A school psychological perspective on the consulting psychology education and training principles.

States that the "Principles for Education and Training at the Doctoral and Postdoctoral Level in Consulting Psychology/Organizational" (R. L. Lowman et al, Education and Training Committee, see record 2003-04049-003) are a welcome contribution to psychology. They will be useful to faculties in school psychology programs and will assist in the conceptualization and implementation of doctoral and postdoctoral programs. The Principles are complemented for anticipating the future evolution of the field. Formative suggestions are offered to have the competencies more fully address diversity issues. The author observes that information technology has brought powerful tools to all organizations, businesses, educational institutions, and governmental agencies. The consulting psychologist should understand the potential of these tools and their liabilities. The future consulting psychologist's capacity to address complex ethical situations is also addressed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Evaluation research: A psychological perspective.

Presents a model for evaluation research from a psychological perspective that incorporates various concepts and methods, and indicates the roles in which psychologists trained in more traditional areas can contribute to evaluation research. Analysis reveals evaluation research to be a complex set of feedback processes monitoring various aspects of social change processes. These feedback mechanisms vary greatly in their level of precision and pose numerous challenges and opportunities for psychologists trained in more traditional areas. (37 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Change management and consulting in Chinese organizations.

This article discusses cultural and social conditions that influence organizational and management practices in China. These cultural and social conditions are shown to shape efforts to compete in China's emerging market as well as efforts of consultants to provide assistance to Chinese organizations. Recommendations are provided to guide consultants who wish to help Chinese organizations manage change. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Workplace mobbing and bullying: A consulting psychology perspective and overview.

Mobbing and bullying are forms of abusiveness that are of increasing concerns in the workplace. This special issue overviews various issues and interventions relevant for the practice of consulting psychology. The articles describe theoretical issues including prevalence, definitional clarity, and the influence of individual, work group, and organizational dynamics; they also describe various organizational interventions, including alternative dispute resolution, antimobbing training, and antibullying policy development. These articles and commentaries are intended to inform, provide strategies, and foster discussion of how consulting psychologists can best serve clients and client organizations that are experiencing mobbing and bullying. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Multiple personality: A social psychological perspective.

48 undergraduates were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 interview treatments that varied in the extent to which they provided cues for manifesting multiple personality and were instructed to play the role of an accused murderer throughout the interview. The most explicit treatment (Bianchi treatment) included a role-played hypnotic interview that was used in diagnosing a suspect in the "Hillside strangler" rape–murder cases as suffering from multiple personality. A less explicit hypnotic treatment and a nonhypnotic treatment were administered to the remaining role players. Most Ss in the Bianchi treatment displayed the major signs of multiple personality (e.g., adoption of a different name, spontaneous "posthypnotic" amnesia). In a later session, Ss who role played as multiple personalities performed differently on psychological tests administered separately to each role-played identity. Those who failed to enact the multiple personality role performed similarly when tested twice. Findings are discussed in terms of a social psychological formulation that emphasizes the roles of active cognizing, contextual cuing, and social legitimation in the genesis of multiple personality. (54 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Attitudes toward death: A psychological perspective.

Discusses research on death. The influencing aspect of consciousness of death is active over the entire age continuum and is not restricted to the sick, aged, suicidal, or combat soldier. The meaning of death is multidimensional and varies not only between individuals but within the same person. Dying and death possess psychological and social features and are not merely biological events. Socially repressive orientation toward death promotes neurotic concerns about it. More intimate familiarity with death is required in developmental upbringing and culture. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Gender and power in organizations: A longitudinal perspective.

This article advances a longitudinal, resource development model of power in organizations and uses it to organize a review of empirical research and related theory concerning differences between the genders in power. The review incorporates four levels of analysis—social-systems, organizational, interpersonal, and individual—and emphasizes the accumulation of resources for power at critical career transitions. Research reveals a consistent difference favoring men in accessibility to, and utility of, resources for power. It suggests that the processes involved in the development of power differ for men and women and that the path to power for women resembles an obstacle course. Implications are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A motivational model for consulting with not-for-profit organizations: A study of church growth and participation.

Applied a theory of intrinsic motivation to the counseling of churches regarding member enjoyment and involvement. The suitability of 1 of self-determination theory's assessment instruments to this type of consulting situation was also explored. Analysis of 275 questionnaires from 3 Christian churches reveals a relationship between the level of experience of 3 categories of variables (competence, relatedness, and autonomy) associated with intrinsically motivated behavior and the growth or nongrowth of church membership, attendance, and giving. Organizational behaviors found to tap into the intrinsic motivation systems of members are identified. The author suggests that an intrinsic motivation approach to consulting might be useful not only with religious bodies but also with other nonprofit groups reliant on volitional behavior. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Negative effects from psychological treatments: A perspective.

The author offers a 40-year perspective on the observation and study of negative effects from psychotherapy or psychological treatments. This perspective is placed in the context of the enormous progress in refining methodologies for psychotherapy research over that period of time, resulting in the clear demonstration of positive effects from psychological treatments for many disorders and problems. The study of negative effects—whether due to techniques, client variables, therapist variables, or some combination of these—has not been accorded the same degree of attention. Indeed, methodologies suitable for ascertaining positive effects often obscure negative effects in the absence of specific strategies for explicating these outcomes. Greater emphasis on more individual idiographic approaches to studying the effects of psychological interventions would seem necessary if psychologists are to avoid harming their patients and if they are to better understand the causes of negative or iatrogenic effects from their treatment efforts. This would be best carried out in the context of a strong collaboration among frontline clinicians and clinical scientists. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Critical conditions in infancy: A psychological perspective.

The theme is elaborated that the human infant is a psychobiological creature in whom brain–behavior relations are of paramount importance. The cerebral cortex matures at a rapid rate prenatally and immediately after birth, during which time the sensory channels are functional. The infant is capable of experiencing environmental stimulation and of learning. Experience in fact potentiates neural growth and neurobehavioral maturation. Brain–behavior relations travel a 2-way street. Adverse perinatal experiences may jeopardize later development through damaging brain and other nervous system tissues, but also through compromising the efficacy of experience. Crib death and other first-year crises may result from aberrations of behavioral development. Moreover, the conspiracies of congenital and experiential defects and hazards that eventuate in infants' learning disabilities have not been sufficiently explored as the precursors of later debilities. (44 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The pathos of power: A psychological perspective.

Discusses the ability of psychotechnology to control the fragility and pathos of the ego, which can create and validate humanity while also rationalizing cruelties and inhumanity. The negative, animalistic characteristics of man must be subordinated to the positive values of love and empathy without sacrificing creativity or selective capacities. It is proposed that a program of direct biochemical intervention be implemented to control negativistic tendencies, with compulsive criminals as pretest Ss. Ultimately, world leaders who have the nuclear power to determine the fate of humanity should be given the earliest perfected form of appropriate drugs. This requirement would control the barbaric use of power and insure that survival of the human species is not sacrificed to the personal ego pathos of powerful individuals. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The psychological organizations of Canada.

Canadian psychologists have formed no less than eighteen national or provincial organizations. This paper provides a brief historical sketch of these organizations and indicates their present status and functions. The first organizations sought to advance psychology as both a science and a profession, but most of the later-established ones developed directly or indirectly out of efforts to institute statutory control of the profession of psychology. In an addendum, an appeal is made for source material on the provincial organizations for deposit in the CPA archives. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The window on psychology's literature: A history of psychological abstracts.

With the rapid expansion of scientific information at the end of the 19th century, disciplines sought ways to keep their members abreast of the relevant research. Those pressures were felt in the science of psychology in the United States, where psychologists developed a bibliographic aid, The Psychological Index, in 1895 only a little more than a decade after G. Stanley Hall opened America's first psychology laboratory. The Index was useful but was only a listing of titles. More information was needed, which led to the development of a journal of abstracts, first published in 1927. This article traces the history of Psychological Abstracts from its origins in the Index to the evolution of the American Psychological Association's electronic information system known as PsycINFO, of which Psychological Abstracts has become an outmoded part. Nevertheless, for most of its 80 years, Psychological Abstracts was psychology's window on the world of research. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Virtually real: A psychological perspective on massively multiplayer online games.

Massively multiplayer games (MMOs) are immersive virtual three-dimensional fantasy worlds in which people cooperate and compete with each other, as well as with the computer-generated denizens of that particular game world. Although typically seen as games, their strong social aspect suggests that they are a form of online communication tool, with which players interact to form friendships, create communities, and work together to accomplish a variety of goals. After an introduction to MMOs, this review explores how social aspects of the game imitate the real world in terms of choices that players make when interacting with others. Furthermore, player-to-player interactions are examined in terms of in-game group formation and how efficient communication is imperative for goal achievement. The review also explores how leadership skills learned in-game may be transferred to real-world scenarios. The reasons why people play MMOs are examined in terms of player motivations and how aspects of game play may have both positive and negative consequences for a player's well-being. The latter half of the review describes how MMOs are used as afterschool virtual teaching environments where students can use aspects of game play to learn, for example, leadership qualities. The review concludes with recommendations for using MMOs as virtual laboratories to explore aspects of human behavior. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Illusion and well-being: A social psychological perspective on mental health.

Many prominent theorists have argued that accurate perceptions of the self, the world, and the future are essential for mental health. Yet considerable research evidence suggests that overly positive self-evaluations, exaggerated perceptions of control or mastery, and unrealistic optimism are characteristic of normal human thought. Moreover, these illusions appear to promote other criteria of mental health, including the ability to care about others, the ability to be happy or contented, and the ability to engage in productive and creative work. These strategies may succeed, in large part, because both the social world and cognitive-processing mechanisms impose filters on incoming information that distort it in a positive direction; negative information may be isolated and represented in as unthreatening a manner as possible. These positive illusions may be especially useful when an individual receives negative feedback or is otherwise threatened and may be especially adaptive under these circumstances. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Politeness and psychological distance: A construal level perspective.

According to politeness theory (P. Brown & S. Levinson, 1987), politeness serves to both reflect and regulate social distance. On the basis of this notion and on construal level theory (N. Liberman & Y. Trope, 2008; N. Liberman, Y. Trope, & E. Stephan, 2007), it was predicted that politeness would be related to abstract construal, temporal distance, and spatial distance. Eight studies supported this prediction. Politeness increased when the addressees were construed abstractly (Study 1), were temporally distant (Studies 2, 3), and were spatially distant (Study 4). It was also found that increasing politeness produced abstract construals (Study 5), greater temporal distance (Study 6), and greater spatial distance (Study 7, 8). These findings shed light on the way politeness operates in different cultures and is conveyed in different languages, and they support the idea that dimensions of psychological distance are interrelated. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Moral conduct and moral character: A psychological perspective.

Suggests that moral conduct can be explained and the development of moral character described in terms of 5 concepts or dimensions: moral knowledge, socialization, empathy, autonomy, and a dimension of moral judgment. These dimensions arise from a conception of man as a rule-formulating and rule-following animal and a view of morality as a methodology, a result of biological and cultural evolution, which regulates and moderates social conduct. Each concept is given a theoretical and an operational definition, its developmental antecedents are discussed, and evidence is provided concerning its usefulness as a means for understanding moral conduct. Finally, the model as a whole is evaluated. (52 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A history of Division 13 initiatives on education and training in consulting psychology.

Arguably, the Division of Consulting Psychology (Division 13) holds seniority status among the growing numbers of American Psychological Association (APA) divisions. Moreover Division 13 inherits a specific challenge from APA founders: to identify and ascertain which psychologists are qualified to perform as consulting psychologists. APA's 1915 Whiple Resolution first called attention to the need to differentiate professionally qualified psychological examiners and experts from consultants without scientific psychological knowledge and experience who were offering services and opinions for public consumption. The process involved identifying salient knowledge and literature, conducting demographic surveys, determining important training experiences and career settings, and cataloging types of clients and services. Interest in working as a consulting psychologist intensified division efforts to complete and disseminate guidelines for doctoral programs in consulting psychology. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The psychological organizations of Canada--Round two.

This article is presented as a potential chapter of the history of psychological organizations in Canada. The writer briefly describes the origins, the structure, the aims and membership of the Canadian University Counselling Association. In his view a substantial number of the members of C.U.C.A. could be the nucleus of a division or interest groups of C.P.A.--specifically that of Counselling Psychology. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)