Book reviews

Form and Validity in Indian Logic. Vijay Bharadwaja, 1990. Simla, Indian Institute of Advanced Study. 127 pp.

The Word and The World: India's Contribution to the Study of Language. Bimal Krishna Matilal, 1990 Delhi, Oxford University Press ix+189pp., Rs175.00

The Basic Ways of Knowing. Govardhan P. Bhatt, 1989 Delhi, Banarasidas xxviix+435 pp.

The Quest for Man. J. Van Nispen & D. Tiemersma (Eds), 1991 Assen/Maastricht, Van Gorcum ix+203 pp., Dfl39.50

Muslim‐Christian Encounters: Perceptions and Misperceptions. William Montgomery Watt, 1991 London, Routledge 164 pp.

Socrates in Mediaeval Arabic Literature. Islamic Philosophy, Theology and Science, Texts and Studies Vol. X. Ilai Alon, 1991. Leiden: E. J. Brill/Jerusalem, The Magnes Press. pp. 198, US$50

Tsung‐mi and the Sinification of Buddhism. Peter N. Gregory, 1991 Princeton, Princeton University Press 368 pp., US$49.50

Modern Civilization: A Crisis of Fragmentation. S. C. Malik, 1989. New Delhi, Abhinav Publications. 182 pp., Rs 150.00

Nature in Asian Traditions of Thought: Essays in Environmental Philosophy. J. Baird Callicott & Roger T. Ames (Eds), 1989 Albany, NY, State University of New York Press 335+xxi pp., US$16.95     

Book reviews

The Psychological Attitude of Early Buddhist Philosophy. Lama Anagarika Govinda, 1991, Delhi, Motilal Banarsidass, Rs 125

The Law of Karma: a philosophical study. Bruce R. Reichenbach, 1990, Honolulu, University of Hawaii Press, pp. xiv + 238, $38.00

Religious Philosophy of Tagore and Radhakrishnan. Harendra Prasad Sinha, 1993, Delhi, Motilal Banarsidass Publishers 188 pp., Rs. 150

Scripture, Canon and Commentary: a comparison of Confucian and Western exegesis. John B. Henderson, 1991, Princeton, NJ, Princeton University Press, xii + 247 pp. $32.50

Chan Insights and Oversights: an epistemological critique of the Chan tradition. Bernard Fauré, 1993, Princeton, NJ, Princeton University Press, ix + 322 pp. £45

Reason and Tradition in Indian Thought: an essay on the nature of Indian philosophical thinking. Jitendra Nath Mohanty, 1992, Oxford, Clarendon Press, 306 pp. £37.50

Avicenna. L. E. Goodman London, Routledge, 1992, xii + 240 pp. £12.99

Becoming Bamboo: Western and Eastern explorations of the meaning of life. Robert E. Carter, 1992, Montreal, McGill‐Queen's University Press, xvi + 224 pp. £22.95     

Book reviews

History of Islamic Philosophy Seyyed Hossein Nasr & Oliver Leaman, Editors, 1996 London, Routledge Part I, xx+ 780 pp., Part II, xiv + 428 pp., hb ISBN 0415 05 6675, £120.00

Early Advaita Vedānta and Buddhism: the Mahāyāna context of the Gaudapādiya‐Kārikā Richard King, 1995 Albany, State University of New York Press xii + 341 pp., pb $19.95

Vaisnavism: its philosophy, theology and religious discipline S.M. Srinwasa Chari, 1994 Delhi, Motilal Banarsidass xxxviii + 383 pp., pb Rs. 350

Vaisnavism: contemporary scholars discuss the Gaudiya tradition Steven J. Rosen (Ed.), 1992 Delhi, Motilal Banarsidass, 1994 ix + 354 pp., pb Rs. 160

Cultural Realism: strategic culture and grand strategy in Chinese history Alastair Iain Johnston, 1995 Princeton, Princeton University Press xiii + 367 pp., hb ISBN 0691029962, $39.50

Laughing at the Tao: debates among Buddhists and Taoists in medieval China Livia Kohn, 1995 Princeton, Princeton University Press xii + 281 pp. hb (price not given)

Pantheism. A Non‐theistic Concept of Deity Michael P. Levine, 1994 London, Routledge xii + 388 pp., hb £45 ISBN 0415070643     

Parental stress, coping styles, and social supports in chinese families with hepatitis-b-carrying children

The purpose of the study was to examine the hypothesis that parents’ psychological well-being can be affected by a child’s illness and their social situations. In this study, we discuss the roles of coping, social support and situational context related to stress. These factors cannot only affect stress levels but can also influence whether the individual adopts a certain type of coping style for stressful events. Parental stress, coping styles and social support were compared between groups of parents of Hepatitis B virus (HBV) carrier children or healthy children. Results showed that parents of affected children were significantly more stressed and psychologically at risk, and tended to mobilize personal resources and to rely more on themselves to solve stressful life events. They also sought help from social resources more often than did parents of healthy children. Parents of healthy children had a higher number of close friends and relatives available to them. Ninety Chinese parents and their HBV or healthy children participated in this study. These families were all living in the city of Guangzhou, China.     

Book reviews

Women in the Footsteps of the Buddha. Struggle for Liberation in the Therigāthā . Katheryn R. Blackstone, 1998, London, Curzon Press xiv + 186 pp., ISBN 0 7007 0962 2

The Supreme Wisdom of the Upanisads. An Introduction. Klaus G. Witz, 1998, Delhi, Motilal Banarsidass xxv + 558 pp., hb Rs 700, ISBN 81 208 1573 4

The Original Analects: Sayings of Confucius and his Successors. E. Bruce Brooks & A. Takeo Brooks (Trans.), 1998 New York, Columbia University Press 368 pp., ISBN 0 2311 0430 8     

The Utility of the Revised Life Orientation Test to Measure Optimism among Hong Kong Chinese

To examine the utility of the revised Life Orientation Test (LOT-R) to measure optimism among Hong Kong Chinese, the psychometric properties of the revised and the original versions of the Life Orientation Test were compared. A total of 248 Hong Kong Chinese undergraduates were studied in the fall and 165 of these participants were tested again 5 months later. Results indicated that the LOT-R is a reliable and valid measure of dispositional optimism among Hong Kong Chinese. Confirmatory factor analysis showed that the LOT-R represents a one-factor model of optimism better than does the original version. Despite its brevity, the LOT-R is psychometrically sounder than the original sclae. These findings point to the feasibility of replacing the original with the revised scale in future research among Hong Kong Chinese. However, the utility of the revised test in cross-cultural comparisons may still be limited by the absence of emic components. Further research on optimism in the Chinese people with the LOT-R should pay more attention to the identification of emic dimensions.     

Optimism and Coping with Unemployment among Hong Kong Chinese Women

The effects of dispositional optimism and coping on the link between unemployment and psychological health were studied among 79 employed and 104 unemployed Hong Kong Chinese women. Results indicated that optimism, indexed by the Chinese version of the Revised Life Orientation Test (C-RLOT), moderated the effect of unemployment on psychological health. The less optimistic women were more psychologically impaired by losing their jobs. Among the unemployed women, the more optimistic ones and those who were more able to distance themselves from job loss fared better. Nevertheless, coping did not mediate the connection between optimism and psychological outcomes. These findings suggest that optimism is an important personal resource for coping with unemployment in Hong Kong Chinese, but whether coping mediates the effects of optimism on psychological health or not depends on other contextual factors. Ways to ensure more reliable prediction regarding the connections between optimism, coping and psychological health in future research were discussed.     

Book reviews

Confucian Traditions in East Asian Modernity: moral education and economic culture in Japan and the four mini‐dragons Tu Wei‐Ming (Ed.), 1996 Cambridge, MA, Harvard University Press ii + 418pp., hb £28.50, pb £12.50, ISBN 0 674 16086 X (hb)

The Recluse of Loyang: Shao Yung and the moral evolution of early Sung thought Don J. Wyatt, 1996 Honolulu, University of Hawaii Press xii + 340 pp., hb (price not given), ISBN 0 8248 1755 9

Rude Awakenings: Zen, the Kyoto School and questions of nationalism James W. Heisig & John C. Maraludo (Eds), 1995 Honolulu, University of Hawaii Press hb $40.00, pb $19.95

Untying the Knots in Buddhism. Selected essays Buddhist Tradition Series Volume 28, 1997 Alex Wayman 1997 Delhi, Motilal Banarsidass x + 618 pp, hb Rs. 495; ISBN 81 208 1321 9

Historical Dictionary of Hinduism Historical Dictionaries of Religions, Philosophies, and Movements, No. 13 Bruce M. Sullivan 1997 Lanham, MD & London, The Scarecrow Press xviii, 346 pp, pb £46.55, ISBN 0 8108 3327 1

Dictionary of Philosophy and Religion. Eastern and Western thought (New and enlarged edition; first 1980) William L. Reese, 1996 New York, Humanities Press xiv + 856 pp., pb, ISBN 0 391 03864 8     

Fear of missing out and depressive symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic

During the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, governments issued public health safety measures (e.g., “stay-at-home” ordinances), leaving many people “missing out” on integral social aspects of their own lives. The fear of missing out, popularly shortened as, “FoMO,” is a felt sense of unease one experiences when they perceive they may be missing out on rewarding and/or enjoyable experiences. Among 76 participants (ages M = 69.36, SD = 5.34), who were at risk for hospitalization or death if infected with COVID-19, we found that FoMO was associated with depressive symptoms at Time 1, even when controlling for perceived stress, loneliness, and fear of COVID-19. However, FoMO did not predict future depressive symptoms, about 1 week later, when controlling for Time 1 depressive symptoms. These findings provide further evidence that FoMO is associated with depressive symptoms in a short period of time even when accounting for other powerful social factors such as loneliness. Future research should explore the potential causal relationships between FoMO and depression, especially those that may establish temporal precedence.     

Concealability beliefs facilitate navigating intergroup contexts

Living in a diverse world requires the ability to navigate intergroup contexts. However, interacting with outgroup members can cause anxiety that leads to lower-quality interactions and avoidance of future contact. One reason people experience this anxiety is the concern that others will judge them on the basis of an identity. These concerns may be reduced among people who believe the identity is unperceivable by others. The belief that one's identity is concealable may therefore reduce intergroup anxiety and ease people's experiences in intergroup contexts. The present work tests this proposition in two studies and finds that individual differences in concealability beliefs are negatively associated with intergroup anxiety and positively associated with the propensity to initiate intergroup contact and with the quantity and quality of people's cross-group friendships. Materials, data, and code for both studies and a pre-registration for Study 2 are available online ( https://osf.io/4cjhg/ ).