The romantic experience of adolescents in satisfying love relationships

The love experiences of over 300 youths were analyzed to identify correlates and predictors of satisfying love relationships. The project made use of a new measure of love experiences and other measures specifically adapted for adolescent populations. Results revealed striking resemblances between adolescent and adult relationships in terms of the contributions of commitment, communication, companionship, and passion. Adolescent relationships differed from those of adults in that there was no connection between a lack of negative affects, conflict or trouble, and relationship satisfaction. Variables that previous research had overlooked—exhilaration, growth, toleration, appreciation, and specialness—played important roles. Similarities between the sexes abounded, although there were also consistent patterns of differences.The research was supported, in part, while the author was a predoctoral fellow in the Clinical Research Training Program in Adolescence at Michael Reese Hospital and Medical Center, and the University of Chicago. The grant was funded by the National Institute of Mental Health 5T32 NH14668-14.Received J.D. from Columbia University School of Law, New York, in 1993. Received Ph.D. from Department of Psychology, Committee on Human Development, the University of Chicago, in 1990. Research interests include the development of adolescent loving relationships, particularly in cultural contexts, with a focus informed by biosocial and psychoanalytic models. Current interest lies in the examination of violent attachments in the lives of adolescents.     

Are “We” More Punitive than “Me”? Self-Construal Styles,Justice-Related Attitudes,and Punitive Judgments

Cross-cultural as well as procedural justice research suggests that an interdependent self-construal is connected to more justice-related concerns, more moral outrage following observed unethical behavior, and a preference for effective but constructive sanctions. Independent self-construal, on the other hand, is expected to be connected to weaker moral reactions toward injustice, but also to preferring punitive over constructive forms of sanctions. Two studies were conducted in which dispositional self-construal was measured. In Study 2, self-construal was also manipulated with a priming procedure. Results show that interdependent self-construal is connected to stronger emotional reactions toward injustice, to social and moral concerns, to preferences for constructive forms, but also to retribution-oriented goals of punitive sanctions. Independent self-construal, on the other hand, goes along with fewer moral concerns, lower punitiveness, but more draconic attitudes.     

Trends and Constraints of Partial Democracy in Latin America

This article analyses the mixed forms and results of the institutionalisation of partial democracy in conjunction with free market policies in the last two decades in Latin America. It assesses trends and constrains in domains with important implications for the quality of democracy in the region, by asking the following questions: Is there an unequivocally new political and administrative culture or are older cultures proving to be resilient? Are the new means of delivering what have hitherto been regarded as public goods facilitating democracy, or hindering it? And are new constitutional arrangements and their legal corollaries and consequences facilitating participation and the formation of democratic public spheres? Posing these questions and looking for answers in the actual processes of democratisation and the introduction of free-market policies, moves analysis from the realm of models of democracy to the realm of democratic practice and highlights the ensuing tensions with the models of democracy adopted and shared with the core countries of the developed West. This research was supported by a generous grant from the US-Israel Binational Science Foundation (1999-2002), which is gratefully acknowledged. The authors would like to thank the participants of the workshop on 'Limits of politics, market crises and social disintegration' (Centre for Latin American Studies, Cambridge University, 29-30 November 2002), as well as the editorial board of Cambridge Review of International Affairs and the anonymous readers, for their criticisms and constructive remarks.     

The 2016 Austrian Presidential Election: A Tale of Three Divides

The 2016 Austrian presidential election was remarkably different than the previous ones in the history of the country characterized by its stable political system. Not only did it open the role of president in Austria to debate, but it also sidelined the two political parties that had dominated Austrian politics since World War II. Alexander Van der Bellen won the election with one of the closest margins in recent history. This article argues that the election divided the country in more than one way. Besides the near 50–50 divide between the candidates, the results show that it generated important dynamics in territorial politics as well, notably in the states and cities of Austria. These results point towards a party system transformation in Austrian politics.     

Correction to: Abstract rules for complex systems

European Journal of Law and Economics - The original version of this article unfortunately contained a mistake. The name of corresponding author Mario Mario Rizzo was incorrect. The correct name...     

Electoral cycles in active labor market policies

We examine how electoral motives influence active labor market policies that promote (short term) job-creation. Such policies reduce measures of unemployment. Using German state data for the period 1985 to 2004, we show that election-motivated politicians pushed job-promotion schemes before elections.     

Fatal Acute Poisoning from Massive Inhalation of Gasoline Vapors: Case Report and Comparison with Similar Cases

We describe a case of an acute lethal poisoning with hydrocarbons resulting from massive accidental inhalation of gasoline vapors. The victim, a 50‐year‐old man was found unconscious inside a control room for the transport of unleaded fuel. Complete autopsy was performed and showed evidence of congestion and edema of the lungs. Toxicological investigation was therefore fundamental to confirm exposure to fumes of gasoline. Both venous and arterial blood showed high values of volatiles in particular for benzene (39.0 and 30.4 μg/mL, respectively), toluene (23.7 and 20.4 μg/mL), and xylene isomers (29.8 and 19.3 μg/mL). The relatively low values found in the lungs are consistent with the fact that the subject, during the rescue, underwent orotracheal intubation followed by resuscitation techniques, while the low concentrations for all substances found in urine and kidneys could point to a death that occurred in a very short time after first contact with the fumes of gasoline.