Fun is often seen a necessary gratification for recreational games. This paper studies two freeform role-playing games aiming to create extremely intense experiences of tragedy, horror, disgust, powerlessness and self-loathing, in order to gratify the self-selected group of experienced role-players. Almost all of the 15 interviewed players appreciated their experiences, despite crying, experien...

Despite substantial differences between the medical model and empowerment theory, there is no reason that mental health consumers cannot simultaneously seek recovery from illness and powerlessness by using the best of both strategies. Perhaps an individual with mental illness can regain full control over life events only after psychopathology has dissipated, as suggested by the medical model, a...

The subjects for this study were male bar patrons in three Texas cities. Linear discriminant analysis was utilized to test the null hypothesis between each pair of subject groups on self-esteem, personal competence, self-acceptance, purpose in life, powerlessness, normlessness, social isolation, alienation, status concern, social responsibility, age, occupation, marital status, education, and a...

A framework is proposed for a more systematic understanding of the effects of child sexual abuse. Four traumagenic dynamics--traumatic sexualization, betrayal, stigmatization, and powerlessness--are identified as the core of the psychological injury inflicted by abuse. These dynamics can be used to make assessments of victimized children and to anticipate problems to which these children may be...

Developments leading to the attack on the WTC and the ensuing war on terrorism are discussed– a matter of "north meets south" rather than "east meets west". Passionlessness, as a new type of alienation characterizing both secularized information society and the dispassionate way the "war on terror" is waged, is contrasted with the certainly passionate and religion-driven extremism behind al-Qae...

BACKGROUND Suicidal ideation can often lead to suicide attempts and completed suicide. Studies have shown that Sri Lanka has one of the highest rates of suicide in the world but so far no studies have looked at prevalence of suicidal ideation in a general population in Sri Lanka. AIMS We wanted to determine the prevalence of suicidal ideation by randomly selecting six Divisional Secretariats ...