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Abstract: The essay examines the theoretical basics and methodological framework of humanistic psychology, a psychological approach that investigates experiential wholes of higher order within humanistic reality. In contrast to non-humanistic psychology, which focuses on elementary lived experiences in isolation, humanistic psychology emphasizes the study of complex psychological phenomena as they emerge in relation to cultural artefacts, social relationships, and creative processes. The paper argues that humanistic psychology serves as an auxiliary science for the humanities, while maintaining methodological pluralism in its investigative approaches.
Keywords: humanistic psychology, experiential wholes of higher order, humanistic reality, understanding, cultural artefacts
Published in DiRROS: 19.01.2026; Views: 40; Downloads: 16
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Abstract: The article explores Blaustein’s humanistic psychology as a form of hermeneutics. In particular, I analyze Blaustein’s concept of “humanistic reality” (rzeczywistość humanistyczna) and “experiential wholes of higher order” (całości przeżyciowe wyższego rzędu) in light of Dilthey’s and Spranger’s hermeneutical ideas, taking the methodological emphasis on understanding as the background of my analyses. I argue that Blaustein’s approach to psychic life through cultural artefacts adapts a hermeneutic circle wherein individual human understanding and humanistic reality mutually constitute each other. In this respect, I discuss Blaustein’s applications of this methodology in his accounts of Goethe’s and Hebbel’s literary works. Although Blaustein never explicitly employed hermeneutical terminology, his theoretical framework incorporates three key hermeneutical elements: methodological interpretation, literature as expression of inner life, and circular understanding between parts and wholes.
Keywords: humanistic psychology, interpretation, hermeneutic circle, hermeneutics, humanistic reality
Published in DiRROS: 16.01.2026; Views: 62; Downloads: 21
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Abstract: Background: Mother and Baby Units are specialised psychiatric facilities for women during and after pregnancy. In the United Kingdom, efforts have been made to expand the Mother and Baby Unit availability and establish care guidelines. However, the accessibility of these services for ethnic minority women remains relatively unexplored despite well-documented disparities. Aims: To explore patient pathways to Mother and Baby Units in three UK localities, with a focus on variations in pathways between services and among ethnic groups. Methods: This is a three-site, longitudinal retrospective service evaluation conducted in Birmingham, London and Nottingham during a 12-month period (1 January–31 December 2019). Electronic records were accessed to extract data on the type of admission, the referral process and the type of pathway (simple or complex). The simple pathway entailed contact with one clinician/service prior to admission to the Mother and Baby Unit, while the complex pathway involved interactions with two or more clinicians/services before Mother and Baby Unit admission. Data were collected using the adapted World Health Organization Encounter form and were analysed using uni- and multivariable analyses. Results: Electronic records from 198 patients were analysed, with participants distributed proportionally across three sites: Birmingham (n = 70, 35.4%), London (n = 62, 31.3%) and Nottingham (n = 66, 33.3%). All Mother and Baby Units were nationally commissioned and received referrals from across England. Most patients were in the post partum period, admitted for the first time through emergency, informal and complex pathways. The average length of admission was 6 weeks. Significant differences in admission characteristics were observed between services. Patients of Asian ethnicity had more emergency admissions compared to those of Black and White ethnicities. Ethnicity was the only significant factor associated with the simple/complex care pathway. After controlling for pathway-level and patient-level factors, Black patients were 6.24 times less likely to experience a complex care pathway than White patients. No evidence was found that patients from the Black ethnic background are detained more often than White patients. Limitations: The heterogeneity among categorised ethnic groups, data extracted solely from electronic records without validation through patients’ personal accounts of their care pathways, unanalysed declined referrals and the utilisation of pre-COVID-19 pandemic data. The ethnic composition of the study sample matched that of the UK maternity population in the Nottingham subsample, but Black and Asian populations were over-represented in the Birmingham and London subsamples. Conclusion: The study provides valuable insights into patient journeys to Mother and Baby Units, highlighting significant differences between services. It also emphasises the role of ethnicity in care pathways. For example, Black patients were less likely to encounter more than two services before Mother and Baby Unit admission, suggesting either more direct access to specialist care or insufficient community-based interventions. This dual interpretation calls for future research to explore whether pathway differences among ethnic groups result from optimal clinical decision-making or gaps in care provision. Future work: Should further examine the role of ethnicity in shaping care pathways; explore the link between care pathway types and treatment outcomes; investigate if simple or complex pathways result from optimal clinical decisions or gaps in the healthcare system and explore admissions to general wards versus Mother and Baby Units and transitions between these units.
Keywords: psychology, perinatal period, mental health, mental health services
Published in DiRROS: 29.12.2025; Views: 288; Downloads: 89
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Abstract: Background: Quality of life (QoL) is a commonly used outcome measure in people with chronicneurological diseases (CND). As valuable as QoL is, it does not take into account aspects of subjective well-being (SWB) such as subjective happiness, meaning in life, life satisfaction and hope; all constructs that areconsidered central to well-being.ObjectivesObjectives: The goal was to assess how the different aspects of SWB are altered in Parkinson’s disease(PD) and dystonia relative to healthy controls (HCs) and to identify the most important predictors of differentdimensions of SWB in PD and dystonia.MethodsMethods: Eighty-two people with PD, 63 with dystonia, and 50 HCs were surveyed using various measuresof SWB.ResultsResults: People with PD and dystonia had significantly lower satisfaction with life than HCs, with self-esteemand loneliness being significant covariates. Although people with PD and dystonia had significantly lessmeaning in life, they still sought meaning in life as much as HCs. Self-esteem, resilience and neuroticism weresignificant covariates for the presence of “meaning in life.” There were no significant group differences insubjective happiness or hope. In people with PD, mood (depression and anxiety), personality traits (extraversionand self-esteem), disease duration, and pain/discomfort were significant predictors of various measures ofSWB. The main significant predictor of SWB in dystonia was depression, which predicted 49% of the variance insubjective happiness.ConclusionsConclusions: These results emphasize the importance of SWB as a field of investigation and clinical care in themanagement of people with PD and dystonia
Keywords: dystonia, Parkinson's disease, positive psychology, self-esteem, subjective well-being
Published in DiRROS: 10.12.2025; Views: 369; Downloads: 112
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Abstract: Scientifc evidence regularly guides policy decisions1 , with behavioural science increasingly part of this process2 . In April 2020, an infuential paper3 proposed 19 policy recommendations (‘claims’) detailing how evidence from behavioural science could contribute to eforts to reduce impacts and end the COVID-19 pandemic. Here we assess 747 pandemic-related research articles that empirically investigated those claims. We report the scale of evidence and whether evidence supports them to indicate applicability for policymaking. Two independent teams, involving 72 reviewers, found evidence for 18 of 19 claims, with both teams fnding evidence supporting 16 (89 %) of those 18 claims. The strongest evidence supported claims that anticipated culture, polarization and misinformation would be associated with policy efectiveness. Claims suggesting trusted leaders and positive social norms increased adherence to behavioural interventions also had strong empirical support, as did appealing to social consensus or bipartisan agreement. Targeted language in messaging yielded mixed efects and there were no efects for highlighting individual benefts or protecting others. No available evidence existed to assess any distinct diferences in efects between using the terms ‘physical distancing’ and ‘social distancing’. Analysis of 463 papers containing data showed generally large samples; 418 involved human participants with a mean of 16,848 (median of 1,699). That statistical power underscored improved suitability of behavioural science research for informing policy decisions. Furthermore, by implementing a standardized approach to evidence selection and synthesis, we amplify broader implications for advancing scientifc evidence in policy formulation and prioritization.
Keywords: psychology, behaviour, trusted leaders, adherence to behavioural interventions, covid-19, pandemic
Published in DiRROS: 27.01.2025; Views: 622; Downloads: 343
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