Over the last century, emotion research has been beset by the problem of major disagreements with respect to the definition of the phenomenon and an abundance of different theories. Arguably, these divergences have had adverse effects on theory development, on the theoretical foundations of empirical research, and on knowledge accumulation in the study of emotion. Similar problems have been encountered in other areas of behavioural science. Increasingly, there have been calls to work towards some form of theory integration. In contrast, (...) here an effort is made to show that a reasonable degree of theory convergence in the area of emotion science can be attained by adopting a design feature-based working definition of emotion and highlighting the basic agreement on the components of the dynamic emotion process. The aim is to invite constructive discussion on communalities and divergences between different theories and foster the development of more complementary theoretical frameworks to guide future empirical research. (shrink)

This article assesses some of the implications of globalization for the scholarly debate on business ethics, CSR and related concepts. The argument is based, among other things, on the declining capacity of nation state institutions to regulate socially desirable corporate behavior as well as the growing corporate exposure to heterogeneous social, cultural and political values in societies globally. It is argued that these changes are shifting the corporate role towards a sphere of societal governance hitherto dominated by traditional political actors. (...) This leads to a discussion of the ambivalent results of such a process for a responsible corporate role in a globalized world. While assessing the current reception these changes have received in the management literature, the contributions of the four articles in this Special Issue are framed and evaluated. The argument closes by highlighting avenues of future research on this new challenge. (shrink)

Background: Clinical ethics committees have been broadly implemented in university hospitals, general hospitals and nursing homes. To ensure the quality of ethics consultations, evaluation should be mandatory. Research question/aim: The aim of this article is to evaluate the perspectives of all people involved and the process of implementation on the wards. Research design and participants: The data were collected in two steps: by means of non-participating observation of four ethics case consultations and by open-guided interviews with 28 participants. Data analysis (...) was performed according to grounded theory. Ethical considerations: The study received approval from the local Ethics Commission (registration no.: 32/11/10). Findings: ‘Communication problems’ and ‘hierarchical team conflicts’ proved to be the main aspects that led to ethics consultation, involving two factors: unresolvable differences arise in the context of team conflicts on the ward and unresolvable differences prevent a solution being found. Hierarchical asymmetries, which are common in the medical field, support this vicious circle. Based on this, minor or major disagreements regarding clinical decisions might be seen as ethical conflicts. The expectation on the clinical ethics committee is to solve this (communication) problem, but the participants experienced that hierarchy is maintained by the clinical ethics committee members. Discussion: The asymmetrical structures of the clinical ethics committee reflect the institutional hierarchical nature. They endure, despite the fact that the clinical ethics committee should be able to detect and overcome them. Disagreements among care givers are described as one of the most difficult ethically relevant situations and should be recognised by the clinical ethics committee. On the contrary, discussion of team conflicts and clinical ethical issues should not be combined, since the first is a mandate for team supervision. Conclusion: To avoid dominance by physicians and an excessively factual character of the presentation, the case or conflict could be presented by both physicians and nurses, a strategy that strengthens the interpersonal and emotional aspects and also integrates both professional perspectives. (shrink)

Nossa Igreja, em São Paulo e no Brasil, tem urgente necessidade de uma nova geração de leigos, bem preparados para atuarem em todos os campos da vida social e cultural da sociedade; leigos e leigas com a consciência clara de serem discípulos de Cristo, conhecedores da fé, da moral e da doutrina social da Igreja, capazes de tomarem posição, como cidadãos católicos, sem medo de assumirem sua identidade e sua adesão à Igreja no mundo pluralista, no qual vivemos; este, não (...) deve ser o espaço onde nós calamos nossa voz ou nos eximimos de dar nossa contribuição, talvez temerosos diante de vozes e testemunhos diferentes dos nossos; no espaço plural e democrático, todos podem afirmar e defender suas convicções e colocá-las a serviço da convivência social O Cardeal Odilo Pedro Scherer é Arcebispo de São Paulo e Grão Chanceler da Pontifícia Universidade Católica de São Paulo. (shrink)

: We discuss the role that transnational corporations should play in developing global governance, creating a framework of rules and regulations for the global economy. The central issue is whether TNCs should provide global rules and guarantee individual citizenship rights, or instead focus on maximizing profits. First, we describe the problems arising from the globalization process that affect the relationship between public rules and private firms. Next we consider the position of economic and management theories in relation to the social (...) responsibility of the firm. We argue that instrumental stakeholder theory and business and society research can only partially solve the global governance issue, and that more recent concepts of corporate citizenship and republican business ethics deliver theoretically and practically helpful, fresh insights. However, even these need further development, especially with regard to the legitimacy of corporate political activity. (shrink)

There is a growing consensus that the elicitation and differentiation of emotions can best be understood as the result of the subjective appraisal of the significance of events for individuals. The present paper addresses the process of appraisal, hitherto neglected; particularly the postulate that appraisal consists of a fixed sequence of stimulus evaluation checks, as proposed by the component process model of emotion (Scherer, 1984, 1993b). It is suggested that indirect evidence pertinent to the order assumption, which is an (...) essential aspect of the sequence hypothesis, can be obtained via the study of recognition-of-emotion-situation scenarios that have been segmented according to individual appraisal criteria or dimensions. The hypothesis that the presentation of these segments in the predicted sequence (as compared to a random sequence) will result in a faster and more accurate identification of the respective emotions is supported by data from three experiments. Potential alternative explanations are discussed. (shrink)

We disagree with Juslin & Vll's (J&V's) thesis that music-evoked emotions are indistinguishable from other emotions in both their nature and underlying mechanisms and that music just induces some emotions more frequently than others. Empirical evidence suggests that frequency differences reflect the specific nature of music-evoked emotions: aesthetic and reactive rather than utilitarian and proactive. Additional mechanisms and determinants are suggested as predictors of emotions triggered by music.

Emotion is conceptualised as an emergent, dynamic process based on an individual's subjective appraisal of significant events. It is argued that theoretical models of emotion need to propose an architecture that reflects the essential nature and functions of emotion as a psychobiological and cultural adaptation mechanism. One proposal for such a model and its underlying dynamic architecture, the component process model, is briefly sketched and compared with some of its major competitors. Recent empirical evidence in support of the model is (...) reviewed. Special emphasis is given to the dynamic aspect of emotion processes, in particular the sequence of appraisal checks and the synchronisation of response systems, as well as the capacity of the model to predict individual differences in emotional responding. (shrink)

Appraisal theory has become one of the most active aproaches in the domain of emotion psychology. The appraisal process consists of the subjective evaluation that occurs during the individual's encounter with significant events in the environment, determining the nature of the emotional reaction and experience. The organism's interpretation of events and situations elicits and differentiates its emotional responses, although the exact processes involved and the limits of the theory are still a matter of debate and are currently the object of (...) active research. This volume is intended to become the primary source of information on appraisal for all those interested in emotion, from beginning graduate students to accomplished researchers in emotion psychology. (shrink)

René Schérer’s Hospitalités (2004) is a series of philosophical peregrinations that build on his work Zeus hospitalier: éloge de l’hospitalité (1993; Hospitable Zeus: In Praise of Hospitality). In the first translated excerpt below, Foreword, Schérer introduces his present volume and situates it with respect to Zeus hospitalier. In the second translated excerpt, Reason Astray, he elaborates on his interpretation of the role of hospitality in Immanuel Kant’s “To Perpetual Peace: a Philosophical Sketch” (1795), briefly introduced in the first excerpt.

Appraisal theories of emotion have had a strong impact on the development of theory and experimental research in the domain of the affective sciences. While there is generally a high degree of convergence between theorists in this tradition, some central issues are open to debate. In this contribution three issues have been chosen for discussion: (a) varieties of relevance detection, (b) varieties of valence appraisal, and (c) sequential-cumulative effects of appraisal results. In addressing these issues, new theoretical ideas are suggested (...) and an update of recent research on the sequence of appraisal processes is provided. Special emphasis is placed on nonverbal signatures of appraisal processes. (shrink)

A presença, ainda que parcial, do procedimento categorial no direito privado em Metaphysische Anfangsgründe der Rechtslehre é inegável, assim como a sua importância para a construçáo da teoria da posse. Uma prova adicional aos próprios fragmentos da primeira parte do direito natural (cf. MS R, AB 59, 79, 82, 90, 93, 119-121) sáo os esboços categoriais contidos nos Manuscritos da Rechtslehre (particularmente, em Vorarbeiten zum Privatrecht e em Zusammenhängender, signierter Entwurf in Kant's handschriflicher Nachlaß ). Os objetivos desse artigo sáo: (...) 1) expor a coerência interna entre os esboços categoriais do direito privado presentes em Vorarbeiten zur Rechtslehre , e 2) apresentar a correspondência entre esses esboços e o texto jurídico de 1797. O parâmetro de avaliaçáo e de comparaçáo seráo as observações kantianas quanto às categorias nas obras Kritik der reinen Vernunft e Kritik der praktischen Vernunft . Palavras-chave: Arbítrio livre, Categorias, Direito, Liberdade, Posse. (shrink)

This book provides an insightful analysis of the moral and ethical values that underpin Japanese culture and society. This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the "public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on (...) the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant. (shrink)

We highlight the need to focus on the underlying determinants and production mechanisms to fully understand the nature of facial expression of emotion and to settle the theoretical debate about the meaning of motor expression. Although emotion theorists have generally remained rather vague about the details of the process, this has been a central concern of componential appraisal theories. We describe the fundamental assumptions and predictions of this approach regarding the patterning of facial expressions for different emotions. We also review (...) recent evidence for the assumption that specific facial muscle movements may be reliable symptoms of certain appraisal outcomes and that facial expressions unfold over time on the basis of a sequence of appraisal check results. (shrink)

Mimicry of appearance or of facial, vocal, or gestural expressions emerges frequently among members of different species. When such mimicry directly relates to affective aspects of an interaction, researchers talk about “emotional mimicry”. Emotional mimicry has been amply documented but its functionality is still debated. Why and when do people mimic the expressions of others, who benefits, the mimicker or the mimicked, and how do they benefit? Which processes underlie emotional mimicry? Is it completely automatic and unconscious or can it (...) be deliberate and conscious? The current Theory Section addresses these questions from different theoretical perspectives. The invited article by Hess and Fischer focused on the role of mimicry in social regulation and social bonding. The invited comment by Krets and Akyüz highlights information gathering and prediction in social interaction. The invited comment by Bernhold and Giles emphasizes vocal communication and its role in interpersonal accommodation. In this editorial, I propose the different theoretical perspectives may be integrated by assuming a multilevel appraisal and response generation mechanism. I also suggest that emotional mimicry research may be broadened by including social learning, vocal imitation, interspecies comparisons, and affective computing approaches. (shrink)

Appraisal theories of emotion, and particularly the Component Process Model, claim that the different components of the emotion process (action tendencies, physiological reactions, expressions, and feeling experiences) are essentially driven by the results of cognitive appraisals and that the feeling component constitutes a central integration and representation of these processes. Given the complexity of the proposed architecture, comprehensive experimental tests of these predictions are difficult to perform and to date are lacking. Encouraged by the “lexical sedimentation” hypothesis, here we propose (...) an indirect examination of the compatibility of the theoretical assumptions with the semantic structure of a set of major emotion words as measured in a cross-language and cross-cultural study. Specifically, we performed a secondary analysis of the large-scale data set with ratings of affective features covering all components of the emotion process for 24 emotion words in 27 countries, constituting profiles of emotion-specific appraisals, action tendencies, physiological reactions, expressions, and feeling experiences. The results of a series of hierarchical regression analyses to examine the prediction of the theoretical model are highly consistent with the claim that appraisal patterns determine the structure of the response components, which in turn predict central dimensions of the feeling component. (shrink)

Emotion regulation, and in particular cognitive reappraisal. Gross has been booming in theory development and empirical research for the last two decades. A large number of publications have demonstrated the importance of these mechanisms for understanding and promoting well-being and mental health. It is thus timely for Cognition and Emotion to examine the current state of theory in this domain. The resultant invited article, authored by Uusberg, A., Ford, Uusberg, H., and Gross, aims to expand the scope of reappraisal theory (...) by extending their recent reAppraisal model by suggesting different forms of goal commitment and situation construals. Their suggestions are commented on by Kashdan and Goodman from a purpose in life perspective, Ehring, and Woud from a clinical psychopathology perspective. In this editorial, I briefly discuss the lack of specification of the goal construct, which is central to the reappraisal model. Moreover, I point to recent evidence showing that problems may arise because of appraisal biases, in the case of individuals prone to inappropriate evaluations of situations. I suggest that future work in this domain could benefit from increased interaction between theorists and researchers working on appraisal and reappraisal processes. (shrink)

Commenting La logique sociale of Gabriel Tarde, René Schérer demonstrates the striking lines of a thought completely devoted to the idea of invention : in ersubju7ive vision of the social, distinction between creation and reproduction and between invention and a rehearsal which characterizes as much work as capital, power and enjoyment of an invention made by peculiar associations, opening in, and on others and multiplicities, aversion of any binding system. He drows-up a parallel between this not-academic thinker aril Charles Fourier’s (...) system, to open on the social conceived as a planetary brain. (shrink)

The conception of “prospective potency” was defined by its author H.Driesch as “the sum of the possible modes of development of a given part of the embryo”. However, in the language of science the word “potency” usually means “power”, not “possibility”. Therefore this conception from the beginning possessed a certain ambiguity, that it retained up to the present. The distinction of “active” and “passive” potency, introduced by Roux, has found no general acceptance. It appeared necessary to submit the conception of (...) “potency” to a profound analysis. In the first place it is shown, that the ambiguity of this conception vanishes, if we understand by the word “potency” those fundamental properties of the embryonic material, that are responsible for its various developmental possibilities. We can distinguish among these properties the “reactive powers”, by which the embryonic material reacts to inductive stimulations, and its own “developmental tendencies”. These faculties only differ by their strength; a “reactive power” may change into a “tendency”, when its intensity increases during development; conversely, a “tendency” may change into a mere “reactive power” by a decrease of its strength. The determination of the material results from the conflict of its tendencies. The inductive actions interfere by strengthening or weakening different tendencies, and by activating new tendencies by reinforcement of the “reactive powers” of the embryonic material. (shrink)

Diagnosing emotion disturbances should be informed by current knowledge about normal emotion processes. I identify four major functions of emotion as well as sources for potential dysfunctions and suggest that emotions should only be diagnosed as pathological when they are clearly dysfunctional, which requires considering eliciting events, realistic person-specific appraisal patterns, and adaptive responses or action tendencies. Evidence from actuarial research on the reported length of naturally occurring emotion episodes (including potential determinants) illustrates appropriateness criteria for the clinical evaluation of (...) emotion duration—an essential element in the DSM-5 symptom catalogue for major depression episodes, especially in bereavement. The need for more actuarial evidence on normal emotion responses and its consideration by the clinical community is highlighted. (shrink)

O presente artigo busca fazer uma análise do papel das questões metodológicas no primeiro escrito publicado por Kant. Iniciamos com a apresentação dos preceitos práticos de pesquisa do jovem Kant e da problemática das forças vivas; depois, analisamos o método propagado por Kant enquanto o principal recurso para a solução da polêmica e a sua origem no método de Mairan. Na sequência, expomos os pressupostos metodológicos sobre os quais Kant construiu a sua solução para os problemas das forças vivas; por (...) fim, fazemos um paralelo do método de 1747 em relação ao do _Preisschrift_ de 1764, considerado o principal escrito pré-crítico de Kant sobre o método. (shrink)

Dieser Beitrag untersucht die Schnittstelle zwischen queeren Subjektivitäten und psychischer Gesundheit und Suizidalität; der angeblich positive Einfluss von Religiosität auf psychische Gesundheit und buddhistische Antworten und Wege zu Befreiungspraktiken werden diskutiert. Ausgehend vom Freitod des 26-jährigen schwulen Burmesen Kyaw Zin Win wird untersucht, wie Buddhistische Traditionen konzeptionell und sozial-systemisch zu queerem Leiden und Suizidalität beigetragen haben. Durch kritische Hermeneutik werden Möglichkeiten für engagierte buddhistische inklusive Praktiken für soziale Gerechtigkeit aufgezeigt; buddhistische Perspektiven auf queere Diskriminierung und Suizidalität können so hinterfragt und (...) überdacht werden. (shrink)

Für die Rekonstruktion der Begriffsbüdung ergeben sich folgende Schwerpunkte: a. Die Erlebnisebene, die irüialtlich nur dem Einzelsubjekt zugänglich ist, muß so bestimmt werden, daß sie über ihre strukturellen Eigenschaften Grundlage eines intersubjektiven Begriffsbüdungsprozesses werden kann. b. Es ist ein Verfahren anzugeben, mit dessen Hilfe der Zusammenhang zwischen Begriffen, der Grundlage ihrer Rückführbarke it ist, aufgedeckt, werden kann. Die zentrale Rolle zur Lösung beider Probleme kommt der Konstruktion des (objektiven) Raum-Zeitschemes zu.

I consider the five contributions in this special section as evidence that the research area dealing with the vocal expression of emotion is advancing rapidly, both in terms of the number of pertinent empirical studies and with respect to an ever increasing sophistication of methodology. I provide some suggestions on promising areas for future interdisciplinary research, including work on emotion expression in singing and the potential of vocal symptoms of emotional disorder. As to the popular discussion of the respective role (...) of universality versus language/culture differences, I suggest to move on from exclusively studying the accuracy of recognition in judgment studies to a more differentiated approach adding production aspects, taking into account the multiple vocal and acoustic features that interact to communicate emotion. (shrink)

La hospitalidad no es una virtud moral; ella es un componente de la hominización del hombre; una parte integrante del “devenir-hombre”. Más que una responsabilidad y una solidaridad, la hospitalidad es una apertura hacia la comunidad compartida del devenir otro. Esos diferentes conceptos son problematizados en este artículo para llegar a una perspectiva nueva de ese problema filosófico.