On resolving differences.

Discusses the need for mechanisms to resolve conflicts among psychologists, which are likely to increase as more psychologists take on advocacy positions in situations of power conflict and social and political argument. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

An Oath to End Oaths.

Psychologists, like other scientists and scholars, have been properly alarmed at recent and ongoing challenges to academic freedom and civil liberties and at the haze of anti-intellectualism that threatens to fog the nation's vision. One possibility that has so far been overlooked is that of developing a statement of positive political and social principles to which psychologists and others concerned with thought and investigation could subscribe. Such a step would serve three functions. First, it would indicate to the public what scholars and scientists stand for as contrasted with statements that can be too readily interpreted as reflecting only opposition to encroachments on their own professional operations. Second, it would properly represent scholars and scientists as actively concerned within their own groups with the issue of loyalty to the democratic principles of America. Finally, it would provide courageous administrators with a weapon to use against the abuses of investigative power from whatever source. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Participation in Social Action.

Comments on the M. Krim article (see record 1963-04092-001), which discusses the participation of psychologists in demonstrations and social activism. While it is held to be acceptable for psychologists to participate in these actions as individuals, the author argues that it is not acceptable for psychologists to participate as psychologists, with explicit or implicit indication that psychological science is responsible for the social or political views of the psychologist. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The accidental politician.

The author describes his journey to political office, with a focus on the ways in which training and experience as a clinical psychologist have benefited and hindered his political work. He believes that psychologists have skills needed in legislatures to address difficult public problems. Psychologists' desire for scientifically based information, their training in ethics, and their capacity to view that information from several points of view make them very valuable as problem definers and solvers in a political context. The author encourages other psychologists to run for office. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Some observations on the ideology of professional psychologists.

"Analysis of the value position of psychologists starts with an examination of certain of the intellectual postulates and biases of modern psychology. These contribute to what I call the ideology of professional psychologists… . Modern psychology derives its particular orientations in good measure from the social context of American life. The ideology of professional psychology, I shall argue, is linked to the antiphilosophical, antihistorical, narrowly means-oriented and optimistic character of much American thought and culture." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Just because you're imaging the brain doesn't mean you can stop using your head: A primer and set of first principles.

Developments within the neurosciences, cognitive sciences, and social sciences have contributed to the emergence of social neuroscience. Among the most obvious contemporary developments are brain-imaging procedures such as functional magnetic resonance imaging. The authors outline a set of first principles designed to help make sense of brain-imaging research within the fields of cognitive and social neuroscience. They begin with a principle few would debate--that social cognition, emotion, and behavior involve the brain--but whose implications might not be entirely obvious to those new to the field. The authors conclude that (a) complex aspects of the mind and behavior will benefit from yet a broader collaboration of neuroscientists, cognitive scientists, and social scientists, and (b) social psychologists bring important theoretical, methodological, and statistical expertise to this interdisciplinary enterprise. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Characterological Psychology and the German Political Economy in the Weimar Period (1919-1933).

In the mid-1920s, applied (and theoretical) psychologists in many countries turned from studying elementary abilities to studying character or personality. This article examines this shift within the offices of the German labor administration, which aimed to place all German youths in appropriate jobs. Contrary to recent works on the history of psychology, which have emphasized the importance of cultural context, this article explains the turn to characterology in terms of German industry's evolving production strategies. As German companies developed a niche in flexible production, they came to value the highly skilled worker, who needed such character qualities as reliability, diligence, and conscientiousness. The article thus argues that historical analyses of applied, and perhaps even theoretical, psychology should also consider political economy as a potentially important context. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Consumer psychology as a social psychological sphere of action.

Brings to the attention of social psychologists the fact that contemporary consumer psychology is essentially social psychology utilized in a specific context, and attempts to stimulate a few social psychologists to engage in social-consumer psychological research. Consumer behavior and consumer psychology are defined and distinguished from each other, and 10 bases for justifying greater social psychological involvement in consumer research are elaborated. This involvement is considered to contribute to the development of both social psychology and the social psychologists who become so involved. (70 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The triumph of the segregationists? A historiographical inquiry into psychology and the Brown litigation.

Psychologists testified at the trials of Brown v. Board of Education and helped write briefs that were submitted to the Supreme Court on appeal. Psychologists were once proud of what they did in Brown but are now seen as liberal reformers who masked their political wishes in the guise of social science. The argument that psychologists involved with Brown were social reformers rather than objective scientists dates to the segregationist critique of Brown. The author traces the history of the critique of the Brown psychologists from its segregationist origins to its acceptance by mainstream social scientific and historical scholars. The author concludes that the critique is based on a misreading of what the Brown psychologists did during the litigation. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Gratitude as moral sentiment: Emotion-guided cooperation in economic exchange.

Economic exchange often pits options for selfish and cooperative benefit against one another. Decisions favoring communal profit at the expense of self-interest have traditionally been thought to stem from strategic control aimed at tamping down emotional responses centered on immediate resource acquisition. In the present article, evidence is provided to argue against this limited view of the role played by emotion in shaping prosociality. Findings demonstrate that the social emotion gratitude functions to engender cooperative economic exchange even at the expense of greater individual financial gains. Using real-time inductions, increased gratitude is shown to directly mediate increased monetary giving within the context of an economic game, even where such giving increases communal profit at the expense of individual gains. Moreover, increased giving occurred regardless of whether the beneficiary was a known individual or complete stranger, thereby removing the possibility that it stemmed from simple awareness of reciprocity constraints. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Are politics for you?

This article, developed both from comments made by the author at the Practice Directorate's 1995 State Leadership Conference and from a submitted article, discusses the pros and cons of a psychologist serving in a state legislature and how the training of a psychologist helps and hinders legislative performance. The author challenges psychologists to run for political office, suggesting that in a time of such rapid social and political change as the United States is currently experiencing, psychologists have the skills and caring to make significant, positive, and needed legislative changes for the present and future of one's state, one's profession, and oneself. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Access to justice for deaf Inuit in Nunavut: The role of "Inuit sign language."

Presents a personal perspective on the issue of access to justice (in the context of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms) for the deaf Inuit population of Canada's newest Territory—Nunavut. The author's experience in assessing a deaf Inuit in Baker Lake R v. Suwarak (1999) who apparently had no known language, followed an earlier Nova Scotia case R v. Roy (1994) which involved a deaf man who could not hear, speak or use sign language. In the case of Suwarak, the possibility was raised that an indigenous form of sign language, tentatively termed "Inuit Sign Language" was being used. The results of a preliminary study of the status of signed languages in Nunavut based on field visits and interactions with deaf people and their families in 3 communities is described. The possibility that "Inuit Sign Language" exists is discussed within the framework of various theories of language development and also within the context of earlier literature which indicates that many Aboriginal communities had (and possibly still have) flourishing signed languages. Finally, the need for increased research by psychologists on the complex linguistic environment of deaf persons in Nunavut is emphasized. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Across the Secretary's Desk: Psychology, Psychiatry, and Legislation in New York.

Item discusses the opposition of psychologists in New York State against restrictive legislation. On February 8, a bill to revise the State Medical Practices Act to include "diagnosis and treatment of mental disorders" was introduced into the Senate of New York State. The bill, as psychologists will appreciate, springs from general social and sociological developments having differential effects on psychologists and psychiatrists and impinging differentially on the social philosophies of the medical and psychological professions. The bill also springs from other more intimately political processes. The column discusses responses to the bill and the legislative process involved. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Professional practice out of the urban context: Defining Canadian rural psychology.

There is an often unacknowledged difference between urban and rural practice in psychology which lacks clarity, in part, because of the lack of a common definition of rurality. Rural psychology in Canada presents complex and nuanced aspects of professional practice. The professional and social milieus of rural communities position the practising psychologist within a context that may differ vastly from urban settings. The rural context highlights the need to define this specific practice setting. This paper proposes a tentative definition of rural Canadian professional practice in psychology. This is meant to elucidate the distinct practice, training, and ethical considerations that may be the realities of the psychologists who are in professional practice in rural Canada. Rural professional practice is unique and Canadian training programs are urban-based. Training of future psychologists needs to acknowledge the unique features of rural practice to meet our obligations to students specifically and to rural Canadians generally. This is enhanced with a shared definition of rural professional practice in psychology. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Affiliations of psychologists elected to the National Academy of Sciences.

The few psychologists (mostly experimental psychologists) who are members of the prestigious National Academy of Sciences (NAS) form an atypical group within the discipline. The limited representation of other specializations in NAS is discussed in the context of the electoral system by which new members are sponsored, evaluated, and endorsed by existing members. It is argued that at least for election to NAS, affiliation has operated as a hidden criterion by being used, in addition to research achievement, to determine which psychologists will gain recognition and reward. (16 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Recontextualizing Kenneth B. Clark: An afrocentric perspective on the paradoxical legacy of a model psychologist–activist.

Kenneth B. Clark, whose scientific and political legacy has been the subject of controversy over the years, is presented as an important model of Afrocentric scientific praxis. Key characteristics of the Afrocentric scholar are outlined. Using Clark's academic and nonacademic writings as evidence, it is argued that Clark, though complex, exemplifies these characteristics. Clark's profound yet at times obscure vision of integration and his views on the role of empathy and respect in education are presented in detail. Clark's life and work are then reexamined and recast through the lens of W. E. Cross's (1971, 1991) nigrescence model and the political–historical lens of the 2-phase Black social movement. It is concluded that academicians interested in promoting diversity, particularly within the social sciences, as well as psychologists looking for models of activist praxis, examine and learn from the life and work of Clark. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Child health policy: Next steps for psychology.

Indicates that developments within pediatric psychology and health psychology, as well as increased focus on prevention in psychology and allied health fields, have enhanced the engagement of psychologists in the child and adolescent health care field. Psychologists committed to the promotion of children's health should look toward a broader social context and identify organizational arrangements that will achieve a better integration of mental and general health care. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Who must do the hard things?

Discusses the American Psychological Association's (APA's) debate regarding the appropriateness of taking stands on social issues. It is concluded that such action has been feared because it was thought to reduce psychology's credibility, both as a science and as a profession. Several proposals regarding ways in which psychologists might become more active as social advocates are reviewed. The importance of involving minority groups and women at every level in APA's governance structure is stressed. It is urged that APA address itself to social issues and thereby enhance its image. (16 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The Politics of Emotion in Everyday Life: "Appropriate" Emotion and Claims on Identity.

Emotions have a political dimension in that judgments regarding when and how emotion should be felt and shown are interpreted in the interests of regulating the organization and functioning of social groups. This article argues that claims to authenticity and legitimacy of one's self-identity or group identity are at stake in the everyday politics of emotion. A brief discussion of the study of sex differences in the 19th century illustrates how emotion politics can saturate even scientific inquiry. Three ways in which there is a political dimension to socially appropriate emotion in contemporary life are then discussed: (a) Is the emotion the "wrong" emotion for the situation? (b) How are competing standards for emotional experience and expression managed? and (c) What constitutes the boundary between "too much" and "too little" emotion? The author concludes by considering the relevance of emotion politics to research on emotion. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Coherence in thought and action.

Reviews the book, Coherence in thought and action by Paul Thagard (see record 2001-16098-000). This volume is a comprehensive presentation of the latest work of Paul Thagard and his research group on coherence theory, an area of inquiry to which the author has made ground-breaking contributions for over a decade. Coherence theory is a peculiar synthesis of philosophy and cognitive science that approaches problems in terms of the satisfaction of multiple constraints within networks of highly interconnected elements. The main aim of the present work is to extend the reach of coherence theory beyond its usual applications in cognition and epistemology to questions of ontology, ethics, politics, emotion, social consensus, and probabilistic reasoning. Thagard makes a persuasive if not wholly convincing argument that all of these domains can be thought about in roughly similar ways. Despite the complexity of the issues it treats, this is not at all a difficult book to read. Thagard has the knack for explaining difficult ideas in readily understandable language. However, his frequent crossing of disciplinary boundaries makes it a challenging task at times to evaluate his theory. Is it primarily a theory of human cognition, of philosophical epistemology, or is it mainly intended as a new procedure for addressing philosophical questions? It is perhaps all of these at once. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)