Health and Well–Being in the Young Old and Oldest Old

Most individuals experience a decline in health status during old age. Paradoxically, there are proposals that older adults nevertheless maintain a positive sense of well–being, an indicator of successful aging. Data from the Berlin Aging Study (BASE: Baltes & Mayer, 1999), a locally representative sample of men and women aged 70 to 100+ ( N = 516, M = 85 years), suggest that cumulative health–related chronic life strains set a constraint on the potential of oldest old individuals to experience the positive side of life. The young old in BASE reported significantly higher positive SWB than did the oldest old. Chronic illness and functional impairments (e.g., vision, hearing, mobility, strength) limit well–being especially in very old age.     

Functional Capacity and Self–Evaluation of Health and Life of Oldest Old in China

This study is based on survey data from a sample of 8,805 elders aged 80–105 in 22 provinces of China. Rural oldest old are significantly more active in daily living than urban oldest old; adaptation is perhaps the major explanation of this difference. Female oldest old are seriously disadvantaged in functional capacities and self–reported health as compared with their male counterparts. Percentages of being active in daily living, having good physical performance, normal cognitive function and well–being drop dramatically from age 80–84 to 100–105. Proportion reporting satisfaction in current life, however, remains almost constant from age 80–84 to 90–94 and declines slightly afterwards. This may suggest that being more positive in self–feeling of life is one of the secrets of longevity.     

Well–Being Among Older Adults on Different Continents

Old age represents a new frontier. The number of older people is increasing throughout the world. This changing demography affects individuals, but also families, communities and societies. The focus of this issue is the well–being of older adults on different continents. Scientists from around the world address this issue using a wide array of research designs and methodologies to provide a broad perspective on aging. Five topics are considered: Well–Being Among Older Adults; Social Support; Functional Status, Well–Being and Successful Aging; Cross–Cultural Approaches to the Study of Aging; and Research Perspectives in Aging. This issue clearly demonstrates that scientists have much to contribute to the goal of optimizing the experience of aging and creating a society for all ages.     

Coping with long–term unemployment: economic security, labour market integration and well–being. Results from a Danish panel study, 1994–1999

On the basis of a Danish panel study of the long–term unemployed 1994–1999, the article challenges core premises underlying labour market reforms, assigning too high a priority to work and work incentives, and too little priority to social protection. Economic hardship has become widespread among long–term unemployed even in Denmark, and this is a more serious threat against well–being than unemployment as such. Generous social security, denounced as 'passive support', enables the unemployed to cope with their situation, and there are no signs of any 'dependency culture'. Incentives in terms of economic hardship may stimulate active job seeking but the panel study reveals that it has no positive effect on subsequent labour market integration.     

胡塞尔的生活世界观念与普遍哲学理想

生活世界问题是胡塞尔后期哲学的中心问题 ,有关于此的研究也是胡塞尔现象学研究在社会政治、历史方面的重要成果。分析胡塞尔生活世界观念的层级性的交互主体性建构特征 ,有必要澄清生活世界概念之内涵及其普遍哲学概念之关系。     

丧礼与《诗经》悼亡诗

丧礼反映了上古先民的丧葬礼俗,表达了事死如事生的观念,更是对于人生最后阶段的高度重视。丧礼的存在强调了对于个体生命归宿的尊重,对于个体生命价值的肯定,同时亦包含着对个体生命一生行为品质的总结。丧礼表达的是生命终结时的恭送情怀。丧礼的重要特征是体现孝道,这是君子品德的重要体现。“人为歌声以助哀”的《诗经》悼亡诗,体现了臣对君、子对父、妻对夫的情感,反映的是生命世界的伦理秩序。与此同时,丧礼与挽歌,反映了个体生命的意义和价值。丧礼的规格大小之别,不仅是生命世界等级秩序的体现,更是强调死者对于社会贡献大小的区别。丧礼越是隆重,个人的价值就越是充分,对于生者的示范意义就越大,事死如事生的意义就越明确,死者为大的意义就更加突显。     

Research in spirituality, religion and aging

Research on the concept of "spirituality" demonstrates its overlap with "religion," so for many purposes they need to be considered together as "spirituality/religion." Investigations of age differences point to the likelihood that spirituality tends to increase during later adulthood. It has important positive relationships with various measures of life satisfaction, psychosocial well-being, and both physical and mental health. It benefits therapy for recovery from illness and is a source of meaning and purpose in life. Spiritual interventions help to relieve psychological distress and death anxiety, as well as the stresses of caregiving. Because of its therapeutic value, prayer is an important resource for coping with problems experienced during the life course. The Spiritual Well-Being Scale and many other instruments have been developed to measure spirituality and related concepts. As in all other domains of research on people, they all have limits and must be applied with caution for both technical and ethical reasons. Nevertheless, applications of the research findings, which overwhelmingly demonstrate the importance of spirituality to human well-being, already are improving the effectiveness of clinical work and social services in all of the health and human service professions. As scientific knowledge of spirituality expands, so does awareness of the need for further research, including the refinement of methodological procedures, expansion to new topics, and extension to international cultures and diverse religions. The outlook for research on spirituality and the consequent practical applications to benefit humanity is very promising.     

Adult Children's Supportive Behaviors and Older Parents' Subjective Well–Being—A Developmental Perspective on Intergenerational Relationships

Adult children's supportive behaviors were examined with respect to children's autonomy and social motivation towards parents, and with respect to longitudinal changes of parents' subjective well–being. In total, 115 adult children from 83 German families completed a questionnaire on supportive behaviors and social motivation. The children also reported what pleased or irritated their parents most. Findings suggest that filial autonomy was associated with resistance to strain. Older parents' satisfaction improved when children expressed affection or gave emotional support. However, informational support from children was associated with decreased satisfaction among parents. Findings suggest that filial autonomy may facilitate supportive behaviors that correspond to older parents' socioemotional needs.     

"为艺术而艺术":一场审美现代性的扩容运动

“为艺术而艺术”观念在发展流变过程中表现出了审美现代性的努力方向和内在矛盾性。它首先是在艺术自律过程中出现的,具有艺术的独立性精神和否定立场;其次它是在反抗资产阶级日常生活中提出来的,其对应面是为艺术而生活,因此体现为一种艺术的实践方式;最后,它才是一种形式主义的审美观念。在日常生活审美化的当下语境里,重提“为艺术而艺术”具有深刻的现实意义。     

Deviant Action and Self-Narration: A Qualitative Survey through ATLAS.ti

This paper has its roots in qualitative analysis of accounts produced by an Italian serial killer. Theoretical references are related to symbolic interactionism and its developments in the field of psychology and criminology. The whole contribution is aimed to twofold purposes: A) to provide a set of criteria specifically addressed to study deviant action as system of meanings into two related contexts: the single action itself and the whole life history. According this point, paper introduces the concept of "deviant career" and it explains its development and steps; it also provides some psychological social points of views and contributions that scientific works offers. B) to think about potentialities of accounting interviews as powerful tools in clinical practice and empirical research too.
Specifically, we discuss narrative about behaviour and life story as a resource in order to take suggestions about meanings, goals and rules of action. It also suggests something about functions that crime discharges in the whole pathway of one's life. Juridical case analysis, run by means of the software ATLAS.ti, is aimed to demonstrate theoretical reasoning proposed.     

Are game theoretic concepts suitable negotiation support tools? From Nash equilibrium refinements toward a cognitive concept of rationality

If game theory is to be used as a negotiation support tool, it should be able to provide unambiguous recommendations for a target to aim at and for actions to reach this target. This need cannot be satisfied with the Nash equilibrium concept, based on the standard instrumental concept of rationality. These equilibria, as is well known, are generally multiple in a game. The concept of substantive or instrumental rationality has proved to be so pregnant, however, that researchers, instead of re-evaluating its use in game theory, have simply tried to design concepts related to the Nash equilibrium, but with the property of being unique in a game — i.e., they have devised ways ofselecting among Nash equilibria. These concepts have been labeledrefined Nash equilibria. The purpose of this paper is to show the following.

1. The different types of refined Nash equilibria, based on the principle of backward induction, can lead to severe contradictions within the framework itself. This makes these concepts utterly unsatisfactory and calls for a new appraisal of the reasoning process of the players.
2. The degree of confidence in the principle of backward induction depends upon the evaluation of potential deviations with respect to the extended Nash equilibrium concept used and upon the possible interpretations of such deviations by the different players. Our goal is to show that the nature of these possible interpretations reinforces the argument that a serious conceptual reappraisal is necessary.
3. Some form of forward induction should then become the real yardstick of rationality, extending Simonianprocedural rationality towards the concept ofcognitive rationality. This could open the way to a renewed game theoretic approach to negotiation support systems. Such a research program, which would be a revision of the basic game theoretic concepts, is dealt with in the end of the paper.

     

The validity of subjective information as a formal concept applied to empirical analysis

Theoretical concepts which may be applicated in formalized contexts as well as by empirical research are relatively rare. The concepts of subjective information used in cybernetically oriented pedagogists (learning theorists) seems to be applicable in both ways. An analysis of its logical and empirical validity shows, however, that the basis of this concept is ambiguous. The concept is defined on the basis of statistical probability, but implicitly interpreted on the base of inductive probability. Thus the measurement and also the strategic application of subjective information are doubtful. This concept does not seem to be useful as a paradigm for the solution of analogous problems.     

论当代马克思主义中国化创新的本质内涵

求真务实是当代马克思主义中国化创新的本质内涵。求真务实理论强调人的主观能动性,并以主体的能动活动建构主—客体统一关系,进行"合目的性"的自觉活动,从而使其实践活动具有实际意义和价值,是真理性和价值性的统一。科学发展观是当代马克思主义中国化的创新成果,求真务实是科学发展观的精神实质,揭示其价值内蕴,有利于我们完整准确理解科学发展观、在实践中科学地运用科学发展观、在新的实践中不断总结提升科学发展观。     

弗洛伊德的案例剧场:忏悔者与生活世界(下)

在上篇所建立的理论框架的基础之上,本篇试图集中到弗洛伊德的五个经典案例,通过约翰·奥尼尔对于这五个案例的理论思考,将精神分析传统中的忏悔现象及其理论置于经典社会理论乃至西方文明的传统之中,并最终将讨论落实在生活世界中的理性与存在问题之上。文章最终回到黑格尔,主张理性必须落在此在之在（Da-sein）并因而是个体存在之意义世界中。与忏悔相关,既存在着一种作为存在之形式（form of being）的理性,又存在着一种作为生命意志（will of life）的理性。第二种理性,也即来自于此在之在的状态,可能是理性真正的困难所在。从这个角度来说,康德对于启蒙所提出的要求,或许正可以落实在弗洛伊德的诊所技术之上。     

试论生活禅对当代心理生活的影响

生活禅是净慧法师多年来提倡的佛教理念。他认为“生活禅”就是“禅生活”,就是“人间佛教”思想的真正体现,就是从现实中的“我”去“悟道”。生活禅的理念来源于禅教合一的思想,从生活禅的教证和祖证可以反映出,生活禅是对祖师禅的继承和超越。生活禅的基本特征是承禅入禅、融经入禅、以禅融教以及最大的特征是突破和超越。生活禅对当代心理生活产生了重要的影响,表现在它对当代心理学理论的建构、对当代心理生活实践等方面都具有十分重要的启发和鉴赏意义。     

“今”与“新”——论李大钊的时间意识

人类创造历史的前提是对于历史的自觉，这种自觉首先表现为科学、进步的时间意识。在李大钊的时间意识里，时间是一维的、向前的，人是时间的主体，人在时间的创造构成了历史和人生；“时间”“历史”“人生”是三位一体的；“今”和“新”是核心价值元素。李大钊时间观的理论创新性主要表现为，率先提供了现代哲学诠释的“大视域”，并将学术研究与民族独立、社会革命结合起来，从而超越了纯学术，为历史变革提供了批判武器。     

芝加哥舞女、中国洗衣工与北平囚犯:都市中的陌生人

本文指出，受齐美尔“陌生人”命题启发的“边缘人”概念，体现了形式社会学与美国实用主义在芝加哥学派理论中的交融，并催生了以考察个体生命史为核心的研究方法。通过比较二十世纪初芝加哥学派的学者运用生命史的视角对三类都市陌生人（芝加哥舞女、中国洗衣工与北平囚犯）的研究，本文考察不同人群的新旧历程及其进入都市新生活的不同状态。研究发现，无论是身处异国的中国洗衣工，还是背井离乡进入城市生活并沦为罪犯的中国农民，都不能以“边缘人”抛弃乡土与家族的个体化方式进入都市生活。文章最后尝试以帕克对“文明”的讨论来解释现代个体进入都市生活时呈现的不同状态。     

The Dynamics of a Social Turning Point Analytical Possibilities

The period now being experienced by Soviet society is characterized by a profound breakdown of social structures, which is bringing to light the latent springs and mechanisms of the life of the social organism. Some of these "springs" become visible when they fail, others when they are set into motion (e.g., the group and personal components of social life). This complex period could be considered fruitful for an analysis of current processes, as well as for an understanding of the nature of social phenomena if our social science had sufficiently reliable instruments for investigating such situations.     

先秦时期“忠”观念的产生及其演化

"忠"的观念是中国传统伦理思想的重要支柱,也是先秦时期道德生活的重要内容.在其产生和初步发展的春秋时期,"忠"观念表现出了多元化的趋向,兼具君德、臣德、朋友之德等多重内客.战国时期,"忠"观念从一种具有普遍含义的社会价值逐渐缩小为一种具有特定主体与对象的具体的道德要求,"忠君"遂成为"忠"观念的首要内容,"忠君"观念呈现出绝对化倾向.同时,忠孝关系也成为战国时期亟待解决的社会矛盾,在二者的优先性问题上经历了从孝先于忠到忠先于孝的转变.