Children’s early life experiences cause the emergence of individual differences in stress coping and social behavior. Attachment styles (AS) conceptualize stable behavioral patterns in response to...Show moreChildren’s early life experiences cause the emergence of individual differences in stress coping and social behavior. Attachment styles (AS) conceptualize stable behavioral patterns in response to stress and can predict long-term susceptibility to mental illness. This study investigates the relationship between 1-year-old infants’ AS, their hormonal stress response in terms of cortisol reactivity (CR) - both assessed in the course of the Strange Situation procedure - and the influence of these factors on children’s scores on the Child Behavior Checklist’s internalizing behavior problem scale (CBCL-I) five years later. Based on previous research, CR was expected to be higher with insecure compared to secure AS. Insecure AS and higher CR in infancy were expected to be associated with higher CBCL-I scores in later childhood. CR was hypothesized to partly mediate the relationship between AS and CBCL-I. Relevant longitudinal data (n=220; 40.8% female, 51.7% male) were drawn from a sample of mother-child dyads (“BIBO” research project). No evidence for any of the hypotheses could be found, as the analyses yielded no statistically significant associations between AS and CBCL-I scores, AS and CR, or CR and CBCL-I. Consequently, testing for CR’s potential mediating role was deemed irrelevant. The results contradict previous findings and raise important questions. The study’s limitations are discussed and suggestions are derived to inform future research on stress pathways in the pathogenesis of mental disorder. Above all, the poorly understood role of potentially decisive covariates in the interplay between AS, CR, and internalizing behavior need to be investigated more thoroughly.Show less
A brief analysis of two books written by authors who were children during the independence war and nakba of 1948. The two are compared in the way that they present nationalism to children.
The process of urbanisation was important during the Late Middle Ages in Europe. Traditionally, the rise of urban centres has been associated with unhealthier living conditions, compared to the...Show moreThe process of urbanisation was important during the Late Middle Ages in Europe. Traditionally, the rise of urban centres has been associated with unhealthier living conditions, compared to the countryside. However, this so-called ‘urban graveyard effect´ has been challenged by more recent historical and osteological research. Particularly, osteoarchaeologists have assessed the possible difference in living conditions between urban and rural areas through physiological stress markers, such as linear enamel hypoplasia (LEH). In the Netherlands, up to date, a specific and detailed osteoarchaeological analysis of the effect of urbanisation in children has not been done. To address this question, this thesis has studied the individuals from the Late Medieval urban centre of Alkmaar and rural village of Klaaskinderkerke, focusing on the prevalence, number of episodes, and age distribution of LEH in canines. The results show a lack of difference between Alkmaar and Klaaskinderkerke. High levels of prevalence and number of episodes are present in both populations; in addition, the defects followed a similar age distribution. Therefore, as historical sources also point out, these socioeconomic changes did not only affect the city but also the countryside. In the Netherlands, both spaces changed during the Late Middle Ages, and both had great importance in the rising Dutch economy. The high levels of physiological stress in the city and the countryside support the idea that this Dutch economic development did not mean an improvement in living conditions for people. In summary, living in the countryside was as physiologically stressful as living in the city.Show less
Master thesis | Classics and Ancient Civilizations (MA)
open access
Childhood to Adulthood: A Rite of Passage in the New Kingdom The primary rites of passage in ancient Egypt are funerary rites. However, it is possible to see some rites of passage from childhood...Show moreChildhood to Adulthood: A Rite of Passage in the New Kingdom The primary rites of passage in ancient Egypt are funerary rites. However, it is possible to see some rites of passage from childhood into adolescence and further into adulthood. This rite of passage was a process rather than a specific instance. This process includes a period of separation, a period of transition and a period of incorporation. Many of these were not clearly documented. In this thesis, the following questions are addressed: Are there any rites of passage from childhood into adulthood during the New Kingdom in ancient Egypt? If so, was there a distinct age or age range that these rites occurred during? Were these rites celebrated publicly as a ceremonial rite or privately?Show less
The work of the Japanese contemporary artist Nara Yoshitomo is followed by groups of loyal fans, which consist mainly of young women. In this thesis I will investigate the relationship between the...Show moreThe work of the Japanese contemporary artist Nara Yoshitomo is followed by groups of loyal fans, which consist mainly of young women. In this thesis I will investigate the relationship between the works by Nara Yoshitomo and these young female fans. These fans feel attracted to his work and at the same time engage with his work in various ways. This situation brings forth the following questions: what elements are there in the artistic language of Nara Yoshitomo that these fans find so appealing? How do they interpret the art by Nara Yoshitomo? And what is the relationship between Nara's art and these groups of young female fans? I will answer these research questions by discussing 'Your Childhood' (2001) and 'Aomori dog' (2005), two works by this artist that involved interaction with his fans. I will interpret these works from the eyes of its fans by observing their reactions on fan sites and blogs, applying the concepts of 'shoujo', 'nostalgia' and 'transitional object'. Eventually I will conclude that Nara’s fans appreciate the cute and nostalgic visual elements in Nara’s art as ‘shoujo’ or ‘nostalgic subjects’, as these young women are known for their consumption of cute and nostalgic things in order to escape temporarily from their social obligations. However, the belief that Nara’s fans act solely as passive consumers of his art may be challenged since they also play an active role as producers around Nara’s art via a wide range of participatory actions targeting his work.Show less
