Ann Higgins-D'Alessandro

Attitudinal and Normative Predictors of Alcohol Use by Older Adolescents and Young Adults.

A model of alcohol use based on the theory of planned behavior, expectancy theory, and the developmental literature on the influence of parents and peers was examined with 87 eleventh grade students, 105 college freshmen, and 107 college juniors. Specifically, the influence of attitudes about the positive and negative consequences of drinking, perceived parental and peer norms about alcohol consumption, and perceived control over drinking predicted self-reported alcohol use. The results suggest that, during adolescence, decisions to consume alcohol are rational, based on the consideration of the positive consequences of alcohol use and perceptions of control over drinking; however, the negative consequences of alcohol use are discounted. While perceived peer norms predicted alcohol consumption in all three age groups, the influence of perceived parental norms varied such that they predicted alcohol use only among the college juniors. Implications and avenues for future research are discussed.

The Just Community approach to moral education: system change or individual change?

This article focuses on the development of, and new theorising about, a strong democracy education intervention, the Just Community approach. Three questions frame the discussion: (1) Does democracy education change children and adolescents or do students in these programs change their schools, or is there a dynamic interaction over time? (2) How can democracy be ‘learned’? How can the concept of democracy be most thoroughly learned and how can democratic problem‐solving skills best be acquired? (3) How can we optimise the chances that the knowledge and skills learned will motivate future active citizenship? The article begins with a brief history of the Just Community approach, a description of the original developmental model created by Lawrence Kohlberg and collaborators and some variation in more recent European Just Community programs. In a discussion of controversial and difficult issues democracy education may face, the second question takes centre stage and several structural aspects are offered that should be included in such efforts to maximise their effectiveness. In the remainder of the article new perspectives coming from Europe are introduced. Some additional pathways to the Just Community approach and their justifications, which have not played a significant role in the theory and practice of the ‘traditional’ model but can add to its strengths, are identified. Finally, the idea of ‘trusting in advance’ is introduced as critical for well‐functioning educational democracies.

Empathy and Attachment in Relation to Violent vs. Non-Violent Offense History Among Jail Inmates

Abstract One hundred nineteen male and 67 female violent and nonviolent offenders incarcerated in the New York City jail system completed questionnaires measuring affective and cognitive empathy, history of attachment and current attachment. They were compared to a control group of 63 males and 67 females enrolled in general equivalency diploma courses in New York City. Multiple analysis of variance was used to compare the groups and the dependent variables and the Pearson r correlation coefficient was used to assess the relationship between empathy and attachment. The male offenders as a whole scored higher on affective empathy than the control group with the nonviolent male offenders scoring significantly higher on affective empathy than the control group males. However, after age was used a covariate, the groups were no longer significantly different on affective empathy. No significant differences were found among the female groups on cognitive and affective empathy. There was also no relationship found for the male or female groups between empathy and history of attachment. The implication of the results for future research on empathy in criminal behavior as well as the lifecourse development of empathy in men, was discussed.

Quality of life in young urban children: Does asthma make a difference?

The purpose of this study was to determine whether asthma status and severity have an impact on the quality of life of urban elementary school children. Participants were 1292 caregiver‐child dyads from six schools serving low‐income, ethnic minority, urban families; 53% of the children were female. Caregivers provided data on the childrens asthma diagnosis and frequency in the last 12 months of asthma symptoms, use of medication for asthma, emergency room visits, and hospitalizations. Using the KINDL, a generic quality of life instrument, children reported on their health‐related quality of life (HRQL). Results revealed a high prevalence of current asthma (18%). No differences were found in HRQL based on having current asthma or the severity of asthma as assessed by proxy measures of health care utilization and limited functioning. These findings are consistent with previous research indicating that HRQL is influenced by several factors other than asthma status and severity. The implications of these results for intervention are discussed.

The social nature of saintliness and moral action: A view of William James’s Varieties in relation to St.Ignatius and Lawrence Kohlberg

This article argues that William Jamess thinking in The Varieties and elsewhere contains the view that social institutions, such as religious congregations and schools, are mediators between the private and public spheres of life, and are necessary for transforming personal feelings, ideals and beliefs into moral action. The Exercises of St Ignatius and the Just Community moral education approach serve as examples. Criticisms of the more commonly held view that James recognised only individual personal experiences as valid religious expressions are marshalled. Furthermore, we argue that moral action or saintliness, the ultimate expression of religious faith according to James, is fundamentally social. The commonalities that the phenomenologies of moral action of St Ignatius and Lawrence Kohlberg have with William Jamess view are used to support the argument.

Moral Education as an Historical/Political/Social Science

Abstract This paper introduces a vision of moral education for the future. It argues that for moral education to take its place as essential in the curriculum, moral educators must acknowledge and adopt the goal for moral education expected by lay‐people and by society; that is, to create better societies and a better world in addition to developing the character and moral acumen of individuals. Examples are used to argue that the world is a smaller, and also a new, place due to the impact of technology on our political and economic systems and due to the impact of computer communication on our social and educational relations. The new world must be entered with a much richer understanding of the multilayered histories and present situations of our world, if people, groups and nations are to live with one another in mutual respect and dignity. Thus, this paper argues for a vision of moral education as an historical, political and social science of morality, conducted as laboratory experiences which can ed...