Thesis advisor: David Hollenbach / The purpose of this reflection – Dignity across borders: Rethinking the protection of refugees and IDPs from an ethical perspective – has been to challenge contemporary ways of thinking and dealing with issues related to refugees and IDPs. Today, refugees and IDPs are often reduced to their needs. They are often perceived as bodies to shelter, to heal or to clothe; mouths to feed; victims of persecution to protect, etc. In the same perspective, contemporary debates on treatments of refugees and IDPs tend to rotate around the financial costs of processing claims, social security benefits for asylum seekers, and social tensions arising from the presence of large numbers of refugees and IDPs in receiving countries or communities. While acknowledging the importance of all these issues and needs, the stance of this reflection has been to refocus the debate on the concept of human dignity which transcends borders such as nationality, ethnicity, religion, race, etc. From this standpoint, the debate changes and gains more fundamental and moral depths. From the same stance, but grounded in the biblical experience, the Roman Catholic Church‘s social discourse on refugees and IDPs challenges the current international refugee protection regime. Because all are created in the image and likeness of God, all humans share the same dignity. Their dignity and their rights as humans are not related to their citizenship, but to the fact that they have been born into the human family. This is the foundation of Christian universalism that challenges the current refugee protection regime that is based on the membership of states. Yet, Christian universalism includes also a realism that respects the state sovereignty within its borders. Conversely, the main claim of Catholic social teachings on refugee issues is that the refugee issues should not be perceived only from the standpoint of the state, such as national security concern and borders control. Above all, refugees should be perceived as human beings, as dignities across borders. / Thesis (STL) — Boston College, 2010. / Submitted to: Boston College. School of Theology and Ministry. / Discipline: Sacred Theology.

Depression is uniformly identified as psychopathology by diagnostic systems such as the DSM-IV-TR and the ICD-10 and is viewed as a negatively biased perception by cognitive theories. However, a number of psychological and spiritual perspectives propose that the experience of depression may have positive outcomes for some individuals in the form of psychological growth and individuation, including theories from within the psychodynamic and humanistic traditions. These perspectives informed the formulation of the individuation theory of depression explored in this thesis. One empirically based perspective from which growth is considered as a potential outcome of depression, is that of depressive realism. This psychological stance of diminished self-deception in depressed individuals compared with non-depressed individuals is viewed as an opportunity for new levels of self-awareness and growth. The newly burgeoning field of posttraumatic growth research provides another empirical model from which the individuation theory of depression is explored in this thesis. The current research examined the relationships among depression, selfdeception and psychological growth in two studies. The first study used selfreport methodology, incorporating measures of prior and current depression, selfdeception (in the form of denial and positive illusions) and psychological growth (in the form of self-actualisation, adversarial growth and level of egodevelopment). The sample consisted of 132 women and 58 men (M=36 years, SD=14.4) who were divided into previously depressed (n=51), currently depressed (n=45), and never depressed (n=87) groups. The hypotheses regarding the individuation theory of depressive realism were partially supported by the enduring nature of diminished denial and a greater sense of positive personal change as sequelae of depression. Results suggest that the patterns of negative thinking and diminished use of positive illusions that are typically found in depressed individuals, subside after recovery from depression, but that the diminished use of denial endures. Also as predicted, a sense of positive personal change was significantly greater in the previously depressed group as compared with the never depressed group, particularly in the forms of personal strength and appreciation of life. Self-actualisation scores, however, were similar between the two groups. Contrary to expectations, no sex differences were evident for either the self-deception or the growth variables. Self-actualisation was significantly higher at the highest levels of ego development compared with the lowest as expected, yet levels of growth and self-deception were not significantly different between the levels of ego development. Preliminary analysis of qualitative data derived from responses to open-ended questions about change as a result of depression, reflected predominately positive themes of adversarial growth and benefit from the experience, especially in those of high ego-development. This formed the basis for the focus of the second study, which was an in-depth qualitative investigation. The second study examined the individuation theory of depression further via interviews with 10 women and 6 men of high ego development who had experienced a significant depression in their lives. After describing their experiences of depression, the respondents were asked to elaborate upon the ways in which they felt they had been changed by their depression. Themes were overwhelmingly positive and the most commonly reported responses were those of a changed perception of self through a newfound inner strength, greater selfworth and self-acceptance. Enhanced empathy and compassion were also reported, as were changed priorities and a greater appreciation of life, especially in aspects of simplicity. Recognition of choices and acceptance of personal responsibility for the choices made were prominent themes in some accounts, and a number of interviewees reported the need to revise their approach to spirituality. Although less prominent in their accounts, negative changes included an increased sense of vulnerability and sensitivity as a mixed blessing, and the need for ongoing management of the risk factors for depression in their lifestyle. Some degree of cynicism about aspects of life was evident in a few respondents. Paradoxes emerged in the interviewees� material congruent with high levels of ego development. For example, some individuals� accounts included perceptions of increased strength in parallel with awareness of greater degrees of vulnerability. Results from the two studies provide plausible evidence for the notion that growth is not only possible, but is also a commonly experienced outcome of depression, especially in those at higher levels of ego development. The salutary nature of depression is discussed in relation to the theories presented and an argument is made for a more developmentally defined and differentiated understanding of depressive experience than cognitive definitions and pathological labels generally afford. Suggestions are made for directions for further research into the individuation theory of depression, including deepening our understanding of the potential for growth as a result of depression at other levels of ego-development.

The purpose of the dissertation is to further our knowledge of the process of normalization in the displaced person (DP) camps in the American zone of occupation in Germany after the Second World War. The United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration (UNRRA) welfare workers brought with them their years of education and training in the United States, primarily as professional social workers, to their work in these camps. They believed that their task was not only to feed and clothe the DPs, but to provide rehabilitation as well. They continually emphasized the importance of reinstituting prewar social norms as the key element in rehabilitating the DPs. However, once they entered the DP camps in Germany, they soon discovered that the DPs had very different understandings of what constituted “normal life.” As a result, rehabilitation included not only reinstituting prewar social norms, but also introducing the DPs to new ones. UNRRA focused their rehabilitation efforts on six aspects of DP care: housing, cleanliness, education, work, and respect for civil and criminal law. While the DP camps were administered by UNRRA, they existed next to German communities who governed by Military Government and in the midst of their own reconstruction efforts. Given the immense wartime destruction, widespread shortages and the arrival of large numbers of German refugees, resources for all groups were at a premium. As a result, there were numerous opportunities for creative and broad-minded people to work at solving problems in unconventional ways. While UNRRA planning had provided some direction for its welfare workers, staff working in field came to play an important role in defining UNRRA’s policies. At the same time, their competing goals of rehabilitation and repatriation, as well as their at-times difficult relationship with the military, worked to constrain their efforts. Nevertheless, when UNRRA’s tenure as administrator of the DP camps ended in the summer of 1947, they left behind a legacy which highlighted the importance of the successful integration of refugees into their societies, and which made rehabilitation as central as relief in all future humanitarian responses.

Should the authorities observe the rules regarding the treatment of enemy combatants, or is it morally justified for the authorities to violate some human rights in order to make everyone safer? Some moral theorists are committed to the claim that using torture for the greater good is not only permissible but also obligatory. One of the key goals of my thesis is to undermine this sort of claim. Contemporary consequentialists, such as Philip Pettit, hold that an agent is always permitted to bring about a certain state of affairs solely on the grounds that the state of affairs is the best state of affairs, impersonally judged. Derek Parfit agrees with Pettit's claim, arguing that a reductionist account of persons offers support for moral theories tha tfail to acknowledge the fact that each person is a separate unit of moral concern. I reject Parfit's assumption that the natural separateness of persons is morally insignificant: if we imagine a species of person that is not naturally separate from each other, it is reasonable to suppose that the moral norms of this different species of person would be drastically different from deeply entrenched human moral norms. I conjecture that the separateness of persons offers a rationale for restrictions against grossly assaulting and killing innocent persons. Samuel Scheffler argues that restrictions are so strong they are paradoxical. I counter this charge by arguing that restrictions need not categorically bar types of actions like killing innocent people, but rather should limit consequentialist justifications for these types of actions. Such a distinction addresses the air of paradox that surrounds restrictions because it allows for the possibility that agent-relative reasons justify why agents may assault or kill when the agent is confronted with a tragic moral dilemma. Agent-relative reasons are relevant to moral justification because human persons value the world around them from the first person point of view. In order for morality to appropriately acknowledge this feature of human persons, it must be permissible for humans to adopt a partial attitude toward their own actions, lives and loved ones.