Getting attached to a classic Mustang. Use, maintenance and the burden of authenticity

This paper investigates the relationships consumers cultivate with mass-market commodities while caring for their authenticity. Drawing on a six-year ethnography of classic Mustang owners communities in France, Switzerland and Belgium, the authors show that, far from being a symbolic value only, or a resource into which people can “invest” in a mechanism of social distinction, authenticity can also appear as a burden that weighs constantly on the relationship between people and things. Indeed, throughout their uses and maintenance, the material integrity of classic Mustangs is of great concern for their owners, who apprehend every breakdown or maintenance intervention as threats that could jeopardize their car's authenticity. For the sake of security, comfort or health, because new regulations come up, or because some original parts are not available anymore, classic Mustangs owners compose with heterogeneous elements, constantlyreshaping both their cars and their concerns for authenticity. The authors draw on Hennion's notion of “attachement” to describe the intimate relationship that grows through these arrangements. The notion particularly helps to grasp the ambivalence of the bonds between people and things: while they get more and more attached to their classic Mustang, owners are getting more and more worried. Moreover, throughout this growing relationship and the recurrent material interventions it draws on, the car does not remain passive. It progressively reveals itself, sometimes surprising its owner. Therefore, not only is authenticity “in the making” in this process, the contours of the thing itself evolve, as well as the knowledge of its owner.

Makna Kata τέλειος Dalam Injil Matius 5:48 Dan Implikasinya Bagi Orang Percaya

Matthew 5:17-48 is part of Jesus' Sermon on the Mount, where it is the deepest reflection of God's law which contrasts sharply with the patterns and teachings of the scribes and Pharisees. This passage concludes with Jesus' mandate to His followers to be perfect as their Father in heaven is perfect (5:48). The word perfect in this text is translated from the Greek word τέλειος which can actually be translated as perfect, complete or mature. The difference in interpretation of the meaning of the word τέλειος has led to several different thoughts and doctrines. In Matthew 5:48's research, the author uses general hermeneutic principles to find the meaning or meaning conveyed by the author to the first reader. This research used the critical historical interpretation method. In addition, the author also uses library research methods, by reading books, journals and investigating books related to the discussion of this scientific work. Based on the description of this scientific work, the authors draw the following conclusions: first, the meaning of the word τέλειος in Matthew 5:48 does not refer to a sinless perfect state, but rather to the meaning of completeness. Second, the example of life for believers is God himself, not others. Third, the command to be perfect like God is not an impossible thing for God's people to do. Fourth, completeness like God can only be experienced if humans have an intimate relationship with God. Fifth, Jesus calls His people to be complete in fellowship. Abstrak: Matius 5:17-48 merupakan bagian dari khotbah Yesus di bukit, dimana isinya merupakan refleksi terdalam terhadap hukum Allah yang sangat kontras dengan pola dan ajaran ahli-ahli Taurat dan orang-orang Farisi. Perikop ini diakhiri dengan amanat Yesus kepada para pengikut-Nya untuk menjadi sempurna sebagaimana Bapa di surga adalah sempurna (5:48). Kata sempurna dalam teks ini diterjemahkan dari kata Yunani τέλειος yang sebenarnya bisa diterjemahkan sebagai sempurna, lengkap atau dewasa. Perbedaan tafsir akan makna kata τέλειος ini kemudian memunculkan beberapa pemikiran dan doktrin yang berbeda-beda. Dalam penelitian Matius 5:48 ini penulis menggunakan prinsip-prinsip umum hermeneutik guna mencari makna atau maksud yang disampaikan penulis kepada pembaca pertama. Metode tafsir yang digunakan adalah metode tafsir historis kritis. Selain itu penulis juga menggunakan metode penelitian kepustakaan atau library research, dengan membaca buku-buku, jurnal-jurnal dan menyelidiki kitab yang berkaitan dengan bahasan karya ilmiah ini. Berdasarkan hasil uraian dari karya ilmiah ini, penulis menarik kesimpulan sebagai berikut: pertama, makna kata τέλειος dalam Matius 5:48 tidak menunjuk pada keadaan sempurna yang tanpa dosa, melainkan pada arti kelengkapan. Kedua, keteladanan hidup bagi orang percaya adalah Allah sendiri, bukan orang lain. Ketiga, perintah untuk menjadi sempurna seperti Allah bukanlah suatu hal yang mustahil untuk dilakukan umat Allah. Keempat, kelengkapan seperti Allah hanya dapat dialami jika manusia memiliki hubungan yang intim dengan Allah. Kelima, Yesus memanggil umat-Nya untuk menjadi lengkap di dalam persekutuan.

The social definition of love and its role in maintaining and intimate relationship. Typology of attitudes towards love

The goal of this paper is to increase knowledge about the social definition of love in the context of an intimate relationship. The empirical material analyzed comes from Focus Group Interviews, Bulletin Board Discussions online, and representative research conducted using the CAWI method. The research was an exploratory study, and the analyzed material presents one thematic area concerning how participants understand love and the importance they attribute to it in the duration of an intimate relationship. The first part of the paper will present thematic areas related to the attempt to understand what love is that were indicated by the respondents at the stage of qualitative research. The second part of the article will present the typology of attitudes towards love on the basis of the analysis of data derived from quantitative research. The following types were distinguished: optimists in love, waiting for love, rationalists in love, distanced from love.

Kołysanka jak terapia w relacji matki z córką. O powieści „Widziane z drugiej strony” Ken Bugul

The aim of this article is to present the lullaby as a special song based on the intimate relationship between a mother and a daughter in the artistic works of a Senegalese writer, Ken Bugul. An analysis of the novel De l’autre côté du regard is preceded by a short introduction that explains the concept of a lullaby and presents its functions. The author of this article attempts to show how the lullaby can influence the relationship between the main character and her mother, showing the therapeutic role of the song.

The Intimate Relationship Experiences of Women Engaged in Transactional Sex Work in Barbados

This phenomenological study, consisting of individual interviews with a sample of 30 women engaged in sex work, examines the intimate relationships of women engaged in sex work in Barbados. Participants often entered relationships with men they met while engaged in sex work. Most experienced relationships that became transactional, abusive, and exploitative. Intimate partner violence (IPV) challenged their ability to negotiate condom use with intimate partners placing them at risk for HIV. A cycle emerged of entering relationships to exit the violent conditions of sex work and then re-entering sex work to escape IPV. Implications for mental health, HIV prevention, IPV, and empowerment services are described.

Perception of Youth Towards Live-In Relationships in India

“A live-in relationship is an arrangement where two unmarried people live together on a long-term basis in an emotionally or sexually intimate relationship” (Gopal, n.d.). Live-in relationships have seen a remarkable rise in the Indian society in the past decade. This rise can be attributed to the changing perception of youth towards live-in relationships, the need to test compatibility before marriage or to establish financial security before marriage. This paper aims to study the current attitude of Indian youth towards heterosexual cohabitation, popularly known as live-in relationships. This paper has tried to understand whether gender-based differences play an important role in the formation of attitudes towards live-in relationships, whether live-in relationships have become a presumption for marriage and if it has taken precedence over the institution of marriage. I constructed a questionnaire to assess the current attitude of youth towards live-in relationships and used the survey method to collect data. According to the results, it can be said that gender-based differences play an important role in the formation of attitudes towards live-in relationships. Although live-in relationships help in assessing compatibility before marriage, it has not become a presumption for marriage, so it would be incorrect to say that live-in relationships have become a testing ground for marriage. The results also indicate that live-in relationships have not taken precedence over marriage.

Measuring and Predicting Maturity to Parenthood: What Has Personality Got to Do with It?

Maturity to parenthood is essential for taking on parental roles but remains an understudied issue. Still, close relations between maturity and personality dimensions are commonly emphasized. Thus, conducting research on maturity in context of personality seems a valuable research direction. The present research consists of two studies, focusing on the development and validation of Maturity to Parenthood Scale (MPS), in relation to personality, emotional regulation, coping with challenges, and intimate relationship satisfaction. In both studies, childless adults aged 20–35 years took part: (1) 718 participants (Mage = 25.49; SD = 2.89; 479 women), (2) 150 participants (Mage = 23.69; SD = 3.15; 104 women). All the participants had been in an intimate relationship for at least six months at the time of the study, the majority declared their willingness to have children in the future, had higher education, and were professionally active. The results showed that MPS is a reliable, valid measure comprising the following three subscales: valence, behavioral, and cognitive–emotional maturity to parenthood. The findings also confirmed the importance of broad- and narrow-band individual differences and contextual factors for maturity. MPS may be used in psychoeducation, supporting the transition to biological or adoptive/foster parenthood, as well as in medical and psychological care.

Genetic variation is predominantly structured by geography rather than host in feather mites (Acariformes: Sarcoptiformes) associated with tanagers (Aves: Thraupidae) in Brazil

Feather mites are the most common ectosymbionts on birds. These obligatory symbionts are mainly transmitted during their host’s parental care, which creates high host specificity. Due to this intimate relationship, it is thought that their geographic distribution is restricted by their host distribution, or that a host species harbors the same mite composition across its whole range. However, our knowledge regarding the geographic distribution of feather mites remains scarce, with only a few studies indicating disconnections between mite and host distributions, especially in widespread hosts. Here, we investigate the feather mites distribution on four tanager species, three widespread – Thraupis sayaca (L.), T. palmarum (Wied), and Stilpnia cayana (L.) from Northern and Southern Brazil; and the Amazonian T. episcopus (L.). Feather mites were identified using the molecular barcode marker COX-1 using K2P genetic distances. We found a strong genetic structure between Northern and Southern populations of tanagers of more than 10%, even among conspecific hosts. Therefore, the mite distribution on Brazilian tanagers is predominantly shaped by geography rather than by host species. These features in turn reflect historical horizontal transmissions among the hosts, suggesting a high potential for frequent host switches in these symbionts.