Positive psychology and positive reinforcement.

Comments on the special issue the American Psychologist (2000[Jan], Vol 55[1]) on positive psychology. The author urges those who advocate a positive psychology to embrace behavior analysis, its applications, and positive reinforcement in particular by learning more about it, by teaching it to their students, and by promoting it in our culture and in the world at large. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Community psychology, diversity, and the many forms of culture.

Comments on the original article, "Many forms of culture," by A. B. Cohen (see record 2009-04471-003). Cohen argued that psychology must broaden its conceptualization of culture to consider its many forms, such as religion, socioeconomic status, and region. The current author could not agree more with Cohen’s proposed conceptualization of culture and its potential impact on psychological theory, research, and practice. However, the current author asserts that Cohen's conceptualization is one that the field of community psychology has been incorporating into its theory, research, and practice for the past 15 years. Evidence for this can be found in the field’s journals and texts as well as its conferences and course offerings. It is striking, says the current author, that this rich tradition of scholarship and social action—much of it illustrating what Cohen’s proposed conceptualization purports to achieve but also advancing his vision further than even he proposes—was ignored in his analysis. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Cultural malpractice: The growing obsolescence of psychology with the changing U.S. population.

With the changing demographics occurring in the United States, psychology must make substantive revisions in its curriculum, training, research, and practice. Without these revisions, psychology will risk professional, ethical, and economic problems because psychology will no longer be a viable professional resource to the majority of the U.S. population. In particular, this article discusses the need for psychology to address issues of ethnicity/culture, gender, and sexual orientation. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Practitioner training: A model with rationale intact.

Responds to S. C. Hayes's (see record 1986-25647-001) comments on the work of D. R. Peterson (see record 1986-10245-001) on practitioner training in psychology. The present author argues that practitioner-oriented training in psychology occupies an important niche in the doctoral training system and that its rationale is embodied in its institutional priorities. One purpose of practitioner-oriented training is to develop a culture that is respectful of the clinical enterprise and that treats research primarily as an educational tool and a means to an end rather than as an end in itself. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Cross-cultural psychology as a scholarly discipline: On the flowering of culture in behavioral research.

A history of cross-cultural psychology shows it to be an increasingly important part of modern psychology. Despite widespread agreement that culture is an indispensable component in the understanding of human behavior, there are noteworthy conceptual differences regarding the ways in which culture and behavior interrelate. Perspectives include absolutism and relativism, each with methodological consequences for such contemporary research concerns as values (including individualism-collectivism), gender differences, cognition, aggression, intergroup relations, and psychological acculturation. Societal concerns relating to these topics are briefly described. When all of psychology finally takes into account the effects of culture on human behavior (and vice versa), terms like cross-cultural and cultural psychology will become unnecessary. (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)     

The teaching of psychology and the psychology we teach.

"Does the psychology we teach deserve its present place in the liberal arts curriculum? Have we the moral right to ask our students to spend their time learning the stuff we teach as psychology?" Each subject in the curriculum should be evaluated against criteria such as its contribution to: (1) transmission of significant components of our culture, (2) elicitation of and challange to thought and action, (3) growth of the individual as a person, and (4) preparation for a career. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Memory in mind and culture.

Reviews the book, Memory in mind and culture edited by Pascal Boyer and James V. Wertsch (see record 2010-05180-000). This book rides the waves of two recent trends: interdisciplinarity and the effect of mind on culture. First, its psychologist and anthropologist editors deliberately chose an interdisciplinary panel of experts on memory, inviting highly respected psychologists, anthropologists, and historians to review cutting-edge memory research in their area of expertise. For psychologists, the resulting collection not only provides readable reviews of current psychology research in memory but also introduces concepts and issues from other disciplines that may open new avenues for research. Second, the book emphasizes the coconstitution of mind and culture, especially seeking evidence for how our minds structure culture. This unusual perspective is especially well developed in the last chapters of the book (Boyer; Rubin) but shows its influence throughout the book, with some authors exploring new ideas about how basic research on memory processes can connect to the study of culture. In summary, this book provides excellent reviews of up-to-date memory research in psychology—from brain structures to blogs—and also innovatively connects this research to larger questions about human culture. Though the coverage of eminent cognitive psychologists is admirable, I wish the book had included some of the new work by cultural and evolutionary psychologists on the topic. Nevertheless, the book advances the field in important ways, pointing the way to new research and theories. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Proposals for a second psychology.

During the 19th century, numerous writers including Auguste Comte, John Stuart Mill, and Wilhelm Wundt called for a 2nd psychology, a psychology to complement laboratory-based psychology. This 2nd psychology would address aspects of human mind and behavior that emerged from cultural life. Different forms of empiricism appropriate to a 2nd psychology were gradually realized in studies of character formation, conduct, personality and culture, and more recently, cognition and culture. This article examines this 2nd psychology that has been slower to mature but has achieved some contemporary realization in personology, cultural psychology, and several of the applied psychologies. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Trends in family psychology.

Presents an overview of the recent past, the present, and anticipated future trends in the field of family psychology (i.e., the scientific study of the family in terms of its historical forms and variations; structure and functioning across time, space, culture, and generations; and idiosyncratic and systems attributes). Areas discussed include availability of graduate education in family psychology, internship availability, postgraduate training opportunities, clinical practice, research and publications, ethical and legal concerns, credentialing, and impact on other family therapy organizations. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Race is not ethnicity.

Comments on the article of J. S. Phinney (see record 83-36985) about what it means to talk about American ethnic groups. It is suggested that Phinney's advocacy of the combining of the terms ethnicity and race into a single construct in psychology presumes that ethnicity can encompass all aspects of race and culture. But, it is argued here, in psychology and American society at large, ethnicity seemingly has no real meaning apart from its status as a proxy for racial classification or immigrant status, while race has a clear meaning. Drawing on a cursory review of psychology abstracts, it is suggested that it is ill-advised to subsume the better known and more specifically defined construct under the rubric of the fuzzier construct. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Scholarship in psychology: The advantages of an expanded vision.

The authors comment positively on "Scholarship in Psychology: A Paradigm for the Twenty-First Century" (D. F. Halpern et al., 1998) and further expand that vision of scholarship. Giving high priority to social responsibility, they criticize overly narrow scholarship, including its effects on the discipline, and examine the economics of scholarship and the criteria for evaluation. Emphasis on applied research and the integration of knowledge is encouraged, along with the application of psychology and the scholarship of pedagogy and teaching. A broader, flexible, more grounded vision of scholarship and a modification of the culture of academic psychology is required. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The study of culture, ethnicity, and race in American psychology.

The study of culture and related concerns, such as ethnicity and race, in American psychology are examined. First, the conceptual confusion and ways in which culture, ethnicity, and race are used as explanatory factors for intergroup differences in psychological phenomena are discussed. Second, ways in which to study culture in mainstream psychology and to enhance hypothesis testing and theory in cross-cultural psychology are illustrated. Finally, the importance of examining sociocultural variables and considering theory in ethnic minority research is addressed. In general, it is proposed that by including theory, conceptualizing, and measuring cultural and related variables, mainstream, cross-cultural, and ethnic research can advance the understanding of culture in psychology as well as the generality of principles and the cultural sensitivity of applications. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

White culture, Jewish culture, and the origins of psychotherapy.

Multicultural literature often states that psychotherapy is a product of White culture. This article differentiates between White and Jewish culture and demonstrates the extent of the influence of Jewish culture on the origin and development of psychotherapy. The first section compares White culture to Jewish culture in terms of compatibility with the values and orientation of psychotherapy. The second section first demonstrates that psychoanalysis not only developed within Jewish culture, but also that it shares many features with Jewish mysticism. Then psychoanalysis and Gestalt psychology are compared to American behavioral psychology to demonstrate the differences in their orientations. The third section documents the contributions of Jews to psychological theory and psychotherapy. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Social psychology(4th ed.).

Reviews the book, Social Psychology (4th ed.) by Robert C. Williamson, Paul G. Swingle, and S. Stansfeld Sargent (1982). In an area where there are too many textbooks, the social psychology text by Williamson, Swingle, and Sargent contributes an important alternative to the mass look-a-like introductions to the field. What makes this book different is that it is an integrated work of a sociologist (Williamson) and two psychologists which presents the major concepts and issues in social psychology from both a sociological and a psychological perspective. Most introductions to social psychology are either psychological social psychology or sociological social psychology. The Williamson et al. book, which is in its fourth edition, continues to be an exception to such an insular and incomplete view of social psychology. The book is divided into four parts: the first section presents a discussion of culture and the development of the individual; part two deals with fundamental psychological processes; part three presents basic group processes; and part four is an application of social psychology to a number of social issues. In general, the book provides a good overview of topics, emphasizing the major theories, principles, and research studies on each of the topics. Because of the special nature of this book, it will appeal most to those instructors who wish to present a more balanced introduction to the interdisciplinary field of social psychology, including the developments from both psychology and sociology. It is particularly appropriate for courses which include both sociology and psychology students. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Evolutionary psychology: Controversies, questions, prospects, and limitations.

Evolutionary psychology has emerged over the past 15 years as a major theoretical perspective, generating an increasing volume of empirical studies and assuming a larger presence within psychological science. At the same time, it has generated critiques and remains controversial among some psychologists. Some of the controversy stems from hypotheses that go against traditional psychological theories; some from empirical findings that may have disturbing implications; some from misunderstandings about the logic of evolutionary psychology; and some from reasonable scientific concerns about its underlying framework. This article identifies some of the most common concerns and attempts to elucidate evolutionary psychology’s stance pertaining to them. These include issues of testability and falsifiability; the domain specificity versus domain generality of psychological mechanisms; the role of novel environments as they interact with evolved psychological circuits; the role of genes in the conceptual structure of evolutionary psychology; the roles of learning, socialization, and culture in evolutionary psychology; and the practical value of applied evolutionary psychology. The article concludes with a discussion of the limitations of current evolutionary psychology. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Rediscovering differential psychology?

Comments on the original article, "Many forms of culture," by A. B. Cohen (see record 2009-04471-003). Cohen offered an eye-opening review of how culture means much more than ethnicity within a nation or differences between nations. After developing a much-expanded definition of culture, he concluded, “I have lamented the fact that psychology has focused on some important cultural differences, but not others” (Cohen, 2009, p. 202), and he went on to explain how deeply this expanded definition can impact our psychological research. Without naming it, Cohen (2009) apparently rediscovered the now-forgotten concept of “differential psychology,” which actually surpasses his own expanded definition of culture. Anastasi (1937) defined differential psychology simply as “the scientific study of differences between groups” (p. 59). One look at her book’s table of contents shows that this definition goes far beyond race and ethnicity, to include all sorts of group differences based on gender, social class, education, religion, age, and family. These all qualify as cultural differences under Cohen’s (2009) expanded definition. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The potential enrichment of social/personality psychology through feminist research and vice versa.

Defines feminist scholarship and its influence on mainstream social/personality psychology in terms of its potential for enrichment of the field. Such enrichment is viewed as a consequence of critical analysis to uncover androcentric bias in both content and method, the asking of new questions and formulation of new hypotheses and theories that stem from a focus on women's experiences, and the challenge to some of the traditional assumptions about objectivity in science. It is argued that social/personality psychology has the potential to enrich feminist theory by contributing to a central issue: the nature of gender differences and similarities. It is suggested that within-gender differences must also be examined to uncover the relationships between behavior and its antecedents. Because psychologists are best prepared to probe the connections between what people do, feel, and believe and the conditions that make particular behaviors, feelings, and ideas more probable, feminist research is essential to understanding how culture constructs gender. (48 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Introduction to the special section on multicultural and community psychology: Clinical psychology in context.

Human behavior occurs in the contexts of culture and community. Yet, clinical psychology has traditionally focused on the individual, neglecting the individual's context. The purpose of this Special Section is to address the underlying conceptual issues in integrating multicultural and community psychology within a common framework. The integration of etic and emic approaches distinguishes the research programs in these articles from others that have solely focused on universal or culture-specific approaches. Issues facing ethnic minority populations are addressed, including identification of risk and protective factors, obstacles to mental health service use, and optimal treatment effectiveness. The integration of culture and community contexts into clinical psychology is necessary for it to remain relevant in an increasingly diverse 21st century. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)