title: Harming oneself and harming others: Young people’s experiences coping with difficult emotions

authors: McIntyre, Olivia Taylor

abstract: It is well established that a key function of self-injury is managing difficult or uncomfortable
emotions. Interestingly, emotion regulation is also a key function of aggression. Despite this
and other apparent similarities in risk and protective factors, these behaviours have never
been compared at length. The current research aimed to fill this gap by exploring to what
extent self-injury and outward-directed-injury were ways of dealing with the same issues,
especially managing negative emotions. Twelve semi-structured interviews were conducted
with participants aged between 18 and 35 years old. Reflexive thematic analysis was used to
analyse the data and develop seven themes. Although this research initially set out to explore
injury specifically, many of the experiences described by participants did not involve
physical injury but were still harmful to themself or others. Accordingly, the findings of this
study focus more broadly on harm. The themes outline the self-harm and outward-directedharm
engaged in by the participants, as well as shared risk and protective factors. Factors that
influenced participants’ engagement in self-harm and outward-directed-harm included
adverse life challenges such as mental illness, trauma, low self-worth or nonconformity to
social norms; their friends and family; a difficulty in differentiating emotions; an indifference
for personal safety; and a lack of support services and mental health education in New
Zealand. This exploratory study gives insight into twelve young people’s experiences using
self-harm and outward-directed-harm to cope with their difficult emotions. These insights
contribute to an area of research that is lacking whilst also highlighting the need for further
research comparing these distinct but related behaviours.

text: Harming oneself and harming others: Young people’s experiences coping with difficult emotions It is well established that a key function of self-injury is managing difficult or uncomfortable
emotions. Interestingly, emotion regulation is also a key function of aggression. Despite this
and other apparent similarities in risk and protective factors, these behaviours have never
been compared at length. The current research aimed to fill this gap by exploring to what
extent self-injury and outward-directed-injury were ways of dealing with the same issues,
especially managing negative emotions. Twelve semi-structured interviews were conducted
with participants aged between 18 and 35 years old. Reflexive thematic analysis was used to
analyse the data and develop seven themes. Although this research initially set out to explore
injury specifically, many of the experiences described by participants did not involve
physical injury but were still harmful to themself or others. Accordingly, the findings of this
study focus more broadly on harm. The themes outline the self-harm and outward-directedharm
engaged in by the participants, as well as shared risk and protective factors. Factors that
influenced participants’ engagement in self-harm and outward-directed-harm included
adverse life challenges such as mental illness, trauma, low self-worth or nonconformity to
social norms; their friends and family; a difficulty in differentiating emotions; an indifference
for personal safety; and a lack of support services and mental health education in New
Zealand. This exploratory study gives insight into twelve young people’s experiences using
self-harm and outward-directed-harm to cope with their difficult emotions. These insights
contribute to an area of research that is lacking whilst also highlighting the need for further
research comparing these distinct but related behaviours.

year: 2024

title: Experimenting with ecosystem interaction networks in search of threshold potentials in real-world marine ecosystems

authors: Thrush, Simon F.

subjects: Austrovenus stutchburyi

abstract: Thresholds profoundly affect our understanding and management of ecosystem dynamics, but we have yet to develop practical techniques to assess the risk that thresholds will be crossed. Combining ecological knowledge of critical system interdependencies with a large-scale experiment, we tested for breaks in the ecosystem interaction network to identify threshold potential in real-world ecosystem dynamics. Our experiment with the bivalves Macomona liliana and Austrovenus stutchburyi on marine sandflats in New Zealand demonstrated that reductions in incident sunlight changed the interaction network between sediment biogeochemical fluxes, productivity, and macrofauna. By demonstrating loss of positive feedbacks and changes in the architecture of the network, we provide mechanistic evidence that stressors lead to break points in dynamics, which theory predicts predispose a system to a critical transition.

text: Experimenting with ecosystem interaction networks in search of threshold potentials in real-world marine ecosystems Thresholds profoundly affect our understanding and management of ecosystem dynamics, but we have yet to develop practical techniques to assess the risk that thresholds will be crossed. Combining ecological knowledge of critical system interdependencies with a large-scale experiment, we tested for breaks in the ecosystem interaction network to identify threshold potential in real-world ecosystem dynamics. Our experiment with the bivalves Macomona liliana and Austrovenus stutchburyi on marine sandflats in New Zealand demonstrated that reductions in incident sunlight changed the interaction network between sediment biogeochemical fluxes, productivity, and macrofauna. By demonstrating loss of positive feedbacks and changes in the architecture of the network, we provide mechanistic evidence that stressors lead to break points in dynamics, which theory predicts predispose a system to a critical transition.

year: 2014

title: The enowning of thought and whakapapa: Heidegger's fourfold

authors: Mika, Carl Te Hira

subjects: Maori

abstract: Throughout colonization, Maori have been constantly urged to think of their terminology, and the objects it relates to, along constrained lines. In this practice, the self and other things are arguably restricted and impoverished. However, certain frequently used Maori terms – such as “whakapapa” and “whakaaro” – may be read alongside Heidegger’s “Ereignis,” revealing a completely other sense to them than their orthodox, respective translations of “genealogy” and “to think” allow. This kind of thinking in concert with an existential philosophy is an active process that allows for the “freeing up” of entities and a colonized group. With Heidegger’s assistance, the terms, and the original sources they refer to, reflect a kind of “Geviert”/Fourfold that ensures a continual strife and interplay between things in the world and self.

text: The enowning of thought and whakapapa: Heidegger's fourfold Throughout colonization, Maori have been constantly urged to think of their terminology, and the objects it relates to, along constrained lines. In this practice, the self and other things are arguably restricted and impoverished. However, certain frequently used Maori terms – such as “whakapapa” and “whakaaro” – may be read alongside Heidegger’s “Ereignis,” revealing a completely other sense to them than their orthodox, respective translations of “genealogy” and “to think” allow. This kind of thinking in concert with an existential philosophy is an active process that allows for the “freeing up” of entities and a colonized group. With Heidegger’s assistance, the terms, and the original sources they refer to, reflect a kind of “Geviert”/Fourfold that ensures a continual strife and interplay between things in the world and self.

year: 2014