Nature,corruption, and freedom: Stoic ethics in Kant's Religion

Kant's account of “the radical evil in human nature” in the 1793 Religion within the Bounds of Reason Alone is typically interpreted as a reworking of the Augustinian doctrine of original sin. But Kant does not talk about Augustine explicitly there, and if he is rehabilitating the doctrine of original sin, the result is not obviously Augustinian. Instead, Kant talks about Stoic ethics in a pair of passages on either end of his account of radical evil and leaves other clues that his argument is a reworking of an old Stoic problem. “Radical evil” refers to the idea that our moral condition is—by default and yet by our own deed—bad or corrupt; and that this corruption is the root (radix) of human badness in all its variety, ubiquity, and sheer ordinariness. Kant takes as his premise a version of the Stoic idea that nature gives us “uncorrupted starting points” (Diogenes Laertius 7.89). What sense can be made of the origin of human badness, given such a premise? Kant's account of radical evil is an answer to this old Stoic problem, which requires a conception of freedom that is not available in his Stoic sources.     

Together We Rise: How Social Movements Succeed

Social movements, such as Black Lives Matter, surge when support grows for their social justice goals. At their core, social movements advance when people act collectively by rising in solidarity with a shared purpose to address injustice and inequality. Drawing on insights from consumer psychology, this review investigates how social movements succeed in creating social change. We build on an established 21^st‐century framework for how social movements succeed to outline the promising practices of successful social movements. For each of these practices, we identify the consumer psychology mechanisms that motivate collective action and encourage people to transform from bystanders to upstanders, those who provide the grassroots momentum for successful social movements. We illustrate this framework with examples from the growth of the Black Lives Matter movement. Finally, we highlight insights from consumer psychology that promote an understanding of social movements, and we raise research questions to encourage more consumer psychologists to investigate how social movements succeed.     

Personal Loss,Parental Relationships,and Caregiving Intentions among Adult Siblings of Individuals with Mental Illness

Journal of Child and Family Studies - Although parents often provide care for adult children coping with serious mental illness, adult siblings are typically expected to assume caregiving...     

Addicted to the Thrill of the Virtual Hunt: Examining the Effects of Internet Addiction on the Cyberstalking Behaviors of Juveniles

The rapid advancement of technology has produced several substantial benefits that enrich individuals’ lives, but some also note that technology has provided new methods to engage in crime—particularly stalking. This investigation was one of the first to explore whether a relationship existed between cyberstalking and a new phenomenon becoming a pressing issue in the lives of adolescents: Internet Addiction. High school students in a rural North Carolina country were surveyed about their Internet behaviors and experiences. After analysis, the results indicated there is a significant relationship between Internet Addiction and cyberstalking in adolescents.     

Using Symbolic-Experiential Family Therapy to Treat Adjustment Disorder: A Case Study

Despite studies claiming Adjustment Disorders (AD) affect up to 10% of the general population, research is severely lacking for effective treatment recommendations and screening tools. This article presents the treatment of a 30-year old Caucasian male diagnosed with AD - mixed anxiety and depression subtype. After 12 standard 60-minute sessions, treatment using a Symbolic-Experiential Family Therapy (SEFT) approach resulted in the alleviation of depression and anxiety symptoms. This case study provides preliminary evidence for the effectiveness of SEFT using a mixed methods case study. Implications for further study, and the usefulness of SEFT for the treatment of AD, is presented.     

Day-to-day Consistency in Positive Parent–Child Interactions and Youth Well-Being

The frequency of positive parent–child interactions is associated with youth adjustment. Yet, little is known about daily parent–child interactions and how day-to-day consistency in positive parent–child interactions may be linked to youth well-being. Using a daily diary approach, this study added to this literature to investigate whether and how day-to-day consistency in positive parent–child interactions was linked to youth depressive symptoms, risky behavior, and physical health. Participants were youth whose parents were employed in the IT division of a Fortune 500 company (N?=?129, youth’s mean age?=?13.39, 55?% female), who participated in an 8?day daily diary study. Analyses revealed that, controlling for cross-day mean levels of positive parent–child interactions, older (but not younger) adolescents who experienced more consistency in positive interactions with parents had fewer depressive and physical health symptoms (e.g., colds, flu). The discussion focuses on the utility of daily diary methods for assessing the correlates of consistency in parenting, possible processes underlying these associations, and intervention implications.     

Innovative Moments in Humanistic Therapy I: Process and Outcome of Eminent Psychotherapists Working with Bereaved Clients

This project entailed an intensive qualitative analysis of six-session psychotherapies conducted by three eminent humanistic psychotherapists working with bereaved clients. The Innovative Moments Coding System (IMCS), rooted in narrative therapy, is designed to measure change across therapy orientations. Research using the IMCS suggests that the psychotherapy change process occurs through the emergence, elaboration, and expansion of identifiable change moments for a client—innovative moments (IMs)—which present as exceptions to a client's presenting problematic narrative. There are five identified types of IMs: action, reflection, protest, reconceptualization (RC), and performing change (PC). The current study aimed to inform theory regarding the patterns of IMs across three humanistic approaches—constructivist, person-centered, and existential—when working with bereaved clients, while linking these patterns to observable change in each client's functioning. The alliance between each client and therapist was also assessed across the therapy process, showing consistently strong alliances across the three cases. Findings from the current study reinforce the salience of reflection, RC, and PC IMs in successful grief therapy cases, and also suggest the importance of meaning-making interventions in grief therapy. Clinical implications and suggestions for future research are also addressed.     

Rebound or Resignation: Developing a Predictive Model of Return to Subjective Wellbeing Set-Point

Though subjective wellbeing (SWB) is generally stable and consistent over time, it can fall below its set-point in response to adverse life events. However, deviations from set-point levels are usually only temporary, as homeostatic processes operate to return SWB to its normal state. Given that income and close interpersonal relationships have been proposed as powerful external resources that are coincident with higher SWB, access to these resources may be an important predictor of whether or not a person is likely to recover their SWB following a departure from their set-point. Under the guiding framework of SWB Homeostasis Theory, this study considers whether access to a higher income and a committed partner can predict whether people who score lower than normal for SWB at baseline will return to normal set-point levels of SWB (rebound) or remain below the normal range (resigned) at follow-up. Participants were 733 people (53.3 % female) from the Australian Unity Longitudinal Wellbeing Study who ranged in age from 20 to 92 years (M = 59.65 years; SD = 13.15). Logistic regression analyses revealed that participants’ demographic characteristics were poor predictors of whether they rebounded or resigned. Consistent with homeostasis theory, the extent of departure from the proposed normal SWB set-point at baseline was significantly associated with rebound or resignation at time 2. These findings have implications for the way that SWB measures can be used in professional practice to identify people who are particularly vulnerable to depression and to guide the provision of appropriate and effective therapeutic interventions.