Personality and altruism in the dictator game: Relationship to giving to kin, collaborators, competitors, and neutrals

We investigate altruism in the context of the economic dictator game experiment where subjects are presented with different persons who can be classified as kin, collaborator, competitor and neutral based on their similarity/relationship to the subject. The classification is based on the role others play in facilitating or impeding an individual’s access to resources needed for reproductive success. The role of the Big Five personality traits in giving to the different target persons is examined. We find that kin are treated most generously, followed by collaborators, neutrals, and competitors. Personality has no effect on giving to kin, but a significant effect on giving to collaborator, neutral and competitor. We also find non-linear relationships between personality and giving.     

The Behavioral Genetics of Religiousness

Behavioral geneticists have sought to characterize the genetic and environmental contributions to individual differences in religiousness. Behavioral genetic methodology is described and twin and adoption studies of religiousness are reviewed. It is concluded that familial resemblance for religiousness is due largely to shared environmental factors in childhood and adolescence, but to genetic factors in adulthood. Additional evidence shows that there is a genetic correlation between religiousness and antisocial and altruistic behavior. Claims for the discovery of a “God gene” are premature and unlikely, as any genetic influence is likely to represent the aggregate effect of many genetic factors.     

Relationships,Human Nature,and the Four “Words” of Inspector Gamache1

The Inspector Gamache mysteries by Louise Penny are very popular, in no small part because of the appeal of the main character, Chief Inspector Armand Gamache. However, another main draw of the series is the small set of recurring main characters. In this article, I delve deeply into their lives and relationships, using as a lens the four sayings of Gamache as a means of illuminating both the brokenness and grace that characterize human relationality.     

群际宽恕的影响因素

群际宽恕(Intergroup Forgiveness)是指对曾经侵犯过本群的外群所具有的报复感、愤怒感以及不信任感的减少, 有意识地去理解、接近对方群体, 并积极地参与到对方群体中去的一种心理过程。学界对影响群际宽恕的因素进行了深入的研究, 分析了低人性化、竞争受害性、群体认同、愤怒、共情、道歉以及群体接触7个因素对群际宽恕产生的影响作用; 同时, 以影响因素的研究结论为基础, 不同的学者提出了提升宽恕水平, 缓和群体关系的干预性建议。但是, 作为一个新的研究主题, 还需要深入探讨群际宽恕的内部过程机制, 积极建立符合本土文化的干预模型。     

宽恕治疗中的几个误区及其应用展望

宽恕被界定为被冒犯者的亲社会动机的转变过程, 它有助于被冒犯者消除愤怒情绪, 提升积极的情感体验。宽恕治疗是针对被冒犯者, 并试图帮助他们放弃报复和回避等消极应对方式, 以积极的方式来处理因冒犯而造成的伤害的一种心理治疗方法。然而, 在临床应用中, 对宽恕治疗还存在一些误区, 这些误区主要表现为以下三点：(1)宽恕冒犯者就是和冒犯者和解; (2)宽恕治疗会导致道德化和宗教化的倾向; (3)宽恕只是治疗的工具, 不是治疗的目标。在对这些误区加以澄清的基础上, 提出宽恕治疗在理论、研究和实践方面的应用与展望。     

宽恕干预研究述评——宽恕在心理治疗中的作用

宽恕能帮助受害者消除愤怒、减轻痛苦,修复心理创伤。在西方,宽恕已被当作干预目标应用于临床和教育领域。结果表明,宽恕干预能明显减少来访者的愤怒、抑郁、焦虑等消极的情绪体验,增加积极的心理体验,如希望和自尊。宽恕过程模型以及REACH宽恕模型是目前最具代表性的两个宽恕干预理论模型。这两个理论模型均由若干环节构成。在这些环节中,定义宽恕、回忆伤害事件、建立共情、知觉到对他人的伤害、承诺宽恕以及克服阻碍宽恕的因素是促进个体宽恕的重要环节,是在宽恕干预过程中应特别注意的地方。     

What does it take to let go? An investigation into the facilitating and obstructing factors of forgiveness–the therapist's perspective

The phenomenon of forgiveness, initially neglected by psychotherapists due to its religious connotation, is finding increasing recognition as a transformative process involving the injured party in a profound way. This thesis is based on therapists’ experiences with clients who have been emotionally wounded. However, its content may be of relevance also for those who are struggling to forgive as well as those who are in a position to help others undergoing this process. Fifteen practitioners, most of them highly experienced, from eleven different countries on four different continents, have shared their observations and experiences by filling in an e-mail administered in-depth questionnaire. The topic has been approached with the following study objectives: the nature of forgiveness, intrapersonal and interpersonal factors affecting forgiveness, and the role of the therapist in the client's process of letting go. A qualitative research design has been applied for the data analysis, to identify the major themes of each research question, representing the facilitating and obstructing conditions relevant for forgiveness. Since the danger of premature forgiveness emerged as a recurrent concern, a “forgiveness chart” has been developed, assigning the analysed data to relevant categories: A reference tool designed to support a genuine process of letting go.     

瑞典的双生子与子代研究： 通过双生子及其家庭来增加对遗传与环境互动的了解

双生子及子代研究（TOSS）收集了909对双生子及他（她）们的配偶和他（她）们的青少年子女的数据。设计该项目是为研究以下三个问题：1）遗传与环境是如何影响双生子父母的养育方式的？2）遗传与环境是如何影响成年人的家庭关系的？3）家庭关系是如何影响成年人的心理调适的？由于此研究包括了双生子及其子女,该设计可以与其他研究相比较来具体地分析遗传与环境的关联。此研究的结果有助于厘清遗传与环境在养育方式和家庭关系中的型态,同时也澄清了父母亲个人特征是如何影响他（她）们的养育方式,以及父母的个体特征是如何帮助解释了遗传对家庭关系的影响。此研究今后将进一步分析遗传与环境的关联与互动,以及候选基因与环境的关联与互动     

Parental Influences on Young Women’s Certainty about Their Career Aspirations

Identity control theory (Kerpelman, Pittman, & Lamke, Journal of Adolescent Research, 12: 325–346, 1997) and the literature on possible selves (Markus & Nurius, American Psychologist, 41: 954–969, 1986) and family influences on adolescents’ vocational choices (e.g., Otto, Journal of Career Development, 27: 111–117, 2000; Whiston & Keller, The Counseling Psychologist, 32: 493–568, 2004) were used to guide this study of young women’s career aspirations. How mother–daughter and father–daughter relationships were associated with young women’s certainty about their anticipated future careers was addressed with data from 304 female undergraduates. Findings indicated that parent–daughter connectedness predicted the young women’s anticipated distress, as well as their willingness to change to fit parental views should their parents disagree with their career aspirations. In addition, anticipated distress mediated associations between willingness to change and connectedness with parents, and between willingness to change and father–daughter career discussions. Discussing career goals with mother increased mother’s influence, but decreased father’s influence, on daughter’s career certainty under conditions of father–daughter disagreement about career choice. The ability to separate her own feelings from those of her father was particularly important in reducing the daughter’s willingness to change her career goals to fit maternal or paternal expectations. Collectively, these findings offer additional insights about the role of parent–adolescent relationships in understanding young women’s career aspirations and note the importance of considering the distinct influences of mothers and fathers on their daughters’ career goals and plans.     

Do historic threats to the group diminish identity fusion and its correlates?

We examined the reactions of Spanish participants to three negative historic events: a corruption scandal involving the Royal Family and two separatist efforts by a prosperous region of Spain. Although average fusion scores declined following these events, these declines were limited to sentiments toward the group category – collective ties-; they did not tarnish sentiments toward individual group members – relational ties. Moreover, strongly fused persons continued committed to remain in the group and act agentically by fighting and dying for it. Finally, rank orderings of fusion scores remained stable. These findings demonstrate that negative events weaken some aspects of alignment with the group, including collective ties and fusion, but not other aspects, such as relational ties and endorsement of pro-group behaviors.     

集体主义背景下的宽恕研究及其对心理治疗的启示

以往的宽恕理论和宽恕干预的方法多是基于西方个人主义文化背景的, 缺乏集体主义背景下的相关研究。在集体主义背景下, 被冒犯者应对伤害的方式、宽恕的策略以及影响宽恕的人格特质都与个人主义有明显的区别。此外, 跨文化的宽恕模型也从不同角度描述了集体主义背景下的宽恕, 决定性宽恕和情绪性宽恕模型区分了不同形式的宽恕在不同文化中的表现; 基于自我和人格特质的宽恕模型描述了不同背景下影响宽恕的人格因素; 宽恕的动态过程模型描述了宽恕过程中的文化影响因素。对于这些内容的总结也对集体主义背景下的宽恕干预具有一定的启示作用。