Mental disorders seriously affect people’s health and social stability.This Mendelian randomization(MR)study was designed to investigate the causal relationship between circulating vitamin C(VC)or 25-hydroxyvitamin D...Mental disorders seriously affect people’s health and social stability.This Mendelian randomization(MR)study was designed to investigate the causal relationship between circulating vitamin C(VC)or 25-hydroxyvitamin D(25(OH)D)levels and mental disorders.The data used for the MR analysis were derived from the summary genome-wide association studies(GWAS)database for VC and 25(OH)D and from the Finn Gen consortium for fourteen mental disorders.Based on the inverse variance weighted(IVW)method,we found a potential causal association between circulating VC and anxiety disorders(IVW:OR=1.139,95%CI:1.023-1.269,P=0.018).However,no causal association was found between VC or 25(OH)D and other mental disorders(P>0.05).In the reverse MR analysis,individuals with Alzheimer’s disease was causally associated with higher concentrations of circulating VC(P=0.012),while individuals with anxiety disorders had a negative association between the concentrations of 25(OH)D(P=0.012).However,the current evidence does not support a causal relationship between VC or 25(OH)D and other mental disorders.In addition,there was no causal association between circulating VC and 25(OH)D(P>0.05).Future studies are needed to confirm these findings and to elucidate the mechanisms of potential causality.展开更多
Mental image has often been believed to play a very large, even pivotal, role in both memory and motivation. However, with the lateralization of the brain, the treasure of mental image, a function dominated by the rig...Mental image has often been believed to play a very large, even pivotal, role in both memory and motivation. However, with the lateralization of the brain, the treasure of mental image, a function dominated by the right hemisphere of the brain, is often neglected in the realm of language learning, a function dominated by the left-brain. Thus, educational systems have largely, if not exclusively, catered to the logic, analytical left-brain, and unwisely phase out the imagery elements of the right brain. In this paper, therefore, the author argues that mental image should not be a property confined to children, who have more imagination. This kind of human treasure should be appropriately deployed through the process of language teaching and learning, for it can provide a strong impetus for language learning, thus making language-learning process more enjoyable and beneficial.展开更多
Although nursery rhymes and other texts for children often involve implausible or even fantastic combinations of elements,children seem to have no trouble following them.The paper tries to account for the phenomenon i...Although nursery rhymes and other texts for children often involve implausible or even fantastic combinations of elements,children seem to have no trouble following them.The paper tries to account for the phenomenon in perspective of mental space theory,suggesting that children are adept at the sort of mental process called as conceptual integration.展开更多
Loneliness is one of the central themes in the works of Nathanial Hawthorne,which,to some extent,is a reflection of Hawthorn's keen sensitiveness to the existential anxiety of man in his times.The paper explores t...Loneliness is one of the central themes in the works of Nathanial Hawthorne,which,to some extent,is a reflection of Hawthorn's keen sensitiveness to the existential anxiety of man in his times.The paper explores the theme of alienation that is exposed in the The House of the Seven of Seven Gables by making a careful analysis of morbid mentality of Hepzibah,which is mainly displayed in Hepzibah's alienated feelings to the outside society and abnormal passion for Clifford.展开更多
This thesis makes an analysis of the heroine's mental growth from the initial phase of the heroine's mental trauma to the struggling phase and to the mature phase. It analyzes the reasons and manifestations fo...This thesis makes an analysis of the heroine's mental growth from the initial phase of the heroine's mental trauma to the struggling phase and to the mature phase. It analyzes the reasons and manifestations for her mental solitariness,expounds her confusion and struggling during her growth from the perspective of psychoanalysis and reveals her mental maturity in the end after a series of setbacks and conflicts during pursuit of affection,friendship and kinship. In some senses,the heroine's mental growth displayed in this thesis is the psychological portrayal of some contemporary college students,which has certain educational significance to the student readers especially those who possess the similar life experience and accesses them to have an incisive understanding of real life.展开更多
With the socioeconomic development and the acceleration of the ageing process of the population, the incidence rates of mental disorders and psycho-behavioural problems have become higher and higher worldwide. So far,...With the socioeconomic development and the acceleration of the ageing process of the population, the incidence rates of mental disorders and psycho-behavioural problems have become higher and higher worldwide. So far, the disease burden caused by mental disorders has ranked second in the world.1 In China, the disease burden caused by mental disorders accounts for 13% of all non-communicable diseases burden.2 Hence, mental health has become a major public health problem and social problem. In order to promote mental health, the Chinese government has promulgated a series of policies and regulations, as well as reform measures. Moreover, the upcoming 'China Brain Project' will also focus on some mental disorders such as autism, depression and dementia to improve mental health research in China.展开更多
BACKGROUND: According to the fact that women account for the highest rate of victims of mental health loss during disasters, prioritization of their requirements is of remarkable signifi cance. Therefore, the present ...BACKGROUND: According to the fact that women account for the highest rate of victims of mental health loss during disasters, prioritization of their requirements is of remarkable signifi cance. Therefore, the present study was carried out with the aim to prioritize factors related to women's mental health during an earthquake. METHODS: This study was conducted using the Delphi method in 2017. Participants consisted of experts including psychologists, counselors and psychiatrists, social medicine specialists, and psychiatric-mental health nurses with experience in service and disaster awareness, especially earthquake. They were selected using purposive and snowball sampling methods. The Delphi method was used in 2 rounds with 21 components and the fi nal attendance of 19 participants and the collective agreement of 75%. RESULTS: Of the 21 factors related to women's mental health during the earthquake, the following components were, respectively, preferred by the participants: psychological well-being training, group relationships and support of women in emergency situations, fair treatment in the provision of rights and services to women, crisis awareness and management of behavior and diffi cult conditions, and social security during disasters with the total mean standard deviation (SD) of 13.4 (2.4), 13.0 (2.4), 12.7 (2.5), 12.5 (2.4), and 12.3 (2.2), respectively. CONCLUSION: Training in the fi eld of psychology and disasters, and social and cultural factors were prioritized among factors related to women's mental health during an earthquake. Therefore, the results of this study can be applied by the planners and executives of mental health, women and disasters, and the women's community itself.展开更多
BACKGROUND： Altered mental status （AMS） is a very common emergency case, but the exact etiology of many AMS patients is unknown. Patients often manifest vague symptoms, thus, AMS diagnosis and treatment are highly ...BACKGROUND： Altered mental status （AMS） is a very common emergency case, but the exact etiology of many AMS patients is unknown. Patients often manifest vague symptoms, thus, AMS diagnosis and treatment are highly challenging for emergency physicians. The aim of this study is to provide a framework for the assessment of AMS patients. This assessment should allow providers to better understand the etiology of mental status changes and therefore improve diagnostic skills and management.METHODS： This is a prospective cohort observational study. We recruited all adult patients with undifferentiated AMS at a single center tertiary care academic emergency department over 24 months （June 2009 to June 2011）. Demographic characteristics, clinical manifestations, assessment approaches, causative factors, emergency treatments and outcomes were collected prospectively.RESULTS： In 1934 patients with AMS recruited, accounting for 0.93% of all emergency department （ED） patients, 1 026 （53.1%） were male, and 908 （46.9%） female. Their average age was 51.95±15.71 years. Etiologic factors were neurological （n=641; 35.0%）, pharmacological and toxicological （n=421; 23.0%）, systemic and organic （n=266; 14.5%）, infectious （n=167; 9.1%）, endocrine/metabolic （n=145; 7.9%）, psychiatric （n=71; 3.9%）, traumatic （n=38; 2.1%）, and gynecologic and obstetric （n=35; 1.9%）. Total mortality rate was 8.1% （n=156）. The death rate was higher in elderly patients （≥60） than in younger patients （10.8% vs. 6.9%, P=-0.003）.CONCLUSION： Patients with AMS pose a challenge for ED physicians. The most frequently encountered diagnostic categories causing AMS were primary CNS disorders, intoxication, organ system dysfunction, and endocrine/metabolic diseases. AMS has a high fatality rate in the ED. AMS is an important warning signal for ED patients because of its potentially fatal and reversible effects. Prompt evaluation and treatment are essential to decreasing morbidity and mortality associated with AMS.展开更多
Mental health is one of the major causes of disability worldwide,and mental health problems such as depression and anxiety are ranked among the top 25 leading causes of disease burden in the world.This burden is consi...Mental health is one of the major causes of disability worldwide,and mental health problems such as depression and anxiety are ranked among the top 25 leading causes of disease burden in the world.This burden is considerable over the lifetime of both men and women and in various settings and ages.This study aims to compare the mental health status of people in China and Pakistan and to highlight the mental health laws and policies during COVID-19 and afterwards.According to the literature on mental health,before the COVID-19 pandemic,mental health problems increased gradually,but during and after the COVID-19 pandemic,an abrupt surge occurred in mental health problems.To overcome mental health disorders,most(but not all)countries have mental health laws,but some countries ignore mental health disorders.China is one such country that has mental health laws and policies and,during the COVID-19 pandemic,China made beneficial and robust policies and laws,thereby succeeding in defeating the COVID-19 pandemic.The mortality rate and financial loss were also lower than in other countries.While Pakistan has mental health laws and general health policies,the law is only limited to paperwork and books.When it came to COVID-19,Pakistan did not make any specific laws to overcome the virus.Mental health problems are greater in Pakistan than in China,and China’s mental health laws and policies are more robust and more widely implemented than those in Pakistan.We conclude that there are fewer mental health issues in China than in Pakistan both before and since the COVID-19 pandemic.China has strong mental health laws and these are robustly implemented,while the mental health law in Pakistan is not applied in practice.展开更多
In the wake of the rapid economy and society development, phenomena such as industri-alisation, urbanisation, marketisation and the ageing of the population have shown an accelerating trend. As a result, mental health...In the wake of the rapid economy and society development, phenomena such as industri-alisation, urbanisation, marketisation and the ageing of the population have shown an accelerating trend. As a result, mental health issues due to these phenomena are increasingly serious, making mental health both concerning public health and societal issues that have a great impact on economic and social development.^1 In 2014, there were 16 million persons with severe mental disor-ders in China.展开更多
Background Intimate partner violence(IPV) and sexual violence(SV) occur commonly and are a violation of basic human rights. There are limited studies to date that examine the impact of IPV, SV and mental health outcom...Background Intimate partner violence(IPV) and sexual violence(SV) occur commonly and are a violation of basic human rights. There are limited studies to date that examine the impact of IPV, SV and mental health outcomes in Thailand.Aims The objective of the present study was to estimate the prevalence of intimate partner physical violence and IPV in Thai women and the association between these forms of violence and psychiatric disorders.Methods The present study used data from a national cross-sectional, population-based, household design survey. This study analysed data from 3009 female respondents above the age of 18 who were interviewed in person using the World Mental Health-Composite International Diagnostic Interview V.3.0(WMH-CIDI 3.0). We estimated the lifetime and the 12-month period prevalence of IPV and SV, the lifetime and the past 12-month period correlation of IPV/SV with psychiatric disorders and the OR for psychiatric disorders associated with these types of violence.Results There was only 5.2 % of the weighted sample that reported experiencing some form of violence, including reported rates of intimate partner physical violence of 3.5% and IPV of 2.0%. Women who had experienced IPV have a lifetime prevalence for common psychiatric disorders of 28.9%, for suicidal behaviours of 12.2% and for substance use disorders of 8.8%. Women who had experienced SV have a lifetime diagnoses for common psychiatric disorders of 21.4%, for suicidal behaviours of 16.5% and for substance use disorders of 19.4%. There was a statistically significant association between IPV/SV and being diagnosed with a psychiatric disorder during the past year and also during one's lifetime.Conclusion The association between IPV/SV and psychiatric disorders is significant; therefore, performing a formal assessment for a history of violence in psychiatric patients is often beneficial in refining the diagnosis and treatment.展开更多
The theories of mental lexicon explain how words are organized and accessed in human brain from the angle of psycho linguistics. It draws great interest to study on the field of psycholinguistics and SLA. This paper f...The theories of mental lexicon explain how words are organized and accessed in human brain from the angle of psycho linguistics. It draws great interest to study on the field of psycholinguistics and SLA. This paper focuses on incidental vocabulary acquisition of L2 and explores how to assist learners to reinforce and expand their network of mental lexicon by applying all kinds of mental connection in order to promote the learners to acquire English vocabulary.展开更多
The focus of the thesis is the construction of multidimensional mental lexicon of second language. It is made up of four dimensions—dimension of meaning, dimension of pronunciation, dimension of orthography and dimen...The focus of the thesis is the construction of multidimensional mental lexicon of second language. It is made up of four dimensions—dimension of meaning, dimension of pronunciation, dimension of orthography and dimension of context so that through establishing these four dimensions, it comes into being.展开更多
Translation process is a process of information processing, and also a process of translators' thinking activity. During the process of translation or bilingual communication, translators or bilingual users employ...Translation process is a process of information processing, and also a process of translators' thinking activity. During the process of translation or bilingual communication, translators or bilingual users employ mental translation. To expound how beginners communicate or translate in the bilingual environment, the model of mechanism of mental translation, i.e. match-making mechanism of mental translation, is theoretically constructed.展开更多
In the view of cognitive linguistics,mental spaces are small conceptual packets constructed as we think and talk,for purposes of local understanding and action(Fauconnier&.Turner 2002:87).Fauconnier holds the opin...In the view of cognitive linguistics,mental spaces are small conceptual packets constructed as we think and talk,for purposes of local understanding and action(Fauconnier&.Turner 2002:87).Fauconnier holds the opinion that the discourse participants move through the space lattice while their viewpoint and their focus shift as they go from one space to the next.Cognitive linguistics demands the learners to focus on the dynamic pattern of interaction between mental and discourse.Therefore,mental space theory is widely used in discourse analysis.This thesis takes My Last Duchess,a famous dramatic monologue written by Robert Browning,as the resource of analysis to see how dose mental space theory applied in discourse analysis to constituent an exhaustive and entire comprehension of the discourse.展开更多
基金funded by the Nactional Natural Science Foundation of China(81872618)。
文摘Mental disorders seriously affect people’s health and social stability.This Mendelian randomization(MR)study was designed to investigate the causal relationship between circulating vitamin C(VC)or 25-hydroxyvitamin D(25(OH)D)levels and mental disorders.The data used for the MR analysis were derived from the summary genome-wide association studies(GWAS)database for VC and 25(OH)D and from the Finn Gen consortium for fourteen mental disorders.Based on the inverse variance weighted(IVW)method,we found a potential causal association between circulating VC and anxiety disorders(IVW:OR=1.139,95%CI:1.023-1.269,P=0.018).However,no causal association was found between VC or 25(OH)D and other mental disorders(P>0.05).In the reverse MR analysis,individuals with Alzheimer’s disease was causally associated with higher concentrations of circulating VC(P=0.012),while individuals with anxiety disorders had a negative association between the concentrations of 25(OH)D(P=0.012).However,the current evidence does not support a causal relationship between VC or 25(OH)D and other mental disorders.In addition,there was no causal association between circulating VC and 25(OH)D(P>0.05).Future studies are needed to confirm these findings and to elucidate the mechanisms of potential causality.
文摘Mental image has often been believed to play a very large, even pivotal, role in both memory and motivation. However, with the lateralization of the brain, the treasure of mental image, a function dominated by the right hemisphere of the brain, is often neglected in the realm of language learning, a function dominated by the left-brain. Thus, educational systems have largely, if not exclusively, catered to the logic, analytical left-brain, and unwisely phase out the imagery elements of the right brain. In this paper, therefore, the author argues that mental image should not be a property confined to children, who have more imagination. This kind of human treasure should be appropriately deployed through the process of language teaching and learning, for it can provide a strong impetus for language learning, thus making language-learning process more enjoyable and beneficial.
文摘Although nursery rhymes and other texts for children often involve implausible or even fantastic combinations of elements,children seem to have no trouble following them.The paper tries to account for the phenomenon in perspective of mental space theory,suggesting that children are adept at the sort of mental process called as conceptual integration.
文摘Loneliness is one of the central themes in the works of Nathanial Hawthorne,which,to some extent,is a reflection of Hawthorn's keen sensitiveness to the existential anxiety of man in his times.The paper explores the theme of alienation that is exposed in the The House of the Seven of Seven Gables by making a careful analysis of morbid mentality of Hepzibah,which is mainly displayed in Hepzibah's alienated feelings to the outside society and abnormal passion for Clifford.
文摘This thesis makes an analysis of the heroine's mental growth from the initial phase of the heroine's mental trauma to the struggling phase and to the mature phase. It analyzes the reasons and manifestations for her mental solitariness,expounds her confusion and struggling during her growth from the perspective of psychoanalysis and reveals her mental maturity in the end after a series of setbacks and conflicts during pursuit of affection,friendship and kinship. In some senses,the heroine's mental growth displayed in this thesis is the psychological portrayal of some contemporary college students,which has certain educational significance to the student readers especially those who possess the similar life experience and accesses them to have an incisive understanding of real life.
文摘With the socioeconomic development and the acceleration of the ageing process of the population, the incidence rates of mental disorders and psycho-behavioural problems have become higher and higher worldwide. So far, the disease burden caused by mental disorders has ranked second in the world.1 In China, the disease burden caused by mental disorders accounts for 13% of all non-communicable diseases burden.2 Hence, mental health has become a major public health problem and social problem. In order to promote mental health, the Chinese government has promulgated a series of policies and regulations, as well as reform measures. Moreover, the upcoming 'China Brain Project' will also focus on some mental disorders such as autism, depression and dementia to improve mental health research in China.
文摘BACKGROUND: According to the fact that women account for the highest rate of victims of mental health loss during disasters, prioritization of their requirements is of remarkable signifi cance. Therefore, the present study was carried out with the aim to prioritize factors related to women's mental health during an earthquake. METHODS: This study was conducted using the Delphi method in 2017. Participants consisted of experts including psychologists, counselors and psychiatrists, social medicine specialists, and psychiatric-mental health nurses with experience in service and disaster awareness, especially earthquake. They were selected using purposive and snowball sampling methods. The Delphi method was used in 2 rounds with 21 components and the fi nal attendance of 19 participants and the collective agreement of 75%. RESULTS: Of the 21 factors related to women's mental health during the earthquake, the following components were, respectively, preferred by the participants: psychological well-being training, group relationships and support of women in emergency situations, fair treatment in the provision of rights and services to women, crisis awareness and management of behavior and diffi cult conditions, and social security during disasters with the total mean standard deviation (SD) of 13.4 (2.4), 13.0 (2.4), 12.7 (2.5), 12.5 (2.4), and 12.3 (2.2), respectively. CONCLUSION: Training in the fi eld of psychology and disasters, and social and cultural factors were prioritized among factors related to women's mental health during an earthquake. Therefore, the results of this study can be applied by the planners and executives of mental health, women and disasters, and the women's community itself.
文摘BACKGROUND： Altered mental status （AMS） is a very common emergency case, but the exact etiology of many AMS patients is unknown. Patients often manifest vague symptoms, thus, AMS diagnosis and treatment are highly challenging for emergency physicians. The aim of this study is to provide a framework for the assessment of AMS patients. This assessment should allow providers to better understand the etiology of mental status changes and therefore improve diagnostic skills and management.METHODS： This is a prospective cohort observational study. We recruited all adult patients with undifferentiated AMS at a single center tertiary care academic emergency department over 24 months （June 2009 to June 2011）. Demographic characteristics, clinical manifestations, assessment approaches, causative factors, emergency treatments and outcomes were collected prospectively.RESULTS： In 1934 patients with AMS recruited, accounting for 0.93% of all emergency department （ED） patients, 1 026 （53.1%） were male, and 908 （46.9%） female. Their average age was 51.95±15.71 years. Etiologic factors were neurological （n=641; 35.0%）, pharmacological and toxicological （n=421; 23.0%）, systemic and organic （n=266; 14.5%）, infectious （n=167; 9.1%）, endocrine/metabolic （n=145; 7.9%）, psychiatric （n=71; 3.9%）, traumatic （n=38; 2.1%）, and gynecologic and obstetric （n=35; 1.9%）. Total mortality rate was 8.1% （n=156）. The death rate was higher in elderly patients （≥60） than in younger patients （10.8% vs. 6.9%, P=-0.003）.CONCLUSION： Patients with AMS pose a challenge for ED physicians. The most frequently encountered diagnostic categories causing AMS were primary CNS disorders, intoxication, organ system dysfunction, and endocrine/metabolic diseases. AMS has a high fatality rate in the ED. AMS is an important warning signal for ED patients because of its potentially fatal and reversible effects. Prompt evaluation and treatment are essential to decreasing morbidity and mortality associated with AMS.
文摘Mental health is one of the major causes of disability worldwide,and mental health problems such as depression and anxiety are ranked among the top 25 leading causes of disease burden in the world.This burden is considerable over the lifetime of both men and women and in various settings and ages.This study aims to compare the mental health status of people in China and Pakistan and to highlight the mental health laws and policies during COVID-19 and afterwards.According to the literature on mental health,before the COVID-19 pandemic,mental health problems increased gradually,but during and after the COVID-19 pandemic,an abrupt surge occurred in mental health problems.To overcome mental health disorders,most(but not all)countries have mental health laws,but some countries ignore mental health disorders.China is one such country that has mental health laws and policies and,during the COVID-19 pandemic,China made beneficial and robust policies and laws,thereby succeeding in defeating the COVID-19 pandemic.The mortality rate and financial loss were also lower than in other countries.While Pakistan has mental health laws and general health policies,the law is only limited to paperwork and books.When it came to COVID-19,Pakistan did not make any specific laws to overcome the virus.Mental health problems are greater in Pakistan than in China,and China’s mental health laws and policies are more robust and more widely implemented than those in Pakistan.We conclude that there are fewer mental health issues in China than in Pakistan both before and since the COVID-19 pandemic.China has strong mental health laws and these are robustly implemented,while the mental health law in Pakistan is not applied in practice.
文摘In the wake of the rapid economy and society development, phenomena such as industri-alisation, urbanisation, marketisation and the ageing of the population have shown an accelerating trend. As a result, mental health issues due to these phenomena are increasingly serious, making mental health both concerning public health and societal issues that have a great impact on economic and social development.^1 In 2014, there were 16 million persons with severe mental disor-ders in China.
基金funded by the Special Research Project for the Non-profit Public Service of the Ministry of Health(Grant 201202022)the National ‘‘Twelfth Five-Year Plan’’ for Science&Technology supported by the Ministry of Science and Technology(Grant 2012BAI01B01)
基金funded by the Department of Mental Health,Ministry of Public Health
文摘Background Intimate partner violence(IPV) and sexual violence(SV) occur commonly and are a violation of basic human rights. There are limited studies to date that examine the impact of IPV, SV and mental health outcomes in Thailand.Aims The objective of the present study was to estimate the prevalence of intimate partner physical violence and IPV in Thai women and the association between these forms of violence and psychiatric disorders.Methods The present study used data from a national cross-sectional, population-based, household design survey. This study analysed data from 3009 female respondents above the age of 18 who were interviewed in person using the World Mental Health-Composite International Diagnostic Interview V.3.0(WMH-CIDI 3.0). We estimated the lifetime and the 12-month period prevalence of IPV and SV, the lifetime and the past 12-month period correlation of IPV/SV with psychiatric disorders and the OR for psychiatric disorders associated with these types of violence.Results There was only 5.2 % of the weighted sample that reported experiencing some form of violence, including reported rates of intimate partner physical violence of 3.5% and IPV of 2.0%. Women who had experienced IPV have a lifetime prevalence for common psychiatric disorders of 28.9%, for suicidal behaviours of 12.2% and for substance use disorders of 8.8%. Women who had experienced SV have a lifetime diagnoses for common psychiatric disorders of 21.4%, for suicidal behaviours of 16.5% and for substance use disorders of 19.4%. There was a statistically significant association between IPV/SV and being diagnosed with a psychiatric disorder during the past year and also during one's lifetime.Conclusion The association between IPV/SV and psychiatric disorders is significant; therefore, performing a formal assessment for a history of violence in psychiatric patients is often beneficial in refining the diagnosis and treatment.
文摘The theories of mental lexicon explain how words are organized and accessed in human brain from the angle of psycho linguistics. It draws great interest to study on the field of psycholinguistics and SLA. This paper focuses on incidental vocabulary acquisition of L2 and explores how to assist learners to reinforce and expand their network of mental lexicon by applying all kinds of mental connection in order to promote the learners to acquire English vocabulary.
文摘The focus of the thesis is the construction of multidimensional mental lexicon of second language. It is made up of four dimensions—dimension of meaning, dimension of pronunciation, dimension of orthography and dimension of context so that through establishing these four dimensions, it comes into being.
文摘Translation process is a process of information processing, and also a process of translators' thinking activity. During the process of translation or bilingual communication, translators or bilingual users employ mental translation. To expound how beginners communicate or translate in the bilingual environment, the model of mechanism of mental translation, i.e. match-making mechanism of mental translation, is theoretically constructed.
文摘In the view of cognitive linguistics,mental spaces are small conceptual packets constructed as we think and talk,for purposes of local understanding and action(Fauconnier&.Turner 2002:87).Fauconnier holds the opinion that the discourse participants move through the space lattice while their viewpoint and their focus shift as they go from one space to the next.Cognitive linguistics demands the learners to focus on the dynamic pattern of interaction between mental and discourse.Therefore,mental space theory is widely used in discourse analysis.This thesis takes My Last Duchess,a famous dramatic monologue written by Robert Browning,as the resource of analysis to see how dose mental space theory applied in discourse analysis to constituent an exhaustive and entire comprehension of the discourse.
