A multitude of crises have ravaged Greece during the past six years. The ensuing austerity policies, imposed as antidotes, appear to have impacted people's lives gravely. The collapse of a failing social and political system led to the establishment of social solidarity initiatives. One of these initiatives is the Somateio Allilovoithias Ofeileton Rethymnou (SAOR-Network for the Mutual Assistance of Rethymno's Debtors). SAOR offers comradeship by activating citizens to build collective strength and to resist foreclosures actively. In this paper, we present the results of a qualitative study focusing on the lives of the people who are members of the network and are involved in deterring foreclosures. Eleven interviews and a focus group discussion provided by coalition members were analyzed using phenomenologically informed thematic analysis. Three superordinate themes were identified: 1) Living on the precipice: Shocked, hoodwinked and debt-ridden; 2) Mutual anger against the 'betrayers' and the need for resistance; and 3) The national bankruptcy and unending deliberations regarding country's and the coalition's fate. These themes comprise a story entitled: The neoliberal myth of austerity: Indebted personhood in a bankrupt nation. Indebted citizens described the emotional collapse, the alienation, the feelings of solidarity they experienced and their anger toward politicians.
A multitude of crises have ravaged Greece during the past six years. The ensuing austerity policies, imposed as antidotes, appear to have impacted people's lives gravely. The collapse of a failing social and political system led to the establishment of social solidarity initiatives. One of these initiatives is the Somateio Allilovoithias Ofeileton Rethymnou (SAOR-Network for the Mutual Assistance of Rethymno's Debtors). SAOR offers comradeship by activating citizens to build collective strength and to resist foreclosures actively. In this paper, we present the results of a qualitative study focusing on the lives of the people who are members of the network and are involved in deterring foreclosures. Eleven interviews and a focus group discussion provided by coalition members were analyzed using phenomenologically informed thematic analysis. Three superordinate themes were identified: 1) Living on the precipice: Shocked, hoodwinked and debt-ridden; 2) Mutual anger against the 'betrayers' and the need for resistance; and 3) The national bankruptcy and unending deliberations regarding country's and the coalition's fate. These themes comprise a story entitled: The neoliberal myth of austerity: Indebted personhood in a bankrupt nation. Indebted citizens described the emotional collapse, the alienation, the feelings of solidarity they experienced and their anger toward politicians. ; peerReviewed ; publishedVersion
A multitude of crises have ravaged Greece during the past six years. The ensuing austerity policies, imposed as antidotes, appear to have impacted people's lives gravely. The collapse of a failing social and political system led to the establishment of social solidarity initiatives. One of these initiatives is the Somateio Allilovoithias Ofeileton Rethymnou (SAOR-Network for the Mutual Assistance of Rethymno's Debtors). SAOR offers comradeship by activating citizens to build collective strength and to resist foreclosures actively. In this paper, we present the results of a qualitative study focusing on the lives of the people who are members of the network and are involved in deterring foreclosures. Eleven interviews and a focus group discussion provided by coalition members were analyzed using phenomenologically informed thematic analysis. Three superordinate themes were identified: 1) Living on the precipice: Shocked, hoodwinked and debt-ridden; 2) Mutual anger against the 'betrayers' and the need for resistance; and 3) The national bankruptcy and unending deliberations regarding country's and the coalition's fate. These themes comprise a story entitled: The neoliberal myth of austerity: Indebted personhood in a bankrupt nation. Indebted citizens described the emotional collapse, the alienation, the feelings of solidarity they experienced and their anger toward politicians. ; peerReviewed ; publishedVersion
The main body of research on addiction and pathological narcissism has focused on the study of their co-occurrence by applying Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders ( DSM) definitions for these clinical phenomena or by assessing trait narcissism in substance-dependent populations. Clinically informed comprehensive conceptualizations of narcissism which focus on its phenomenological range from vulnerability to grandiosity have not been applied in studying the specific narcissistic disturbances that underlie the relationship between these comorbid conditions. Aiming to examine this relationship, this study compared the presence of pathological narcissism, and more specifically narcissistic grandiosity and vulnerability, in substance-dependent individuals in treatment with individuals from the general population. Comparisons indicate that substance-dependent individuals experience significant narcissistic disturbances more likely related to vulnerability than grandiosity. Shame, rage, and self-esteem contingent upon external validation comprise the intrapsychic and interpersonal vulnerability. Implications for the clinical conceptualization of pathological narcissism as well as for substance dependence treatment interventions are discussed.
»Neoliberalismus« zielt keinesfalls nur auf ökonomische Veränderungen in einem Land ab – auch wenn die neo-liberalen, drakonischen »Strukturanpassungen« Griechenlands eine keinesfalls zu leugnende Tatsache sind. Prekarität & Austerität – als »Superwaffen« des Neoliberalismus - sind dabei nicht nur »Folgen« solcher Strukturanpassungen, sondern auch eigenständige politische Mittel hin zu einer grundlegenden Rekonfiguration unserer Vorstellungen von Gesellschaftlichkeit, die alle Aspekte der gesellschaftlichen Organisation miteinbezieht: Institutionen, Staat, Arbeit, Individuen, Bedürfnisse, Beziehungen, Rechte etc. Wie Gesellschaft aussieht bzw. auszusehen hat, wird dabei, soll von neuem konfiguriert werden. Die neo-liberale Transformation auch der griechischen Gesellschaft bezog sich nicht nur auf die Arbeitsbedingungen (was ja mit Austerität & Prekarität gemeint sein mag); die NGOisierung der (psychologischen) Arbeit hat auch neue Arbeitsräume geschaffen, neue Arbeitsinhalte und auch neue Arbeitssubjekte. NGOisierung meint dabei nicht die Ersetzung von Öffentlichem durch Privates, sondern die Schaffung eines neuen Regimes von Beziehungen zwischen öffentlich und privat. NGOisierung charakterisiert mehr eine »Methodologie«, eine Technologie, die die Funktionen aller teilnehmenden Akteure und Konstituenten transformiert, d. h. die NGOs selbst, den Staat und die individuellen Subjekte und ihre Beziehungen etc. Die neuen umkämpften Praxen und neuen Arbeitsregime fordern und erschaffen ihrerseits neue Subjektivitäten und neue Praxisformen. Die Arbeit in einer NGO bedeutet für eine(n) jung(en) sozialwissenschaftliche(n) AbsolventIn nicht nur prekäre Arbeit; sie beinhaltet auch Veränderungen innerhalb des psychosozialen Rahmens der Arbeit, die bezüglich der Anforderungen und Möglichkeiten für die Subjekte Ähnlichkeiten mit high-tech Arbeitsplätzen aufweisen, z. B. Anwendung von ständig aktualisiertem Wissen, aber auch kontinuierliches Lernen für und während der Arbeit; Aspekte von Forschungstätigkeit und Wissensproduktion etc. Darüber hinaus werden zunehmend auch Tätigkeiten erwartet, die lediglich zur Reproduktion des Arbeitsplatzes beitragen, wie z. B. »manageriale« Aufgaben oder Akquirierung von funds. In einem weiteren Schritt werden wir einen historischen Sprung nach vorn machen um unsere bisherigen Reflexionen zu aktualisieren. Hierzu werden wir kurz und exemplarisch aus einer explorativen Studie mit jungen SchulpsychologInnen während der »Krise« berichten, in der die jungen KollegInnen über ihre Erfahrungen mit vielfältigen Feldern von Prekarität berichten. Hierbei kann deutlicher werden, dass und wie sich die NGOisierung der Arbeit mit ihrer kolonialen Logik auf die Gesellschaft ausbreitet. ; »Neoliberalism« is doing much more than transforming the »economies« of nations around the world. In fact, in Greece precarity and austerity have ensued soon after the draconian neo-liberal adjustments. Such impacts are not only articulations or outgrowths of particular policies but also tools in the imposition of a fundamental reconfiguration of our »social imagination« impacting all aspects of society's organization: institutions, organization of labor, individuals, needs, rights, etc. The entire scheme of what and how society ought to look like has been reconfigurated from anew. The neo-liberal transformation of Greek society has not only affected working conditions (»precarity & austerity«), but it has also created new spaces, new contents and new worker-subjects which come about through the «NGOisation" of psychological work. NGOisation should not to be construed as a substitute for the public by the private, but as the creation of a new regime of relationships between public and private. The whole process of NGOisation has to be grasped more as a »methodology« changing and transforming the functions of all of its contributors, actors, constituents; that is, the NGOs themselves, the state, and the subjects who act under its auspices. The contested practices and the new work regimes, in turn, demand and produce new subjectivities and new forms of social practice. Working in NGOs as a young social scientist is not only precarious; it also engenders changes and transformations within psychosocial settings where the work takes place. The induced changes in the nature of the work and how it is organized is rendered similar to those of high-tech settings. This includes traditional application of cutting-edge knowledge, well-honed abilities, and reflective practice, along with a concomitant and continuous production of knowledge, and learning. Moreover, these jobs require that the young social scientists maintain their keep; in essence, bringing in funds and grants that will allow them to draw a salary. Hence, these kinds of jobs are usually accompanied by increased demands and certainly »new forms« of worker subjectivity. In a second step we will make a historical step forward and update our previous reflections presenting findings from our explorative qualitative inquiry focusing on psychology's influx in schools in Greece during the »crisis«. We asked young psychologists to describe their work, their responsibilities, and sense of professional identity during their short tenure in the schools. Discussion focuses on issues of austerity, professional precarity, and the nuances of how »evaluation« and »support« services are implicated and, in turn, legitimize »psychologizing« practices. By this it maybe become more clear that and how the NGOisation of labor with its colonial logic expands more and more towards society.
This article adopts a pragmatic‐communicative approach, derived from Gregory Bateson's cybernetic theory, to the Greek Referendum Vote of 2015. Applying this approach, we interpret the Referendum as a double‐bind situation. Our research question is twofold: (1) How do potential Greek voters discursively construct the Referendum? (2) How do they respond to the communicative situation posed? A total of 124 written narratives, "Letters from the Future," written by 99 participants, were collected during the days prior to the vote. Their letters focused on a desired future situation after a YES or a NO vote outcome. Qualitative analysis showed how the letters were used to appropriate the Referendum query in a unique and deeply personalized manner. Moreover, we identified four types of responses to the ambivalent query: confirmation, rejection, disconfirmation, and meta‐communication. These responses are indicative of the psychological and emotional burden posed by the query and of ways people responded to the query. In conclusion, we reflect on the importance of recognizing the psychological dimension of the vote, the role of narratives from the future for personal and social transformation, and the wider relevance of the proposed future‐making, pragmatic approach to other Referendum situations.
Background:Studies on determinants affecting family functioning of patients with psychosis are still limited in Greece.Aim:The aim of this study was to describe the socio-demographic and clinical characteristics associated with family functioning in patients with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder in Crete, Greece.Methods:A total of 100 patients and their caregivers agreed to participate in the study. Family functioning was assessed in terms of cohesion, adaptability, communication and satisfaction dimensions (Family Adaptability and Cohesion Evaluation Scale IV Package), expressed emotion (Family Questionnaire), family burden (Family Burden Scale) and caregivers' psychological distress (General Health Questionnaire-28). Multivariate linear regression models were implemented to examine the associations between each one of the family measures and different social and clinical characteristics.Results:With regard to the caregivers' characteristics, gender, employment status, origin, residence, financial status, relation to the patient, contact with the patient and family structure were among the most significant determinants of family functioning. Also, patients' socio-demographic characteristics, including age, education, origin, residence and employment status, as well as illness-related factors, such as onset of mental illness, number of hospitalisations, last hospitalisation, longer hospitalisation and clinical diagnosis impacted intrafamilial relationships.Conclusion:The results of this study suggest that a number of social and clinical factors contributed to the family environment of patients with psychosis. Identifying the determinants of family functioning in psychosis is instrumental in developing understandings regarding the factors which may contribute to the rehabilitation or relapse of the patient and the support required to strengthen positive family interactions.
Background: The mental healthcare treatment gap (mhcGAP) in adult populations has been substantiated across Europe. This study formed part of MentALLY, a research project funded by the European Commission, which aimed to gather qualitative empirical evidence to support the provision of European mental healthcare that provides effective treatment to all adults who need it. Methods: Seven focus groups were conducted with 49 health professionals (HPs), including psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers, general practitioners, and psychiatric nurses who worked in health services in Belgium, Cyprus, Greece, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden. The focus group discussions centered on the barriers and facilitators to providing quality care to people with mild, medium, and severe mental health problems. Analyses included deductively and inductively driven coding procedures. Cross-country consensus was obtained by summarizing findings in the form of a fact sheet which was shared for triangulation by all the MentALLY partners. Results: The results converged into two overarching themes: (1) Minding the treatment gap: the availability and accessibility of Mental Health Services (MHS). The mhcGAP gap identified is composed of different elements that constitute the barriers to care, including bridging divides in care provision, obstacles in facilitating access via referrals and creating a collaborative 'chain of care'. (2) Making therapeutic practice relevant by providing a broad-spectrum of integrated and comprehensive services that value person-centered care comprised of authenticity, flexibility and congruence. Conclusions: The mhcGAP is comprised of the following barriers: a lack of funding, insufficient capacity of human resources, inaccessibility to comprehensive services and a lack of availability of relevant treatments. The facilitators to the provision of MHC include using collaborative models of primary, secondary and prevention-oriented mental healthcare. Teamwork in providing care was considered to be a more effective and efficient use of resources. HPs believe that the use of e-mental health and emerging digital technologies can enhance care provision. Facilitating access to a relevant continuum of community-based care that is responsive coordinated and in line with people's needs throughout their lives is an essential aspect of optimal care provision.
