We humans laugh often and it is not always because something is funny. We laugh in the face of the pathetic or the powerless; sometimes we laugh at our own powerlessness or pathos. In short, we laugh at both the comical and the difficult. Here I am especially interested in the laughter that is sparked by what is difficult and how that…

In this article, the author discusses the educational and societal differences between Canada and the United States. He claims that an egocentric culture, committed to immediate gratification, stands in the way of a healthy response to change. People are always seeking accommodation to the changes around them. When people choose familiar behaviour…

Suggests behavioral criteria that can be used for assessing the status of self-concept and ego development in Erikson's last three psychosocial stages. Presents three tables of different behavioral expressions, each providing examples of possible behaviors and implicit attitudes related to positive and negative ego resolutions associated with last…

The paper addresses contemporary relations between emotions, gender and feminist action research. Starting from analysis of the increasing emotionalisation of everyday life, it explores the quasi-feminist--or what the author calls "feminised"--forms of incitement to reflexive confession that are increasingly gaining favour within professional and…

Presents a nine-celled matrix to explain psychological stability and change. Considers the relationship between various levels of analysis and internal forces, external forces, and interactive theories. (PCB)

Achievement motivation in women is discussed in the context of recent ideas by Gilligan and by Spence and Helmreich which consider women's development and values without considering only the ways women's behavior differs from male behavior. Implications for practice and research are included. (Author/BL)

Explores the relationship between dispositions (i.e., continuities of inclinations and habits), episodic behavior, emotions, and desires; and the development of moral autonomy. Argues that autonomy requires a settled disposition toward the good. Contrasts theories of autonomy based on wants/desires and on ideals. (AYC)

Views disability as opportunity for reframing physical and emotional difficulties. Explores strategies for facilitating personal healing and empowerment, including self-forgiveness and positive self-talk. (Authors/CM)

Discussion of the creative self considers ideas of the described, not defined, self; the differentiated self; intensity, transformation, and development of the creative self; complexity of the creative self; the dialectical self; dialectical personality traits or bipolar mood disorder; and the inventive self. (DB)

In this article, the authors relate how they, as two Black, female graduate students and educators, discovered racial self-negation and internalized racial hatred within themselves. Through designing and facilitating a workshop exploring the word "nigger," they concluded that internalized oppression stymied their growth as people and scholars, and…

This first paper in the intrapersonal skills series presents a conceptual model of intrapersonal skills. Intrapersonal skills are defined as those skills individuals need to possess and perfect in order to manage themselves, and as a prerequisite to interpersonal skills. It is noted that intrapersonal skills are concerned with lessening internal…

Addresses the qualitatively different social and emotional experiences of the gifted student. Using a developmental focus, identifies and examines predictable crises. By anticipating these predictable crises, counselors can assist gifted students in developing the coping skills necessary for mastering each successive emotional and social passage.…

Seven stages in the development of faith are examined from a constructivist-developmental approach. A table depicts structural aspects of faith development by stage. (BB)

The assumptions of influential adult development models are being questioned: that growth is linear, higher developmental levels are better, all adults want to change and grow, and models based on males apply equally to females. The extent to which knowledge of psychological development is indispensable to practice continues to be debated. (SK)

In this article, the authors talk about the state of boyhood in education and explain the idea that not all elements of the brain--especially not gender--are plastic. They discuss the mismatch between boys and conventional education and how gender "really" happens in the brain and describe the three biological stages in which human nature…