It is widely held that personal autonomy is a quality of character at which educators ought to aim. In this paper I argue that those who hold this view are misguided. I identify two ordinary senses of autonomy, and a range of technical senses currently popular with philosophers, and show that none of them constitutes a defensible educational aim.…

In, "Idiographic Filters for Psychological Constructs," Nesselroade, Gerstorf, Hardy, and Ram study patterns of variation within individuals. In this context they make an important suggestion: to test for invariant relations among latent variables, but to allow the relations between these latent variables and their indicators to vary between…

Teachers and administrators are often directed to distance themselves from the children in their charge. Despite the land mines that accompany personal relationships with students, the authors argue that educators can still learn to build personal relationships with students. Personal-relationship building is one of the most important skills a…

Developments within education, psychology and the neurosciences have shed a great deal of light on how we learn while, at the same time, confirming for us all that learning is a profoundly complex process and far from understood. Against this background, and in this position article, we consider the recent rise in interest in the concept of…

The review examines characteristics of entrepreneurs and suggests that they share personality traits (such as risk taking and lack of conformity) with the mildly sociopathic. (DB)

Interviews Stanton Samenow who explains his belief that environmental conditions and mental illness do not cause criminal behavior, and defends the clinical approach used in his work. Describes his recent book "Inside the Criminal Mind" and its recommendations for change of government policy toward criminals. (LLL)

Discusses the related concepts of loneliness and the guidance counseling of adolescents. Argues that the fear of loneliness and the accompanying need to avoid it constitutes a universal motivational principle and that it is especially acute during adolescence. Shows how loneliness may serve as a basis for understanding and interpreting adolescent…

Contends that blindness is not a single clinical determinant, but, rather, that two groups of blind people exist. For those congenitally blind, lack of vision can cause developmental difficulties. For those who later acquire blindness, the premorbid psychodynamics and object relationships are most important in understanding the persons' reactions…

States eight criteria arising out of feminist therapy theory for a woman-based theory of female development and personality. Evaluates Freudian theory, current psychoanalytic theory, and several feminist theories in light of the stated criteria. Concludes that feminists have arrived at some degree of general agreement about personality theory.…

Six personality types are characteristic of gifted children: the perfectionist, the child/adult (with a need to be in charge), the winner of the competition, the exception, the self-critic, and finally, the well-integrated child. The gifted child's emotional development should be considered in his/her education. (CL)

The author shares insights distilled from years of working with people who must be creative for a living. Includes a list of distinctive traits of creative people, blocks to creativity, and advice for rekindling the fires of creativity. Points out that creativity cannot be taught, but can be rediscovered. (JOW)

The importance of being seen as a "nice person" cannot be overrated as this greatly influences job effectiveness and tenure. Tips are provided on how to project this enviable personality trait.

The real problem with teaching character is that, in order to teach it, the teacher has to have it. Students may or may not study lessons, but they certainly study the teacher. In this article, the author points out that process is what is needed to modeled, not perfection. By living honestly in front of their students, teachers provide them with…

Explains personality types as measured by the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, examining preferences for extraversion or introversion, sensing or intuitive perception, thinking or feeling judgement, and judgement or perception. (DMM)

Argues that acute, chronic pain, whether arising from environmental or psychological contexts, is a necessary condition of addiction; conditioning and neurochemical changes are assigned a catalyzing role. Inadequate self-esteem is thought to be a common source of imperceptible pain, and therefore a cause of addiction. (Author/ABL)