The First Antinomy and Spinoza

Scholars commonly assume that Kant never seriously engaged with Spinoza or Spinozism. However, in his later writings Kant argues several times that Spinozism is the most consistent form of transcendental realism. In the first part of the paper, I argue that the first Antinomy, debating the age and size of the world, already reflects Kant's confrontation with Spinozist metaphysics. Specifically, the position articulated in the Antithesis – according to which the world is infinite and uncreated – is Spinozist, not Leibnizian, as commonly assumed. In the second part of the paper, I raise the chief Spinozist challenge to the Antinomy, arising from Spinoza's reliance on a cosmological `totum analyticum' – an infinite whole which is prior to its parts. In conclusion, I begin to elaborate a defence of the Kantian position, confronting Spinoza's infinite whole with Kant's account of the absolutely infinite in his discussion of the sublime.     

The heart's content: the association between positive psychological well-being and cardiovascular health

This review investigates the association between positive psychological well-being (PPWB) and cardiovascular disease (CVD). We also consider the mechanisms by which PPWB may be linked with CVD, focusing on the health behaviors (e.g., smoking, alcohol consumption, physical activity, sleep quality and quantity, and food consumption) and biological functions (e.g., cardiovascular, inflammatory, and metabolic processes) that are most relevant for cardiovascular health. Because PPWB is a broad concept, not all aspects of PPWB may be associated with cardiovascular health. Thus, we distinguish between eudaimonic well-being, hedonic well-being, optimism, and other measures of well-being when reviewing the literature. Findings suggest that PPWB protects consistently against CVD, independently of traditional risk factors and ill-being. Specifically, optimism is most robustly associated with a reduced risk of cardiovascular events. In general, PPWB is also positively associated with restorative health behaviors and biological function and inversely associated with deteriorative health behaviors and biological function. Cardiovascular health is more consistently associated with optimism and hedonic well-being than with eudaimonic well-being, although this could be due in part to more limited evidence being available concerning eudaimonic well-being. Some similarities were also evident across different measures of PPWB, which is likely due to measurement overlap. A theoretical context for this research is provided, and suggestions for future research are given, including the need for additional prospective investigations and research that includes multiple constructs of psychological well-being and ill-being.     

Teens' concerns: a national evaluation

Previous research found that adolescents in Toledo, Ohio, utilized a peer listening phone service predominantly for four reasons: to discuss peer relationships, family problems, and sexuality issues, as well as to have someone "just to talk to." The present study investigated whether adolescents in other areas of the United States used such services for similar reasons. Data were collected at four sites-Toledo, Los Angeles (California), Martinsville (Virginia), and Syracuse (New York)-over the course of one year. The results indicated that the callers were predominantly female and of high school age. The most frequently discussed issue was peer relationships (46% to 60%), regardless of site. Another frequent topic at all sites was family problems (10% to 20%). Other concerns varied by site.     

Teen Line: a descriptive analysis of a peer telephone listening service

Teen Line is a peer telephone listening service for adolescents. During its first year of operation, 2,270 phone calls were received. After an initial novelty effect, counts document a consistent level of use of the service. Two-thirds of the callers were female. Although 4% of topics discussed dealt with crisis situations (suicide, physical abuse), 96% were concerned with common, less urgent adolescent issues, such as peer relationships, family dynamics, and the need to have someone "just to talk to." This paper presents a model for an adolescent listening service and provides data garnered over a year's utilization. Consistent use documents its acceptance as a source of information for teenagers.     

Scheinbare Wirklichkeit. Zur Idee einer phänomenologischen Philosophie

Presented are here the crucial presuppositions and building-blocks of a phenomenological philosophy. Inspired by Husserl's critique of scientific objectivism and his claim that the life-world as the world of our experience is the only real world, such a philosophy starts from the breaking of the spell of objective reality as the only and true actuality and the acknowledgment of the appearance-character of all actuality and of objective reality itself. It further requires reinterpretations of the notions of sensitivity, subjectivity and consciousness. Foundational for the sketched idea of phenomenological philosophy is the insight that all conscious life is necessarily determined by interests.     

Umgang mit Paarbeziehungen in der psychodynamisch orientierten Einzeltherapie

Ohne Zusammenfassung