Downward Spiral:

2021 ◽  
pp. 157-198
Keyword(s):  
Downward Spiral

Hostile and Hardened? An Experimental Study on (De-)Sensitization to Violence and Suffering Through Playing Video Games

2008 ◽  
Vol 67 (1) ◽  
pp. 41-50 ◽  
Author(s):  
Frithjof Staude-Müller ◽  
Thomas Bliesener ◽  
Stefanie Luthman
Keyword(s):  
Video Games ◽  
Emotional Responses ◽  
Physiological Measurement ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Downward Spiral ◽  
Spiral Model ◽  
Post Hoc ◽  
Game Violence ◽  
First Person Shooter ◽  
Physiological Reactions

This study tests whether playing violent video games leads to desensitization and increased cardiovascular responding. In a laboratory experiment, 42 men spent 20 min playing either a high- or low-violence version of a “first-person shooter” game. Arousal (heart rate, respiration rate) was measured continuously. After playing the game, emotional responses to aversive and aggressive stimuli - pictures from Lang, Bradley, and Cuthbert’s (1999) International Affective Picture System - were assessed with self-ratings and physiological measurement (skin conductance). Results showed no differences in the judgments of emotional responses to the stimuli. However, different effects of game violence emerged in the physiological reactions to the different types of stimulus material. Participants in the high-violence condition showed significantly weaker reactions (desensitization) to aversive stimuli and reacted significantly more strongly (sensitization) to aggressive cues. No support was found for the arousal hypothesis. Post-hoc analyses are used to discuss possible moderating influences of gaming experience and player’s trait aggressiveness in terms of the General Aggression Model ( Anderson & Bushman, 2001 ) and the Downward Spiral Model ( Slater, Henry, Swaim, & Anderson, 2003 ).

Beyond Drama: Monteverdi, Marino, and the Sixth Book of Madrigals (1614)

2016 ◽  
Vol 69 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-46
Author(s):  
Tim Carter
Keyword(s):  
Seventeenth Century ◽  
Vocal Music ◽  
Downward Spiral ◽  
Giambattista Marino

Monteverdi's Il sesto libro de madrigali a cinque voci (1614) is often viewed as an outlier in his secular output. His Fourth and Fifth Books (1603, 1605) were firmly embroiled in the controversy with Artusi over the seconda pratica, while his Seventh (1619) sees him shifting style in favor of the new trends that were starting to dominate music in early seventeenth-century Italy: the Sixth Book falls between the cracks. But it also suffers—in modern eyes, at least—for the fact that it reflects the composer's first encounters with the poetry of Giambattista Marino, marking what many see as the start of a fundamental reorientation, if not downward spiral, in his secular vocal music. The problems are exposed by one of the Marino settings in the Sixth Book, “Batto, qui pianse Ergasto: ecco la riva,” in which an unnamed speaker tells Batto how Ergasto has been abandoned by Clori. The text has often been misunderstood. Uncovering the sources for the story—and the literary identities of Batto, Ergasto, and Clori—forces a new reading of the poetry and more particularly of Monteverdi's music. It also answers some profound questions in terms of how best to address issues of narration and representation, and of diegesis and mimesis, in this complex repertory.

Perfectionism in the transition to university: Comparing diathesis-stress and downward spiral models of depressive symptoms

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shelby L. Levine ◽  
Marina Milyavskaya
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Poor Mental Health ◽  
First Year ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
Personal Standards ◽  
Downward Spiral ◽  
Personal Standards Perfectionism ◽  
Spiral Model ◽  
Diathesis Stress Model

Transitioning to university may be especially difficult for students who expect perfection from themselves. Self-critical perfectionism has consistently been linked to poor mental health. The current study compares a diathesis-stress and a downward spiral model, to determine why self-critical perfectionism is detrimental for mental health during this transition. First-year students (N=658) were recruited prior to beginning university in August and contacted again in October, January, and April. Participants completed measures on perfectionism, stress and depressive symptoms. Evidence was found for a downward spiral model with self-critical perfectionism, but not a diathesis-stress model. Students higher in self-critical perfectionism were more likely to experience increased stress and depressive symptoms in a circular and additive manner. Conversely, students higher in personal standards perfectionism experienced less stress and subsequent depressive symptoms. This research provides a theoretical model for why self-critical perfectionism is related to poor mental health outcomes which become sustained over time.

Trust in a Polarized Age

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kevin Vallier
Keyword(s):  
Human Rights ◽  
Civil War ◽  
Social Welfare ◽  
Liberal Democracy ◽  
Empirical Data ◽  
Political Trust ◽  
Vital Role ◽  
Welfare Programs ◽  
Social Welfare Programs ◽  
Downward Spiral

Americans today don’t trust each other and their institutions as much as they used to. The collapse of social and political trust arguably has fueled our increasingly ferocious ideological conflicts and hardened partisanship. But is the decline in trust inevitable? Are we caught in a downward spiral that must end in war-like politics, institutional decay, and possibly even civil war? This book argues that American political and economic institutions are capable of creating and maintaining trust, even through polarized times. Combining philosophical arguments and empirical data, the author shows that liberal democracy, markets, and social welfare programs all play a vital role in producing social and political trust. Even more, these institutions can promote trust justly, by recognizing and respecting our basic human rights.

A Downward Spiral? A Panel Study of Misinformation and Media Trust in Chile

2021 ◽  
pp. 194016122110252
Author(s):  
Sebastián Valenzuela ◽  
Daniel Halpern ◽  
Felipe Araneda
Keyword(s):  
News Media ◽  
Panel Study ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Panel Survey ◽  
Downward Spiral ◽  
The Media ◽  
Media Trust ◽  
People’S Attitudes ◽  
Over Time

Despite widespread concern, research on the consequences of misinformation on people's attitudes is surprisingly scant. To fill in this gap, the current study examines the long-term relationship between misinformation and trust in the news media. Based on the reinforcing spirals model, we analyzed data from a three-wave panel survey collected in Chile between 2017 and 2019. We found a weak, over-time relationship between misinformation and media skepticism. Specifically, initial beliefs on factually dubious information were negatively correlated with subsequent levels of trust in the news media. Lower trust in the media, in turn, was related over time to higher levels of misinformation. However, we found no evidence of a reverse, parallel process where media trust shielded users against misinformation, further reinforcing trust in the news media. The lack of evidence of a downward spiral suggests that the corrosive effects of misinformation on attitudes toward the news media are less serious than originally suggested. We close with a discussion of directions for future research.

scholarly journals Can Communication Strategies Combat COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy with Trade-Off between Public Service Messages and Public Skepticism? Experimental Evidence from Pakistan

Vaccines ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (7) ◽  
pp. 757
Author(s):  
Qiang Jin ◽  
Syed Hassan Raza ◽  
Muhammad Yousaf ◽  
Umer Zaman ◽  
Jenny Marisa Lim Dao Siang
Keyword(s):  
Public Service ◽  
Communication Strategies ◽  
Health And Safety ◽  
Communication Strategy ◽  
World Health ◽  
Vaccine Hesitancy ◽  
Media Type ◽  
Downward Spiral ◽  
Media Types ◽  
Health Organization

The COVID-19 pandemic may have reached a turning point as the World Health Organization and the global community of nations step up plans for mass vaccination campaigns. However, the COVID-19 vaccine-related conspiracy theories (e.g., falsehoods about birth control, women infertility, surveillance, and microchip humanity, etc.) have built new momentum for vaccine hesitancy. To this end, several nations worldwide, including Pakistan, are struggling to boost public trust and enthusiasm to get vaccinated, especially in an anxious and complicated atmosphere propelled by multiple, new and the deadliest variants of COVID-19. To address this critical research gap during these intensifying conditions of vaccine hesitancy, the present study makes the first attempt to explore the potential effects of various communication strategies, including public service message (safety benefits versus fear appraisals), media types (i.e., traditional versus digital), self-efficacy, perceived benefits and threats (susceptibility and severity), on the willingness to get vaccinated for COVID-19. Importantly, the underlying effects of public skepticism (in a moderating role) on these relationships were empirically examined. Using four fictitious COVID-19 immunization campaigns in a series of experiments with 2 (media type: traditional vs. digital) X 2 (service attribute: health and safety benefits vs. fear) message frames (represented as Group one to Group four), the findings identified fear appraisal as the most viable communication strategy in combating vaccine hesitancy. Moreover, public skepticism negatively moderated the effects of media types and public service message attributes on willingness to get vaccinated in relatively high (i.e., Group two), moderate (i.e., Group one and four), and low intensities (i.e., Group three). The pioneering findings of this research offer new strategic insights for the global health authorities and vaccine promoters to proactively address the downward spiral of people’s willingness to take the COVID-19 vaccine.

scholarly journals Early Maximal Strength Training Improves Leg Strength and Postural Stability in Elderly Following Hip Fracture Surgery

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
pp. 215145932110151
Author(s):  
Ole Kristian Berg ◽  
Jens-Meinhard Stutzer ◽  
Jan Hoff ◽  
Eivind Wang
Keyword(s):  
Hip Fracture ◽  
Muscle Strength ◽  
Strength Training ◽  
Postural Stability ◽  
Maximal Strength ◽  
Leg Press ◽  
Hip Fracture Surgery ◽  
Downward Spiral ◽  
Conventional Physiotherapy ◽  
Fracture Surgery

Introduction: Hip fractures predominantly occur in the geriatric population and results in increased physical inactivity and reduced independency, largely influenced by a downward spiral of ambulatory capacity, related to loss of skeletal muscle strength and postural stability. Thus, effective postoperative treatment, targeting improvements in muscle strength, is sought after. Materials & Methods: Twenty-one hip fracture patients (>65 yr) were randomized to 8 weeks of either conventional physiotherapy control group (CG), or leg press and hip abduction maximal strength training (MST) 3 times per week. MST was performed applying heavy loads (85-90% of 1 repetition maximum; 1RM) and 4-5 repetitions in 4 sets. Maximal strength (bi- and unilateral 1RM), postural stability (unipedal stance test; UPS), and DEXA-scan bone mineral content/ density (BMC/BMD) were measured before and after the 8-week rehabilitation. Results: Both MST and conventional physiotherapy improved bilateral leg press 1RM by 41 ± 27 kg and 29 ± 17 kg, respectively (both p < 0.01), while unilateral leg press 1RM only increased after MST (within group and between groups difference: both p < 0.05). MST also resulted in an increase in abduction 1RM in both the fractured (5 kg, 95%CI: 2-7; p < 0.01) and healthy limb (6 kg, 95%CI: 3-9; p < 0.01), while no such improvement was apparent in the CG (between groups difference: p < 0.01). Finally, MST improved UPS of the fractured limb (p < 0.05). No differences were observed in BMC or BMD following the 8 weeks. Discussion: Early postoperative MST improved lower extremities maximal muscle strength more than conventional physiotherapy and was accompanied by improvements in postural stability. Conclusion: Implementing MST in early rehabilitation after hip fracture surgery should be considered as a relevant treatment to curtail the downward spiral of reduced ambulatory capacity typical for this patient group, possibly reducing the risk of recuring falls and excess mortality. Trial Registration: https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03030092

DOWNWARD SPIRAL

PEDIATRICS ◽  
1977 ◽  
Vol 60 (3) ◽  
pp. 382-382
Author(s):  
H. Mahler ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Factors ◽  
Growth And Development ◽  
Social Injustice ◽  
Small Children ◽  
Death Toll ◽  
Malnourished Children ◽  
Downward Spiral

Malnutrition is both one of the consequences of social injustice and one of the factors contributing to its maintenance. It bears hardest on small children, contributing to the massive death toll among the young, and together with other adverse environmental factors it interferes with the adequate growth and development of the survivors. It reduces their capacity to learn during childhood and to earn during adulthood. The inevitable result is a downward spiral in which poor malnourished parents produce malnourished children who in turn will become poor and malnourished parents.

Mental Health during Covid-19 Pandemic

2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (02) ◽  
pp. 43-44
Author(s):  
R. Arul Saravanan
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Migrant Workers ◽  
Corona Virus ◽  
First Case ◽  
Downward Spiral

The march of the COVID 19 Pandemic has been relentless and India reported its first case on 27th January, 2020 from Kerala. On 24th march, 2020, India announced its first lockdown for prevention of the spread of corona virus. When the first panic button was pressed, there was initially, disbelief and denial. But as the writing on the wall became loud and clear, our populous nation has gone in a downward spiral. We even witnessed one of the largest exoduses in recent times, with thousands of migrant workers, walking back to their villages and homes.

scholarly journals Sustainable Oil and Profitable Wind

2017 ◽  
Vol 38 (2) ◽  
pp. 79-96 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jochen Hoffmann ◽  
Maria E. Kristensen
Keyword(s):  
Process Model ◽  
Oil Industry ◽  
Public Perceptions ◽  
Public Communication ◽  
The Public ◽  
Corporate Learning ◽  
Constitutive Process ◽  
Downward Spiral ◽  
Social And Environmental Responsibilities ◽  
A Company

Abstract Companies are confronted with differing public perceptions, which influence the way in which they present their social and environmental responsibilities. Our qualitative study compares the online responsibility communication of two companies from the energy sector: Shell, representing the controversial but profitable oil industry; and Vestas, representing the sustainable wind industry, the financial competitiveness of which is sometimes called into question. The website analysis reveals that both companies engage in inverted positioning. They invert perceived weaknesses into strengths: Shell highlights its social and environmental responsibilities, whereas Vestas, instead of capitalising on its potential as a CSR brand, highlights its economic responsibility. Theoretically, we integrate inverted positioning into a constitutive process model of responsibility communication. Inverted positioning might lead either to a reputational downward spiral, making a company less credible in the longer term, or the public communication of contested responsibilities functions as a self-imposed ambition that can, over time, induce substantial corporate learning processes.

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