The Confucian Self and Experiential Spirituality

Since the publication of his book on Zhongyong (Tu 1976), Tu Weiming has worked for more than 30 years on an anthropocosmic reconstruction of the Confucian universe, in which self-transformation is defined both as the starting point and as the necessary vehicle for one’s spiritual journey. This article is primarily intended to examine Tu’s attempts to reconstruct Confucian spirituality but further to take a step forward to argue that in the spiritual world as construed by Confucius and Mencius, the experiential functions as transcendental by which the self initiates and empowers the transformative process. Through exploring the spiritual significance of Confucian experiences, this essay will conclude that although “transcendental experience” is only one of many dimensions in other religious or intellectual traditions, it is the most important path for Confucians by which the self is enabled to become fully integrated with ultimate reality.     

近代中国国家主义与基督教

本文考察了近代中国的国家主义者对基督教的批判,以及基督教学者从基督教的国家观、基督徒的爱国问题和世界主义(大同主义)等方面所做的回应。这种考察,既可以让我们了解到基督教在中国历史上与某种政治思潮的纠缠,也可以为我们在当今全球化背景下审视基督教与国家的关系提供借鉴。基督教的普世主义可以纠正国家主义的偏狭,国家主义的思想刺激基督教不得不考虑本土化和处境化的问题。     

4岁幼儿线条偏好实验研究

本研究采用对偶比较法,对4岁幼儿进行6类常见线条的偏好调查研究,得出以下结果:4岁幼儿线条偏好的顺序依次是:漩涡线、曲线、弧形线、波浪线、折线、直线;男生和女生对线条的偏好没有明显差异;4岁幼儿对不同方向的漩涡线的偏好有明显差异,对不同方向的直线、波浪线、折线、曲线和弧形线的偏好没有明显差异。     

Processing Evidence for the Grammatical Encoding of the Mass/Count Distinction in Mandarin Chinese

Journal of Psycholinguistic Research - Using the Visual World Paradigm, the current study aimed to explore whether the mass/count distinction is determined by syntax in Mandarin Chinese, focusing...     

鲍德里亚对马克思劳动概念的误读及其方法论根源

鲍德里亚与历史唯物论彻底决裂,由西方马克思主义转向后马克思主义思潮,是从对“劳动”范畴的全面批判和解构入手的。但他对马克思劳动范畴的批判和解构,是建立在其对这一范畴的误读和曲解基础上的。鲍德里亚对劳动范畴的误读和曲解,不仅有着直接的理论和现实原因,而且有其深层的方法论根源。正是这种错误的方法论,导致了他在理论上对唯物史观解构的非法性,并在实际上从对资本主义的绝望反抗走向对资本主义反抗的绝望。     

A diathesis-stress model of engagement in risky behaviors in Chinese adolescents

The current study examined whether the association between the occurrence of negative events and increased engagement in risky behavior is moderated by maladaptive and/or adaptive coping strategies. At time 1, 411 adolescents (ages 14–19) from Yue Yang, Hunan, completed self-report measures assessing coping strategies, engagement in risky behaviors, and the occurrence of negative events. Once a month for the subsequent 6 months, adolescents completed measures assessing engagement in risky behaviors and the occurrence of negative events. In line with our hypotheses, results of hierarchical linear modeling analyses indicated that adolescents possessing high levels of maladaptive coping strategies reported greater engagement in risky behaviors following the occurrence of negative events than adolescents possessing low levels. In contrast to our hypotheses, the association between the occurrence of negative events and increased engagement in risky behavior was not moderated by adaptive coping strategies.     

Relations among self-certainty,sense of control and quality of life

This article investigates the mediation effect of the sense of control on the relationship between self-certainty and quality of life (QOL). In the first study, 101 students at National Taiwan University (NTU) completed a self-certainty rating scale with respect to interpersonal traits of the general self and three role-specific selves (son/daughter, sibling, and friend). They also filled out the WHOQOL-BREF (World Health Organization Quality of Life questionnaire—brief version) Taiwan version to assess QOL. A two-factor confirmatory factor analysis revealed that self-certainty on interpersonal traits has a positive relationship with QOL. In the second study, 121 NTU students completed a self-certainty rating scale with respect to personality traits of the general self and two role-specific selves (son/daughter and friend), a control scale measuring sense of control, and the WHOQOL-BREF Taiwan version assessing QOL. A two-factor confirmatory factor analysis revealed that self-certainty on personality traits has a positive relationship with QOL. In addition, a structural equation model revealed that the sense of self-control mediated the positive relation between self-certainty and QOL. The findings showed that people with higher self-certainty had a higher sense of control and, hence, led a better life. The results also showed that the positive relationship between self-certainty and QOL was stronger when self-certainty was assessed with interpersonal traits than with personality traits. Implications of this study for self research and adjustment are discussed.     

Does providing props during preparation help children to remember a novel event?

We investigated the conditions under which preparatory information presented 1 day before a novel event influenced 6-year-olds' recall 1 week later. Children were assigned to one of six experimental conditions. Three conditions involved preparatory information that described the event accurately but differed according to the presence and type of props (verbal, real props, and toy props). In two conditions, which also differed according to whether verbal information was supplemented with real props, half of the preparatory information described the event accurately, whereas the other half was thematically similar to, but inconsistent with, the event (misleading verbal and misleading props). Compared with the attentional control condition, all forms of preparation that described the event accurately increased correct recall. Preparation that included props improved photograph recognition. When half of the accurate information was replaced by misleading information, the positive benefit on recall was reduced, and when misleading props accompanied the misleading information, errors increased. The potential underlying mechanisms and implications for pediatric settings are discussed.     

Religious Belief and Practice in Urban China 1995–2005

Drawing on relevant data from surveys conducted in 1995 and 2005, this article explores the perceptible changes in religious beliefs and practices among the Han Chinese in urban areas during this ten-year period. Through analysing the survey data, the article attempts to examine these changes—the increasing awareness of religious others and the more revealing interaction between change and continuity—in the context of greater changes of society, economy, and politics. It concludes that, while commercialism and rationalism continue to dominate the ideological sky of urban China, spiritual beliefs and practices in various forms have also gained a strong footing in contemporary society and demonstrate a complex religiosity.