Changing the subject: on the subject of subjectivity

In this paper I shall attempt to argue for the simple view of personal identity. I shall first argue that we often do have warrant for our beliefs that we exist as continuing subjects of experience, and that these beliefs are justified independently of any reductionist analysis of what it means to be a person. This has two important implications that are relevant to the ongoing debate concerning the number of persons that are in existence throughout any duration in time: (1) the lack of logically or metaphysically necessary and sufficient conditions for distinguishing one person from another should imply neither that there is only one person nor that personhood is not individuative; and (2) the lack of such universally applicable identity criteria should not imply that the term ‘person’ is a folk term with no real application. In other words, lack of reductionist analysis does not entail lack of existence.     

Diversity in unity: practical unity and personal boundaries

In the spirit of the discussion in Daniel Kolak’s I Am You: The Metaphysical Foundation for Global Ethics, I consider the way in which divisions that we usually think of as borders between distinct people occur within a single life. Starting with the dispute between constructionist and non-constructionist views of persons, I argue for a view that places the unity of persons in the dynamic generated by simultaneously taking a constructionist and non-constructionist view of oneself. In order to unify ourselves as agents we need to treat past and future selves as others, but to motivate this endeavor we need to think of ourselves as temporally extended agents, and so identify with past and future selves. Understanding this dynamic illuminates the structure of our agency and the unity of the self.     

Acculturation of Host Individuals: Immigrants and Personal Networks

There has been a vast amount of research on the changes experienced by immigrants, but little is known about the changes experienced by host individuals. This article focuses on the role of host individuals in the networks of relations between immigrant populations and the communities from the dominant culture, as well as the changes experienced by host individuals because of their continuous contact with immigrants. This research applied a network approach to the study of the acculturation of host individuals. Two independent studies were carried out: a systematic analysis of the personal networks of Argentinean (n = 67), Ecuadorian (n = 59), Italian (n = 37) and German (n = 37) residents in Seville and Cadiz (Spain) (Study 1); and an ethnographic study with human service workers for Latin American immigrants in Boston (USA) (Study 2). With two different strategies, the role of host individuals in personal networks of foreigners in the United States and Spain was analyzed. The results show that host individuals tend to have less centrality than compatriots, showing an overall secondary role in the personal networks of immigrants. The lowest average centrality was observed in recent and temporal migrants, whereas the highest corresponded to the individuals with more time of residence in Spain. The personal networks of human service providers in the United States vary in ethnic composition and in their structural properties, and therefore shape different types of integrative bridges for immigrants.     

Spherical model of interests in Croatia

In order to analyze the validity of spherical model of interests in Croatia, three Croatian samples of primary school students (N = 437), secondary school students (N = 540) and university students (N = 630) were administered a translated version of the Personal Globe Inventory (PGI, [Tracey, T.J.G. (2002). Personal Globe Inventory: Measurement of the spherical model of interest and competence beliefs Monograph. Journal of Vocational Behavior 60, 113–172.]). Three aspects of model validity were analyzed: the three-dimensional underlying structure of interest items, spherical arrangement of interest scales and accurate gender mean differences in interests. Principal component analysis confirmed the existence of three substantial factors underlying interest items, whose orientation and meaning is moderately related to theoretical one. Randomization test firmly approved the spherical representation of interest scales and its structural stability across different age and gender groups. Gender differences in interest were close to previous findings and logical expectations. Results have shown firm evidences of validity and gender and age universality of spherical model in Croatian adolescent and young adult samples.     

Intragroup dissonance: Responses to ingroup violation of personal values

The present research draws on cognitive dissonance theory [Festinger, L. (1957). A theory of cognitive dissonance. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press] and social identity theory [Tajfel, H. (Ed.). (1978). Differentiation between social groups. London: Academic Press] to examine how group members respond to discrepancies between their personal values and the behavior of an ingroup. In two experiments we manipulated whether participants’ ingroup violated a personal value (providing basic healthcare in Experiment 1 and self-reliance in Experiment 2) and measured participants’ emotional responses and strategies for reducing discomfort. As expected, individuals experienced psychological discomfort (but not negative self-directed emotion), when an ingroup, but not when an outgroup, violated a personal value, and this discomfort mediated participants’ disidentification with their group (Experiment 1) and value-adherence activism (Experiment 2).     

Personality and Preference for Rural Ministry: Replication and Reconsideration

A random sample of 1,057 male stipendiary parochial clergy completed the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire. The data demonstrate that clergy serving in rural ministry tend to be more introverted, more socially conforming and less toughminded. The implications of these findings are discussed in relation to the shape of rural ministry.     

Distancing oneself from negative attributes and the personal/group discrimination discrepancy

The personal/group discrimination discrepancy (PGDD) refers to greater reporting of discrimination at the group than personal level. We examined whether the PGDD is one example of people's general tendency to distance themselves from negative attributes related to the social categories to which they belong, and whether this tendency varies as a function of ingroup identification. Female undergraduates (n=87) rated the extent to which positive and negative attributes, including being discriminated against, characterized themselves personally and women as a social category. As expected, negative attributes, including discrimination, were more strongly associated with the category than with the self, whereas positive attributes were more strongly associated with the self than with the category. Women who were lower in group identification were especially likely to show these discrepancy effects. The implications for personal and social identity are discussed.     

The “Fit” Model of Personal Control and Well-Being in Younger and Older Adults

The much studied concept of personal control has delineated separate constructs of perceived control (PC) and desired control (DC), with some findings suggesting a congruence between the two has more predictive power than considering either alone. The present study focuses on a comparison of PC and DC in two age groups. The congruence (or “fit”) model predicts that any disparity between these two constructs would be similar, regardless of age differences on either construct alone, for those who maintain a sense of well-being. Consistent with this model, although younger women reported significantly higher scores on measures of PC and DC than did older women, the groups reported equal degrees of congruence between PC and DC. In regression analysis, the congruence score also was a significant predictor of positive affect for the older group, suggesting that it is beneficial to make control adaptations with age.     

On For Someone’s Sake Attitudes

Personal value, i.e., what is valuable for us (rather than value simpliciter), has recently been analysed in terms of so-called for-someone’s-sake attitudes. This paper is an attempt to add flesh to the bone of these attitudes that have not yet been properly analysed in the philosophical literature. By employing a distinction between justifiers and identifiers, which corresponds to two roles a property may play in the intentional content of an attitude, two different kinds of for-someone’s-sake attitudes can be identified. Moreover, it is argued that one of these kinds is particularly difficult to include in an analysis of value simpliciter but not in an analysis of value for.     

Life Satisfaction is not a Balanced Estimator of the Good Life: Evidence from Reaction Time Measures and Self-Reported Emotions

A widespread belief in happiness research is that measures of life satisfaction capture the variety of an individual’s experiences along a single favorable—unfavorable dimension. The current article points to a possible violation of this assumption. With a combination of data and theory it argues that life satisfaction is not a balanced reflection of subjective experiences because the evaluation that drives judgments of life satisfaction is tilted towards pleasure and away from engagement. We postulate that feelings of pleasure are overrated in statements of life satisfaction, whereas feelings of engagement are underrepresented. Feelings of engagement and interest are further supposed to be indicators of personal growth. Measures of personal growth and life satisfaction should thus be unrelated. Empirical evidence for our model is provided by self-report and reaction time data from a Norwegian convenience sample (N = 30). Detection latencies for pleasant stimuli correlated significantly with life satisfaction but not with measures of personal growth. Life satisfaction correlated significantly with pleasant experiences, but not with engagement. Personal growth correlated significantly with feelings of engagement. Life satisfaction and personal growth were uncorrelated.