Subjective well-being: The science of happiness and a proposal for a national index.

One area of positive psychology analyzes subjective well-being (SWB), people's cognitive and affective evaluations of their lives. Progress has been made in understanding the components of SWB, the importance of adaptation and goals to feelings of well-being, the temperament underpinnings of SWB, and the cultural influences on well-being. Representative selection of respondents, naturalistic experience sampling measures, and other methodological refinements are now used to study SWB and could be used to produce national indicators of happiness. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A proposal for the development of a psychological classification system for children (and adults).

Discusses inadequacies in systems available for the classification of children's psychological (psychiatric, behavioral, emotional) disorders. The development of a classification system based on measures of psychological functioning is advocated, and the advantages of such a system are presented. (French abstract) (3 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The challenge of environmental psychology: A proposal for a new functionalism.

Argues that the hardship conditions under which man evolved put a high premium on rapid and efficient information handling. Currently maladaptive behavior with respect to overpopulation and environmental decline may be in part the result of an inadequate conception of what the future holds. The missing knowledge is unlikely to be verbal. Substitutes for experience that enhance imagery of alternative futures may be pivotal. A few of the multitude of researchable topics that arise in this context are presented. It is concluded that a broad functional psychology could find much to learn, study, and contribute in the environmental area. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A proposal for peace research.

A National Institute of Peace Research should be established to promote the role of psychology in bringing about peace through the application of research to practice; the study of social organization within societies and between nations; and the implementation of scientific programs of international data collection, information exchange, and training. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A proposal for training in forensic psychology.

Documents the need for specialized training in forensic psychology. Several areas of specialty training are identified, and concrete and hypothetical examples are used to document the kinds of problems that emerge when mental health professionals without specialized training practice in the forensic area. Such specialties include legal tests and concepts, proper assessment, familiarity with relevant literature, and courtroom orientation. A graduate course sequence in forensic psychology that might alleviate some of the identified problems is presented; it includes an introduction, topical seminars, and field placements. (73 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A proposal for evaluating cognition in assertiveness.

This article presents the development process and initial psychometric features of an instrument for evaluating cognition in assertiveness. This is an essential social skill for adolescent development and seems to encompass emotional, behavioral, and cognitive aspects. The instrument was created by combining both empirical and theoretical methods for item construction, aiming to evaluate the cognitive realm of assertiveness. A sample of 996 adolescent students was used to test for reliability and validity. Results indicate good psychometric properties. The instrument is composed of 4 subscales: Outer Emotional Support, Functional Personal Ability, Interpersonal Management, and Affective Personal Ability. The Assertive Interpersonal Schema Questionnaire may potentially be a useful tool in the diagnosis of, understanding of, and development of a treatment plan for individuals with persistent difficulties in social events. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A modest proposal for a revision of strategies for counseling research.

Suggests that many of the problems of psychological research might be due to conceptions of what constitutes appropriate methodology and the restrictive notion of science that underlies many of these methods. Several recent developments in the philosophy of science point toward the possibility of a revised conception of the proper aims and goals of counseling research. A model of humans (the active agent model), which is poorly suited to investigation by accepted psychological research practices, is presented. The possibility of a science that can handle the action of active agents, including the influence of biographical/historical accidents on the individual, is considered as part of an expanded model for counseling research. An example of hermeneutic is presented, and the reintegration of objectivist and subjectivist views are discussed. It is concluded that the similarities between this new approach and the applied activities of counseling practitioners suggest research findings might be more easily translated into practice than has been true for traditional counseling research. (35 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Adolescent pregnancy. A proposal for intervention

Adolescent pregnancy constitutes an important problem, not so much in infant mortality (which is low), but in the diseases which can accompany it. Pregnancies at this age have an elevated social and emotional cost. The principle consequences of adolescent pregnancy are: abortions, forced marriages, undesired motherhood, adoptions and emotional problems that can lead to depression and suicide. Clearly, the impact of these pregnancies can have many lasting repercussions. But one fact persists adolescent pregnancy can and should be prevented. Nurses are in the ideal situation to assume the role as leaders in the fight to prevent teenage pregnancy, whether it be in the local medical clinics or in the schools; our position in the community enables us to know the needs and socioeconomic characteristics of our patients. Nursing training has prepared us to investigate risk factors that are present as well as ways to design programs and educational strategies to inform our young. We must also be prepared, along with other health professionals (doctors, social workers, etc.), to deal with the inevitable unwanted pregnancy. Our job demands that we be able to evaluate the options available to these young people in an atmosphere of support and understanding.     

A modest proposal for encouraging replication.

Comments on the proposal by J. Loevinger (1968) that most psychological studies should be replicated prior to publication. The exclusion of unreplicated studies would deprive the profession of stimulating suggestions found in preliminary results. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A proposal of significance.

Comments that the definitiveness of significance testing is a myth. Also discussed is the doubt some investigators have cast on the objectivity of experimentation. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Who's who among the Saccharomyces cerevisiae actin-related proteins? A classification and nomenclature proposal for a large family

Inspection of the complete Saccharomyces cerevisiae genome sequence and analysis of the actin-related proteins (ARPs) found therein revealed seven proteins, in addition to the previously designated actin-related proteins Arp1, Arp2 and Arp3, which contained substantial blocks of conservation relative to a chosen sub-set of actins. We have ordered the new ARPs relative to this group of actins and propose to name the more distantly related ARP members, according to their amino acid identity and similarity, Arp4-Arp10. Most of these proteins appear to represent the first example of new classes of ARPs, each of which may have specific localization(s) and cellular function(s). Recently reported ARPs from other species have also been included in the phylogenetic tree derived from the overall alignment of 29 actins and 28 ARPs.     

Training psychologists for hospital practice: A proposal.

Hospital practice has become increasingly important for psychologists over the past decade. However, expanded opportunities for practice require training for competency. The authors propose developing a comprehensive, systematic, and flexible program of training for hospital practice in psychology including graduate course work, supervised practicum experience, and opportunities for retraining. Recommendations for certification in hospital practice, credentialing and privileging, and continuing education are included. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Appendectomy in Sweden. A survey and proposal for quality indicators

Something over 12,000 appendectomies are performed in Sweden annually. Preoperative diagnosis and outcome were the subject of a survey carried out in 1991. Based on analysis of the results and a review of recently published reports, the article presents proposals for quality markers in appendectomy: the frequency of healthy appendixes operated, of perforated appendixes, and of postoperative infection.     

A proposal for a new direction to treat cancer

A new approach is proposed that has the potential to be a successful therapy for most disseminated cancers because it can circumvent the problems posed by three characteristics which are universally expressed by cancer cells: heterogeneity, plasticity, and the lack of a cancer specific or cancer associated characteristic which is not also shared by some normal cells. Analysis shows that almost all current and research approaches for treating disseminated cancers have the same fundamental strategy: they rely on an agent interacting individually and effectively with each cancer cell. We call all these approaches "lock and key" strategies to emphasize the need for this individual agent to cell interaction. The three characteristics preclude current approaches from successfully treating most disseminated cancers because they operate by a "lock and key" strategy which (a) only kills cancer cells expressing a single particular trait, (b) allows other cancer cells to adapt and survive the treatment, and (c) also kills the normal cells which express the same particular trait. The heterogeneity and plasticity of cancer cells can only be circumvented by an attack which is microregional (not cell by cell) and destructive (not killed by conventional endogenous or exogenous cytotoxic agents). All cells in each microregion must be destroyed, including those which do not express an exploitable trait. The proposed approach can achieve such microregional destruction by the delivery to, and long term immobilization of, a large number of radio-isotopes. The proposed approach exploits the additive contribution of multiple mechanisms to enhance tumor specificity of the microregions. Given that all targeting and killing agents are "imperfect", this is the only way specificity can be enhanced. The biological basis of these specificity enhancing mechanisms are well-known. However, they are ignored by current therapies because most of them can only be exploited in the context of the proposed approach. Some of the mechanisms reflect characteristics, such as heterogeneity, genetic instability, and tumor progression which are the result of the micro-evolutionary process of tumor development. These are virtually always present in, and virtually specific to, cancer. Others reflect the somewhat "imperfect" cancer associated characteristics of structures, including cancer cells, extracellular structures, and non-malignant cells within the tumor mass. The additive contribution of the multiple mechanisms gives the process the potential to destroy all the cancer cells with minimal non-tumor toxicity. The cornerstone of the proposed approach is a novel class of soluble chemicals. They can be administered intravenously to subjects, circulate throughout body fluids and are enzymatically converted into an insoluble material when the chemicals reach targeted sites. In this paper, these chemicals are called "soluble precipitable reagents" (SPR) to describe their ability to be converted from a soluble to an insoluble material. The insoluble material is called platform to indicate that it has the ability to bind various agents. The SPR chemicals enable a three-step process to be constructed which can deliver and retain a large number of radio-isotope atoms in tumor tissue. In step 1, a binary reagent comprised of an SPR attached to an imperfect cancer targeting agent is administered. The binary reagent is endocytosed and transported into lysosomes where the targeting agent moiety is digested and the detached SPR is converted by natural intracellular lysosomal enzymes into a platform. As will be discussed, a very large number of platform molecules can be made to accumulate inside targeted cells. In step 2, a supersensitive fraction of the cancer cells, including some which had accumulated platform in step 1, are killed by the administration of a very low dose of an anti-cancer agent. Very few, if any, normal cells will be killed by the very low dose. The death of the ce     

A proposal for the use of Bayesian probabilities in neuropsychological assessment.

Proposes a measurement model based on Bayesian probabilities as an alternative to approaches based on classical measurement theory. The suggested model includes use of interactive microcomputer programs to integrate clinical impressions into the metric assessment procedure. The Bayesian model provides a new focus in neuropsychological assessment for both cognitive and affective functioning. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A proposal for a dimensional classification system based on the shared features of the DSM-IV anxiety and mood disorders: Implications for assessment and treatment.

A wealth of evidence attests to the extensive current and lifetime diagnostic comorbidity of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th ed., DSM–IV) anxiety and mood disorders. Research has shown that the considerable cross-sectional covariation of DSM–IV emotional disorders is accounted for by common higher order dimensions such as neuroticism/behavioral inhibition (N/BI) and low positive affect/behavioral activation. Longitudinal studies indicate that the temporal covariation of these disorders can be explained by changes in N/BI and, in some cases, initial levels of N/BI are predictive of the temporal course of emotional disorders. The marked phenotypal overlap of the DSM–IV anxiety and mood disorders is a frequent source of diagnostic unreliability (e.g., temporal overlap in the shared features of generalized anxiety disorder and mood disorders, situation specificity of panic attacks in panic disorder and specific phobia). Although extant dimensional proposals may address some drawbacks associated with the DSM nosology (e.g., inadequate assessment of individual differences in disorder severity), these proposals do not reconcile key problems in current classification, such as modest reliability and high comorbidity. This article considers an alternative approach that emphasizes empirically supported common dimensions of emotional disorders over disorder-specific criteria sets. Selection and assessment of these dimensions are discussed along with how these methods could be implemented to promote more reliable and valid diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment planning. For instance, the advantages of this system are discussed in context of transdiagnostic treatment protocols that are efficaciously applied to a variety of disorders by targeting their shared features. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)