How Do “Religion” and “Spirituality” Differ? Lay Definitions Among Older Adults

Research and public interest in religion and spirituality is on the rise. Consequently, there is an increasing need for rigorously obtained information on what individuals mean when they use these terms. This study examined how 64 older adults living in three retirement communities (including one Christian‐based community), a relatively understudied population, conceptualize religion and spirituality. Participants defined “religion” and “spirituality,” and their narrative definitions were coded and compared using a framework derived from Hill et al.'s (2000) conceptualization of religion and spirituality. Despite considerable overlap, participants' definitions differed on several dimensions. Participants were more likely to associate religion than spirituality with personal beliefs, community affiliation, and organized practices. Moreover, spirituality appeared to be a more abstract concept than religion, and included nontheistic notions of a higher power.     

MEDIUM OF COMMUNICATION,DIFFERENTIAL POWER,AND PHASING OF CONCESSIONS: NEGOTIATING SUCCESS AND ATTRIBUTIONS TO THE OPPONENT1

The effect of three variables thought to be important to the negotiation process was investigated via an attributional analysis. Three different communication modes (audio, audio/video, face-to-face), three levels of power (high, equal, low), and three prior concession-phasing strategies (alternating, increasingly cooperative, decreasingly cooperative) were combined in a factorial design to determine their effect on negotiation outcomes and negotiator attributions. The data indicated that the communication and power variables were the most potent, with the face-to-face communication mode producing the best joint outcomes, followed by the audio/video and audio-only conditions. The various “prior” concession strategies had little effect on subsequent negotiation outcomes. Several significant internal/external attributions of locus of causality were found, as were significantly different impression ratings according to conditions.     

An Interdepartmental Self-Management Lab: A Self-Help Approach to Student Development

The authors describe a self-help information and referral center for students that provides pamphlets, files, books, audiocassettes, videotapes, and computer programs on more than 100 topics related to health, personal growth, and academic skills. The center is located in a university library and is jointly sponsored by three departments.     

Three Contributions of a Spiritual Perspective to Counseling,Psychotherapy, and Behavior Change

This article describes three areas that a spiritual approach can contribute to the modern applied science of behavior change. One of these is a modified conception of human nature that takes into account the spiritual dimension of experience. The second is a moral frame of reference. Because treatment is guided by goals, values must be invoked to determine what are good behavior changes. The third contribution is composed of techniques that are unique to a spiritual orientation. These consist of various methods, including the transitional person technique. Together, these contributions represent a growing orientation that complements what we already know and accept from our continuing commitments to empirical science and human welfare.     

Poetic Politics: How the Amazons Took the Acropolis

This paper explores the poetic politics of lesbian and feminist writing, the textual violence that writing exercises and the amazon intertext it creates. In this particular essay, Jeffner Alien takes as her point of departure the writing of Hélène Cixous and Monique Wittig.     

Ethical Standards: A Study of Application and Utility

Green, S.L., & Hansen, J.C. (1986). Ethical dilemmas in family therapy. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 12, 225–230.