Captains of erudition

Abstract

W. A. Nielsen's book The Big Foundations is an informed survey of the American foundation scene. Writing from a vantage point within the citadels of big-time philanthropy, Nielsen takes a chatty and discursive approach to a subject that in fact deserves much more. It seems that the insider's privilege of access can be a handicap as well as an asset, and that a subject of this importance needs critical scrutiny from independent researchers.     

Escalation and Mindfulness

Escalation of conflict, the use of progressively more contentious tactics, is not always intended. It may occur when parties become preoccupied with ideas or feelings that impair their ability to comprehend the situation and focus on the conflict issues. Action springing from such preoccupation can initiate a set of feedback loops that are self-amplifying. In this article, I suggest that by raising their present moment awareness through formal meditation and informal day-to-day mindfulness practice, parties may reduce preoccupation and thereby amplification. Drawing on Friedrich Glasl's stages of escalation and Magorah Maruyama's work on change-amplifying feedback loops, this article examines how mindfulness might contribute to a greater awareness of psychological and systemic factors that predispose disputants to escalation of their conflict.     

Reflections on a coy field: Methodology,criticism and careerism

This essay works on the assumption that while scholars are historicizing (unevenly) and giving academic standing to the study of queer materials, especially in the humanities and social sciences, the status of these same disciplines is in question, at least in the North American university. The first section examines problematic positionings of the ‘critical object’ for queer study and theorizing. The second profiles that critique against two influential commentaries on the ‘transnational university’ and the place of the humanities, Bill Readings's melancholic assessment of ‘the university in ruins’ and John Guillory's pragmatic conclusion that curricula in the humanities generate ‘cultural capital’.     

Delay of clinical manifestation and medical malpractice in a serious vascular complication of proximal locked tibial nailing

We are reporting on a case of complex lesion of the popliteal neurovascular bundle in a young woman, resulting from an operation for reduction and synthesis of a closed spiroid fracture of the mid-distal third of the left tibia by means of a Grosse-Kempf nail, with significant delay of clinical manifestation. Determining whether this is an "unavoidable complication" or "medical malpractice" is the target of the forensic investigation. In this case, the investigation leads to the conclusion that medical malpractice was the only explanation of the damage.     

Methodological issues in community surveys of suicide ideators and attempters

There have been quite a number of community studies in recent years, with surveys being conducted among the general population, in schools, and among the elderly. While all of these studies have greatly contributed to our understanding of suicidal behavior, because of different approaches toward methodology and definitions, they also have some limitations. These limitations spring mainly from the fact that definitions of suicidal ideation and behavior vary widely across studies, which makes comparisons between studies unreliable. The different utilization of methodology is another problem that can impact the comparability of the community studies.     

Feelings of revenge, retaliation motive, and posttraumatic stress reactions in crime victims

Individuals with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are often said to experience strong feelings of revenge. However, there is a need for confirmatory empirical studies. Therefore, in a study of 174 victims of violent crimes, the relation between feelings of revenge and posttraumatic stress reactions was investigated. Feelings of revenge were correlated with intrusion and hyperarousal but not with avoidance. Feelings of revenge explained incremental variance of intrusion and hyperarousal when the variance explained by victimological variables was controlled. The retaliation motive implied in feelings of revenge did not account for the relation between feelings of revenge and posttraumatic stress reactions. However, the relation was moderated by the time since victimization. Therefore, feelings of revenge must presumably be regarded as a maladaptive coping reaction to experienced injustice, but not in the first period after victimization.     

Identity-Based Conflicts: A Systemic Approach Evaluation Project

Some of the most difficult conflicts of all are those grounded in identity, which can be analyzed in both personal and societal contexts. The author's goal is to conceptualize identity-based conflict from a systems perspective. He uses ideas from psychology, social psychology, and organization theory, connecting them to concepts of cybernetic control. As is the case with Social Identity Theory, a major challenge for the negotiation field is to provide a better understanding of destructive forms of intergroup behavior and how belief systems allow group members to justify bad treatment of outgroup members.