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Recovering Heraclitus: Neglected Religious, Ethical And Political Themes In The Work Of A Pre-Socratic Thinker, Thomas Joseph Wood

Wayne State University Dissertations

The early Greek philosopher Heraclitus writes in a puzzling, cryptic way which makes his ideas difficult to work out. Many commentators are content to make some broad statements about his place in the development of philosophy as a natural philosopher or metaphysician; statements for which there is ample support.

In this essay, I argue that we can use Heraclitus’ biography and his historical context to recover his ideas about religion, ethics, and politics. I believe that this method reveals a Heraclitus who was grasping for an early sort of political theory and ethics in response to the turbulent period in …

The“Specialness” Of Religious Conscience: An Egalitarian Response, Joseph Marsden Dunne

Wayne State University Dissertations

Religion is often singled out for special legal treatment in Western societies. This is certainly true in the United States where religion enjoys a special place in the First Amendment to the Constitution via the Free Exercise and Establishment Clauses. Through Free Exercise guarantees, for example, the Supreme Court held in Wisconsin v. Yoder that Amish children were entitled to an exemption from compulsory school attendance laws after the eighth grade, emphasizing that this was a uniquely religious exemption that did not apply to everyone. Moreover, those conscientiously objecting to contemporary vaccination laws may find themselves with varying protections depending …

Religion And Spirituality In Mental And Physical Well-Being Of Korean And White Americans, Mila Kil

Wayne State University Dissertations

An increasing number of researchers have confirmed the important role of religion and spirituality, not only in the psychological and emotional domains but also in physical health. Several researchers note that various forms of spirituality and religiousness can help Asian immigrants cope with the upheavals of immigration, adaptation to a new country, and other difficult personal and social transformations related to being in a new culture. Especially for Korean immigrants, churches and religious organizations act as a powerful support group. However, few empirical studies have paid attention to this topic, considering the importance of religion and spirituality to most individuals. …

Predicting Adolescent Risk-Taking And Goal-Oriented Behaviors: An Ecological Perspective, Joshua Jon Tynan

Wayne State University Dissertations

An important aspect of human development is adolescence. It has been well documented that adolescence is a time during which individuals partake in the greatest amount of risk-taking behaviors. These behaviors often include having unsafe sex, drug and alcohol use, smoking and recklessness. On the other hand, goal oriented behaviors are also developing, although these have been less well studied. The current study explored several key contexts that adolescents are concurrently exposed to, including parenting behaviors, peer relationships, religion, and media. The outcomes of interest were risk-taking behaviors and goal-oriented behaviors. Ultimately the purpose of this study was to compile, …

The Influence Of Religion And Spirituality On Rehabilitation Outcomes Among Traumatic Brain Injury Survivors, Brigid Waldron-Perrine

Wayne State University Dissertations

The long-term consequences of traumatic brain injury affect millions of Americans, many of whom report using religion and spirituality to cope. Little research, however, has investigated how various elements of the religious and spiritual belief systems affect rehabilitation outcomes. The present study sought to assess the use of specifically defined elements of religion and spirituality as coping resources in a sample of traumatically brain injured adults. Furthermore, various mechanisms by which religion and spirituality may affect outcome were explored.

The sample included 88 adults with brain injury from 1 to 20 years post injury and their knowledgeable significant others (SOs). …

Personality And Risk-Taking Behaviors In Emerging Adulthood, Agnes Ward

Wayne State University Dissertations

ABSTRACT

PERSONALITY AND RISK-TAKING BEHAVIORS IN EMERGING ADULTHOOD

by

AGNES WARD

December 2010

Advisor: Dr. Stephen B. Hillman

Major: Educational Psychology

Degree: Doctor of Philosophy

Much theory and research has focused on adolescent risk-taking behavior. Common theories include Zuckerman's (1971) perspective on sensation seeking, the problem behavior perspective identified by Jessor and Jessor (1977), and the causal model of risk-taking behavior by Irwin and Millstein (1986). While beneficial to understanding risky behaviors, these perspectives do not take into account specific personality traits that contribute to risk-taking or cognitive appraisals of risky behaviors. Further, most research has focused on the adolescent …