Identity, culture, and feminism: Golda Meir - Israel's prime minister (1969-1974).

Like most historical leaders, Israel's fourth prime minister, Golda Meir, is a controversial figure. Some consider her the worst prime minister in Israel's history, who was responsible for Israel's lack of preparedness for the Yom Kippur War, and others perceive her to be the only 'man' who stood in the way of Arabs' countries victory over Israel. Some view her to be conservative, not brilliant, dogmatic, masculine, and racist, and some others, as a simple, modest, warm, and empathetic woman. The authors bridge between these two conflicting views by employing theories of identity, culture, and gender role bias to investigate how Golda Meir's early age trauma caused by pogroms against Jews, cultural transition between Russia, the USA, and Mandatory Palestine, and serving as a powerful woman leader in an all-men political system, influenced her personal and political behaviour and her public image.

Psychobiographical reflections on Viktor von Weizsäcker within the cultural framework of salutogenesis and medical anthropology.

This article explores the life of Viktor von Weizsäcker (VvW, 1886-1957), a German medical doctor, philosopher and founder of the Heidelberg School of Anthropological Medicine, from a psychobiographical and salutogenic perspective. The authors use salutogenesis and sense of coherence (SOC), and take crucial cultural, historical, and socio-structural frameworks into account to explore the life during the 19th and 20th Centuries in Germany. They present the exploration of a strong SOC in the life of VvW and show how SOC is created within the tight family bonds of the family clan, which has produced many extraordinary theologists, philosophers, scientists and politicians over six generations. In a complex, interconnected and holistic way, SOC is evident in von VvW's individual life, and is also shown to be a family resource. This article contributes to psychobiography in three ways: it develops the salutogenetic perspective in psychobiography, explores the life of VvW within a specific sociocultural context, and investigates the life from a salutogenetic and socio-cultural perspective. Finally, conclusions are drawn, and recommendations for theory and practice are given.

Promoting psychobiography: models and perspectives from multiple countries.

This article promotes and advocates for the integration of psychobiography into academic training in psychology. While psychobiography has been foundational to the discipline of psychology since Freud's study of Leonardo da Vinci, its procedures and methods have been sorely neglected in academic psychology. Following a brief introduction to psychobiography, the authors provide a historical review of the specialty area, review the current scope of psychobiographical training in psychology, and summarize the benefits of psychobiography to both the training of students and the broader psychology field. Next, models and examples of psychobiography integration across three continents and five countries are provided. The article concludes with specific recommendations for advancing psychobiography in academic psychology.

A psychobiographical analysis of Empress Dowager Cixi: exploring the femininity castrated complex.

In Chinese culture, there is a widely circulated phrase, 'A hen crows in the morning'. This phrase is used to humiliate women who steal power and engage in the political field. It demonstrates the complicated relationship between women and power in the context of Chinese culture. Women are not completely excluded from the politics, but women in power are often stigmatised. This study explores the life of Empress Dowager Cixi (1835-1908), the last female dominator in Chinese history, takes psychobiography as the research method, and attempts to understand the complicated relationship between women and power in Chinese culture through analysing Cixi's life from the perspective of complex and cultural complex theory which originated with C.G. Jung and analytical theory. The research findings show that humiliating and suppressing women with political talent can trigger their complexes, both personal and cultural. This study attempts to propose the femininity castrated complex to better describe the conscious and unconscious psychological dynamics impacting on women within patriarchal, political Chinese culture. This complex further relates to (1) denying her biological sex in order to avoid accusations of superego and, (2) the relationship with her son who is not only her son, but also her enemy regarding (political) power.

Emotional experiences and psychological well-being in 51 countries during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic presents challenges to psychological well-being, but how can we predict when people suffer or cope during sustained stress? Here, we test the prediction that specific types of momentary emotional experiences are differently linked to psychological well-being during the pandemic. Study 1 used survey data collected from 24,221 participants in 51 countries during the COVID-19 outbreak. We show that, across countries, well-being is linked to individuals' recent emotional experiences, including calm, hope, anxiety, loneliness, and sadness. Consistent results are found in two age, sex, and ethnicity-representative samples in the United Kingdom (n = 971) and the United States (n = 961) with preregistered analyses (Study 2). A prospective 30-day daily diary study conducted in the United Kingdom (n = 110) confirms the key role of these five emotions and demonstrates that emotional experiences precede changes in well-being (Study 3). Our findings highlight differential relationships between specific types of momentary emotional experiences and well-being and point to the cultivation of calm and hope as candidate routes for well-being interventions during periods of sustained stress. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Leading higher education into the fourth industrial revolution: an empirical investigation.

The Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) rapidly advanced at the beginning of the 21st century. Leaders within organisations need to adjust their visions, plans, organisational structures, and management with regard to the demands, challenges and opportunities of this development. This is in particular the case in higher educational institutions (HEIs), which have to adjust to the rapid changes and new demands of skills of university graduates. Leaders in HEIs must therefore be aware of the related challenges and opportunities and might have to adjust the learning and teaching environment, the skills development of students, graduates, and faculty, as well as the technological requirements to create advanced skill sets. This article is based on a qualitative research study which was conducted at a university in South Africa. In-depth, semi-structured interviews were used to explore the views of higher-education leaders at the selected university. Data were analysed through thematic analysis. It was found that leaders in HEIs need to be aware of their leadership and preferences in times of transition toward a more technologised learning environment, as well as the needs, demands, challenges and opportunities of the new workplaces, and new skill sets needed in the 4IR. The researchers made some recommendations. "Education is the key that unlocks the golden door to freedom." George Washington Carver.

Between suffering and coping: burnout in female medical doctors in South Africa.

Burnout is described as emotional and physical exhaustion, reduced accomplishment, together with an outlook of inadequacy and cynicism related to job stress. It has a harmful impact globally, especially in developing countries, such as South Africa. This study is a phenomenological collective case study focusing on burnout experience in a sample of female medical doctors working in a South African public hospital. Based on ongoing explorations of burnout themes, empirically based intervention strategies are needed to be developed and presented for the South African public health sector to prevent stress-related burnout. The findings support the trend in literature that burnout is an overwhelming experience for female medical doctors in South Africa. The study presents voices of female medical doctors, their concerns, the causes for burnout and their coping mechanisms. It provides a strong contribution to exploring and presenting women's experiences in working in the medical field in South Africa from a positive psychology perspective. The findings indicate the struggles and the coping mechanisms of female medical doctors working in the field.

Male graduates transitioning into the workplace: managing stress through the sense of coherence components.

Male graduates are faced with many challenges when transitioning into work life after graduation. This transition from university to the workplace is one of the most important developmental stages in a young adult's life. It has an important impact on their careers and causes increased stress levels. Often, young men are suffering from mental health challenges and feel as though they cannot seek the appropriate help. Thus, it is necessary to determine how young male graduates cope with the changes experienced in this period, especially relating to their sense of coherence and salutogenesis. The aim of the study is to investigate the transition from university to the workplace and to understand their stress and well-being experiences in terms of activating the three sense of coherence components for coping. A qualitative approach is employed through the use of semi-structured interviews with 10 male South African university graduates. A content analysis technique was used to analyse the qualitative data. The findings indicate that most of the young male graduates understand the transition from university to the workplace and the challenges that come with it (comprehensibility). They also have the necessary personal resources to cope with the stress (manageability) while experiencing this life phase as meaningful (meaningfulness). To understand the transition into the workforce was the most important aspect to stay health during the transition. However, male graduates mainly coped by applying their personal coping strategies and mechanisms and thereby managed their transition mainly by themselves, not based on organizational structures or integrative processes. Meaning applied to the transitional process mainly derived from their personal concepts of creating a meaningful life, not as such from the meaning applied to the work or position they held. The findings provide insights which can be used by higher education institutions to prepare graduates for the transition into the workforce and for organizations to develop programmes for graduates to improve their transition into the organization.

Self-compassion, mental health shame and work motivation in German and Japanese employees.

In Germany, more than two-thirds of employees report mental health issues, while in Japan, more than half of the country's workforce are mentally distressed. Although both countries are socio-economically developed in similar ways, their cultures differ strongly. This article investigates mental health constructs among German and Japanese employees. A cross-sectional design was employed in which 257 German and 165 Japanese employees completed self-report scales regarding mental health problems, mental health shame, self-compassion and work motivation. T-tests, correlation and regression analyses were conducted. Results show that German employees have significantly higher levels of mental health problems, mental health shame, self-compassion and work motivation than Japanese employees. While many correlations were similar, mental health problems were associated with intrinsic motivation in Germans, but not in Japanese. Shame was associated with both intrinsic and extrinsic motivation in Japanese, but not in Germans. Self-compassion - defined as a complex of compassion, humanity, care and unconditional, compassionate love - was associated with gender and age in Japanese, but not in German employees. Lastly, regression analysis uncovered that self-compassion was the strongest predictor of mental health problems in Germans. In Japanese employees, mental health shame is the strongest predictor of mental health problems. Results can guide managers and psychologists in internationalised organisations to effectively approach employee mental health.

The meaning of love and its bittersweet nature.

Love is the core of human experience and central to our meaning in life and wellbeing, yet it is also a complex concept full of ambiguity and contradiction. The main purpose of this paper is fourfold: Firstly, we want to clarify questions such as 'What is the meaning of love?' and 'Why is meaning of love so important to us?' Secondly, we want to explain why love is both suffering and essential for our happiness and mental health. Thirdly, we identify the major types of love and clarify which types are constructive and which are destructive. We also identify the key dimensions of true love. Finally, we emphasise that love does not always mean happiness; rather, it is meant to be a school to teach us important lessons and to make us complete. Therefore, we need to embrace suffering and at the same time cultivate the constructive types of love to improve our mental health and to make the world a more compassionate place.

Challenges and coping of couples in intercultural romantic love relationships.

This study explores the romantic love in intercultural couples and investigates the qualities that challenge them and help them succeed in their relationships. It uses a qualitative research design within the hermeneutical interpretative research paradigm, aiming to understand the phenomenon of love from different cultural perspectives. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and analysed through content analysis. Qualitative quality criteria and ethical considerations were applied. Ethical consent was provided by Northumbria University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK. The findings represent the views of couples on their love and their relationship, in particular the challenged experienced and the coping strategies to overcome them. Challenges highlighted are the non-acceptance of the relationship by family members and friends; disagreement on cultural values, norms, rules, and rituals; communication in a third language; no language in common with family members; differences in concepts, such as religion, love, feelings, communication; building a common future, and minor differences in personality traits. The participants use individual and joint coping mechanisms to deal with challenges and stressors. These coping mechanisms include attitudes and behaviours regarding culture, awareness, faith and religion, learning, future orientation, and fighting together for the relationship. Conclusions are provided and recommendations for leading intercultural romantic relationships are given.

The love of pets in managing remote work challenges during Covid-19.

In response to the Covid-19 pandemic, a large number of employed individuals all over the world were obliged to work remotely during lockdown. This article focuses on the coping mechanisms which individuals used to manage this difficult situation, specifically the impact which loving and caring for pets had on the way in which people dealt with the challenges of the remote-working environment. Methodologically, this qualitative study used a phenomenological research design to understand the lived experience of the participants in the study. Ten qualitative semi-structured interviews were conducted with pet owners during the Covid-19 lockdown period in South Africa. The sample was recruited using purposeful and snowball sampling techniques. Data were analysed through content analysis while qualitative quality criteria were applied. Findings show pets supported their owners in many different ways during the pandemic and only the animal's presence supported the owners at home physically, psychologically and emotionally. They helped to reduce the stress of their owners and create a homely atmosphere. Pets played a specific role in providing love, companionship, strong emotional and affective bonds and by creating experiences of comfort, positive as well as negative distraction from work, and physical presence. The experience of love was one major aspect of the relationships between pets and humans. Conclusions are drawn and recommendations are given with regard to future research, highlighting how organisations and consultants can use the positive influences of pets in remote-working scenarios.

Psychobiographical trends: Untold stories and international voices in the context of social change.

OBJECTIVE: This article describes the increase of publications in the area of psychobiography, thereby analysing the trends in the articles published in the special issue on psychobiography and social agency and activism. It further highlights the specific approaches taken by autobiographers who write psychobiographical accounts of extraordinary individuals and "everyday heroes" in their attempt of creating social impact in specific socio-cultural groups, societies or even on a global level. METHOD: This is a conceptional article which comments on the trends presented in this special issue. RESULTS: This article presents a discussion of the special issue and its impact. CONCLUSIONS: New trends in psychobiography are discussed and show the way forward for psychobiography.

The influence of the Fourth Industrial Revolution on organisational culture: An empirical investigation.

The Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) is known to transform and create opportunities for the world of work. However, little is known about how the future workforce, such as university students, are being equipped and exposed to 4IR technologies and ways of thinking in a South African (SA) context. This study's findings contribute to understanding the influence of organisational culture on the uptake of 4IR technology within higher education (HE) in SA during a pandemic. The study uses Edgar Schein's theoretical framework to explore the organisational culture at a university in the Gauteng province. The article responds further to the questions on how 4IR technology and principles are understood and applied within the context, and how to investigate to what extent the 4IR is reflected upon or embedded in the university's culture. A qualitative research design is used, and data are gathered through in-depth, semi-structured interviews from seven purposively selected academic and senior management staff members. Thematic analysis uncovered that the university's ambitious and competitive culture contributed to a positive uptake of 4IR technology and principles, even pre-COVID-19. Furthermore, the specific influence of the university's Vice-Chancellor to build 4IR thinking into the university helped shape more 4IR thinking and technologies, such as artificial intelligence, whilst still considering the existing disparities of SA, as a developing country.

Fear, depression, and well-being during COVID-19 in German and South African students: A cross-cultural comparison.

Various studies have shown a decrease in well-being and an increase in mental health problems during the COVID-19 pandemic; however, only a few studies have explored fear, depression, and well-being cross-culturally during this time. Accordingly, we present the results of a cross-cultural study that (1) compares these mental health scores for German and South African students, (2) compares the correlations among them, and (3) identifies COVID-19 fear, well-being, and depression predictors. German and South African societies differ from each other socio-culturally, politically, and economically. Their university systems also differ to a large extent. University students in both countries completed the Fear of COVID-19 Scale, the World Health Organization-Five Well-Being Index (WHO-5), and the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9). Welch's t-test, correlation, and multiple regression analyses were performed. (1) German students were found to have statistically lower levels of COVID-19 fear and depression, but lower levels of general well-being than South African students. (2) In both samples, fear of COVID-19 was negatively correlated with well-being and positively associated with female gender and depression. (3) Additionally, female gender, depression, and lower well-being were identified as predictors of COVID-19 fear in both samples. The findings indicate that the fear of COVID-19 is associated with and varies according to gender, depression, and well-being across cultures, and that the difference in the intensity of fear between German and South African students may be partly explained by cultural and contextual differences. These findings can create a deeper understanding of the pandemic's impact on student communities and may be used by mental health practitioners and researchers to develop and apply culture-specific interventions.