Loving-kindness meditation (LKM) has the potential to improve intrapersonal and interpersonal functioning. This unique quality of LKM makes it a desirable candidate for buffering the stress of being social evaluated or socially excluded. Using the Trier Social Stress Test and the Cyberball social exclusion paradigm, the present study investigated the effectiveness of a brief LKM session in buffering against social evaluative and social exclusion stress. Three specific questions were addressed: In what domains can LKM exert positive effects? For whom does it work? And, how does it work? One hundred and thirteen participants (N = 113, 49 men) were randomly assigned to either a 10-minute LKM session or a 10-minute visualization control session. Findings showed that even just 10 minutes of LKM had an immediate relaxing effect as evidenced by increased respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA), an index of parasympathetic cardiac control, and decreased respiration rate. In addition, the brief LKM intervention led to greater implicit positivity towards the self relative to the control intervention (p = .052). The brief LKM intervention also protected against some of the negative physiological and psychological effects of social stress. The majority of these effects are moderated by trait social anxiety and pre-meditation mood states (or pre-meditation mood state alone). Contrary to expectation, trait social anxiety alone did not moderate any of the LKM effects. Importantly, receiving a brief session of LKM while not being in a positive mood or being in a negative mood led to iatrogenic physiological and psychological effects. Providing an explanation for one of LKM's effects, findings showed that change in RSA during LKM fully mediated the LKM Intervention x Positive Affect interaction effect on change in post-social-stress RSA. In conclusion, findings of the present study have extended our understanding of LKM and have specific implications for future research and practice.

Submitted by Filipe dos Santos (fsantos@pucsp.br) on 2016-08-05T12:09:48Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Emmanuel Roberto Leal de Athayde.pdf: 1682283 bytes, checksum: 0294e8a4315a3a4e40fa4be313793900 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-08-05T12:09:49Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Emmanuel Roberto Leal de Athayde.pdf: 1682283 bytes, checksum: 0294e8a4315a3a4e40fa4be313793900 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-03-03 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / This thesis seeks to propose an itinerary to think about the beauty according to Anselm of Canterbury’s thought, from some of his works entitled to be crucial to think about this matter. Based on this primary interest, it came across the importance of thinking about God and His atributes, such as kindness, which is a basic atribute according to the archbishop of Canterbury, as well as the incarnation of the divine word and other theological matters, as sins in the human race, for instance, that brought disorder to creation, being one of the reason of the divine incarnation, which is the reestablishment of order onto all created things. If these matter are not properly approached, focusing on the beauty according to the anselmian conception becomes extremely difficult, once there’s no specific written record about this matter by the archbishop of Canterbury; moreover, the conception of the divine being is fundamental to conceive the perception that Anselm had about the beauty. At first, this thesis treated Anselm’s environment, to try to understand a little about the context in which the archbishop lived. Besides, thinking over possible influences he suffered that helped forming his thoughts helps to enlighten the reason of some of his quotes. To think about the beauty according to Anselm’s works, it’s indispensable to analyze his writings, to propose, under that perspective, an itinerary on his thought about this matter. At last, looking at some of Anselm’s interpreters helps to establish this itinerary, sometimes following them, others moving away from them / A presente tese buscou propor um itinerário para se pensar a beleza, de acordo com o pensamento de Anselmo de Cantuária, a partir de algumas de suas obras que se julgam fundamentais para se pensar esse assunto. Com base nesse interesse primário, deparou-se com a importância de se refletir acerca de Deus e de seus atributos, como a bondade, que é sua qualidade basilar segundo o arcebispo de Cantuária, como também da encarnação do verbo divino e diversos outros temas teológicos, como a questão do pecado na raça humana, por exemplo, o qual trouxe desordem à criação, sendo esse um dos motivos da encarnação divina, a saber, o restabelecimento da ordem nas coisas criadas. Sem esses temas devidamente abordados, focalizar a beleza segundo a concepção anselmiana se torna extremamente difícil, pelo fato de o arcebispo de Cantuária não ter escrito nada especificamente sobre o assunto; além do mais, a concepção do ser divino é fundamental para se conceber a percepção que Anselmo tinha sobre a beleza. Buscou-se inicialmente tratar do ambiente anselmiano, para tentar entender um pouco do contexto que o arcebispo vivera. Além disso, refletir sobre possíveis influências sofridas que ajudaram a formar o seu pensamento ajuda a esclarecer o porquê de algumas colocações. Para pensar a beleza segundo as obras anselmianas, é imprescindível analisar seus escritos, para propor, nessa perspectiva, um itinerário em seu pensamento sobre esse tema. Por fim, olhar para alguns intérpretes de Anselmo auxilia a estabelecer esse itinerário, ora seguindo-os, ora deles se distanciando

Literature Review: The current review presents a recent review of the effectiveness of psychological therapies to treat sleep difficulties (such as insomnia and nightmares) in sufferers of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The review also aimed to investigate whether there are differences in the effectiveness of specific psychological therapies to treat sleep disturbances in PTSD, such as between the different types of psychological therapies such as cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) and imagery rehearsal therapy (IRT). Eleven studies were included in the review that met the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Results are presented in tables and a descriptive account is included. The review demonstrates that psychological therapies are effective for the treatment of insomnia and other sleep difficulties such as nightmares. However, firm conclusions cannot be drawn about the effectiveness of different types of psychological therapies as studies predominantly used CBT and only one non-CBT study was included in the review. Comparisons between the effectiveness of different CBT approaches is also not possible as there was a large range of diversity in the study characteristics and also there were only a small number of studies for each intervention, which therefore limits the generalisability of results in the current review. It may be that different CBT interventions such as CBT-I or EERT and IRT may be better suited to treat insomnia and nightmares respectively, but further research needs to be conducted into which of these approaches are beneficial for different PTSD specific sleep difficulties. Empirical Paper: Initial studies demonstrate that self-compassion reduces symptoms of PTSD in Armed Forces Veterans (AFV), however the use of self-compassion approaches in AFV is under-researched. The current study utilised self-report and psychophysiological measures to investigate whether a single self-compassion experimental induction reduced hyperarousal symptoms (PTSD Cluster E symptoms) and increased feelings of social connectedness in AFV. The study hypothesised that there would be a decrease in hyperarousal symptoms and an increase in social connectedness, which would be associated with PTSD severity. Fifty-three AFV who had been deployed to a combat zone took part in the study, of which n = 15 (28.3%) currently met criteria for PTSD and n = 4 (7.5%) met criteria for Subsyndromal PTSD on the PCL-5. Participants listened to a recording of a Loving Kindness Meditation for self-compassion (LKM-S) and psychophysiological recordings were taken throughout. Participants completed state measures of hyperarousal and social connectedness before and after the LKM-S. Findings partially demonstrated that self-compassion can be elicited in an AFV population. However, changes on the self-report measures were largely not supported by psychophysiological measures, apart from skin conductance levels (SCL). The longevity of the effects observed in the study were not measured and should be investigated in future studies. Although this study has demonstrated that self-compassion can be elicited within the AFV population, further research is needed including to test a longer self-compassion intervention.

[pt] O zelo como ternura apresenta-se como proposta para a vivência do evangelho da ternura num contexto eclesial e social em que as relações humanas estão contagiadas e fragilizadas pelo excessivo valor dado à dimensão racional descuidando-se dos valores que se relacionam com a sensibilidade. Por outro lado o ser humano é ser de transcendência e como tal, chamado a auto-superação e a caminhar na direção do divino. Para os cristãos a vivência do zelo como ternura implica na capacidade de alimentar e desenvolver a doçura e o vigor mediante os conteúdos bí­blicos da pietas, dileção e força do amor humilde. Implica igualmente na valorização dos sentimentos passando pela vivência do eros, da fhilia e da ágape que capacitam o ser humano como ser de relação consigo mesmo, com o outros, com o cosmos e com o próprio Deus, assim como foi e é sonhado pelo Criador. Jesus Cristo é o ápice da revelação do zelo como ternura e em Aníbal Maria Di Francia encontra-se um exemplo de um apaixonado seguidor do Mestre, que encontrou no Rogate: Rogai ao Senhor da Messe, a força dinamizadora de sua doação até à consumação dos próprios bens e de si mesmo em favor dos pequenos e do anúncio do evangelho, vivendo-o com profundo zelo e não menos ternura. / [en] Zeal as tenderness is put forward as a proposal for living the Gospel of tenderness within a social and ecclesiastical context in which human relations are contaminated and undermined by the excessive value attributed to the rational dimension, to the detriment of sensibility-related values. On the other hand, as transcendent beings, human beings are summoned to reach beyond one`s limits, towards the divinity. For Christians, living by zeal as tenderness implies a capacity to develop kindness and vigor through the biblical themes of piety, devotion and the strength of humble love. It also implies the appreciation of feelings experienced through eros, fhilia and agape, which make the human being able to relate to oneself, to others, to the cosmos and to Our Lord Himself, as has been devised by the Creator. Jesus Christ is the embodiment of the revelation of zeal as tenderness and Aní­bal Maria Di Francia, as a devoted follower of the Master, found in the Rogate [Pray ... the Lord of the harvest] the driving force behind his utmost donation - of his own assets and of himself - in favor of the less fortunate and the propagation of the Gospel, which he lived with fervent zeal and no less intense tenderness.

Compassion is potentially an effective emotion-regulation strategy to face the suffering of self and others. The aim of this paper is to provide an evolutionary understanding of compassion and compassion training (CT) by examining the psychological, neural and behavioral effects of loving-kindness meditation and compassion meditation. The author presents various definitions of compassion and examines the physiological and neural processes behind it. Compassion seems to have evolutionary roots but can be limited due to inherited blocks and fears. Compassion is however trainable and can potentially bypass certain evolutionary-based biases. CT results in various significant psychological effects, most notably positive affect, increased (self) compassion, and mindfulness. Evidence is however inconsistent, especially in relation to active controls. Neural effects are significant yet inconsistent across different experimental conditions. CT without a concurrent task activates (1) the right somatosensory cortices (2) the parieto-occipital sulcus, and (3) the right anterior insula. In relation to the socio-affective video task, CT activates medial orbitofrontal cortex, ventral striatum/nucleus accumbens, putamen, and anterior parts of anterior cingulate cortex; regions related to positive affect, motivational reward and affiliation. These findings converge with the reviewed psychological literature. CT also results in increased altruistic and compassionate behavior towards others, even when it’s costly to the self and under no-reciprocity conditions. Behavioral effects are mostly demonstrated in game-settings against active controls but also in one real-life situation. Together, the results suggest that CT is beneficial to individuals as well as inter-group relationships.

No description available.

Self-compassion denotes a compassionate and empathic attitude toward oneself (Neff, 2003b). In the past decade, the Self-Compassion Scale (SCS) has been used to measure self-compassion in individuals and its effects on social, psychological, and physiological functioning. While many studies have found positive effects of high self- compassion showing promise for the use of the construct in clinical and empirical applications, there is a dearth of literature regarding the psychometric properties of the SCS. Furthermore, previous studies have not evaluated the individual subscales of the SCS as they relate to other inventories. This study evaluated the SCS and its subscales in relation the to the well-established Beck Depression Inventory II (BDI-II). The study included 142 undergraduate Cal Poly students who completed both the SCS and the BDI- II. As predicted, a statistically significant negative correlation was found between total SCS and BDI-II scores (r = -.57). Statistically significant negative correlations were also found between BDI-II total scores and the Self-Kindness (r = -.35), Common Humanity (r = -.37), and Mindfulness (r = -.35) subscales of the SCS. Statistically significant positive correlations were found with BDI-II total scores and the Self-Judgment (r = .49), Isolation (r = .59) and Over-Identified (r = .43) subscales of the SCS. This study evaluated the convergent and discriminant validity of the SCS and its subscales as compared to the BDI-II.

Recent reviewers of the group psychotherapy literature have called for the introduction of new constructs that may contribute to a deeper understanding of what it is about process groups that make them effective in eliciting change. To this end, this study investigates the potential of a newly defined and operationalized construct known as self-compassion. Drawing on the writings of various scholars of Buddhism, Neff has theorized that self-compassion consists of three main, mutually influential components: self-kindness (the act of being gentle with oneself in instance of pain or failure); mindfulness (holding painful thoughts and feelings in balanced awareness, without over-identifying with them); and common humanity (the perception of one’s experiences as part of the larger human experience). This paper argues that there are strong parallels between each of these three components and existing theory on the mechanisms of change in group psychotherapy. The study was motivated by the belief that preliminary quantitative support for the role of self-compassion in change through groups may highlight the importance of the construct and help orient both group practitioners and group researchers towards a new theoretical lens through which the power of groups may be better understood. 92 subjects were enrolled in the study: 57 in a non-treatment Control condition, and 35 in a Treatment condition. The Control group was comprised of undergraduates from the Educational Psychology Department subject pool at the University of Texas at Austin; the Treatment group was formed by UT undergraduate and graduate students who were enrolled in a process psychotherapy group at the UT Counseling and Mental Health Center. A pre-test/post-test design was employed, with subjects taking identical surveys at baseline (beginning of Fall 2007 semester) and follow-up (end of the same semester). A variety of inferential statistical techniques were utilized, and results indicated that there was a significant relationship between participation in process group psychotherapy and positive mental health outcomes as measured by self-report levels of depression, perceived stress, and happiness; that participation in a therapy group was associated with increased levels of self-compassion; and that as a predictor of mental health outcome in relation to therapy groups, self-compassion was on the whole equivalent to one construct (hope) often cited in the group literature as a powerful therapeutic mechanism, and a more powerful predictor than another (altruism). The overall results offer exciting implications for future research and clinical practice, as they suggest that self-compassion may well serve as an important component of a robust theoretical, organizing lens through which the power of group psychotherapy may be more clearly understood. / text

Contrairement aux idées reçues, Jean-Jacques Rousseau a aimé le rire et la gaieté : différents écrits, souvent allègres, depuis les œuvres autobiographiques jusqu’à ses comédies, nous le prouvent. La Correspondance Complète le confirme : goût du comique, badinage, rire sentimental, bonhomie et même humour caractérisent le Citoyen de Genève que l’on oppose traditionnellement à Voltaire pour son manque de légèreté. Bien plus, les notions de gaieté et le rire s’intègrent à son système philosophique, et contribuent à enrichir sa conception de la société, de l’éducation, de l’enfance et même des femmes – bien au-delà de la seule Lettre à d’Alembert. Inversement, l’écrivain s’est méfié de manière innée du rire de dérision, et surtout du persiflage, dont il s’est vu la victime dans les salons de Paris. De plus, à partir de 1750 et surtout de la réforme de 1756, le Citoyen, devenu le ‘’pourfendeur des rires’’ sur le plan intellectuel et moral, devient lui-même, progressivement, la risée de Paris, de Genève et de Londres (de la part de personnalités aussi différentes que Palissot, Voltaire, Walpole, Grimm ou Diderot) – au point d’imaginer l’existence du « complot » en 1766 à Wootton, et d’y perdre un peu de sa « raison » - mais jamais vraiment de sa gaieté originelle. / Contrary to generally accepted ideas, Jean-Jacques Rousseau liked the laughter and the cheerfulness: various writings (his novel Julie ou La Nouvelle Héloïse, his four comedies, his autobiographical works, and even pamphlets), often joyful, prove it. The Complete Correspondence confirms this idea: taste of comic, pleasantry, sentimental laughter, and even humor characterize the Citizen of Geneva who is traditionally opposed to Voltaire for his lack of lightness or wit. Moreover, the notions of cheerfulness and laughter fit his philosophical system, and enrich his conception of society, education, childhood and even women – well beyond the Lettre à d’Alembert sur les spectacles published in 1758. Conversely, and in a more conventional way, the writer used to distrust in an innate way, derision, and the ‘’persiflage’’ he was the victim in the salons of Paris. Especially from 1750 and more specifically after the personal reformation in 1756, Rousseau was the slayer of laughter at an intellectual and moral level, and he became gradually the victim of the laughing stock of Paris, Geneva and London (from personalities as diverse as Palissot, Voltaire, Walpole, Diderot and Grimm) –so much as to imagine the existence of the “complot” at Wootton in 1766.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-12-23T14:41:21Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Rubiane Vanessa Maia da Silva.pdf: 5444378 bytes, checksum: e05e2b1688f029180fea8ad2517f2df1 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2012-11-18 / This essay discusses the relationship between art and life in contemporary. More specifically, we seek to, in some aspects of contemporary art, the materials of expression that occur in meetings with the power of life otherness. Creation and invention of other manners of perception and relationship with the living, porosity to the surface, passing affections. Artistic practices, especially those which constitute the process, act as new devices able to shoot methods, other possible, intense space-time relationship. We try to give visibility to the meetings, and performances and urban intervention, which towards the trials, the wanderings, detours and the rather more put themselves into question as triggers of lines of spaces and resistance. Force, in constitution that scrambles codes, drives rhythms and experimentation, with leads to certain gaps and mixed bodies. Laboratory ethical, aesthetic and political sensitivity of heterogeneity and enlightmen. The main conclusion of the study concerns the intersection between questioning and interfere with the lifestyles that are constituting the subjectivities that are taking place in the midst of so many anxieties and anesthetized. And so, actions and create tensions between body and word to trial andcall for more living and vibrating bodies. And think of the poetic art as that distracts us from the same, and contaminates, by micro-forces, the invention of new words on the word. Other odors, rumors, images, colors, textures, gestures, dances, smell looks / Esta dissertação problematiza a relação entre arte e vida na contemporaneidade. Mais especificamente, busca-se, em alguns aspectos da Arte Contemporânea, as matérias de expressão que se dão nos encontros com a força da vida e da alteridade. Criação e invenção de outros modos de percepção e relação com o vivido, porosidade à flor da pele, passagem de afetos. As práticas artísticas, principalmente as que se constituem como processo, atuam como dispositivos capazes de disparar novos modos, outros possíveis, intensas relações espaço-temporais. Procuramos dar visibilidade aos encontros, e às atuações com performance e intervenção urbana, que rumo às experimentações, às errâncias, aos desvios e um tanto mais, colocam-se em xeque como disparadores de linhas de fuga e resistência. Força, que em sua constituição embaralha os códigos, aciona ritmos e experimentações, que provoca certas aberturas e misturas entre corpos. Laboratório ético, estético e político do sensível, da heterogeneidade, do outramento. Enfim, esta pesquisa define-se no entrecruzamento entre problematizar e interferir sobre os modos de vida que estão se constituindo, as subjetividades que estão se produzindo, em meio aos tantos desassossegos e anestesiamentos. E assim, criamos tensionamentos e ações entre corpo e mundo para experimentação e convocação de corpos mais vivos e vibráteis. E pensamos a arte como poética que nos desvia do mesmo, e contamina, via forças micropolíticas, na invenção de novos mundos neste mundo. Outros odores, rumores, palavras, imagens, cores, texturas, gestos, danças, cheiros, olhares...