RELIGION AND EMPIRICISM IN THE WORKS OF PETER BERGER

Abstract. Peter Berger established himself in the sociological profession in large part through his functional interpretations of religion and its ostensible demise in relation to the empirical bent of modern intellectual thought. Yet, in his ef–fort to expand the scope of empiricism such that it might address nontrivial concerns, Berger found himself attempting to understand the "substance" of religiori—that is, the conviction that there exists an "other" which confronts us unconditionally and consequently forms the basis of all issues concerning value and meaning. Berger's writings deserve critical attention in that they disclose both the problems and the promises of utilizing empirical methods for the task of rehabilitating, rather than debunking, humanity's religious propensities.     

HOW EMPIRICAL IS WIEMAN'S THEOLOGY?

Abstract. The essay is a response to the papers written by Nancy Frankenberry and Charley Hardwick in the March 1987 issue of Zygon. Questions are raised about whether Wieman's theology is functionalist in the way described by Frankenberry and whether Hardwick's proposal to establish the logical possibility of naturalism as a framework for an existential interpretation of the Christian message is satisfactory. The most basic question raised by both papers is whether Wieman's theology is fully empirical when viewed from the point of view of the radical empiricist.     

Relations between maternal network size and maternal behaviour with five-year-olds across levels of maternal background and child ability

The article examines the relations between mothers' reports of the size of their social support networks and observations of their behaviour with their 5-year-old children in a sample of 281 children entering kindergarten. Results indicate that maternal network size was correlated with mothers' competence in interaction with their children, even after controlling for variance in maternal education and child cognitive ability. Further analyses, when the sample was divided according to demographic or child risk, indicated that the relation between network size and maternal competence interaction was higher in the high-risk groups than in the low-risk groups. The results extend the literature on social support to large, normal samples of school-age children and are discussed in terms of ecological models of development.     

Impure Agency and the Just War

Feminist critiques of intention challenge some aspects of traditional just war reasoning, including the criteria of right intention and discrimination (particularly as interpreted using the doctrine of double effect). I take note of these challenges and propose some directions just war reasoners might take in response. First, right intention can be evaluated more accurately by judging what actors in war actually do than by attempting to uncover inward dispositions. Assessing whether agents in war have taken due care to minimize foreseeable collateral damage, avoided intentional targeting of noncombatants, corrected previous mistakes in their later actions, and taken responsibility to repair unintended damage they cause are examples of ways in which just war reasoners can evaluate intention by looking at actions.     

中学生心理危机与社会支持、应对方式的关系

采用问卷对广州市初高中学生共795名进行调查,探讨中学生心理危机与社会支持、应对方式之间的关系.结果: (1)社会支持、问题解决、幻想、发泄、退避、忍耐对危机脆弱性有显著预测作用;主观支持、问题解决、退避对自我压弹力有显著预测作用.(2)社会支持在自我压弹力、危机脆弱性上的主效应显著.结论:中学生社会支持、应对方式对预防心理危机有重要作用.     

The relation of cultural context and social relationships to career development in middle school

This study examined the role of supportive relationships (i.e., family, teacher, and peer) and agency (i.e., self-efficacy, motivation, and goal-setting orientation) on three outcomes: academic grades, distress, and career decidedness. Data from 588 middle school youth from Northern (N = 322) and Southern (N = 266) Italy were analyzed using path modeling. Results indicated that across gender and region, agency was consistently related to academic grades and career decidedness. However, the role of supportive relationships was found to differ across gender and region. For both boys from Northern Italy and girls from Southern Italy, the impact of family support on academic grades and career decidedness was mediated by agency. For girls from Northern Italy, family support related directly to academic grades and career decidedness. Implications for practice were described.     

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly: Domestic Violence Survivors’ Experiences with Their Informal Social Networks

Informal social networks play a critical role in buffering the negative effects of stressful life events. For women experiencing the stress of a violent relationship, family and friends are among the first sources of support sought; however, reactions to the abuse by family and friends are not uniformly perceived as helpful by survivors. The current study takes a qualitative approach to examining the range of possible reactions survivors may encounter from their social networks regarding the abuse. Special attention is given to negative and mixed reactions, as they have previously been under-examined in the literature. Findings suggest that survivors (N = 45) regularly experience negative and mixed reactions. Emergent themes suggest that both positive and negative reactions to abuse could be understood in four broad arenas: safety, emotional availability, input, and aid. However, positive and negative reactions emerged as distinct constructs within each arena; mixed reactions took multiple forms including being within person and within network.     

人格、社会支持和非理性信念对男性戒毒劳教人员药物渴求的影响

对273名男性戒毒劳教人员进行测量,探讨了人格、非理性信念、社会支持3因素对戒毒者药物渴求的影响,并对戒毒劳教人员的药物渴求作了初步预测。结果表明:(1)戒毒劳教人员的人格和非理性信念得分均高于普通人,社会支持得分均低于普通人;(2)对吸毒行为持有的效果期待和自贬依毒的非理性信念,精神质的人格特征以及主观社会支持感对戒毒劳教人员的毒品渴求感存在正向预测作用,解释力为61.9%;(3)结构模型分析发现,人格不能直接影响药物渴求,社会支持和非理性信念对人格起到完全的中介作用,人格、社会支持和非理性信念3因素共同解释男性戒毒劳教人员药物渴求85%的变异。     

工作-家庭支持的结构与测量及其调节作用

在深度访谈和开放式问卷调查的基础上, 编制了工作-家庭支持问卷。探索性因素分析和验证性因素分析结果表明, 中国文化背景下的工作-家庭支持由组织支持、领导支持、情感支持和工具性支持四个维度构成。问卷的信效度指标良好。无约束结构方程模型分析结果表明, 工作-家庭支持能够有效调节工作-家庭冲突与离职意向的关系。     

企业员工的组织支持感

采用实证研究的方法探讨了企业员工组织支持感的结构维度及其与相关行为变量的关系。研究表明,我国员工组织支持感的因素结构不同于西方的单维结构,而是包括工作支持、员工价值认同和关心利益的三维度结构模型。组织支持感对感情承诺和利他行为具有积极的影响作用。程序公平影响组织支持感的形成