Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy: The Truth Behind the Allegations

In response to several pejorative statements about Cognitive Behavioral Therapy in a recent issue of Psychotherapy (Silverman, 1999), a point by point counter argument to these criticisms are presented. Among other contentions, Silverman (1999) disparaged empirically validated methods as being simplistic and scientifically impoverished. The validity of these statements are challenged and empirical evidence is presented to support each counter argument. The efficacy of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for a broad range of disturbances and presenting problems is presented. The future of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and other empirically validated protocols are discussed, as well as recommendations for their use.     

The Force of Truth1

The theme of the paper is that what is true cannot be false and conversely. This position was anticipated by Aristotle in De Interpretatione and by G. H. von Wright. The latter calls it “a truth of the logic of relative modalities.” Aristotle has been taken to task by Susan Haack and others for arguing fallaciously from the Principle of Bivalence, that every statement is either true or false, to fatalism. The implication holds, but we show that it is unreasonable to assume that Aristotle grounded his argument on this implication rather than on what we call the force of truth.     

The Literary Work of Art. Translated with an introduction by George G. Grabowicz,Foreword by David M. Levin.

The introduction of computers into the process of musical composition markedly disturbs the relationships which normally obtain between composer, work, performances, and sound complexes. This shift gives rise to a number of philosophical problems with far-reaching consequences, which this paper discusses. The conclusion is that the use of computers in composition exposes a crisis facing the notion of a work of music, whose outcome cannot yet be foreseen. In its subject matter, the paper takes up issues raised by Roman Ingarden's phenomenological ontology of art works. The use of example and counterexample to probe the boundaries of the notion of a work of music on the other hand owes more to Husserl's method of eidetic variation.     

What's the Buzz? Undercover Marketing and the Corruption of Friendship1

abstract Undercover marketing targets potential customers by concealing the commercial nature of an apparently social transaction. In a typical case an individual approaches a marketing target apparently to provide some information or advice about a product in a way that makes it seem like they are a fellow consumer. In another kind of case, a friend displays a product to you, and encourages its purchase, but fails to disclose their association with the marketing firm. We focus on this second type of case and argue that the constitutive dispositions of friendship that provide for the development and maintenance of intimacy also render friends especially vulnerable to undercover marketing techniques and so to the exploitation of friendship for commercial ends. We show how this is corrupting both of the friendship and the commercial agent.     

The “Buzz” Behind the Buzz Matters: Energetic and Tense Arousal as Separate Motivations for Word of Mouth

This research provides a novel theoretical framework to explain the missing mechanism behind one of the strongest predictors for engaging in word of mouth (WOM): the consumer's psychological arousal (i.e., greater arousal leads to greater WOM; e.g., Berger, 2011). Across six studies (N = 1,309), we provide evidence for a motivational theory of the arousal–WOM relationship, highlighting the importance of the WOM's valence (positive vs. negative) as well as the consumer's salient type of arousal (energetic vs. tense; Thayer, 1989). In doing so, we demonstrate that consumers use WOM as an arousal management strategy: They are motivated to engage in positive WOM to maintain or increase their energetic arousal and to engage in negative WOM to reduce or eliminate their tense arousal. These findings also demonstrate the importance of the WOM recipient's response for the WOM source to achieve his/her desired arousal state. Thus, this work both expands our understanding of the arousal–WOM relationship and provides a framework for interpreting past work and conducting future investigations into when and how consumers will engage in WOM.