Biodiversity and All That Jazz

This article considers several of the most famous arguments for our being under a moral obligation to preserve species, and finds them all wanting. The most promising argument for preserving all varieties of species might seem to be an aesthetic one. Unfortunately, the suggestion that the moral basis for the preservation of species should be construed as similar to the moral basis for the preservation of a work of art seems to presume (what are now widely regarded as) erroneous conceptualizations of "species". The article concludes by arguing that more promising approaches to how "species" ought to be conceptualized suggest that the preservation of species should be construed as of far greater aesthetic importance than is suggested by focusing upon the preservation of any single work of art. Hence, if we have a moral obligation to preserve a single artwork, then we have a far greater moral obligation to preserve species than has often been presumed.     

Innovation Motivation and Artistic Creativity

Innovation motivation is a social learning model of originality comprising two variables: the need to be different and innovation expectancy. This study examined their contribution to artistic creativity in a sample of undergraduates. Participants completed measures of both innovation motivation variables as well as intelligence, adjustment, and artistic training. Participants completed three drawings using colored pencils: a human artifact, a non‐human life form, and a person. Choice of main subject and details were tabulated for each drawing and originality scores were derived based on the infrequency of each thematic element. The drawings were also evaluated for technical proficiency and creativity by two master's level art therapists. The need to be different and innovation expectancy each predicted the originality of each drawing; together, they predicted 42% of the variance in the composite originality score. The need to be different and innovation expectancy also predicted proficiency and creativity ratings, especially the latter. The other variables yielded weaker, less consistent predictions. In general, both innovation motivation variables still predicted significant proportions of the variance in originality scores and creativity ratings even after controlling for other variables.     

RATER-RATEE RACE EFFECTS IN DEVELOPMENTAL PERFORMANCE RATINGS OF MANAGERS

The effects of rater and ratee race on performance ratings of managers were examined. Ratings were obtained from peers, subordinates and bosses as part of a multirater, developmental feedback program for managers. Two data sets were created for purposes of this study. The between-subjects data set consisted of ratings from over 20,000 bosses, over 50,000 peers, and over 40,000 subordinates. The repeated measures data set was substantially smaller because it included only those Black and White managers who were rated by both a Black and White rater from each of the three perspectives. Results for rater race indicated that Black raters from all perspectives (peers, subordinates, and bosses) assigned more favorable ratings to ratees of their own race. Results for White raters differed according to the particular rating source. White bosses assigned more favorable ratings to ratees of their own race, but White subordinates did not. White peers assigned more favorable ratings to Whites in the repeated measures analysis, but not in the between-subjects analysis. Results for ratee race indicated that both White and Black managers received higher ratings from Black raters than from White raters, and the effect was more pronounced for ratings assigned to Black managers.     

Family Sculpting in Preventive Work with "Well Families"

This paper will describe an experimental community project aimed at "well families". The program was designed to be preventive by providing service to families before their problems escalated into crisis proportions. It emphasized an educational rather than treatment bias; this orientation forced us to expand concepts, experiment with new techniques, and re-evaluate our ideas on how families change. Of particular importance to us was the emphasis on behavioral change rather than intellectual insight. In the course of this work, family sculpting came to be an increasingly valuable tool.     

The Ethic of Care vis-â-vis the Ethic of Rights: A Problem for Contemporary Moral Theory

Carol Gilligan has delineated two ethics, the ethic of rights and the ethic of care. In this article I argue that the two ethics are part of one overall system, the ethic of care functioning as a necessary base for the ethic of rights. 1 also argue that the system is seriously flawed. Because women are held accountable to both ethics and because the two ethics frequently conflict, women recurrently find themselves in a moral double bind.     

Family Therapy Training: Program and Outcome

A family therapy training program has been conducted for staff of mental health agencies located throughout Pennsylvania. This paper is a report on the content and results of the four-year-old training program. Three hundred practitioners have been trained in family therapy. The program has also led to the development of a core group of 64 family therapy trainers. There has been an associated delivery of more family-oriented mental health services throughout the Commonwealth.