Ishq-the Sufi Way of leadership

This paper studies three types of leadership theories - value-based leadership, indigenous leadership, and leadership theories with traces of mysticism. The author shows how Sufism can be viewed as a framework of leadership (Spiller and Watson, 2021) that holds a sustained relevance in enduring turbulent times. The paper is timely because of increased interest in positive leadership, values-based leadership and culturally rooted leadership. This paper extends leadership literature in multiple ways. First, it brings to light the relevance of a mystic critique of Sufism built on love in the contemporary situation and is the first work to present Sufism as a different way of leadership. Second, it synchronises with the rising voice of scholars who suggest that leadership studies, devoid of context, are incomplete and that non-western models of leadership must emerge (Sudhakar, 2021;Mango, 2018). Third, it addresses the concern of scholars who have been imploring for taking leadership beyond the realms of logic and including more elements of mysticism (van Lingen, 2019). Finally, future possible research directions are discussed.

A Garden of Marvels: Tales of Wonder from Early Medieval China by Robert Ford Campany (review)

The category of zhiguai (accounts of the strange) texts is diverse, encompassing a wide variety of anecdotes, historical records, memoirs, letters, temple inscriptions, and biographies, among others, that recount encounters with sacred, ordinary, and apotropaic objects, shapeshifting animals, ghosts, demons, local gods, and numinous beings such as Daoist transcendents or the Buddha, Buddhist practitioners, deities and supernatural creatures;visits to otherworldly places such as the court of judgment in the afterlife, hidden villages of immortals or enlightened beings à la James Hilton's Shangri-la or the Tibetan mythical kingdom of Shambhala, or even heaven or hell;and unaccountable phenomena such as bizarre dreams, premonitions, and miraculous occurrences, including surviving entombment and the return from death (xxviii). Mordicai Gerstein's children's book Carolinda Clatter (2005), with its description of a giant's sleeping body becoming a mountain with forests, caves, and waterfalls, mirrors the cosmogonic myth of Pangu, whose body parts become the world in item 85 (58 and 59). The eerie feel of the scene in C. S. Lewis's The Magician's Nephew (1955), where Digory Kirke enters the Garden to pluck an apple from the Tree of Knowledge to protect Narnia, is highly reminiscent of item 47 (35), where uninvited intruders eat their fill of otherworldly fruit from a remote orchard but are admonished by an unseen voice in midair to drop the fruit they intended to take with them.

Love, intimacy and online dating: How a global pandemic redefined romantic relationships

This book is an innovative work that explores the concept of intimacy during the COVID-19 pandemic. It provides an overview of the online dating world and apps, the use of which gradually became common as the pandemic restricted people's interaction in the physical world. The author's extensive research conducted during the pandemic posits a comprehensive understanding of the individual's motivation to join a dating app and explores its varied aspects. The book explores the themes and elements of online dating and examines the users' motivation for joining a dating app, for seeking intimacy as well as for self-presentation on the app. It examines the underlying politics and role of infrastructure of dating apps and describes how gender, power and intimacy intersect to create new intimacy phenomena. The book also utilises the author's research to put forth the key concept of 'Jagged Love', which describes a user's cyclical relationship with dating apps during the pandemic, and the gap between a user's act to seek familiar romantic narratives and the app's inability to deliver against these ideas. It explores the differences between virtual and In Real Life (IRL) intimacy, the generation of gender and the emanation of stereotypical cultural ideals that the users sought through the apps. The book serves as an invaluable discussion on the pandemic's impact on modifying the definitions of romance and intimacy. It highlights the impact social factors can have on familiar concepts and the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the definition of love and intimacy, making it fascinating for students, academics and professionals interested in relationships, digital media and gender. The book will also be useful in enhancing the comprehension of love and romance in the fields of social science. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

Coping with global uncertainty: Perceptions of COVID-19 psychological distress, relationship quality, and dyadic coping for romantic partners across 27 countries

[Correction Notice: An Erratum for this article was reported in Vol 39(1) of Journal of Social and Personal Relationships (see record 2022-18336-005). Three new authors (Adnan Adil, Emmanuel Asampong, and Rahmattullah Khan Abdul Wahab Khan) were not initially listed in the Epub ahead of print. Table 1 also contained some errors. The corrections are given in the erratum.] Following the global outbreak of COVID-19 in March 2020, individuals report psychological distress associated with the "new normal"-social distancing, financial hardships, and increased responsibilities while working from home. Given the interpersonal nature of stress and coping responses between romantic partners, based on the systemic transactional model this study posits that perceived partner dyadic coping may be an important moderator between experiences of COVID-19 psychological distress and relationship quality. To examine these associations, self-report data from 14,020 people across 27 countries were collected during the early phases of the COVID-19 pandemic (March-July, 2020). It was hypothesized that higher symptoms of psychological distress would be reported post-COVID-19 compared to pre-COVID-19 restrictions (Hypothesis 1), reports of post-COVID-19 psychological distress would be negatively associated with relationship quality (Hypothesis 2), and perceived partner DC would moderate these associations (Hypothesis 3). While hypotheses were generally supported, results also showed interesting between-country variability. Limitations and future directions are presented. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

Erratum to coping with global uncertainty: Perceptions of COVID-19 psychological distress, relationship quality, and dyadic coping for romantic partners across 27 countries

Reports an error in "Coping with global uncertainty: Perceptions of COVID-19 psychological distress, relationship quality, and dyadic coping for romantic partners across 27 countries" by Ashley K. Randall, Gabriel Leon, Emanuele Basili, Tamas Martos, Michael Boiger, Michela Baldi, Lauren Hocker, Kai Kline, Alessio Masturzi, Richmond Aryeetey, Eran Bar-Kalifa, Susan D. Boon, Luis Botella, Tom Burke, Katherine B. Carnelley, Alan Carr, Arobindu Dash, Mimi Fitriana, Stanley O. Gaines, Sarah Galdiolo, Claire M. Hart, Susanna Joo, Barani Kanth, Evangelos Karademas, Gery Karantzas, Selina A. Landolt, Louise McHugh, Anne Milek, Eddie Murphy, Jean C. Natividade, Alda Portugal, Alvaro Quinones, Ana Paula Relvas, Pingkan C. B. Rumondor, Petruta Rusu, Viola Sallay, Luis Angel Saul, David P. Schmitt, Laura Sels, Sultan Shujja, Laura K. Taylor, S. Burcu Ozguluk, Leslie Verhofstadt, Gyesook Yoo, Martina Zemp, Silvia Donato, Casey J. Totenhagen, Rahel L. van Eickels, Adnan Adil, Emmanuel Anongeba Anaba, Emmanuel Asampong, Sarah Beauchemin-Roy, Anna Berry, Audrey Brassard, Susan Chesterman, Lizzie Ferguson, Gabriela Fonseca, Justine Gaugue, Marie Geonet, Neele Hermesch, Rahmattullah Khan Abdul Wahab Khan, Laura Knox, Marie-France Lafontaine, Nicholas Lawless, Amanda Londero-Santos, Sofia Major, Tiago A. Marot, Ellie Mullins, Pauldy C. J. Otermans, Ariela F. Pagani, Miriam Parise, Roksana Parvin, Mallika De, Katherine Peloquin, Barbara Rebelo, Francesca Righetti, Daniel Romano, Sara Salavati, Steven Samrock, Mary Serea, Chua Bee Seok, Luciana Sotero, Owen Stafford, Christoforos Thomadakis, Cigdem Topcu-Uzer, Carla Ugarte, Wah Yun Low, Petra Simon-Zambori, Ching Sin Siau, Diana-Sinziana Duca, Cornelia Filip, Hayoung Park, Sinead Wearen, Guy Bodenmann and Claudia Chiarolanza (Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 2022[Jan], Vol 39[1], 3-33). Three new authors (Adnan Adil, Emmanuel Asampong, and Rahmattullah Khan Abdul Wahab Khan) were not initially listed in the Epub ahead of print. Table 1 also contained some errors. The corrections are given in the erratum. (The following abstract of the original article appeared in record 2022-18336-001). Following the global outbreak of COVID-19 in March 2020, individuals report psychological distress associated with the "new normal"-social distancing, financial hardships, and increased responsibilities while working from home. Given the interpersonal nature of stress and coping responses between romantic partners, based on the systemic transactional model this study posits that perceived partner dyadic coping may be an important moderator between experiences of COVID-19 psychological distress and relationship quality. To examine these associations, self-report data from 14,020 people across 27 countries were collected during the early phases of the COVID-19 pandemic (March-July, 2020). It was hypothesized that higher symptoms of psychological distress would be reported post-COVID-19 compared to pre-COVID-19 restrictions (Hypothesis 1), reports of post-COVID-19 psychological distress would be negatively associated with relationship quality (Hypothesis 2), and perceived partner DC would moderate these associations (Hypothesis 3). While hypotheses were generally supported, results also showed interesting between-country variability. Limitations and future directions are presented. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

Romantic love in the age of COVID-19

The article reflects on the importance of having a romantic love between the partners to cope up with the stress during the COVID-19 pandemic. Authors decided to measure the love styles as romantic "attitudes," and did considerable research to develop a questionnaire to assess degree of agreement with the six love styles. Authors assumed that virtually everyone could agree to a greater or lesser extent with the questions reflecting each love style, and therefore people did not have to pick only one style as self-representative. Authors first published a long form of their scale called the Love Attitudes Scale (LAS) and later a shortened form of the scale named the Love Attitudes Scale-Short Form. Authors purpose is to propose ways in which these love styles/love attitudes might function in this incredibly challenging "in-your-face" time of COVID. The goal is to be helpful. As longtime scholars and marital partners (43 years), they are living this pandemic a day at a time, just as you are. This era of a global pandemic is unfamiliar and frightening to all who view its gravity in a clear-eyed fashion. Yet this is also a time when love and caring (in this case for a romantic partner) can deepen a relationship profoundly. We humans are far from perfect, but loving is in our nature. These love styles offer one way of viewing romantic, partnered love. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

Self-silencing in romantic relationships: Is it related to worse relationship conflict outcomes

Self-silencing (i.e., withholding one's true thoughts and feelings) is a behavior that romantic partners engage in to minimize conflict in their relationships, yet previous research has not directly examined its prevalence nor its effectiveness. Across four studies using multiple methods (total N = 1,601), we found evidence that self-silencing is a common relationship behavior, and one that may be associated with more and worse conflict. Specifically, we established that contrary to widespread lay beliefs in self-silencing's adaptiveness, it is associated with more frequent and more negatively-valenced conflict as well as lower conflict resolution. Furthermore, our findings suggest that lower subjective feelings of relational authenticity may help explain the counterintuitive association between self-silencing and worse conflict outcomes, but also that self-silencing and conflict may be bidirectionally linked. In our final, pre-registered study, we used a longitudinal dyadic approach to investigate couples during the COVID-19 pandemic and found that both actor's and partner's self-silencing were positively associated with conflict in the moment and that partner's self-silencing predicted greater conflict over time. Throughout our studies, we examined the effects of self-silencing alongside related constructs and processes (e.g., self-disclosure, emotional suppression) and found that self-silencing is uniquely associated with conflict. Taken together, these results suggest that when individuals withhold their thoughts and feelings from a romantic partner to avoid arguing in the moment, or when their partners do so, this may be associated with lower relational authenticity and worse conflict outcomes. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

Feeling the absence of touch: Distancing, distress, regulation, and relationships in the context of COVID-19

During the COVID-19 pandemic, physical distancing guidelines were implemented to reduce viral spread, altering typical social interactions and reducing the amount of physical contact and affectionate touch many individuals experienced. The pandemic also caused psychological distress, perhaps in part related to reductions in affectionate touch with close others. We theorized that this would be particularly problematic for individuals reliant on affectionate touch to help regulate their emotions. Using online survey data collected nationwide from married or romantically partnered adults (N = 585), we examined how physical distancing (moderated by cohabiting with spouse/partner) and affectionate touch with close others (moderated by individual differences in typical use and efficacy of touch for affect regulation [TAR]) related to individual psychological distress and romantic relationship quality. As hypothesized, more physical distancing was associated with less affectionate touch among non-cohabiters, but surprisingly with more touch among cohabiters. Also as hypothesized, participants higher in TAR and experiencing less affectionate touch reported more psychological distress than those similarly high in TAR and experiencing more affectionate touch, or than those lower in TAR. Unexpectedly, more physical distancing was associated directly with lower psychological distress and better relationship quality. Better relationship quality was linked directly to more affectionate touch and greater endorsement of TAR. Thus, for those cohabiting in satisfying romantic relationships, physical distancing may facilitate relationship-positive behaviors. Further, individual differences in TAR may influence the potency of touch effects on mood and stress. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

Affiliative responses to external stress in couples

Can stress ever be good for romantic relationships? Although it is well-established that stress can harm relationships (Karney & Bradbury, 1995;Randall & Bodenmann, 2009), stress may also bring people closer together (Taylor, 2011b). Specifically, recent research and theory suggest that when people experience acute and chronic stress that originates outside of the couple (i.e., external stress) and is moderate in intensity, they may show affiliative responses toward their partner (Clavel et al., 2017;Donato et al., 2018). Moreover, stressed women may be more likely to show affiliative responses toward their partner than stressed men (Taylor et al., 2000. Importantly, how much a person displays affiliative responses may not only depend on their own stress but also their partner's stress. However, there is currently little research examining both partners' stress and affiliative responses. Thus, the current dissertation examines affiliative responses in couples experiencing acute and chronic external stress. This research aims to understand (1) when external stress may be associated with more affiliative responses and (2) who may show more affiliative responses to external stress. In three studies, I examined stress and affiliation during the COVID-19 pandemic, during a laboratory stressor, and during a dyadic caregiving interaction with an infant simulator. I found that moderate acute stress may be associated with greater affiliation in women and lower affiliation in men, shared acute and chronic stressors may be associated with greater affiliation, and people may respond to their partner's stress by affiliating with their simulated infant. This work contributes important new information about how external stress may affect men and women in romantic relationships. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

Now for the good news: Self-perceived positive effects of the first pandemic wave on romantic relationships outweigh the negative

Media attention has highlighted the COVID-19 pandemic's negative effects on romantic relationships (e.g., increased partner aggression). The current mixed-method study also explored potential positive effects, and how the relative balance of positive versus negative effects might have changed over time during the first pandemic wave. Individuals (N = 186) who participated in a pre-COVID study were recruited through MTurk to participate in a four-wave longitudinal follow-up, every 2 weeks from mid-April to late May 2020. Participants completed an 8-item self-report measure assessing perceived negative and positive effects of the pandemic on their romantic relationship. Multi-level models revealed that perceived positive effects were substantially higher than perceived negative effects at each timepoint, even amongst those who reported being more heavily impacted by the pandemic. Both positive and negative effects were stable across time. Open-ended questions at the final time point were coded for common themes. Positive themes were more frequent than negative themes. The most common negative theme centered on increased stress or tension in the relationship, while the most common positive theme discussed the importance of focusing on and appreciating the relationship, including taking advantage of the gift of increased time together the pandemic had brought. Amongst all of the pandemic's bad news, it is refreshing to consider the possibility of pandemic-related benefits for people's romantic relationships. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

Jagged Love: Narratives of Romance on Dating Apps during COVID-19.

The romance plot is one of the most pervasive narratives in Western society. It is a cultural masterplot: a story with which almost everyone is familiar, which can deeply and intrinsically shape the way we think about how we live. This article examines how people interact with the romance masterplot and how it affects their search for love on dating apps in Australia during the global pandemic in 2020. Using data drawn from interviews and focus groups, and combining sociological research and narrative theory, we explore the way the romance masterplot affects the way people approach romance in dating apps, and how this has been complicated by the pandemic. We propose that participants use of dating apps in this period was characterised by 'jagged love', which we have theorised in relation to Zygmunt Bauman's notion of 'liquid love'. This manifested cyclically, as participants turned to the apps seeking the security offered by the romance masterplot in a time of global uncertainty; swiped, matched, and messaged in large numbers, and lost faith in the apps ability to deliver on the romantic masterplot. While episodic behaviour on dating apps is not new, the pandemic heightened and accelerated the process as people desperately sought the certainty offered by the romance masterplot, quickly lost faith because of the limitations of the pandemic, and then returned again.

Cooperative Learning of Italian Literature in the Post-Pandemic Era

Der Beitrag analysiert, wie kooperatives Lernen im Literaturunterricht eingesetzt werden kann, insbesondere in der italienischen Literatur des 19. Jahrhunderts. Es werden die Ergebnisse von Gruppenaktivitäten vorgestellt, die im Oktober 2022 von Studenten der Fakultät für Philologie der "Babes-Bolyai"-Universität Cluj-Napoca mit Spezialisierung auf Italienisch A und B durchgeführt wurden. Es handelt sich um Studenten, die den Kurs Italienische Literatur II in italienischer Sprache besuchen. Die Teilnehmer kehrten erst im Frühjahr 2022, im zweiten Semester ihres ersten Studienjahres auf Universitätsebene, an die Universität zurück (Präsenzveranstaltungen). Während der Covid-19-Pandemie verbrachten sie mehr als ein Jahr in der Hochschule (mit Online-Schule). Nachdem sie in Gruppen von 3 bis 4 Studenten eine kooperative Aktivität im Praktikum durchgeführt hatten, die sich auf das Studium der italienischen Literatur konzentrierte, erhielten sie einen anonymen Fragebogen, um ihre Meinung zum kooperativen Lernen von Fremdsprachen und Literaturen zu äußern. Der Fragebogen enthielt 7 Fragen, mit denen die Lehrkraft überprüfen wollte, ob die Schüler das kooperative Lernen für effektiver hielten als die klassischen Methoden zum Erlernen von Fremdsprachen und Literaturen in der Zeit nach der Pandemie und inwieweit die kooperative Aktivität ihre Neugier auf die italienische Literatur anregte, insbesondere auf die Lektüre des Romans, der während des Praktikums untersucht wurde.Alternate :The paper analyses how cooperative learning can be used in teaching literature, specifically 19th century Italian literature. It presents the results of group activities carried out in October 2022 by students from the Faculty of Letters of the "Babes-Bolyai" University of Cluj-Napoca, with specialisation in Italian A and B. These are students attending the Italian Literature II course, taught in Italian. The participants returned to university (face-to-face didactic activities) only in the spring of 2022, in the second semester of their first year of study at a university level. They spent more than one year of high school during the Covid-19 pandemic (with online school). After having carried out a cooperative activity in the practical course that focused on the study of Italian literature, in groups of 3-4 students, they were given an anonymous questionnaire to express their views on cooperative learning of foreign languages and literatures. The questionnaire contained 7 questions in which the teacher wanted to check whether the students found cooperative learning more effective than the classical methods of learning foreign languages and literatures in the post-pandemic period and how the cooperative activity stimulated their curiosity for Italian literature, especially for reading the novel studied during the practical course.

"Don't Get Your Meat Where You Get Your Bread": Beliefs and Advice about Workplace Romance.

This investigation identified contemporary beliefs about workplace romance and compared how those beliefs have changed since 1986. Different kinds of advice about workplace romance, and how that advice was related to extant beliefs, were also evaluated. A nationwide sample (N = 259) of organizational members with a variety of professional experiences responded to an anonymous online survey. Results indicated that there were three fundamental underlying beliefs about workplace romance: workplace romance is valuable, the right to demand privacy about workplace romance, and anti-workplace romance. Different types of advice-encouraging, warning, gender concern, and silence-were related to these existing beliefs. The substantial associations between beliefs and advice provide evidence for an implicit theory of workplace romance. Personal experience with such relationships was strongly related to the belief that workplace romance is valuable and the right to demand privacy about workplace romance. Additionally, personal experience was also associated with providing advice promoting workplace romance and advocating that employees should remain silent about engaging in such relationships. These results are discussed within the theoretical lens of boundary blending between the work sphere and the private sphere of social life.

Variable-centered and person-centered approaches to understanding a satisfying single life: A focus on singles' social lives

Despite the worldwide increase in the unpartnered population, little research has examined what factors contribute to a satisfying single life. This is an important gap in the literature as the degree to which one is satisfied with one's relationship status has been shown to be a more important determinant of well-being than relationship status per se. In the present research, I examined situational (Studies 1-3) and individual factors (Studies 4-6B) related to a satisfying single life, with a focus on single individuals' social experiences. In the first three studies (N = 3,890), I examined if and how having satisfying relationships with family and friends or having a satisfying sexual life is associated with single individuals' satisfaction with singlehood. Results showed that having satisfying friendships and a sexually satisfying life were both associated with single individuals' feelings of satisfaction about being single. In the next four studies (N = 3,195), I drew on the Fundamental Social Motives Framework to examine single individuals' motivations to pursue different types of social experiences in relation to satisfaction with singlehood. Across two Western samples (primarily European and American) and one Korean sample (collected during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020-2021), I identified three different configurations of motives that exist within the single population. Importantly, the profile characterized by high independence motives in combination with low affiliation and mating motives seemed to be associated with greater satisfaction with singlehood compared to the profile characterized by strong interest in self-protection and social connections as well as the profile characterized by little interest in self-protection but moderate interest in affiliation. Despite considerable consistency, these profile features did not perfectly replicate in a smaller sample collected before the pandemic, highlighting the need to interpret the data with the historical background in mind. Overall, the present research provides novel evidence that maintaining satisfying friendships and sexual lives may contribute to a satisfying single life;at the same time, individuals oriented towards independence in the absence of strong interest in affiliation or romantic partnership may be prone to experiencing singlehood as more satisfying. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)