Well-Rounded: A Case for the Preservation of the Mid-Level Liberal Arts College

Mid-level liberal arts colleges are failing, both to remain financially solvent and uphold their institutional missions. This paper examines the higher education marketplace before exploring the current strategies these colleges utilize to combat this two-fold issue. Following a review of the literature, the analysis portion presents two novel solutions these colleges could implement to improve student accessibility and stave off financial insolvency. Additionally, this section describes how mid-level liberal arts colleges offer superior return on investment in the long run compared to public universities. Lastly, this paper concludes by reasserting the value of a liberal arts education in the workplace and motivating future research on its two proposed solutions

Relationship between personality change and the onset and course of alcohol dependence in young adulthood

Aims  To examine the reciprocal effects between the onset and course of alcohol use disorder (AUD) and normative changes in personality traits of behavioral disinhibition and negative emotionality during the transition between adolescence and young adulthood. Design  Longitudinal–epidemiological study assessing AUD and personality at ages 17 and 24 years. Setting  Participants were recruited from the community and took part in a day‐long, in‐person assessment. Participants  Male ( n  = 1161) and female ( n  = 1022) twins participating in the Minnesota Twin Family Study. Measurements  The effects of onset (adolescent versus young adult) and course (persistent versus desistent) of AUD on change in personality traits of behavioral disinhibition and negative emotionality from ages 17 to 24 years. Findings  Onset and course of AUD moderated personality change from ages 17 to 24 years. Adolescent onset AUD was associated with greater decreases in behavioral disinhibition. Those with an adolescent onset and persistent course failed to exhibit normative declines in negative emotionality. Desistence was associated with a ‘recovery’ towards psychological maturity in young adulthood, while persistence was associated with continued personality dysfunction. Personality traits at age 11 predicted onset and course of AUD, indicating personality differences were not due to active substance abuse. Conclusions  Personality differences present prior to initiation of alcohol use increase risk for alcohol use disorder, but the course of alcohol use disorder affects the rate of personality change during emerging adulthood. Examining the reciprocal effects of personality and alcohol use disorder within a developmental context is necessary to improve understanding for theory and intervention.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/90257/1/j.1360-0443.2011.03617.x.pd

Can Feelings of Authenticity Help to Guide Virtuous Behavior?

Authenticity is often defined as the extent to which people feel that they know and express their true selves. Research in the psychological sciences suggests that people view true selves as more morally good than bad and that this “virtuous” true self may be a central component of authenticity. In fact, there may be reasons to suspect that authenticity serves as a cue that one’s behaviors are virtuous, and feelings of authenticity may help sustain virtuous actions. However, in previous research, operationalizations of virtue may not clearly capture virtue as virtue theorists might recognize it. The possibility that feelings of authenticity keep people oriented toward virtuous activities is compatible with theorizing, but the precise ways that it might do so has not received direct conceptual or empirical scrutiny. We propose an interdisciplinary hypothesis of how feelings of authenticity could function to serve as a feedback mechanism for virtuous behavior. Feelings of authenticity could play a role in sustaining motivation to engage in virtuous activity insofar as the experience of subjective authenticity encourages one to approach that activity or environment in the future. Furthermore, virtuous behavior incorporates a few key elements that are predictive of experiencing subjective authenticity. We review emerging research that offers initial support for the idea that authenticity may guide sustained and virtuous civic action and develop a theoretical framework that positions authenticity as integral to sustained virtuous behavior

Civic Hope and the Perceived Authenticity of Democratic Participation

In two studies, we tested how the expression of civic hope in narratives and the perceived authenticity of civic/political actions relate to civic/political engagement. In a cross-sectional study of undergraduates (N = 230), the expression of civic hope predicted the perceived authenticity of civic actions (e.g., voting), which in turn predicted the motivation to engage in them. In a longitudinal on-line study that began 8 weeks prior to the 2020 U.S. Presidential election (N = 308 MTurk workers), overall expressions of civic hope positively predicted the perceived authenticity of voting and the motivation to vote. In addition, expressions of civic hope positively predicted the perceived authenticity of voting, which in turn positively predicted the likelihood of reporting that one did vote. These findings indicate that a sense of civic hope and the experience of authenticity in political contexts may be important for democratic engagement

The Lantern Vol. 59, No. 2, Summer 1992

• Mr. Foley\u27s Toboggan • I Close the Door to the Bathroom • Insomniac Scribbles • And Then There Were Four • Goodbye, Ace • Silicone\u27s a Manmade Matter • The Nineteenth Hole • Upon Visiting Manor Care • Little Boys • Obsessed • Life • Shakespearean Shakedown • Violets and Morning Glories • Mr. Cope Takes His Secretary to Lunch • Winter Eyes • Triptych • These Hot, Humid Nights • The Car\u27s Place in His Heart • Saturday Night • The Windows of a Clean House • An Harmonious Thunk • Nomads • My Watch at Mass • Dave\u27s Fine Print • K.P. Duty • Serendipityhttps://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/lantern/1141/thumbnail.jp