The Dangers of the Universal: A Critique of Fonagy and Target's Theory of Sexual Enjoyment

Despite the cultural specificity of aspects of attachment theory (Layton, 2006 Layton , L. ( 2006 ). Racial identities, racial enactments, and normative unconscious processes . Psychoanalytic Quarterly , 75 , 237 – 269 .[Taylor & Francis Online], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]) it remains influential. Disorganized attachment and the alien self are linked to borderline phenomena and attacks upon the body (Fonagy et al., 2002 Fonagy , P. , Gergely , G. , Jurist , E. , & Target , M. ( 2002 ). Affect Regulation, Mentalization and the Development of the Self . New York , NY : Other Press . [Google Scholar]), including sexual attacks (Straker, 2002 Straker , G. ( 2002 ). Being in two minds: The psychodynamics of paedophilia. In Australian Psychoanalytic Society annual conference, July, Melbourne, Australia . [Google Scholar]). Recently (Fonagy, 2006 Fonagy , P. ( 2006 ). Psychosexuality and psychoanalysis: An overview . In: Identity, Gender and Sexuality 150 Years After Freud , ed. P. Fonagy , R. Krause , & M. Leuzinger-Bohleber . London , UK : International Psychoanalytical Association , pp. 1 – 20 . [Google Scholar], 2008 ——— . ( 2008 ). A genuinely developmental theory of sexual enjoyment and its implications for psychoanalytic technique . Journal of the American Psychoanalytic Association , 56 , 11 – 36 .[Crossref], [PubMed], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]; Target, 2007 Target , M. ( 2007 ). Is our sexuality our own? A developmental model of sexuality based on early affect mirroring . British Journal of Psychotherapy , 23 , 517 – 530 .[Crossref] , [Google Scholar]) used the concept of the alien self to explain sexuality in general. This article challenges this extension as it again ignores cultural specificity, presents psychoanalysis as the arbiter of “normal” sexuality, and entrenches heteronormativity. It also lends itself to inadvertently condoning sexual harassment, as evidenced in a case study presented by Fonagy (2008 ——— . ( 2008 ). A genuinely developmental theory of sexual enjoyment and its implications for psychoanalytic technique . Journal of the American Psychoanalytic Association , 56 , 11 – 36 .[Crossref], [PubMed], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]).     

Journalists’ and Educators’ Perspectives on News Media Reporting of Islam and Muslim Communities in Australia and New Zealand

We know much about how the news media report on the topic of Muslims and Islam, but we know very little about the journalistic practices and processes that contribute to the way these issues are framed and reported. Whereas research has until now largely focused on the ways in which Islam and Muslims are represented in various news media, there is relatively little research that explores the issue from the perspective of key people working in the news media. In order to address what we perceive as a significant gap in the research, we draw on data from interviews with 29 journalists, editors, media trainers, and journalism educators located in Australia and New Zealand to explore their understandings of the ways stories about Islam and Muslims are reported and why. The article also investigates the interviewees’ perceptions of the effects of news media coverage of Muslims and Islam. Our findings present a starting point to improving practice for those reporting on Islam and Muslim and inform the development of training modules in the reporting of Islam for journalists and journalism students.     

News Media Coverage of Islam and Muslims in Australia: An Opinion Survey among Australian Muslims

Existing research has explored the ways the mainstream news media covers Muslims and Islam, but few studies have examined Muslims’ reactions to this reporting. Studies that have investigated this issue have identified that the responses of Muslims to news media coverage tend to be largely negative because of the lack of Muslim news sources, the stereotypical representation of Muslims in news coverage, the portrayal of Muslims as the enemy within, and the conflation of Muslims with terrorism. This paper further explores the attitudes of Muslims to news media coverage of Islam and Muslims by drawing on data from 14 focus groups (N?=?104 participants) conducted with Australian Muslims. Similar to previous research, findings reveal that Australian Muslims are highly critical of news media coverage of Islam and Muslims and express concern about the divisiveness that such portrayal can have for Australian society. However, the study participants also had positive comments to make about the news media. Possible solutions to negative news media portrayals of Muslims are considered.     

On calculating optimal contributory negligence rules

This article considers the problem of finding the optimal rule for assigning liability on the basis of fault when there is (a) error in the assessment of fault, (b) a probability distribution of true fault across the population of possible litigants, and (c) a value attached to the deterrence effect of a rule. The discussion is placed in the legal context of Contributory Negligence, and parallels are drawn between the present approach and the economic approach to liability. A contributory negligence rule is said to be optimal if it minimizes a weighted sum of the cost of assessment error and the cost of the deviation between a rule and the optimally deterrent rule. It is shown that the form of the optimal rule depends on the importance of deterrence and on the probability distribution of plaintiffs with respect to fault. Sufficient conditions are given for each of the extant contributory negligence rules to approximate the optimal rule. It is argued that, in designing the law, the preference among rules should be based on the relative plausibility of these sufficient conditions, some of which may be verifiable empirically.It is a pleasure of thank Richard O. Lempert, A. Mitchell Polinsky, Robert L. Rabin and Patrick Suppes for their comments on an earlier draft of this article. Much of the work reported here was done while the author was a University Fellow at Stanford University. Correspondence should be addressed to Ewart A. C. Thomas, Department of Psychology, Bldg. 420, Stanford University, Stanford, Ca. 94305, USA.     

Bounds on the covariate-time transformation for competing-risks survival analysis

A fundamental problem with the latent-time framework in competing risks is the lack of identifiability of the joint distribution. Given observed covariates along with assumptions as to the form of their effect, then identifiability may obtain. However it is difficult to check any assumptions about form since a more general model may lose identifiability. This paper considers a general framework for modelling the effect of covariates, with the single assumption that the copula dependency structure of the latent times is invariant to the covariates. This framework consists of a set of functions: the covariate-time transformations. The main result produces bounds on these functions, which are derived solely from the crude incidence functions. These bounds are a useful model checking tool when considering the covariate-time transformation resulting from any particular set of further assumptions. An example is given where the widely-used assumption of independent competing risks is checked.     

Understanding the Role of Relationship Maintenance in Enduring Couple Partnerships in Later Adulthood

Intimate relationships in later adulthood are understudied despite their positive association with health and well-being. This cross-sectional mixed methods study sought to redress this gap by investigating relationship maintenance in later adulthood. Our international sub-sample comprised 1,565 participants aged 55?+?and in an ongoing relationship. Results from hierarchical multiple regression indicated that overall happiness with the relationship had the largest effect size on relationship maintenance, with 53% of the variance explained. Content analyses of open-ended questions identified companionship and laughter as some of the “best liked” aspects of the relationship. Housework/cooking and saying “I love you” were among the behaviors that made participants feel appreciated. Results illustrated the types of maintenance behaviors adults in later adulthood who are in enduring partnerships employ.