THE TWIG
Newspaper of the Students of NIeredith College
VOL. LIII, NO. 18
MEREDITH COLLEGE, RALEIGH, N.C.
APRIL 5, 1979
Huber delivers lecture
by Mary Katherine Pittman
Dr. R. John Huber,
Associate Professor of
Psychology and Chairman of
the Psychology department
presented the Distinguished
Faculty Lecture last Wed-
nesday.His lecture was en
titled “Alfred Adler and the
Evolution of Humanity.”
Dr. Huber began his
lecture by speaking on his
interest in social orientation
as is evidenced in animal
behavior. He stated that his
^talK>va^ “an analgamation of
*thecomparativepsychology of
Adler and animal behavior.”
Dr. Huber explained the
theories of Adler by stating
key concepts of Adlerian
psychology. “First, man is
always striving for
superiority, We are always
incomplete in the face of what
we could be. Man, by nature,
is always growing. Secondly,
that the schema of ap
perception is important with
the idea that ‘we behave
according to our opinion of the
world’.” And, according to Dr.
Huber, the most important
part of Adler’s theory is the
idea of man’s social interest
or man’s “trying to achieve
harmony with the entire
universe.”
According to Dr. Huber,
students encouraged him to
reconcile Adlerian social
theories and Darwin’s studies
on evolution. He searched
through classical and modern
literature “to see how ideas on
natural selection fit the
modern humanistic theory.”
“Contrary to popular
opinion, natural selection is
not all ‘tooth and claw.’
Something akin to social in
terest is part of our
evolutionary heritage, and is
consonant with Darwin’s
natural selection and Spen
cer’s ‘survival of Uie fittest’.
Many Neo-classical theorists
and Neo-Darwinians relate
social interest (Adler) to
survival.”
Dr. Huber further stated
that Holmes’ 1945 study favors
social living and altruism in
the evolutionary process. He
elaborated on a number of
conlem^rary theorists whose
research proves that group
cooperation and altruism is
indeed evolutionary.
“Selection favors any
behavior by appeasement
selection.”
According to Dr. Huber,
“this current emphasis on
socialization is not surprising,
considering what we find
being written about animal
behavior. Dr. Huber offered
specific examples of animal
cooperation in survival,
pointing to such studies as
that on group solidarity
among baboons, and on the
female fly’s sacrifice of
protein for her young. “If we
assume the continuity of
phylogeny, we see that animal
behavior is a fertile field for
humanistic psychology.”
Dr. Huber further in
cluded three major ideas from
Adler’s social-interest
hypothesis; (1) advantages of
group living, (2) cooperation,
and (3) empathy. “The
; majority of animal work deals
with advantages of group
living and (2) cooperation. Dr.
Huber went on to explain the
advantages of group living,
elaborating on the long
recognized advantages of
group hunting, protection
from predators, and the
lessening of anxiety for in
dividual animals in a group.
“The evidence that • animals
survive better in a group is
overpowering.”
Drawing for numerous
studies on the behavior of
certain animals. Dr. Huber
pointed to Adlerian
Socialization in com
munication between em
bryonic quail, symbiosis
between insect colonies, and
modeling of food-getting
techniques among certain
species of fish. Dr. Huber
concluded that group interest
in others is in fact genetically
coded, and added a quote from
Alexander Pope: “Dost God
and nature linked the general
frame, and bade self love and
social be the same.”
In closing, Dr. Huber
stated that “I think the
assertions made by humanists
like Adler are valid, that man
is gregarious by nature and is
born with a deep-rooted
tendency toward
socialization. From the very
beginning of life, organisms
were very aggregate for
survival. Many theorists have
agreed with Adler that
something akin to social in
terest is part of man’s ancient
evolutionary heritage.
Dr. John Huber delivers lecture.
Johnson lectures on Christian suffering, grief
by Renee Keever Davis
L.D. Johnson, chaplain
and professor of religion at
Furman University,
presented the annual Staley
Distinguished Christian
Scholar Lecture Program on
“A Christian Interpretation of
Suffering” March 26-27.
In the first of the three-
part lecture series, “Evil and
the God of Love,” Dr. Johnson
who enjoys his dual role as
pastor and teacher, dealt with
the difficult question of
goodness vs. Godness, or
“How can (one) believe in a
good God in a world like
this?” After presenting many
historical and traditional
ways of avoiding con
frontation with the concept or
issue of evil, Dr. Johnson
illustrated some explanations
of the meaning and im
plications of evil, especially as
viewed in the reward-
retribution doctrine of the Old
Testament.
He concluded, however,
that God is not removed from
man’s tragedies, but
“lovingly participates in
(man’s) suffering and grief.”
“God works with us to
take the torn, burnt fabric of
our lives and weaves it back
together to make something of
our brokenness,” Dr. Johnson
said.
Monday evening. Dr.
Johnson discussed the grief
process which is set into
motion in “response to
disruption which enters
(one’s) life through any
significant loss,” in the second
lecture, “The Nature and
Uses of Grief.” As a result of
his own experience of death in
Convocation on China
When Richard Nixon
made his historic trip to
mainland China in 1972, Ross
reuill prophesized that U.S.
relations with China would be
normalized by 1979. Everyone
laughed then, but they are not
laughing today.
Dr. Teuill, an authority on
China, will be the convocation
series sponsored lecturer
April 9th. Teuill will be
speaking at 10 a.m. in Jones
Auditorium on the topic
“China after Mao.”
Dr. Teuill has written
several books and has also
been widely published in
political science journals and
other periodicals. In 1972 be
as awarded the National
Magazine Award for
Reporting Excellence and
also the George Polk
Memorial Award for Out
standing Magazine Reporting.
His most recent book The
Future of China; Without
Mad, was published in 1978.
his immediate family, he
suggested ways that one can
help other people deal with
toeir grief and loss.
Despite the tragedy in
volved, there can be some
positive aspects of grief,
according to Dr. Johnson. It
may help man adjust to the
changes in his life, teach him
more about himself, and make
him a “wounded healer,” able
to help others.
In the final lecture, “What
Christians Believe About
Death and Resurrection,” Dr.
Johnson noted that while
modern man seeks to deny
death and many contend that
death is the end, Christian
theology offer the “good
news” of life after death.
There can be no Christian
denial of Resurrection, ac
cording to Dr. Johnson.
Through his death and
resurrection, Jesus Christ
“put death in its place,” he
said. “Death is seen in light of
resurrection... Christianity
affirms life... That is what
Christianity is all about.”
Before becoming Fur
man’s chaplain and professor
of religion in 1%7, Dr. Johnson
was pastor of the First Baptist
Church in Greenville, S.C.
Previously, he served as
pastor of the First Baptist
Church in Danville, Va. from
1942-1959 and as chairman of
the religion department at the
University of Richmond in
Virginia from 1959-1962.
Dr. Johnson, who earned
an A.B. degree at George
Washington University and
the Master of Theology and
Doctor of Theology degrees at
Southern Baptist seminary,
has written several books and
continues to write a weekly
religious (newspaper)
column.
The Staley Distinguished
Christian Scholar Lecture
Program is sponsored by the
Staley Foundation. Dr.
Johnson presented the sixth of
the series at Meredith.
Carolinas’ Psychology
Conference announced
The 1979 Carolinas’
Psychology Conference, April
6th and 7th, is co-sponsored by
Meredith College and North
Carolina State University.
This year the conference is to
be held on the NCSU campus.
Dr. Jerome Singer, Social
Psychologist, will be the
keynote speaker. The topic
that Dr. Singer will address is
“Stress, Control, and
Coping,” and he will discuss
questions such as: What is
stress? Why is it harmful?
How can you cope with it?,
and who becomes stressed?
Schedule of Events;
Friday, April 6th - 7-11 PM
(1) Registration-NCSU
Student Center. (2) Social-
Pack House, (3) Films-2nd
Floor, Student Center
Saturday, April 7th - 8:15
AM (1) Registration-NCSU
Student Center. (2) Presen
tation of Under-Graduate
Papers. (3) Films
10:30 AM - Keynote Speaker
- Dr. Jerome Singer
1:00 PM - Presentation of
Undergraduate Papers and
Films.
3-6:00 P.M. Panel
Discussions: (l) Psychology
in the Courtroom: Criminal
Insanity as Defense. (2)
Getting into Graduute School.
(3) Finding a Job with a BA in
Psychology.
The public is invited to
attend the conference. Your
interest and support will be
appreciated.