Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Adelaide, School of Social Sciences, Discipline of Geographical and Environmental Studies, 2004. / "May 2004" Includes bibliographical references (leaves 243-270).

Thesis (D.P.H.)--University of Alabama at Birmingham, 2008. / Title from first page of PDF file (viewed on June 23, 2009). Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.S.P.H.)--University of Michigan, 1939.

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Michigan, 1982.

Thesis (M.S.P.H.)--University of Michigan, 1939.

Source: Masters Abstracts International, Volume: 47-01, page: 0342. Adviser: Kristy O. Murray. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Michigan, 1982.

This research aims to offer an original reconstruction of Aristotle’s psychology of music that explains his views on the relation between instrumental music and emotions. I argue that, contrary to the relevant scholarship, for Aristotle instrumental music cannot convey emotions to the listener. What instrumental music does, I claim, is to cause an objectless mood or disposition (διάθεσις) that “prepares the way” (προοδοποιεῖν) for the emotions. Most interpreters of Politics VIII (1340a12-29) argue that for Aristotle a piece of instrumental music would be able to represent emotions and the listener would be moved to the same emotion by a sort of sympathetic contagion. However, this interpretation is inconsistent with Aristotle’s account of emotions. For Aristotle a necessary condition for the emotions is that those experiencing them “judge” (κρίνειν) a situation based on their beliefs. If it is accepted that there is such a thing as an emotional contagion through music, then the cognitive theory of emotion presented by Aristotle is at risk since no such a judgment would be required. The thesis is presented in three chapters. In chapter one the cognitive elements that give rise to emotions are analysed. The nature of the term παθή is explored as well as the difference between its use as a ‘general affection’ and its use as the mental process that we now call ‘emotion.’ In this latter sense the emotions are mental states directed to an object on which a judgment is made and that are accompanied by pain or pleasure. The nature of the emotional judgment is investigated and the possibility of its existence in non-rational animals is explored. It is concluded that, even if we accept emotions in animals, intentionality and predication of an object are necessary conditions for the existence of emotions. In the second chapter, I discuss two instances where it seems Aristotle makes an exception to the judgment as necessary condition for the emotions. First, emotions aroused by the perception of signs of emotions, like the mere voice of the orator (Rhet. 1408a16-26) and the spectacle in the theatre (Poet. 1453b1-10) and second, emotions aroused by bodily changes (De an. 403a25). I argue that in Aristotle’s view in both cases the factors at work (voice, sight, bodily condition) only facilitate the arousal of emotions, but the actual arousal requires an additional narrative context that supplies grounds for the judgment that in turn gives rise to the emotion in question. In the first case the orator’s voice and the theatre’s spectacle work just as a condiment (ἥδυσμα) that helps to intensify (συναπεργάζεσθαι) the object of judgment (Pol. 1340b17; Poet. 1449b25; 1450b16; Rhet. 1386a31). Our emotional response has as its object their story, not the elements that decorate it. In the second case, the bodily changes are the material constituents of emotions; facilitate the generation of emotions: hotness around the heart, for example, makes the subject prone to anger; but the emotion of anger appears only after a particular situation is evaluated by the mind. In the third chapter, I turn to the specific case of music. From an exegesis of Pol. 1340a12-29, I argue that the emotions ostensibly transmitted by music (μουσική) to the listener are due to the lyrics of the songs (μέλη), not to the instrumental music itself. Therefore the question about the nature of the emotional effect of pure instrumental music remains open. My answer to this question is based on the analysis of the causal mechanism by means of which instrumental music affects the listener. Aristotle’s physiology reveals the physical impact of sound on the sense of hearing, and from there to the heart, the first sensorium. Bodily changes in the organ create an objectless disposition (διάθεσις) in the listener by relaxing or agitating his body, without providing any content for the mind besides the perception of the sound. Exciting or relaxing the heart by means of music would leave the listener in the disposition of readiness to react emotionally, but the emotion would appear only once an intentional object, i.e., the content of the emotion, is presented and evaluated by the mind. Finally, I show the relevance of my interpretation of these dispositions to understanding the role of emotions in the education of character in the Politics. Aristotle proposes to use only a certain type of music in his educational curriculum, not one too relaxed or too tense, but a middle between them that puts the students in a stable and noble disposition that would, in turn, lead them to be guided by reason instead of their emotions.

Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are a problem for both developed and developing countries. Sub-Saharan Africa has the highest rates in the 15-49 years old group. The discovery that these infections playa vital role in the transmission of HIV raised their profile and made their control one of the central strategies of stopping the HIV/AIDS epidemic. In response to the challenge of improving the quality of care for people infected with STIs in the public health sector, the South African Ministry of Health adopted the syndromic management approach, recommended by the World Health Organisation as suitable for resource-poor settings, for use in primary health care clinics. In addition to providing guidelines on clinical management of STIs, the syndromic approach requires health providers to counsel and educate patients about STIs, encourage patients to complete treatment even if symptoms abate, promote condom use and the treatment of all sexual partners. While the management guidelines are clear and detailed around the diagnostic and medication issues, the processes of education and counseling are not as clearly outlined. Furthermore, although the syndromic approach is a viable way of providing good quality care to larger sections of the population than could be serviced through dedicated STI clinics, it requires health providers working in primary health care clinics, most of whom are professional nurses, to perform some tasks for which they may not be adequately trained. This study evaluated the quality of care for persons infected with ST!s by examining the extent to which the syndromic approach was being implemented in primary health care clinics. Interviews, using semi-structured interview schedules, were conducted with ST! patients and health providers in twenty-four clinics located in four provinces. In depth qualitative interviews were also conducted with a sub-sample of the patients. For further triangulation the methods of participant observation, through the use of simulated patients, and focus group discussions with various community groups were used. The findings of the study indicate that although primary health care clinics in South Africa are well-resourced, the management of patients with ST!s is inadequate. Adherence to the various aspects of syndromic management was poor. Similar to other studies in South Africa, the attitudes of health providers towards patients with ST!s were found to be problematic, a finding that has implications for health-seeking behaviours. The thesis argues that a large part of the problem is related to the multiple roles that nurses have to play in primary health care settings, as well as the content and methodology of the training of nurses who manage ST! patients. It further argues for the constitution of the basic health team at primary health clinics to be multi-disciplinary, and for a multi-disciplinary input in the training of health providers.

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