Discusses cornerstone of Montessori theory, normalization, which asserts that if a child is placed in an optimum prepared environment where inner impulses match external opportunities, the undeviated self emerges, a being totally in harmony with its surroundings. Makes distinctions regarding normalization, normalized, and normality, indicating how…

The teaching of inquiry paradigms that supplement traditional rational and empirical approaches is advocated in psychology training settings. This program proposal introduces hermeneutics, an inquiry paradigm focusing on the interpretation of meanings inherent in human action, into the curricula of psychology programs. Two curricula offerings are…

Racial relations are considered within a discussion of what constitutes an effective human being. The term "minority status" is dehumanizing as it is currently used and defined. That which is cruel to and destroys other people is labeled "inhumane". A fully functioning person, program, or organization conforms to six evaluative…

For more than a quarter of a century self-esteem increasingly has been viewed as the magic key to success and happiness. Earned self-esteem is based on learning to tolerate frustration and delay, to care for others, to work hard, and to persevere in the face of obstacles. These tasks of developing relationships and competencies enable one to…

Possible selves are concrete images of what people think they might become, what they would like to become, and what they are afraid of becoming in the future. It was hypothesized that the satisfaction with achieving the possible self will be higher the more the person has focused on this possible self and the more emotionally involved the person…

The author argues that in educational settings in which there is a low tolerance for "disruptive" and "antisocial" behavior, the nurturing capacity for creativity is also low. Creative persons exhibit not only anti-social behaviors, but also behaviors such as originality, self-sufficiency, and independence in thought and judgment, which may be…

Two recreational activities, deer hunting and goose hunting, both similar in form, are compared. It was hypothesized that the activity for which participants rated the process, the goal, and the social interaction as most important to the experience and for which participants showed the strongest family ties and social support for participation…

A parable that addresses the issue of defining quality is presented. Among the lessons are the ideas that one needs to consider a specific quality rather than a broad use of the term, and that quality or excellence is not necessarily linked to originality, hard labor, size, common opinion, or expert opinion. It is suggested that in a free society…

The effects of training on twenty-one teachers in a Teacher Corps school were examined according to the type of training chosen, the preference exhibited by the teacher for certain types of delivery systems, and the level of transfer to classroom practice which were applicable to the different systems. This four-year study of inservice teacher…

Ego and self refer to two ways of being. They are related on the one hand to neurosis and health and on the other hand to rational and intuitive modes of consciousness. The author in this article considers consciousness as it pertains to knowing oneself. She examines how ego, the rational consciousness as applied to oneself, can obstruct…

In a pilot study based on a project underwritten by the United States Department of Education to add more study of international issues to writing courses, revisions in content to both a first your and an advanced composition course were tested during 1993-94. The method for the classroom procedures was also changed to enhance the greater…

"The Road from Coorain" is the autobiographical story of Jill Ker Conway, the first woman president of Smith College. The story traces Conway's journey from powerlessness to power. Born in the outback of Australia, where all people were powerless in the face of the vacillations of nature, forced off the land into a city life to which she…

Gibbons et al. (1980) reported 14 principles in "teaching for self-education." Four of these principles illustrate some of the challenges involved in applying the principles to classroom learning: (1) in self-education, the locus of control is in the self-educator, whereas, in formal education, the locus of control is in institutions, their…

Using the psychoanalytic self-psychology of Heinz Kohut as the theoretical foundation, this article discusses the role of shame in adolescent suicidal behaviors. Shame is described as an essential aspect of adolescent suicidal behavior because of the significance of the stage of adolescence in the development of the healthy self. Normal…

Self-actualization, which involves the ultimate development of one's abilities regardless of external influences, is the basis for many personality theories. To assess the relationship between biological sex, sex role, and self-actualization, the Bem Sex Role Inventory (BSRI) and the Personal Orientation Inventory (POI) were administered to 129…