bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Neuroscience Applications in Financial Markets
Authors: Falsarone Alessia
Published: February 2018

The 2007-2008 Global Financial Crisis provided strong evidence of social dynamics in global financial markets which challenge basic rationality of independent decision makers when choices invoke short term trade-offs as opposed to sustainable long term socio-economic value creation and its ethical implications. Individual market participants are drawn into a Darwinian review of today's decision making environment in which they are called to make choices under systemic uncertainty. Sophisticated visualization tools from fMRI to PET scans allow for brain functions and decision making behaviors to be analyzed in an evolutionary context. From the theory of bounded rationality to its modern critiques by behavioralists, this chapter investigates how social learning may be at its best right at this moment, when ambiguity and known unknowns are extensive and expected utility frameworks are being replaced by local optima findings and “good enough” solutions.
Knowledge Retention in Smaller Firms
Authors: Durst Susanne , Bruns Guido , Edvardsson Ingi Runar
Published: February 2018

In environments that are characterized by skill shortage, knowledge retention should be a key activity. Our understanding of this knowledge practice, however, is underdeveloped. The purpose of this chapter is to contribute to the further development of this field. The authors are interested in studying how smaller firms approach the retention of critical knowledge. Semi-structured interviews with organization members of five smaller Austrian firms operating in the building and construction industry were conducted. The findings presented in this chapter advance the limited understanding of knowledge retention in general and regarding smaller businesses. They also contribute to the further development of the study of knowledge management in the building and construction sector. Based on the study's findings, suitable measures to better manage the process of knowledge retention in smaller firms are derived. These measures may be useful for smaller firms operating in similar industries as well.
Evaluating Latina Retention
Authors: Neimann Theresa
Published: February 2018

Latinas are undereducated in rural community colleges. This chapter identifies the positive factors enhancing the college experience for Latinas in rural community colleges. To assess the college going experiences of Latinas attending a rural community college, and note if these experiences conform to or negate Chicana Feminist Theory, one rural community college in Oregon randomly selected 10 Latinas between the ages of 18 and 35 who took at least two terms of credit-bearing classes. Data was analyzed from interview recordings, and responses were transcribed based on a narrative analysis transcription protocol. The major findings were developed relying upon the theoretical framework of Chicana Feminist Theory. Significant themes emerging from this study related to positive factors that enhance retention including social integration and motivational factors to attend a rural community college. The retention of Latinas must embrace change and build on positive changes in the academy such as serving students' needs expressed in intentional opportunities for academic and social engagement and better access to financial and childcare resources.
Enactive Nature of Scholarship and e2TPR
Authors: Demiroz Erdem , Demiroz Emine
Published: February 2018

Enactivism is one of the emerging theories in cognitive science. This theory focuses on activity and active participation of agents in cognitive development processes. Scholarship, on the other hand, is also active and dynamic by its very nature. Therefore, it can be claimed that dynamic nature of scholarship should overlap with enactive nature of cognitive development for better learning experiences. In this respect, the active nature of scholarship is analyzed through lenses of ecumenical enactivism under the scope of this chapter. The chapter also focuses on ecumenical natural learning approach, which is built on ecumenical enactivism, and discusses why some teaching methods yield better learning outcomes than others in educational contexts. In this regard, discussions focus on total physical response (TPR), a method used in second language teaching, and ecumenical enactivist TPR (e2TPR), which integrate the active nature of cognitive development with the dynamic nature of knowledge.
A Transformational Leadership Platform in Community Colleges in Jamaica
Authors: Haughton Keishia W.
Published: February 2018

It is important to determine the relevance of the theory of transformational leadership and the way college leaders motivate their subordinates in community colleges in Jamaica. This chapter examines the impact of gender differences, empowerment, power, and trust on subordinates' motivation. Subordinates and their leaders employed by community colleges in Jamaica were the population for the study. The researcher compared data collected from these individuals using the multifactor leaders questionnaire (MLQ). The researcher analyzed data to test hypotheses and describe trends. The purpose of this chapter is to provide readers, organizational leaders, and future researchers with empirical evidence of the relationship between transformational leadership and subordinates' motivation. The results of this chapter highlight the importance of transformational leadership to the motivation of subordinates. Findings and conclusions also explain the impact of contemporary leadership issues prevalent in the twenty-first century, particularly employee empowerment and gender differences in leadership. There was no difference between male and female leaders in terms of their influence in motivating subordinates in Jamaican colleges. There was a significant difference between empowered and non-empowered subordinates in terms of their levels of motivation in Jamaican colleges. There was no difference between power sources of male and female leaders when motivating subordinates in Jamaican colleges. Finally, there was a significant difference between leaders who inspire trust and those who do not in motivating subordinates in Jamaican colleges.
Evaluating Latina Retention
Authors: Neimann Theresa
Published: February 2018

This chapter explores issues and challenges Latinas face in remote-rural communities and identified key recommendations that are essential in order for Latinas to be successful in remote-rural community colleges. Ten Latina undergraduates who finished at least two terms of three credit-bearing class in a rural community college were the subjects of this qualitative study. The term Latina in this study refers to a female of Mexican, Puerto Rican, Cuban, South or Central American, or other Spanish culture or origin, regardless of race. The participants named in this study are females regardless of how they self-identify ethnically who have ancestry from either of these countries.
SmartNotify
Authors: Li Longzhuang , Katangur Ajay K. , Karuturi Naga Nandini
Published: February 2018

This article describes how it is impractical for a person to remember everything that they do on a day-to-day basis. To address this issue, an android location based reminder system (SmartNotify) that function on users' activities and points of interest are developed. SmartNotify automatically updates preferences of the user based on location behavior on a daily basis using validation from the stay detection algorithm. In addition, SmartNotify provides suggestions for the best locations that people visit frequently in the nearby area by making use of the DBSCAN algorithm and the Apriori algorithm. The utilization of data mining techniques in the android application makes the reminder application more efficient than the traditional way of notifying the user about their events.
Mobile Commerce Adoption From Consumers Perspective
Authors: Al-Dwairi Radwan Moh'd , Al-Shraideh Laith M.K. , Abu-Shanab Emad A.
Published: February 2018

In response, to little research focused on how Jordanians perceive and respond to m-commerce and the main factors that govern its adoption and use, this article proposes a conceptual model that extends the technology acceptance model (TAM) with important factors related to consumers and companies like perceived trust, perceived security, subjective norms and service quality. The proposed model was validated and then tested utilizing a sample of 200 students. Results indicate that a perceived ease of use, a perceived usefulness and service quality are the major drivers of m-commerce adoption among Jordanian users. In contrast perceived trust, perceived security, and subjective norms are not significant toward the adoption process. A detailed analysis and results follows this article.
Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) Implementation
Authors: Yoon Tom , Jeong Bong-Keun
Published: February 2018

Using a multiple case studies and surveys, this article finds that factors essential to successful Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) implementations include establishing effective SOA governance, establishing SOA registries, starting with a small project, collaboration between business and IT units, strengthening trust among business units, and training. This article also explores business and IT motivations for SOA implementation and the benefits realized from this implementation. The findings from this article can provide a guidance for practitioners on the successful implementation of SOA.
A Model to Reduce the Risk of Projects Guided by the Knowledge Management Process
Authors: Brahami Menaouer , Matta Nada
Published: February 2018

Knowledge plays a key role in the information revolution. Major challenges are to select the information from numerous sources and transform it into useful knowledge. In this context and in an economy strongly focused on the “Knowledge”, take the turn of knowledge management becomes a strategic issue for the survival of organizations. However, the research in knowledge management focuses mainly on the creation, capitalization, and knowledge transfer process. Researchers are centered on the establishment of the knowledge management process in companies, but little about interaction between the knowledge management process and the risk management process. In this article, the authors propose a new model to reduce the risk of projects guided by the knowledge management process represented by the GAMETH method. They apply their approach to ammonia industry presented by the FERTIAL (Algerian-Spanish company).
Ethical Audit of Prosperity Gospel
Authors: Essien Essien D.
Published: February 2018

Emerging manifestations in contemporary studies regarding Pentecostal spirituality in Africa reveals two dramatic findings for scholarship. First, success in the Christian world is defined by prosperity gospel replete with economic message that wealth is a sign of God's blessing and a compensation for prayer as well as “sowing of seed”. Second, the notion of an abundant God and the propensity to claim innocence of any motive other than fulfilling God's will for human beings. Drawing upon an extensive contemporary research on prosperity doctrine and based on content analysis, this article examines prosperity teachings and claims and identifies ethical issues that relate to the doctrine. Findings reveals that though prosperity preachers use Bible to support their claims, prosperity gospel does not surmount social misery, poverty and corruption, rather, it entrenches the ills as exemplified in excessive incomes, lavish and flamboyant lifestyles of church leaders at the expense of impoverished church members.
The penetration of methanol into bovine cardiac and hepatic tissues is faster than ethanol and formalin
Authors: Steicke Michelle , Yang Guang , Dinh Tam Nguyen , Dunster-Jones Matthew , Sargisson Owen , Ahmady Farah , Golledge Jonathan , Wang Yutang
Published: February 2018

Methanol, ethanol and formalin are commonly used as fixatives to preserve biological tissues from decay in the preparation of histological sections. Fixation of the inner layers of the tissue depends on the ability of the fixative to diffuse into the tissue. It is unknown whether methanol penetrates tissues at similar rates to other fixatives. This study aimed to compare the penetration rates of methanol, ethanol and formalin into bovine heart and liver tissues. The penetration distance and tissue shrinkage or expansion were measured by analysing the digital images of tissue before and after immersion in different fixatives for 1, 2, 6 or 10 h. Data were analysed using two-way ANOVA, followed by Bonferroni’s post-hoc test. The penetration distance of methanol was significantly greater in both heart and liver tissues compared with that of ethanol (N=4, P<0.001). Methanol or ethanol immersion led to similar shrinkage of both tissues (P>0.05). The penetration rate of formalin was similar to that of ethanol in both tissues however it was significantly slower than methanol (N=4, P<0.005 in the heart; P<0.001 in the liver). The mean penetration coefficients of methanol, formalin and ethanol in the heart tissue were 2.609, 1.994 and 1.801, respectively, and 3.012, 2.153 and 2.113, respectively, in the liver tissue. The penetration coefficient of methanol was significantly greater than that of ethanol or formalin in both tissues (P<0.001 for each comparison). In conclusion, methanol penetrates tissue significantly faster than ethanol and formalin.
The Green Ocean: Precipitation Insights from the GoAmazon2014/5 Experiment
Authors: Wang Die , Giangrande Scott E. , Bartholomew Mary Jane , Hardin Joseph , Feng Zhe , Thalman Ryan , Machado Luiz A.
Published: February 2018

Abstract. This study summarizes the precipitation properties collected during the GoAmazon2014/5 campaign near Manaus in central Amazonia, Brazil. Precipitation breakdowns, summary radar rainfall relationships and self-consistency concepts from a coupled disdrometer and radar wind profiler measurements are presented. The properties of Amazon cumulus and associated stratiform precipitation are discussed, including segregations according to seasonal (Wet/Dry regime) variability, cloud echo-top height and possible aerosol influences on the apparent oceanic characteristics of the precipitation drop size distributions. Overall, we observe that the Amazon precipitation straddles behaviors found during previous U.S. Department of Energy Atmospheric Radiation Measurements program (ARM) tropical deployments, with distributions favoring higher concentrations of smaller drops than ARM continental examples. Oceanic type precipitation characteristics are predominantly observed during the Amazon Wet seasons. An exploration of the controls on Wet season precipitation properties reveals that wind direction, as compared with other standard radiosonde thermodynamic parameters or aerosol count/regime classifications performed at the ARM site, provides a good indicator for those Wet season Amazon events having an oceanic character for their precipitation drop size distributions.
On heating of solar wind protons by the breaking of large amplitude Alfvén waves
Authors: Comişel Horia , Nariyuki Yasuhiro , Narita Yasuhito , Motschmann Uwe
Published: February 2018

Abstract. By means of hybrid simulations, we present a study on plasma heating by the field-aligned parametric decay of a monochromatic left-handed polarized Alfven wave. Simultaneous multidimensional comparisons of the wave modes and proton kinetics suggest that parametric decay of Alfven waves and pitch angle scattering of solar wind protons are interrelated. Parametric decay mechanism yields counter-propagating Alfven waves that can shape and broaden via pitch angle scattering mechanism both the sunward and antisunward sides of the proton velocity distribution functions in agreement with in situ measurements of fast stream solar wind plasmas.
Glacial Inception on Baffin Island: The Interaction of Ice Flow and
Meteorology
Authors: Birch Leah , Cronin Timothy , Tziperman Eli
Published: February 2018

Abstract. Over the past 0.8 million years, 100 kyr ice ages have dominated Earth's climate with geological evidence suggesting the last glacial inception began in the mountains of Baffin Island. Currently, state-of-the-art global climate models (GCMs) have difficulty simulating glacial inception, possibly due in part to their coarse horizontal resolution and the neglect of ice flow dynamics in some models. We attempt to address the initial inception problem on Baffin Island by asynchronously coupling the Weather Research and Forecast model (WRF), configured as a high resolution inner domain over Baffin and an outer domain incorporating much of North America, to an ice flow model using the shallow ice approximation. The mass balance is calculated from WRF simulations, and used to drive the ice model, which updates the ice extent and elevation, that then serve as inputs to the next WRF run. We drive the regional WRF configuration using atmospheric boundary conditions from 1986 that correspond to a relatively cold summer, and with 115 kya insolation. Initially, ice accumulates on mountain glaciers, driving downslope ice flow which expands the size of the ice caps. However, continued iterations of the atmosphere and ice models reveal a stagnation of the ice sheet on Baffin Island, driven by melting due to warmer temperatures at the margins of the ice caps. This warming is caused by changes in the larger-scale circulation that are forced by elevation changes due to the ice growth. A stabilizing feedback between ice elevation and atmospheric circulation thus prevents full inception from occurring.
A lattice grain model of hillslope evolution
Authors: Tucker Gregory E. , McCoy Scott W. , Hobley Daniel E. J.
Published: February 2018

Abstract. This paper describes and explores a new continuous-time stochastic cellular automaton model of hillslope evolution. The Grain Hill model provides a computational framework with which to study slope forms that arise from stochastic disturbance and rock weathering events. The model operates on a hexagonal lattice, with cell states representing fluid, rock, and grain aggregates that are either stationary or in a state of motion in one of the six cardinal lattice directions. The model can reproduce a range of common slope forms, from fully soil mantled to rocky or partially mantled, and from convex-upward to planar shapes. An optional additional state represents large blocks that cannot be displaced upward by disturbance events. With the addition of this state, the model captures the morphology of hogbacks, scarps, and similar features. In its simplest form, the model has only three process parameters, which represent disturbance frequency, characteristic disturbance depth, and baselevel lowering rate, respectively. Incorporating physical weathering of rock adds one additional parameter, representing the characteristic rock weathering rate. These parameters are not arbitrary but rather have a direct link with corresponding parameters in continuum theory. Comparison between observed and modeled slope forms demonstrates that the model can reproduce both the shape and scale of real hillslope profiles. Model experiments highlight the importance of regolith cover fraction in governing both the downslope mass transport rate and the rate of physical weathering. Equilibrium rocky hillslope profiles are possible even when the rate of baselevel lowering exceeds the nominal bare-rock weathering rate, because increases in both slope gradient and roughness can allow for rock weathering rates that are greater than the flat-surface maximum. Examples of transient relaxation of steep, rocky slopes predict the formation of a regolith-mantled pediment that migrates headward through time while maintaining a sharp slope break.
High-frequency NO3− isotope (δ15N, δ18O) patterns in groundwater recharge reveal that short-term land use and climatic changes influence nitrate contamination trends
Authors: Suchy Martin , Wassenaar Leonard I. , Graham Gwyn , Zebarth Bernie
Published: February 2018

Abstract. Poultry manure is the primary source of nitrate (NO3−) exceedances in the transboundary Abbotsford-Sumas aquifer (Canada-USA) based on synoptic surveys two decades apart, but serious questions remained about seasonal and spatial aspects of agricultural nitrate fluxes to the aquifer to help better focus remediation efforts. We conducted over 700 monthly δ15N and δ18O of nitrate assays, focusing on newly recharged groundwater (
Morphometric analysis of early Eocene Corbisema skeletons (Silicoflagellata) in Mors, Denmark
Authors: Tsutsui Hideto , Jordan Richard W. , Nishiwaki Niichi , Nishida Shiro
Published: February 2018

Abstract. A two-dimensional morphometric programme, recently designed to measure fossil skeletons of the silicoflagellate genus Corbisema, was used to investigate specimens of the C. apiculata–C. triacantha complex found in a sample from the Fur Formation on the island of Mors, Jutland, Denmark. The semi-automated programme measured the lengths of the basal sides and radial spines, the basal side curvature, and the location of the pikes (if present) from a photographic database (N=469). As a result, two distinct morphological groups were revealed based on their radial spine length : basal side length ratio and the presence or absence of pikes: group A (ratio of 1 : 1.3, no pikes) and group B, with the latter subdivided into B1 (ratio of 1 : 7, with pikes) and B2 (ratio of 1 : 6, no pikes). Group A (C. triacantha sensu lato) possesses a small basal ring with relatively straight basal sides and long radial spines, while group B has a large basal ring with curved basal sides and short radial spines. In B1 specimens (C. apiculata sensu stricto) the pikes are positioned 0 to 1 µm away from the junction point of the strut and basal ring. This would suggest that B1 double skeletons are likely to be in the Star-of-David configuration, while A and B2 double skeletons (which lack pikes) are likely to be in the corner-to-corner configuration. Compared with the previously published biometric studies of extant Stephanocha (Stephanocha speculum complex in the Southern Ocean and S. medianoctisol in the Arctic Ocean), the results are somewhat different: although C. triacantha sensu lato (group A) is similar to the modern species of Stephanocha, the latter have smaller basal ring diameters, whereas specimens of C. apiculata sensu lato (types B1 and B2) have large basal rings. If their cell diameters are calculated, B1 is the largest, with S. speculum being the smallest – about half the size of B1. This could suggest that the relationship between radial spine length and mean basal ring size has shifted over geological time.
Tsunamigenic potential of a Holocene submarine landslide along the North Anatolian Fault (North Aegean Sea, off Thasos Island): insights from numerical modeling
Authors: Janin Alexandre , Rodriguez Mathieu , Sakellariou Dimitris , Lykousis Vasilis , Gorini Christian
Published: February 2018

Abstract. The North Anatolian Fault in the northern Aegean Sea triggers frequent earthquakes of magnitude up to Mw ∼ 7. This seismicity can be a source of modest tsunamis for the surrounding coastlines with less than 50 cm height according to numerical modelling and analysis of tsunami deposits. However, other tsunami sources may be involved, like submarine landslides. We assess the severity of this potential hazard by performing numerical simulations of tsunami generation and propagation from a Holocene landslide (1.85 km3 in volume) identified off Thasos island. We use a model coupling the simulation of the submarine landslide, assimilated to a granular flow, to the propagation of the tsunami wave. The results of these simulations show that a tsunami wave of water height between 1.10 m and 1.65 m reaches the coastline at Alexandroupolis (58.000 inhabitants) one hour after the triggering of the landslide. In the same way, tsunamis waves of water height between 0.80 m and 2.00 m reach the coastline of the Athos peninsula 9 min after the triggering of the landslide. Landslide tsunamis should not be neglected as a potential source of tsunami in the area. Despite numerous earthquakes of Mw > 7 and strong detrital input (on the order of 30 cm ka−1), only a few Holocene landslides have been recognized so far, asking the question of the relationships between seismicity and landslide frequency in the area.
Assessing the tsunami building vulnerability PTVA-3 and PTVA-4 models after the 16S 2015 event in the cities of Coquimbo – La Serena (Chile)
Authors: Fritis Eduardo , Izquierdo Tatiana , Abad Manuel
Published: February 2018

Abstract. Chile is highly exposed to tsunamigenic events, as the one occurred in September 16, 2015; however, it has not been until recent years that land-use policies have begun to be considered. These new regulations must identify the most vulnerable sectors of the Chilean coastal cities. This paper analyses and validates the use of the two latest versions of the PTVA model in the 2015 tsunami scenario in the cities of La Serena and Coquimbo and their potential use in other Chilean cities in future land-use or mitigation measures planning. Both models result in a similar number of very-high and high RVI scores. However, the less vulnerable categories do not show a similar trend and the PTVA-4 model obtains a larger number of minor and average RVI scores. When compare with the damages caused by the tsunami, the PTVA-3 show a more similar distribution to the actual damages than that obtained by the PTVA-4 model that shows a more concentrated distribution of the RVI scores.
Sensitivity analysis with respect to observations in variational data assimilation
Authors: Shutyaev Victor , Le Dimet Francois-Xavier , Parmuzin Eugene
Published: February 2018

Abstract. The problem of variational data assimilation for a nonlinear evolution model is formulated as an optimal control problem to find unknown parameters of the model. The observation data, and hence the optimal solution, may contain uncertainties. A response function is considered as a functional of the optimal solution after assimilation. Based on the second-order adjoint techniques, the sensitivity of the response function to the observation data is studied. The gradient of the response function is related to the solution of a non-standard problem involving the coupled system of direct and adjoint equations. The non-standard problem is studied, based on the Hessian of the original cost function. An algorithm to compute the gradient of the response function with respect to observations is presented. Numerical example is given for variational data assimilation problem related to sea surface temperature for the Baltic Sea thermodynamics model.
Derivation of the entropic formula for the statistical mechanics of space plasmas
Authors: Livadiotis George
Published: February 2018

Abstract. Kappa distributions describe velocities and energies of plasma populations in
space plasmas. The statistical origin of these distributions is associated
with the framework of nonextensive statistical mechanics. Indeed, the kappa
distribution is derived by maximizing the q entropy of Tsallis, under the
constraints of the canonical ensemble. However, the question remains as to
what the physical origin of this entropic formulation is. This paper shows
that the q entropy can be derived by adapting the additivity of energy and
entropy.
The long-term GIA signal at present-day in Scandinavia, northern Europe and the British Isles estimated from GPS and GRACE data
Authors: Simon Karen M. , Riva Riccardo E. M. , Kleinherenbrink Marcel , Frederikse Thomas
Published: February 2018

Abstract. The long-term glacial isostatic adjustment (GIA) signal at present-day is constrained via joint inversion of GPS vertical land motion rates and GRACE gravity data for a region encompassing Scandinavia, northern Europe and the British Isles, and the Barents Sea. The best-fit model for the vertical motion signal has a χ2 value of approximately 1 and a maximum posterior uncertainty of 0.3–0.4 mm/yr. An elastic correction is applied to the vertical land motion rates that accounts for present-day changes to terrestrial hydrology as well as recent mass changes of ice sheets and glaciered regions. Throughout the study area, mass losses from Greenland dominate the elastic vertical signal and combine to give an elastic correction of up to +0.5 mm/yr in central Scandinavia. Neglecting to use an elastic correction may thus introduce a small but persistent bias in model predictions of GIA vertical motion even in central Scandinavia where vertical motion is dominated by long-term GIA. The predicted gravity signal is generally less well-constrained than the vertical signal, in part due to uncertainties associated with the correction for contemporary ice mass loss in Svalbard and the Russian Arctic. The GRACE-derived gravity trend is corrected for present-day ice mass loss using estimates derived from the ICESat and CryoSat missions, although a difference in magnitude between GRACE-inferred and altimetry-inferred regional mass loss rates suggests the possibility of a non-negligible GIA response here either from millennial-scale or Little Ice Age GIA.
Gestalt with Groups: A Cross-Cultural Perspective
Authors: Gaffney Seán,
Published: February 2018

An increasing awareness of cultural differences (rather than the more politically correct “diversity,” which is more related to multicultural societies) is raising issues in many fields concerning the inappropriateness of applying concepts undiluted from one culture to another. Post-colonial sensitivities are part of this dynamic. This article explores some cultural concepts in the context of groups and group work, links this to a Gestalt perspective, and raises issues potentially important to Gestalt therapists, trainers, and OSD consultants working internationally.
Closing Words
Authors: Leibig Anne B.,
Published: February 2018

As a Gestalt therapist I value completing figures. This article reflects on my completion of a twenty-five year Gestalt therapy practice. I reviewed the Gestalt literature as I contemplated my retirement and found helpful concepts. However, I did not find any article that specifically attended to a Gestalt perspective on a therapist retiring. During the year of 2006, as I closed with clients, I kept a journal, recording my observations through my Gestalt lens, as I told my clients that I was retiring. I write to describe one experience of retiring, with the hope that it may resonate with others who are considering retirement or are already there.
Is Oedipus Still Necessary in the Therapeutic Room? Sexuality and Love as Emerging at the Contact-Boundary in a Situational Field
Authors: Lobb Margherita Spagnuolo,
Published: February 2018

While sexuality has been amply studied in psychotherapy as a fact of relationship, and its ethical norms defined, love is a concept which, though taken for granted, proves difficult to define, whether for the therapist or for the patient. I begin by defining first the therapist's, then the patient's love, and go on to set these feelings within the reference framework of the co-created contact-boundary in a given situation. I then explain how the perspective of the contact-boundary implies the surmounting of that pillar of psychodynamic conceptualization that we call the Oedipus complex. In conclusion, in line with Gestalt epistemology, I introduce the concept of the triadic field as an epistemological frame for the experiences of love and sexuality in psychotherapy.
Gestalt Pedagogy – Creativity in Teaching
Authors: Woldt Ansel L.
Published: February 2018

This article begins with a number of personal revelations about the author, heretofore unpublished, which set the stage for his approach to teaching and learning. Most notable among them is the severe closed-head injury he sustained as a child that left him with extensive brain damage and life-long difficulties with memory. In spelling out some of his learning experiences as a teacher, he lays the groundwork for the importance of creativity in the educational process, including ideas about creation and its relation to Gestalt therapy from his graduate students' perspectives. The sections on Gestalt pedagogy elucidate many of the ways he has developed a Gestalt-based learning environment, the importance of experiential learning, and Gestalt's holistic approach that enhances creativity in pedagogical pursuits. The article ends with some of the major pedagogical interventions he has used successfully over the past four decades, which facilitate learning to become a Gestalt therapist from a creative Gestalt therapy perspective.
Gestalt Therapy and Bipolar Disorder
Authors: Baalen Daan van
Published: February 2018

About one in 200 people will suffer from a bipolar episode at some time in their lives. Bipolar disorder is a disorder mostly treated with medication. However, medication alone neither cures the disorder nor prevents relapses. Studies referred to in this article suggest that a combination of medication, psychotherapy, and psychoeducation would improve the course of the illness. Different psychotherapeutic modalities are discussed, as well as psychoeducational treatments. A case description shows how Gestalt therapy can be a relevant psychotherapeutic modality from which clients with a bipolar disorder can benefit. Specific Gestalt therapy interventions are demonstrated and discussed.
Being Present to the Emergent Creation of the Field: Wordsworth, Buber, and Gestalt Therapy
Authors: O'Neill Brian
Published: February 2018

The field perspective in Gestalt therapy remains a rich source of controversy and challenge in outlining and articulating a theory of practice. In teaching Gestalt therapy, particularly the field perspective, it is useful to find examples of the principles that direct and support practice, as well as enhance and expand theory. Latner (2008) presents the field as an inspiring, evocative idea, suggesting that when a term such as field perspective has a “connotative richness,” we can best define it by searching for examples that “speak to us” (p. 27). He offers as an illustration how he is inspired by Dogen, a Zen Buddhist teacher writing a thousand years ago, and how he intuitively understands a field universe through Dogen's work (p. 25). In similar fashion, William Wordsworth (1770–1850) and Martin Buber speak with a connotative richness of emergent creation and paradoxical agency, two principles of field theory recently described in the literature (O'Neill & Gaffney, 2008). This article is an experiment in reaching out for just such connotative richness–an intuitive understanding of emergent creation and paradoxical agency–to find an articulation of these principles in ways that speak to Gestalt practitioners.
A Phenomenologically Based Theory of Personality
Authors: Burley Todd
Published: February 2018

Evaluation of psychotherapy and its application requires a lucid theoretical base. Part of that base must be a clear and testable theory of personality that fits contemporary scholarly criteria. Such a theory must not only must provide a description of personality function but also allow for discrimination that can be descriptive of “pathology.” This article attempts to provide a foundation for a theory of personality which, with reference to the person, is both phenomenologically and process based. The relationship of this theory to current thinking in personality theory is introduced, along with possible applications to psychopathology.
Gestalt Therapy for Patients with Schizophrenia: A Brief Review
Authors: Arnfred Sidse M. H.
Published: February 2018

Originally Gestalt therapy was aimed at neurotic patients and not at patients with major psychosis like schizophrenia. Later Gestalt therapy was modified to suit patients with schizophrenia both as group and individual therapy. The literature is reviewed, briefly concerning how schizophrenia can be understood in terms of Gestalt therapy, and in more detail covering the practical aspects of therapy. The studies cited agree on the importance of training awareness and contact, while there are discrepancies about the use of therapist authority, the engagement in the psychotic world of the patient, and the use of projective experiments.
A Cross-Cultural Exploration of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: Assessment, Diagnosis, Recommended (Gestalt) Treatment
Authors: Perera-Diltz Dilani M. , Laux John M. , Toman Sarah M.
Published: February 2018

Sri Lankans who are of a collectivist culture experience events that precipitate Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), but the literature on existence of PTSD and appropriate treatment for this culture is scarce. The results (n = 438) of the Sinhala version of the Impact of Event Scale-Revised suggest that approximately 50% of those directly impacted and 25% of those indirectly impacted by the 2004 tsunami are exhibiting moderate to severe symptoms. Gestalt therapy techniques – including the Nova model (Young, 1998), finishing unfinished business (Crump, 1984; Cohen, 2003), re-authoring the trauma (Pack, 2008), FREE for Vets (Danish and Antonides, 2009), and therapeutic workshops (Chang, 2005) which may be more appropriate for a collectivist culture – are suggested. Limitations of this study and future directions for research are also presented.
Shame in Organisations
Authors: Bentley Trevor
Published: February 2018

This article explores shame in the context of organisations, and as a field present condition that is always in the background of contact and relationship. The four hypotheses put forward suggest how shame can manifest itself in organisational settings. The article then explores ways of working with shame individually and in the system as a whole.
Inclusive and Exclusive Aggression: Some (Gestalt) Reflections
Authors: Lichtenberg Philip
Published: February 2018

Aggression – the energetic, forceful, protective quality of a person in relation – is differentiated into inclusive aggression and exclusive aggression following Angyal's (1965) conception of universal ambiguity. This paper compares these differently-based aggressions with respect to initiative, assertion, criticism and self-criticism, anger and parenting. It also refers to experiences in being the object of these varying aggressions from others, and being affected by the self-directed aggressions of the other. The aim is to promote inclusive aggression more generally so that citizens are less prone to support wars and engage in violence.
Pain and Beauty
Authors: Staemmler Frank-M.
Published: February 2018

Just like “heaven” and “hell,” the words “beauty” and “pain” designate polar qualities of human experience. However, both of these qualities are more than what they appear to be at first sight. In addition to their immediate feel, each includes a pointer at an existential dimension of the human condition.

Whereas “beauty is nothing but the promise of happiness” (Stendhal), pain is the herald of dying and death. When we immerse in the experience of beauty, we joyfully abandon our separate individuality and gladly become part of the transcendence to which beauty invites us. In contrast, when pain dominates our experience, we tend to feel overwhelmed by an adversary force that is stronger than we are ourselves, and that threatens to reduce or even destroy our individuality.
“Schizophrenia” Part II: A Gestalt Analysis and Critique of Neurobiological Variables
Authors: Burley Todd , Barrera Kyrstle , Kuehfuss Kristy , Grattan Jennifer , Sickler John , Beck Henry
Published: February 2018

A number of hypotheses have been postulated over time to explain the clinical expression of schizophrenia. In this article, we discuss the neurodevelopmental (pre and perinatal), neuroanatomical (enlarged ventricles and reduced whole brain volume), neurochemical (dopamine, serotonin, norepinephrine), and neuropsychological (learning and memory, theory of mind) factors that are often correlated with schizophrenic presentations. While many of these factors are seen in many schizophrenic individuals, there is no one neurological marker seen consistently across patients. As a result, neurological evidence may help one understand the experience of schizophrenic individuals, but it is unable to explain fully the disorder's etiology.
“Structured Ground”: Heresy or Cutting Edge?
Authors: Kjønstad Gunaketu Bjørn
Published: February 2018

The world is complex and interdependent. To explore this world Gestalt therapists need good models to guide our reflections and actions. Gordon Wheeler's (1991) concept of “Structured Ground,” defined by Gary Yontef (1992) as “slowly changing processes that organize other processes” (p. 107) can provide a starting point for such a model. Although the concept is disputed in the Gestalt community, this article shows how it builds on traditional Gestalt literature. Structured ground goes beyond an unbalanced focus on the “Self” or “personality function,” reminds us to be aware beyond the moment, and can help us create helpful structures to take care of the environment on which we are vitally dependent. The concept draws together aspects like mirror neurons, communication technology, and environment in new and different ways. This article promotes “Structured Ground” as a conceptual tool to raise awareness of the situation and mobilize energy to restructure the ground in creative ways.
Diversity and Inclusion Concepts and Practice as Informed by Gestalt Training
Authors: Jordan C. Greer , Ewing H. Timothy
Published: February 2018

Diversity is often touted as the driver of organizational innovation and adaptability in a rapidly changing world. However, reaping the benefits of diversity has proven to be challenging in work organizations. There are many theories and purported best practices that most organizations have adopted. For organizations that have done climate surveys, created Employee Resource Groups (ERGS), and have top leadership commitment to a diverse workforce the question is: What next? This paper explores the application of Gestalt principles and concepts to diversity and inclusion based on the authors' training experiences at the Gestalt Institute of Cleveland between 1999 and 2014.
Gestalt Therapy and Self-Esteem
Authors: Shub Norman
Published: February 2018

This article attempts to introduce the reader to an exploration of the concept of self-esteem as it applies to Gestalt therapy over time. The article also attempts to take seriously the construct of self-esteem, which has been considered “pop psychology” and attempt to define it in serious clinical terms. In addition, the author is attempting to define self-esteem, focusing on the development of positive-assimilated introject, defusing the negative introject, and identifying management or self-care beliefs.
A Practical Guide to Fostering Interpersonal Norms in a Gestalt Group
Authors: Earley Jay
Published: February 2018

One form of Gestalt group therapy focuses on the interpersonal interactions and relationships among group members as well as the intrapsychic issues that emerge. This is an effective and exciting way to make therapeutic use of the group setting. This practical article discusses how to foster group norms that intensify and maximize the interpersonal aspect of a Gestalt group. It covers pregroup handouts and interviews, how to define and encourage interpersonal norms, helping group members initiate interpersonal work, and how to move work in an interpersonal direction.
Pathways of Song
Authors: Gregory Susan
Published: February 2018

In this workshop, we experienced the excitement that occurs when singing activities are utilized as experiments in Gestalt therapy. By attending to process phenomena throughout, the workshop delineated how vocal activities used in a Gestalt therapy context differ from those undertaken in music therapy or other expressive therapies.

We engaged in a wide range of experiments. First, we worked with breathing awareness, to prepare the way for phonation. Attending to this aspect of id functioning heightened individuals' awareness of self in the moment. Then we explored the making of abstract tones and the boundary between silence and sound. Participants became aware of their particular ways of self-mobilizing to accomplish being heard. Long-held expecations grounded in personality function, including “Will I be heard?” and “Do you hear me as I hear myself?” came to the foreground. Throughout, we worked in different configurations, including dyads, small groups, and group as a whole.

Next, we sang a song, which added text to the aesthetic experiences of melody, pitch, and timbre. The text's storytelling brought a new dimension to the work as we explored our reactions to it. Soon, many technical questions about throat comfort, breath support, jaw release, and related physical experiences began to be expressed. We experimented with ways of encountering these topics and the retroflections they evinced. Along with the ensuing practical exercises, group members began to relate personal experiences of singing and of music lessons in their childhoods. Much emotion flowed, which both the small groups and the group as a whole creatively supported.

We continued in small groups, where each person talked of a song that held special importance for him or her, speaking about it, and in some cases, singing it. We then returned to our group as a whole and, standing in a circle, ended with a sung go-round in which each group member sang a portion of a song, some persons risking to sing for the first time in many years. We could feel clearly then how the group endeavor supported individual effort and how our experimenting with singing had taken us far from our beginning in this workshop.
Gestalt and Engineering: A Virtual Meeting of Two Cultures
Authors: Bar-Yoseph Benjamin A.
Published: February 2018

This paper dwells in the gray area of integration. It brings an attempt to analyze a process in the engineering discipline from a humanistic Gestalt point of view. The paper looks at the engineering design process as a problem-solving process in the engineering discipline and at the Gestalt cycle of experience as a problem-solving process in the humanistic discipline. A brief description of the engineering design process is given and compared to the Gestalt cycle of experience. The paper goes through the design process and shows the similarity of its basic elements to the basic elements of the cycle of experience. While doing so, it also states the differences, which are caused by the different cultures of the two disciplines. The paper concludes with a representation of the two processes on a time versus energy level scale.
Models of Training in Gestalt Therapy in Ireland
Authors: O'Leary Eleanor , O'Sullivan David
Published: February 2018

Gestalt therapy in Ireland is examined in terms of history, current state of development and future challenges. Its emergence in Ireland was evidenced by a series of workshops held during the 1970s. The 1980s saw courses established in Cork (Counselling and Health Studies Unit, UCC and the Cork Counselling Centre) and Dublin (Irish Gestalt Centre). Additional courses have been established in the last decade (Dublin Institute of Gestalt Therapy, ProConsult (Galway) and the Counselling Centre, Killarney). This growth has been reflected in the founding of the Irish Gestalt Society in 1995. An important challenge is the harmonization of Irish training standards.
Interview with Edwin Nevis
Authors: Snir Sharon
Published: February 2018

Although the accomplishments of individuals are often note-worthy in their far-reaching impact, it is the person behind those accomplishments who enables us to see more clearly and to appreciate with greater wisdom. It is all too easy to get lost in “doing” our lives when who we are makes the most profound difference. This interview offers a glimpse at the qualities of Edwin Nevis: the aspects of him that are warm, generous, cheeky, compulsive, humorous, and loving. He shares anecdotes from his early years, memories of people with whom he worked and lived, and dreams that have been realized and dreams yet to be grounded in reality. This is but a snippet of the life of a visionary whose gift is to ignite interest, passion, and action in others while never forgetting each step it took him to get to the present.