Better to Decide Together: Shared Consumer Decision Making,Perceived Power,and Relationship Satisfaction

Shared consumer decisions, particularly those made with a relationship partner, can be very different from decisions that are made alone. Across multiple studies, we investigate how shared consumer decision making affects perceptions of power and relationship satisfaction. We integrate two streams of research to create a novel theory about consumer decision making and perceived power. Specifically, we suggest that shared consumer decision making combines two necessary components of power—an individual's influence over and a partner's engagement in the decision—and that these combined components drive power perceptions. In other words, individuals who relinquish some control and make a decision with their partner, ironically, perceive having greater power than if they had made the decision alone. We further find that shared decision making and greater perceived power lead to greater satisfaction with the relationship in which the decisions are made. By focusing on consumer decision making within relationships, the current research contributes to the literatures on decision making, social influences in consumer behavior, close relationships, consumer well-being, and power.     

一起向未来 全国宗教团体负责人祝贺北京冬奥会成功举办书法作品欣赏

2022年2月4日,第24届冬季奥林匹克运动会于北京开幕,五大全国性宗教团体负责人专门为本刊送来他们创作的热情洋溢的墨宝贺词,抒发广大宗教界人士对北京冬奥会的祝福之情,表达宗教界人士同全国人民一道,携起手来满怀信心,一起向未来的共同心声!本期艺苑特选取全国宗教界为冬奥会所创作的书法作品,以飨读者。     

一起向未来 全国宗教团体负责人祝贺北京冬奥会成功举办书法作品欣赏

2022年2月4日,第24届冬季奥林匹克运动会于北京开幕,五大全国性宗教团体负责人专门为本刊送来他们创作的热情洋溢的墨宝贺词,抒发广大宗教界人士对北京冬奥会的祝福之情,表达宗教界人士同全国人民一道,携起手来满怀信心,一起向未来的共同心声!本期艺苑特选取全国宗教界为冬奥会所创作的书法作品,以飨读者。     

E.O. Wilson's Lapdog: Michael ruse on sociobiology

Taking Darwin Seriously, by Michael Ruse, Blackwell, 1986, 303 pages, hb £27.50, pb £7.95     

The Agency Theory of Causality,Anthropomorphism, and Simultaneity

The purpose of this article is to examine two important issues concerning the agency theory of causality: the charge of anthropomorphism and the relation of simultaneous causation. After a brief outline of the agency theory, sections 2–4 contain the refutation of the three main forms in which the charge of anthropomorphism is to be found in the literature. It will appear that it is necessary to distinguish between the subjective and the objective aspect of the concept of causation. This will lead, in section 5, to contrast two kinds of anthropomorphism, one which has been rightly rejected by modern science and one which is fully compatible with the objective reality of the causal processes. Finally, section 6 will apply the preceding considerations to simultaneous causation. On the one hand, in a basic sense, there can be no simultaneous causal relations. On the other hand, simultaneous causation arises when we consider the natural change by abstracting from the agent and from her/his projects of intervention in reality.