Definitions and Evaluation of Religion and Spirituality Items by Religious Professionals: A Pilot Study

In an effort to clarify the concepts of religion and spirituality religious professionals (Imams, Ministers, Priests, and Rabbis) defined the terms religion and spirituality and responded to whether the concepts religion and spirituality were different (i.e. non-overlapping), the same, or overlapping. Additionally, they rated each item from the five measures (purportedly to assess religion or spirituality) for the extent to which the items assess the construct of religion and/or spirituality. Content analysis of definitions revealed religion as objective, external, and ritual or organizational practices that one performs in a group setting and that guide one’s behavior; while spirituality was defined as internal, subjective, and divine experience or direct relationship with God. Primarily the concepts were viewed as overlapping. Analysis for item ratings revealed few within group differences and relatively few between group differences for ratings of item relevance to assess religion and spirituality. Factor analysis of item ratings revealed one factor named religion/spirituality.Corine Hyman, M.S., is a Ph.D. candidate in clinical psychology at Saint Louis University. Her research interests include religion, spirituality, anxiety, and depressive disorders, minority issues, PTSD, and test development.Paul J. Handal received his Ph.D. degree from Saint Louis University in clinical psychology in 1969. His interests have included education and training of clinical psychologists as director of the clinical program at Saint Louis University from 1973 until 1993. Additional interests include research in the area of psychology and religion and its relationship to adjustment and health in adolescence and adults. Correspondence to Dr. Paul J. Handalm, handalpj@slu.edu.     

When religion may be an ethical issue

Though Americans are a religious people, there are times when religion or religious views may confound the ethical process. This article claims that religious values may be expressed as either principles or narratives, then seeks to establish a case for dealing with religious claims as principled narratives. Methods of evaluation are explored and then seven guidelines are offered for dealing with religion in ethics consultations.     

道德与人伦——论伦理中的强制性因素与非强制性因素

从对社会成员的约束力来看,伦理可以分为两个部分,一个部分是强制性的,一个部分是非强制性的。前一个部分就是人们通常所说的道德,后一个部分可以称为人伦。道德与人伦既相互对立,又相辅相成,此消彼长。从某种意义上说,这种对立统一实际上是个体自由与集体意志在伦理领域中的表现。就世界范围看,伦理的人伦化是当代社会的一个重要趋势。从伦理内部来讲,这种趋势的产生与传统的伦理模式的失落有关。区分道德与人伦有着重要的意义。它有利于更好地发挥伦理的作用与功能,促进和谐社会的构建。     

"伦理"与"道德"辨析

在日常使用中,"伦理"与"道德"往往被当作同义词或近义词使用,这种现象已经引起了学术理论的混乱,本文归纳了学术界目前现存的几种有代表性的理论观点,并对"伦理"与"道德"的东西方涵义及二者的相互关系进行了辨析与梳理。笔者认为,西方的伦理与道德的涵义相近,但与中文里伦理与道德的涵义有别;中文里伦理与道德的涵义存在着本质的区别。东西方的词源词义不可能完全对应,更不能以西方文化中伦理与道德的词源学涵义来取代中国文化里伦理与道德的基本涵义。对二者的正确理解必须依赖于相应的文化背景。     

关于伦理道德与智慧

伦理道德与智慧的关系是一个有着重要的理论和现实意义的课题。伦理、道德与智慧都有联系,但本身都不是智慧。伦理智慧与道德智慧相通,但两者不是同一种意义上的智慧。伦理智慧与道德智慧具有多方面的社会价值,提倡伦理智慧和道德智慧有助于当代中国的社会改革和全面进步,为此需要对中国传统伦理思想和道德价值进行批判性的反思。     

伦理何为

伦理学是“成人”,“做人”之维。人离不开伦理,伦理学首先是“成人”之道。“人”成为什么样的人也离不开伦理,伦理学又是“做人”之维。伦理要内化成人心理的存在,才能成为“成人”之道,“做人”之维。道德建设要符合“成人”与“做人”的要求。     

Australian psychologists' attitudes towards suicide and self‐harm

An exploratory study of 81 Australian psychologists' attitudes towards suicide and self‐harm was undertaken. Two attitudinal measures, one knowledge measure and demographic information, were used to assess the relationships between attitudes, knowledge, gender, age, years of professional experience, and previous experience with suicidal and self‐harming clients. Among this sample, attitudes towards suicide and self‐harm were generally positive and participants displayed high levels of knowledge of self‐harm. Age and years of experience were related to participants' attitudes, with younger psychologists reporting greater confidence in working with these clients and believing in the right of an individual to decide when to die. Future research is needed to determine the impact of psychologists' attitudes on their behaviour towards suicidal and self‐harming clients.     

Morality and Leadership: Examining the Ethics of Transformational Leadership

Morality is a critical factor in leadership that its absence could turn an otherwise powerful leadership model (i.e. transformational leadership) into a disastrous outcome. The importance of morality for leaders is self-evident in light of the far-reaching effects of leaders' actions or inaction on other people. Such proposition necessitates the discourse in the objectivity of universal moral principles as the legitimate basis of a sound understanding of moral leadership. Examining transformational leadership from a moral-laden perspective, this paper argues that morality is a necessary component of leadership and that deontological moral reasoning provides a sufficient ground for morally attractive leadership theories.     

Mental health professionals' attitudes towards people who are deaf

Mental health professionals' attitudes towards deaf people were examined in relation to their previous contact with deaf people and their knowledge of deafness. Data were gathered regarding different aspects of contact, including the number and type of relationships participants had had with deaf people. A cognitive-processing theory of attitude change following contact (Rothbart & John, 1985) was explored. Knowledge of deafness did not correlate with attitudes towards deaf people but a relationship was found between the amount of contact that professionals had with deaf people of equal or higher status and more positive attitudes.     

SCIENCE,RELIGION, AND ETHICS: THE BOYLE LECTURE 2019

How do we and should we decide what is morally right and what is morally wrong? For much of human history, the teachings of religion were presumed to provide either the answer, or much of the answer. Over time, two developments challenged this. The first was the establishment of the discipline of moral philosophy. Foundational texts, such as Immanuel Kant's Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals, and the growth of coherent, nonreligious approaches to ethics, notably utilitarianism, served to marginalize the role of religion. And then, second, the twentieth century saw the rapid growth of evolutionary biology with an enthusiastic presumption that biology was the source of ethics. Here, I begin by discussing these developments and then examine the extent to which religion is still needed for a coherent account of ethics.     

心灵的挑战：医生责任伦理问题与诉求

道德赤字、人性亏损是当代医学最大的危机,单纯法律、伦理、制度已难以管控医生的真实医疗行为,现代医学正面临前所未有的道德冲击和人性挑战。作为一种新道德思维,医学责任伦理具有新的精神气质和新的伦理追求,它超越传统的道德思维局限性,以他者的思维方式重新审视医学责任,开辟了一条解决现代医学面临的道德难题的新路径。责任伦理要求医生不仅要具备精湛的医术,更要具有善良的人格,要践行一种自愿的、主动的、不求回报的伦理责任,让医学技术为社会可持续、为人类健康和子孙后代造福。     

论道德世界的超自然性——兼论自然主义伦理学的错误

道德世界既超越外在自然,又超越内在自然,是人特有的世界。道德如果立足于外在自然和内在自然,结果都只会被自然的必然性所左右,无法深入到主体的内心体验,无法通向人的自由世界。所以,自由而主动的人的伦理学一定是超越自然主义的。