The empowerment of women in school psychology: Paradoxes of success and failure.

Uses the concept of empowerment as a vehicle to discuss issues facing women in school psychology. Literature from psychology of women and social psychology concerning the influence of gender on the assumption of leadership in small groups is reviewed. To test the relevance of this literature to the experience of school psychologists-in-training, 356 consultation practicum logs of 30 doctoral school psychology trainees, and final evaluations from field supervisors were analyzed. In addition, the trainees were compared according to their ages, prior degrees, experience in psychology or education, overall grade point average (GPA), and current course performance. The 15 men and 15 women did not differ on these dimensions. Findings suggest that men and women encounter somewhat different problems in assuming positions of power or emitting leadership behavior. Research suggesting that women may behave in ways that reduce the probability of their being perceived as powerful is presented. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

On the ambiguity of concept use in psychology: Is the concept “concept” a useful concept?

We provide a historical and philosophical review of the main theories of concepts that implicitly or explicitly ground the various senses of the concept “concept” in psychology and related sciences, highlighting their respective strengths and limitations. We then consider these theories in terms of their ontology (i.e., their view of the nature/meaning of “concept”) and epistemology (i.e., their view of how concepts are acquired by individuals). This is followed by a brief summary of more current treatments and conceptualizations of concepts within psychology that seem linked, at least to some extent, by a general “received view” of sorts, according to which concepts are in some way “in the head.” We contrast this received view with a linguistic construal of concepts, according to which concepts are inextricably bound up with the terms in which they are expressed. We conclude with a consideration of the implications of the foregoing for concept research in psychology by conducting an ordinary language analysis of the concept “concept.” (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Sham reasoning, Humpty Dumpty, and the burden of proof.

Slife and Reber ask of psychologists that they recognize their prejudice against theism and the incompatibility between theistic and naturalistic worldviews. Yet, the subtext of their article is that theism and naturalism are equally valid and that psychology’s secularism is a mistake. Given that theism is not beyond reason, the only sufficient ground for charging psychologists with prejudice is if (i) theism has survived serious attempts at conceptual and empirical test, and (ii) psychology ignores or disguises this fact. So, the grounds for believing in the reality of a supernatural existent are highly relevant to the authors’ allegation. However, their concept of God affords no such grounds. They disavow the logic involved in the ordinary meaning of the term “incompatible” and they ignore a crucial distinction between conditions of existence and qualities of things or processes. The consequence is that either God is this-worldly, and there is no ontological basis to Slife and Reber’s incompatibility thesis, or God’s mode of existence is quite different from the mode of existence of ordinary things and all the problems of dualism follow. Either way, their charge of prejudice is without foundation. The burden of proof rests with the defender of theism and, for now, psychology’s secularism can be considered a mark of the discipline’s (sometimes questionable) rationality. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The mediating role of empowerment for African American women experiencing intimate partner violence.

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a significant societal problem associated with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression, which in turn can cause impairment in a variety of areas. Previous research suggests that African American women experience more frequent and severe IPV than White women, yet report fewer PTSD symptoms related to their abuse. One proposed explanation for this relationship is that African American women are more resilient due to internal coping methods such as empowerment; however, this relationship has yet to be empirically tested. The current study investigates the role of empowerment in mediating IPV-related psychological distress in a sample of African American and White battered women (N = 204). As hypothesized, personal empowerment mediated the relationships between race and PTSD and race and depression, suggesting that empowered African American women may demonstrate greater resiliency when faced with IPV. Results are discussed in terms of their implication for developing culturally sensitive empowerment-based interventions for battered women. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The organization of social action.

This review provides a comprehensive and integrated framework for the processes of social action and empowerment at the level of the individual, the group, and the community. Concepts from personality, social, community and organizational psychology are used as the basis for understanding the complex processes involved in empowerment and social action. The author found that group and organizations will interact more effectively if shared goals and values are clearly articulated and understood at all social levels. Empowerment and social action are organized and integrated in meaningful and useful ways that open up new ways of looking at social action and social organization. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Community psychology, networks, and Mr. Everyman.

Proposes and defends the separation of community psychology from clinical psychology and community mental health. The proposal is not intended to assert the superiority of one field over another but rather to demonstrate that they require different conceptual rationales to achieve their different purposes. Clinical psychology and the community mental health movement rest on theories and practices that cannot provide an understanding of a community; indeed, they stand in the way of coming to grips with the complexity of a community. The need for a "divorce" is illustrated in several ways, with particular attention paid to the potential productiveness of the concept of a network as a way of looking at and studying a community. The characteristics of a community psychologist are defined, and their similarities to the "Mr. Everyman" of historian C. Becker (1935) are stressed. (17 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The process of empowerment: A model for use in research and practice.

In this article, we propose a model of the process of empowerment. The notion of empowerment is compelling and much employed across many subfields inside and outside of psychology, but the lack of consistency in the ways prior literature has defined it is an obstacle to meaningful synthesis of findings and consistent application in practice. Our empowerment process model builds on prior work in taking the following steps: articulating empowerment as an iterative process, identifying core elements of that process, and defining the process in a way that is practically useful to both researchers and practitioners with terms that are easily communicated and applied. The components of the model are personally meaningful and power-oriented goals, self-efficacy, knowledge, competence, action, and impact. Individuals move through the process with respect to particular goals, doubling back repeatedly as experience promotes reflection. We make specific recommendations for research and practice and discuss applications to social justice. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Rehabilitation Psychology, Medical Psychology, Health Psychology, and Behavioral Medicine.

In their recent article, "The Distinctiveness of Rehabilitation Psychology," Shontz and Wright (see record 1981-26520-001) attempt to differentiate rehabilitation psychology from other areas of applied and professional psychology in health settings. Although the authors' historical recounting of early research and theory in rehabilitation psychology is informative, too little emphasis is placed on the relationship between rehabilitation psychology and "mainstream" professional psychology, particularly with regard to its health-setting applications. There appear to be more similarities than differences. The authors' argument runs full circle, namely, that rehabilitation psychology is distinct because of its philosophy, but its philosophy and "principles are valuable to psychologists in many specialties" (p. 919). The notion of involving a patient in his/her care and treatment planning also is not unique to rehabilitation psychology. Shontz and Wright state that rehabilitation psychology is not medical psychology; however, instead of defining medical psychology, they go on to talk about medical care. Medical care is not medical psychology. Further confusion is added by the statement that medical psychology should be a component of rehabilitation psychology. The authors are using medical psychology, health psychology, and behavioral medicine as if they are synonymous, when they are not. Each discipline is made distinct here. Shontz and Wright do not address what the majority of psychologists in rehabilitation do, that is, provide services. In short, although the authors complain about the unfamiliarity of rehabilitation psychology relative to the profession as a whole, their article does little to promote rehabilitation psychology as an area of interest important to professional psychologists in health care and/or rehabilitation. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A competence paradigm for psychological practice.

A competence approach to clinical and preventive interventions is offered as an alternative to defect-based or cognitive-rationalist models. A competence paradigm is more securely rooted in modern evolutionary theory and receives strong empirical support from clinical psychology, preventive psychology, and developmental psychopathology. Psychology should become the science and practice of the identification and promotion of adaptationally significant competencies. By embedding individual problems in a sociopsychological matrix the construct can serve to rally psychologists around the goal of advocating for the personal empowerment of all individuals. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Ideographic Concept Mapping in Counseling Psychology Research: Conceptual Overview, Methodology, and an Illustration.

This article provides an overview of the research approach called concept mapping at conceptual, methodological, and practical levels. The relevance of the approach to counseling psychology research is discussed, and the approach is located conceptually in the realm of qualitative methods available to counseling psychology researchers. To illustrate ideographic concept mapping, the authors collect, present, and discuss data from 2 psychologists regarding their conception of the scientist-practitioner construct. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Textbook of psychology (fourth edition).

Reviews the book, Textbook of psychology (fourth edition) by Donald O. Hebb and Don Donderi (see record 1987-97530-000). Before his death in August 1985, Hebb presided over a new revision of his classic introductory psychology text. The third edition of Hebb's book was published by W. B. Saunders in 1972, and more than one attempt had since been made to get a fourth edition published. With the help of D. C. Donderi, this new edition is now in print. This edition is largely an expansion and updating of the 1972 edition. The same topics are treated in the same order as before, but with frequent editing and with more recent material now included. For readers unfamiliar with Hebb's textbooks, they define psychology as the study of behaviour, and behaviour is seen as the product of brain activity. Brain activity in turn is understood by reference to Hebb's concept of the cell assembly. This Hebb and Donderi text is one of the few introductory psychology textbooks that employs a personal perspective on Psychology, and unifies the teaching of that topic by continued reference to one major theoretical concept. There is nowhere in their text any discussion of existing data or theory which might be thought to be incompatible with cell assembly theory. Nor is there any discussion of possible limits to the generalization or the operationalization of the cell assembly idea. Their text does tell students that theories do not last, and that enduring truths are not to be expected in science. Yet students are left with the strong impression that it is very unlikely the basic premises of cell assembly thinking will ever in the future be changed more than slightly. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Counseling psychology, clinical psychology, and human services psychology: Where the twain shall meet?

Comments on the proposal by L. H. Levy et al (see record 1984-27507-001) for a new charter for clinical psychology—human services psychology. Current trends suggest that both clinical and counseling psychology are becoming eclectic and health oriented. Clinical psychology appears to be becoming more involved in community psychology and to be tempering its remedial role with the preventive role. Counseling psychology appears to be becoming less involved in its vocational and preventive roles and more involved in the remedial role. It is concluded that clinical and counseling psychology have come to be increasingly similar and could be integrated into a human services psychology. (38 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Ages, stages, and the naturalization of human development.

Proposes that a behavioral analysis will contribute greatly to the resolution of 5 issues confronting the field of child development. 2 of these problems concern external systematic problems: (1) the relationship between general experimental psychology and the field of developmental psychology, and (2) the relationship between developmental psychology and psychology of learning and conditioning. 3 relate to internal systematic issues: (1) the problem of empirical criteria for the establishment of developmental stages, (2) the concept of the longitudinal method which would include experimental analyses, and (3) the relationship between the principles of developmental psychology and their application to child-rearing practices, early education, and remediation. (32 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Evaluation of United States of America psychology by the "four-years-absent" method.

Criticisms are leveled at psychology in the United States: (a) psychology, both as a discipline and as a profession is vague; (b) psychology lacks goals; (c) psychology is fragmented—the specialities are isolated from each other with little effective inter-communication; (d) psychology appears to be angry—the profession lacks harmony; (e) psychology is insecure—we have a status problem; (f) psychologists suffer from inbreeding—their views are often narrow; (g) psychology lacks tradition; (h) psychology has no modern heroes; and (i) psychologists have surrendered—not only do we lack a concept of self, but "we do not seem to seek one within the framework of our profession." Remedies are suggested. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Performance psychology in action: A casebook for working with athletes, performing artists, business leaders, and professionals in high-risk occupations.

Reviews the book, Performance psychology in action: A casebook for working with athletes, performing artists, business leaders, and professionals in high-risk occupations edited by Kate F. Hays (see record 2009-05799-000). Kate Hays has accomplished an admirable task in bringing together a collective of prominent performance practitioners to illustrate the diverse applications of performance psychology. Drawing on specific client examples from across a variety of performance domains, the authors use a case study approach to illustrate the process of helping clients work through a range of performance issues. In doing so, the book offers its readers the privileged opportunity of being a fly on the wall, placing them in the room with the performance practitioners and their clients. In addition, readers also benefit from the running commentary offered by each of the authors as they elaborate on their client assessments and chosen courses of action. In terms of scope, the book explores four performance domains: sports, performing arts, business, and high-risk occupations. The book is practical in nature, providing a snapshot of the practise of performance psychology. I would not, however, call this a “how-to” book. Rather, it is an illustration of how one can apply the principles of performance psychology when working with a varied clientele. Regarding its place in an academic setting, I would recommend that the book be used as a companion to texts that are more heavily weighted in theory and research. Paired with such texts, this book could serve to bridge the science–practise gap and also to demystify the intervention process for psychology students. Because the book presumes prior knowledge of therapeutic principles, it may be more suited to practitioners who are curious about performance psychology. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Increasing self-efficacy through empowerment: preoperative education for orthopaedic patients

PURPOSE: To examine whether patients who received an empowerment model of education for preoperative orthopaedic teaching had improved outcomes compared to patients who received the traditional education. DESIGN: An experimental (empowerment teaching method) group vs. comparison (traditional teaching method) group posttest design. SAMPLE: Seventy-four patients undergoing elective orthopaedic surgery. METHODS: Following the preoperative teaching session, patients in both groups completed a questionnaire designed to measure their perceptions of the teaching (empowerment) and self-efficacy (belief in their ability to carry out perioperative tasks). A chart audit and phone interview was done after discharge to assess length of stay, pain management, complications, and patient perceptions of the ability to complete perioperative tasks. FINDINGS: Patients in the empowerment group felt the educational approach was more empowering and had significantly higher self-efficacy scores than those in the traditional teaching group. There was much less variation in empowerment and self-efficacy scores in the empowerment group. The empowerment group reported feeling greater confidence in performing perioperative tasks. There were no differences in length of stay, complications or pain control. CONCLUSION: Use of an empowerment teaching approach enabled patients to become more confident in their ability to carry out perioperative tasks and become a more integral part of the preoperative teaching process. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING RESEARCH: The theoretical model will be used to structure other educational programs and guide research. More sensitive measures of complications and pain control should be considered for future studies.     

Melba J. T. Vasquez: Award for Distinguished Senior Career Contributions to the Public Interest.

Announces Melba J. T. Vasquez as a recipient of the Award for Distinguished Senior Career Contributions to the Public Interest for 2002. A biographical statement is included, along with major works and contributions for the field. Vasquez received this award for scholarship, teaching, service delivery, and professional leadership activities which reflect commitment to issues of empowerment, justice, and equality for all members of society. Vasquez has been involved in promoting the increase of ethnic minority and gender representation in all aspects of psychology. Her work has been in the areas of ethnic minority psychology, psychology of women, professional ethics, and teaching and training. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Traits, tests, and personality research.

Skepticism regarding the utility of personality tests seems widespread in contemporary personality, clinical, and social psychology. Five sources of this skepticism can be identified. First, the trait concept has been widely criticized in the recent literature; since tests are assumed to measure traits, their role in developing psychological theory is also questioned. Second, it is frequently claimed that tests simply don't work very well, that social behavior is largely a function of situational constraints. Third, current enthusiasm for experimental research tends to minimize the importance of individual differences and the tests that are used to assess them. Fourth, behavior therapy and labeling theory have encouraged the view that tests are irrelevant as adjuncts to psychotherapy. Finally, the ease with which test data can be collected encourages mindless research. Each of these issues is reviewed, and arguments are presented to suggest that personality assessment continues to be an intellectually and scientifically defensible enterprise. (70 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Reflections on "Professionalism within school psychology."

Discusses T. D. Oakland's (see record 1987-13985-001) concerns about professionalism in school psychology, which are interpreted as centering on problems of school psychologists' morale and pride in their work and in their identity. Based on the suggestion that many of these problems may be due to school psychology being too narrowly defined to allow its practitioners sufficient professional mobility and opportunities to apply all their knowledge and skills, the concept of human services psychology is proposed as a framework within which the solution to these and other problems cited by Oakland may be found. (9 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The psychology of thinking before the cognitive revolution: Otto Selz on problems, schemas, and creativity.

Otto Selz has been hailed as one of the most important precursors of the cognitive revolution, yet surprisingly few studies of his work exist. He is often mentioned in the context of the Würzburg School of the psychology of thinking and sometimes in the context of Gestalt psychology. In this paper, it is argued that Selz’s emphasis on the role of problems and schemas in the direction of thought processes and creativity sets him apart from the program of the Würzburg School. On the other hand, by developing a theory of thinking that is exclusively at the intentional level, Selz also differs from psychologists that take physics as a model for psychology, such as the Gestalt psychology of Wolfgang K?hler. Special emphasis is given in this paper to Selz’s use of the concept of problem or task and the concept of the schema. It is further argued that the concept of the schema is the result of Selz’s adaptation of the theory of relations as developed by the philosopher Meinong. The paper begins with a sketch of Selz’s life that ended so tragically. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)