The mentally ill witch in textbooks of abnormal psychology: Current status and implications of a fallacy.

The psychopathological interpretation of demonology, witchcraft, and possession states that demonology replaced psychiatric knowledge and practice in the Middle Ages and that the mentally ill were subsequently misidentified as witches and demoniacs. This model has been discredited, but its persistence is demonstrated by an examination of 20 textbooks in abnormal psychology published between 1978 and 1981. Almost all authors endorsed at least 1 aspect of the psychopathological interpretation, and only 3 books included contradictory opinions. Textbooks that presented the psychiatric model seem to have derived it primarily from G. Zilboorg (1935), and there is also evidence of unreferenced internal borrowing among textbooks. Authors generally ignored prominent historical and anthropological research on witchcraft and possession; they also gave minimal attention to more recent, socioculturally oriented histories of psychiatry and to critiques of the older psychiatric paradigm. It is concluded that these results are at least partly due to clinical psychologists' identification with psychiatrists' efforts at self-validation and self-justification. (94 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The image of women in psychology textbooks.

In an analysis of the content of ten recently published textbooks in psychology, the author concludes that most textbooks contain the implication that psychologists are male by using language and illustrations reinforcing this suggestion, and by citing women authors less frequently than their number and eminence would suggest. Experiments and studies reported in psychology textbooks frequently fail to indicate sex of subjects or, alternatively, are based on male samples. The results of such studies are then frequently generalized to both sexes. The image of psychology as presented in textbooks is biased, therefore, toward the study of male behaviour by male psychologists. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Sex bias in introductory psychology textbooks: Five years later.

The 8 introductory psychology textbooks most widely used in English-speaking Canadian universities were each assessed by 1–3 raters (N?=?19) for sex bias in language, illustrations, and written content. Overall sex bias ratings were fairly low and consistent across raters; differences were too small to justify any ranking of texts. Sexist language was rarely found in the textbooks, and all included some discussion of sex roles and stereotypes. Results are contrasted with findings edited by B. Wand (see record 1978-04134-001). (French abstract) (17 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The meaning of difference: Gender theory, postmodernism, and psychology.

Two recent postmodern movements, constructivism and deconstruction, challenge the idea of a single meaning of reality and suggest that meanings result from social experience. We show how these postmodern approaches can be applied to the psychology of gender. Examining gender theories from a constructivist stand-point, we note that the primary meaning of gender in psychology has been difference. The exaggeration of differences, which we call alpha bias, can be seen in approaches that focus on the contrasting experiences of men and women. The minimizing of differences, beta bias, can be seen in approaches that stress the similarity or equality of men and women. From a deconstructivist position, we examine previously hidden meanings in the discourse of therapy that reveal cultural assumptions about gender relations. Paradoxes in contemporary constructions of gender impel us to go beyond these constructions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The rhetoric of psychological research and the problem of unification in psychology.

There has been in the field of psychology a long and well-documented discontent with an apparent disorganization in its literature, most often interpreted as reflecting the absence of a unifying theory. This article examines some alternative ways in which some of the disorganization is being actively created by forms of argumentation used in reporting and discussing psychological research. One institutionalized form of argumentation used in reporting data actually generates the proliferation of theoretical terms in the literature. A second form of argumentation reifies theories into social groups, incorporating values that discourage theoretical integration. Some of the discontent arises from the incompatibility between the values latent in such social organizations and the values that motivate scientific inquiry at a personal level. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The use of citations of authorities in textbooks of introductory psychology.

An analysis of the use of citations in nine textbooks in terms of the rank-frequency distribution of Zipf. This was based on the belief that an examination of an author's use of citations of authorities would provide a basis for appraising the type of book—specialized (systematic) or broad. Also given are the names of the authorities most frequently cited in each book and a general list of the most heavily used authorities in the textbooks. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Broadening student experience in mental hygiene and abnormal psychology.

"At Whittier college an attempt is made to relate closely the student's experience in the mental hygiene and abnormal psychology courses." "In mental hygiene, emphasis is placed upon the practical problems of community mental health, and an attempt is made to stimulate the student's interest… ." "In the abnormal psychology course… trips are arranged to an institution for the mentally defective, a hospital for the care of the physically handicapped, a school for delinquents, and a state mental hospital. Other procedures and possibilities for provoking student interest and enriching class experience are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Gender bias in subject samples in counseling psychology.

In the past decades, there has been a disproportionate emphasis on the use of male subjects in psychological research (e.g., Carlson & Carlson, 1960; Schwabacher, 1972). In this study, we examined how the use and reporting of the gender of subjects in counseling psychology research has changed during the decade from 1971-1972 to 1981-1982. For this time period, articles from two journals, the Journal of Counseling Psychology (JCP) and the Journal of Vocational Behavior (JVB), were examined for specification of sex of subjects, analysis for sex differences, and appropriate generalization of single-sex studies. Results indicate that (a) reporting of gender as a subject variable increased from 1971-1972 to 1981-1982; (b) in 58% of the studies, results were analyzed for gender differences; (c) JVB was more likely than JCP to publish articles in which gender differences were analyzed; and (d) in over 60% of the studies in 1971-1972 and 26% of the studies in 1981-1982, findings regarding subject gender seemed to be overgeneralized. The results are discussed in terms of the need to develop gender-specific data bases, journal policies, and future research. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Personality adjustment and the study of abnormal psychology.

Rorschach story-completion test and autobiographical data were obtained from 21 students in an abnormal psychology class and 22 students in a history class, both at the beginning and the end of the semester. Comparisons of the pre- and post-test data "support the belief that, (a) as a group, students studying abnormal psychology differ in personality from those not enrolled in the course, and (b) while the study of abnormal psychology has little immediate effect on personality ad ustment, measurable changes occur which appear to be related to course experience." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A critique of Hoffmann and Vyhonsky's evaluation of introductory educational psychology textbooks.

Responds to R. J. Hoffmann and R. J. Vyhonsky's article (1975) which rated, by means of the Flesch tests (1951), the readability and human interest of 36 textbooks. The logical conclusion, based on the reported results, is that the level of writing in these texts is entirely appropriate for the intended audience. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

"Idealized" figures in textbooks versus psychology as an empirical science.

Comments that idealized plots or curves of typical results, as used in certain textbooks, fail to include any of the actual data on which the plotted lines or curves are based. Such figures fail to provide any indication of the variability of the data or any basis for judging whether data are represented adequately. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

There is more to our history of giving: The place of introductory textbooks in American psychology.

Despite their continued widespread use in higher education, introductory psychology textbooks have rarely been the subject of historical study. The centennial of the American Psychological Association offers an appropriate moment for considering the disciplinary and cultural functions of introductory texts. Preliminary analysis indicates that this literary genre has contained far more than a compendium of secondhand knowledge; it also has provided a well-used cultural medium for defining social relations and ideals. Textbooks published around the turn of the century are examined to illustrate how these writings both reflect and contribute to shifts in social identities and aspirations. Close reading of introductory textbooks reveals that they are an inextricable part of what it means to give psychology away and are enmeshed in the cultural enterprise of fashioning human welfare. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Essentials of abnormal psychology, first Canadian edition.

Reviews the book, Essentials of abnormal psychology, first Canadian edition by V. Mark Durand, David H. Barlow, and Sherry H. Stewart (2007). This first edition covers the terrain one might expect of an abnormal psychology textbook. This includes chapters on historical context, approaches to psychopathology, clinical assessment, diagnosis and research methods, anxiety disorders, somatoform and dissociative disorders, mood disorders and suicide, physical disorders and health psychology, eating and sleep disorders, sexual and gender identity disorders, substance-related disorders, personality disorders, schizophrenia and other related disorders, developmental and cognitive disorders, and finally, legal and ethical issues as related to mental health. Although the book initially may look rather dense (it is not), there are numerous organisational aids to facilitate learning. The authors have more than amply succeeded in their stated intention to present a multidimensional perspective, integrating behavioural, emotional and cognitive, and social contexts to explore the essentials of abnormal psychology. Using easy to understand language appropriate for undergraduates, this book guides the reader through the fascinating field of abnormal psychology, pointing out the expected, and for an added bonus, the unexpected and often neglected. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The prototype as a construct in abnormal psychology: I. A method for deriving prototypes.

Interviewed 10 supervisors of a program for disturbed children 7–17 yrs of age and 45 college students who served as staff members for this summer program. Prototypes were derived and reported that correspond to 3 types of problem children: aggressive-impulsive, depressed-withdrawn, and disorganized-borderline. It is hypothesized that the meaning of a concept changes in a regular way as the user gains clinical experience. Data are presented to illustrate changes of this kind for each type of child. (9 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Psychoanalysis in the undergraduate curriculum: The treatment of psychoanalytic theory in abnormal psychology texts.

Reviews 4 books on the topic of psychoanalytic theory in abnormal psychology texts. The purpose of this review is to encourage this process by evaluating some of the resources available for academic psychologists to teach psychoanalysis to undergraduate psychology students. The reviewer reviews several texts commonly employed in teaching undergraduate abnormal psychology and psychopathology courses, with the aim of evaluating the extent to which they accurately reflect the breadth and complexity of psychoanalytic thought as it applies to these areas of inquiry. The books reviewed here were chosen on the basis of two criteria: (a) They are popular, widely used undergraduate abnormal psychology texts; and (b) they represent a range of perspectives on psychoanalysis, with some books written from a psychodynamic perspective, and others generally opposed to the psychoanalytic view. Each text is reviewed in three general areas. First, the reviewer evaluates the extent to which each thoroughly and accurately discusses basic psychoanalytic theory as it presents various models of mental functioning. Treatment of key psychoanalytic concepts such as ego development and defenses, compromise formation, symptom substitution, fixation and regression, and the psychosexual stages is evaluated, as is the extent to which each work attempts to integrate the object-relations perspective into its discussion. Second, the reviewer reviews each text's presentation of the psychodynamic model for selected areas of psychopathology (e.g., depression, schizophrenia, addiction and addictive behaviors, character pathology, and sexual disorders). Finally, the extent to which each work discusses the relationship of basic psychoanalytic theory to the use of projective tests such as the Rorschach and the Thematic Apperception Test (TAT) is considered, as is each text's treatment of psychoanalytic concepts underlying the development of the medical model and the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-III, 1980). (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Psychotherapy, rhetoric, and hermeneutics: Implications for practice and research.

In that psychotherapists seek to interpret and transform the meanings of patients' communications, psychotherapy resembles rhetoric and hermeneutics. This article identifies some of these resemblances and considers their implications for psychotherapy practice and research. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

On Zookology, counseling psychology, and clinical psychology.

Responds to the comments of A. Zook (see record 1987-20037-001) on the present author's (see record 1986-12878-001) work on the merging of clinical and counseling psychology, suggesting that a training base in remedial, educational/developmental, and preventive functions is important regardless of whether one is a clinical or counseling psychologist. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)