Conceptual Art,Ideas, and Ontology

Peter Goldie and Elisabeth Schellekens have recently articulated the Idea Idea, the thesis that “in conceptual art, there is no physical medium: the medium is the idea.” But what is an idea, and in the case of works such as Duchamp's Fountain, how does the idea relate to the urinal? In answering these questions, it becomes apparent that the Idea Idea should be rejected. After showing this, I offer a new ontology of conceptual art, according to which such artworks are not ideas but artifacts imbued with ideas. After defending this view from objections, I briefly discuss some implications it has for the ontology of art in general.     

Rearing practices and impulsivity/hyperactivity symptoms in relation to inflated responsibility and obsessive‐compulsive symptoms

Smári, J., Rúrik Martinsson, D., & Einarsson, H. (2010). Rearing practices and impulsivity/hyperactivity symptoms in relation to inflated responsibility and obsessive‐compulsive symptoms. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology, 51, 392–397. The aim of the study was to investigate potential precursors of inflated responsibility (responsibility attitudes) and obsessive‐compulsive (OCD) symptoms. It was argued that both parental overprotection and impulsivity, separately and in interaction with each other, contribute to inflated responsibility and OCD symptoms. In a large sample of young adults (N = 570), self‐report measures of OCD symptoms (OCI‐R), responsibility attitudes (RAS), anxiety/depression (HADS), rearing practices (EMBU), present and past impulsivity/hyperactivity symptoms (IMP/HY) were administered. Overprotection as well as IMP/HY were found to predict OCD symptoms as well as inflated responsibility. Finally, a significant interaction was found between IMP/HY and overprotection with regard to both OCD symptoms and inflated responsibility. This effect reflected that IMP/HY was more strongly related to OCD symptoms and responsibility in people who had not been overprotected than in people who had been. Conversely overprotection was related to OCD symptoms and responsibility in people low but not in people high in IMP/HY. The results seem to indicate that the inadequacy between offer and need for parental control may play a role in the development of OCD symptoms.     

How They View Their Role: A Survey of Counselors in Different Secondary Schools

This study investigated how counselors in differently structured secondary schools look at their functions. Differences found were examined in relationship to expectations set forth in professional guidelines.     

Impairment: Implications for the Counseling Profession

The issue of impairment has not been adequately addressed in the professional counseling literature. The authors explore the issue of impairment in the counseling profession, drawing from the literatures of medicine and psychology in discussing the prevalence of impairment, several views of the topic, responses to the problem, and related ethical considerations. Recommendations for the analysis and resolution of impairment issues in counseling are presented.     

Developing Moral Responsibleness Through Professional Education

Suggesting that a technical or means orientation prevails in the professional preparation and practice of counselors, the authors state that more attention must be given to development of critical reflectiveness about valued ends when making professional judgments. They describe an instructional model designed to further students' capacities and motivations for making rational moral judgments in counseling. Instructional strategies involving independent-learning modules, critique, and dialogue are used to promote reflection on self and examination of moral questions. A pretest-posttest evaluation of a 10-week application of the teaching model found significant student gains in moral sensitivity.     

The Missing Triad: The Case of Two-Child Families

Families, as they grow, become more complex in their psychosocial development. They also become more complex in their dyadic/triadic structure through the simple addition of another child. This article traces some of the structural changes that families undergo with the entry of each new child. It also raises several questions about how these very structures may, in turn, influence development of the children. By comparing two- and three-children families with different dyadic/triadic structures, these questions offer some basis for possible future research, as well as some speculation for the clinician.     

A FIELD EXPERIMENT TESTING SUPERVISORY ROLE CLARIFICATION

An intervention designed to clarify individual roles was tested experimentally on the business service division of a major university. Following a pre-test which identified role stress as a significant problem in the organization, top managers clarified their respective departmental roles in meeting organizational objectives. This was followed by a post-test (Time 2) survey of workers'stressors and symptoms. Supervisors were then trained in the method of clarifying subordinate roles using a dyadic exchange process. Workers were randomly assigned to either participate in a thorough role clarification discussion with their supervisors or join a wait-list control group. Based on a follow-up (Time 3) questionnaire, the intervention appeared to reduce role ambiguity and supervisor dissatisfaction. There were no effects on other aspects of subjective strain, physical symptoms, or time lost due to illness. Role conflict decreased in both the experimental and control groups. We discuss the implications of these findings for systemic efforts to reduce employee stress.