Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-28T20:39:45Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Ilcea Sonia Maria de Andrade Borba Marquez.pdf: 371748 bytes, checksum: 6b466f81a8999d011d3f39896ca0942f (MD5) Previous issue date: 2008-04-09 / The objective of this study is to clarify the twin births specificity and possible consequences either on parental imaginary or in the proper twin. It is an unusual situation, where one ovule is divided in two, causing, then, the creation of two identical human beings: exactly the same sanguineous group, physical enzymes, proteins, physical characteristics and pathological trends: human being in duplicate. This situation represents another challenge for the parents in the performance of maternity and paternity proper tasks. The double births guide them to life mysteries - the reproduction and the intrauterine space. When parents stand out the equal equalities in their choices of similar names, clothes and toys, actually they are denying the pair, considering them as if they were only one such attitudes lead to future consequences For the proper twin, it represents one more difficulty related to the achievement of a unique and singular identity, since they mutually follow themselves, without being illusion or hallucination. As a result they face some questions: Which are the consequences of living in the privacy of the identical and having to compose and recognize themselves as exterior and different? How to obtain a proper place in their parents desire, the family and later in the social environment, in spite of the false recognizing and the confusions of all, incapable of a steady differentiation? This present study is based on the thought of Sigmund Freud and other psychoanalyst authors, as, Otto Rank, André Green, Jacques Lacan, René Kaes, Joyce McDougall, Eduardo Braier, Beatriz Salzberg, Bernard Tanis, Renato Mezan, Maria Rita Kehl and others who contribute for the clarification of the questions involving twins: the specular images, the shadows, spirits, the idea of soul, the strange question about the double and identical, the narcissism experience and the fraternity complex. The used method is the conceptual analysis of the selected texts and clinical material placed in discussion and it has the Psychoanalyst Clinic as elementary and purpose / Esta dissertação procura esclarecer a especificidade dos nascimentos gemelares e possíveis conseqüências tanto no imaginário parental quanto dos próprios gêmeos. Trata-se de uma situação não-habitual onde um óvulo se divide em dois ocasionando, então, a formação de dois seres em tudo idênticos: mesmo grupo sanguíneo, enzimas, proteínas, características físicas e tendências patológicas: seres em duplicatas. Para os pais representa um desafio a mais no desempenho das tarefas próprias da maternidade e paternidade. Os nascimentos duplos os colocam frente aos mistérios da vida, da reprodução, e do espaço intrauterino. Quando os pais ressaltam as igualdades nas escolhas de nomes similares, roupas e brinquedos iguais, na verdade estariam negando a dupla, tratando-os como se fossem uma coisa só atitudes plenas de conseqüências para o futuro. Para os próprios gêmeos representa uma dificuldade a mais no sentido da aquisição de identidade única e singular uma vez que os gêmeos se acompanham mutuamente sem ser ilusão ou alucinação. Assim eles são defrontados com algumas questões: Quais as conseqüências de viver na intimidade do idêntico e ter que se constituir e se reconhecer como exterior e diferente?; Como conseguir um lugar próprio no desejo dos pais, na família e depois no social, apesar dos falsos reconhecimentos e das confusões de todos incapazes de uma diferenciação estável? Esta dissertação está fundamentada no pensamento de Sigmund Freud e outros autores psicanalíticos como Otto Rank, André Green, Jacques Lacan, René Kaes, Joyce McDougall, Eduardo Braier, Beatriz Salzberg, Bernard Tanis, Renato Mezan, Maria Rita Kehl e outros que contribuem para o esclarecimento das questões que os gêmeos nos suscitam: as imagens especulares, as sombras, os espíritos, a idéia de alma, a estranha questão do duplo e idêntico, a experiência narcísica e o complexo fraterno, O método utilizado é a análise conceitual dos textos selecionados e material clínico colocado em discussão e tem a Clínica Psicanalítica como fundamento e destino

Esta pesquisa tem o objetivo de abordar uma questão específica da subjetividade na época hipermoderna: a relação de fascínio de um grupo de adolescentes com o site de relacionamentos online Orkut, tendo como pano de fundo a contemporaneidade e os valores da cultura narcísica e da cultura do espetáculo que a sustentam. Para tanto, discorre sobre três aspectos que se inter-relacionam: o contexto da hipermodernidade líquida e digital; as peculiaridades do Orkut e as características psíquicas dos adolescentes. A conjunção desses fatores explica o fascínio, de ordem subjetiva, como uma construção social. Essa análise tem um viés psicossocial, respaldado em autores tais como Zygmunt Bauman, Gilles Lipovetsky, Christopher Lasch e Guy Debord, que interseccionam idéias do campo da Sociologia com conceitos da Psicanálise. Esse quadro teórico desenhou-se a partir de um estudo realizado em duas etapas: a primeira de cunho quantitativo, envolveu 473 adolescentes e pré-adolescentes de uma escola da periferia de São Paulo, com vistas a identificar os usos do computador e da Internet. Nessa amostra, constatou-se que 72 % dos participantes não tinham computador em suas residências, entretanto esta carência não representou impedimento no acesso ao uso, porque 87% utilizavam a máquina em diferentes espaços. Contudo, a escola foi a menos citada e o Orkut um dos usos recorrentes. Para investigar, então, o uso desse site, realizou-se entrevistas semi-estruturadas, com um grupo de 10 adolescentes participantes da primeira etapa. A análise das entrevistas permitiu caracterizar o Orkut como um palco no qual podem ser pseudo-realizados os ideais da sociedade narcísica. Por isso é fascinante, captura o desejo do sujeito. É um espaço virtual em que o adolescente pode \'sair\' momentaneamente de um estado de insatisfação, conflito e ruptura, para um lugar onde pode estar, ter e (a)parecer. Dessa forma, a idealização costura a relação de fascínio pelo Orkut, atrelada às possibilidades de socialização. Verificou-se que os adolescentes buscam responder aos apelos dessa hipermodernidade, mas não deixam de ter prazer em suas atividades corriqueiras do mundo jovem. Culto à aparência, ao hedonismo, à glamourização da auto-imagem, reconhecimento social, fama, popularidade, amizade, vício são temas discutidos neste trabalho e coexistem no Orkut com o interesse de comunicação, reafirmando que, mesmo incentivado o hiper-individualismo e a criação de narcisos digitais, somos seres sociais. / This research aims to address a specific issue of subjectivity in the hipermodern era: the fascination of a group of teenagers with the site of online relationships Orkut, the background of the present and the values of culture and the culture of narcissist spectacle that gives the support. To this end, we talk about three things that are inter-related: the context of hipermodernidade net and digital; the peculiarities of Orkut and the psychological characteristics of adolescents. The combination of these factors explains the fascination of subjective order as a social construction. This analysis has a psychosocial bias, based in authors such as Zygmunt Bauman, Gilles Lipovetsky, Chistopher Lasch and Guy Debord, who explore ideas in the field of sociology with concepts of psychoanalysis. This theoretical framework is developed from a study conducted in two stages: the first is quantitative, involving 473 adolescents and preadolescents of the poor suburb of an school in Sao Paulo, with the objective of identifying the uses of the computer and the Internet. In this sample, it was found that 72% of participants had no computer in their homes, however this lack of access was not impediment to the use, because 87% use the machine in different spaces. However, the school was the least commented and the Orkut one of the most applicant uses. In order to investigate, then, the use of this site, took place semi-structured interviews with a group of 10 teenagers participants of the first stage. The analysis of the interviews allowed to characterize Orkut as a local in which can be pseudo-realized the ideals of a narcissist society. So it is fascinating, capturing the desire of the subject. It is a virtual space where adolescents can \'exit\' momentarily from a state of dissatisfaction, conflict and disruption, to a place where you can be, show yourself. Thus, the idealization build the fascination for the relationship of Orkut provides,linked to the possibilities of socialization. It was found that teenagers try to respond to the calls of hipermodernity , but they still have pleasure in their usual activities in the world. Worship the appearance, the hedonism, glamourization of self-image, social recognition, fame, popularity, friendship, addictions , are topics discussed in this paper and in the Orkut coexist with the interest of communication, reaffirming that even encouraged the hyper-individualism and creation narcisos of digital era, we are social beings.

FundaÃÃo de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado do Cearà / CoordenaÃÃo de AperfeiÃoamento de Pessoal de NÃvel Superior / Na atualidade, grande parte de nossas aÃÃes e relaÃÃes à mediada por objetos eletrÃnicos. De modo especial, crianÃas e adolescentes se iniciam na âaventura tecnolÃgicaâ via jogos eletrÃnicos, os quais passam a intervir diretamente na produÃÃo de novas formas de subjetividades. Os altos investimentos na indÃstria de jogos eletrÃnicos mostram que, longe de um modismo, essa à uma atividade que se estabeleceu em praticamente todo o mundo, o que nos permite e exige pensÃ-la como uma questÃo relevante para as CiÃncias Humanas e, em especial, para a Psicologia Social. Esta pesquisa foi realizada com intuito de refletir acerca dos usos das novas tecnologias na produÃÃo da subjetividade contemporÃnea, investigando, em especial, as expressÃes de poder/controle suscitadas pelo jogo de simulaÃÃo de vida The Sims e demais implicaÃÃes para a sociabilidade de seus usuÃrios. Parte do referencial teÃrico-crÃtico da Escola de Frankfurt e de autores contemporÃneos, a exemplo de Turkle, Lasch e Severiano. As estratÃgias metodolÃgicas utilizadas na pesquisa empÃrica envolveram trÃs etapas, a saber: coleta de dados iniciais em fÃruns sobre o jogo; aplicaÃÃo de questionÃrios, enviados por e-mail aos usuÃrios, e realizaÃÃo de entrevistas on line. Os dados foram analisados inicialmente quantitativamente, com auxilio do software EPInfo, e posteriormente procedeu-se a uma anÃlise qualitativa dos posicionamentos mais relevantes, em articulaÃÃo com os primeiros. Nossos dados confirmam elementos atribuÃveis ao que Lasch (1983) denominou de âCultura do narcisismoâ, na medida em que a categoria âpoder/controleâ recebeu uma forte adesÃo dos jovens pesquisados. Revelam tambÃm nuanÃas distintas deste tipo de cultura, especialmente no que concerne à categoria âsociabilidadeâ, uma vez que esses jovens ainda demonstram a necessidade do outro em sua realidade concreta, preferindo-o Ãqueles do mundo virtual. / At the present time, great part of our actions and relationships are mediated by electronic objects. In a special way, children and adolescents begin in the "technological adventure" saw electronic games, which start to intervene directly in the production in new ways of subjectivities. The high investments in the industry of electronic games show that, far away from an idiom, that is an activity that settled down in practically everyone, what allows us and he/she demands to think her as a relevant subject for the Humanities and, especially, for the Social Psychology. This research is accomplished with intention of contemplating concerning the uses of the new technologies in the production of the contemporary subjectivity, investigating, especially, the expressions of power raised by the game of life simulation "The Sims" and other implications for their usersâ sociability. He/she intends to examine, through interviews on line and personal, that it forms the feelings of power, possibly raised by the referred game, they affect the adolescentsâ relationships with their pairs, as well as their perceptions and capacity of discernment concerning the virtual world and of the real world. This use the theoretical-critical referencial of the School of Frankfurt and contemporary authors, to example of Turkle, Lasch and Severiano. The methodological strategies used in the empiric research involved three stages, to know: collects of initials data in forums on the game; application of questionnaires, sent by e-mail to the users, and accomplishment of interviews on line. The data were analyzed initially quantitatively, with the software EPInfo, and later we proceeded to a qualitative analysis of the most relevant positionings, in articulation with the first ones. Our data confirm attributable elements to the that Lasch (1983) denominated of "Culture of the narcissism", in the measure in that the category "power/control" received a strong adhesion of the researched youths. They also reveal nuances different from this culture type, especially in what it concerns to the category "sociability", once those young ones still demonstrate the need of the other in his/her concrete reality, preferring it to those of the virtual world.

This study aims to establish current levels of narcissistic tendencies among the major Snapchat demographic, 18 to 34-year-olds in the United States. Like the Raskin and Terry 40-item Narcissistic Personality Inventory, commonly referred to as NPI-40, the present survey utilized a smaller variant with 16 items, known as NPI-16, for participants. This study may provide indications for further research and advertising techniques using social media, specifically Snapchat.

Il s’agit dans cette thèse d’un parcours à travers la pensée de Merleau-Ponty afin de mettre en avant la nécessité de l’intervention du lien de l’intérieur topologique des corps de Chair, la nécessité d'une pensée s'adressant à la psychanalyse, à la topologie, à la psychologie, afin de donner une autre ouverture sémantique à l’inconscient, à travers la passivité-activité et la fondation en phénoménologie. Le chiasme, la réversibilité, l’empiètement, l’intercorporéité, l’interschématisme, l’enchevêtrement du désir et du sentir est l’élan pour désigner le narcissisme esthésiologique du corps à l’espace, le mouvement de son institution, sa corrélation et sa formation continue dans l’espace vécu.De l'espace des puzzles chez Husserl à l'espace vide et combinatoire de la Gestalt théorie, on passera à la courbure de l'espace par l'intervention de l'inachevé du regard afin d'arriver à l'espace enveloppé-enveloppant, à l’intervention de la topologie pour désigner les relations de l’intérieur des corps de Chair chez Merleau-Ponty. Par la suite, l’analyse de l’espace intermédiaire de la conscience-inconscient nous amène à l’espace onirique qui transparaît à l’espace de l’objectivité, et démontre l’intervention de l’imaginaire, du symbolique, du désir et de l’inconscient lors de l’apparaître. / This thesis is about a transversal approach of Merleau-Ponty’s analysis, and aims at determining the need for intervention of topological interrelation within bodies of Flesh, the need to insert a psychoanalytical, topological, psychological approach, in order to give another dimension to the unconscious in combination with the role of passivity-activity and foundation in phenomenology. Chiasm, reversibility, encroachment, intercorporality, interschematism, chiasm of desire and sense are significant to define the esthesiological narcissism of the body in space, the movement of its institution, its correlation and continuing formation in the lived space.From Husserl's space of puzzles to the empty and combinatorial space of the Gestalt theory, we proceed to the curvature of space by intervention of the uncompleted gaze in order to reach the space of enveloped-enveloping, the topology where the internal relations within Merleau-Ponty's body of Flesh are described. Thereafter, the analysis of the intermediary space of consciousness-unconscious leads us to the oniric space which shows through the space of objectivity, and reveals the intervention of the imaginary, the symbolic, the desire and the unconscious in appearance.

Doctor of Philosophy / This study considers the adequacy of explanatory accounts of recruitment to New Religious Movements [NRMs], defined by their doctrinal innovation or importation from another culture, and formed around a charismatic leader. It considers the coercive persuasion paradigm [brainwashing] which assumes no predisposing features of those who become involved in NRMs and a sociological account by Snow Zurcher and Ekland-Olsen (1980) which seeks to redress overly exclusive attention to psychological variables by emphasising the importance of structural variables such as the existence of 'discretionary time' and having a friend involved in the NRM. It is suggested that a psychological focus in explaining movement involvement need not entail a de-emphasis of the relevance of current life circumstances, such as social bonds, and life stress, nor a failure to acknowledge the importance of the group's ideology in lending definition to a person’s felt difficulties. A new model of personal change is proposed, termed the Rites de Passage model, which entails the disruption, transition and reincorporation of a socially sustained sense of identity and suggests conversion can be viewed as an example of re-socialisation. The historical lineage of the model is traced from Van Gennep's (1908) anthropological work to studies of brainwashing in the work of Schein (1957) and Lifton (1961). Since the emphasis is on the profile of a seeker, specific focus is placed on the early phases of this process where disruption occurs in existing coping techniques and social supports as a result of disruptive life events, and consideration is given to other relevant precursors of movement involvement. Lofland and Stark's (1965) model forms the conceptual framework from which literature regarding differences in life stress, social bonds, prior behavioural involvement in NRMs, and prior cognitive spiritual orientation can be addressed. The work of Galanter (1980, 1989), Barker (1981, 1984), Heirich (1977) and Snow and Phillips (1980) provides substantial evidence for the existence of pre-existing differences between affiliates (who make contact with such movements) and nonaffiliates (who do not). In this thesis two facets of differential involvement are addressed: i) why does one individual rather than another become involved ii) with a given genre of movement rather than another? The Rites de Passage model proposed here, which is a modified version of Lofland and Stark's (1965) account of cult conversion, is tested placing NRMs in a comparative context with a secular self-help agency: a therapy group. People with disrupted social identities might seek movement involvement, but what distinguishes whether they seek out a secular or spiritual movement, and if spiritual – what determines the appeal of eastern or western spiritual groups? To explore these questions, four groups of affiliates to three different eastern NRMs are compared to a therapy group, (Richardson and Kilbourne, 1984), two control groups (a student sample, and a sample from the general population) and a western NRM. There are 160 subjects overall, who completed a battery of questionnaires at point of first contact with the movement, to distinguish the precursors for movement involvement from the sequelae. Exceptions to this prospective data collection were the western NRM and the inclusion of a graduate rebirthing group. The latter was deliberately included to facilitate pre-involvement and post-involvement comparisons. The former's adept status was due to the leader's reluctance to burden new members with a three hour test battery. Measures were taken regarding life events and their psychological impact using Henderson, Byrne and Ducan-Jones (1981) recent life events inventory and impact scales using a twelve month time frame. A modified version of the Interview Schedule for Social Interaction (by Henderson et al, 1981) was used to assess the availability and adequacy of acquaintance-level and intimate bonds in the recent past. Mental health was assessed using Galanter's (1980) General Wellbeing Scale and Tellegen's Multidimensional Personality Questionnaire (1982). Recollections of early family relations were assessed using Likert scales derived from the detailed comparative study by Ullman (1982) which suppported the psychoanalytic hypothesis regarding troubled early parental relations, suggesting that current life difficulties re-evoked early life problems. Since disruption is seen as a necessary but not sufficient condition for movement involvement (Greil, 1977) the therapy and eastern groups were not expected to differ from each on the disruption and loneliness measures, and they did not differ. They were expected to have experienced more disruption in greater isolation than the control groups and those already belonging to a spiritual group – namely the western NRM. The therapy and eastern NRM groups did differ from the others in these respects. The value-added form of the model merely specifies that a substrate of stress and disruption suffered in relative isolation and loneliness will increase the probability that some for of social agency will be sought. Disruption experienced in relative loneliness is the first component of differential recruitment to movement involvement, or ‘differential openness’ as it is termed here. So the brainwashing model does not hold as there are differences between those drawn to movements compared to control groups. Do personality differences contribute to which movement genre appeals? A strikingly different personality profile emerged of those drawn to eastern NRMs. Differences were predicted and found between the eastern groups on the one hand and therapy group, control groups and western group on the other, when personality variables were considered. Relevant features of the profile included: a lack of traditionalism, a challenging attitude to conventional authority (assessed by Ray's (1971) balanced F scale) and absorption - a tendency to experience perceptual phenomena indicative of an absorptive or mystical tendency (Tellegen's MPQ was used to assess this personality feature). The eastern groups have a personality profile of being: unconventional, somewhat impulsive and highly absorptive in perceptual style. This profile distinguished them from all other groups. When the additional feature of the model was considered the profile of a potential seeker was more strongly delineated: the consonance between an individual’s intensity and orientation of spiritual beliefs and the orientation of movement ideology was highly influential. This was assessed by a spiritual orientation scale [the SOS] developed by the author across three pilot studies using Coombs Unfolding Technique (Coombs, 1964) to produce a metric ordinal scale which assesses general spiritual beliefs (which underlie any spiritual worldview), eastern and western spiritual beliefs. A major finding of the study was that a markedly distinctive feature of those drawn to NRMs is a spiritual orientation consonant with that of the movement approached. The SOS revealed a strongly demarcated pre-existing eastern spiritual orientation in those drawn to make contact with Eastern NRMs, which set them apart significantly from all other groups. The Western NRM, (already members of their group) had a western spiritual orientation, to the exclusion of an eastern orientation, while the eastern groups were more eclectic. Both eastern and western NRMs were spiritually more intense on the general spiritual items of the SOS, suggesting these items are central to any spiritual worldview. All of the major predictions of the Rites de Passage model were supported. The model provides a welcome link between a sociological and psychological focus on movement involvement. The systematic differences between affiliates and non-affiliates of NRMs at point of first contact, suggest (contra contemporary brainwashing models, though not the sophisticated models of Schein and Lifton) that recruitment is unlikely to be completely due to NRM design: the results suggest participants are likely to be interested and consenting. In summary, it is shown that those drawn to New Religious Movements of an eastern kind are indeed non-traditional, have a high incidence of recent life events and suffer a sense of community isolation, and loneliness which are considered as factors which might lead a person to modify an unfulfilling lifestyle. A portrait of a seeker is lightly (sketched against a background of this dissatisfaction) which includes personality variables like an impulsive, present-oriented pleasure/pain regulatory style, being high on absorption -a mystical perceptual style, and having both an intensity and a congruence of spiritual orientation with that of the ideology of the movement approached. These are considered potential influences on the genre of movement contacted, and are suggested as explanatory of the second facet of differential openness to movement involvement. Disruption sets a person seeking; personality shapes to which appeals s/he is open. The relative privilege of the Western NRM in terms of reduced stress, availability of community and intimate social support suggests that involvement does provide a relief effect, though caution must be exercised in interpreting this difference as these groups differ in membership status and spiritual orientation. The distress and neediness of those contacting movements for the first time is apparent, which suggests that movement contact might be a response to felt dissatisfaction interpreted within a spiritual worldview. An eastern spiritual worldview is a highly significant distinguishing feature of affiliates, and is the final phase of the Rites de Passage Model. Speculative theoretical consideration is offered of the data's implications for a psychoanalytic consideration of movement involvement, in the light of Cushman (1986), Deutsch (1983), Halperin (1983) Doi (1971) and Kohut's (1977). Theory and research is adumbrated concerning differential openness to charismatic appeal.

An application of theory to various reality television shows in order to discuss the emergence and encouragement of the false self in our society is the focus of this work. Toddlers and Tiaras, Hoarders and Sister Wives are the three television shows that will be analyzed by using content analysis in order to examine the effects of consumerism, narcissism and the emergence of the false self. The limitless character of the economy coupled with narcissism and an increased focus on the self contributes to the development of the false self within the individual. People may not even be aware of the push to be narcissistic, focused on our own biographies and self-promotion, yet people are aware of their suffering and unhappiness. Many individuals are left questioning why it is that they are never completely satisfied even as they accumulate notoriety, success, material wealth and possessions. An ideology of greatness and being the best is found in so many avenues of our daily lives, and at times it can be overwhelming, and if we do not possess these skills and qualities we are encouraged to just fake it.

Doctor of Philosophy / This study considers the adequacy of explanatory accounts of recruitment to New Religious Movements [NRMs], defined by their doctrinal innovation or importation from another culture, and formed around a charismatic leader. It considers the coercive persuasion paradigm [brainwashing] which assumes no predisposing features of those who become involved in NRMs and a sociological account by Snow Zurcher and Ekland-Olsen (1980) which seeks to redress overly exclusive attention to psychological variables by emphasising the importance of structural variables such as the existence of 'discretionary time' and having a friend involved in the NRM. It is suggested that a psychological focus in explaining movement involvement need not entail a de-emphasis of the relevance of current life circumstances, such as social bonds, and life stress, nor a failure to acknowledge the importance of the group's ideology in lending definition to a person’s felt difficulties. A new model of personal change is proposed, termed the Rites de Passage model, which entails the disruption, transition and reincorporation of a socially sustained sense of identity and suggests conversion can be viewed as an example of re-socialisation. The historical lineage of the model is traced from Van Gennep's (1908) anthropological work to studies of brainwashing in the work of Schein (1957) and Lifton (1961). Since the emphasis is on the profile of a seeker, specific focus is placed on the early phases of this process where disruption occurs in existing coping techniques and social supports as a result of disruptive life events, and consideration is given to other relevant precursors of movement involvement. Lofland and Stark's (1965) model forms the conceptual framework from which literature regarding differences in life stress, social bonds, prior behavioural involvement in NRMs, and prior cognitive spiritual orientation can be addressed. The work of Galanter (1980, 1989), Barker (1981, 1984), Heirich (1977) and Snow and Phillips (1980) provides substantial evidence for the existence of pre-existing differences between affiliates (who make contact with such movements) and nonaffiliates (who do not). In this thesis two facets of differential involvement are addressed: i) why does one individual rather than another become involved ii) with a given genre of movement rather than another? The Rites de Passage model proposed here, which is a modified version of Lofland and Stark's (1965) account of cult conversion, is tested placing NRMs in a comparative context with a secular self-help agency: a therapy group. People with disrupted social identities might seek movement involvement, but what distinguishes whether they seek out a secular or spiritual movement, and if spiritual – what determines the appeal of eastern or western spiritual groups? To explore these questions, four groups of affiliates to three different eastern NRMs are compared to a therapy group, (Richardson and Kilbourne, 1984), two control groups (a student sample, and a sample from the general population) and a western NRM. There are 160 subjects overall, who completed a battery of questionnaires at point of first contact with the movement, to distinguish the precursors for movement involvement from the sequelae. Exceptions to this prospective data collection were the western NRM and the inclusion of a graduate rebirthing group. The latter was deliberately included to facilitate pre-involvement and post-involvement comparisons. The former's adept status was due to the leader's reluctance to burden new members with a three hour test battery. Measures were taken regarding life events and their psychological impact using Henderson, Byrne and Ducan-Jones (1981) recent life events inventory and impact scales using a twelve month time frame. A modified version of the Interview Schedule for Social Interaction (by Henderson et al, 1981) was used to assess the availability and adequacy of acquaintance-level and intimate bonds in the recent past. Mental health was assessed using Galanter's (1980) General Wellbeing Scale and Tellegen's Multidimensional Personality Questionnaire (1982). Recollections of early family relations were assessed using Likert scales derived from the detailed comparative study by Ullman (1982) which suppported the psychoanalytic hypothesis regarding troubled early parental relations, suggesting that current life difficulties re-evoked early life problems. Since disruption is seen as a necessary but not sufficient condition for movement involvement (Greil, 1977) the therapy and eastern groups were not expected to differ from each on the disruption and loneliness measures, and they did not differ. They were expected to have experienced more disruption in greater isolation than the control groups and those already belonging to a spiritual group – namely the western NRM. The therapy and eastern NRM groups did differ from the others in these respects. The value-added form of the model merely specifies that a substrate of stress and disruption suffered in relative isolation and loneliness will increase the probability that some for of social agency will be sought. Disruption experienced in relative loneliness is the first component of differential recruitment to movement involvement, or ‘differential openness’ as it is termed here. So the brainwashing model does not hold as there are differences between those drawn to movements compared to control groups. Do personality differences contribute to which movement genre appeals? A strikingly different personality profile emerged of those drawn to eastern NRMs. Differences were predicted and found between the eastern groups on the one hand and therapy group, control groups and western group on the other, when personality variables were considered. Relevant features of the profile included: a lack of traditionalism, a challenging attitude to conventional authority (assessed by Ray's (1971) balanced F scale) and absorption - a tendency to experience perceptual phenomena indicative of an absorptive or mystical tendency (Tellegen's MPQ was used to assess this personality feature). The eastern groups have a personality profile of being: unconventional, somewhat impulsive and highly absorptive in perceptual style. This profile distinguished them from all other groups. When the additional feature of the model was considered the profile of a potential seeker was more strongly delineated: the consonance between an individual’s intensity and orientation of spiritual beliefs and the orientation of movement ideology was highly influential. This was assessed by a spiritual orientation scale [the SOS] developed by the author across three pilot studies using Coombs Unfolding Technique (Coombs, 1964) to produce a metric ordinal scale which assesses general spiritual beliefs (which underlie any spiritual worldview), eastern and western spiritual beliefs. A major finding of the study was that a markedly distinctive feature of those drawn to NRMs is a spiritual orientation consonant with that of the movement approached. The SOS revealed a strongly demarcated pre-existing eastern spiritual orientation in those drawn to make contact with Eastern NRMs, which set them apart significantly from all other groups. The Western NRM, (already members of their group) had a western spiritual orientation, to the exclusion of an eastern orientation, while the eastern groups were more eclectic. Both eastern and western NRMs were spiritually more intense on the general spiritual items of the SOS, suggesting these items are central to any spiritual worldview. All of the major predictions of the Rites de Passage model were supported. The model provides a welcome link between a sociological and psychological focus on movement involvement. The systematic differences between affiliates and non-affiliates of NRMs at point of first contact, suggest (contra contemporary brainwashing models, though not the sophisticated models of Schein and Lifton) that recruitment is unlikely to be completely due to NRM design: the results suggest participants are likely to be interested and consenting. In summary, it is shown that those drawn to New Religious Movements of an eastern kind are indeed non-traditional, have a high incidence of recent life events and suffer a sense of community isolation, and loneliness which are considered as factors which might lead a person to modify an unfulfilling lifestyle. A portrait of a seeker is lightly (sketched against a background of this dissatisfaction) which includes personality variables like an impulsive, present-oriented pleasure/pain regulatory style, being high on absorption -a mystical perceptual style, and having both an intensity and a congruence of spiritual orientation with that of the ideology of the movement approached. These are considered potential influences on the genre of movement contacted, and are suggested as explanatory of the second facet of differential openness to movement involvement. Disruption sets a person seeking; personality shapes to which appeals s/he is open. The relative privilege of the Western NRM in terms of reduced stress, availability of community and intimate social support suggests that involvement does provide a relief effect, though caution must be exercised in interpreting this difference as these groups differ in membership status and spiritual orientation. The distress and neediness of those contacting movements for the first time is apparent, which suggests that movement contact might be a response to felt dissatisfaction interpreted within a spiritual worldview. An eastern spiritual worldview is a highly significant distinguishing feature of affiliates, and is the final phase of the Rites de Passage Model. Speculative theoretical consideration is offered of the data's implications for a psychoanalytic consideration of movement involvement, in the light of Cushman (1986), Deutsch (1983), Halperin (1983) Doi (1971) and Kohut's (1977). Theory and research is adumbrated concerning differential openness to charismatic appeal.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Michigan State University. Dept. of French, Classics, and Italian, 2006. / Title from PDF t.p. (viewed on Nov. 17, 2008) Includes bibliographical references (p. 184-190). Also issued in print.

Thesis (doctoral)--La Salle University, 2003. / ProQuest dissertations and theses ; AAT 3108287. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 40-52).