THE VALUE OF UNCERTAINTY

The author discusses some of the characteristics of Roy Schafer's contributions to psychoanalysis that he finds most valuable, such as his openness to uncertainty, his anti‐reductive view of analytic constructions, his unique formulation of the analyst's role, and his close attention to how the patient engenders particular emotional reactions in the analyst. The author also presents a clinical vignette illustrating the value of the analyst's tolerance of uncertainty in the face of the patient's push for interpretations, explanations, and reassurance.     

ROY SCHAFER: A NARRATIVE

The author provides a brief overview of the papers given at the Schafer Symposium in October 2012 by the following six presenters: Henry Schwartz, Richard Fritsch, Rosemary Balsam, Lucy LaFarge, Michael Feldman, and Jay Greenberg. He also highlights some important ongoing themes in Schafer's writing, including theory—about which Schafer takes a unique position—history, and ideas from other disciplines. Schafer prefers continuing explorations over arriving at conclusions, the author notes, and believes that students should remain faithful to their mentors' thinking—until it is time for them to move beyond it.     

Perceptions of Younger Single Adults as a Function of Their Gender and Number of Children

ABSTRACT. Research suggests that children may interfere with single parents’ romantic experiences. Although both male and female single parents face these challenges, they have stronger associations with the romantic satisfaction of single mothers as compared to single fathers. The two current studies examined aspects of attractiveness and dating across various dimensions for both younger single women and men, with and without children. Results of Study 1 indicated interactive effects of target gender and parental status on perceptions of both attractiveness and dating potential. Results of Study 2 indicated differential ratings on multiple dimensions (i.e., attractiveness, stress, motivation for dating, and positive qualities) of younger single adults on the basis of gender, parental status, and the number of children single parents were reported as having. Implications for importance of social support and difficulty of repartnering are discussed.     

共情的性别差异

共情指的是个体在与人交往的过程中共享并理解他人的情绪状态的倾向, 包括认知共情和情绪共情两种成分。共情在学前阶段没有性别差异。进入中小学阶段以后, 共情出现了性别差异。一方面, 共情的性别差异与个体自身的生理成熟有关。随着年龄增长, 两性逐渐趋向生理成熟, 荷尔蒙分泌增加并出现差异, 其中催产素有助于情绪共情, 睾丸酮则与认知共情有负相关, 两性的共情水平也因此有了显著差异。另一方面, 共情的性别差异与社会性别角色倾向有关。女性的性别角色以关注他人为导向, 与共情有直接相关, 男性的性别角色以关注公平公正为导向, 与共情没有相关。当两性习得各自的性别角色以后, 他们的共情表现就出现了差异, 这一差异在情绪共情方面较为突出。有关共情性别差异的研究虽然取得了丰富的成果, 但仍然有进一步深入挖掘的空间, 未来的研究需要在视角上注重从年龄、性别和文化交互作用的角度进行考察, 在理论上考虑从能力和倾向性的维度区分共情, 在内容上丰富对影响性别差异的各项因素的研究。     

Confucian Ethical Practice as a Method of Creating and Sustaining Whiteheadian Beauty

I argue that Confucian ethical practice can be considered as a feasible method of creating and sustaining Whiteheadian beauty. I first investigate Whitehead’s understanding of value, beauty and morality. Next, I show the affinity between Confucius and Whitehead in their understanding of value, beauty, and morality through an analysis of the Analects (Lunyu 论语), focusing on the aesthetic aspects of Confucian ethics understood as role ethics. Finally, I argue that Confucian ways of moral self-cultivation can be viewed as methods that foster our disposition to create and sustain the beauty of experience.     

The effects of task instructor status on prospective memory performance in preschoolers

The present study applied a 2 × 2 experimental design to assess prospective memory (PM) development across preschool age and to examine the effect of task instructor status (researcher vs. significant other) on PM performance in 80 preschool children. Participants were required to name pictures (ongoing task [OT]), and to remember to refrain from naming but instead give a different response to certain target cues (PM task). Although the OT was of comparable difficulty for both age groups (as indicated by no performance differences), results still indicated significantly higher PM performance in 5-year-olds than in 3-year-olds, confirming the age-related increase of PM capacities between 3 and 5 years. Furthermore, results showed a performance-enhancing effect of significant others as task instructors on both age-groups. Post-hoc analysis revealed that 3-year-olds instructed by a significant other still performed marginally worse than 5-year-olds instructed by a researcher, underlining the finding that substantial changes of PM capacities take place during early childhood.     

工作家庭两不误为何这么难？基于工作家庭边界理论的探讨

为探讨工作家庭冲突对员工工作态度和行为倾向的影响, 以国内某大型制造企业集团位于北京、杭州、西安等地7家分公司的545名员工为样本, 采取问卷调查法在两个不同时段获取数据, 考察了角色压力(角色冲突、角色模糊和角色超载)在工作干涉家庭和家庭干涉工作这两种对偶冲突模式与员工工作满意度和离职意向之间的中介作用机制。结果显示：角色压力在工作家庭冲突与工作满意度和离职意向之间起到完全中介作用, 工作满意度在角色压力和离职意向之间起到部分中介作用。结论有助于分析工作家庭冲突的深层原因并采取恰当的干预策略, 降低工作家庭冲突对员工工作态度和行为倾向的负面影响。     

Actions taken by schools when tobacco policies are violated: associations with adolescent smoking prevalence

This study examined the association of adolescent smoking prevalence with actions taken by schools (i.e., informing parents or disciplining pupils at school) for violating the school tobacco policy. Interaction terms between actions taken by schools and role models' smoking behavior or support for adolescents were also examined. Data were collected using self-completed questionnaires from a nationally representative Norwegian sample of 15-year-olds (1,404 pupils, 51% males) and 73 staff members. Informing parents when the school tobacco policy was violated by contrast with other actions taken by schools was not associated with lower levels of adolescent smoking. Disciplining pupils was associated with lower levels of adolescent smoking but the association was no longer significant when examined together with parents' and teachers' smoking behavior or support. Exposure to parents' and teachers' smoking, and teachers' support were associated with adolescent smoking prevalence, irrespective of actions taken by schools. Identifying the mechanism under which these different home and school factors relate to adolescent smoking may be worthwhile to inform intervention initiatives.     

The family as its own reflecting team: a family therapy method

Social research has suggested that people, in general, tend to overestimate their skills and abilities. Interestingly, research has found that peers are better predictors of a person's behaviour than self‐assessment, suggesting that others know us better than we know ourselves. Family therapists should be aware that family members might not give accurate accounts of themselves. In order to overcome this problem, therapists should incorporate peer assessments into therapy. Reflecting teams and videotaping do incorporate peer assessments, yet these methods can be impractical. This article describes a method of family therapy using enactments as a means of setting up the family as its own reflecting team. The method suggests that the family and therapist switch roles several times during the enactment, and then encourages a discussion on the peer observations on how each person addresses a problem in the family. Case examples illustrate how feedback from peers promotes insights.     

农村留守儿童的抑郁和反社会行为:日常积极事件的保护作用

以来自河南省农村的410名农村留守儿童(双亲外出和单亲外出)和非留守儿童为被试,考察了日常烦恼这一危险因素与儿童抑郁、反社会行为的关系,并探讨了日常积极事件在其中的保护作用。结果表明,儿童经历的日常烦恼越多,其抑郁和反社会行为水平越高。日常积极事件表现出了对儿童抑郁和反社会行为的改善效应,但是因儿童留守类别的不同而不同:日常积极事件对单亲外出儿童和非留守儿童抑郁的改善效应较强,对双亲外出儿童反社会行为的改善效应较强。此外,日常积极事件还可以有效抵抗日常烦恼对儿童反社会行为的不利影响。