Drawgasms: Playing with expectations and experiences of pleasure through multimodal accounts

Drawing on a study consisting of 29 multimodal accounts of orgasms, we make visible processes, emotions, and notions of playfulness that highlight the critical role of orgasms in transcending the fleeting distinction between reality and play. As sexual pleasure does not necessarily result from experiencing an orgasm, our data also reveals how playful strategies are enacted in order to mitigate ambiguity and societal norms. Instead of seeing the orgasm as a physiological or psychological change in an individual or as an epitome of “good” sex, the multimodal accounts employed in the study reveal attitudes, assumptions, and expectations related to playful pleasure.

Performance and Modernity

How do ideas take shape? How do concepts emerge into form? This book argues that they take shape quite literally in the human body, often appearing on stage in new styles of performance. Focusing on the historical period of modernity, Performance and Modernity: Enacting Change on the Globalizing Stage demonstrates how the unforeseen impact of economic, industrial, political, social, and psychological change was registered in bodily metaphors that took shape on stage. In new styles of performance-acting, dance, music, pageantry, avant-garde provocations, film, video and networked media-this book finds fresh evidence for how modernity has been understood and lived, both by stage actors, who, in modelling new habits, gave emerging experiences an epistemological shape, and by their audiences, who, in borrowing the strategies performers enacted, learned to adapt to a modernizing world.

From Isolation to Connection: Empathy, Prosocial Behavior, and Posttraumatic Growth After Pregnancy Loss

The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between prosocial behaviors, empathy, and positive psychological change in women who have experienced pregnancy loss. Women who had experienced miscarriage or stillbirth ( n = 291) were recruited via social media and completed an online survey that assessed their engagement in in-person or online prosocial behavior, empathy, and posttraumatic growth (PTG). Loss context factors and demographics were also collected. The results indicated that women who engage in in-person prosocial behavior, such as volunteering, report higher levels of PTG compared to those who do not volunteer at all or only volunteer online. A weak positive relationship was found between PTG and empathy. Findings suggest that encouraging clients to engage in in-person volunteering may foster their experience of growth. Future research is needed to further explore the timing of the volunteering in relation to PTG as well as empathy and PTG.

The material difference in human cognition

Humans leverage material forms for unique cognitive purposes: We recruit and incorporate them into our cognitive system, exploit them to accumulate and distribute cognitive effort, and use them to recreate phenotypic change in new individuals and generations. These purposes are exemplified by writing, a relatively recent tool that has become highly adept at eliciting specific psychological and behavioral responses in its users, capability it achieved by changing in ways that facilitated, accumulated, and distributed incremental behavioral and psychological change between individuals and generations. Writing is described here as a self-organizing system whose design features reflect points of maximal usefulness that emerged under sustained collective use of the tool. Such self-organization may hold insights applicable to human cognitive evolution and tool use more generally. Accordingly, this article examines the emergence of the ability to leverage material forms for cognitive purposes, using the tool-using behaviors and lithic technologies of ancestral species and contemporary non-human primates as proxies for matters like collective use, generational sustainment, and the nonteleological emergence of design features.

The Remission of Social Anxiety Disorder After Trauma: A Case Report of Posttraumatic Growth?

Posttraumatic growth (PTG) describes positive psychological change and improvement beyond one's previous functioning. It manifests as a change of self-perception, improvement in the relationship with others, and a better outlook on life. Despite consistent literature on the occurrence of PTG in healthy subjects, there is still a dearth of studies in people with pre-existing mental disorders, especially anxiety disorders. We report the case of a patient previously diagnosed with social anxiety disorder (SAD), whose symptoms remitted, and life view improved after a traumatic event, illustrating a case of PTG. The trauma shattered the patient's previous belief system, allowing the emergence of a new cognitive schema. Although PTG and symptom remission do not necessarily correspond to the same construct, we believe that these phenomena were related to each other in this case, probably because of a notable change in our patient's underlying belief system.

1264 A Cross-Sectional Study of Psychological Expectations of Orthognathic Surgery Patients Based on Their Typology

Aim Orthognathic surgery corrects craniofacial deformity which compromises breathing or masticatory function. Patients typology influences their expectations for physical and psychological transformation before and after surgery and is an emerging area of research. This study aims to evaluate: 1) subjective expectations and/or perceived outcomes and 2) whether orthognathic surgery meets patients’ expectations. Method A questionnaire-based cross-sectional survey was administered pre- and post-operatively. Patients were classified according to typology, namely metamorphosizers - patients with high expectation of psychological and physical changes, evolvers - opposite of metamorphosizers, pragmatists - low expectation of psychological and high expectation of physical changes, and shedders - opposite of pragmatists. A chi-square test was used to examine whether orthognathic surgery met patients’ expectations. Results A total of 27 patients consisting of 19 pre-operative and 8 post-operative completed the survey over an 11-month study period (females = 11; males = 16; mean age= 22.5 years; range = 17-52). Typologically, metamorphosizers dominated, 48%, followed by shedders, 30%, evolvers, 13% and pragmatists, 9%. This indicates that most patients, 78% (metamorphosizers and shedders) had high expectations of psychological change pre-operatively [X2 (2, N = 90) = 43.9, p < .0001)] and perceptions of psychological change post-operatively [X2 (2, N = 90) = 48.8, p < .0001)]. Conclusions Most patients in this study anticipated and perceived psychological changes after orthognathic surgery. Understanding patient typology may help the orthognathic surgeon understand, address and improve post-operative psychological outcomes in their patients.

PENGARUH AKTIFITAS FISIK DAN CEMAS TERHADAP AKTIVITAS SEKSUAL PADA IBU MENOPAUSE DI KECAMATAN MUARA DUA KOTA LHOKSEUMAWE

The decline as the effect of menopause will cause the decline in various body system, including the decline in mothers’ sexuality. It can happen when there are physical change, psychological change, the lack of information and knowledge of the change in mothers, and people’s negative perception on sexuality in old age. The objective of the research was to analyze factors physical activit, and apprehensiveness, which influenced sexual activity of menopause mothers in Muara Dua Subdistrict, Lhokseumawe. The research used observational method with cross sectional design. The population was all menopause mothers who still had spouses and lived in Muara Dua Subdistrict, and 82 of them were used as the samples. The data were analyzed by using univatriate analysis, bivatriate analysis. The result of the research showed that of 82 respondents, 56.1% of them were not sexually active. The result of chi square statistic test showed that the variables of physical activities and apprehensiveness (p < 0.001). It is recommended that menopause mothers should keep the health and bodies fresh, decrease physical activities by cooperating with families, especially husbands and should be willing to tell about sexuality in the menopause period to decrease apprehensiveness. Mothers and their husbands should have good perception on sexual activity during menopause so that they can increase their sexual life during menopause. Abstrak Kemunduran akibat masa menopause akan membawa dampak pada penurunan berbagai sistim tubuh termasuk penurunan seksualitas ibu. Penurunan seksualitas pada ibu menopause dapat terjadi karena adanya perubahan pada fisik. Jenis penelitian adalah observasional dengan pendekatan Cross-sectional. Penelitian ini bertujuan menganalisis hubungan aktivitas fisik dan cemas terhadap aktivitas seksual pada ibu menopause. Populasi pada penelitian ini adalah semua ibu menopause yang ada di kecamatan Muara Dua sebanyak 544 orang. Sampel dalam penelitian ini diambil berdasarkan rumus Lameshow dengan jumlah sampel 82 orang. Analisis data menggunakan analisis univariat, analisis bivariat dengan uji Chi-squre. Hasil penelitian dengan uji Chi-square menunjukkan hasil bahwa aktivitas fisik dan cemas sangat berpengaruh terhadap aktivitas seksual yaitu (p < 0,001). Disarankan kepada tenaga kesehatan terutama bidan dan perawat yang bertugas di Puskesmas terutama saat kegiatan di luar gedung agar dapat melakukan komunikasi, memberikan informasi dan edukasi terutama tentang aktivitas seksualitas masa menopause.

Post-Traumatic Growth Experiences among COVID-19 Confirmed Cases in China: A Qualitative Study

COVID-19 infection can cause psychological distress and profoundly impact patients’ lives, but it can also lead to positive changes and post-traumatic growth (PTG), or positive psychological change in response to challenging life circumstances. Current research on the influence of COVID-19 infection has mainly focused on its negative effects. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate whether patients with COVID-19 in China experienced PTG and, if so, what changed for them during the process of PTG. We used a qualitative descriptive approach to conduct this study. Using the purposive sampling recruitment method, patients with a confirmed COVID-19 diagnosis were recruited from a COVID-19 designated hospital in Shanghai, China, from April to July 2020. Data were collected using semi-structured, in-depth interviews conducted via cell phone or in person while social distancing to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Forty confirmed COVID-19 patients (19–68 years old) were recruited. Several prominent themes and subthemes were extracted from the interview responses regarding participants’ experiences of PTG. The following are among the positive changesthat occurred for these participants after their diagnosis of COVID-19: (1) Reevaluation of their life priorities, which included a greater appreciation of being alive and re-evaluating their values and goals, (2) Improved relationships within their social circles, which included establishing or maintaining closer relationships with family and friends and a greater willingness to help others, and (3) Perceived changes regarding themselves, which included personal growth and increased awareness of the importance of their health. The study identified potential positive impacts of COVID-19 on patients, which could be helpful in the implementation of interventions to facilitate PTG among COVID-19 survivors.

The power transfer dynamics of preferential role positioning during organizational change

Purpose This paper aims to review the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoint practical implications from cutting-edge research and case studies. Design/methodology/approach This briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments and places the articles in context. Findings This research paper determines the impact of employee preferences during organizational change exercises. The UK SME results show how psychological change journeys can be divided into three progressive stages. Firstly, establishing new structures and procedures; secondly, implementing new ways of communicating; and thirdly, experiencing new collaborations. The equalizing concept of preferential role positioning proved to be powerful in giving employees an authoritative, collective change agent voice. This proved more effective – in shaping and progressing a change program's discourse and its policies – than any management attempts to silence employees through disciplinary processes. Originality/value The briefing saves busy executives and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy-to-digest format.

Part 2: exploring views from fathers and perinatal practitioners on the inclusion of fathers by perinatal services

Background This is the second of a two-part series exploring father's inclusion in the perinatal years. The first paper was published in volume 29, issue 4 of the British Journal of Midwifery. This paper explores the results of the study and discussion in relation to previous literature and to professional practice. Positive father involvement during the perinatal period has important implications for families. However, previous research suggests that fathers experience marginalisation, while staff report a lack of training and time for engaging fathers. Aims This study explored fathers' and perinatal professionals' experiences of fathers' involvement during the perinatal period, and ideas for paternal support. Method A Delphi method was employed. Thematic analysis from focus groups informed an online survey which was completed by 24 fathers and 22 professionals. A third-round survey finalised group consensus. Results Both groups agreed on the importance of fathers. Participants suggested improvement ideas, such as supporting fathers with psychological change. Groups disagreed on some ideas, such as fathers receiving a session alone to discuss concerns. Discussion The findings support the inclusion of fathers in perinatal services and a focus on the whole family system. Limitations of this study include low participant diversity and possible selection bias. Implications for further research are discussed.