Me (promoting a positive sense of self)

2021 ◽  
pp. 39-46
Author(s):  
Rachel Holmes
Keyword(s):  
Sense Of Self ◽  
Positive Sense

scholarly journals Stigma and self-esteem across societies: avoiding blanket psychological responses to gay men experiencing homophobia

2015 ◽  
Vol 39 (4) ◽  
pp. 167-173 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karyofyllis Zervoulis ◽  
Evanthia Lyons ◽  
Sokratis Dinos
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health Professionals ◽  
Sense Of Self ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Self Esteem ◽  
Two Cities ◽  
Positive Sense ◽  
Sex With Men ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
The City ◽  
Different Levels

Aims and methodThe relationship between homophobia (varying from actual and perceived to internalised) and measures of well-being is well documented. A study in Athens, Greece and London, UK attempted to examine this relationship in two cities with potentially different levels of homophobia. One-hundred and eighty-eight men who have sex with men (MSM) living in London and 173 MSM living in Athens completed a survey investigating their views on their sexuality, perceptions of local homophobia and their identity evaluation in terms of global self-esteem.ResultsThe results confirmed a negative association between homophobia and self-esteem within each city sample. However, Athens MSM, despite perceiving significantly higher levels of local homophobia than London MSM, did not differ on most indicators of internalised homophobia and scored higher on global self-esteem than London MSM. The city context had a significant impact on the relationship.Clinical implicationsThe findings are discussed in relation to the implications they pose for mental health professionals dealing with MSM from communities experiencing variable societal stigmatisation and its effect on a positive sense of self.

The Multiple Dimensions of the Acceptance of Mental Illness

2016 ◽  
pp. 37-51
Author(s):  
Lauren Mizock ◽  
Zlatka Russinova
Keyword(s):  
Mental Illness ◽  
Sense Of Self ◽  
Cognitive Dimension ◽  
Five Dimensions ◽  
Multidimensional Construct ◽  
Multiple Dimensions ◽  
Emotional Dimension ◽  
Clinical Strategies ◽  
Positive Sense ◽  
The Face

This chapter explains the multidimensional construct of acceptance, including the five dimensions of this process. Interview excerpts are provided as evidence of each of these five dimensions. The five dimensions include (1) identity dimension (developing a positive sense of self in the face of mental illness); (2) cognitive dimension (developing thoughts, beliefs, and awareness around accepting one’s mental illness); (3) behavioral dimension (engaging in actions and behaviors that signify acceptance of one’s mental illness); (4) emotional dimension (experiencing emotions that signify acceptance of one’s mental illness); and (5) relational dimension (engaging in relationships and interacting with others in a manner that promotes acceptance of the illness). A clinical strategies list, discussion questions, activities, the “Dimensions of Acceptance Worksheet,” and diagrams are also included.

scholarly journals The Influence Of Culture On The Process Of Recovery From A First Episode Schizophrenia

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Melanie A. Ramiro
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Identity ◽  
Sense Of Self ◽  
Illness Experience ◽  
First Episode ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Bridge To Recovery ◽  
Positive Sense ◽  
Qualitative Descriptive ◽  
First Episode Schizophrenia

The literature indicates that aspects of culture have the potential to influence recovery from first episode schizophrenia (FES). The purpose of this study was to describe the infl uence of culture on the process of recovery for individuals with first episode schizophrenia. This study employed a qualitative descriptive methodology and elicited the experience of five male participants, who self-identified that culture influenced their recovery from FES. The three categories that emerged from the data are: ‘Emerging Cultural Identity,’ ‘Cultural Identity and Describing the Illness Experience,’ and ‘Cultural Identity: A Bridge to Recovery.’ A distinctive feature of this study is that participants turned toward their cultural identity to facilitate their process of recovery from a FES and maintain a positive sense of self. This study offers a preliminary understanding of the role of culture in recovery from FES and suggests implications for clinical practice, future research and theory.

Conceptualizing religious asylum: Security, religiosity, and subjective well-being of Christian asylum-seekers in Hong Kong

2021 ◽  
pp. 011719682110678
Author(s):  
Terence Chun Tat Shum
Keyword(s):  
Hong Kong ◽  
Asylum Seekers ◽  
Sense Of Self ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Psychosocial Distress ◽  
Current Situation ◽  
Subjective Well Being ◽  
Emotional Experiences ◽  
Positive Sense

This article proposes the concept of religious asylum to examine how Christian asylum-seekers utilize religion to cope with their emotional experiences, induced by a sense of insecurity, during prolonged displacement. Drawing from interviews and ethnographic observations of people seeking asylum in Hong Kong, this research determines that asylum-seekers use religion to redefine their positive sense of self beyond their current situation, which is central to the construct of well-being. While religion supports asylum-seekers going through psychosocial distress and suffering, this discussion on religious asylum shows how asylum-seekers utilize the religiously inflected space to make the experience of prolonged displacement meaningful.

Managing the toll of sex work with bounded agency: Perspectives of ex-sex workers

2021 ◽  
pp. e20200030
Author(s):  
Mathilde Turcotte ◽  
Nadine Lanctôt
Keyword(s):  
Sex Work ◽  
Sex Workers ◽  
Sense Of Self ◽  
Self Concept ◽  
Comfort Zone ◽  
Work Activities ◽  
Personal Boundaries ◽  
Positive Sense ◽  
Protection Strategies

The present study builds upon qualitative narratives of ex-sex workers to explore if these women felt they had maintained a positive sense of self during involvement in sex work and, if so, how. Specific objectives were to identify strategies they used to protect their self-concept and better understand the challenges they faced in their efforts to keep sex work within their comfort zone. Fourteen participants were recruited in six different cities from the province of Quebec (Canada) and interviewed twice in 2016. Findings suggest that women were very aware of the effects sex work could have on their self-concept because of the stigma surrounding it, but also because of ambivalent experiences with clients and pimps. As a result, they used various strategies to protect their sense of self, the main one being the making and following of rules that govern sex work activities. Yet, our findings show that the protective quality of these self-concept protection strategies is limited, as women observed that they compromised with personal boundaries at various occasions during their pathways. They made strong associations between these compromises and a progressive fragilization of their sense of self.

Reconsidering the “Asphalt Identikit”

2016 ◽  
Vol 84 (4) ◽  
pp. 403-414
Author(s):  
Nicola Ann Plastow
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Thematic Analysis ◽  
Possible Selves ◽  
Sense Of Self ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Grocery Shopping ◽  
Driving Cessation ◽  
Identity Maintenance ◽  
Positive Sense ◽  
Mental Well Being

Background/Aim The “asphalt identikit” theory suggests that driving cessation inevitably leads to feelings of incompetence and dependency. This article challenges this proposition by investigating the driving-related possible selves of British older adults living in West London. Methods Thematic analysis of data from 19 of 39 interviews in which older adults participating in a larger study talked about driving in the context of their grocery shopping. Results Three themes were evident: “I can drive – that makes a huge difference,” “Expecting to lose my license,” and “I gave up my license.” Discussion Driving cessation is not a dreaded possible self for all older adults. Older adults may use a variety of identity maintenance processes to retain their positive sense of self. Conclusions Mental well-being can be maintained during driving cessation by finding ways to compensate for the loss of a license and finding alternative ways of achieving hoped-for possible selves.

“From the Heart”

2017 ◽  
Vol 31 (2) ◽  
pp. 245-265 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jason L. Ferguson
Keyword(s):  
Gay Men ◽  
Sense Of Self ◽  
Field Observations ◽  
Gay Identity ◽  
Survival Sex ◽  
Cultural Approach ◽  
Positive Sense ◽  
Self Worth ◽  
Kinship Ties ◽  
Selling Sex

What are the non-monetary dimensions of selling sex? This article offers a cultural approach to the question of sexual labors, drawing on field observations and interviews in a community of gay men in Dakar, Senegal. Removing the notion of sexual labors from the stigmatized zone of “survival sex,” I explore the affective, extramonetary dimensions of sexual labors. The men in this study labor not simply to make money. Instead, I argue that against a highly gendered cultural backdrop, one where male admiration is often written synonymously with money and gift giving, gay men experience a validation of their self-worth and homoerotic attraction through sexual labors. The extent to which they derive recognition from sexual labors not only subverts the gendered heteronormative paradigm, but also is paradoxically conditioned by it. Beyond sexual labors, however, this article also engages a broader question—how do gay men forge a positive sense of self amidst a variety of oppressive forces? The answer is not only through sexual labors, but also through initiation into a gay identity and community, an ethos of generosity and solidarity, kinship ties, and an ethic of sexual discovery, each taking shape alongside these labors.

Political Self-Efficacy Tested

1987 ◽  
Vol 81 (2) ◽  
pp. 571-581 ◽  
Author(s):  
Douglas Madsen
Keyword(s):  
Survey Data ◽  
Self Efficacy ◽  
Sense Of Self ◽  
Positive Sense ◽  
Democratic System ◽  
System Responsiveness ◽  
Government Responsiveness

A subset of citizens in a democratic system directly test their political self-efficacy by petitioning government for assistance of one kind or another. Drawing on survey data gathered in India in 1967, this investigation focuses on the consequences of success or failure for perceived self-efficacy and for perceived government responsiveness. The analysis demonstrates that (1) successful petitioners come to enjoy a somewhat enhanced sense of self-efficacy but do not view government as particularly responsive, (2) unsuccessful petitioners do not see themselves as inefficacious but—possibly instead—do see government responsiveness in distinctly negative terms, and, (3) the kind of evidence that can help sustain a positive sense of self-efficacy will not suffice to undergird a belief in system responsiveness.

Self-Concepts of Low-Income Older Women: Not Old or Poor, but Fortunate and Blessed

1997 ◽  
Vol 44 (4) ◽  
pp. 269-282 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amanda Smith Barusch
Keyword(s):  
Older Women ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Successful Aging ◽  
Sense Of Self ◽  
Significant Component ◽  
Positive Sense

This article examines the extent to which low-income older women define themselves in stigmatizing terms, then explores the strategies they use to preserve a positive sense of self. Instead of considering themselves “old” or “poor,” the sixty-two women interviewed defined themselves as “fortunate” and/or “blessed.” The ability to see oneself as fortunate may be a significant component of successful aging.

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