Living Long and Keeping Well: Elderly Canadians Account for Success in Aging

2007 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
pp. 113-126 ◽  
Author(s):  
Raewyn Bassett ◽  
Valérie Bourbonnais ◽  
Ian McDowell
Keyword(s):  
Gender Differences ◽  
Successful Aging ◽  
Life Quality ◽  
The Self ◽  
Physical Decline ◽  
Primary Responsibility ◽  
Good Nutrition ◽  
Well Elderly ◽  
Very Old Age ◽  
The Will

ABSTRACTSenescence is a time of decline; yet many seniors remain active and engaged into very old age. How and why do some seniors live long and keep well? We report the responses to this question from a representative sample of 2,783 Canadian seniors.Overall, seniors placed primary responsibility for their long lives on their own individual practices, citing keeping active and maintaining good nutrition as the major themes. Physical illness was less significant than the will to adapt to illness and avoid further physical decline as long as possible. Francophone and anglophone respondents differed in the frequency with which they mentioned many of the themes. Francophones focused on life quality and family, while anglophones focused on the self. Systematic gender differences were also identified. Many responses validate existing theories of successful aging, and indicate that Canadian seniors are well-informed, insightful participants in the process of growing old.

GENDER DIFFERENCES IN READING PREFERENCE: EVIDENCE FROM A MOBILE PHONE PLATFORM

Mousaion ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 34 (2) ◽  
pp. 1-14
Author(s):  
Kelly De Villiers ◽  
Johann Louw ◽  
Colin Tredoux
Keyword(s):  
Gender Differences ◽  
Mobile Phone ◽  
South African ◽  
The Self ◽  
Male And Female ◽  
Reading Preference ◽  
Non Fiction ◽  
Proxy Measure ◽  
Poor Communities

Two studies were conducted to investigate gender differences in a sample of young South African readers from poor communities. In the first study, the self-reported reading preferences of 2 775 readers on a mobile phone platform supplied by the FunDza Literacy Trust were surveyed. Both male and female readers indicated that they liked four genres in particular: romance, drama, non- fiction, and stories with specific South African content. There were nevertheless some differences, such as that a higher percentage of males liked stories involving sport. The second study examined the unique FunDza site visits made by readers, as a proxy measure of what they actually were reading. Four genres stood out: romance, drama, biography, and action/adventure. Again the similarity between male and female readers was noticeable, although many more females than males read content on the site.

Nihilistic Thinking as the Self-Will of the Mind and the Projects of Its Overcoming

2020 ◽  
Vol 63 (10) ◽  
pp. 74-87
Author(s):  
Irina N. Sidorenko
Keyword(s):  
Significant Role ◽  
Current Situation ◽  
The Self ◽  
Spatial Perspective ◽  
The World ◽  
The Will ◽  
The Mind ◽  
Radical Transformation

 The author analyzes the conceptions of ontological nihilism in the works of S. Kierkegaard, F. Nietzsche, M. Heidegger, E. Jünger. On the basis of this analysis, violence is defined as a manifestation of nihilism, of the “will to nothingness” and hypertrophy of the self-will of man. The article demonstrates the importance of the problem of nihilism. The nihilistic thinking of modern man is expressed in the attitude toward a radical transformation of the world from the position of his “absolute” righteousness. The paradox of the current situation is that there is the reverse side of this transformative activity, when there is only the appearance of action and the dilution of responsibility. Confidence in the rightness of own views and beliefs increases the risk of the violent imposition of own vision of reality. Historical and philosophical reconstruction of the conceptions of nihilism allowed to reveal the following projects of its comprehension and resolution: (1) the project of “positing of values,” which consists in the transformation of the evaluation, which is understood as another perspective of positing values, leading to the affirmation of being; (2) the project of overcoming nihilism from the space of temporality, carried out through the resoluteness to accept the historicity of own existence; (3) the project of overcoming nihilism as the oblivion of being from the spatial perspective of the “line,” allowing to realize the “glimpse” of being. The author concludes that it is impossible to solve the problem of violence and its various forms of its manifestation without overcoming “ontological nihilism.” Significant role in solving the problem of ontological violence is assigned to philosophy as a critical and responsible form of thinking, which is capable to help a person to bear the burden of the world, to provide meanings and affirm being, as well as to unite people and resist the fundamentalist claims of exclusivity and rightness.

Differential Aging: An Exploratory Approach Using Cluster Analysis

1984 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 141-157 ◽  
Author(s):  
Graeme Ford ◽  
Rex Taylor
Keyword(s):  
Cluster Analysis ◽  
Longitudinal Data ◽  
Random Sample ◽  
Successful Aging ◽  
Elderly Population ◽  
Structural Data ◽  
Exploratory Approach ◽  
Aging Well ◽  
Well Elderly ◽  
Over Time

This article uses cluster analysis to identify different patterns of personal resources within a random sample of the well, elderly population. Ten such patterns or natural groupings are identified and their implications for coping and successful aging are discussed. It is apparent that there are a number of ways both of aging well and aging badly, and that these patterns cannot be predicted solely on the basis of structural data. The article poses a number of questions on the performance of cluster members over time and draws attention to the importance of longitudinal data.

‘Frequent Sipping’: Bottled Water, the Will to Health and the Subject of Hydration

2012 ◽  
Vol 18 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 72-98 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kane Race
Keyword(s):  
Bottled Water ◽  
The Self ◽  
Healthy Lifestyles ◽  
Contemporary Society ◽  
Exercise Science ◽  
Scientific Experiment ◽  
Scientific Principles ◽  
The Will ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Biological Citizenship

This article examines how the formation of markets in bottled water has relied on assembling a particular subject: the subject of hydration. The discourse of hydration is a conspicuous feature of efforts to market bottled water, allowing companies to appeal to scientifically framed principles and ideas of health in order to position the product as an essential component in self-health and healthy lifestyles. Alongside related principles, such as the ‘8 × 8 rule’, hydration has done much to establish new practices of water drinking and consumption in which the consumer appears to be always at risk of dehydration and must engage in practices of ‘frequent sipping’. This article traces the emergence of the concept of hydration from its origins in exercise science and explores its circulation, contemporary uses and purchase. I argue that the appeal to biomedical languages and concepts found in the discourse of hydration connects with much broader ways of conceiving and acting upon the self that have become prevalent in contemporary society – what Rose and Novas call ‘biological citizenship’ – indicating how the ensemble of hydration participates in wider-ranging transformations in forms of rule. The story of hydration reveals how biomedical techniques of the self can be made to double up as ‘market devices’ by offering specific procedures for assessing the self and calculating the body’s needs. In order to grasp these developments, I position the health sciences, and health and fitness in particular, as a potent site of popular culture in which bodies learn to be affected by the procedures of scientific experiment. A critical grasp of this context is best enabled, I argue, by situating the producers and consumers of scientific principles and commercial products as embodied and looking at their interconnection in processes of emergence. Through these means, we can begin to develop a fully materialized account of the question: how have we become so thirsty?

scholarly journals Self-perception of oral health in older adults from an urban population in Lisbon, Portugal

2016 ◽  
Vol 50 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Catarina Carvalho ◽  
Ana Cristina Manso ◽  
Ana Escoval ◽  
Francisco Salvado ◽  
Carla Nunes
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Oral Health ◽  
Health Assessment ◽  
Life Quality ◽  
Sociodemographic Factors ◽  
The Self ◽  
Self Perception ◽  
Cronbach’S Alpha ◽  
Convenience Sample ◽  
Cronbach's Alpha

ABSTRACT OBJECTIVE To analyze if the self-perception of oral health in the urban context is associated with sociodemographic factors that interfere in the life quality of oral health. METHODS Cross-sectional study with convenience sample of older individuals (65 years old or more) enrolled in the Agrupamento de Centros de Saúde de Lisboa Norte (ACES Lisboa Norte – Health Centers Groupings North Lisbon). The self-perception of oral health and associated life quality was evaluated by the Geriatric Oral Health Assessment Index and the individuals were classified according to sociodemographic characteristics. The internal consistency of the questionnaire was evaluated by Cronbach’s alpha (α). Later, we used binary logistic regression models to characterize the factors associated with the self-perception of oral health, considering the sociodemographic variables and the older adults’ clinical conditions of oral health and establishing the crude and adjusted (to age) odds ratios and their 90% confidence intervals. RESULTS A total of 369 older adults participated in this study, with an average age of 74.2 years (SD = 6.75); 62.9% were female. On average, the index was moderated, with tendency to be high: 32.9 (SD = 3.6; 12-36 interval). The Cronbach’s alpha was high: 0.805. Age, marital status, and the last dental appointment were the factors significantly associated with self-perception of oral health. CONCLUSIONS The study shows that these individuals have a moderate, with tendency to high, self-perception of oral health. The self-perception of oral health assessment allowed us to identify the main associated sociodemographic factors. This instrument can help guiding planning strategies and oral health promotion directed toward a better life quality for this population group.

scholarly journals Psychological Mindedness and Procrastination among University Students

2017 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Priyanka Pathak ◽  
Prof. Shobhna Joshi
Keyword(s):  
Gender Differences ◽  
University Students ◽  
Personal Data ◽  
Data Sheet ◽  
The Self ◽  
Psychological Mindedness ◽  
Psychological Understanding ◽  
New Ideas ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Practical Implications

This study was conducted to investigate the relationship between psychological mindedness and procrastination among university students and to determine gender differences in psychological mindedness and procrastination. The sample consisted of 200 university students (100 male and 100 female) aged 18 to 25 years from different faculties of Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi. Psychological mindedness scale (PMS) by Conte et al., (1986) and Tuckman procrastination scale by Tuckman (1991) along with personal data sheet were used to assess the level of  psychological mindedness and procrastination among university students. Psychological mindedness is the ability to psychological understanding of the self and other’s behaviour, thought and feelings. It is openness to new ideas whereas procrastination is known as the irrational tendency of delaying the tasks until an individual experiences discomfort (Solomon & Rothblum 1984). Results showed that there were no significant gender differences in psychological mindedness and procrastination. Correlational analysis indicated that the psychological mindedness was significantly negatively correlated with the level of procrastination; i.e., the higher the level of psychological mindedness the lower the level of procrastination. Thus, it can be concluded that psychological mindedness play an important role in procrastination among university students. The theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed.

scholarly journals Foucault’s Empire of the Free

2017 ◽  
pp. 94-112
Author(s):  
Richard Alston
Keyword(s):  
The Self ◽  
Historical Change ◽  
Complex Societies ◽  
Greek Philosophy ◽  
Care Of The Self ◽  
Critical Position ◽  
Imperial Power ◽  
Historical Specificity ◽  
The Will ◽  
Self Knowledge

This essay argues that the engagement with Greece and Rome after The Will to Knowledge allowed Foucault to bring clarity to his conception of limited freedom in complex societies. The Classical fulfilled this function paradoxically by being jarringly different from and integral to the discourses of modern sexuality. Foucault’s engagement with the Classical in The Use of Pleasure and The Care of the Self continued his established method of uncovering the development of a discourse, or set of discourses, over time. He thereby demonstrated the historical specificity of understandings of sexuality and the self. It follows that if the ancient self was a historical construct, then the modern self must also be such. But Foucault’s Classical engagement leads him to an innovative position in which the disciplinary dynamics of ancient self-knowledge offer a practical philosophy. Foucault’s Greek philosophy could have effects through two related mechanisms: the care of the self through askesis (discipline) and the speaking of truth to power through parresia (free speech). Through the rigors of askesis, the self can be rendered an object of analysis and hence a critical position external to the self can be achieved. Externality allows the philosopher to exercise parresia since the constraints of society have been surpassed and consequently offers a prospect of agency and a measure of freedom. The second part of the essay questions the extent of that freedom by reading Foucault against Tacitus, particularly the Agricola and the mutinies episode in the Annales. These episodes show the limitations of parresia and how parresia is bound into the workings of imperial power (and not a position external to that power). In the Tacitean model, externality is a viable political stance (achieved by Agricola), but is problematic ethically. The essay concludes by contrasting Foucauldian and Tacitean models of historical change. 

Leading from the Source

2013 ◽  
pp. 14-28
Author(s):  
Tom Karp ◽  
Lars Mortensen Lægreid
Keyword(s):  
Change Agents ◽  
The Self ◽  
Self Reflection ◽  
The Will

In this chapter, the authors ask how a leader should connect to his or her source, and how to couple this connection to acts of taking leadership. Connecting to one’s source of leadership means taking a stand on a defined set of questions. It involves process and content and may be understood as an on-going process of individuation, self-reflection, and development – a leader’s attempt to create, and recreate, his- or her-self. This is the self that regulates the interior condition of the intervener, on which the success of the intervention depends. In addition, if leaders and change agents want to develop they must train their will. The will is the innermost essence of people’s selves; therefore, the discovery of the will means the discovery of people’s true beings, which is the key to leading from the source.

Gender Differences in Bullying Behavior, the Self-steem,

2012 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 243-274
Author(s):  
Ahmed Elmasoudy ◽  
Ahmed Ali
Keyword(s):  
Gender Differences ◽  
The Self ◽  
Bullying Behavior
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