Point Zero: A Phenomenological Inquiry into the Seat of Consciousness

Does consciousness have a spatial “location” that can be scientifically investigated? Using a novel phenomenological method, when people are encouraged to explore the question introspectively they not only can make sense of the idea of their consciousness being “located,” but will readily indicate its exact position inside the head. The method, based on Francisco J. Varela's work, involves a structured interview led by an expert mediator in which preliminary questions are asked or untrained volunteers about the location of objects and body parts, and then they are questioned about the location from which they are experiencing these objects. 83% of volunteers located with confidence a precise position for the I-that-perceives in the temporal area of the head centred midway behind the eyes. The same results were obtained with blind subjects (congenitally or later) and with non-Westerners. The significance of this subjective source of the experience of the location of perception is discussed linking it to neurological correlates of self-referred conscious activities and of conscious awareness in memory. Further investigations are suggested with trained volunteers and with individuals with psychiatric disorders.

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CUSSING AMONG THE KANKANAEY YOUTH

Cadernos de Linguagem e Sociedade ◽

10.26512/les.v20i2.24831 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 20 (2) ◽

pp. 254-269

Author(s):

Ephraim Domingo ◽

Analyn Caroy ◽

Janice Carambas ◽

Elaine Grace Dizon ◽

Karyl Po-or

Keyword(s):

Young People ◽

Structured Interview ◽

The Philippines ◽

Qualitative Approach ◽

Body Parts ◽

Taboo Topics

This paper explores the cuss words used by the Kankanaey young people of The Philippines, examines the reasons they use them and if these cuss words reflect their identity. It employs the qualitative approach and uses a semi-structured interview. Most of the cuss words are terms that range from taboo topics such as the genitals, to inoffensive terms such as body parts, to incapacity, and to words borrowed and modified from English, as well as those invented. These cuss words are usually used to express emotions that range from light to strong ones such as anger, disappointment, fright, or surprise.

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Genitalia in Children's Drawings: An Association With Sexual Abuse

PEDIATRICS ◽

10.1542/peds.79.1.129 ◽

1987 ◽

Vol 79 (1) ◽

pp. 129-137 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Roberta A. Hibbard ◽

Klaus Roghmann ◽

Robert A. Hoekelman

Keyword(s):

Sexual Abuse ◽

Sexually Abused ◽

Structured Interview ◽

Fisher Exact Test ◽

Body Parts ◽

Protective Services ◽

Exact Test ◽

Well Child Care ◽

Sexual Abuse Victims ◽

Sexually Abused Children

Many sexual abuse victims have been observed to draw genitalia on human figures. To test the hypothesis that sexually abused children draw genitalia on human figures more often than do nonabused children, drawings from 57 children, 3 through 7 years of age, who were referred to child protective services as alleged sexual abuse victims, were compared with drawings from an age-, sex-, race-, and socioeconomically matched group of 55 nonabused children receiving well-child care in medical settings. A standardized procedure to obtain drawings was followed by a structured interview to collect demographic, past medical, and developmental information. Five evaluators unaware of the children's backgrounds independently examined drawings for the presence or absence of five body parts; there was 94% agreement for all body parts and 93% agreement for genitalia. Eight children were excluded from the analysis because they only scribbled (n = 5) or because evaluators could not agree on whether genitalia were present in their drawings (n = 3). Ten percent (5/52) of the alleged sexual abuse victims and 2% (1/52) of the comparison children drew genitalia (P = .10, one-tailed Fisher exact test). The estimated relative risk was 5.4; that is, alleged sexual abuse victims were 5.4 times more likely to draw genitalia than were comparison children. Children known to have been sexually abused were 6.8 times more likely to draw genitalia than were comparison children (P = .07, one-tailed Fisher exact test). It must be cautioned that, although the presence of genitalia in a child's drawing should alert one to consider the possibility of sexual abuse, it does not prove it, just as the absence of genitalia does not exclude abuse. The drawing of genitalia should sensitize providers and influence the effort directed toward exploring the possibility of sexual abuse.

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Psychiatric disorders in male prisoners who made near-lethal suicide attempts: case–control study

The British Journal of Psychiatry ◽

10.1192/bjp.bp.110.077883 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 197 (4) ◽

pp. 313-319 ◽

Cited By ~ 58

Author(s):

Adrienne Rivlin ◽

Keith Hawton ◽

Lisa Marzano ◽

Seena Fazel

Keyword(s):

Psychiatric Disorders ◽

Case Control Study ◽

Suicide Attempts ◽

Structured Interview ◽

Case Control ◽

Criminal History ◽

Drug Misuse ◽

Recurrent Depression ◽

Male Prisoners ◽

Control Study

BackgroundAlthough male prisoners are five times more likely to die by suicide than men of a similar age in the general population, the contribution of psychiatric disorders is not known.AimsTo investigate the association of psychiatric disorders with near-lethal suicide attempts in male prisoners.MethodA matched case–control study of 60 male prisoners who made near-lethal suicide attempts (cases) and 60 prisoners who had never carried out near-lethal suicide attempts in prison (controls) was conducted. Psychiatric disorders were identified with the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI), and information on sociodemographic characteristics and criminal history was gathered using a semi-structured interview.ResultsPsychiatric disorders were present in all cases and 62% of controls. Most current psychiatric disorders were associated with near-lethal suicide attempts, including major depression (odds ratio (OR) = 42.0, 95% CI 5.8–305), psychosis (OR = 15.0, 95% CI 2.0–113), anxiety disorders (OR = 6.0, 95% CI 2.3–15.5) and drug misuse (OR = 2.9, 95% CI 1.3–6.4). Lifetime psychiatric disorders associated with near-lethal attempts included recurrent depression and psychoses. Although cases were more likely than controls to meet criteria for antisocial personality disorder, the difference was not statistically significant. Comorbidity was also significantly more common among cases than controls for both current and lifetime disorders.ConclusionsIn male prisoners, psychiatric disorders, especially depression, psychosis, anxiety and drug misuse, are associated with near-lethal suicide attempts, and hence probably with suicide.

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Psychiatric illness and regression in individuals with Phelan-McDermid syndrome

Journal of Neurodevelopmental Disorders ◽

10.1186/s11689-020-9309-6 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Teresa M. Kohlenberg ◽

M. Pilar Trelles ◽

Brittany McLarney ◽

Catalina Betancur ◽

Audrey Thurm ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Bipolar Disorder ◽

Intellectual Disability ◽

Psychiatric Disorders ◽

Psychiatric Illness ◽

Psychiatric Symptoms ◽

Structured Interview ◽

Autism Spectrum ◽

Scaffolding Protein ◽

International Registry ◽

Increased Risk

Abstract Background Phelan-McDermid syndrome (PMS) is a genetic condition characterized by intellectual disability, speech and language deficits, hypotonia, autism spectrum disorder, and epilepsy. PMS is caused by 22q13.33 deletions or mutations affecting SHANK3, which codes for a critical scaffolding protein in excitatory synapses. SHANK3 variants are also known to be associated with an increased risk for regression, as well as for psychiatric disorders, including bipolar disorder and catatonia. This study aimed to further describe these phenomena in PMS and to explore any relationship between psychiatric illness and regression after early childhood. Methods Thirty-eight people with PMS were recruited to this study through the Phelan-McDermid Syndrome Foundation based on caregiver report of distinct development of psychiatric symptoms. Caregivers completed a clinician-administered semi-structured interview focused on eliciting psychiatric symptomatology. Data from the PMS International Registry were used to confirm genetic diagnoses of participants and to provide a larger sample for comparison. Results The mean age of the 38 participants was 24.7 years (range = 13 to 50; SD = 10.06). Females (31 of 38 cases; 82%) and sequence variants (15 of 38 cases; 39%) were over-represented in this sample, compared to base rates in the PMS International Registry. Onset of psychiatric symptoms occurred at a mean age of 15.4 years (range = 7 to 32), with presentations marked by prominent disturbances of mood. Enduring substantial loss of functional skills after onset of psychiatric changes was seen in 25 cases (66%). Symptomst indicative of catatonia occurred in 20 cases (53%). Triggers included infections, changes in hormonal status, and stressful life events. Conclusions This study confirms that individuals with PMS are at risk of developing severe neuropsychiatric illness in adolescence or early adulthood, including bipolar disorder, catatonia, and lasting regression of skills. These findings should increase the awareness of these phenotypes and lead to earlier diagnosis and the implementation of appropriate interventions. Our findings also highlight the importance of genetic testing in the work-up of individuals with intellectual disability and acute psychiatric illness or regression. Future research is needed to clarify the prevalence and nature of psychiatric disorders and regression among larger unbiased samples of individuals with PMS.

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Prevalence of subthreshold forms of psychiatric disorders in persons making suicide attempts in Hungary

European Psychiatry ◽

10.1016/s0924-9338(00)00503-4 ◽

2000 ◽

Vol 15 (6) ◽

pp. 354-361 ◽

Cited By ~ 16

Author(s):

J. Balázs ◽

I. Bitter ◽

Y. Lecrubier ◽

N Csiszér ◽

G. Ostorharics

Keyword(s):

Psychiatric Disorders ◽

Suicide Attempts ◽

Structured Interview ◽

Background Information ◽

Semistructured Interview ◽

Suicide Attempters ◽

Psychiatric Illnesses ◽

Current Threshold ◽

Axis I ◽

Dsm Iv

summaryBackground – Suicide and suicide attempts have been associated to psychiatric illnesses; however, little is known about the role in suicide risk of those symptoms that do not meet the full criteria for a DSM-IV disorder. The aim of this study was to examine the prevalence of subthreshold psychiatric disorders among suicide attempters in Hungary. Methods – Using a modified structured interview (Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview) determining 16 Axis I psychiatric diagnoses and their subthreshold forms defined by the DSM-IV and a semistructured interview collecting background information, the authors examined 140 consecutive suicide attempters, aged 18–65 years. Results – Eighty-three-point-six percent of the attempters had one or more current threshold diagnoses on Axis I and in addition more than three-quarters (78.6%) of the subjects had at least one subthreshold diagnosis. Six-point-four percent of the subjects (N = 9) had neither subthreshold nor threshold diagnoses at the time of their suicide attempts. Ten percent of the subjects (N = 14), not meeting the full criteria for any DSM-IV diagnoses, had at least one subthreshold diagnosis. In 68.6% of the subjects (N = 96), both subthreshold and threshold disorders were diagnosed at the time of their suicide attempts. The number of subthreshold and threshold diagnoses were positively and significantly related (χ2 = 5.12, df = 1, P < 0.05). Sixty-three-point-six percent of the individuals received two or more current threshold diagnoses on Axis I and 44.3% of the individuals (N = 62) had two or more subthreshold diagnoses at the time of their suicide attempts. Limitations – The subthreshold definitions in this study included only those forms of the disorders which required the same duration as the criteria DSM-IV disorder with fewer symptoms. Conclusions – Suicide attempts showed a very high prevalence of subthreshold disorders besides psychiatric disorders meeting the full criteria required according to the DSM-IV. Subthreshold forms of mental disorders need to be taken into account in suicide prevention.

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Spatially tuned normalization explains attention modulation variance within neurons

Journal of Neurophysiology ◽

10.1152/jn.00218.2017 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 118 (3) ◽

pp. 1903-1913 ◽

Cited By ~ 13

Author(s):

Amy M. Ni ◽

John H. R. Maunsell

Keyword(s):

Spatial Attention ◽

Rhesus Monkeys ◽

Brain Area ◽

Spatial Location ◽

Neuronal Firing ◽

Strong Suppression ◽

Temporal Area ◽

Middle Temporal ◽

Equal Maximum ◽

Excitatory Drive

Spatial attention improves perception of attended parts of a scene, a behavioral enhancement accompanied by modulations of neuronal firing rates. These modulations vary in size across neurons in the same brain area. Models of normalization explain much of this variance in attention modulation with differences in tuned normalization across neurons (Lee J, Maunsell JHR. PLoS One 4: e4651, 2009; Ni AM, Ray S, Maunsell JHR. Neuron 73: 803–813, 2012). However, recent studies suggest that normalization tuning varies with spatial location both across and within neurons (Ruff DA, Alberts JJ, Cohen MR. J Neurophysiol 116: 1375–1386, 2016; Verhoef BE, Maunsell JHR. eLife 5: e17256, 2016). Here we show directly that attention modulation and normalization tuning do in fact covary within individual neurons, in addition to across neurons as previously demonstrated. We recorded the activity of isolated neurons in the middle temporal area of two rhesus monkeys as they performed a change-detection task that controlled the focus of spatial attention. Using the same two drifting Gabor stimuli and the same two receptive field locations for each neuron, we found that switching which stimulus was presented at which location affected both attention modulation and normalization in a correlated way within neurons. We present an equal-maximum-suppression spatially tuned normalization model that explains this covariance both across and within neurons: each stimulus generates equally strong suppression of its own excitatory drive, but its suppression of distant stimuli is typically less. This new model specifies how the tuned normalization associated with each stimulus location varies across space both within and across neurons, changing our understanding of the normalization mechanism and how attention modulations depend on this mechanism. NEW & NOTEWORTHY Tuned normalization studies have demonstrated that the variance in attention modulation size seen across neurons from the same cortical area can be largely explained by between-neuron differences in normalization strength. Here we demonstrate that attention modulation size varies within neurons as well and that this variance is largely explained by within-neuron differences in normalization strength. We provide a new spatially tuned normalization model that explains this broad range of observed normalization and attention effects.

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An Interpretative Phenomenological Inquiry into Experience, Expression, and Effect of Gratitude among Males and Females

The Qualitative Report ◽

10.46743/2160-3715/2020.4406 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Naved Iqbal ◽

Supriya Srivastava ◽

Imtiyaz Dar

Keyword(s):

Gender Differences ◽

Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis ◽

Quantitative Methods ◽

Structured Interview ◽

Phenomenological Analysis ◽

Point Of View ◽

Phenomenological Inquiry ◽

Number Of Factors ◽

Males And Females ◽

Gratitude Interventions

Gratitude is a universal phenomenon that is experienced and expressed differently by individuals. The differences in experience and expression of gratitude are based on a number of factors, important among them is gender. There are very few studies that have explored gender differences using quantitative methods in gratitude interventions. However, this phenomenon can best be understood by employing qualitative methods like Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA), as it is concerned with trying to understand any phenomenon, from the participant’s point of view. There is a paucity of research in this area. Therefore, we tried to explore experience, expression, and effects of gratitude among males and females using IPA. For this purpose, a semi-structured interview was administered on 20 students (10 males and 10 females) and it was subjected to IPA. Three themes that emerged from the analysis were Experience of gratitude, Expression of gratitude and Effects of experiencing and expressing gratitude. These themes were further classified under several subthemes. Though there were similarities between males and females for many subthemes but there were some differences also. Feeling grateful towards strangers and sharing grateful experiences with others were subthemes that emerged only in female participants. Using grateful experiences as a coping strategy was a subtheme that emerged dominantly among male participants. The findings of the present study are explained with the help of available literature.

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Flow Experience Pada Muslimah Pendaki Gunung

Psikis Jurnal Psikologi Islami ◽

10.19109/psikis.v5i2.4099 ◽

1970 ◽

Vol 5 (2) ◽

pp. 119-132

Author(s):

Sarah Afifah

Keyword(s):

High Risk ◽

Muslim Women ◽

Self Esteem ◽

Structured Interview ◽

Flow Experience ◽

Phenomenological Method ◽

Mountain Climbing ◽

Mountain Climbers ◽

Qualitative Phenomenological ◽

The City

Muslim women who have feminine stereotypes: gentle, shy, preferring to stay at home with the phenomenon of Muslim climberswho are looking for challenges by climbing the mountain has now shifted to be more masculine. Mountain climbing is a masculine activity because it seeks challenges by climbing high-risk mountains. Mountain climbers experience flow experince which is a holistic sensation that is manifested when we take action with full involvement. This study uses a qualitative phenomenological method to understand the description of flow experince in Muslim women mountaineers. This research was conducted in the city of Yogyakarta with four participants. Data collected bysemi-structured interview techniques. This study found seven themes that emerged regarding flow experince in Muslim mountaineers, that is: 1) preparation was the main; 2) the purpose of climbing mountains is spirituality; 3) Muslim mountaineer women feel special; 4) Feeling at one with nature but staying focused; 5) get positive feedback 6) increase brotherhood 7) be able to evaluate yourself. The findings of this study are Muslim women climbers feel they can improve spirituality, self esteem, ukhuwah or brotherhood and feelings at one with nature but stay focused when they climb mountains.

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“Every in the morning when I wake up it’s the first thing that comes to my mind’’ Sexual Assault Survivor women’s experience in Hosanna, Ethiopia.

10.21203/rs.2.18162/v1 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Beliyou Abebe Agidew ◽

Abebe Mamo ◽

Zewdie Birhanu ◽

Shifera Asfaw Yedenekal

Keyword(s):

Sexual Assault ◽

Sexual Violence ◽

Partner Violence ◽

Lived Experiences ◽

Phenomenological Study ◽

Structured Interview ◽

Body Parts ◽

Social Reaction ◽

Sexual Intimate Partner Violence ◽

Sexual Assault Survivor

Abstract Background: sexual assault is physically forced or otherwise coerced penetration even if slight of the vulva or anus, using a penis, other body parts or an object. Global prevalence figure indicates that 1 in 3 (35 %) of women worldwide have experienced either physical and/or sexual intimate partner violence or non-partner sexual violence in their lifetime. There are limited researches conducted on the area of lived experiences of women with sexual violence. This study aimed to explore the lived experiences of sexual assault survivor women in Hosanna, Ethiopia. Method: Phenomenological study design was carried out among purposively selected six sexual assault survivor women’s and three key informants. In-depth interviews were conducted using local language, Amharic by using a semi structured interview guide. The interviews were transcribed and translated into English, and the data were analyzed thematically by qualitative data management software (Atlas ti version 7.0.15). Result: Not only the community who victimizes the survivors; the survivors themselves isolate from the community. All the survivors’ quest for revenge besides seeking justice. Coping of the survivors affected with a feeling of justice is done or not done, social reaction. They have also strong intention to disclose the issue for their close family and community member. The participants live with fear and distrust; afraid of being raped again, they don’t dare daring to trust people easily. Conclusion: The current study showed that sexual assault was a lifetime journey to recover. Some community members also blamed by the survivors for failing to help during their bad times. Therefore, community based awareness campaign should be implemented. In parallel, health policy makers and health professionals should give due emphasis on build post-rape care units or integrated service with other units.

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Behavioral Symptoms May Correlate With the Load and Spatial Location of Tubers and With Radial Migration Lines in Tuberous Sclerosis Complex

Frontiers in Neurology ◽

10.3389/fneur.2021.673583 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 ◽

Author(s):

Rony Cohen ◽

Jacob Genizi ◽

Liora Korenrich

Keyword(s):

Tuberous Sclerosis ◽

Tuberous Sclerosis Complex ◽

Genetic Disorder ◽

Neuropsychiatric Symptoms ◽

Brain Mri ◽

Spatial Location ◽

Neuropsychiatric Disorders ◽

Temporal Area ◽

Radial Migration ◽

Parietal Area

Objective: Tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) is a multisystem neurocutaneous genetic disorder. The clinical manifestations are extensive and include neurological, dermatological, cardiac, ophthalmic, nephrological, and neuropsychiatric manifestations. The prediction and pathophysiology of neuropsychiatric disorders such as emotional symptoms, conduct problems, hyperactivity, and poor social behavior are poorly understood. The aim of the study was to diagnose neuropsychiatric symptoms in individuals with TSC, and to examine their possible correlations with quantity, magnitude, and spatial location of tubers and radial migration (RM) lines.Methods: The cohort comprised 16 individuals with TSC, aged 5–29 years, with normal or low normal intelligence. The participants or their parents were requested to fill Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) and the TAND (TSC-associated neuropsychiatric disorders) Checklist for assessment of their neuropsychiatric symptoms. Correlations were examined between these symptoms and the magnitude, quantities, and locations of tubers and white matter RM lines, as identified in T2/FLAIR brain MRI scans.Results: The SDQ score for peer relationship problems showed correlation with the tuber load (r = 0.52, p < 0.05). Tuber load and learning difficulties correlated significantly in the temporal and parietal area. Mood swings correlated with tubers in the parietal area (r = 0.529, p < 0.05). RM lines in the temporal area correlated with abnormal total SDQ (r = 0.51, p < 0.05). Anxiety and extreme shyness were correlated with RM lines in the parietal area, r = 0.513, p < 0.05 and r = 0.593, p < 0.05, respectively. Hyperactive/inattention correlated negatively with RM lines in the parietal area (r = −707, p < 0.01).Conclusions: These observations may lead to future studies for precise localization of neuropsychiatric symptoms, thereby facilitating directed therapy.

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