Books by Thomas G Plante
Perhaps there is no one in our society more despised and vilified than sex offenders, especially ... more Perhaps there is no one in our society more despised and vilified than sex offenders, especially those who sexually violate young children. And during the past decade perhaps no particular subgroup of sex offender has been more despised than those who are Roman Catholic priests. We need to be attentive to the state-of-the-art facts, best practices, and create policies and procedures to keep those who might harm children away from children. To do otherwise is foolish and harmful. Yet strong opinions, advocacy, and hysteria sometimes gets more attention than actual evidence-based quality research and practice which is not ultimately in the best interest of child protection efforts. This brief paper reviews lessons learned in working with sex offending clerics within the Roman Catholic tradition.
With deep reflection combined with research-based insights, the book considers the various avenue... more With deep reflection combined with research-based insights, the book considers the various avenues for creating kinder human beings. Expert contributors examine empirical evidence to learn if engagement in particular activities results in benevolent behavior, while chapters present the many ways in which kindness touches all aspects of life—from racial harmony, to child rearing, to work environments. Topics include exploring the healing effects of prayers and meditation, integrating compassion into higher education, and parenting with greater mindfulness and care.
Papers by Thomas G Plante
Pastoral Psychology, 2024
Interpersonal and intergroup relationships seem to have steadily deteriorated in recent years, wi... more Interpersonal and intergroup relationships seem to have steadily deteriorated in recent years, with an increase in the lack of civility and decency along with a greater willingness to attack and cancel anyone who does not agree with one's cherished perspective on numerous matters. New popular phrases such as cancel culture, public shaming, air rage, and gaslighting have entered the common vernacular. Ignatian spirituality offers several helpful strategies for dealing with these contemporary divisive conflicts in a productive manner. These include (1) seeing God (or the sacred) in all things, (2) striving towards kinship with others through the pathway of civility, hospitality, and solidarity, and (3) managing conflict with accommodation, humility, and the expectation of goodness in mind. This article introduces and provides examples of these three Ignatian principles that can be employed in all challenging relationships, including both personal and professional as well as psychotherapeutic ones. They can be utilized in a secular or spiritually minded manner as well. Having more tools to improve relationships is especially needed now.
Greenwood Publishing Group Inc. eBooks, 2004
Pastoral Psychology, Nov 14, 2023
Psychological evaluations and testing using the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI... more Psychological evaluations and testing using the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) among other instruments have been used to screen clerical and religious life applicants for decades. While much research has been conducted and published regarding these evaluations, the newer MMPI-3 has not been examined among this population. This study reviewed MMPI-3 results from 18 applicants to seminary and religious life from the Roman Catholic and Episcopal faith traditions to determine if the participants are generally psychological healthy and if they have any consistent elevations in their MMPI-3 testing scores. Additionally, we examined MMPI-3 differences among Catholics versus Episcopal applicants. Our preliminary results using a small sample suggest that applicants to seminary and religious life are generally psychologically healthy but tend to be defensive, presenting themselves in a favorable and virtuous manner. Additionally, Catholics tend to score higher on inconsistent responses but lower on psychoticism than Episcopalians. Further research should use larger and more diverse sample sizes to better understand how the MMPI-3 performs among this population.
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Books by Thomas G Plante
Papers by Thomas G Plante