WHEN THINKING HESITATES: PHILOSOPHY AS PROSTHESIS AND TRANSFORMATIVE VISION

In this essay, I draw on Henri Bergson and Maurice Merleau‐Ponty to interrogate what philosophy is and how it can continue to think. Though my answer is not reducible to the views of either philosopher, what joins them is an attempt to elaborate philosophy as a different way of seeing. In this light, I propose a view of philosophy as prosthesis—as a means and a way for seeing differently. Rather than a simple tool, philosophy as prosthesis is a transformative supplement, one that our bodily perception calls for and wherein that perception is recast. Rather than a fixed or assured view, this prosthesis holds open the interval in which thinking can take place. Philosophy, I argue, must wait. It sees and thinks hesitatingly, for the temporality it inscribes is not a foreseeable development but the unfolding of life as tendency, as that which creates its own possibility as it comes into existence.     

A Mission of Unity and a Unity of Mission: A Look at the Work of the Church Unity Commission

This article examines the notion and meaning of mission in United and Uniting churches; asks whether union fosters mission and, more specifically, whether United churches practise mission reflecting a commitment to unity; and finally considers some of the challenges facing the Church Unity Commission (CUC) in moving forward. It makes the claim that the CUC is not succeeding in using its strengths because it is failing to be a united witness in the world, and suggests that church unity should begin at the local level if it is to be more effective. Hence international, national, and regional structures and organizations should mobilize, empower, and enable local church communities for more effective mission and church unity. In order to succeed in the latter area, the mission should be not church, but Christ. The paper concludes that the CUC's task is to collectively and correctly read the signs of the times and faithfully proclaim, in word and deed, that God reigns supreme over our world.     

Depression-related distress in Mauritian and South African adolescent girls: an exploratory investigation

Self-reports of depression-related distress were obtained from girls of 14 to 17 years of age living in communities of low socioeconomic status in Mauritius (n = 198) and South Africa (n = 275). Of the girls in the two samples, 26.3 and 21.5%, respectively, had thought about self-harm during the past 5 yr., while between 14.6 and 16.7% had made self-harm attempts. Also, 39.9% of the Mauritian girls and 31.0% of the South Africans reported being sad and tearful every day for more than 2 wk. over the past year. Of the girls, Mauritians (54.0%) and South Africans (32.1%) felt their problems were too much to cope with, while 20.4% of the South African girls and 44.4% of the Mauritians knew of no place to go for help when feeling sad or depressed. The findings highlight the extent of depression-related symptoms and issues related to access to mental health services. Increasing mental health services and awareness programmes are indicated.     

Paternal care in the social and diurnal striped mouse (Rhabdomys pumilio): laboratory and field evidence

Paternal care is rare in mammals, occurring mainly in carnivores and neotropical primates, in which the difficulties of long generation time and large individuals lead to small sample sizes. Here, the authors show that paternal care can be easily studied in the four-striped mouse (Rhabdomys pumilio) because (a) captive males show all the patterns of parental care as do females, with the obvious exception of nursing; (b) in the field, wild males act amicably toward juveniles and retrieve pups experimentally presented to them; (c) the striped mouse facilitates experimental approaches in captivity because it has a short generation period and can be kept in large numbers; and (d) the striped mouse is diurnal, not only making observations in captivity easier but also enabling direct observations in the field.     

Psychometric Properties of the Cultural Intelligence Scale in a Saudi Arabian Context

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the psychometric properties of the cultural intelligence scale (CQS) in a Saudi Arabian context. The CQS was administered to a random sample of 553 undergraduate students at Hail University. Results of a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) supported the four‐factor structure of the CQS: cognitive, metacognitive, motivational, and behavioral. In addition, the results of a second‐order CFA indicated that these four factors can be further collapsed into one general factor. The CQS showed adequate internal consistency and test–retest reliability as well as convergent and discriminant validity. The results further revealed no significant differences between males and females. In sum, results suggest that the Arabic version of the CQS is a reliable and valid instrument for measuring an individual's intercultural intelligence.     

Factors leading to orphans and vulnerable children living in community-based homes

This study explored the influences on living arrangements of orphans and vulnerable children (OVC) housed at a community-based home in Johannesburg, South Africa. A total of 50 OVC (males = 36%, females = 64%; age range 11 to 18 years) completed an open-ended questionnaire, while some of them also participated in individual interviews and focus group discussions on how they became residents of the community-based home. The data were thematically analysed. Findings suggest their choice to live in a community-based care setting to have been influenced by homelessness with accompanying poverty, health issues, experiences of child abuse and neglect, discrimination, and domestic violence. School psychologists working with OVC from community-based homes should consider pathways by which the children could be provided with needed support for resilient health and wellness.     

A Career Assistance Program for Elite Athletes

A program to assist elite athletes in coping with the transition out of active sport competition is presented. A life span development framework is used to describe the formulation of the program. An outline of the program is presented, and implications for counselors are discussed.     

Personal constructs of fluency: a study comparing stutterers and nonstutterers

The personal construct systems relating to fluency of a group of five stutterers and a group of five nonstutterers were examined using the repertory grid technique. The results support findings that stereotypical notions about stuttering were characteristic of both stutterers and nonstutterers and did not support Fransella's 1972 assumption that constructs relating to fluency differ in the communication subsystems of stutterers and nonstutterers.