The underdevelopment of health of working America: causes, consequences and possible solutions

This article presents the health conditions of working America, and provides an analysis of the causes of that situation. It is postulated that the main health problems in the U.S. are due not to prevalent life styles-as the behavioralists indicate-but to the dramatic maldistribution of economic and political power in our society, with the absence of control by the majority of the U.S. population-the working and lower-middle classes-over the work process with which they are involved, the economic wealth that they produce, and the political institutions that they pay for. The production of goods and wealth as well as the political institutions of the United States are dominated and controlled by a minority of our population-the corporate and upper-middle classes. Empirical information is presented to support this postulate. In light of this explanation, it is asserted that a major public health task is to deliberately and actively contribute to the political mobilization of forces aimed at bringing about profound changes in the pattern of control of our working insitutions and of the distribution of wealth and political power, changes which seek to shift that control from the few to the many.     

Epilepsy in older adults: causes, consequences and treatment

OBJECTIVES: Seizures and epilepsy are common problems in older adults. Although, the highest incidence of seizures and epilepsy occurs in individuals more than 65 years of age, the magnitude of this public health problem, and its consequences on the quality of life of older adults, are not appreciated. Moreover, there is no consensus on the most appropriate way to diagnose or manage epilepsy in this population. This report reviews the current literature on all aspects of epilepsy in older people. DESIGN/METHODS: The medical literature was reviewed for all articles pertaining to pathophysiology, diagnosis, and treatment of epilepsy in older people. RESULTS: Epidemiology, etiology, diagnosis, use of diagnostic tests including EEG and imaging, new medical and surgical treatments, and psychosocial issues as they relate to older epilepsy patient are discussed. Several questions that merit future systematic investigation are presented. CONCLUSION: Seizures and epilepsy in older people are much more common than is generally known. There are unique issues related to this population with regard to diagnosis and treatment. Several new medical and surgical therapies are now available for all epilepsy patients, some of which may be helpful for the older epilepsy patient.     

Many hands make light the work: The causes and consequences of social loafing.

As reported in summary form by W. Moede (1927), an unpublished study found that in a rope-pulling task, while collective group performance increased somewhat with group size, it was less than the sum of the individual efforts (IE). IE decreased as group size increased. The present 2 experiments with 84 undergraduates investigated this effect using clapping and shouting tasks. Results replicate the earlier findings. The decrease in IE, which is here called social loafing, is in addition to losses due to faulty coordination of group efforts. The experimental generality, theoretical importance, widespread occurrence, and negative social consequences of social loafing are examined, along with ways of minimizing it. (26 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Peer victimization among schoolchildren: Correlations, causes, consequences, and considerations in assessment and intervention.

Peer victimization among schoolchildren is a common problem that predicts serious maladjustment. In this article, the authors define peer victimization, provide a brief overview of the history of research on the topic, and review prevalence rates, common measurement approaches, and the correlates of peer victimization. This review leads to recommendations for empirically based assessment and intervention. Finally, the authors highlight directions for future research. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Occupational stress: Its causes and consequences for job performance.

Examined occupational stress and its relation with individual characteristics, job conditions, stressful events, affect, and job performance. Study 1, in which 104 nurses participated in group discussions and 96 nurses (mean age 36 yrs) completed a questionnaire, identified 45 stressful events (appended) for nurses. In Study 2, 171 nurses (mean age 34.6 yrs) completed another questionnaire and were rated by a supervisor and/or a coworker. Findings show that ratings of interpersonal aspects of job performance (i.e., sensitivity, warmth, consideration, tolerance) and cognitive/motivational aspects (i.e., concentration, composure, perseverance, adaptability) correlated significantly with self-reported perceptions of stressful events, subjective stress, depression, and hostility. Models developed through path analysis suggest that the frequency and subjective intensity of the 45 events identified in Study 1 caused feelings of stress, leading to depression and causing decrements in interpersonal and cognitive/motivational aspects of job performance. (43 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Positive affect, intuition, and feelings of meaning.

Subjective rationality, or the feeling of meaning, was identified by William James (1893) as a central aspect of the non-sensory fringe of consciousness. Three studies examined the interaction of positive affect (PA) and individual differences in intuitive information processing in predicting feelings of meaning for various stimuli and life events. In Study 1 (N = 352), PA and intuition interacted to predict understanding for ambiguous quotes and abstract artwork. In Study 2 (N = 211), similar interactions were found for feelings of meaning for fans after their football team lost a conference championship game and for individuals not directly affected by Hurricane Katrina in events surrounding the hurricane. In Study 3 (N = 41), induced PA interacted with individual differences in intuition in predicting accuracy for coherence judgments for loosely related linguistic triads. Intuitive individuals in the positive mood condition recognized coherent triads more accurately than did other participants. Results are discussed in terms of the role of individual differences in intuitive information processing in the relationship of PA to cognition. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The discrepancy-attribution hypothesis: II. Expectation, uncertainty, surprise, and feelings of familiarity.

In the accompanying article (B. W. A. Whittlesea and L. D. Williams, see record 2000-14052-001), surprising violation of and expectation was observed to cause an illusion of familiarity. The authors interpreted that evidence as support for the discrepancy-attribution hypothesis. This article extended the scope of that hypothesis, investigating the consequences of surprising validation of expectations. Ss were shown recognition probes as completions of sentence stems. Their expectations were manipulated by presenting predictive, nonpredictive, and inconsistent stems. Predictive stems caused an illusion of familiarity, but only when the Ss also experienced uncertainty about the outcome. That is, as predicted by the discrepancy-attribution hypothesis, feelings of familiarity occurred only when processing of a recognition target caused surprise. The article provides a discussion of the ways in which a perception of discrepancy can come about, as well as the origin and nature of unconscious expectation. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Lipid peroxidation: a review of causes, consequences, measurement and dietary influences

In this review the process of lipid peroxidation and the atherogenicity of peroxidied lipids are discussed. Recent findings with regard to the effect of selected dietary factors on susceptibility of lipids to oxidative stress and on antioxidant defences are analysed with particular reference to their potential use in the prevention and treatment of atherogenesis and, by extension, coronary heart disease. Laboratory methods of assessing antioxidant defences, lipid peroxidation and the effects of lipid peroxidation are also reviewed and discussed with particular reference to their ability to assess in vivo oxidative stress and lipid peroxidation status. A range of oxidative stress indices are presented and their limitations discussed, but the main focus is on the most commonly used laboratory test for lipid peroxidation, the thiobarbituric acid reacting substances (TBARS) test. Finally, the influence of selected dietary factors on measured peroxidation status is discussed, with particular reference to the antioxidant vitamins C (ascorbic acid) and E (alpha tocopherol) and the type of fatty acids (mono- and poly-unsaturated) in the diet.     

The management of sexual feelings in therapy.

This research project examined the incidence, experience, salient features, and management of sexual attraction between psychologists and clients and assessed 386 American Psychological Association member psychologists who work in university counseling centers. Only 12% reported never having been attracted to any client, and 96% never had acted out sexually against a client. Almost half reported that their feelings of attraction benefited the therapy process, and 43% reported negative consequences. 60% sought consultation or supervision to discuss this attraction. The results of this study support the need for increased awareness and education in this area. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

An overview of the nature, causes, and consequences of abusive family relationships: Toward differentiating maltreatment and violence.

Despite gaps in research, this review argues for distinguishing family maltreatment from family violence, a differentiation between minimal or moderate abuse and serious endangerment, physical injury, or sexual violation. Most acts now defined as violent or abusive are moderate, and stressful life circumstances contribute to their development. Research suggests that abuse may develop through multiple pathways. The consequences of abuse appear to be general, but more commonalities may be found by examining more subtle and complex effects. Many interventions have attempted to prevent or treat family violence and its consequences, and several show promise. More systematic research is needed, but several changes in intervention seem warranted now. For instance, (a) mental health professionals should not be required to report maltreatment while a family is engaged in therapy; (b) the social service system needs to rediscover its roots in supporting families under stress, including in cases of moderate maltreatment; and (c) swift and decisive legal intervention is needed in cases of serious family violence. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Sexual feelings, fantasies, and acting out in psychotherapy.

Examined the unconscious meanings of sexual feelings and sexual acting out in therapy from a psychodynamic point of view. The related literature on the ethical, legal, political, and theoretical aspects of sex in therapy is summarized. The major assumption of the present paper is that acting out frequently results from the therapist's failure to understand that sexual feelings are fairly common products of therapy as well as metaphors for the expression of nonsexual issues. The discussion is based on the general principles of psychoanalytic theory and observation of clients who were involved in sexual intimacies with former therapists. Technical guidelines—derived from the theory—to avoid sexual entanglements with patients are presented. (46 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Amnesia, feelings of knowing, and the guilty knowledge test.

A rating technique measuring feelings of knowing and a guilty knowledge polygraph test were used to distinguish between laboratory Ss who were either simulating amnesia or were genuinely amnesic to information contained in an account of a rape. Ss were 40 university students. Each S denying knowledge of an item rated from 1 to 7 the likelihood of recalling the item if given more time, a hint, or the item amongst similar items. In a 2nd interview with the polygraph, questions of which that S had denied memory were asked. Analyses revealed no differences between the feeling-of-knowing ratings given by genuine or simulating amnesics but found that skin resistance changes occurred more frequently to critical items on the guilty knowledge test with simulators than with those who were genuinely amnesic. (French abstract) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The discrepancy-attribution hypothesis: I. The heuristic basis of feelings and familiarity.

B. W. A. Whittlesea and D. L. Williams (see records 1998-02991-002 and 2000-03416-001) proposed the discrepancy-attribution hypothesis to explain the source of feelings of familiarity. By that hypothesis, people chronically evaluate the coherence of their processing. When the quality of processing is perceived as being discrepant from that which could be expected, people engage in an attributional process; the feeling of familiarity occurs when perceived discrepancy is attributed to prior experience. In the present article, the authors provide convergent evidence for that hypothesis and show that it can also explain feelings of familiarity for nonlinguistic stimuli. They demonstrate that the perception of discrepancy is not automatic but instead depends critically on the attitude that people adopt toward their processing, given the task and context. The connection between the discrepancy-attribution hypothesis and the "revelation effect" is also explored (e.g., D. L. Westerman and R. L. Greene, see record 1996-05780-006). (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The phenomenology of false memories: Episodic content and confidence.

Three experiments investigated the phenomenology of false memories in J. D. Bransford and J. J. Franks's (1971) semantic integration paradigm using Remember–Know judgments and confidence ratings. Findings included high rates of Remember false alarms that increased with greater integrative demands, a dissociation between Remember and Know judgments in the standard Bransford and Franks condition, and similar patterns of Remember and Know judgments in a condition where semantic integrative processes were weakened. Confidence ratings were consistently higher for Remember judgments except where integrative processes were greatest. These results are discussed in terms of the phenomenology of true and false memory for episodes. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The source of feelings of familiarity: The discrepancy-attribution hypothesis.

Many investigators have observed that the feeling of familiarity is associated with fluency of processing. The authors demonstrated a case in which the feeling of familiarity did not result from fluency per se; they argued that it resulted instead from perceiving a discrepancy between the actual and expected fluency of processing (B. W. A. Whittlesea & L. D. Williams, 1998). In this article, the authors extend that argument. They observed that stimuli that are experienced as strongly familiar when presented in isolation are instead experienced as being novel when presented in a rhyme or semantic context. They interpreted that result to mean that in those other contexts, the subjects brought a different standard to bear in evaluating the fluency of their processing. This different standard caused the subjects to perceive their performance not as discrepant, but as coherent in one case and incongruous in the other. The authors suggest that the perception of discrepancy is a major factor in producing the feeling of familiarity. They further suggest that the occurrence of that perception depends on the task in which the person is engaged when encountering the stimulus, because that task affects the standard that the person will apply in evaluating their processing. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Role-specific feelings of control and mortality.

The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of 2 different measures of personal control on mortality in late life. The 1st reflects control over the 3 roles that are most important to elderly study participants. The 2nd is a global measure that assesses control over life as a whole. Data provided by a nationwide survey of older adults (N?=?884) indicate that feelings of control over the single most important role significantly reduce the odds of dying. In contrast, control over the 2nd and 3rd most important roles are not related to mortality, nor are feelings of control over life as a whole. The theoretical implications of these findings are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Husserl revisited: The forgotten distinction between psychology and phenomenology.

Argues that as phenomenology attracts growing attention in current psychology, it is increasingly important for psychologists to understand that phenomenology encompasses much more than a mere appreciation for subjective self-report data. The ideas of E. Husserl, the so-called founder of phenomenology, are reexamined to enlighten psychologists about phenomenology's contrasting approach to the study of consciousness. Whereas psychology studies actual subjective responses to actual environmental events (empirical data), phenomenology studies the essential character of consciousness in meaning-conferring acts (essential knowledge). Husserl proposed phenomenology as a positive alternative to the experimental methods of the new scientific psychology. Husserl believed phenomenology was needed to clarify the essential, but unanalyzed, pre-understandings of mental phenomena that guide psychology's experimental investigations. (36 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A clarification of Heidegger's phenomenology.

Comments on the article "Psychology and Phenomenology: A Clarification" by H. H. Kendler (see record 2005-05480-003). This article calls for clarifications regarding its characterization of Heideggerian phenomenology. Kendler drew on his admittedly "limited understanding" (p. 322) of Heidegger and rested his critique upon a critical confusion that pervaded his presentation--a confusion of the ontological and ontic dimensions of Heidegger's work. In his depiction of authenticity as an objective set of values that form "a universal ethical system that is right for all humanity" (Kendler, 2005, p. 321), Kendler made the mistake of taking an ontological structure to instead prescribe an ontically particular way of living these structures out. Beyond the confusion of ontological structure with ontic particulars, Kendler's (2005) characterization of phenomenological inquiry as "naive" calls for a response. Indeed, whether one agrees with the epistemology of the co-constitution of phenomena or not, the epistemological rigor with which phenomenological psychologists consider approach--a term which "denote[s] the ways a science's basic presuppositions are intimately interrelated with the content it takes up and the methods it evolves" (von Eckartsberg, 1998, p. 4)--belies this charge (see also Giorgi, 1970, 1985; Giorgi & Giorgi, 2003). (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)