Did Divorces Decline After the Attacks on the World Trade Center?1

The attack on the World Trade Center (WTC) on September 11, 2001, was an act of terrorism that had many potential influences on the city and state, including influences on families. We analyzed divorce data from 1991 to 2005 for all 62 New York counties to assess divorce response to the attack on the WTC. The results suggested that there were lower observed divorce rates in New York following the attack on the WTC than the prevailing 10‐year cubic divorce trend would have predicted. We also compared counties in and around New York City to those farther away, and we compared metropolitan to nonmetropolitan counties in New York. In metropolitan counties, divorces were lower in the predicted direction.     

Time May Change Me: The Impact of Future Time Perspective on the Relationship Between Work–Family Demands and Employee Commitment

The current study incorporates predictions from socioemotional selectivity theory to evaluate the role of future time perspective in moderating the effects of work–family and family–work conflict on continuance and affective commitment. Results derived from a sample of managers (n = 251) supported the hypothesized relationships. Specifically, when work interfered with family, employees who had a more shallow future time perspective experienced lower continuance commitment. Further, those with a deep future time perspective experienced lower affective commitment than did employees with a more shallow future time perspective in situations in which family interfered with work.     

The measurement of reliability of social relations components from round‐robin designs

The social relations model (SRM) is a useful tool for measuring relationship effects, defined as the unique perceptions or behaviors of 2 people. The sources of variance in SRM studies are persons (actors and partners), groups, and items; the relationship effect is defined as the actor–partner interaction. By removing variance because of persons and groups, a measure of a “pure” relationship effect is obtained. In this article, generalizability theory (G Theory) is applied to estimate the reliability of SRM components from round‐robin data structures. Using G Theory, reliability formulas for actor, partner, group, and relationship are developed and interpretations for the reliability estimates are provided. The authors also discuss how these formulas can be used in both planning and interpreting results from relationship research.     

Boundless Creativity: Evidence for the Domain Generality of Individual Differences in Creativity

This study investigated correlates of domain‐general and domain‐specific components of creativity. 158 college students completed a questionnaire that assessed their motivational and personality traits (i.e., intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, creative personality, and originality in word association) as well as intellectual abilities (SAT verbal and quantitative scores). Under two different instruction conditions (standard instruction or explicit “be creative” instruction), students also took a battery of multi‐item, product‐based tests of creativity in three domains (artistic, verbal, and mathematical creativity). Factor analyses showed evidence of domain‐generality of creativity. Furthermore, results from structural equation models showed that motivational and personality traits and intellectual abilities were associated with the domain‐general component of creativity. Only one variable (SAT quantitative score) was found to be associated with the domain‐specific component of mathematical creativity under the explicit “be creative” instruction condition. These results affirm the domain‐generality of creativity and challenge researchers to identify correlates of domain‐specific components of creativity.     

What Would Jesus Buy: American Consumption of Religious and Spiritual Material Goods

This article examines an important and understudied part of the sociological study of religion: consumption of religious materials. We use data from the Baylor Religion Survey and present an initial look at which Americans read the Left Behind series, viewed The Passion of the Christ , or purchased religious paraphernalia such as "What Would Jesus Do" bracelets. Drawing on cultural consumption and religious capital research we explore class, demographic, and religious influences on consumption patterns. We find some support for each of these perspectives, which suggests that religious consumption is not a subset of cultural consumption nor of religious practice but is some combination of both.     

THE TROUBLE WITH TERROR

Abstract: The argument proceeds from a sense of imminent danger; 9/11 and its sequel challenge our deepest pretensions regarding the universality and self‐evidence of moral/political conviction. The intransigence of such convictions is now an important source of international conflict and terror. It also signifies that the resolution of the disorder that now confronts the international community requires a transformation in our conception of morality itself. In this regard, philosophy has an important task to address. The discussion explores a radical change in our understanding of just war, the distinction between war and peace, the logic of conflict, and similar topics.