Introduction to the special issue: Integrating personality and social psychology.

The purpose of this Special Issue is not to mark one approach as superior to others but rather to present a wide variety of approaches to the problem of integrating personality and social psychology. This introductory essay seeks to underscore some of the integrative aspects of the articles collected here and to help point the direction for future activity along the same lines. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Introduction to the special issue.

Provides an introduction to the special issue of the American Psychologist, which is one of several publications prepared for the celebration of the centenary of the American Psychological Association (APA). The 25 invited articles in this special issue constitute a unique collection portraying the founding and development of the "new" psychology in America. In celebration of the 100th anniversary of the founding of APA, this special issue showcases the work of many of the leading scholars writing in the history of psychology today—individuals trained in psychology and history. There is great diversity in this collection of articles that tells the story of American psychologists involved in the advancement of psychology as a science, a profession, and a means of promoting human welfare. The author concludes by briefly describing the founding of history as a specialty area within the discipline of psychology by Robert Watson, and this special issue is dedicated to his memory. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Introduction to the special issue: Psychology and AIDS.

From its beginnings in 1981, psychologists have been involved in worldwide efforts to meet the many challenges of the AIDS health crisis. As researchers and practitioners, as consultants and policy advisors, as educators and evaluators, and as activists and concerned members of the community--we psychologists have responded in many ways. We have attempted a broad perspective in approaching this special issue. We wanted coverage of the science, the practice, and the social issues that AIDS has brought into focus for psychology. Any attempt to cover all the issues is doomed to failure, however. The science changes too quickly, and the disease is spreading too rapidly, for any group of journal articles to ever claim currency and comprehensiveness. The issue has been divided into six major sections, each with an introduction. We begin with articles that overview the roles of psychology in the AIDS health crisis as seen in our own profession, and from various levels of science, health care, and legislative and government action. Then we present articles reviewing some of the primary issues AIDS commands us to examine: public health, antibody testing, AIDS and the communities of Black and Hispanic men, IV drug abuse, sexual behavior change, stigma, and psychoneuroimmunology. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Introduction to the special section on personality development.

For years the author has been struck by the oddity of having two separate fields that study personality--one in children and one in adults--with relatively little contact between the two. Those who study adult personality rarely refer to the child disposition literature, for example, and those who study childhood temperament infrequently describe how it unfolds into adult personality. Admittedly, part of the problem is that data that shed a bright light on the transition from childhood to adult personality have been hard to obtain and are scarce. Nonetheless, it is crucial to both developmental psychology and personality psychology for researchers to study transitions and continuities in personality throughout the life course. It is to this end that this special section was created. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Introduction to the special section on racial and ethnic identity in counseling psychology: Conceptual and methodological challenges and proposed solutions.

Racial and ethnic identity development have been important topics in counseling psychology research for the last four decades. At present, however, there appears to be some confusion and debate regarding the quality of theory and measurement in the topical area. The present article serves as an introduction to this Journal of Counseling Psychology special section on "Racial and Ethnic Identity in Counseling Psychology: Conceptual and Methodological Challenges and Proposed Solutions." A rationale is provided for the special section, the place of racial and ethnic identity scholarship is located within the history of multicultural counseling research, and the invited special section contributions by K. O. Cokley (2007), J. E. Helms (2007), J. E. Trimble (2007), S. M. Quintana (2007), J. S. Phinney and A. D. Ong (2007), and J. G. Ponterotto and J. Park-Taylor (2007) are introduced. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Introduction to special issue.

This article serves as a brief introduction to this special issue of the Review of General Psychology. The editor of this Special Issue and the authors presented put forth ideas and data on how we may better understand the people who make and interpret science. They hope that their work will serve to establish the "psychology of science" as a recognizable and useful field of study. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Introduction to the special issue on personality and psychopathology.

The goal of this Special Issue is to enhance this reintegration of normal-range personality and abnormal psychology, 30 years after they were split apart. The articles in the Issue examine the topic from a variety of approaches, but each of them addresses the central problem of how normal-range individual differences are related to abnormal behavior. Seven of these articles examine personality in relation to specific types of psychopathology: personality disorders, alcoholism and antisocial personality, mood and anxiety disorders, dissociative disorders, somatoform disorders, eating disorders, and schizophrenia. It is impossible to summarize the wealth of findings that are contained in these articles; each deserves to be examined carefully. However, we can note some general conclusions here. First, it is abundantly clear that personality traits and psychopathological disorders are, in fact, empirically related. Second, although the observed relations tend to be orderly and psychologically meaningful, they also are relatively nonspecific. That is, one does not see a one-to-one correspondence between a given trait and a specific disorder; rather, each of the extensively studied traits is associated with several diagnostic categories. Third, due to a paucity of relevant data, the nature of these observed relations is still largely unclear. Several different explanatory models have been proposed, and each has received at least suggestive support in the literature. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Putting self psychology to good use: When social and clinical psychologists unite.

The subareas of psychology often fail to share with one another their research and theorizing. This article attempts to redress this lack of communication as it pertains to social psychological theorizing and research on self-motives. The article starts with a review of the social psychological literature surrounding people's needs for positivity and verification, followed by a discussion of how to integrate these seemingly incompatible literatures. The article then highlights how these self-motives likely play a role in the psychotherapy enterprise and suggests ways in which therapists might use this information. By bridging the gap between the social and clinical literatures in this way, the authors anticipate that both fields will progress more productively toward their respective goals. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Introduction to the special issue.

This article introduces this special issue of the American Psychologist. The topics in this section concern the physical and mental health of children, and how social policies affect their development. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Introduction to the special issue on rehabilitation psychology and the law.

Introduces this Special Issue of Rehabilitation Psychology, which includes a compilation of articles that represent the most current thinking in and is an up-to-date report of the interplay between legal factors and rehabilitation psychology. The guest editor, Bruce Sales, in his overview of the issue, cogently identifies those barriers to effective rehabilitation and highlights those that are created by our legal system, at either the national, state, or local level. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of The relational self: Theoretical convergences in psychoanalysis and social psychology.

Reviews the book, The relational self: Theoretical convergences in psychoanalysis and social psychology edited by Rebecca C. Curtis (see record 1991-97680-000). The relational self, a collection of papers from a conference held at Adelphi University in 1990, represents the latest attempt at rapprochement between psychoanalysis and social/personality psychology. The core unifying theme in this new effort at integration is the relational self. The dialectical relation between the self and environment is well illustrated by four essays devoted to current perspectives from social psychology. Several other essays provide the reader with a glimpse of the richness and vitality in current research on the self. I see no easy way of reconciling the two underlying research traditions, which differ not only in their methods and aims but also in the basic language used to describe human experiences. Perhaps in these postmodern times, there is no urgent need to stretch paradigms in the quest for unity of science. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Introduction to the special issue on long-term care.

There are over 1.3 million American residents in long-term care (LTC) facilities of one type or another. We have a considerably greater number of patients in LTC facilities than in general hospitals. Because of the projections that in the next several decades millions more will become residents of LTC institutions, it is remarkable that so little attention has been directed to the psychological issues that involve elderly residents in these settings. In recognition of the variety of recent changes in the relationship between acute care settings and LTC institutions, because of an emerging body of research being developed about the nursing home, and in view of the large number and projected growth of the LTC institutional population, our focus in this special issue is largely upon the institutional setting. Individual articles in this issue focus upon aspects of a range of subjects. These include broad issues of health policy in the United States as they relate to LTC; the future of nursing homes; staff-patient relationships in LTC institutions; and the clinical and social-psychological issues that must be addressed by rehabilitation psychology in LTC settings. The hope is that this issue of Rehabilitation Psychology will stimulate greater interest among psychologists and allied professionals in the field of LTC and in addressing the needs of the millions of persons who could profit from help. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Learning from the basics: Clinical implications of social, developmental, and cross-cultural study of the self.

This article serves as an introduction to a series aimed at informing psychotherapists about the current state of theory and research on the self across different domains of basic psychological science (i.e., social, developmental, and cross-cultural). The authors highlight several gaps in integration that continue to exist both within the field of psychotherapy, and across psychology as a whole and argue that such chasms serve to limit the applied utility of an abundance of scholarly work. The self is then presented as a potentially unifying construct that may begin to address such chasms. The overarching goal of this special series is to attempt a direct stimulation of science and practice, as well as cross-discipline integration, by presenting the clinical implications of the highly diverse study of the self. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Family psychology and family law: Introduction to the special issue.

This special issue of the Journal of Family Psychology evolved from the work of the Forensic Task Force of Division 43, American Psychological Association, members of which have been studying and working with the emerging, complex issues occurring at the intersection of family psychology and family law. This issue is an endeavor to bring together current research and paradigm development that has relevance not only to family psychologists who have expertise in systems and developmental theories but also to forensic psychologists who have expertise in individual assessment but may lack experience in a systems-ecological framework. A primary goal of this special issue is to introduce readers to new and emerging opportunities for research and practice in the areas where family psychology and family law overlap. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Introduction to the special issue on diversity and leadership.

Theories of leadership have neglected diversity issues. As the population within the United States and in countries throughout the world becomes increasingly diverse, the contexts in which leadership occurs within institutions and communities will also become increasingly diverse. Attention to diversity is not simply about representation of leaders from diverse groups in the ranks of leadership. Attention to diversity means paradigm shifts in our theories of leadership so as to make them inclusive; it means incorporating explanations of how dimensions of diversity shape our understanding of leadership. It means paying attention to the perceptions and expectations of diverse leaders by diverse followers and to how bias influences the exercise of leadership. Although leadership theories have evolved and reflect changing social contexts, they remain silent on issues of equity, diversity, and social justice. Theories of leadership need to be expanded to incorporate diversity if they are to be relevant for the 21st century amidst new social contexts, emerging global concerns, and changing population demographics. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Introduction to the special issue on methodological issues in psychological assessment research.

Our primary goal in this special issue on research methodology is to explore methodological issues across a broad range of psychological assessment research and to highlight pitfalls and problems that often plague researchers engaged in this pursuit. We believe that the methodological articles in this special issue will serve as an important resource for future research in the field of personality assessment. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Self and identity in modern psychology and Indian thought.

Reviews the book, Self and identity in modern psychology and Indian thought by Anand C. Paranjpe (see record 1998-08117-000). This book is an exemplary philosophical-psychological achievement, the result of extensive, sophisticated, and enlightened research. Paranjpe analyzes and compares, based on knowledge of the epistemological, ontological, and ethical foundations of psychology in both the West and India, the problem of person, self, and identity. This is a significant book, not only for the field of the history and theory of psychology but also for psychology in general. Paranjpe, who provides a wealth of knowledge unknown to most Western psychologists, demonstrates that the presumption that Western and Indian psychologies are basically incommensurable is wrong. Psychologists who are genuinely concerned with a science that goes beyond the connection of variables, who believe that incorporating a multicultural perspective into psychology will strengthen the discipline, and who talk about globalization but are interested in the generic meaning of this concept, cannot ignore this masterpiece. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Introduction to the special issue on Groups in Education.

This introduction develops the rationale for the special issue Groups in Education. The most serious deficits in the current or traditional educational system in the United States are cited. Radical changes in the system are called for, and two examples of such radically different systems are included in this issue to illustrate the types of changes that would be necessary to make significant improvement in student achievement and behavior. The other articles are representative of group interventions that have been applied successfully to treat the variety of problems that students have, some of which are produced by the system itself. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Personality and personality disorders in the DSM-5: Introduction to the special issue.

In this introduction to the special section on Personality and Personality Disorders in DSM-5, the editors briefly describe the major changes proposed by the Work Group on Personality Disorders for DSM-5. They then introduce and describe the key points in the target articles by the Work Group as well as in the commentaries. The aim of this section is to present an arena for the articulation and discussion of the rationale of the proposed changes and the logic and evidence for these proposed changes. Special attention is paid to points of contention, debate, and controversy with regard to the proposed changes. It is the editors' goal to facilitate an open discussion of these issues in an effort to promote a scientifically based and clinically useful product. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)