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8 results

  • Dilemmas of Powerlessness: The Ethical Dimensions of Political Action in the Swedish Parliament

  • Joel Martinsson
  • Journal:
    British Journal of Political Science , First View
    Published online by Cambridge University Press:
    18 November 2024, pp. 1-17
    • Article
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  • What are the most challenging ethical dilemmas for politicians, and how do they handle them? The classical literature on ethical dilemmas in politics has mainly explored them as conflicts between ethical principles in high-stakes decisions. However, empirical evidence of the extent to which such dilemmas accurately reflect the experience of most politicians is scarce. Drawing on extensive in-depth interviews with Swedish parliamentarians, I show that their dilemmas stem mainly from powerlessness. Powerlessness in politics manifests itself in primarily two ways: relational powerlessness, which is driven by constraints like party and constituency loyalties, and inherent powerlessness due to formal and informal barriers like constitutional mandates and limited time and resources. This study contributes to the field of political ethics by anchoring political dilemmas in everyday democratic politics and by introducing powerlessness as a new central concept. In doing so, it supplements our understanding of ethical dilemmas in politics with insights from those confronting them.

  • Chapter 12 - Illusions of Ethical Independence

  • Edited by Ryan S. Kemp, Wheaton College, Illinois, Walter Wietzke, University of Wisconsin, River Falls
  • Book:
    Kierkegaard's <i>Either/Or</i>
    Published online:
    16 November 2023
    Print publication:
    30 November 2023, pp 204-220

  • Summary

    What are we to make of the sermon at the end of Either/Or? How does it stand in relation to the book’s preceding presentations of aesthetic and ethical life? Why is it presented under the title, “Ultimatum”? This chapter takes up these questions by showing how the sermon, and the fictional Jutland priest to whom it is attributed, serve to represent a certain development within ethical subjectivity. On the reading I develop, the sermon represents, namely, a way of trying to sustain a stance of participation in ethical life, in the face of experiences of human powerlessness and exposure to tragedy, without despair but also without succumbing to illusions of ethical independence. So understood, the sermon offers a perspective that, while it incorporates elements of both, provides a third alternative to the tragic outlook of “A” in Either/Or’s Volume 1 and the letters of Judge William in Volume 2.

  • Chapter 3 - Adding Value

  • from Part I - Understanding and Promoting Mattering
  • Isaac Prilleltensky, University of Miami, Ora Prilleltensky, University of Miami
  • Book:
    How People Matter
    Published online:
    20 May 2021
    Print publication:
    17 June 2021, pp 45-58

  • Summary

    There are numerous ways to add value and make a contribution. We can offer gifts of the heart, the head, and the hand. We can provide emotional support, ideas, or tangible help. When it comes to adding value to our own lives, we can increase our happiness, study new things, find meaning in life, and develop physically and spiritually. There are really countless ways to make our life more exciting, goal-oriented, virtuous, and passionate, and it is up to each one of us to discover what actions will make that happen. Needless to say, our opportunities are influenced by the environment we live in. Some social ecologies are more supportive than others, but the aspiration to add value remains, regardless of the particular context. The needs to make a difference, to master the environment, and to express ourselves are well ingrained in all of us. We yearn to be in control of our destiny and to learn new skills. These needs are expressions of self-determination and the pursuit of meaning.

Poverty Narratives and Power Paradoxes in International Trade Negotiations and Beyond
  • Amrita Narlikar
  • Published online:
    16 April 2020
    Print publication:
    07 May 2020
  • In this work, Amrita Narlikar argues that, contrary to common assumption, modern-day politics displays a surprising paradox: poverty - and the powerlessness with which it is associated - has emerged as a political tool and a formidable weapon in international negotiation. The success of poverty narratives, however, means that their use has not been limited to the neediest. Focusing on behaviours and outcomes in a particularly polarising area of bargaining - international trade - and illustrating wider applications of the argument, Narlikar shows how these narratives have been effectively used. Yet, she also sheds light on how indiscriminate overuse and misuse increasingly run the risk of adverse consequences for the system at large, and devastating repercussions for the weakest members of society. Narlikar advances a theory of agency and empowerment by focusing on the life-cycles of narratives, and concludes by offering policy-relevant insights on how to construct winning and sustainable narratives.

  • Occupational stress and UN peacekeepers

  • J. Tobin
  • Journal:
    Irish Journal of Psychological Medicine / Volume 32 / Issue 2 / June 2015
    Published online by Cambridge University Press:
    17 October 2014, pp. 205-208
    Print publication:
    June 2015
  • Background

    Ireland has been actively involved in peacekeeping operations since the 1950s. The unique psychological stressors associated with this form of military activity have been under-recognised and under-researched.

    Aim

    The aim of this paper is to bring to the attention of mental health professionals, who have been caring for military and retired military peacekeeping personnel, the unique difficulties associated with peacekeeping and how they can impact upon the mental health of the peacekeeper.

    Methods

    The nature of peacekeeping is outlined. There is a short review of the limited literature on the mental health effects of this kind of military deployment. There is also an outline of the positive outcomes for the majority of those who have served as peacekeepers.

    Results

    Both the negative and the positive mental health outcomes depend on the particular mission. Each mission is different and the nature of a mission also changes over time. Post-traumatic stress disorder rates can vary from 3% to 15% of a peacekeeping cohort, depending upon the nature of the violence associated with the mission. The vast majority of peacekeepers have found their peacekeeping deployments as an enriching experience.

    Conclusion

    Peacekeepers are often witnesses as well as the victims of traumatic events. The restrictions placed upon their military role by the mission mandate can be a source of stress for them. Their mental health needs to be supported during the mission and after they have returned home.

  • Protection against perceptions of powerlessness and helplessness during palliative care: The family members' perspective

  • Anna Milberg, Peter Strang
  • Journal:
    Palliative & Supportive Care / Volume 9 / Issue 3 / September 2011
    Published online by Cambridge University Press:
    15 August 2011, pp. 251-262
  • Objective:

    Resilience in relation to coping with stress, loss, and bereavement has recently received increased attention. The aim of the current study was to describe aspects that are experienced as a protection against powerlessness and/or helplessness during advanced palliative home care (APHC) or as a help when coping with such perceptions.

    Method:

    Both family members during ongoing APHC and family members 3–9 months after the patient's death responded (in total, N = 233; response rate 72%) to a postal questionnaire with mainly open-ended questions. The text responses were analyzed using Manifest Content Analysis.

    Results:

    Protection against powerlessness and helplessness had been facilitated by a stable patient condition, the patient coping well, a trusting relationship with the patient, practical and emotional support from family and friends, access to palliative expertise, and staff support that was both individually-focused and cooperative. Other aspects that had helped or protected family members against powerlessness and helplessness were a belief that they had their own reliable knowledge to manage the difficult situation, talking to someone, doing good for the patient, distracting activities, acceptance, meaning and hope, and an inner feeling of security.

    Significance of results:

    The findings are discussed in relation to existential psychology, the dual process model of coping with bereavement, and repressive coping. Clinical implications are suggested.

  • Systemic Therapists' Experience of Powerlessness

  • Judy Hildebrand, Desa Markovic
  • Journal:
    Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy / Volume 28 / Issue 4 / 01 December 2007
    Published online by Cambridge University Press:
    02 March 2012, pp. 191-199
    Print publication:
    01 December 2007

  • In this article we explore and discuss the relevance of the concept of powerlessness in systemic practice. The views and concerns of systemic trainees' groups are compared with those of experienced therapists'. We interviewed 12 experienced systemic therapists and investigated what made them feel powerless and how they dealt with it. Extracts from interviews are quoted and summarised in the text. We argue that therapists' powerlessness is a marginalised subject in the systemic approach and that open discussion about the topic would enhance therapists' self-reflexivity and contribute to a fuller understanding of the part that power and powerlessness play in the therapeutic relationship. We consider the place of gender, culture and wider sociopolitical contexts in the experience of therapists' powerlessness. Finally we discuss the implications of our findings for systemic therapy, training and supervision.