Spiritual Development in the Fourth Quarter of Life

SUMMARY

Spirit, the activating or essential principle influencing a person, and body interpenetrate each other but do not dominate each other in predictable ways. Normal aging is neither a failure of the human spirit nor a failure in the body's Biology. The spirit becomes more apparent as a result of spiritual development.

The fourth quarter of life covers age 75 to 100 years. Prior to age 75, the human spirit undergoes significant developmental events: a crisis of meaning which may result in conversion or more commonly stripping or shedding; transitions, including loss of clearly defined roles and loss of the sense that the individual's life makes a difference.

One motif applied by our culture to old age is the “iconic illusion”; however, it is evident that in some respects this motif has limited application to the fourth quarter of life. “Meaning making” is, in fact, enhanced in the fourth quarter of life, given reasonable levels of cognitive health. The desire and ability to make sense out of existence, to draw together an understanding of a meaningful life trajectory, is best done in the fourth quarter of life. The dominant sense of time in the fourth quarter of life particularly facilitates spiritual development.     

金钱概念启动对亲社会行为的影响及其决策机制

金钱是一种重要的资源, 也是人们日常生活中非常熟悉的概念。国内外有关实证研究发现, 启动金钱概念会诱发自足感、经济型心理定势、自由市场的价值观以及利己自我图式(社会认知模型), 从而导致亲社会行为减少。文章探讨了金钱概念启动对利他性亲社会行为、遵规与公益性亲社会行为、关系性亲社会行为和特质性亲社会行为的影响。未来的研究应该进一步关注：(1)金钱概念启动在组织管理中的研究; (2)贫富差异在金钱概念启动与亲社会行为关系中的调节效应; (3)深化时间概念启动影响亲社会行为的研究; (4)金钱概念启动影响亲社会行为的神经机制研究。     

金钱启动研究的理论与方法

金钱启动研究是利用启动方法探索金钱心理的一种新取向。该领域现存在三种相关理论: 自足理论、社会资源理论及心理定势理论; 金钱启动研究的现有研究方法可以归纳为: 混词组句任务、呈现金钱(影像)或提示金钱问题、回忆/朗读与金钱有关的经验/故事。作者在评论部分指出了金钱启动研究的贡献及三种理论的各自不足; 在展望部分提出了对金钱启动研究内部机制的见解, 并指出未来研究应探索金钱启动的理论边界问题, 同时将个体自主与能动性一起考虑。     

Chapter 2. Single Mothers' Transition to Self-Sufficiency

SUMMARY

In this chapter, I review the literature in four sections central to my research questions. First, I review the socio-historical context of trends that have had an impact on single mothers in transition from economic assistance to self-sufficiency. Next, I present research that focuses on poor women's interactions with barriers to work versus self-sufficiency. Then I examine the reported interactions between work, family role strain, and the psychological well-being of low-income women during their transition to work. Finally, I introduce related literature that reflects studies and reports on the outcomes of TANF after 1996.     

‘Her Majesty the Baby’: narcissistic states in babies and young children

This article considers narcissistic states in babies and young children with some reference to the myth of Narcissus in Ovid’s Metamorphosis. The object-seeking character of babies from the beginning of life is elaborated in connection with selected research from mother–baby interaction. This forms the backdrop to a discussion of withdrawal into illusions of self-sufficiency and denial of dependence in adverse circumstances. Two clinical cases are discussed in some depth. One boy whose superiority, self-reliance and pseudo maturity is prompted by anxieties around separation as he approaches starting school is considered within the parameters of ordinary transient narcissism. The lengthy psychotherapy of another child, who developed entrenched narcissistic defences as a response to traumatic, abusive and neglectful experiences in early life, and who needed considerable help, is described in greater detail. Some links are made with difficulties associated with the emergence from narcissistic functioning and encountering the pain of separation and loss.