“A Brief Sketch of the Christian Faith,” published in 1632, was written by Conradus Vorstius in 1620, at the request of Johannes Uytenbogaert. Uytenbogaert needed a Confessionfor the Remonstrant... Show more“A Brief Sketch of the Christian Faith,” published in 1632, was written by Conradus Vorstius in 1620, at the request of Johannes Uytenbogaert. Uytenbogaert needed a Confessionfor the Remonstrant Society he had justfounded, and asked Vorstius to assist the committee that was established for its production. Vorstius, who at the time lived in difficult conditions, was unable to deliver a full text, but managed to provide this Sketch, which was subsequently used by Simon Episcopius to compose his famous Remonstrant Confession. Vorstius’s sketch was never intended for publication. Show less
Liberal democracy in the world is under pressure. This article will specifically look at security and stability related challenges for liberal democracy in a specific region, namely North-western... Show moreLiberal democracy in the world is under pressure. This article will specifically look at security and stability related challenges for liberal democracy in a specific region, namely North-western Europe. As will be shown, three distinct security and stability related challenges put pressure on liberal democracy in this region. Firstly, the struggle by states to provide security for their citizens in an era where the blurring of internal and external security leads to “new” security threats. Secondly, the decline of social cohesion in society, causing unrest and instability. Thirdly, the undermining of liberal democracy by the state. As will be shown, these challenges have an impact on the organizations working in the security domain as well, in particular the armed forces and the police. Paradoxically, efforts by governments to counter the security and stability related challenges could eventually lead to a declining stability of liberal democracy. Show less
Anxiety is a major problem for many individuals, causing impairment in daily life. Art therapy is often deployed and although positive results are communicated in clinical practice, its... Show moreAnxiety is a major problem for many individuals, causing impairment in daily life. Art therapy is often deployed and although positive results are communicated in clinical practice, its effectiveness and working mechanisms have hardly been studied. Therefore, it is important to systematically describe the intervention process and to detect the working mechanisms to be able to evaluate them. Narrative case studies help to understand the intervention in more depth. A typical case file was selected for case reporting according to scientific (CARE & CARE-AAT) guidelines, with the aim to explore the therapeutic elements that contributed to the reduction of anxiety. The report describes the intervention process of a 54-year-old female, suffering from anxiety since childhood and diagnosed with panic disorder, agoraphobia, claustrophobia and hypochondria. After 14 sessions of anthroposophic art therapy, reduction of anxiety was shown, as well as improvements of emotion regulation and executive functioning. The client indicated that she became more tolerant and accepting towards her anxiety. She noted a softened attitude towards herself and her complaints, even one year after art therapy. The course of treatment suggests that aspects of emotion regulation and executive functioning were addressed through implicit learning processes in different art therapy assignments. Show less
Abbing, A.C.; De Sonneville, L.; Baars, E.; Bourne, D.; Swaab, H. 2019
ObjectivesTo explore possible working mechanisms of anxiety reduction in women with anxiety disorders, treated with art therapy (AT).MethodsA RCT comparing AT versus waiting list (WL) condition on... Show moreObjectivesTo explore possible working mechanisms of anxiety reduction in women with anxiety disorders, treated with art therapy (AT).MethodsA RCT comparing AT versus waiting list (WL) condition on aspects of self-regulation. Stress regulation (heart rate and heart rate variability) and executive functioning (daily behavioural and cognitive performance aspects of executive functioning (EF)) were evaluated in a pre-post design. Participants were women, aged 18–65 years with moderate to severe anxiety symptoms.ResultsEffectiveness of AT compared to WL was demonstrated in a higher resting HRV post treatment, improvements in aspects of self-reported daily EF (emotion control, working memory, plan/organize and task monitor), but not in cognitive performance of EF, stress responsiveness and down regulation of stress. The decrease in anxiety level was associated with improvements in self-reported daily EF.ConclusionsAT improves resting HRV and aspects of EF, the latter was associated with art therapy-related anxiety reduction Show less
Palani, K.; Khidir, J.; Dechesne, M.; Bakker, E. 2019
This research aims to analyse the drivers which informed the decision and timing of Kurdistan’s independence referendum on 25 September 2017. Here we argue that any proper examination of these... Show moreThis research aims to analyse the drivers which informed the decision and timing of Kurdistan’s independence referendum on 25 September 2017. Here we argue that any proper examination of these drivers must begin by investigating the relationship between the fight to counter the Islamic State begun in 2014, the disputes arising as a result of Kurdistan’s presidential election issue in 2015 and the internal political rivalry exacerbated by the question of whether to hold a referendum. The findings of this article highlight the centrality of de facto entities’ internal governance in their struggle towards statehood. The fight against IS served as a primary driver in influencing the timing and the approach of the September 2017 referendum. While the 2015 political deadlock resulting in the illegal extension of Barzani’s presidency was not a determining factor leading to the referendum, nonetheless it quickened the process and influenced the timing. Show less
Palani, K.; Khidir, J.; Dechesne, M.; Bakker, E. 2019
Despite the growing interest in the study of de facto states, our understanding of the conditions under which these entities construct and change strategies to gain international recognition... Show moreDespite the growing interest in the study of de facto states, our understanding of the conditions under which these entities construct and change strategies to gain international recognition remains partial. The aim of this article is to answer the following questions: firstly, what strategies did the Kurdistan Region of Iraq adopt in its pursuit of international recognition? And secondly, what internal and external dynamics are responsible for changing these recognition strategies? To do so, we analyse 68 speeches, interviews and statements from former KRI President Masoud Barzani, from the public announcement of an independence referendum on 7 June 2017 to the holding of the referendum on 25 September 2017, looking into his arguments for independence and how internal and external dynamics have shaped the KRI's recognition strategies. Drawing on the case of the KRI, the article tries to provide insights into how de facto states construct their arguments for statehood. Show less
Dijke, M.H. van; Houwelingen, G.G. van; Cremer, D. de; Schutter, L. de 2017
People morally evaluate norm violations that occur at various distances from the self (e.g., a corrupt politician vs. a cheating spouse). Yet, distance is rarely studied as a moderator of moral... Show morePeople morally evaluate norm violations that occur at various distances from the self (e.g., a corrupt politician vs. a cheating spouse). Yet, distance is rarely studied as a moderator of moral judgment processes. We focus on the influence of disgust on moral judgments, as evidence here has remained inconclusive. Based on feelings as information theory and the notion that disgust evolved as a pathogen avoidance mechanism, we argue that disgust influences moral judgment of psychologically distant (vs. near) norm violations. Studies 1 and 3 show that trait disgust sensitivity (but not trait anger and fear) more strongly predicts moral judgment of distant than near violations. Studies 2 and 4 show that incidental disgust affects moral judgment of distant (vs. near) violations and that the moderating role of distance is mediated by involvement of others (vs. the self) in the evaluator’s conceptualization of the violation. Show less
Houwelingen, G.G. van; Dijke, M.H. van; Cremer, D. de 2017
When do recipients of an apology (“trustors”) base their decision to trust a perpetrator (a “trustee”) on the attributional information embedded in an apology? Attributions provide a detailed... Show moreWhen do recipients of an apology (“trustors”) base their decision to trust a perpetrator (a “trustee”) on the attributional information embedded in an apology? Attributions provide a detailed account of the trustee's causal involvement in committing a transgression. We therefore argue that trustors in a low construal level mindset use this information in their trusting decision. However, trustors in a high construal level mindset likely consider all apologies as simple statements of regret, regardless of the attributional information they contain. We find support for this argument in four laboratory experiments. This research nuances the idea that to restore trust by means of an apology, the trustee must only use an effective attribution for a negative outcome. We also present a more realistic understanding of the process leading from apologies to trust than has been offered in previous work by simultaneously considering the role of the trustor and that of the trustee in the trust restoration process. Show less
Houwelingen, G.G. van; Dijke, M.H. van; Cremer, D. de 2014
In contrast to the abundance of evidence on employee reactions to manager unfairness, we know very little about factors that predict whether managers will act fairly or not. This article explores... Show moreIn contrast to the abundance of evidence on employee reactions to manager unfairness, we know very little about factors that predict whether managers will act fairly or not. This article explores the effect of procedural unfairness that emanates from higher level managers on procedural fairness enactment at lower levels in the organization. We argue that lower level managers can enact both more and less fair procedures in response to higher level unfairness and that this depends on the extent to which lower level managers define the self in terms of their relation with their higher level manager (i.e., relational-interdependent self-construal). We study both the moderating role of self-construal and how it is embedded in the physical environment of the organization. We pay particular attention to how spatial distance between higher and lower management affects self-construal at lower levels and—because of this relationship—the enactment of fair procedures within the organization. We conduct four studies (in two of which we study spatial distance as an antecedent for self-construal) and show that relatively high levels of relational-interdependent self-construal lead to assimilation in terms of procedural fairness enactment, whereas relatively low levels lead to contrast. Show less
