Theoretical Research - Theoretical Research irection

Psychology

Death anxiety is anxiety caused by thoughts of death. One source defines death anxiety as a "feeling of dread, apprehension or solicitude (anxiety) when one thinks of the process of dying, or ceasing to 'be'". Also referred to as thanatophobia (fear of death), death anxiety is distinguished from necrophobia, which is a specific fear of dead or dying people and/or things; the latter is the fear of others who are dead or dying, whereas the former concerns one's own death or dying.

Additionally, there is anxiety caused by death-recent thought-content, which might be classified within a clinical setting by a psychiatrist as morbid and/or abnormal, which for classification pre-necessitates a degree of anxiety which is persistent and interferes with everyday functioning. Lower ego integrity, more physical problems and more psychological problems are predictive of higher levels of death anxiety in elderly people perceiving themselves close to death.

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) refers to a mental disorder caused by traumatic events such as emotions, war, and traffic accidents . Symptoms include unpleasant thoughts, feelings or dreams, mental or physical discomfort and tension when exposed to related objects, attempts to avoid or even destroy related objects, sudden changes in cognition and feelings, and frequent stressful situations. These symptoms often appear after a traumatic event and last for more than a month. Unlike adults, children (especially children under the age of 10) are less likely to develop post-traumatic stress syndrome, and children are less likely to experience physical and mental discomfort, but memories of traumatic events may be reflected in interactions with others . Patients with post-traumatic stress syndrome have a higher risk of suicide . Post-traumatic stress syndrome is sometimes referred to as post-traumatic stress reaction to emphasize that the phenomenon is a legitimate consequence of experience rather than a problem with the patient's psychological state.

Philosophy

René Descartes:The Mind-Body Distinction

One of the deepest and most lasting legacies of Descartes’ philosophy is his thesis that mind and body are really distinct—a thesis now called “mind-body dualism.” He reaches this conclusion by arguing that the nature of the mind (that is, a thinking, non-extended thing) is completely different from that of the body (that is, an extended, non-thinking thing), and therefore it is possible for one to exist without the other. This argument gives rise to the famous problem of mind-body causal interaction still debated today: how can the mind cause some of our bodily limbs to move (for example, raising one’s hand to ask a question), and how can the body’s sense organs cause sensations in the mind when their natures are completely different? This article examines these issues as well as Descartes’ own response to this problem through his brief remarks on how the mind is united with the body to form a human being. This will show how these issues arise because of a misconception about Descartes’ theory of mind-body union, and how the correct conception of their union avoids this version of the problem. The article begins with an examination of the term “real distinction” and of Descartes’ probable motivations for maintaining his dualist thesis.