Existential-Hayatological Theism

One of the oldest conceptions of theology is discourse of the poets about the gods and its philosophical interpretation. Judaism and Christianity borrowed this Greek understanding of theology and revised it only slightly to reflect its own monotheistic vision of God and God’s relations to and with the world of nature and human existence. The question as to which philosophy best explicates and justifies the oral and written mythopoetic discourse of the imaginative bards of Israel and the early Christian community became a fundamental issue and has remained so through the centuries. The aim of this essay is to explore this question once again in the context of post-liberal theology in general, the works of Abraham Heschel, Claude Tresmontant, and the Japanese theologian Tetsaturo Ariga on an implicit biblical philosophy and the explicit metaphysical theism of Alfred North Whitehead and Charles Hartshorne. The outcome of this exploration will be a rational reconstruction or ideal type of neo-classical theism or what I have chosen to call existential-hayatological theism.     

Public Policy, Participation and the Third Position: The Implication of Engaging Communities on their Own Terms

Policy development and implementation should be fundamental for community psychologists in their endeavors to create social change. Policy necessarily is engaged at broad social and political levels, but it is mediated through communities and individuals, and thus appealing for our discipline. We argue that there are increasing opportunities for social input in liberal democracies with the growing awareness of the need to consider social factors in policy. Public participation is one aspect of policy development, but it can be problematic and can disempowered communities, especially disadvantaged communities. Using the framework of the ‘third position’, a case study of attempts to ameliorate institutional oppression of Australian Aboriginal people through policy change is described. Structural reform to community engagement is described in terms of empowerment and capacity building. Power relationships are deconstructed to allow understandings of the dynamics of policy change, and the broader implications for community psychological praxis are discussed.     

Overcontrol in Retirement Communities

Overcontrol, a personal propensity to control or dominate others, is examined as found in large retirement communities. Aspects of personality theory related to control issues are examined and utilized, particularly social cognitive and cognitive-affective personality system theories. Aspects of social psychological theory, particularly interactional role theory and reference group theory, are also employed. Overcontrol, which is asserted to flourish particularly in large retirement communities, is viewed as a coping device designed to ensure protection against anxiety, and as an intensification of a healthy control trait in the elderly. Three patterns are presented and some approaches to their mitigation are discussed.     

Performances of Faith: A Relation Between Conscious and Unconscious Organizations of Faith

Performances of faith are found in ordinary and extraordinary stories, behavior, and rituals, and they are inextricably yoked to unconscious and conscious processes and organizations of faith experience. This article explores the relation between unconscious and conscious processes and organizations of faith. The claim is that the unconscious system represents unformulated experiences of faith that are affectively and relationally organized. In human development these unconscious organizations of faith experience are partially transformed by a person's conscious and self-reflective use of symbols and language. At the same time, conscious and self-reflective organizations of faith, manifested in narratives, rituals, and use of other symbolic media, continue to be shaped by unconscious processes and unconscious configurations of faith. An appreciation of the dynamic interaction between unconscious and conscious processes and organizations of faith focuses one's attention to the complexity of human performances of faith in ministry.     

The Future of Community Coalition Building

The future holds great promise for community coalitions as powerful interventions for community change. Community change is envisioned as: working with whole communities; increasing grassroots and civic engagement; promoting diversity, collaboration and, advocacy; increasing roles for professional technical assistance and evaluation; future changes in the role of government; and the building of healthy communities. Examples of these dimensions follow, as contributed by activists from a wide range of fields.     

Investing in Children, Families, and Communities: Challenges foran Interdivisional Public Policy Collaboration

An interdivisional collaboration to foster the development of strengths-based policies for children, youth, families, and communities is described. The initiative includes (1) producing a book that integrates scholarly research and policy; (2) developing materials for policymakers to use, including a policy-oriented summary of the book; (3) enhancing the capacities of the divisions to communicate with and influence policymakers; and (4) taking action steps to influence policymakers. During the process of developing these products, a number of tensions emerged between the academically-based and policy-based authors of the book, many of which centered around how the information should be presented and, in particular, how to formulate and present policy recommendations. Tensions fell into four general categories: understanding the appropriate scope for recommendations, using the right language, understanding the kind of information that is needed, and understanding the bottom line. The author concludes by urging psychologists to become adept at understanding and participating in the public policymaking process.     

Re-Conceiving God and Humanity in Light of Today's Evolutionary-Ecological Consciousness

The anthropocentric orientation of traditional understandings of Christian faith and life, further accentuated by the existentialist terms in which theology was articulated in mid-century by Tillich and others, produced theologies no longer appropriate in today's world of evolutionary and ecological thinking about human existence and its embeddedness in the web of life on planet Earth. This problem can be addressed with the help of several new concepts that enable us to understand both humanity-in-the-world and God in ways in keeping with these present conceptions, thus providing a more intelligible and illuminating way of understanding Christian faith and life today.     

理性情绪教育对提高学生心理健康的作用研究

目的:探讨理性情绪教育在提升学生自我概念,增进情绪稳定性,促进心理健康方面的有效性.方法:选取丽水市花园中学初二年级学生92人(实验班46人,对照班46人),对实验班进行一个学期(18周)的理性情绪教育,对照班不接受理性情绪教育.用自行设计的理情教育教材对实验班学生进行每周一课时的干预.最后用SCL-90量表、田纳西自我概念量表和艾森克情绪稳定性量表进行评定.结果:理性情绪教育对提升学生的自我概念、情绪稳定性和增进学生心理健康方面有良好的促进作用;理性情绪教育十分适合成长中青少年的需要.     

FACING THREATS TO EARTHLY FELICITY

This essay offers a close reading of Fear and Trembling against the backdrop of what the author thinks are weaknesses in how the work has been interpreted by others. Some read the text allegorically, as containing a distinctively Christian message about Pauline soteriology. Others read it anagogically, with an emphasis on the moral psychology of Abraham as a human character. In partial disagreement with each, the present essay assembles and interprets the textual evidence around the threat to human happiness posed by our problematic reliance on what Aristotle calls external goods.