探究群体中的个体心灵--群体心理学与极端信仰

网上检索中无意间看到一段话,“不借助于个体心理学,也许不能彻底明白有人为何要杀人如麻;没有群体心理学,则人们永远无法理解,为何仍会有那么多人认为他不但做得正确,并且伟大无比。”这段话一下子把我打动留住了。因为我曾有过一段“认为自己不但做得正确,并且伟大无比”的经历。打开一看,原来是一篇书评,评法国心理学家塞奇·莫斯科维奇的群体心理学著作《群氓的时代》(江苏人民出版社2003年汉译精品新世纪版),于是找到了书并阅读。我曾是一名“法轮功”团体的成员,如果用褒意倾向的语言说,是信念极为坚定的一员,用贬意倾向的语言说,是痴…     

The clergy: a valuable resource for church members with alcohol problems

The role of the minister or pastor is pivotal in the development and operation of church-based services and programs and in the delivery of services. They can initiate changes and can equip the officers and members so that families troubled by substance abuse issues can find a climate of acceptance, understanding, and recovery in the local congregation. They can also serve as a referral source to members of the mental health professionals for assistance with alcohol and other substance abuse problems. For our purposes in this article, the term "clergy" refers to congregational and parish clergy. The focus of this discussion pertains to the role of clergy in providing assistance for members of their congregations with substance abuse problems. Implications and recommendations for collaborations and specific resources are also included that may increase the awareness of those issues and to increase effectiveness of service to those needing it.     

When group membership gets personal: a theory of identity fusion

Identity fusion is a relatively unexplored form of alignment with groups that entails a visceral feeling of oneness with the group. This feeling is associated with unusually porous, highly permeable borders between the personal and social self. These porous borders encourage people to channel their personal agency into group behavior, raising the possibility that the personal and social self will combine synergistically to motivate pro-group behavior. Furthermore, the strong personal as well as social identities possessed by highly fused persons cause them to recognize other group members not merely as members of the group but also as unique individuals, prompting the development of strong relational as well as collective ties within the group. In local fusion, people develop relational ties to members of relatively small groups (e.g., families or work teams) with whom they have personal relationships. In extended fusion, people project relational ties onto relatively large collectives composed of many individuals with whom they may have no personal relationships. The research literature indicates that measures of fusion are exceptionally strong predictors of extreme pro-group behavior. Moreover, fusion effects are amplified by augmenting individual agency, either directly (by increasing physiological arousal) or indirectly (by activating personal or social identities). The effects of fusion on pro-group actions are mediated by perceptions of arousal and invulnerability. Possible causes of identity fusion--ranging from relatively distal, evolutionary, and cultural influences to more proximal, contextual influences--are discussed. Finally, implications and future directions are considered.     

Guiding a rural church in a world of change

Conclusion It is not easy to be a rural minister today. Rural churches are small. Their resources are limited, and a church can afford only one minister, who must direct the whole program of the church.Because of the multiple demands upon one who goes to the country it is even dangerous to become a rural minister. In a rural pastorate a man is free to make his own choices, to determine his own discipline in life and study. He confronts two major dangers: He may become so absorbed in such a variety of work that he will fail to do anything well. Because no one is pressing him to fit into patterns already established he may become lazy and undisciplined, following lines of least resistance. Cutting new patterns, doing pioneer work, always carries such dangers. But if one is strong within himself, the kind of freedom he has in a rural community is a source of real strength.If rural America is to be strong, if its people are to possess character and integrity, and if community consciousness is to be preserved in small places, tens of thousands of little churches must have ministers who understand the resources, problems, and needs of rural people. They must be able to show the people how to develop great churches in small communities.The spiritual destiny of our nation in the tomorrows will be affected by what takes place in our rural churches during these decades of revolutionary change.     

Solving deductive-reasoning problems after unilateral temporal lobectomy

The possible functional role of mental imagery in solving deductive-reasoning problems was investigated. Patients with left or right temporal lobectomies and normal control subjects had 32 different solvable three-term series problems read to them. Almost all subjects in the control and in the right-temporal-lobe groups reported consistent use of imagery in solving these problems, whereas less than half the left-temporal-lobe group reported using such a strategy. Overall, the left-temporal-lobe group was impaired relative to both the right-temporal and control groups. The right-temporal-lobe group was impaired only when the form of the question asked was not congruent with the form of the information in the premises. It was concluded that either (a) the left-temporal-lobe group had an unexpectedly large verbal comprehension deficit, or (b) the form of imagery utilized in solving deductive-reasoning problems is based upon verbal symbolic information, and as such is mediated by the left hemisphere.     

Aging families: The personal, permanent group

Later life families present a very special instance of group psychotherapy with older adults. This paper describes the challenges faced by later life families, including major life events to which multiple family members must adapt, and the increasing dependency of some elderly members. A developmental framework for later life problems is offered as a therapy frame useful to families. Key aspects of therapy process with later life families are also presented. Goals, strategies, structures of therapy, and the therapist’s role are all shaped by the long and intimate history of the members of this special form of group.