Metaperception Accuracy: An Israeli Study

Research on meta-accuracy (the ability of people to know how others view them) has indicated that people do not know how they are differentially seen by others. Although Kenny and DePaulo (1993) have explained this finding by self-perception theory, it seems likely that feedback from the partner should be a factor in meta-accuracy. The present study examined meta-accuracy within an Israeli group-interaction setting. It was assumed that the directness and straight talk typical of interpersonal communication in Israeli society would greatly improve feedback and, therefore, would increase meta-accuracy as well. A group assessment procedure was administered to 154 female candidates to educational programs at a university and a teacher-training college. Despite the inclusion of group activities expected to enhance interaction and feedback, the assessment procedure was found to generate a rather low level of meta-accuracy, supporting Kenny and DePaulo's (1993) self-perception theory.     

"You" and "I" need to talk about "us": Linguistic patterns in marital interactions

Links between pronoun use, relationship satisfaction, and observed behavior were examined during 2 problem-solving interactions in which 134 distressed and 48 nondistressed couples participated. Results supported hypotheses that distressed and nondistressed couples would use pronouns at significantly different rates, and that rates would also differ for partners depending on whose topic was being discussed. Actor–partner interdependence models (APIMs; D. A. Kenny, 1996 ) revealed actor and partner effects of pronoun use on satisfaction and observed positivity and negativity. Interestingly, I-focus pronouns were found to be linked with satisfaction in distressed partners and dis satisfaction in nondistressed partners. The pattern of findings was otherwise largely consistent across topics and levels of distress. These findings have implications for both future research and clinical interventions.     

From countertransference to "passion"

Bion's ideas may be extended to describe an emotional phenomenology of the analyst's subjectivity and a methodology which helps differentiate countertransference enactments from fuller emotional participation. Bion called the process of integrating and utilizing one's most basic and important emotions to make meaning, "passion." The analyst's primal feelings--of love, hate, and curiosity--serve as a central organizer of meaning in the analytic interaction. These feelings involve pain, and to the extent the analyst unconsciously decides to evade or foreclose the evolution of the feelings, such that they remain unintegrated in the thinking process, the analyst is liable to become mired in repetitive transference-countertransference experiences without establishing fresh meaning. A case example illustrates the relevance of "passion" to contemporary relational theory and practice.     

Consensus and Self-Other Agreement for Trait Inferences from Minimal Information

ABSTRACT Following a general model of consensus in interpersonal perception (Kenny, 1991), we report evidence on four sources of consensus and self-other agreement: (a) meaning systems shared by observers, (b) extent of information on target behavior, (c) consistency of target behavior, and (d) non-behavioral information. We argue that these factors can be disentangled more precisely by analyzing ratings by strangers instead of ratings by acquaintances. We then focus on first impressions as a source of self-other agreement, and we report evidence that first impressions of actual persons are quite accurate for Extraversion and Conscientiousness.     

Sense making and benefit finding in couples who have a child with Asperger syndrome: an application of the Actor-Partner Interdependence Model

Parents of children with Asperger syndrome face many challenges that may lead them to search for meaning by developing explanations for (sense making) and finding benefits (benefit finding) in having a child with special needs. Although family theorists have proposed that finding meaning occurs interpersonally, there is a dearth of empirical research that has examined finding meaning at the couple level. This study examined sense making and benefit finding in 84 couples who have a child with Asperger syndrome by using the Actor-Partner Interdependence Model (Kenny et al., 2006) to examine actor effects (i.e. the extent to which an individual's score on the predictor variable impacts his or her own level of adjustment) and partner effects (i.e. the extent to which an individual's score on the predictor variable has an impact on his or her partner's level of adjustment) of sense making and benefit finding on parental adjustment. Results demonstrated that parents' benefit finding related to greater anxiety and parents' sense making related to not only their own adjustment but also their partner's adjustment. Results highlight the importance of adopting an interpersonal perspective on finding meaning and adjustment. Limitations, future research and clinical implications are also discussed.     

The confusion about epistemology and "epistemology"--and what to do about it

The epistemology debates within the field of family therapy have become relatively infrequent in the last year or so, perhaps as a consequence of the confusion they have generated for many family therapists. This article maintains that the primary reason for the confusion is a failure to distinguish clearly between the conventional meaning of the term epistemology, which concerns the nature of knowledge, and the unconventional meaning given the term in family therapy, which concerns the nature of what we know. It is proposed that the confusion can be diminished by understanding the relationship between the two meanings, which are here distinguished as epistemology (meaning 1) and epistemology (meaning 2) respectively. Particular attention is given to the logical consequences of adopting a position on epistemology (meaning 1)—e.g, is the knower capable of knowing an independent reality, or does the act of knowing make its own reality?—or on epistemology (meaning 2)—e.g., is causality linear or nonlinear?. The relevance and implications of these problems for the theory and practice of family therapy are discussed.     

《管子》"道"、"德"的生命特性及对当代生态伦理建设的启示

在存在论的意义上,《管子》中的“道”、“德”是被作为重要的哲学范畴运用的,指生命产生的根源和生命存在的内在根据,二者是一体共在的关系。《管子》的“道”、“德”论揭示了人与万物在自然本性层面上的内在一体性和生态伦理的存在论维度,启示我们生态伦理应超越人与自然的外在关系,建立于人与自然内在关系的基础上。     

An Alternative Framework for Defining Mediation

The present article provides an alternative framework for evaluating mediated relationships. From this perspective. a mediated process is a chain reaction, beginning with an independent variable that affects a mediator that in turn affects an outcome. The definition of mediation offered here, presented for stage sequences, states three conditions for establishing mediation: (a) the independent variable affects the probability of the sequence no mediator to mediator to outcome; (b) the independent variable affects the probability of a transition into the mediator stage; (c) the mediator affects the probability of a transition into the outcome stage at every level of the independent variable. This definition of mediation is compared and contrasted with the well-known definition of mediation for continuous variables discussed in Baron and Kenny (1986), Judd and Kenny (1981), and Kenny, Kashy, and Bolger (1997). The definition presented in this article emphasizes the intraindividual, time-ordered nature of mediation.     

On the difficulty of distinguishing “good” and “poor” perceivers: A social relations analysis of empathic accuracy data

Two studies were conducted to explore the reasons why replicable individual‐difference correlates of empathic accuracy have proved so difficult to find. In Study 1, we examined sources of variance in empathic accuracy data using the Social Relations Model (Kenny, 1988, 1994; Kenny & Albright, 1987; Malloy & Kenny, 1986). The results revealed substantial perceiver variance only in the type of research design in which a relatively large set of individual perceivers inferred the thoughts and feelings of the same set of target persons. In Study 2, we found evidence that even in this apparently optimal type of research design, the significant individual‐difference correlates of empathic accuracy were fewer and subject to more unexpected qualifications than the results of Davis and Kraus's (1997) meta‐analysis would suggest. So far, the “best candidate” predictor of empathic accuracy appears to be verbal intelligence, but it remains to be seen whether it and two other recently proposed predictors of interpersonal accuracy will survive the test of replicability.     

主客体互倚性的成对模式及其检验

主客体互倚性模型（APIM）以成对数据作为分析单元,是成对数据分析的重要方法。基于APIM中的主体效应与客体效应,Kenny等人论述了APIM的四种成对模式：主体模式、客体模式、对偶模式与对比模式。通过定义客体效应与主体效应的比值为k,Kenny等人提出了定量指标,以分析主客体互倚性的成对模式。成对模式分析有助于简化数据结果、检验理论模型、解析群体互动过程。虽然k值的检验程序较为复杂,但APIM成对模式及k值的提出,对于成对数据分析,特别是家庭研究与组织心理学研究具有重要意义。     

"唯京房为异党"说考辨

京房《易》学是西汉《易》学之重要一家。由于后世对《汉纪》、《汉书》中记述其材料认识和理解的偏差,以致造成了"唯京房为异党"之说。本文从材料来源、语句意义及京房《易》在汉代的地位等三方面对此说法进行了考辨,指出了此说不当之所在。     

A psychoanalytic view of the Rorschach Comprehensive System "special scores"

We analyzed the contemporary empirical and theoretical literature concerning the two predominant approaches for scoring formal thought disorder on the Rorschach, the Comprehensive System special scores, and the methodology of Rapaport, Gill, and Schafer (1946/1968). The psychoanalytic research related to selected special scores is reviewed, and some linkages to psychoanalytic developmental theory and psychopathology are made. Recommendations are presented to bridge the gap between these two important avenues of Rorschach research, with an emphasis on empirical rigor and intrapsychic contextual meaning.     

Understanding attachment security in family context

Attachment theory (J. Bowlby, 1969) is not just about how internalized models of relationships affect interpersonal outcomes; it is primarily a theory about how interpersonal processes affect social and cognitive development. This study tested 3 hypotheses about the interpersonal sources of adult attachment security: (a) attachment security is relationship specific, (b) characteristics of partners affect attachment security, and (c) security of attachment is reciprocated. Measures of attachment security were obtained from 2 parents and 2 children (adolescent or older) in 208 middle-class families. Results of social relations model analysis (D. A. Kenny & L. La Voie, 1984) supported all 3 hypotheses. The author concludes that internal working models of relationships may not be so "internal" after all and that greater emphasis on the interpersonal sources of adult attachment security is warranted.     

A social relations variance partitioning of dyadic behavior

The authors investigate the relative importance of actor and interaction partner as determinants of dyadic behavior. Using the social relations model (D. A. Kenny, 1994a; D. A. Kenny & L. La Voie, 1984), the authors estimate the variance attributable to each determinant plus the reciprocity of behavioral responses from 7 studies. The authors find evidence for moderate behavioral consistency in a person's behavior across interaction partners, little or no evidence that people consistently engender the same behavioral response from others, and preliminary evidence of unique responding to particular partners. They also consider several methodological issues concerning behavioral measurement as well as the implications of the results for the study of accuracy.     

Frege. An Introduction to the Founder of Modern Analytic Philosophy

Book Information Frege. An Introduction to the Founder of Modern Analytic Philosophy. By Anthony Kenny. Blackwell Publishers. Oxford. 2000. Pp. xi + 223. Paperback, £12.99.     

"In Search of Token Women in Academia": Some Definitions and Clarifications

This article makes an important distinction between two definitions of "token woman." In the first definition, a token woman is one of few women in a predominantly male setting. The second meaning of "Token Woman" identifies that subset of such women who have made the distinctive psychological adaptation described by Laws (1975). The methodological decisions in Young, MacKenzie, and Sherif's (1980) research are justified as based on that definitional distinction. Constantinople's critique is shown to be appropriate as an alternative to Laws' theory, but not as a criticism of our research. Alternative generational explanations for previous findings about Token Women are not supported by existing data.     

"To Be or Not to Be French": Soixante-Huitard Reflections on " la Question Juive "

The parable of Kafka’s short story “A Hunger Artist” has defied interpretation. This essay suggests this is less problematic if we place Kafka’s writing within a Jewish hermeneutic model, such as the parables of Rabbi Nachman of Bratslav, and consider the effect on interpretation of the spiritual and historical crisis of modernity. The parable of the parable is not that there is no meaning in the text, but that the keys to meaning may have been lost. The alienated, assimilated Jew standing at the gate of the Law finds the gate to meaning and to redemption closing. Redemption does not come through interpretation, as in Rabbi Nachman’s stories, but comes too late.     

Reviews

Books reviewed:
Anthony Kenny, Frege: An Introduction to the Founder of Modern Analytic Philosophy
D. Z. Phillips and Timothy Tessin, (eds) Religion and Hume's Legacy
D. Z. Phillips and Timothy Tessin, (eds) Kant and Kierkegaard on Religion     

董仲舒"元"概念新解

关于董仲舒哲学体系中“元”的概念,先贤及时贤有不同的理解.元有本原之义,但不能理解为宇宙本原或者元气,也不能简单地理解为时间概念的开始.元具有开始、开端的意思,但如果仅仅停留在开始、开端这一点上,就丧失了董仲舒元哲学的本来含义,而这一点恰恰被学者所忽略.元是存在于天地之前的一种本原性的秩序,它强调“始”、“微”、“正”,强调君主在天人体系中的地位和作用,重视道德动机.元囊括了整个天人体系,天人体系的本原是元,元同时又涵盖了一切秩序.     

"科技的人性化"辨义

科技的人性化近两年来成了学术界讨论的重要问题,但有关“科技的人性化”的含义却较模糊和混乱。对“科技的人性化”进行了概念上的疏理,“科技的人性化”有三层含义：复归科技固有的人性、限定科技的非人性属性的范围、赋予科技以人性关怀。理清“科技的人性化”,将有助于为科技异化的消除寻求到具体途径,有利于科技的健康发展。