Context dependence and stability of views of relationship partners as a function of integration of positive and negative partner information

The Enthymeme, which is a central concept in Aristotle’s rhetoric, is also one of his most debated notions. A majority of the interpretations proceed from Aristotle’s own words “the enthymeme is a kind of syllogism” and most of them understand the enthymeme as a reduced syllogism or a syllogism based on the plausible. In this article different views of the Aristotelian enthymeme are examined, and an alternative outlook inspired by Aristotle’s own examples, is put forward. This is a suggestion that takes into consideration the context dependence, the dialogical nature and the need for presence (in a Perelmanian sense), in human communication and construction of meaning. The enthymeme is here viewed as a discursive process in which the reasoning of the speaker connects with the listener’s structures of meaning. An important phenomenon in this process is the establishment of coherence

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Lifting the Bar: A Relationship-Orienting Intervention Reduces Recidivism Among Children Reentering School From Juvenile Detention

Psychological Science ◽

10.1177/09567976211013801 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 095679762110138

Author(s):

Gregory M. Walton ◽

Jason A. Okonofua ◽

Kathleen Remington Cunningham ◽

Daniel Hurst ◽

Andres Pinedo ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Field Trial ◽

Positive Relationship ◽

Juvenile Detention ◽

Experienced Teachers ◽

Third Party ◽

Return To School ◽

Relationship Partners

When children return to school from juvenile detention, they face a severe stigma. We developed a procedure to orient educators and students toward each other as positive relationship partners during this period. In Study 1, through a structured exercise, students reentering school powerfully articulated to an educator of their choosing their prosocial hopes for school as well as challenges they faced. In a preliminary field trial ( N = 47), presenting this self-introduction to this educator in a one-page letter via a third-party requesting the educator’s help reduced recidivism to juvenile detention through the next semester from 69% to 29%. In Study 2 (preregistered), the letter led experienced teachers ( N = 349) to express greater commitment to, anticipate more success for, and feel more love and respect for a student beginning their reentry into school, potentially initiating a better trajectory. The results suggest how relationship-orienting procedures may sideline bias and make school more supportive for students facing stigma.

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