Waving the Flag: National Symbolism,Social Identity,and Political Engagement*

This research examined the psychological underpinnings of concern for national symbols and ritualistic‐ceremonial activities or “symbolic involvement.” We propose and test a distinction between symbolic and “instrumental” involvement or concern for the functionality of national institutions and their capability to provide instrumental benefits to citizens. Items comprising the two constructs were found to be empirically distinct, evidenced by statistically reliable and orthogonal dimensions in exploratory factor analysis. Moreover, evidence based on divergent patterns of relations with various forms of national membership indicates that symbolic and instrumental involvement are rooted in distinct motivational concerns related to identity expression and object appraisal, respectively. These findings suggest that national symbolism evokes a psychological attachment to the nation as an abstracted social entity, but not as a concrete functional system.     

THE CAPABILITIES OF PEOPLE WITH COGNITIVE DISABILITIES

Abstract: People with cognitive disabilities are equal citizens, and law ought to show respect for them as full equals. To do so, law must provide such people with equal entitlements to medical care, housing, and other economic needs. But law must also go further, providing people with disabilities truly equal access to education, even when that is costly and involves considerable change in current methods of instruction. The central theme of this essay is what is required in order to give such people political and civil rights on a basis of genuine equality.     

Advocacy,Political Participation,and Citizenship: Lutheran Contributions to Public Theology1

Abstract : Martin Luther never developed a political theory, but his theology does inform the way Christians live in society, making it both public and political. Luther's “two kingdom theory” often has been misinterpreted to justify passivity and obedience toward civil authorities. Under closer examination, however, his theology applies to the everyday practices of politics, economics, and religious affairs. In the context of nation‐building, a Lutheran theology fosters citizenship not only as individual rights and responsibilities, but as active participation in civil society.     

上古姜氏部族民俗遗存与春秋时期妇女从政关系

春秋时期姜姓妇女在各国积极从政,在政治舞台上占据一席之地。这与她们掌握当时最先进的卜筮知识,可以进行预测未来有一定联系,同时也是上古山川守文化精神在政治领域中的遗传和体现。     

Selling the War? System‐Justifying Effects of Commercial Advertising on Civilian Casualty Tolerance

In times of war, news media coverage of the plight of civilian casualties plays a critical role in shaping attitudes regarding war's human costs. We proposed that these attitudes may also be surreptitiously influenced by the commercial advertisements that often accompany this coverage. Specifically, we hypothesized that when newspaper articles pertaining to civilian victims of war are flanked by luxury ads, conservatives, relative to liberals, will subsequently exhibit less concern for these victims. This proposition was based on the notion that commercial ads, particularly those promoting luxury items, make salient the gap between the “haves” and the “have‐nots” and thereby, at least implicitly, threaten the legitimacy of the current socioeconomic system. Drawing upon system justification theory, we posited that this threat would lead individuals with stronger system‐justification tendencies (conservatives), relative to those more open to challenging the current system (liberals), to show greater tolerance for civilian war casualties in order to defend the system's integrity. Evidence consistent with this hypothesis was found in a quasi‐experimental study (n = 329).     

“自杀”：一个重要的伦理问题

自杀现已成为人类死亡十大原因之一 ,而且呈现出低龄化的趋势 ,越来越引起社会的关注。因而 ,从政治、经济、社会、疾病、文化等多视角来寻找自杀的外部原因 ,对探究这个重要的伦理问题是有益的。     

认知风格、内外向性、情绪稳定性与图形推理效果的关系

采用EFT、EPQ和RSPM-CR量表对156名理科大学生进行测量研究,结果发现：场独立性认知风格在图形系统变化、系列关系、抽象推理方面,较场依存性有明显优势;情绪稳定性高者图形推理的总体效果显著优于情绪稳定性低者;内向性者与外向性者的图形推理效果无显著差异;认知风格、情绪稳定性与图形推理总分有显著正相关,认知风格的正向预测力居首位。     

Impact of the Political Context on Foreign Policy Decision-Making

One of the most pressing concerns in the study of international relations today is to develop a systematic account of the impact of domestic politics on foreign policy. This paper argues that domestic politics frequently influences foreign policy through a process of decision-making that grows out of the decision-maker's awareness of the requirements for effective action in the political context. It is therefore necessary to develop a theory that can explain how the political context's characteristic features affect decision-makers' thinking. In attempting to combine insights culled from the literature on political decision-making with psychological theories of decision-making processes, this paper offers a first step toward such a theory.     

Crystallization and thermal stability of polypropylene/multi-wall carbon nanotube nanocomposites

Polypropylene (PP)/multi-wall carbon nanotube (MWCNT) nanocomposites were prepared via a melt compounding method using a twin-screw extruder. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) were used to study the crystallization and thermal stability of the nanocomposites. The DSC analysis results revealed that the existence of MWCNTs in a PP matrix, which acted as a nucleating agent enhancing the crystallization process of PP matrix. This behaviour was manifested by an increase in the crystallization temperature and crystallinity index of the nanocomposites. Additionally, the TGA results showed that the addition of MWCNTs dramatically increased the thermal stability of the PP/MWCNT nanocomposites. Generally, MWCNT type C-70P showed improved crystallization and better thermal stability of the nanocomposites compared to type C-150P.     

纵横家的外交策略及其现代意义——古代外交和谐论

纵横家是先秦时期著名的智慧群体,也是当时列国外交活动的主体。他们的有的放矢、善抓机遇、国无常友亦无常敌的思想认识以及外交活动须以国力为本的外交策略对于当前国际社会之间的交往具有重要的参考价值和启迪意义。