THE EMERGENCE OF EXISTENTIAL EXPERIENCES: THE IMPACT OF THE PANDEMIC ON KAZAKHSTANIS

The consequences of the pandemic caused by the spread of the COVID-19 virus have led to existential concerns. As a result, the human race, realizing the brevity of life, began to pay attention to existential issues. In order to identify this problem, a survey was conducted as part of the research project “The Emergence of Existential Experiences in the Worldview of Kazakhstanis in Connection with the Pandemic”. This is a way to take an empirical view of human existential considerations in order to conduct a deep epistemological and axiological analysis of the meaning and content of human life during a pandemic. The abstract presents the existential reflections of modern people, based on the results of the survey. Thus, the relevance of the study of the problem of a person and the meaning of his life appears as a need, which is significant not only in social but in personal terms as well.

Reading Memories in the Drizzle

This vignette presents Yu Hua´s novel from 1991 and analyses two different interpretations of the novel with fifteen years between them written by the same prominent critic, Chen Xiaoming. The first interpretation was written in 1992 when China was in the early stages of economic reform. The second was written in 2007 when deep-going social changes had affected the life of the individual. By comparing these two essays, I aim to show how a literary text may act as a catalyst for bringing out existential issues at stake at a particular point in time.

Qualitative study of GPs’ views and experiences of population-based preconception expanded carrier screening in the Netherlands: bioethical perspectives

ObjectiveBetween 2016 and 2017, a population-based preconception expanded carrier screening (PECS) test was developed in the Netherlands during a pilot study. It was subsequently made possible in mid-2018 for couples to ask to have such a PECS test from specially trained general practitioners (GPs). Research has described GPs as crucial in offering PECS tests, but little is known about the GPs’ views on PECS and their experiences of providing this test. This article presents a thematic analysis of the PECS practice from the perspective of GPs and a bioethical discussion of the empirical results.DesignEmpirical bioethics. A thematic analysis of qualitative semi-structured interviews was conducted, and is combined with an ethical/philosophical discussion.SettingThe Netherlands.Participants7 Dutch GPs in the Netherlands, interviewed in 2019–2020.ResultsTwo themes were identified in the thematic analysis: ‘Choice and its complexity’ and ‘PECS as prompting existential concerns’. The empirical bioethics discussion showed that the first theme highlights that several areas coshape the complexity of choice on PECS, and the need for shared relational autonomous decision-making on these areas within the couple. The second theme highlights that it is not possible to analyse the existential issues raised by PECS solely on the level of the couple or family. A societal level must be included, since these levels affect each other. We refer to this as ‘entangled existential genetics’.ConclusionThe empirical bioethical analysis leads us to present two practical implications. These are: (1) training of GPs who are to offer PECS should cover shared relational autonomous decision-making within the couple and (2) more attention should be given to existential issues evoked by genetic considerations, also during the education of GPs and in bioethical discussions around PECS.

The GP’s perceived role and use of language concerning the existential dimension of palliative patients

Background: Palliative patients have to cope with their disease and impending death. Knowing what this means for a patient is crucial for person-centrered care. Although guidelines state it is a GP core task to explore existential issues of palliative patients, this is not standard practice.Aim: Exploring Dutch GPs’ perceived role regarding addressing the existential dimension of palliative patients, and which vocabulary is used.Design and Setting: Qualitative study among Dutch GPs. Participants were recruited by purposive sampling and snowballing, considering gender, working experience and world view.Method: Semi-structured in-depth interviews were performed, transcribed and analysed using content analysis.Results: Seventeen GPs participated. Three themes were identified: Language, Perceived role and Practice. Interviewees generally saw it as their role to pay attention to the existential dimension of their palliative patients. However, not all knew how to define this role, or how to refer patients with existential struggles to a spiritual counsellor. The multidisciplinary Dutch guideline ‘Existential and Spiritual Aspects of Palliative Care’ seemed largely unknown. Interviewees mostly fulfilled their role in an intuitive, pragmatic way. Questions such as “What does it mean for you to be seriously ill?” or “Do you have support from someone or something?” fitted daily practice.Conclusion: This study emphasizes the importance of basic GP education in exploring existential issues. The coexistence of a professionally obliged attention and an intuitive approach seems to be in conflict. We recommend enhancing collaboration between GPs and spiritual counsellors, appropriate training, and implementation of the relevant guideline on well-known platforms.

SOCIETAL AND EXISTENTIAL ISSUES OF AGEING IN CONTEMPORARY FRENCH SOCIETY

This article aims to present an overview of the issues surrounding ageing in contemporary French society. Firstly, it sets out the issues that are at the heart of public policy and that constitute the major current orientations of old age policies. Secondly, it discusses other societal issues that are not considered by public policies. In the third part, it adopts a micro-sociological point of view to look at the existential issues of ageing for people who are getting on in years. Finally, the conclusion provides an opportunity to discuss a fourth issue, which concerns the structuring of research in the Human and Social Sciences on ageing.

Introduction

Disconnection is a research topic that attracts increasing amounts of attention. However, there is a lack of research on how different forms of disconnection are related to the production of space and place. This chapter introduces the volume Disentangling: The Geographies of Digital Disconnection, which gathers 12 chapters from different disciplines. Bringing together key insights from the chapters, this introduction overviews the research terrain and presents an agenda for research into the geographies of digital disconnection. It discusses (1) the power geometries of (dis)connection; (2) the existential issues stemming from digitally entangled lives, and (3) how the ambiguities of (dis)connection are accentuated and exposed in time-spaces of social disruption (e.g., during the COVID-19 pandemic). The chapter also proposes disentangling as a complementary term for contextualizing issues of (dis)connection from a social and spatial perspective. Disentangling is ultimately a matter of rethinking and reworking the entangling force of connective media.

A Tail… Film Metaphors of Bodily Transgressions in Human and Animal World

Andrzej Pitrus writes about films showing the transgression of man towards animality. He is interested in human-animal hybrids, as well as prohibited sexual contacts between representatives of different species. These motifs are present in the cinema, but they are a kind of taboo, a line which filmmakers rarely cross. It turns out, however, that they can effectively problematize fundamental existential issues and more.

Why People Join Groups

The need to belong and to be part of a group is a fundamental part of being human. The exact inspirational force that motivates people to join a group is not agreed upon in the psychological literature. Realistic group conflict theory, the self-esteem hypothesis, uncertainty-identity theory, terror management theory, and sociometer theory each explain the need to belong through distinct perspectives. These five heavily researched theories provide different explanations and predictions for why people join and identify with groups, such as the motivation for completing personal goals, the drive to increase self-esteem, to reduce anxiety surrounding death, to reduce uncertainty, and to seek protection within a group. Across the research on this topic, it is becoming clear that self-uncertainty reduction seems to be a powerful reason for identifying with groups. However, there is no doubt that other reasons may also be involved in the motivation to join groups. For example, existential uncertainty may drive people to affiliate with groups that specifically address existential issues; people may prefer to affiliate with desirable, rather than stigmatized, groups in order to satisfy the basic pursuit of pleasure over pain; and people may affiliate to protect against a wide variety of fears. Further research is needed to fully elucidate why people join groups.

A Portuguese trial using dignity therapy for adults who have a life-threatening disease: Qualitative analysis of generativity documents

Objectives Dignity therapy (DT) is a brief, individualized intervention, which provides terminally ill patients with an opportunity to convey memories, essential disclosures, and prepare a final generativity document. DT addresses psychosocial and existential issues, enhancing a sense of meaning and purpose. Several studies have considered the legacy topics most frequently discussed by patients near the end of life. To date, no Portuguese study has done that analysis. Method We conducted a qualitative analysis of 17 generativity documents derived from a randomized controlled trial (RCT). Inductive content analysis was used to identify emerging themes. Results From the 39 RCT participants receiving DT, 17 gave consent for their generativity document to undergo qualitative analysis. Nine patients were female; mean age of 65 years, with a range from 46 to 79 years. Seven themes emerged: “Significant people and things”; “Remarkable moments”; “Acknowledgments”; “Reflection on the course of life”; “Personal values”; “Messages left to others”; and “Requests and last wishes”. Significance of results Generativity document analysis provides useful information for patients nearing death, including their remarkable life moments and memories, core values, concerns, and wishes for their loved ones. Being conscious of these dominant themes may allow health providers to support humanized and personalized care to vulnerable patients and their families, enhancing how professionals perceive and respond to personhood within the clinical setting.