A Critique of the “Theistic Psychology” Movement as Exemplified in Bartz's (2009) “Theistic Existential Psychotherapy”

From the perspectives of existential philosophy, existential psychotherapy, philosophy of science, and theology, we critique Bartz's (2009 Bartz , J. D. ( 2009 ). Theistic existential psychotherapy . Psychology of Religion and Spirituality , 1 , 69 – 80 .[Crossref] , [Google Scholar]) “Theistic Existential Psychotherapy” as another example of the argumentation of the “theistic psychology” movement. Twenty-one points highlight troubling inadequacies. Introductory and concluding paragraphs provide the broader context of this movement and focus the chief concern: Amidst current epistemological and philosophy-of-science uncertainty, the concerted effort to validate other-worldly religious beliefs as scientific principles within the empirical field of psychology of religion.     

Adrian van Kaam, (1920–2007)

On the 10th anniversary of her doctoral dissertation on the psychology of fame and celebrity, Donna Rockwell shares a journal entry from that time related to working with her qualitative data. Donna was mentored by the late Clark Moustakas, Ph.D., at the Center for Humanistic Studies (now the Michigan School of Professional Psychology), in both Heuristic and Transcendental Phenomenological research methods (Moustakas, 1990 Moustakas , C. ( 1990 ). Heuristic research. Design, methodology, and applications . Newbury Park , CA : Sage .[Crossref] , [Google Scholar], 1994 Moustakas , C. ( 1994 ). Phenomenological research methods . Thousand Oaks , CA : Sage .[Crossref] , [Google Scholar]). Exploring the mysteries of human experience as sacred ground, Donna describes her way of being-with the lived-world of her research participants.     

Moral Politics in the 2008 Presidential Convention Acceptance Speeches

This study examines the 2008 presidential party convention acceptance speeches from the perspective of George Lakoff's (1996 Lakoff , G. ( 1996 ). Moral politics: What conservatives know that liberals don't . Chicago , IL : University of Chicago Press . [Google Scholar], 2002 Lakoff , G. ( 2002 ). Moral politics: How liberals and conservatives think . Chicago , IL : University of Chicago Press .[Crossref] , [Google Scholar]) theory of moral politics, which argues that a metaphor of the nation as a family guides the adoption of a political ideology and facilitates persuasion. We coded speeches for instantiations of Strict Father and Nurturant Parent morality and for the social and political issues they contained. We found, as expected, that Democrats referenced more Nurturant Parent themes than Strict Father themes but that Republicans used instantiations from both moral worldviews at similar rates. Democrats, but not Republicans, framed party-owned issues in terms of their corresponding moral worldview. We discuss implications for Lakoff's theory and avenues for future research.     

Medical Marijuana and Social Control: Escaping Criminalization and Embracing Medicalization

The medicalization of marijuana represents an evolving trend across the United States, yet researchers have yet to focus on the reasons users obtain cannabis licenses or the changing methods of State control that emerge in the legal-medicalized industry. In this article I draw on 40 in-depth interviews and participant observation with undergraduate cardholders to examine college students' motivations to get medical marijuana cards and the process of social learning and resocialization they undergo in shifting away from an illicit and unregulated market to one that is State-sanctioned and controlled. I analyze the medicalization of cannabis as part of a “new culture of crime control” (Garland 2001 ——— . 2001 . The Culture of Control: Crime and Social Order in Contemporary Society . Chicago , IL : The University of Chicago Press . [Google Scholar]), showing how, in contrast to criminalization, the legal-medical model offers the State potent forms of social control at the structural, cultural, and interactional levels of society. I conclude with a discussion of the benefits gained by the State from this legal-medicalization on both the effects and causes of crime.     

Occupational Therapy Students' Development of Therapeutic Communication Skills During a Service-Learning Experience

This qualitative study examined the effect community-based service-learning experiences had upon occupational therapy students' therapeutic communication skills and their application of theoretical concepts. After their semester-long course was completed, six students de-identified and voluntarily submitted their weekly reflective journals for retrospective analysis in accordance with Giorgi's strategies (1985 Giorgi , A. ( 1985 ). Phenomenology and psychological research . Pittsburgh , PA : Duquesne University Press . [Google Scholar], 1997 Giorgi , A. ( 1997 ). The theory, practice, and evaluation of the phenomenological method as a qualitative research procedure . Journal of Phenomenological Psychology , 28 , 235 – 261 .[Crossref] , [Google Scholar]). Two analysts identified eight themes: developing trust, establishing boundaries, communication, client-centered care, breakdown of preconceptions, increased self-awareness, power of pride, and power of occupation. Educators are urged to use service-learning experiences to facilitate student interpersonal skill development and integration of theoretical knowledge.     

The Relationships Among Sensory Processing Styles,Personality Traits,and Body Mass Index: A Pilot Study

The purpose of the authors in this study is to explore the possible relationships among sensory processing styles, possible sensory processing disorders, personality traits, and body mass index. There is research on the relationship between obesity as defined by body mass index and temperament, and sensory processing and temperament; however, no information could be found on the relationship between body mass index and sensory processing styles, or the role that temperament and personality styles may play in these relationships. The 50 female participants were recruited from the University of New England community. The sample included women between the ages of 19 and 59 years, and of various weights. None of the participants had a history of thyroid problems, diabetes, or any physical disabilities that would limit daily physical activity. None had been diagnosed with sensory processing disorder. All participants filled out two self-reports and a demographic questionnaire. The Adult/Adolescent Sensory Profile (Brown &; Dunn, 2002 Brown , C. E. , &; Dunn , W. ( 2002 ). Adult/Adolescent Sensory Profile . San Antonio , TX : The Psychological Corporation . [Google Scholar]) determines a person's sensory processing style and possible sensory processing disorder, and the Basic Personality Inventory (Jackson, 1996 Jackson , D. N. ( 1996 ). Basic Personality Inventory Manual , (2nd ed.) . Port Huron , MI : Sigma Assessment  [Google Scholar]) focuses on everyday behaviors to describe temperament and “adult behavioral syndromes” (p. 5). Through this study the authors show only tentative relationships between body mass index and sensory processing styles and personality traits. The data could be interpreted to support both discriminant and convergent validity between the Adult/Adolescent Sensory Profile and the Basic Personality Inventory. There were, however, significant correlations between aspects of sensory processing and aspects of personality that appeared to strengthen the idea that differences in sensory processing result in predictable types of behavior, indicating that sensory processing disorders are a separate diagnostic category.     

The Gendered Expressions of Self-Control: Manifestations of Noncriminal Deviance Among Females

The present study explores the relationships between Gottfredson and Hirschi's (1990 Gottfredson , Michael R. and Hirschi , Travis . 1990 . A General Theory of Crime . Stanford , CA : Stanford University Press . [Google Scholar]) concept of low self-control and two forms of deviance more common among females than males, borderline personality characteristics and eating disorders. Ordinary least squares regression models revealed that self-control was significantly associated with both borderline personality characteristics and eating disorder symptoms among a sample of 161 female undergraduates. The findings of the present study highlight the potential utility in expanding our focus of the effects of low self-control beyond traditional analogous behaviors, especially when attempting to understand female behavior.     

A Three-Dimensional Concept of Worldview

Several Christian school associations and many Christian schools identify developing a Biblical worldview in their students as an essential component of their organizational mission, yet few report on their level of success. This study investigates the concept of worldview from an Evangelical Christian perspective. The first step in investigating worldview is to establish a working definition of the term worldview. A Biblical definition of worldview is a challenge since Scripture does not use the term, but various writers have defined the term with language that is Biblically relevant. This study used the definition of worldview as derived by James W. Sire in 2004 Sire , J. W. (2004). Naming the elephant: Worldview as a concept . Downer's Grove , IL : InterVarsity Press. [Google Scholar] as the basis for a three-dimensional conception of worldview. The dimensions are propositional, behavioral, and heart-orientation.     

Change Over Time: Conducting Longitudinal Studies of Children's Cognitive Development

Developmental scientists have argued that the implementation of longitudinal methods is necessary for obtaining an accurate picture of the nature and sources of developmental change (Magnusson & Stattin, 2006 Magnusson , D. , & Stattin , H. ( 2006 ). The person in context: A holistic-interactionistic approach . In R. M. Lerner & W. Damon (Eds.), Handbook of child psychology: Vol. 1. Theoretical models of human development ( , 6th ed. , pp. 400 – 464 ). Hoboken , NJ : John Wiley & Sons . [Google Scholar]; Morrison & Ornstein, 1996 Morrison , F. J. , & Ornstein , P. A. ( 1996 ). Cognitive development . In R. B. Cairns , G. R. Elder & E. Costello (Eds.), Developmental science (pp. 121 – 134 ). New York , NY : Cambridge University Press . [Google Scholar]). Developmentalists studying cognition have been relatively slow to embrace longitudinal research, and thus, few exemplar studies have tracked individual children's cognitive performance over time and even fewer have examined contexts that are associated with this growth. In this article, we first outline some of the benefits of implementing longitudinal designs. Using illustrations from existing studies of children's basic cognitive development and of their school-based academic performance, we discuss when it may be appropriate to employ longitudinal (vs. other) methods. We then outline methods for integrating longitudinal data into one's research portfolio and contrast the leveraging of existing longitudinal data sets with the launching of new longitudinal studies to address specific questions concerning cognitive development. Finally, for those who are interested in conducting longitudinal investigations of their own, we provide practical on-the-ground guidelines for designing and carrying out such studies of cognitive development.     

Religious Character in Church of England Schools: The Relationship Between a Religious Tradition and Its Educational Institutions

Research into the relationship between the Anglican tradition and its schools is relatively undeveloped in England. The research reported here draws on Benne's (2001 Benne , R. ( 2001 ). Quality with soul: How six premier colleges and universities keep faith with their religious traditions . Cambridge , UK : Eerdmans . [Google Scholar]) significant components of the relationship between educational institutions and their founding religious tradition to examine whether these components are a helpful way of describing religious character in Anglican schools. While school leaders and staff are committed to the Christian faith and seek to establish an ethos informed by Christian beliefs and practices, they are less able to articulate a distinctive philosophy of education particularly with respect to teaching, learning and the curriculum; some reasons for this are discussed.     

Contemporary Neuroscience Humanizes: A Look at Cortical Bilateral Asymmetry and How It Got That Way

Exciting research that has surfaced from a host of neuroscience laboratories is presented, and the assumption that they have little to offer human science considered. This includes the sensory substitution work of Bach-y-Rita (1967 Bach-y-Rita , P. ( 1967 ). Sensory plasticity: Applications to a vision substitution system . Acta Neurologica Scandinavia , 43 , 417 – 426 .[Crossref], [PubMed], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]), as well as the phantom pain hypothesis of Ramachandran (2011 Ramachandran ( 2011 ). The tell-tale brain . New York , NY : Norton . [Google Scholar]). These studies are considered atop the theoretical and meta-analytical work in the field of neuropsychiatry by McGilchrist (2009 McGilchrist , I. ( 2009 ). The master and his emissary . New Haven , CT : Yale University Press . [Google Scholar]). McGilchrist's inquiry into split-brain patients has resuscitated the once-dubious debate regarding hemispheric differences in the brain. By considering the latter in light of the evidence of neuroplasticity, global differences in right- or left-brain preference may be understood as analogous and reciprocally influential to patterns of thinking. This dynamic relationship between experience and the brain requires a reconsideration of the status of neuroscience as an exclusively reductive enterprise. Indeed, the laboratories seem to be producing results that have become increasingly difficult to reconcile with their biologically reductive commitments. While the neuroscientists are busy sorting out their results, those who do not share said commitments are free to enjoy the implications these results suggest.     

Linguistic Styles of Eminent Writers Suffering From Unipolar and Bipolar Mood Disorder

Past research has shown that the styles of drawings by patients with unipolar and bipolar mood disorder differ, the latter expressing more positive and fewer negative emotions (Wadeson, 1980 Wadeson , H. ( 1980 ). Art psychotherapy . New York : Wiley . [Google Scholar]). In the first study presented here, it was expected that prose texts by eminent writers who suffered from unipolar versus bipolar mood disorder would show this same effect. One novel per writer was analyzed, using Pennebaker, Francis, and Booth's (2001 Pennebaker , J. W. , Francis , M. E. , & Booth , R. J. ( 2001 ). Linguistic inquiry and word count . Mahwah , NJ : Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc . [Google Scholar]) Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count. Results disconfirmed the hypothesis, but indicated 3 other differences that were then replicated in Study 2, using a second set of novels by the same authors. Results indicated that: (a) Bipolar writers referred to death more than did unipolar writers; (b) unipolar writers referred to people other than themselves more than did control writers; (c) unipolar writers used more words describing cognitive mechanisms (e.g., understand, know) than did both other groups. The fact that the unipolar and bipolar groups did not differ from controls on measures related to emotions and feelings can be partially explained in terms of the therapeutic effect of writing (Pennebaker, 1997 Pennebaker , J. W. ( 1997 ). Writing about emotional experiences as a therapeutic process . Psychological Science , 8 , 162 – 166 .[Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]). The interest displayed by unipolar writers in cognitive mechanisms is consistent with Verhaeghen, Joorman, and Khan's (2005 Verhaeghen , P. , Joorman J. , Khan , R. ( 2005 ). Why we sing the blues: The relation between self-reflective rumination, mood and creativity . Emotion , 5 , 226 – 232 .[Crossref], [PubMed], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]) finding that rumination mediates the link between creativity and unipolar depression.     

The Night the Raving Died: The Social Construction of a Local Drug Panic

Scholars have recently reformulated the moral panic framework (Goode and Ben-Yehuda 1994 Goode , Erich and Nachman Ben-Yehuda . 1994 . Moral Panics: The Social Construction of Deviance . Oxford : Blackwell Publishing Ltd . [Google Scholar], 2009 ——— . 2009 . Moral Panics: The Social Construction of Deviance , 2nd ed . Oxford : Blackwell Publishing Ltd . [Google Scholar]). We employ this new framework in an evaluation of Gainesville, Florida's adoption of the anti-rave law. Our findings suggest that both individuals and groups were vital in the construction of an interest group model moral panic that led to the adoption of this law. Although researchers have utilized the moral panic framework in analyzing many social and legal changes over the past 40 years, it has also garnered much criticism. In an effort to further advance the framework, we provide several modifications to Goode and Ben-Yehuda's (2009 ——— . 2009 . Moral Panics: The Social Construction of Deviance , 2nd ed . Oxford : Blackwell Publishing Ltd . [Google Scholar]) most recent reconceptualization and recommendations for future moral panic research.     

Development of Mathematical Knowledge in Young Children: Attentional Skill and the Use of Inversion

The principle of inversion, that a + b ? b must equal a, is a fundamental property of arithmetic, but many children fail to apply it in symbolic contexts through 10 years of age. We explore three hypotheses relating to the use of inversion that stem from a model proposed by Siegler and Araya (2005 Siegler , R. S. , &; Araya , R. ( 2005 ). A computational model of conscious and unconscious strategy discovery . In R. V. Kail (Ed.), Advances in child development and behavior (pp. 1 – 42 ). New York , NY : Elsevier .[Crossref] , [Google Scholar]). Hypothesis 1 is that greater calculational skill is related to greater use of inversion. Hypothesis 2 is that greater attentional skill is related to greater use of inversion. Hypothesis 3 is that the relation between attentional skill and the use of inversion is particularly strong among children with high skill in calculation. We found suggestive evidence for Hypothesis 2 and clear evidence for Hypothesis 3, indicating that for children who are strong at calculation, attentional flexibility is related to use of inversion.     

Kafka's Experiencing in Text: A Person-Centered Reading of Letters to Felice

Franz Kafka's (1967/1999 Kafka , F. ( 1999 ). Letters to Felice (J. Stern & E. Duckworth, Trans.) London , England : Vintage . (Original work published 1967)  [Google Scholar]) Letters to Felice is instructive for the therapist/reader because it provides a first-person narrative of Kafka's immersion in a fundamentally relational-experiential process. It is argued that the underlying We of Kafka's letters implies that their correspondence expressed and constituted their relationship. Significant aspects of his experiencing are discussed from a person-centered perspective. It is argued that his experiences were initially subceived prior to awareness, in the moment, bodily felt, and process-like. The parallels that exist between the experience of reading Letters to Felice and being in a person-centered therapeutic relationship are discussed. Both endeavors are experiential and phenomenological, and from a contemporary person-centered perspective, are based upon a refinement of Carl Rogers’ original formulation.     

Creative People Use Nonconscious Processes to Their Advantage

Although contentious, there is evidence to suggest that nonconscious processes contribute to creative output, particularly during refractory periods. However, no one has examined whether this break benefit differs as a function of creative ability. To address these issues, this investigation examined Wallas's (1926 Wallas , G. ( 1926 ). The art of thought . New York , NY : Harcourt Brace . [Google Scholar]) seminal theoretical framework of creativity. More specifically, the most controversial stage postulated by Wallas, the incubation phase, was empirically tested. A regression analysis demonstrated that productivity is significantly increased when creative people activate nonconscious processes in off-task or incubation periods. There is ongoing debate about the cause(s) of this incubation effect. This research provides evidence that the incubation effect results, at least partially, from nonconscious processing and that it provides greater benefit to more creative individuals. This suggests that highly creative people should be exposed to focus problems/challenges well in advance of objective deadlines, and have freedom to generate solutions outside of structured evaluation times.     

The selective disruption of spatial working memory by eye movements

In the late 1970s/early 1980s, Baddeley and colleagues conducted a series of experiments investigating the role of eye movements in visual working memory. Although only described briefly in a book (Baddeley, 1986 Baddeley AD 1986 Working memory London Oxford University Press  [Google Scholar]), these studies have influenced a remarkable number of empirical and theoretical developments in fields ranging from experimental psychology to human neuropsychology to nonhuman primate electrophysiology. This paper presents, in full detail, three critical studies from this series, together with a recently performed study that includes a level of eye movement measurement and control that was not available for the older studies. Together, the results demonstrate several facts about the sensitivity of visuospatial working memory to eye movements. First, it is eye movement control, not movement per se, that produces the disruptive effects. Second, these effects are limited to working memory for locations and do not generalize to visual working memory for shapes. Third, they can be isolated to the storage/maintenance components of working memory (e.g., to the delay period of the delayed-recognition task). These facts have important implications for models of visual working memory.     

Constraints on the Acquisition of Social Category Concepts

Determining which dimensions of social classification are culturally significant is a developmental challenge. Some suggest this is accomplished by differentially privileging intrinsic visual cues over nonintrinsic cues (Atran, 1990 Atran , S. (1990). Cognitive foundations of natural history: Towards an anthropology of science . New York , NY : Cambridge University Press. [Google Scholar]; Gil-White, 2001 Gil-White , F. J. ( 2001 ). Are ethnic groups biological ‘species’ to the human brain? Essentialism in our cognition of some social categories . Current Anthropology , 42 , 515 – 554 .[Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]), whereas others point to the role of noun labels as more general promoters of kind-based reasoning (Bigler &; Liben, 2007 Bigler , R. S. , &; Liben , L. S. ( 2007 ). Developmental intergroup theory: Explaining and reducing children's social stereotyping and prejudice . Current Directions in Psychological Science , 16 , 162 – 166 .[Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]; Gelman, 2003 Gelman , S. A. ( 2003 ). The essential child: Origins of essentialism in everyday thought . New York , NY : Oxford University Press .[Crossref] , [Google Scholar]). A novel groups procedure was employed to examine the independent effects of noun labels and visual cues on social categorization. Experiment 1 demonstrated that in the absence of a visual cue, a noun label supported social categorization among 4-year-olds and 7-year-olds. Experiments 2 and 3 demonstrated that children and adults fail to differentiate between intrinsic and nonintrinsic visual cues to category membership, suggesting that this distinction is not central to the acquisition of social category concepts. Experiments 2 and 3 also showed that in the absence of a shared noun label, visual cues were not sufficient for younger children to form social categories. Experiment 4 ruled out a potential demand characteristic in the previous experiments. Together, these results reveal the primacy of verbal labels over visual cues for social categorization in young children and suggest a developmental change between ages 4 and 7 in the ability to construct new representations of social category concepts.     

Spiritual Suffering from Medieval German Mysticism to Mother Teresa: A Psycholinguistic Analysis

Two computer programs, SSWC (Sundararajan-Schubert Word Count) and LIWC (Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count), were used in combination to analyze the texts of 3 religious writers—one true mystic (Johannes Tauler), one false mystic (Thomas Müntzer) from medieval German Christianity, and one modern “saint,” Mother Teresa (Warren, 2010 Warren , R. ( 2010 , Aug. 31 ). Introduction . In D. Van Biema & R. Lacayo (Eds.), Mother Teresa at 100/The life and works of a modern saint (pp. 6 – 7 ). New York , NY : TIME Books .[Crossref] , [Google Scholar], p. 7). Results suggest that reflections on spiritual suffering that loom large in both medieval German mysticism and Mother Teresa constitute an adaptive approach to negative emotions, so far unexplored. Implications for research on negative religious coping, and adaptive versus maladaptive reflections on negative emotions will be discussed.     

Believable Visions of the Good: an Exploration of the Role of Pastoral Counselors in Promoting Resilience

Although adjustment after trauma is often positively associated with meaning, some studies challenge this connection (Bonanno, Memory, 21(1), 150–156, 2013; Silver and Updegraff 2013). In this article we elaborate on the relation between existential meaning and resilience. First, we conceptualize existential meaning—searching for and finding meaning in life—in terms of “orienting in moral space”, using the philosophical ideas of Taylor (1989), the psychological meaning-making model of Park (Psychological Bulletin, 136(2), 257–301, 2010), and existential theory. We argue that orienting systems in moral space are “believable visions of the good”. We then search recent literature on resilience—in particular literature in which the connection with meaning is challenged—for indications of a connection with existential meaning. We conclude that resilience necessarily comprises a “moral dimension” that is an adaptive process of (eventually) finding meaning in life. Finally, we discuss implications for the role that pastoral counselors, as professionals in the domain of existential meaning, may play in promoting resilience in organizations where employees regularly face existential issues like violence, suffering, and death.