The Prometheus Complex : Striving for competence
(2006)- Abstract
- The purpose of the present investigations was to obtain a more comprehensive view of fire setting by children and adolescents; to explore the prevalence of the phenomenon; whether or not it experimentally may be related to frustration or boredom and to examine the role of personality traits such as optimism, pessimism and creativity. This dissertation consists of two experimental and two interview studies. Paper I presents the result from two interview studies reporting that playing with fire is a common phenomenon among children. Male participants reported playing with fire in 70 % of the cases and in the female group the amount was 44 %. Motives for fireplay were curiosity and distraction in the male group and excitement and amusement... (More)
- The purpose of the present investigations was to obtain a more comprehensive view of fire setting by children and adolescents; to explore the prevalence of the phenomenon; whether or not it experimentally may be related to frustration or boredom and to examine the role of personality traits such as optimism, pessimism and creativity. This dissertation consists of two experimental and two interview studies. Paper I presents the result from two interview studies reporting that playing with fire is a common phenomenon among children. Male participants reported playing with fire in 70 % of the cases and in the female group the amount was 44 %. Motives for fireplay were curiosity and distraction in the male group and excitement and amusement seeking in the female group. The results achieved in the experimental study as reported in Paper II indicate that frustration increases the probability of initiating fire but that alcohol does not exacerbate this tendency. Boredom seems to increase the probability of fantasizing about starting fires as described in Paper III which is an experimental study investigating boredom in relation to personality variables. In Paper IV, a phenomenological investigation describes and analyses the fascination people have for fire. The study yielded three perspectives describing the meaning of fire for the individual: Fire from a fire fighter perspective, fireplay and power and control. Phenomenological reduction led to conclusions that the attitude to fire is both rational and irrational and that respect as well as fascination is felt in front of a burning fire. (Less)
- Abstract (Swedish)
- Popular Abstract in Swedish
Syftet med föreliggande undersökningar var att söka nå en mer fullständig kunskap om barn och ungas eldsanläggelse; att undersöka hur frekvent förekommande det är, samt om det, i experimentella studier, kan relateras till frustration eller leda och till personlighetsdrag som optimism, pessimism och kreativitet. Avhandlingen består av fyra studier, två intervjuundersökningar och två experimentella studier. Studie ett presenterar, i artikelform, resultatet från två intervjuundersökningar som visar att lek med eld är ett vanligt fenomen bland barn. Manliga deltagare i studien anger lek med eld i 70 % av fallen och i gruppen kvinnor är motsvarande andel 44 %. Motiven bakom leken med eld var i den... (More) - Popular Abstract in Swedish
Syftet med föreliggande undersökningar var att söka nå en mer fullständig kunskap om barn och ungas eldsanläggelse; att undersöka hur frekvent förekommande det är, samt om det, i experimentella studier, kan relateras till frustration eller leda och till personlighetsdrag som optimism, pessimism och kreativitet. Avhandlingen består av fyra studier, två intervjuundersökningar och två experimentella studier. Studie ett presenterar, i artikelform, resultatet från två intervjuundersökningar som visar att lek med eld är ett vanligt fenomen bland barn. Manliga deltagare i studien anger lek med eld i 70 % av fallen och i gruppen kvinnor är motsvarande andel 44 %. Motiven bakom leken med eld var i den manliga gruppen nyfikenhet och förströelse medan den kvinnliga gruppen sökte spänning och nöje i sin eldlek. Studie två, en experimentell undersökning, visar att frustration ökar sannolikheten för eldsanläggelse men att alkohol inte bidrar till att öka denna tendens. Leda förefaller öka sannolikheten att fantisera kring eldsanläggelse enligt resultat erhållna i studie tre, den andra av de experimentella studier som genomfördes. I den fjärde studien, en fenomenologisk undersökning, beskrivs och analyseras den fascination människor känner inför eld. Denna studie gav tre perspektiv som beskriver eldens mening för individen. Upplevelsen är dualistisk i det att både rationella och irrationella perspektiv samsas, elden ses som både livgivande och destruktiv. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
https://lup.lub.lu.se/record/546131
- author
- Perrin-Wallqvist, Renée LU
- supervisor
- opponent
-
- Professor Hwang, Philip, Psykologiska institutionen, Göteborgs universitet
- organization
- publishing date
- 2006
- type
- Thesis
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- Childhood, Fire setting, Adolescence, Psychology, Development psychology, Psykologi, Utvecklingspsykologi
- pages
- 104 pages
- publisher
- Department of Psychology, Lund University
- defense location
- "Nya Fest", AF-borgen, Sandgatan 2, Lund
- defense date
- 2006-02-03 10:00:00
- ISBN
- 91-628-6719-9
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- additional info
- R. Perrin-Wallqvist and T. Norlander. 2003. Firesetting and playing with fire during childhood and adolescence: Interview studies of 18-year- old male draftees and 18-19-year- old female pupils. Legal and Criminological Psychology, pp 151-157.R. Perrin-Wallqvist, L. Eriksson and T. Norlander. 2001. The effects of alcohol intake and induced frustration on the disposition to start fire. Social Behavior and Personality, pp 547-556.R. Perrin-Wallqvist, T. Archer and T. Norlander. 2004. Adolescents´ firesetting awareness under boredom: relation to personality variables. Psychological Reports, pp 863-871.R. Perrin-Wallqvist. . Fire from a life world perspective – a phenomenological study (submitted)
- id
- 9b9a7129-1b56-4eed-9fdd-466f7f4c6605 (old id 546131)
- date added to LUP
- 2016-04-04 10:44:07
- date last changed
- 2021-12-20 14:59:27
@phdthesis{9b9a7129-1b56-4eed-9fdd-466f7f4c6605,
abstract = {{The purpose of the present investigations was to obtain a more comprehensive view of fire setting by children and adolescents; to explore the prevalence of the phenomenon; whether or not it experimentally may be related to frustration or boredom and to examine the role of personality traits such as optimism, pessimism and creativity. This dissertation consists of two experimental and two interview studies. Paper I presents the result from two interview studies reporting that playing with fire is a common phenomenon among children. Male participants reported playing with fire in 70 % of the cases and in the female group the amount was 44 %. Motives for fireplay were curiosity and distraction in the male group and excitement and amusement seeking in the female group. The results achieved in the experimental study as reported in Paper II indicate that frustration increases the probability of initiating fire but that alcohol does not exacerbate this tendency. Boredom seems to increase the probability of fantasizing about starting fires as described in Paper III which is an experimental study investigating boredom in relation to personality variables. In Paper IV, a phenomenological investigation describes and analyses the fascination people have for fire. The study yielded three perspectives describing the meaning of fire for the individual: Fire from a fire fighter perspective, fireplay and power and control. Phenomenological reduction led to conclusions that the attitude to fire is both rational and irrational and that respect as well as fascination is felt in front of a burning fire.}},
author = {{Perrin-Wallqvist, Renée}},
isbn = {{91-628-6719-9}},
keywords = {{Childhood; Fire setting; Adolescence; Psychology; Development psychology; Psykologi; Utvecklingspsykologi}},
language = {{eng}},
publisher = {{Department of Psychology, Lund University}},
school = {{Lund University}},
title = {{The Prometheus Complex : Striving for competence}},
year = {{2006}},
}