The purpose of this research was to identify the contributors to optimal sexual experiences. At present, there is a lack of clinical knowledge, research knowledge and in-depth public discourse concerning the nature of healthy sexuality. The theoretical and research literature in this area has focused almost exclusively on defining and conceptualizing sexual dysfunctions with little attention paid to either normal or satisfactory experiences. Very little theory exists on the nature and components of optimal sexuality. To date, no empirical investigations have been done to determine the contributors to optimal sexual experiences. In order to identify the contributors to optimal sexual experiences, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 12 individuals who reported having experienced “great sex”. A phenomenologically-oriented content analysis was performed on interview transcripts to determine the contributors to optimal sexual experiences. Analysis led to the identification of seven major contributors, two pathways towards optimal sexual experiences and two minor contributors. The major contributors included developmental contributors, individual qualities overall, individual qualities in-the moment, skills, relationship qualities overall, relationship qualities in-the-moment and environmental, situational and preparatory contributors. Each of these larger themes was also characterized by a variety of more specific themes. The two pathways that led to optimal sexual experiences included individual qualities that facilitated relationship qualities and relationship qualities that facilitated individual qualities. Finally, the minor contributors consisted of personal proclivities and miscellaneous contributors. Noteworthy findings of this investigation are discussed and then compared and contrasted with existing research and theory. The implications of this work for the general public, sex therapy, sex education, theory and research are considered as well as the strengths and limitations of this study.

This study is intended to investigate the concept of pleasure as developed by Nasir-i Khusraw, a prominent Isma'ili philosopher and theologian of the fifth century hijrah. This concept seems to be one of the central themes of Nasir's thought system. / From Nasir's works, it appears that according to him the concept of pleasure is not simply an ethical problem but a cosmic principle active and functional on all the existential levels. Every being experiences pleasure in its specific way by performing the function assigned to it. Through this function or activity every being perpetuates its existence and preserves its well-being. On the sub-human levels i.e. mineral, vegetative and animal, the principle of pleasure is a driving force which enables these levels to preserve their respective well-being. However, from the human level till the level of the Universal Soul this principle gains an increasingly epistemological character as it is connected with the soul's activity of acquiring knowledge. / Nasir has extensively quoted and criticised Muhammad-i Zakariyya-yi Raji's views on pleasure. This situation has called for a comparative study of their concepts of pleasure in their respective metaphysical and historical contexts. This comparative study reveals that Nasir and Razi's concepts of pleasure are ultimately grounded in their metaphysical principles, and their interpretations of pleasure are influenced by Aristotelian and Platonic interpretations respectively, as these models suited their respective metaphysical world-views.

Particularly in the health domain, humans thrive to reach an equilibrium between maximizing pleasure and minimizing harm. I propose that a cognitive strategy people employ to reach this equilibrium is the activation of Compensatory Health Beliefs (CHBs). CHBs are beliefs that the negative effects of an unhealthy behavior can be compensated for, or "neutralized," by engaging in another, healthy behavior. "I can eat this piece of cake now because I will exercise this evening" is an example of such beliefs. This thesis presents a theoretical framework which aims at explaining why people create CHBs and how they employ CHBs to regulate their health behaviors. The model extends current health behavior models by explicitly integrating the motivational conflict that emerges from the interplay between affective states (i.e., cravings or desires) and motivation (i.e., health goals). The first study includes a psychometric scale that measures CHBs in the general population and provides data on its reliability and validity. The results showed that scores on the scale were uniquely associated with health-related risk behaviors and symptom reports and could be differentiated from a number of related constructs. Holding CHBs may hinder individuals from acquiring healthier lifestyles, for example lose weight or exercise. The second large-scale study of this thesis aimed at studying CHBs in adolescents with type 1 diabetes. It is proposed that in this population, CHBs might interfere with treatment adherence. If compensatory behaviors fail to compensate for the maladaptive behaviors, poor blood glucose control and related health problems may arise. To investigate this further, I developed and validated a CHB scale specific to type 1 diabetes. The scale was validated in a sample of adolescents with type 1 diabetes. Results showed that holding maladaptive compensatory health beliefs was associated with poorer blood glucose control and poorer adherence to self-care behaviors while adaptive CHBs were associated with better blood glucose control and better adherence to treatment behaviors. Specifically targeting CHBs in an intervention could improve adherence to treatment and therefore the long-term health of this population. Future research as well as the implications for possible interventions are explicitly being discussed.

The objective of this thesis is to analyse the evolution of the concept of pleasure in the literature and the history of ideas of the beginning of the 18th Century in France, through the study of the upheaval of sensibility carried out by Prevost's worried hedonism. In order to better understand the progressive transition of the semantic and lexicological concept of pleasure in the theoritical literature, we examine the philosophical and moral treaties on pleasure as well as the definitions found in the dictionnaires of the time. The study then focuses on two novels by Prevost: L'Histoire du chevalier Des Grieux et de Manon Lescaut and L'Histoire d'une Grecque moderne. These novels stage two experiences of pleasure which contribute to shape a new architecture of man characterised by instability and inconsistance. Prevost's hedonism redefines the position of the social, moral and psychological being according to certain features which lead to a particular aesthetic of disharmony.

Le jihadisme comporte toujours une dimension apocalyptique. La Fin des Temps ouvrant à la conquête définitive du monde par l'extension du Dar al-islam, passe par la venue d'un Messie politique qui vaincra l'Antéchrist incarné par un juif, dont tous les disciples sont aussi des juifs.Le jihadisme est inséparable d'un montage mental et psychique qui suscite un noyau archaïque de Violence et de Mort. Les paradis offerts par la Mort en Guerrier dans le nom de Dieu sont ceux de la Jouissance absolue.Le judaïsme talmudique, celui auquel s'oppose le Coran médinois, semble être l'antithèse absolu du montage des jouissances jihadistes.Les textes originels ont été interprétés par un des deux courants de l'islam dans une version d'héroïsation, de légitimation et de sacralisation de ce noyau originaire de destructivité. Dès leur origine, la figure du Juif représente donc le point critique qu'il s'agit d'éradiquer aussi bien métaphysiquement que dans sa réalité.Les processus d'adhésion ne conduisent pas nécessairement à une addiction à la jouissance archaïque absolue. De nombreux radicalisés en France sont plutôt des infra-jihadistes pris dans la recherche d'une vindicte restaurant leur narcissisme blessé. Leur engagement dans la restauration de la Gloire de Dieu leur fait espérer une plénitude identitaire rétablissant un sentiment de musulmanité glorieuse.A ce niveau, la Haine-du-Juif inhérente à la lecture radicale du Coran et des Hadiths se trouve potentialisée par les discours complotistes-antisémites, véhiculées par les réseaux sociaux et certaines prêches.Notre recherche se poursuivra autour d'une analyse des processus narratifs inhérents aux textes eux-mêmes. / Jihadism always has an apocalyptic dimension. The End of Time opening to the final conquest of the world by the extension of the Dar al-islam, through the advent of a political Messiah who will defeat the Antichrist, incarnated by a Jew, of which all followers are also Jewish.Jihadism is inseparable from a mental and psychic assembly that creates an archaic nucleus of Violence and Death. Paradise offered by the Warrior of Death in the name of God is that of absolute pleasure.Judaism under Rabbinic and Talmudic expressions, the one the Koran of Medina is violently opposed to, seems to be the absolute antithesis of the jihadist idea of enjoyment.The original texts have been interpreted in one of the two branches of islam in a heroic, legitimate and sacred version in this original nucleus of destructiveness. Ever since the beginning of time, the figure of the Jew represents the critical point and it is to be eradicated both physically and mentally.The accession process do not necessarily lead to an addiction to archaic absolute enjoyment. Many radicalized in France are rather infra-jihadists caught in the search of restoring vindictiveness narcissism, even though they are hurt. Their commitment on the path to restoring the glory of God is their hope for a true identity restoring a sense of fulness in the Muslim religion.At this level, the feeling of Hate-the-Jew inherent in radical interpretation of the Koran and the Hadith is potentiated by the many complotistes and anti-Semitic speeches, carried on by social networks and sermons.Our research will continue to have a grip on the analysis narrative processes in texts themselves.

O debate envolvendo questões ligadas ao trabalho é alvo de grande interesse no meio acadêmico, tendo se tornado um tema multidisciplinar que apresenta problematizações ainda longe de serem esgotadas. Neste contexto o trabalho dos gerentes surge como um tema vasto à medida que estes profissionais transitam pelo cenário contemporâneo do trabalho, com todos os seus desafios, ao mesmo tempo em que vivenciam as contradições de uma posição que lhes permite mandar e lhes exige obedecer. Desta forma esta pesquisa, que tem caráter qualitativo, aborda o tema do prazer e do sofrimento psíquico presentes no trabalho desta categoria, despindo o cargo de gerente do glamour que reveste as posições de comando e dando-lhe voz para falar sobre o conteúdo do seu trabalho, sobre as relações que atravessam sua rotina profissional e sobre o papel que o trabalho desempenha em suas vidas. Os resultados apontam uma grande demanda por autonomia e reconhecimento, o ressentimento pelo tempo em demasia dedicado ao trabalho e, conseqüentemente, o desequilíbrio entre a vida pessoal e profissional e chamam a atenção pela importância das relações interpessoais no trabalho como um fator capaz de fazê-lo pender para uma vivência positiva ou negativa. / The debate regarding working questions is one of a great interest in the academic environment, turned into a multidisciplinary theme that brings issues still far from being solved. In this context the managers’ work rise like a vast theme once these professionals are inserted in the contemporary work scenario, with all its challenges, and at the same time experience the contradictions of a position that allows them to order, but also requires them to obey. Thus this research, a qualitative one, approaches the theme of psychic suffering and pleasure present in this group’s work, putting aside the glamour that covers command positions and giving them voice to talk about their work contents, about the relations involved in their professional routine and about the role that work represents in their life. The results indicate a great demand for autonomy and recognition, the resentment for the too much time dedicated to work and, as a consequence, the unbalance between personal and professional life, and call the attention for the importance of the interpersonal relations at work as a factor that can make it tend to a negative or a positive experience.

Atualmente, vários pesquisadores têm se debruçado sobre a questão das toxicomanias na tentativa de tecer um saber a seu respeito. Embora não constitua uma prática exclusivamente contemporânea, alguns estudos recentes têm questionado se o uso feito, hoje, de entorpecentes químicos é o mesmo que o feito antigamente. Nesses trabalhos, verificamos a inexistência de um consenso, inclusive entre aqueles que partem de um mesmo paradigma teórico, a respeito do que está implicado nas toxicomanias. A partir da realização de uma pesquisa psicanalítica em dois Centros de Atenção Psicossocial – Álcool e Outras Drogas (CAPS-ad), localizados na cidade de Porto Alegre – RS, e da leitura da obra Almoço Nu, de William Burroughs, procuramos dar contornos a duas questões controversas e ainda pouco desenvolvidas a respeito do assunto estudado, a saber, as que concernem ao campo dos discursos e ao campo do gozo nas toxicomanias. Para tanto, partimos da proposição lacaniana sobre os discursos sociais. / Currently many researchers have been addressing the issue of addiction trying to build a knowing about it. Although the practice is not exclusively contemporary, recent studies have questioned whether the use of drugs made today is the same as done previously. In these studies we found the absence of a consensus even among those who depart from the same theoretical paradigm about what is involved in addiction. After performing a search on two psychoanalytic Psychosocial Care Centers - Alcohol and Other Drugs (CAPS-ad), in Porto Alegre - RS, and reading the book Naked Lunch, by William Burroughs, we seek to give a shape to two controversial and poorly developed issues: on the subject of speeches field and concerning jouissance in toxicomania. The starting point is Lacanian proposition of social discourse.

[pt] A presente tese de doutorado trata da catarse, da emoção e do prazer na Poética de Aristóteles. O filósofo não define o que entende por catarse trágica na obra; no entanto, ele nos diz que a trama trágica suscita duas emoções dolorosas – piedade e temor – e, além disso, surte um prazer que lhe é próprio. A questão é entender como estes dois opostos, prazer e dor, relacionam-se entre si e se no esclarecimento dessa relação encontramos também pistas para interpretarmos a catarse. / [en] The PHD thesis presented here is a reflection on the problems of catharsis, emotion and pleasure on Aristotle’s Poetics. In his work, the philosopher does not define what he understands as tragic catharsis; nevertheless, he tells us that the tragic framework arouses two painful emotions - pity and fear - besides originating an inherent pleasure. The arising questions are: how can pleasure and pain, being converses, relate and if on the event of this issue being clarified will we provide hints for interpreting catharsis.

Esta dissertação visa tratar das toxicomanias, como um desafio que impõe aos analistas que atuam em instituições especializadas a busca de novas formas de manejo para lidar com o chamado toxicômano. A clínica das toxicomanias a qual este trabalho se refere, trata somente de casos de neuroses em sujeitos que possuem uma relação com a droga que permitiu uma ruptura com o gozo fálico. Através da construção de dois casos clínicos foi possível identificar o gozo auto-erótico, autístico, que não passa pelo Outro e pesquisar suas conseqüências utilizando como referências a obra de Freud e o ensino de Lacan. Destaca-se como forma de manejar o gozo a utilização da Oficina da Palavra na qual circula o discurso analítico. Trata-se de acolher o toxicômano, para que o sujeito possa vir a produzir sintomas analíticos, introduzindo-o no gozar pela fala. / This dissertation aims at dealing with chemical dependency as a challenge posed to psychoanalysts who work in specialized institutions searching for new ways to handle the so-called chemical dependent. The clinical treatment of chemical dependents to which this paper refers to deals exclusively with neurosis in subjects who established a relationship with a drug that allowed for a rupture of the phallic pleasure. By developing two case studies it was possible to identify the autistic, auto-erotic pleasure which does not go through the Other and to investigate its consequences in cross-reference to Freudian and Lacanian principles. The use of Word Workshop -in which the psychoanalytical speech operates -stands out as a way to handle the pleasure. Its a matter of harboring the chemical dependent in a way that the subject may produce psychoanalytical symptoms which might introduce him to the joy through the speech.

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / Este trabalho tem como objetivo propor um diálogo teórico entre as obras O Ato de Leitura: uma teoria do efeito estético (1996, 1999), de Wolfgang Iser, e O Prazer do Texto (2006), de Roland Barthes. Da primeira obra, interessa-nos particularmente a formulação teórica sobre o vazio que, a nosso ver, pode ser articulada a outras elaboradas por Barthes na sua referida obra, sobretudo à delicada distinção entre gozo e prazer. A partir do entretecimento de uma rede teórica fundamentada nesta inter-relação, poderemos propor um ponto de vista concatenador que permita observar o objeto literário simultaneamente sob algumas noções oriundas da Teoria do efeito e outras vindas do pensamento barthesiano. A nosso ver, é possível demonstrar que as noções barthesianas de texto de prazer e textos de fruição ou gozo podem se adequar à observação do texto literário, quando considerado em relação à forma e à abundância dos vazios que eclodem na sua relação dialética com o leitor / This research proposes a theoretical intersection between The Act of Reading: a theory of aesthetic response (1996, 1999), written by Wolfgang Iser, and The Pleasure of the Text (2006), by Roland Barthes. From the first book, our interests reside particularly at the concept of empty spaces, which can be articulated to another notional formulations conceived by Barthes, especially to the subtle distinction between enjoyment and pleasure. As from, we intend to interweave a theoretical net based upon this interrelation, a comprehensive point of view, which allows us to examine literature both under the notion of aesthetic response, and Barthess deconstructionist ideas. We think it is possible to demonstrate that some Barthess notions, such as text of pleasure and text of bliss can fit into the observation of literary texts, if we thought about them under the considerations of form and abundance of the empty spaces that emerge during the dialectic relation between the book and the reader