Ritual in the Xunzi: A Change of the Heart/Mind

This article seeks to advance discussion of Xunzi??s view of ritual by examining the problem ritual treats and the way in which it targets the problem. I argue that the root of the problem is the natural inclination of the heart/mind to be concerned only with self-interest. The reason ritual works is that, on the one hand, it requires one to disregard concern for self-interest and observe ethical standards and, on the other, it allows one to express feelings in an ethically appropriate way. The ideal character shaped by ritual is one of respect in dealing with affairs and people; the ideal effect of ritual on the person is a sense of ease and security. Based on these conclusions, I will flesh out an implicit assumption Xunzi might have adopted about a pattern in human psychological constitution so as to further our understanding of Xunzi??s moral psychology.     

医学生道德发展与医德教育模式的探索

医学生的道德发展有其内在规律性,医学生在低年级进入社区医疗机构,开展早期接触临床的实践,遵循了道德发展规律,明确了医德教育的阶段性目标和定位,是一项非常有益的探索.     

Family Ritual and Routine: Comparison of Clinical and Non-Clinical Families

Research demonstrates that the constructive use of family rituals is reliably linked to family health and to psychosocial adjustment. This study explores the relationship between family rituals and child well-being. Two samples participated: 21 families whose adolescent was receiving psychiatric treatment and 21 families in which the adolescent was a public school student. A parent and the adolescent were individually interviewed regarding family rituals and completed standardized measures of adolescent and family functioning. Analyses demonstrated that, in addition to significant sample differences in the expected direction on measures of functioning, the non-clinical families scored significantly higher on the index of family rituality than did the treatment families; this is additional evidence that family rituals are a correlate of child well-being. Further analysis of the data pointed to “people resources” as a robust dimension in its association to adolescent functioning. The role family ritual and routine plays in defining family relationships, both within the nuclear family and with other important adults, was significantly related to clinical status. This work may point to an important, yet overlooked, dimension of family ritual life, the relational qualities of rituals and routines.     

A Spinozistic Model of Moral Education

Spinoza’s claim that self-preservation is the foundation of virtue makes for the point of departure of this philosophical investigation into what a Spinozistic model of moral education might look like. It is argued that Spinoza’s metaphysics places constraints on moral education insofar as an educational account would be affected by Spinoza’s denial of the objectivity of moral knowledge, his denial of the existence of free will, and of moral responsibility. This article discusses these challenges in some detail, seeking to construe a credible account of moral education based on the insight that self-preservation is not at odds with benevolence, but that the self-preservation of the teacher is instead conditioned by the intellectual deliberation of the students. However, it is also concluded that while benevolence retains an important place in Spinoza’s ethics, his causal determinism poses a severe threat to a convincing account of moral education insofar as moral education is commonly understood to involve an effort to influence the actions of students relative to some desirable goal.     

Establishing Moral Education Programs: A Priority for Guidance

People accept the general idea that there should be “instruction in the schools that deals with morals and moral behavior.” The program described in this article presents one possible model for moral instruction. Counselors were not involved directly in the program because of funding limitations, but counselors can use the program to stimulate moral education activities.     

培育道德精神:道德教育之本

道德精神,就是人们敬畏道德、向往道德、享受道德、坚守道德的心理意识,也就是儒家所说的"诚"的精神.培育人们的道德精神是道德教育的内在要求和根本旨归.当今社会,培育人们的道德精神是十分重要的.     

当代道德教育指向:从道德顺从到道德选择的理路

我国的道德教育有着悠久的历史,其主体流质是道德顺从教育,原因有:伦理本位的思想传统;群体本位的教育倾向和道德教育的政治统治功能强化。当代道德教育的时代背景的变迁即社会结构的转型和多元化社会的形成以及当代道德教育人本倾向和生活世界的实践回归,标示着道德选择教育成为了道德教育的内在要求和指向。     

维果茨基学说对于社会发展实践的启示

科学发展观的提出与落实,对于我国可持续发展等重大战略问题的解决,具有深远的意义.杰出的马克思主义心理学家维果茨基的伟大学说,是落实科学发展观可资借鉴的理论.借助维果茨基的伟大学说而落实科学发展观的进程,可以分"三步走".第一步,是将维果茨基学说的心理学概念、命题和规律,转化为相应的经济学、社会学、人类学、民族学等学科的概念、命题和规律,并将维果茨基根据实验研究而获得的心理学结论,作为经济学、社会学、人类学、民族学等学科的研究假设.第二步,是参照关于儿童青少年发展与教学关系问题的四种看法,明确弱者发展与强者支持的辩证关系.第三步,是围绕关于强者支持与弱者发展之关系的一系列研究假设,提出一系列研究课题,并展开具体的实验研究,最终,将其研究成果推广到中国社会与经济发展的具体实践之中.     

Individual Moral Development and Moral Progress

At first glance, one of the most obvious places to look for moral progress is in individuals, in particular in moral development from childhood to adulthood. In fact, that moral progress is possible is a foundational assumption of moral education. Beyond the general agreement that moral progress is not only possible but even a common feature of human development things become blurry, however. For what do we mean by ‘progress’? And what constitutes moral progress? Does the idea of individual moral progress presuppose a predetermined end or goal of moral education and development, or not? In this article we analyze the concept of moral progress to shed light on the psychology of moral development and vice versa; these analyses are found to be mutually supportive. We suggest that: moral progress should be conceived of as development that is evaluated positively on the basis of relatively stable moral criteria that are the fruit and the subject of an ongoing conversation; moral progress does not imply the idea of an end-state; individual moral progress is best conceived of as the development of various components of moral functioning and their robust integration in a person’s identity; both children and adults can progress morally - even though we would probably not speak in terms of progress in the case of children - but adults’ moral progress is both more hard-won and to a greater extent a personal project rather than a collective effort.     

Kohlberg and Moral Education: Back to Virtue

Lickona describes his first encounters with Kohlberg and how Kohlberg's approach has been blended with other approaches in the development of Lickona's work on the moral education of children.     

Moral Injury as Loss and Grief with Attention to Ritual Resources for Care

Pastoral Psychology - Moral injury can be understood, in large part, as an experience of profound loss and grief with individual and systemic consequences. Through that lens, the author draws on...     

A Typology of Ritual: Paradigms for Healing and Empowerment

Myth and ritual are the keys to collective and individual cognitive consonance. Because the postmodern cultural landscape is littered with “broken” myths, people need to learn how to birth viable symbols and create contemporary rituals. This article examines ritual from theoretical, clinical, and practical perspectives. Symbolic cognition and its relation to myth and ritual are discussed. A typology of ritual is abstracted from phenomenological sources. Examples of liberation, transformation, and celebration rituals are given. Elements commonly employed in ritual activity are identified as guides to ritual construction. Finally, suggestions are given concerning how to create powerful and effective personal rituals.