Freedom and idealism in Mary Whiton Calkins

This paper explores Calkins’ absolute idealism and its ramifications for libertarian free will. Calkins’ metaphysics is a version of absolute idealism, according to which the absolute is a person who has everything else as either a part or an aspect. Three different arguments for the conclusion that Calkins’ metaphysics is incompatible with libertarian freewill are formulated and critically assessed. Finally, I assess the extent to which these arguments are independent of each other.     

When I grow down – music,spirituality and memory loss: A performative lecture on aging

This article uses a postmodern methodology to set out a model of life which consists of a time of growing up and learning to speak, and of growing down when the power of speech and cognition gradually disintegrates. It describes how this was presented at a conference partly by means of drama (including movement and music) at the beginning and ending of a lecture which was designed to show the important role of music at the beginning and end of life. The centre of the presentation sets out the research into the role of music in personhood, wellbeing and health. It examines the role of music in connectedness, community and identity. There is much evidence for the relationship between music and health which is leading to the possibility of doctors prescribing music. The growth of community choirs has seen the growth of a musical aesthetic which values wellbeing highly. A phenomenography of the musical experience clarifies the relationship between music and wellbeing and the potentially transformative effects of the liminal space created by the four domains of musicking – Materials, Expression, Construction and Values. It also sets out a way of presenting research that engages the mind, body, emotions and spirituality of the audience.     

Upward intergenerational influences on parents' innovativeness and innovation adoption: A comparative study of single‐ and multiple‐child families

In the marketing and consumer behavior literature, there has been a growing attention on upward intergenerational influences, or reverse socialization, which is largely because of children's increasing influences on family decisions. This paper hypothesizes different patterns of upward intergenerational influences in single versus multiple‐child families, controlling for peer and spousal influences. We found that young adult single children had a direct positive influence on their parents' innovation adoption behavior, but not a significant influence on their parents' overall innovativeness, whereas young adult children with siblings had a different effect: Their innovativeness had a significant positive influence on their parents' overall innovativeness, but not a direct impact on their parents' innovation adoption.     

Strolling through Temporary Temples: Buddhism and Installation Art in Modern Thailand

Thai installation art provides a view into modern, non-monastic experiences of Buddhism. Buddhist practice and scholarship often depend on centuries-old ritual practices and texts, and designated religious sites and persons. However, installation art illumines a fluxing and organic Buddhism – and one that is increasingly globalised and public. An evolving artistic zeitgeist is fused with classical tenets of Buddhism and diverse spiritualties. Each with a unique flair and multi-media repertoire, artists such as Jakkai Siributr, Montien Boonma, Sarawut Duangjampa, Chalermchai Kositpipat and others are offering creative contemplations on Buddhism today. Their works are often experienced in a leisurely fashion by the attending public, amidst social outings or intellectual excursions. People are encouraged to react however they wish to installations, which are themselves fundamentally transient – lasting usually between three and six months. Buddhism is thus asserted as an on-going project: a continual discovery rather than a quest for knowledge from the past.     

Gender,Sacrifices, and Variability in Commitment: A Daily Diary Study of Pregnant Heterosexual Cohabitors and their Partners

We use interdependence theory and the inertia model to examine how gender and daily relational sacrifices predict daily variability in relationship commitment across a week in 43 U.S. couples who are unmarried cohabitors expecting their first child together (total of 455 days of data). We examined three variants of daily relational sacrifices: frequency, ease, and awareness for both individuals and partners, and we tested for gender differences. Using an Actor Partner Interdependence Model (APIM), we found that both women and men reported lower variability in commitment when men were perceived as highly aware of the sacrifices made for them. Additionally, women experienced lower variability in commitment when their male partners reported engaging in easier sacrifices. In contrast, women reported higher variability in commitment when they reported greater frequency of sacrifices for their partner. The results can be of practical use for practitioners working with expectant cohabitors and their partners given the unique role gender plays relative to how sacrifices shape variability in daily commitment.     

Parenting Stress and Sexual Satisfaction Among First-Time Parents: A Dyadic Approach

The present paper reports on longitudinal associations between parenting stress and sexual satisfaction among 169 heterosexual couples in the first year after the birth of a first child. Actor Partner Interdependence Modeling (APIM) was used to model the effects of the mother’s and father’s parenting stress at 6 months after birth on sexual satisfaction at 1 year after birth. Based on social constructivist theory and scarcity theory, two hypotheses were posed: (a) mothers’ parenting stress will predict their own later sexual satisfaction whereas fathers’ parenting stress will not predict their own later sexual satisfaction (actor effects) and (b) mothers’ parenting stress will predict fathers’ later sexual satisfaction but fathers’ parenting stress will not predict mothers’ later sexual satisfaction (partner effects). On average, parents were only somewhat satisfied with their sex life. The first hypothesis was supported as greater parenting stress significantly predicted lower sexual satisfaction for mothers but not for fathers. The second hypothesis was also supported as mothers’ greater parenting stress significantly predicted less sexual satisfaction in fathers, whereas fathers’ parenting stress did not significantly predict mothers’ sexual satisfaction. We discuss how our results may be interpreted considering the social construction of gendered family roles.     

Prospective Memory

ABSTRACT— An interesting challenge for researchers who study prospective memory is to explain how people recognize environmental events as cues for actions. Whereas some theorists propose that a capacity-consuming monitoring process is the only means by which intentions can be retrieved, we argue that the cognitive system relies on multiple processes, including spontaneous processes that reflexively respond to the presence of target events. We present evidence for the existence of spontaneous retrieval processes and apply the idea of multiple processes to mixed findings on age-related decline in prospective memory.     

Aging and Alcohol Abuse: Increasing Counselor Awareness

Alcohol abuse in older adulthood is a rapidly growing but often hidden problem. The authors provide an overview of the issues related to older adult alcohol abuse through a discussion of physiological, psychological, and social risk factors; an examination of appropriate assessment procedures; and an overview of factors related to treatment.     

Treating Faith‐Based Infertile Couples Using Cognitive‐Behavioral Counseling Strategies: A Preliminary Investigation

The authors have found no study that addressed the influence of religious practices, biblical texts, and a spiritual environment on the dynamics of coping with crises often experienced by couples who are infertile and who transition into childlessness. Twenty‐five couples from the greater New York area who were referred by religious leaders participated in an in‐depth interview to share their experiences. This study is a preliminary investigation of the experiences and emotional dynamics of infertile couples. It further illustrates how cognitive‐behavioral approaches may be used as possible intervention strategies.