Reuniting Estranged Family Members: A Cognitive-Behavioral-Systemic Perspective

During the course of their clinical work, couple and family therapists may encounter situations in which family members have become estranged. While some of these estrangements have to do with reasons beyond family members’ control, such as adoptions, etc., many cases are primarily the result of deliberate separation over hurt feelings sparked by disputes. This article offers an integrated approach, combining cognitive-behavioral techniques with an integrated family systems strategy for reuniting estranged family members. An extended case example illustrates specific interventions, with a discussion section addressing the challenges and pitfalls that may be encountered in the process of healing family feuds.     

The development of procedures for the measurement of vocal loudness behaviors

Vocal loudness productions of five similar groups of speakers were analyzed. The groups differed significantly in comfortable loudness, in multiples (2x, 4x, and 0.5x) of comfortable loudness, and in ranges (4x-0.5x) of comfortable loudness. Interclass reliabilities for sets of measures were high and highly significant. Implications for the specification of vocal loudness behaviors are discussed.     

Actions,their effects and preventable evil

International Journal for Philosophy of Religion -     

Refining computerized test interpretations: an in-depth approach

Comprehensive individual psychological evaluations of a small sample of subjects were used to identify shortcomings and suggest improvements in a computerized system for interpreting 16PF and CAQ scores. This approach is offered as a supplement, rather than an alternative, to the usual large sample correlational method. It is argued that such procedures mask desirable refinements by substituting a large number of subjects for detailed and accurate assessment of individual cases. Results of this analysis supported the general accuracy of the computerized system, but revealed gaps in the information provided and suggested alternatives for perfecting the system.     

Wide reflective equilibrium as a method of justification in bioethics

Carson Strong has recently argued that wide reflective equilibrium (WRE) is an unacceptable method of justification in bioethics. In its place, Strong recommends a methodology in which certain foundational moral judgments play a central role in the justification of moral beliefs, and coherence plays a limited justificatory role in that the rest of our judgments are made to cohere with these foundational judgments. In this paper, I argue that Strong??s chief criticisms of WRE are unsuccessful and that his proposed alternative is in fact just another version of WRE. In the course of doing so, I specify which theses are central to WRE and which are not, and thus, provide a response to an additional objection, advanced by Peter Singer, that WRE is vacuous. I conclude by arguing that there may be better prospects for advancing the debate regarding methodology in bioethics if we focus on restricted epistemic and methodological theses rather than broad approaches, such as WRE, that come in many different varieties.