self-determination

Human “free will” has been made problematic by several recent arguments against mental causation, the unity of the I or “self,” and the possibility that conscious decision-making could be temporally prior to action. This paper suggests a pathway through this thicket for free will or self-determination. Doing so requires an account of mind as an emergent process in the context of animal psychology and mental causation. Consciousness, a palpable but theoretically more obscure property of some minds, is likely to derive from complex animals’ real-time monitoring of internal state in relation to environment. Following Antonio Damasio, human mind appears to add to nonhuman “core consciousness” an additional narrative “self-consciousness.” The neurological argument against free will, most famously from Benjamin Libet, can be avoided as long as “free will” means, not an impossible event devoid of prior causation, but an occasional causal role played by narrative self-consciousness in behavioral determination. There is no necessary incompatibility between the scientific and evolutionary exploration of mind and consciousness and the uniquely self-determining capabilities of human mentality which are based on the former.

The relevance of the subject of this research is based on the need to find new ways of solving the problems of ongoing ethno-political conflicts in the post-Soviet space. The study is devoted to the problems of resolving the ethnopolitical conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh. The purpose of the study is to develop the principles for resolving the ethnopolitical conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh. The conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh remains relevant because of its incompleteness and the possibility of entering a dangerous stage of armed confrontation, which requires a continuous search for ways out of the situation. In this regard, there is a lot of research made on this matter from different positions. As a result of the study, the principles of resolving the ethnopolitical conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh were revealed. The significance of the study is due to the relevance of the problems of research of unrecognized states in conditions when their appearance on the world map is becoming more and more frequent.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between the components of academic performance with personality traits and early maladaptive schemas mediated by self-determination. Method: The research method was descriptive-correlation and structural equation modeling. The statistical population of the present study included all female high school students in Tehran in the academic year 2019-2020. For this purpose, 350 students were selected by simple random sampling. Then their scores were measured through the Academic Procrastination Scale, Solomon and Rothblum (1984), Young Schema Short Form (2003), Neo-Form Short Personality Questionnaire (1985), Guardia, Desi and Ryan (2000) Self-Determination Questionnaire. Path analysis, structural equations and regression test were used. Findings: Pearson correlation coefficient and path analysis showed that there is a positive and significant relationship between all components of academic affiliation with the components of early maladaptive schemas and the role of self-determination is in the relationship between the two(P<00/01). Also, the relationship between all components of academic work and personality traits except psychosis was negative. The relationship between the end-of-semester exam component of academic work with conscientiousness and agreement of personality traits was not significant and the role of self-determination in the relationship between these two variables is indirect. Conclusion: According to the results of the present study, the importance and role of self-determination in reducing academic procrastination can be understood.

The present study investigated the effects of motivational scaffolding on self-determination and learning achievement of field-dependent/independent Iranian EFL learners. To this purpose, quantitative data were elicited and analyzed from 60 intermediate learners who participated in the study as experimental and control groups. The Group Embedded Figures Test (GEFT) was administered to categorize the learner participants into field-dependent and field-independent learners. Then, the scaffold design proposed by Belland et al. was presented to the experimental group, while the control group got all tests and questionnaires with no scaffolding. At the end of 8 training sessions, a self-determination questionnaire was administered to both groups, and then a post-test was applied to examine the impact of scaffolding on learners’ achievement. The statistical analysis of the elicited data showed that the learners’ interaction within motivational scaffolding improved their self-determination and their learning achievement. The findings of the study have implications for teachers and learners in educational settings and help them to detect possible factors affecting EFL learners’ language performance.

Branches of international law closely concern international and non-international armed conflicts. So, these principles are tried to be operationalized in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. From the point of view of international law, the disputed region is recognized as a part of the territory of Azerbaijan, and no country has recognized the self-proclaimed Republic of Armenia there. Nagorno-Karabakh region belongs to Azerbaijan from the perspective of international law and based on the resolutions of the Security Council. This study is conducted to examine the legal aspects of the Nagorno-Karabakh crisis, seeking an answer to its legal implications. According to the results, Azerbaijan's rights to maintain its territorial integrity are undeniable and legitimate. However, the actions of the Republic of Azerbaijan, even in the context of defending its territorial integrity, should not pose a threat to the Armenian people of Karabakh. Referring to the acceptance of the principle of territorial integrity regarding the right of nations to self-determination in international law, any action against this principle is not legitimate, and the right to self-determination is accepted as long as the said principle is not violated.

Purpose: The excessive use of mobile phones significantly alters human thought patterns and affects individuals' behavior and psycho-social well-being. This study aims to explore the correlation between social intelligence and self-determination in adolescents, focusing on how mobile phone addiction plays a mediating role. Methodology: The research employed a descriptive-correlational approach and cross-sectional method, utilizing structural equation modeling (SEM) for analysis. The statistical population consisted of teenage boys and girls in Tehran who experienced mobile phone addiction from July to October 2023, with psychologist confirmation of addiction. A sample of 150 teenagers was selected through purposive sampling, with 17 individuals excluded due to incomplete or erroneous questionnaire responses. Research instruments included the Tromso Social Intelligence Scale, Self-Determination Scale, and Mobile Phone Addiction Questionnaire. Data analysis was conducted using SPSS version 27 for overall data and SmartPLS version 4 for path analysis between variables, with a significance level set at 0.05. Findings: The results of the current study indicated that Social Intelligence had a significant negative impact on mobile phone addiction (β=-0.380, p <0.001). In addition, there was a significant positive effect of Social Intelligence on Behavioral independence (β=0.383, p <0.001), but no significant effect on Psychological Empowerment and Self-determination (p>0.05). Furthermore, the relationship between Social Intelligence and Behavioral independence, as well as Self-determination with the mediating factor of Mobile phone addiction, was found to be significant (p < 0.001). However, the association between Social Intelligence and Psychological Empowerment with the mediating role of Mobile phone addiction was not significant (P>0.05). Conclusion: The findings of the current research indicate that social intelligence can decrease mobile phone addiction and enhance behavioral independence, while mobile phone addiction can diminish behavioral independence and self-consciousness. However, social intelligence and mobile phone addiction do not impact psychological empowerment. Additionally, mobile phone addiction serves as a mediator in the correlation between social intelligence and the aspects of behavioral independence and self-consciousness.