Counselor dogmatism, willingness to disclose, and clients' empathy ratings.

Assessed counselee perceptions of counselor interpersonal affectiveness, using the responses of 51 college-student counselees who evaluated 1 of 6 counselors on the Barrett-Lennard Relationship Inventory (BLRI). To test the hypothesis that the concepts of dogmatism, authoritarianism, and the closed person are synonymous, these concepts were studied in relationship to counselors' degree of disclosure by having the 6 counselors complete the BLRI and Rokeach Dogmatism Scale. Findings suggest that dogmatism is an unstable characteristic of counselors during counseling. Low-dogmatic counselors appeared to show higher levels of psychological insight during counseling than high-dogmatic counselors. It is suggested that the psychological state of the counselee may determine to a great extent the effectiveness of high-dogmatic counselors. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Conflicting perspectives on shamans and shamanism: Points and counterpoints.

Shamans' communities grant them privileged status to attend to those groups' psychological and spiritual needs. Shamans claim to modify their attentional states and engage in activities that enable them to access information not ordinarily attainable by members of the social group that has granted them shamanic status. Western perspectives on shamanism have changed and clashed over the centuries; this address presents points and counterpoints regarding what might be termed the demonic model, the charlatan model, the schizophrenia model, the soul flight model, the degenerative and crude technology model, and the deconstructionist model. Western interpretations of shamanism often reveal more about the observer than they do about the observed; in addressing this challenge, the study of shamanism could make contributions to cognitive neuroscience, social psychology, psychological therapy, and ecological psychology. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

"Perceived social support among college students: Three studies of the psychometric characteristics and counseling uses of the Social Support Inventory": Correction to Brown, Brady, Lent, Wolfert, and Hall.

Reports an error in "Perceived social support among college students: Three studies of the psychometric characteristics and counseling uses of the Social Support Inventory" by Steven D. Brown, Theresa Brady, Robert W. Lent, Jenny Wolfert and Sheila Hall (Journal of Counseling Psychology, 1987[Jul], Vol 34[3], 337-354). In Table 5, the reliable change (RC) values for Clients 1-7 on the UCLA Loneliness Scale and the College Student Satisfaction Scale were incorrect. The corrected values are presented in the erratum. In addition, a note should be added to Table 5 that reads: "Posttreatment scores used in the calculation of RC are means obtained from the sum of posttreatment and follow-up scores." (The following abstract of the original article appeared in record 1987-32914-001.) Perceived social support has been shown to relate to psychological distress and well-being. However, measurement of the construct has been limited by a failure to embed perceived support in a body of psychological theory that would suggest how perceived support is produced and modified. In three studies we assessed the psychometric characteristics and counseling uses of a theory-derived measure of perceived social support, the Social Support Inventory (SSI). Results of the first study indicated that the SSI possessed excellent internal consistency reliability and concurrent validity, and it performed in theoretically predicted ways in a series of construct validity analyses. Results of the second study suggested that the SSI may not be influenced by mood state or demand characteristics. The third study concerned a counseling intervention developed from the SSI's theoretical base. Reported outcomes are from the first 7 consecutive college student clients exposed to the intervention for difficulties in their social transition to college. We also describe the person-environment fit theory from which the SSI was derived and discuss future conceptual and research needs on the theory, instrument, and intervention. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Integrating advice and experience: Learning and decision making with social and nonsocial cues.

When making decisions, people typically gather information from both social and nonsocial sources, such as advice from others and direct experience. This research adapted a cognitive learning paradigm to examine the process by which people learn what sources of information are credible. When participants relied on advice alone to make decisions, their learning of source reliability proceeded in a manner analogous to traditional cue learning processes and replicated the established learning phenomena. However, when advice and nonsocial cues were encountered together as an established phenomenon, blocking (ignoring redundant information) did not occur. Our results suggest that extant cognitive learning models can accommodate either advice or nonsocial cues in isolation. However, the combination of advice and nonsocial cues (a context more typically encountered in daily life) leads to different patterns of learning, in which mutually supportive information from different types of sources is not regarded as redundant and may be particularly compelling. For these situations, cognitive learning models still constitute a promising explanatory tool but one that must be expanded. As such, these findings have important implications for social psychological theory and for cognitive models of learning. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Evaluating the use of exploratory factor analysis in psychological research.

Despite the widespread use of exploratory factor analysis in psychological research, researchers often make questionable decisions when conducting these analyses. This article reviews the major design and analytical decisions that must be made when conducting a factor analysis and notes that each of these decisions has important consequences for the obtained results. Recommendations that have been made in the methodological literature are discussed. Analyses of 3 existing empirical data sets are used to illustrate how questionable decisions in conducting factor analyses can yield problematic results. The article presents a survey of 2 prominent journals that suggests that researchers routinely conduct analyses using such questionable methods. The implications of these practices for psychological research are discussed, and the reasons for current practices are reviewed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Psychosocial and leadership identities among leaders of identity-based campus organizations.

In this article, we describe a qualitative study of identities of 18 college students leading identity-based campus organizations at 1 large public institution. Identity-based organizations are those registered student groups whose mission includes serving the educational, cultural, social, or other needs and interests of students from a given psychosocial identity (e.g., race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation). We observed 2 paths that students followed through their leadership experience: (1) A “parallel” path in which students experienced their psychosocial identity and their leadership identity separately, and (2) a “merged” path in which students merged these identities into a sense of being, for example, a “gay leader” or a “Latina activist.” Based on our findings that student leaders in identity-based organizations experience both psychosocial identities and leadership identities as salient—whether parallel or merged—we make recommendations for higher education practice, policy, and research. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Wallace E. Lambert (1922–2009).

On August 23, 2009, psychology lost an innovative researcher with the passing, at 86, of Wallace E. Lambert. A professor of psychology at McGill University from 1954 until 1990, Wallace (“Wally”) Lambert was among the founders of psycholinguistics and sociolinguistics. His highly productive career included contributions to social and cross-cultural psychology (intergroup attitudes, child-rearing values, and psychological consequences of living in multicultural societies), language education (the French immersion program), and bilingualism (measurement of language dominance, attitudes and motivation in second-language learning, and social, cognitive, and neuropsychological consequences of bilingualism). Indeed, because of the scope and influence of his work, Wally Lambert is widely considered the father of the psychological study of bilingualism. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Foundations of counseling and psychotherapy: Evidence-based practices in a diverse society.

Reviews the book, Foundations of counseling and psychotherapy: Evidence-based practices in a diverse society by David Sue and Diane M. Sue (2007). This book delivers a broad overview of major theories of mental health practise that is provocative and up to date. Cutting-edge research and a passionate plea for multicultural considerations make this is a unique resource for students, educators, and mental health workers. In addition, the text is clear, well written, and understandable to both novice and advanced students or practitioners. It uses a language that is both reasonable and persuasive. Commencing with a fervent rationale for evidence-based practise and empirically supported theories, the authors show the detailed progression of the discipline of psychotherapy within the context of multiculturalism and diversity. The reader is led on a journey that emphasises employing a scientist–practitioner model “with a solid sense of how the various therapeutic approaches differ—and how each can be applied in clinical practice” (p. 2). (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Putting Outcome Measurement in Context: A Rehabilitation Psychology Perspective.

This article provides an overview of topics related to health care measurement as applied to medical rehabilitation. Described are conceptual models of health outcome measurement in rehabilitation and their utility for researchers and clinicians, the application of contemporary measurement approaches to rehabilitation outcome measurement, and accrediting organizations' efforts to implement performance indicators for rehabilitation. The discussion situates participation as a key interest of rehabilitation psychologists and other stakeholders. Reviewed are examples of instruments designed to operationalize participation, advances in measurement theory, and methods that allow outcome indicators to be measured more accurately and easily, including item response theory. This introduction concludes by considering how public disclosure of outcomes can help consumers make more informed choices and help accrediting organizations' efforts to promote outcome disclosure. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Elderly patients during an ambulatory neurological consultation

To assess current trends in the disclosure of cancer, we studied patients with primary lung cancer. Ninety-nine of 101 surgical patients (98.0%) and 96 of 128 non-surgical patients (75.0%) had been informed of their illness. Family members of 2 surgical patients refused to allow disclosure due to concerns about mental intolerance. Reasons for non-disclosure to non-surgical patients ranged from rejection by family members (29 patients) to a lack of ability to understand (3 patients). No mental problems were observed after disclosure. All but 11 patients were informed of their cancers by their physicians. Decisions regarding disclosure were not related to the pathological type or clinical stage of the cancer. For example, small cell carcinoma did not influence methods of or decisions concerning disclosure. Among non-surgical patients, the frequency of disclosure decreased with aging. However, no clear-cut factor appeared to influence the disclosure of metastatic sites. Views about informed consent are still at a transitional stage in Japan. The doctrine that patients have the right to be informed of their cancers and to choose their treatment has not always been the best policy in practice. Nevertheless, it seems desirable that approaches to disclosure adequately reflect the special needs of each patient and provide as much information as possible to allow each patient to make an accurately informed decision about treatment options. Such approaches would foster better relationships between physicians and their patients and relieve physicians from pressure to tell a medical lie.     

Eurohypothec: Drafting a Common Mortgage for Europe

The virtual lack of cross-border mortgage lending in the European Union (E.U.), even before the current mortgage and financial crisis, reveals the need to adopt a pan-European mortgage instrument. This article shows how it can be structured such that a common mortgage instrument for Europe could lead to the construction of a true pan-European cross-border mortgage market. It is the so-called Eurohypothec. The model is studied following the objectives pursued by the E.U. White Paper about the integration of the E.U. mortgage credit markets and also taking into account the causes of the current mortgage and financial crisis (mainly weak legal structures of mortgage securitization processes and their control, in addition to the lack of transparency in mortgage lending). The paper also shows how operations using or based on mortgage loans can be done efficiently, securely, and transparently throughout Europe through the so-called Eurotrust. In conclusion, the writer finds out that the combination of Eurohypothec and Eurotrust is fully compliant with the E.U. White Paper. Moreover, this combination could not only help with the creation of a true pan-European mortgage market but also would help to enhance current national mortgage legislations and to make more transparent and secure several financial operations that involve mortgages.     

Smoked cocaine self-administration in females and voucher incentives for abstinence

Although some individuals are able to cope well with the challenges posed by HIV and AIDS, others experience psychological difficulties. This article reviews factors that facilitate or hinder successful coping with HIV including preexisting psychological functioning, medical health status, quality and adequacy of social support, stress-and-coping style, and perceived expected benefits of treatment. The article reviews studies evaluating the effects of group psychotherapy intervention for persons living with HIV. The article then describes clinical issues encountered in therapy groups for persons with HIV. These clinical issues include the presence of coexisting problems unrelated to HIV/AIDS, disclosure of HIV-positive serostatus to others, making changes in transmission-risk-behavior practices, AIDS-related bereavement and caregiving stress, establishing social supports, adhering to medical care regimens, and developing a positive self-identity as a person living with HIV. Practical considerations of group therapy for HIV-positive clients are also described.     

稀土企业社会责任：基于利益相关者视角

基于利益相关者理论,从稀土企业自身、政府、消费者、当地社区和舆论监督等五个方面论述了稀土企业履行社会责任的动力机制.稀土企业履行社会责任不但不违背其逐利的本质,反而会促进企业持续成长;稀土企业的自身特征也是影响企业履行社会责任的重要前因变量,而稀土企业的性质、规模、历史则是稀土企业履行社会责任的调节变量.此外,政府、消费者、当地社区和舆论监督是稀土企业履行社会责任的外部强化机制,他们也有关注稀土企业履行社会责任的动力.最后,社会责任的履行主体还在于稀土企业自身,需要提高企业家的社会责任道德水平,完善相应的法律法规和执行机制,并建立相应的社会责任信息披露机制、发挥舆论的有效监督作用.     

Chance, choice, and the future of reproduction.

Argues that the most important trend in human reproduction is the progressive dominance of choice over chance. The origin of this trend in biological evolution is identified, and its development through human history is traced. Some contemporary manifestations of this trend are described: There are 3 general strategies that people follow while making childbearing decision—terminating, sequencing, and preplanning strategies. These 3 types form a continuum and seem to follow the historical trend toward greater reproductive control. It is suggested that there is a need to understand how individuals and couples actually make childbearing decisions. To some extent, people rationally evaluate the costs and benefits of childbearing and then try to maximize satisfaction through their decisions. However, there are important nonrational elements in this process. Some of these may derive from the evolutionary newness of human decision making and can be related to the complex task faced by the human mind as it processes and integrates various cognitive, emotional, and motivational factors. The psychological effects of surrogate maternity and progenesis (selecting for or against specific characteristics in a specific offspring) are also discussed. (4 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Psychic aftershocks: Crisis counseling and disaster relief policy.

Though crisis counseling following disasters has become a commonplace in the 21st century, we have little to no sense of how and when it became part of federally supported disaster relief services. In 1974, as part of a broad overhaul of federal disaster policy, an authorization to fund counseling services, and mental health training to disaster relief workers, was inserted into the Disaster Relief Act passed in that year—despite little to no empirical evidence that such counseling was necessary or effective. As this article demonstrates, unlike the drive for community mental health programs at mid-century, federal support for disaster mental health did not come as a result of a long campaign waged from well-connected institutions. Rather, it was largely the result of local practitioners, informed by larger currents in thinking about crisis intervention, who discerned these needs in a spontaneous and ad hoc manner. Disaster mental health services came into being thanks to the flourishing of a broad network of therapeutic practitioners in places as far flung as Rapid City, South Dakota, Wilkes-Barre Pennsylvania, and Logan County, West Virginia, who implemented mental health pilot projects in response to disasters in the early 1970s. Their efforts caught the attention of journalists already attuned to therapeutic discourse, and to sympathetic national legislators, to whom the proposition that disaster victims would suffer from psychological damage simply seemed like common sense and a logical service to include as part of a general broadening of federal assistance to disaster victims. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Purpose in life as a system that creates and sustains health and well-being: An integrative, testable theory.

Purpose—a cognitive process that defines life goals and provides personal meaning—may help explain disparate empirical social science findings. Devoting effort and making progress toward life goals provides a significant, renewable source of engagement and meaning. Purpose offers a testable, causal system that synthesizes outcomes including life expectancy, satisfaction, and mental and physical health. These outcomes may be explained best by considering the motivation of the individual—a motivation that comes from having a purpose. We provide a detailed definition with specific hypotheses derived from a synthesis of relevant findings from social, behavioral, biological, and cognitive literatures. To illustrate the uniqueness of the purpose model, we compared purpose with competing contemporary models that offer similar predictions. Addressing the structural features unique to purpose opens opportunities to build upon existing causal models of “how and why” health and well-being develop and change over time. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Ethical Issues in Couple and Family Research.

Federal regulations, ethical standards, and state laws governing ethics do not adequately address important issues in couple and family research. Including multiple family members, particularly dependent minors, in research requires the special application of fundamental ethical issues, such as confidentiality, privacy, and informed consent. The sensitive, commingled nature of couple and family information necessitates clear policies about data ownership and disclosure. Researchers need to have respect for the family as a unit and to evaluate benefits versus harms for the family as well as for individuals. This article highlights areas of potential concern and ambiguity related to abuse reporting and Certificates of Confidentiality and also addresses ethical issues with observational data, intervention studies, longitudinal designs, and computer-assisted research. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A guide to understanding informed consent

Anesthesia providers are expected to provide information to the patient during the preanesthesia interview that enables the patient to make informed choices. Adequate disclosure during the informed consent process ensures the equalization of the practitioner/patient relationship and the decision-making rights of the patient. Both certified registered nurse anesthetists (CRNAs) and anesthesiologists are not only legally required to provide information that will allow a patient to make an informed judgment about how to proceed with various anesthetic modalities but are also obligated by their standards of practice. This article informs the CRNA about the principles of informed consent so that they can better understand their role in the informed consent process.     

Special care units for people with Alzheimer's disease. Only for the privileged few?

The number of Special Care Units (SCUs) for people with Alzheimer's disease (AD) in nursing homes have increased dramatically in the past 10 years. Despite the rapid increase in number of SCUs and the concern that most SCUs report higher costs than traditional nursing home units where residents with AD are integrated with cognitively intact residents, the evaluation of costs has been largely unsystematic and noncomparative. Studies are urgently needed to assess comparative costs so that administrators and policy makers can make informed decisions. This article reviews studies that examine the costs of care in SCUs and presents cost-related data comparing the outcomes of care for residents with AD on a SCU and on traditional units in one long-term care setting.