Current Findings Regarding the Effectiveness of Counseling: Implications for Practice

Research on the effectiveness of counseling is reviewed, and conclusions are drawn about the consequences for professional practice. The research literature clearly shows that counseling is effective in relation to no-treatment and placebo control conditions. The effects of counseling seem to be relatively lasting. These effects are attained in relatively brief time periods, with the percentage of clients who show substantial improvement increasing as the number of counseling sessions increases. There continues to be little evidence of specific efficacy for particular techniques or counseling theories, and a small portion of clients seem to deteriorate while undergoing, and perhaps because of, counseling interventions.     

Time Travel and Self-Consistency: Implications for Determinism and the Human Condition

In this paper I examine a recent scientific claim that travel into the past, so long as a 'consistent' trajectory is followed, may be possible. I then argue that the possibility of such travel has unexpected implications for the free will-determinism debate. In particular, human existence may be, at best, determinate but uncaused.     

The Implications of Prospect Theory for Human Nature and Values

Central to prospect theory are far-reaching claims about what people fear and what gratifies them. Subjective well-being is a topic that social science has been reluctant to discuss in recent years, but it is central to much of our lives. A loss inflicts more harm than a comparable gain produces pleasure; this fact and the related endowment effect are important parts of our psychological makeup. The importance of change rather than absolute value position, and the related significance of the reference point and how it can be altered, can be seen as integral to human nature.     

Human Dignity and the Ethics and Aesthetics of Pain and Suffering

Inasmuch as unmitigated pain and suffering areoften thought to rob human beings of theirdignity, physicians and other care providersincur a special duty to relieve pain andsuffering when they encounter it. When pain andsuffering cannot be controlled it is sometimesthought that human dignity is compromised.Death, it is sometimes argued, would bepreferred to a life without dignity.Reasoning such as this trades on certainpreconceptions of the nature of pain andsuffering, and of their relationships todignity. The purpose of this paper is to laybare these preconceptions. The duties torelieve pain and suffering are clearly mattersof moral obligation, as is the duty to respondappropriately to the dignity of other persons.However, it is argued that our understanding ofthe phenomena of pain and suffering and theirrelationships to human dignity will be expandedwhen we explore the aesthetic dimensions ofthese various concepts. On the view presentedhere the life worth living is both morally goodand aesthetically beautiful. Appropriate``suffering with' another can help to maintainand restore the dignity of the relationshipsinvolved, even as it preserves and enhances thedignity of patient and caregiver alike.     

On Biotechnology,Theology, and the Human Sciences

There may be very good Christian theological reasons to oppose human biotechnological enhancement. It is, however, difficult to discern what they are. Much of the specifically Christian response to transhumanist biotechnological enhancement has revolved around the metaphysics of human persons; this is hardly surprising, given that similar themes appear in other bioethical themes, such as over in vitro fertilization, abortion, and euthanasia. The main aim of this paper is to clarify the theological requirements for such responses, particularly those that are mistakenly delegated to scientists. In particular, the paper will focus on the need for a Christian theological account of human nature that does not unduly rely on biological accounts of the same.     

A Dialogue Between Viktor Frankl and Charles Gerkin Regarding the Living Human Document and the Search for Meaning

SUMMARY

This article briefly explores the connections between the thought of these two authors for the purpose of revealing the profound influence these men have on the principles and practice of geriatric pastoral care. This exploration is offered as a professional tribute by a pastor whose ministry with older adults is greatly enriched by their contributions. It is also offered as a personal testimony by a middle-aged individual whose own life journey is most encouraged and challenged by their thought. It is not every philosopher/psychiatrist or theologian/psychologist who can have such significant influence on both levels of the sojourner-in-ministry. Nor is it every author, whose insights are born of specific disciplines, who can offer such stimulating insights to those who are practitioners in another field. Both Viktor Frankl and Charles Gerkin possess these capabilities in abundance. The following “dialogue” simply serves as an invitation to partake of the wealth of their wisdom for both personal and professional enlightenment.     

先秦国家安全思想及其当代借鉴价值

在中国历史上,关于国家安全问题的战略性思考起源于先秦时期,许多重要的指导思想和原则,如以民为本、和而不同、慎战、亲仁善邻等思想已在那时得到了明晰。这些宝贵的思想具有久远而深厚的文化基础。他们不仅为历朝历代安内攘外,维系中国作为世界上唯一不曾中断几千年文明进程的国家发挥了重要的历史作用。而且对于我们今天研究安全问题、制定国家安全战略提供了可资借鉴的价值。     

The Legacy of Lawrence Kohlberg: Implications for Counseling and Human Development

Despite the great contribution by Lawrence Kohlberg to our understanding of moral development, counselors are only beginning to appreciate fully the implications of his developmental psychology for the practice of counseling and human development. Drawing on the collective body of Kohlberg's work, seven basic assumptions are shown to have direct relevance for conceptualizing counseling from a constructivist developmental approach.     

Hiring Practices for Human Resource Professionals: Implications for Counseling and Curriculum Development

Employers of human resource professionals described their hiring practices. This information is especially useful for counselors and for developing curricula for nonbusiness majors interested in human resource careers.     

Nature's Longing for Beauty: Elegance as an Evolutionary Attractor,with Implications for Human Systems

This article suggests that the tendency of living systems to move toward more practical and more aesthetically fitting states be hypothesized as an evolutionary principle. The viewpoints of scientists and systems thinkers on the place of elegance in nature are considered, along with a discussion of issues related to perception of beauty. Implications for human systems and for meeting the challenges we presently face are considered.     

The Ethical, Legal, and Social Implications Research Program at the National Human Genome Research Institute

Organizers of the Human Genome Project (HGP) understood from the beginning that the scientific activities of mapping and sequencing the human genome would raise ethical, legal, and social issues that would require careful attention by scientists, health care professionals, government officials, and the public. The establishment of the ELSI (ethical, legal, and social implications) programs at the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) and the Department of Energy (DOE) was thought to be vital to the success of the HGP in the United States. It also provided a novel approach to the simultaneous study of ethical, legal, and social issues and basic scientific issues. Eric Juengst, the first director of the ELSI program, described its origins in a previous issue of the Kennedy Institute of Ethics Journal (Juengst 1991). Now in its seventh year, the ELSI program has accomplished much. This article summarizes the evolution and goals of the ELSI program at NHGRI, outlines the program's current research priorities with examples of activities within each priority area, and provides a look to the future, including the initiation of a strategic planning process.     

On the Notion and Implications of Organism-Environment System

The 5 papers in this special section examine the hypothesis that organism and environment constitute a single system.

Timo Järvilehto and Barry Smith focus on the status of the hypothesis from the perspectives of experimental psychology and philosophy. Järvilehto addresses the precursors of the hypothesis and the reasons for adopting its implied methodology. Smith addresses the epistemological and ontological issues, historical and contemporary, surrounding the core notion of an organism-relative definition of environment.

David Miller and Robert Lickliter focus on the status of the hypothesis from the perspectives of development and evolution. Miller addresses the limits on understanding development when organism-environment system and its implied (transactional) methodology are ignored. Likliter addresses the successes of the “epigenetic revolution” in relation to the traditionally dominant gene-centered view as confirmation of the hypothesis.

Susan Oyama focuses on the nexus of ideas that define Developmental Systems Theory (DST), a primary conceptual embodiment of the one-system hypothesis. She addresses conceptual differences among proponents of DST and with proponents of related viewpoints that are seemingly accommodating of some version of the hypothesis—differences that are tied to the use, emphasis, and interpretation of “cause,” “information,” and “environment.”

In this introduction I take the opportunity to present a personal overview of the conceptual landscape that embeds the one-system hypothesis. My goal is to frame the issues addressed by the 5 authors and to set the stage for future deliberations.     

An analysis of the relationship between children''s self-concept and their teachers'' assessments of their behavior: Implications for prediction and intervention

The importance of teachers as significant others in the formation and development of children's school-related self-concepts has been widely recognized. However, the relationship between teachers' assessments of children's nonacademic school-related behaviors and children's school-related self-concepts has not been sufficiently investigated. The present study examined the relationship between children's self-concept of their intellectual and school status and their teachers' assessments of their behavior in school. The sample included 142 children in grades 3, 4, and 5 and 70 teachers. The results showed that teachers' assessments of children's behavior in three areas accounted for 72% of the variance in school-related self-concept.     

On Social Attribution: Implications of Recent Cognitive Neuroscience Research for Race, Law, and Politics

Interpreting the world through a social lens is a central characteristic of human cognition. Humans ascribe intentions to the behaviors of other individuals and groups. Humans also make inferences about others?? emotional and mental states. This capacity for social attribution underlies many of the concepts at the core of legal and political systems. The developing scientific understanding of the neural mechanisms used in social attribution may alter many earlier suppositions. However, just as often, these new methods will lead back to old conundrums. Cognitive neuroscience will not dispel the hard problems of social judgment.     

Coping Styles,Pain Expressiveness,and Implicit Theories of Chronic Pain

Whereas some individuals use active coping strategies and are able to adaptively cope with their pain, others use passive strategies and catastrophic appraisals, which are often associated with increased displays of pain behavior and negative pain-related outcomes. To investigate attribution-based implicit theories as a potential underlying mechanism that might affect coping success, we hypothesized that pain patients with an incremental implicit theory of pain (i.e., view pain as malleable) would have more active coping strategies, lower levels of pain expressiveness, and better pain-related outcomes than those with an entity implicit theory of pain (i.e., view pain as nonmalleable). Patients with chronic back pain undergoing a functional assessment completed a variety of self-report measures and participated in a pain-inducing physiotherapy procedure. The results revealed those with an incremental theory of pain used more active coping strategies, displayed less pain behavior, and reported better pain-related outcomes (e.g., lower levels of depression) than individuals with an entity theory of pain. The findings suggest implicit theories of pain may represent an underlying social-cognitive mechanism linked to important coping, emotional, and expressive reactions to chronic pain. Identifying such a mechanism may provide valuable information for the assessment and treatment of chronic pain.     

论《老子》道之本体论的和谐意蕴及现代指向

《老子》最早赋予“道”以完整和深刻的哲学本体论意义。道的哲学本体论具有三重基本内涵,即追寻作为世界统一性的终极存在、知识统一性的终极解释、意义统一性的终极价值。三重内涵的融通合一即是和谐的意义和旨趣所在,体现为天人和谐、人际和谐和群体和谐。《老子》认为道是万物的本原,德是万物分享形上之道而各自获得的本性,二者皆以和谐为内核,和谐是道的基本特征和存在状态。和谐的终极价值以人的意义统一性为逻辑基点,和谐的终极存在以道的世界统一性为生成维度,和谐的终极解释以道的知识统一性为治理向度。     

职业经理人问题的中国式解决——以富大集团为例

因公司管理权交付经理阶层而导致的管理经济的发展,提出了如何使管理层忠于公司利益的问题即“职业经理人问题”。这是西方也是中国公众公司都面临的难题。这问题是否能解决如何解决,也是我国民营企业极为关心的问题。上海富大集团公司在这方面做了令人感兴趣的尝试,他们立足中国国情和公司实践,创始了一种基于“好人文化”之上的选拔和培养经理人的办法,并尝试建立一种“新型的公私合营企业”,来解决管理层的铁心负责和忠诚问题。目前这一探索还在进行中,但它对上述世界性难题的研究和解决,具有值得重视的理论意义和现实意义。