Tedium Vitae: Or, My Life as a 'Net Serf'

Boredom, like pain, is a subjective experience, but while the sources of pain can be either internal or external to the subject, the causes of boredom are always external. Understanding boredom as a reaction to external influences requires inquiries into the subjective awareness of boredom and into the social and cultural conditions giving rise to boredom. After briefly investigating these areas, I suggest that in the past boredom was seen as a necessary ingredient to creative inspiration and self-understanding, and as a contributor to autonomy in judgment and taste. I argue for a new form of boredom seen only with recent advances in information technology. Increasingly, individuals spend their work hours involved in electronic mail and on-line information interaction. The attempt to match the speed and capacity of information technology results in restricted modes of behaviour and cognitive saturation. As a consequence, one is aware of one's boredom but no cognitive capacity remains to consider realms outside the immediate moment. I conclude with the suggestion that the boredom that accompanies involvement in information technology produces a self-identity crafted by technological intervention and fashion, yields the false autonomy of a manipulated consumer, and invites superficial social relations.     

Groups, Teams, and Creativity: The Creative Potential of Idea‐generating Groups

On voit apparaitre une nouvelle litte´rature traitant de la cre´ativite´ et de l'innovation dans les groupes et les e´quipes. Bien que de nombreaux facteurs inhibent la cre´ativite´ des groupes, nos investigations et analyses indiquent que l'interaction dans les groupes et e´quipes serait une source fe´conde d'innovations et d'ide´es cre´atives. On pre´sente dans cet article un mode`le the´orique de la cre´ativite´ dans les groupes producteurs d'ide´es et l'impact sur le travail en e´quipe et les recherches a` venir.
There is an emerging literature on group and team creativity and innovation. Although there are many factors that appear to inhibit creativity in groups, our review and analysis suggests that interaction in groups and teams can be an important source of creative ideas and innovations. A theoretical model of creativity in idea‐generating groups is developed and implications for teamwork and future research are presented.     

The World of Work as a Subsystem

When beginning a systems analysis of work and its relationship to employment counseling, at least three issues must be considered. First, the historical and cultural definitions of work; second, the meaning and expectations that each individual attaches to work; and third, the potential impact of employment counseling on the lives of people.     

The Old Book Switcheroo: Or Anatomy of a Delusion

In this paper, an aging baby boomer “tells all” about his personal experience with some of the “pitfalls of organized religion,” as observed from his somewhat unusual perspective as a Jew by birth and a Roman Catholic by choice, and a lifelong Asperger’s sufferer, the butt of practical jokes in a variety of juvenile and adult settings. His conclusion, echoing H.L. Mencken’s famous statement that “the cure for the evils of democracy is more democracy,” is that the best antidote to these “pitfalls” may be found simply in the responsible practice of religion, including both Judaism and Christianity. The author also believes his own survival in life despite some “ogres and tricksters” along the way validates the Jungian philosophy of synchronicity. He believes that the storms of life are best weathered by accepting them as parts of a Merciful Providence’s “vast eternal plans” for all His children on Earth.     

Imaging God: Cyborgs, Brain‐Machine Interfaces, and a More Human Future

Abstract:  Recent developments in the neurosciences have made possible the advent of brain‐machine interfaces, potentially altering our understanding of our relationship with technology and even the very meaning of what it is to be human. This article briefly examines some of the recent developments in neuroengineering and considers the ethical implications. Working from Jesus' miracles as well as from a dynamic understanding of the image of God, I argue that the categories of healing and transformation should be employed in thinking through the implications of brain‐machine interfaces specifically and neuroengineering generally. Although the vocabulary of the cyborg may represent the newfound freedom that this technology can bring, the category of the face may serve as a reminder of the boundedness of human nature.     

The Evolution of Counseling and Guidance in Australia: Or,as yet no Counseling Kangaroos?

Cultural similarities between Australia and the United States are explored to determine the extent to which Australia has evolved an indigenous counseling model.     

Distribution of Practice as a Factor Affecting Learning And/Or Performance

Earlier studies considering distribution of practice as a factor affecting learning and/or performance have employed a transfer design and consequently have failed to provide the means for refuting the contention that postrest performance was the manifestation of extended practice, a temporary performance variation, or some form of the “Hawthorne effect” rather than the result of the independent variable. The present experiment provided adequate control, and results indicated that distribution of practice was a factor affecting performance rather than learning.     

The Evaluability Hypothesis Revisited: Joint and Separate Evaluation Preference Reversal as a Function of Attribute Importance

Preference reversals between joint and separate evaluation procedures (JE and SE) were studied as a function of attribute evaluability (Hsee, 1996) and attribute importance. First, the present research replicated Hsee's (1996) JE-SE preference reversal findings with willingness-to-pay judgments. In addition, choices showed a preference pattern similar to that of willingness-to-pay judgments. Second, consistent with Hsee's (2000) speculation, the study showed that attribute importance is a key determinant of JE-SE reversal.