Pinwheel Galaxy
From the Association for Psychological Science (APS) 2012 Annual Convention website: An article and video on “Facets of Mindfulness as Predictors of Gratitude.” This co-authored paper presentation was given by Anthony Ahrens of American University. Gratitude increases the desire to be helpful to others and appears to be amplified by mindfulness (as demonstrated in this particular study).
The same page references Wray Herbert’s discussion of the societal and psychological benefits of experiencing AWE (“Making Time Stand Still“). This and many other fascinating commentaries appear in the “We’re Only Human” blog. It would be interesting to know more about how professionals maintain capacity for emotion regulation, including maintaining a sense of purpose when things go wrong. And since there are always risks associated with carrying out professional roles and responsibilities, there are always going to be times when outcomes fall short of expectations and hopes.
Those readers interested in the comparative study of professional communities might want to compare the APS web project to the American Psychological Association (APA) web site. Take a look. Which organization seems most engaged with the task of conveying vivid images of “professional identities” to site visitors? I imagine the audience for these sites includes a wide range of “guests” — licensed practitioners, psychological scientists, students at all levels, and members of the general public. Every institutional website has a history produced by the actions of individuals and groups. It would be interesting to know more about the histories of professional association websites, since “internet presence” constitutes an important interface between professionals and the people they serve. — With gratitude and awe, EdProf
Sources
Association for Psychological Science Website: “http://www.psychologicalscience.org”
Ahrens, A. (2012). “Facets of mindfulness as predictors of gratitude” (video post). “http://www.psychologicalscience.org/index.php/video/facets-of-mindfulness-as-predictors-of-gratitude.html” (February 15, 2012)
Herbert, W. (2012). “Making time stand still. Awesome.” Posted on the We’re Only Human blog. “http://www.psychologicalscience.org/index.php/news/were-only-human/making-time-stand-still-awesome.html” (January 26, 2012)
Herbert, W. (2012) We’re Only Human Blog. http://www.psychologicalscience.org/index.php/news/were-only-human
Photo Credit: European Space Agency and NASA. For more information on this “pinwheel galaxy” See: http://spacetelescope.org/images/heic0602a/
Educating Professionals 
