scholarly journals Placebo studies and ritual theory: a comparative analysis of Navajo, acupuncture and biomedical healing

2011 ◽  
Vol 366 (1572) ◽  
pp. 1849-1858 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ted J. Kaptchuk
Keyword(s):  
Comparative Analysis ◽  
Self Awareness ◽  
Placebo Effects ◽  
Ritual Studies ◽  
Scientific Investigations ◽  
Specific Effects ◽  
Healing Rituals ◽  
Ritual Theory ◽  
Biomedical Treatment ◽  
Ritual Process

Using a comparative analysis of Navajo healing ceremonials, acupuncture and biomedical treatment, this essay examines placebo studies and ritual theory as mutually interpenetrating disciplines. Healing rituals create a receptive person susceptible to the influences of authoritative culturally sanctioned ‘powers’. The healer provides the sufferer with imaginative, emotional, sensory, moral and aesthetic input derived from the palpable symbols and procedures of the ritual process—in the process fusing the sufferer's idiosyncratic narrative unto a universal cultural mythos. Healing rituals involve a drama of evocation, enactment, embodiment and evaluation in a charged atmosphere of hope and uncertainty. Experimental research into placebo effects demonstrates that routine biomedical pharmacological and procedural interventions contain significant ritual dimensions. This research also suggests that ritual healing not only represents changes in affect, self-awareness and self-appraisal of behavioural capacities, but involves modulations of symptoms through neurobiological mechanisms. Recent scientific investigations into placebo acupuncture suggest several ways that observations from ritual studies can be verified experimentally. Placebo effects are often described as ‘non-specific’; the analysis presented here suggests that placebo effects are the ‘specific’ effects of healing rituals.

scholarly journals Ritual orders and ritologiques: a terminological quest for some neglected fields of study

2003 ◽  
Vol 18 ◽  
pp. 221-242 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Stausberg
Keyword(s):  
Rites Of Passage ◽  
Strict Sense ◽  
Ritual Studies ◽  
Healing Rituals ◽  
Fields Of Study ◽  
Ritual Theory ◽  
Time Space ◽  
Or Groups ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Semi Empirical

The topic presented in this paper lies at the crossroads between ritual studies and ritual theory. In order to get an idea of the field of study, it may be useful to distinguish between the following general approaches to the study of ritual. To begin with, ritual theory in the strict sense, i.e. with explanatory ambitions etc., tends to focus on RITUAL as such: what IT is, what IT does, how IT works ("functions"), and why IT is as it is.Softer varieties of ritual theory, e.g. approaches that wish to foster a better "understanding" of what goes on when rituals are being performed, may focus on RITUALS in a semi-empirical and semi-theoretical fashion. As a matter of fact, to a large extent ritual "theory" seems to be the result of theoretical reflections on matters of empirical research. Apart from that, we find studies of this and that phenomenon (e.g. time, space, violence, aesthetics, media, etc.) in relation to rituals ("ritual  and time", "ritual and space", etc.). Then, of course, we have a good dose of studies on different "types", "classes", or "groups" of rituals. Most popular, (in the absence of any statistical evidence), are studies of "sacrifice", "rites of passage", and "initiations", with "healing rituals" and "pilgrimages" as ever more successful runner-ups. Correspondingly, there is a number of studies about any variety of any class of rituals among the so-and-so people ("initiation among the NN"). Moreover, there are plenty of books about the rituals of this and that religion or people — in colonial times often published under such titles as "The customs and ceremonies of the NN". Last but not least, there is an overwhelming amount of studies devoted to the presentation or analysis of single rituals.

Introduction

2018 ◽  
pp. 2-17
Author(s):  
Risto Uro
Keyword(s):  
Interdisciplinary Collaboration ◽  
Early Christianity ◽  
Ritual Studies ◽  
Beliefs And Practices ◽  
Early Christian ◽  
Interdisciplinary Field ◽  
Ritual Theory ◽  
History Of ◽  
Pluralistic Approach ◽  
Definition Of

This chapter offers a guide to the reader for understanding the nature of ritual studies as an emerging interdisciplinary field, with particular emphasis on its relevance to the study of the history of early Christianity. Three characteristics are singled out. Ritual studies is distinguished by: (1) a pluralistic approach to the definition of ‘ritual’; (2) an increased interest in theory; and (3) the application of interdisciplinary perspectives on ritual. The chapter also responds to the criticism that has been raised against using the concept of ritual and ritual theory in the study of past rituals and argues that ritual theory enriches historical and textual analysis of early Christian materials in a number of ways. Ritual theory contributes to drawing a more complete picture of early Christian history and offers a corrective to a biased understanding of early Christianity as a system of beliefs and practices. Finally, examples from the present Handbook are taken to demonstrate how the ritual perspective creates a platform for interdisciplinary collaboration and integrative approaches which both stimulate new questions and enrich old ones.

scholarly journals Dynamics of “Self-Image” of Preschool Children (2004 and 2017: A Comparative Analysis)

2020 ◽  
Vol 24 (3) ◽  
pp. 501-518
Author(s):  
Lyudmila V. Fedina
Keyword(s):  
Comparative Analysis ◽  
Preschool Children ◽  
Cross Sections ◽  
Research Study ◽  
Educational Programs ◽  
The Self ◽  
Mathematical Statistics ◽  
Self Awareness ◽  
Self Image ◽  
Age Related

Introduction. Impetuous changes provoke a research into structural and substantive changes in modern childhood. Presentation of modern preschoolers differs from what their peers thought 10 and 20 years ago. It is necessary to determine the basis of preschool children’s self-image and to identify those specifications that remain unchanged and those that demonstrate significant changes. This will help to understand the fundamentals of building an internal image of a modern preschooler, highlight changes in its structure, and predict effective ways to accompany the development of a preschooler’s personality. Aim of the research: study the content components of the “self-image” of preschoolers, identify and describe the main dynamic trends in the self-image of preschoolers over the course of 13 years. Materials and Methods. The study of meaningful changes in the preschoolers’ ideas about themselves was organized using an interview. 211 preschoolers aged between 5 and 7 years old were interviewed. The study used the methods of cross-sections, the Kuhn-McPartland test modified by T. V. Rumyantseva, the method of studying the “self-image” by G. A. Uruntaeva and E. N. Gosheva, methods of mathematical statistics in the SPSS program. Results. The reflexive ego and the communicative ego are determined in the structure of the identification indicators of the self-image of the older preschooler as the stable characteristics. The dynamic tendencies are highlighted: modern preschoolers, in comparison with their peers in 2004, demonstrate more freedom and diversity in describing the identification characteristics of their physical ego and activity ego, at the same time they lose focus on relationships in the context of “me-others” (“social ego”). A comparative analysis made it possible to identify the zone of development of the self-image of modern preschoolers and the basis for the reconstruction of forms and methods of teaching and upb ringing. Discussion and Conclusion. The results of the research are important for the psychology of modern childhood. They clarify and supplement the description of the age-related characteristics of the development of self-awareness of modern preschoolers. The study allows us to place significant accents in the development of educational programs for preschool children in practice.

scholarly journals Comparison of emotional intelligence between psychiatrists and surgeons

2011 ◽  
Vol 35 (4) ◽  
pp. 124-129 ◽  
Author(s):  
Clive Stanton ◽  
Faisil Nasim Sethi ◽  
Oliver Dale ◽  
Michael Phelan ◽  
James Theodore Laban ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Emotional Intelligence ◽  
Comparative Analysis ◽  
Social Responsibility ◽  
Stress Tolerance ◽  
Impulse Control ◽  
Assessment Tool ◽  
Clinical Implications ◽  
Self Awareness ◽  
Emotional Quotient ◽  
Emotional Quotient Inventory

Aims and methodA comparative analysis of emotional intelligence between psychiatrists and surgeons using the Bar-On Emotional Quotient Inventory (Bar-On EQ-i) validated assessment tool. Applied to psychiatrists and surgeons with postgraduate membership in Greater London.ResultsA total of 148 individuals were recruited. The median scores for Total EQ scores were average, with no difference in Total EQ between psychiatrists and surgeons (P = 0.872). Psychiatrists scored significantly higher in the subscales of emotional self-awareness (P = 0.002), empathy (P = 0.005), social responsibility (P = 0.04) and impulse control (P = 0.011). Surgeons scored significantly higher in the subscales of self-regard (P = 0.005), stress tolerance (P < 0.0001) and optimism (P = 0.009).Clinical implicationsThere are significant differences between psychiatrists and surgeons in the component factors that make up the Total EQ score. They seemingly correspond with widely held perceptions.

Paul and the Nomos in Light of Ritual Theory

2008 ◽  
Vol 54 (3) ◽  
pp. 398-416
Author(s):  
ITHAMAR GRUENWALD
Keyword(s):  
Religious Studies ◽  
Ritual Studies ◽  
Ritual Theory ◽  
The Subject ◽  
The Common ◽  
The Law ◽  
New Perspective ◽  
Common Understanding

This article wishes to handle the subject of the Nomos in Paul from a new perspective, namely from Religious Studies, within a framework where rituals and Ritual Studies receive priority. Nomos is generally translated as ‘the Law’ (with a capital ‘L’), meaning the Torah of Moses, the Pentateuch; by implication, it also covers the rabbinic modes of Torah explication. Commonly, the term and the negation of its religious relevance mark the manner in which Christianity views itself as superseding Judaism. However, the article argues that this understanding of the term and its significance in the writings of Paul is wrongly oriented. Paul himself discusses the issue of religious rules and regulations as part of the life of the communities, which he addresses in his Letters. If Paul is taken at his own words, rituals are important components in Christianity. Thus, the ‘Protestant’ oriented criticism of the cult is tantamount to making Paul address issues that Paul has no intention to take at their face value. This article, therefore, intends to reach new conclusions with regard to the common understanding of Paul's handling of the subject of the Law.

scholarly journals The placebo effect and the autonomic nervous system: evidence for an intimate relationship

2011 ◽  
Vol 366 (1572) ◽  
pp. 1808-1817 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karin Meissner
Keyword(s):  
Nervous System ◽  
Autonomic Nervous System ◽  
Lived Experience ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Experimental Studies ◽  
Placebo Effects ◽  
Autonomic Nervous ◽  
Specific Effects ◽  
Psychological Models ◽  
Organ Specific

For many subjectively experienced outcomes, such as pain and depression, rather large placebo effects have been reported. However, there is increasing evidence that placebo interventions also affect end-organ functions regulated by the autonomic nervous system (ANS). After discussing three psychological models for autonomic placebo effects, this article provides an anatomical framework of the autonomic system and then critically reviews the relevant placebo studies in the field, thereby focusing on gastrointestinal, cardiovascular and pulmonary functions. The findings indicate that several autonomic organ functions can indeed be altered by verbal suggestions delivered during placebo and nocebo interventions. In addition, three experimental studies provide evidence for organ-specific effects, in agreement with the current knowledge on the central control of the ANS. It is suggested that the placebo effects on autonomic organ functions are best explained by the model of ‘implicit affordance’, which assumes that placebo effects are dependent on ‘lived experience’ rather than on the conscious representation of expected outcomes. Nevertheless, more studies will be needed to further elucidate psychological and neurobiological pathways involved in autonomic placebo effects.

scholarly journals Rituals in Conflict Resolution

2013 ◽  
Vol 19 ◽  
pp. 15-23
Author(s):  
Anna Bilous
Keyword(s):  
Conflict Resolution ◽  
Social Order ◽  
World Politics ◽  
The Body ◽  
Ritual Studies ◽  
Ritual Theory ◽  
Deep Conviction ◽  
New Perspective ◽  
The Impact

While the essay will be mostly concentrated on the role of rituals in resolution of conflicts and promoting negotiations and the impact ritual theory can have on conflict resolution as a discipline, it will also try to address these general questions on substantial issues of conflict resolution development. The essay defends that the study of rituals can substantially deepen the understanding of conflict and conflict resolution in world politics. Therefore, the paper argues that the body of ritual helps to uncover practical ways of tackling the contradiction between universalism and relativism in conflict settlement/transformation. As a unique tool of social order restoration, ritual studies open a new perspective on conflict resolution and, in accordance with a deep conviction of an author? Which one?, give an opportunity to address the critic posed towards conflict resolution as a discipline.

Is the response to rTMS largely the result of non-specific effects?

2021 ◽  
Vol 55 (5) ◽  
pp. 445-450
Author(s):  
Gin S Malhi ◽  
Erica Bell
Keyword(s):  
Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation ◽  
Clinical Response ◽  
Magnetic Stimulation ◽  
Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation ◽  
Clinical Profile ◽  
Placebo Effects ◽  
Specific Effects ◽  
Treatment Of Depression

The efficacy of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) in the treatment of depression is disputed. This is partly because, to date, insufficient good-quality studies have been conducted, and a definitive clinical profile for which rTMS is best suited is yet to be determined. However, another equally important reason for questioning the efficacy of rTMS is that the clinical response to its application is thought to be the result of predominantly non-specific and placebo effects. Therefore, in this viewpoint we examine this possibility in detail and propose a meaningful way forward for rTMS research.

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