qui prône contre l’universelle tare le mensonge universel. / This thesis tries to make sense of the ambiguity of pessimism in three of Catulle Mendès’s novels. On the one hand, the construction of the hero indicates a criticism of pessimism based on psychopathology, typical of late nineteenth-century moralism as it denies the doctrine any speculative value. On the other hand, the representation of a society full of liars against which the hero leads a struggle bestows upon him a power of revelation. This tension is condensed in the concept of monster which is submitted here to both a pathological and an hermeneutic reading. The hero’s conscience conforms to the type of decadent conscience as defined by Jankélévitch: the system of thought produced by it cannot be considered other than monstous. In addition, the primary feature of the pessimistic monster lies in the inhuman nature of the truth, as search and as revelation. Only a monster can profess the truth because it is made to his measure that is: intolerable. The truth reflects the supremacy of instinct and negates all ideals. Based on a thoroughly pessimistic conception, Mendès’point lies in an idealistic morals which advocates the universal lying against universal vice.

L’hypothèse d’une esthétique du cynisme dans le théâtre contemporain s’appuie sur un constat empirique : au sein d’un théâtre qui s’autoproclame bien souvent politique, sans néanmoins se revendiquer d’une quelconque idéologie, la scène contemporaine européenne voit se développer, depuis la fin des années quatre-vingt, bon nombre de textes et de spectacles qui, par l’intermédiaire des personnages qu’ils mettent en scène ou des situations qu’ils présentent, expriment un point de vue cynique sur le monde. Dans un mouvement global caractérisé par le regain d’intérêt des auteurs envers des thématiques tirées du réel, ce cynisme affleurant dans les œuvres semble traduire un désintérêt des individus pour le politique, une indifférence du sujet pour le devenir du collectif. En prenant en considération la double acception du terme « cynisme », qui fait à la fois référence au mouvement de philosophie grecque dont la postérité a retenu Diogène de Sinope pour représentant et au comportement d’un individu sans scrupules, prêt à tout pour parvenir à ses fins, y compris à s’affranchir de la morale et des conventions, ce travail croise approches dramaturgique, historique, philosophique et sociologique pour explorer les différentes ramifications du cynisme dans le théâtre contemporain, ainsi que ses caractéristiques principales. Tantôt preuves d’un esprit – inconsciemment, parfois – conservateur, tantôt signes d’une vivacité subversive intacte, les éléments constituant l’esthétique du cynisme forment une galaxie éparse, imprimant insidieusement sa marque dans le théâtre européen contemporain. / The hypothesis of an aesthetics of cynicism in contemporary theatre is based on an empirical observation: while theatre often proclaims itself as political, without claiming any ideology, a lot of contemporary European texts and performances since the end of the eighties express a cynical point of view on the world through the characters that they stage or the situations that they present. Appearing in the midst of a more general movement characterized by the renewed interest of authors towards themes drawn from reality, the cynicism that surfaces in the artworks seems to reflect people’s waning interest in political matters, and the subject’s indifference towards the future of the community.Taking into consideration the dual meaning of the term "cynicism", which refers both to the Greek philosophy movement, of which Diogenes of Sinope has been retained as representative, and to the behaviour of an unscrupulous person who would do anything to achieve their purposes, including breaking free from morality and conventions, this thesis intersects dramaturgical, historical, philosophical, and sociological approaches to explore the different ramifications of cynicism in contemporary theatre, as well as its main features. Sometimes the manifestation of a – possibly unconsciously – conservative spirit, sometimes the signs of an untouched subversive vivacity, the elements constituting the aesthetics of cynicism form a sparse galaxy, insidiously imprinting its mark onto contemporary European theatre.

The aim of this thesis is twofold: it explores Giacomo Leopardi's (1798-1837) interpretation of, and engagement with, Greek pessimistic thought and, through him, it investigates the complex and elusive phenomenon of Greek pessimistic thought itself. This thesis contends that Greek pessimistic thought – epitomised by but not limited to the famous wisdom of Silenus, the µὴ φῦναι topos – is an important element of Greek thought, a fundamental part of some of Greece's greatest literary works, and a vital element in the understanding of Greek culture in general. Yet this aspect of ancient thought has not yet received the attention it deserves, and in the history of its interpretation it has often been forgotten, denied, or purposefully obliterated. Furthermore, the pessimistic side of Greek thought plays a crucial role in both the modern history of the interpretation of antiquity and the intellectual history of Europe; I argue that this history is fundamentally incomplete without the appreciation of Leopardi's role in it. By his study of and engagement with ancient sources Leopardi contributed to the 19th century rediscovery of Greek pessimistic wisdom, alongside, though chronologically before, the likes of Arthur Schopenhauer, Friedrich Nietzsche, and Jacob Burckhardt. Having outlined some fundamental steps in the history of the reception of Greek pessimism, this thesis examines the cardinal components of Leopardi's reception of it: his use of Greek conceptions of humanity to undermine modernity's anthropocentric fallacy, his reinterpretation of the Homeric simile of the leaves and its pessimistic undertones, and his views on the idea that it would be best for man not to be born.

Spiritual well-being is a well-established predictor of mental health, yet the potential mechanisms of this association are relatively unexplored. We examined the influence of spirituality, including religious and existential well-being, on depressive symptoms, and the potential mediating effect of optimism and pessimism, in a sample of 66 African American female suicide attempters. Participants were recruited from a large, urban hospital and completed the Spiritual Well-Being Scale, Life Orientation Test-Revised, and the Beck Depression Inventory-II. The association between spiritual well-being and depressive symptoms was mediated indirectly through both optimism and pessimism; greater religious and existential well-being was related to more optimism, and less pessimism and, in turn, to fewer depressive symptoms. Historically, spiritual well-being has been important to the African American community, and its beneficial effects on mental health might be explained, in part, by their effect on cognitive-emotional functioning.

Cette étude tente de saisir l’ambiguïté du propos pessimiste dans trois romans de Catulle Mendès (1841-1909). D’un côté, la construction du héros suggère une critique psychopathologique du pessimisme conforme au moralisme de la doxa fin-de-siècle qui dénie à cette pensée toute valeur spéculative. De l’autre, la représentation d’une société dissimulatrice contre laquelle le héros est en lutte confère à celui-ci un pouvoir de dévoilement. Cette tension se trouve condensée dans le concept de monstre qui fait l’objet d’une double lecture, à la fois pathologique et herméneutique. La conscience du héros étant conforme par sa stérilité à la conscience décadente telle qu’elle est définie par Jankélévitch, le système de pensée qu’elle féconde peut être assimilé à un monstre. Or, le sens premier du monstre pessimiste est le caractère inhumain de la vérité, autant comme quête que comme révélation. Seul un monstre peut porter la vérité car celle-ci est à sa mesure, intolérable. Elle renvoie l’homme à la toute-puissance de l’instinct dont découlent ses idéaux. Partant d’une conception pessimiste, le propos de Mendès débouche ainsi sur une morale idéaliste qui prône contre l’universelle tare le mensonge universel. / This thesis tries to make sense of the ambiguity of pessimism in three of Catulle Mendès’s novels. On the one hand, the construction of the hero indicates a criticism of pessimism based on psychopathology, typical of late nineteenth-century moralism as it denies the doctrine any speculative value. On the other hand, the representation of a society full of liars against which the hero leads a struggle bestows upon him a power of revelation. This tension is condensed in the concept of monster which is submitted here to both a pathological and an hermeneutic reading. The hero’s conscience conforms to the type of decadent conscience as defined by Jankélévitch: the system of thought produced by it cannot be considered other than monstous. In addition, the primary feature of the pessimistic monster lies in the inhuman nature of the truth, as search and as revelation. Only a monster can profess the truth because it is made to his measure that is: intolerable. The truth reflects the supremacy of instinct and negates all ideals. Based on a thoroughly pessimistic conception, Mendès’point lies in an idealistic morals which advocates the universal lying against universal vice.