Pull and push factors of radicalization in the scope of helping professionals

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Ján Kahan - Eva Žiaková

The monograph focuses on the issue of loneliness among substance-addicted people in the context of abstinence prospects and re/lapse prevention. In the monograph these phenomena, several theories were integrated and applied in the context of the ecosystem meta-framework of social work and practical contexts. The ecosystem meta-theory serves as a meta-construct with the ability to encompass the complexity of social phenomena as well as that of human beings within the structure of their living and social environment, formal and informal networks, and close intimate relationships.

In this monograph are presented research sample consisted of 235 respondents – hospitalised addicts undergoing urgent treatment, abstaining A-club members as well as members of psychotherapy and self-help groups. The research showed that abstainers were statistically less lonely than the hospitalised respondents. Quantitative data of research are complemented by qualitative data collected in four case studies; two of them focused on two long-term abstainers from alcohol and drugs, while the other two case studies dealt with two respondents in post-hoc treatment undergoing the resocialization process. The research also showed that respondents who broke abstinence felt lonelier than their successfully abstaining counterparts.

The results were supported also by the fact that a statistically significant inversely proportional relationship was identified between the duration of abstinence and loneliness rate. Gender differences were found between the hospitalised addicts in all loneliness dimensions. Naturally, the combined research was limited in certain aspects, mainly in terms of the size and proportional distribution of the research sample and its subgroups, test battery extent, and general nature of the population studied. Triangulation among quantitative and qualitative with the theoretical starting points confirmed the existence of a relationship among loneliness, addiction, and prospect of abstinence.

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Ľubov Vladyková

The present monograph titled Evolutionary Ethics: Selected Issues and Challenges discusses a range of problems, theoretical concepts, and beliefs from the perspective of evolutionary ethics. The term evolution has become one of the central terms in contemporary science and philosophy.

In social sciences in general, and in socio-biology and evolutionary psychology in particular, evolution has had great impact on our understanding of the genesis of culture. Evolutionary theories play a similar role within the theory of consciousness and of the mind (evolutionary epistemology). The interrelation between our evolutionary past and our sense of good and evil is also a subject of heightened interest in ethics; it has in fact become one of its challenges. The concept of evolution challenges the way we create thought patterns through which we understand, or hope to understand, ourselves and the world around us.

This monograph represents a general summary of selected issues in evolutionary ethics, touching upon various aspects of current research into evolutionary ethics and the related domains of evolution, science, ethics, and morals. Evolutionary ethics has become a project which presupposes that in order to understand the essence and basis of morals one must turn to the process of evolution of thought, and to the theories put forth by evolutionists, specifically evolutionary biologists.

The structure of this monograph, as well as its potential usefulness for research and education clearly show that the analysis of the problems discussed here has significant implications for domains far removed from the purely theoretical parts of moral philosophy or biology. The advantage of such discourse is that it enables the implementation of evolutionary ethics in social and ethical issues of public interest (for example Sex Literacy, Sex Education), and this should be recognised and welcome.

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Stanislav Hvozdík 

Predložený vysokoškolský učebný text „ Úvod do poradenskej psychológie „ poskytuje študentovi jednak komplexnejší pohľad na disciplínu poradenskej psychológie, ale zároveň obsahuje kapitoly, ktoré mu približujú konkrétnejšie samotný proces poradenstva a problematiku pomáhajúcich spôsobilosti v poradenstve. Okrem toho publikácia obsahuje kapitolu, ktorá prináša niektoré paradigmy poradenskej psychológie. Dôležitou časťou publikácie je kapitola v ktorej sa aplikuje vývin do poradenstva. Táto časť práce obsahuje pod kapitoly: poradenstvo deťom, proaktívne poradenstvo adolescentom a poradenstvo starším dospelým. Súčasťou publikácie je kapitola o etike , ktorá súvisí s poradenskou psychológiou. Predložené učebné texty sa opierajú o relevantné teoretické pramene a sprístupňujú ich študentovi. Možno povedať, že predložená práca s inými prispieva svojim dielom k zaplneniu veľkej medzery, ktorá v tejto aplikovanej oblasti psychológie vznikla v posledných dvoch desaťročiach.

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Ján Juščák - Renáta Orosová - Zuzana Nováková

Proceedings of the International Scientific Conference February 5 -február 2014 6, 2014

Conference proceedings of abstracts is one of the outputs of the international scientific conference entitled Education 2014: Contexts of education in the current perspective held 5 to 6 Feb 2014 at University of Pavol Jozef Šafárika in Kosice. This conference focused on the issues of education and emphasizes the current state and prospects of educational practice, topical aspects of undergraduate teacher training, health psychology in educational practice, as well as pedagogical and psychological aspects of education in primary educational institutions in view of the broad educational community. It was aimed for scientists, young university teachers, PhD students as well as experts and teachers, to present trends in education and to stimulate discussion on topical issues presented in the field of education.

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Vladimír Leško

The book is the result of long-term contemplation on the relationships between the history of philosophy and its reflection in more or less systematic, or non-systematic forms of philosophizing of the most significant philosophical teachings of the 19th and 20th centuries (Hegel, Schelling, Marx, Nietzsche, Husserl, Heidegger, Fink, Patočka, and Gadamer).

The primary goal of the work is to present the most significant historical-philosophical teachings of the 19th and 20th centuries in the formation and fulfillment of strong and weak models of the philosophy of the history of philosophy in the concepts of Hegel, Schelling, Marx, Nietzsche, Husserl, Heidegger, Fink, Patočka, and Gadamer.

The results of the philosophy of the history of philosophy are presented here as a metatheoretical movement within historical-philosophical thinking, whose aim is not to empirically describe the historical-philosophical process, but to understand and explain it as an inseparable part of the most significant philosophical problems – what is philosophy, what is metaphysics, and the question of being.

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Jozef Bavoľár

Decision-making is an everyday activity for us, whether it involves decisions about routine matters such as what to have for breakfast or more significant choices like selecting a career after finishing school. Due to the far-reaching consequences that a single decision can have on our entire lives, this area has received considerable attention in psychology. After all, the classic goals of psychology—describing, explaining, and predicting human behavior—are essentially attempts to understand decision-making and identify and describe the factors influencing it. Fundamental psychological disciplines such as the psychology of emotions and motivation, cognitive psychology, social psychology, and personality psychology all strive to achieve this understanding.

The presented text primarily adopts a cognitive approach, focusing on the processes of information processing and utilization. Since there are very few events in the future we can be completely certain about, key concepts include terms expressing uncertainty about the future, such as uncertainty, risk, objective probability, and subjective probability.

The central question thus lies in processing information from the environment and utilizing it in the decision-making process.

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Kristína Bosáková

Attempting to confront Gadamer's teachings not only with the giants of Greek philosophy but also with Hegel and Heidegger is no easy task. However, Gadamer's entire historical-philosophical work is most prominently associated with these ancient thinkers and the two geniuses of German philosophical thought. Therefore, there is no avoiding it. Without this confrontation, all my efforts would be, in a certain sense, futile. Whether and how I succeed is another question. Every reader will surely form their own judgment.

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Katarína Šiňanská - Františka Petriková (eds.)

The present proceedings is devoted to different perspectives on the problems addressed by the field of social work and also the changes in the orientation of social work with respect to the current requirements of society. Proceeding is made up of a wide range of contributions from various spheres belonging to the sphere of social work. Contributions are devoted to the cyber world of social work, supervision, self-care, risk behavior, but also social work in the past.

The cyberspace in social work is elaborated in several contributions, suggesting a new dimension of social work. In the contributions about cybe world, the authors consider “cyberspace” as a new form of counseling and assistance to clients, as the present time is more online-oriented. Proceedings of international conference "What has brought social work 100 years?"

The past and present forms of social work are therefore devoted to various themes, incentives and insights into the benefits of the contribution of social work over 100 years, examining and evaluating past, present but also future forms of social work as a science.

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Pavol Kačmár - Margita Mesárošová - Ladislav Lovaš (eds.)

This publication introduces a selected body of papers presented at scientific conference School psychology: History and perspectives that took place on October 17 and 18 in Košice.

The conference commemorated two important jubilees. The first was the birth anniversary of prof. Ján Hvozdík (100 years), the second jubilee was related to the opening of the study of psychology at the University of Pavol Jozef Šafárik (50 years).

The contributions have undergone peer review.

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Ľubov Vladyková - Marián Bednár a kol.

The university textbook Ethics of Science and Technique (Selected Problems) is a collection of contributions by various authors who deal with selected problems and areas of science and technique. For the last hundred years, we can observe the rapid development of science and technique (technology). The transition of society in the 20th century into the information age and in the current 21st century into the digital age brings radical challenges and changes in all areas of human life, but especially in the moral field.

Ethical discussions, responding to the development of science and technique (technology), have stimulated the emergence of ethics of science and technique, which as a subdiscipline of applied ethics is a way out of the conflict between professional autonomy, social control and self-regulation of action and behaviour; not only in science and technique, but also in economy and politics. In the digital age, technique, technology and science are fundamentally changing our lives; from the way we work to the way we communicate, how we fight local and global problems, and how we try to solve societal problems.

These radical changes are not without controversy, and many provoke intense debates that are often polarized or associated with scientific ambiguities or dishonest demagoguery and ideology.

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Tomáš Dvorský

The attention devoted to the issue of Chinese activity is highly relevant. Creating a positive reputation abroad is a legitimate tool of every state in its effort to generate influence. The People's Republic of China has been very successful in this regard since the beginning of the millennium, which has allowed it to start occupying positions in the international system that it legitimately claims based on its own history, size, and potential.

Examples from abroad also highlight the fact that Chinese foreign policy should not be accepted uncritically and deserves a cautious approach and thoughtful discussion. All of this must be done while respecting not only China's particularity but also taking into account the realities of the great power rivalry visible at the beginning of the 21st century.

In this context, one cannot abstract from a detailed look at Chinese soft power as one of the key tools for generating influence in the world. Understanding it is an essential prerequisite for a relevant evaluation of the practices and motivations of China's foreign policy, while it can also serve as a guideline in the effort to create an adequate approach toward this resurgent global great power.

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Renáta Orosová

The scientific and professional journal Edukácia focuses on issues related to education and upbringing in the areas of primary, secondary, and higher education. It emphasizes the current state and perspectives of educational practice, current aspects of pre-graduate teacher training, social pedagogy, special pedagogy, as well as pedagogical and psychological aspects of upbringing in basic educational institutions from the perspective of the broader pedagogical public. It is intended for scientific workers, young university teachers, doctoral students, as well as professional and pedagogical staff, with the aim of presenting trends in education and stimulating discussion on current issues in the presented areas of education and upbringing.

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Maroš Melichárek

Prvá kapitola monografie nesie názov Veľká východná kríza v rokoch 1875-1878 – súperenie veľmocí na Balkáne. Veľká východná kríza, ktorá vyvrcholia rusko-osmanským konfliktom a následným Berlínskym kongresom dala do pohybu mnoho procesov. Dôležitosť Berlínskeho kongresu a jeho fungovanie je v práci vykreslené z pohľadu jedného zúčastneného balkánskeho štátu a to Srbska. Kapitoly 2 až 5 zhŕňajú medzinárodný kontext a vnútorné predpoklady vytvorenia moderného bulharského a čiernohorského štátu, rovnako i detailný popis emancipácie Macedóncov a Albáncov (Albánske národné hnutie a vytvorenie nezávislého Albánska v roku 1912, Macedónska otázka na konci novoveku a možnosti jej riešenia zo strany veľmocí). Kapitola Konflikt Osmanskej ríše a Talianska o Lýbiu v rokoch  1911-1912 je popisuje vojenský stret medzi veľmocami s globálnymi následkami, ktoré de facto znamenali i pád Osmanskej ríše na európskom kontinente.Kapitola Definitívny pád Osmanskej ríše na európskom kontinente: prvá a druhá balkánska vojna predstavuje chronologický záver monografie a prináša pohľad na najdôležitejšie udalosti balkánskych vojen, armády i fenomény, ktoré doteraz boli v rámci tejto otázky vnímané iba okrajovo (etnické čistky, mobilizácia, propaganda a i.).  Záver práce a kapitola Zahraničná politika Srbska a problematika Bosny a Hercegoviny pred vypuknutím 1. svetovej vojny sa zameriava na hodnotenie srbských ašpirácií (či už ideologických alebo reálnych) smerom k priestoru Bosny a Hercegoviny.

E-journal

Juraj Schenk et al.

The scientific journal Sociálne a politické analýzy (Social and Political Analyses) serves as an interactive electronic platform for communication and the presentation (publication) of experts and their work in the fields of basic and applied research and analyses within sociological, psychological, political, and methodological contexts. It is a medium focused on intensively supporting research activities and analyses within an interdisciplinary framework, facilitating the exchange of experiences, fostering collaboration, and revitalizing the production of scientific work in this area.

The publication section of the journal offers space for works such as:

- Original sociological, psychological, and political studies and analyses in any areas of social life

- Methodological studies

- Research reports

- Studies from qualification theses Research and analysis projects

- Reviews

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E-book

Renáta Gregová

The book is primary designed for the first-year students of the study programme “English Language for European Institutions and Economy” and its subject “Comparative Phonetics and Phonology”. Following the structure of this subject, the textbook is divided into eleven chapters whose content provides the reader with the essential theoretical information about the given issue from the sound subsystems of the English and the Slovak languages. The structure of each chapter is as follows: (1) theoretical explanation of the topic, (2) Suggestions for further reading recommending additional sources that develop the topic, (3) exercises whose aim is to evaluate students’ theoretical knowledge of the theme presented in the particular chapter, as well as its practical application in the process of communication. Considering the content of the book, it can be also used a study material for the students of all philological study programmes whose content encompasses the sound system of the English and/or the Slovak language.

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Eva Žiaková - Tomáš Šeďo (eds.)

Peer-reviewed collection of contributions from an online scientific conference (9^th year of Košické dni sociálnej práce) with international attendance held on the 26^th of November 2021.

The present peer-reviewed collection of contributions titled “Metanoia in social work theory and practice” is an output of the 9^th year of Košické dni sociálnej práce, an online conference with international attendance held on the 26^th of November 2021. As the name of the conference implies, the pivotal topic of submitted contributions is metanoia, which represents a change in life attitude. Various interesting and actual issues concerning diverse aspects of social work are discussed in the individual contributions.

The present collection comprises contributions oriented towards the issues of social pathology and its prevention, supervision, the importance of digital technologies in social work, research methods, self-care and so forth. The collection further contains several contributions devoted to the exceptionally actual issues of radicalism and extremism, which are widespread and serious occurrences in the present time. The contributions are highly original and beneficial from the point of view of theoretical conceptions and methodological procedures apart from offering quality empirical processing and interesting results.

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