Transmission and transaction: Predicting adolescents' internalization of parental religious values.

Data in this study supported a model of internalization that included both transmission and transactional variables. Two sets of hierarchical linear regression models were conducted on data collected from the fathers, mothers, and adolescents (10–12 yrs old) in 171 intact Caucasian families. One set predicted adolescent religious behavior; the other predicted the importance of religion to child. Transmission variables (parental religious behavior and parental desire for child to be religious) predicted the most variance in all models. Dyadic discussions of faith (transactional) predicted significant variance in all models. Child gender had a direct effect only on adolescent religious behavior. A significant 3-way interaction occurred between child gender, parental desire for child to be religious, and dyadic discussions when predicting importance of religion to child, with child and parent gender dyads interacting in a complex manner. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Beyond insecurity: A reconceptualization of attachment disorders in infancy.

Some young children are not merely insecurely attached and at risk for later problems; by virtue of the severity of their attachment disturbances they are already disordered. This article reviews and critiques the approaches of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th ed.; DSM–IV; American Psychiatric Association, 1994) and the International Classification of Diseases (10th ed.; ICD-10; World Health Organization, 1992) to attachment disorders and finds that they have not made use of findings from developmental research on attachment in developing their criteria. An alternative system of classifying attachment disorders that is compatible with the major findings from developmental research on infant–caregiver attachment is presented. Finally, many areas in need of empirical contributions are indicated. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Bridging science and values: A unifying view of mind and brain.

The traditional dichotomy that has separated science and value judgment and set corresponding limitations to the domain and role of science is challenged in the context of recent developments in the concept of consciousness and mind-brain relations. A conceptual explanatory model for psychophysical interaction has emerged during the past decade that changes the scientific status of subjective experience and negates many mechanistic, deterministic, and reductionistic features of prior materialist-behaviorist doctrine. Subjective values, conceived in the present terms, transcend their neural components in brain function to become causal determinants per se with objective consequences. The strategic control power of human values functioning as universal cerebral determinants in all social decision making is emphasized, along with logical indications for a more active involvement therein on the part of science. (29 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Moral internalization, parental power, and the nature of parent-child interaction.

The following arguments are offered for the view that the frequent correlation between discipline and internalization reflects parental influence: (a) Since parental discipline exerts more constraint on the child than the child exerts on the parent, child attributes like internalization that probably derived from behaviors and inner states associated with compliance are more apt to be consequents than antecedents of discipline. (b) Congenital and other factors that may affect discipline do not negate its effects on internalization. It is also hypothesized that discipline is important because it gives children the experience, necessary for internalization, of achieving balance between expressing and controlling desires. The parent-child relation is conceptualized so as to fit the facts of both everyday interaction and long-term effects, especially on the child. (42 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Parental discipline as affected by the sex of the parent, the sex of the child, and the child's apparent responsiveness to discipline.

40 parents (mean age 31 yrs) were made to believe they were teaching their children (mean age 55.7 mo) a task by selecting rewarding and punishing consequences for the children's successes and errors. The children actually had been separated from their parents, and their "responding" was electromechanically controlled. Initially, responses were 50% successful on the trials, independent of their parents' disciplinary strategies. Next, successes were manipulated to be contingent on parents' selection of high, and later low, levels of punishment following errors. Finally, no successful responses were given regardless of parents' administration of discipline. The children's simulated responding was found to exert functional control over the intensities of punishments that their parents administered. Furthermore, parents' and children's gender and the children's apparent responsiveness to the parents' disciplinary strategies combined to determine the manner in which punishers and rewards were given by the parents. (12 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Beyond stress and arousal: A reconceptualization of alcohol–emotion relations with reference to psychophysiological methods.

In this review, the authors examine how psychophysiological research might better contribute to understanding the effects of alcohol on human emotion. They propose that future studies would benefit from greater use of contemporary theories of emotion that emphasize a dimensional structure of affective expression, incorporating the parameters of emotional arousal and emotional valence. Evidence suggests that, although alcohol exerts an overall dampening effect on arousal, it appears to modulate emotional response through its effects on higher order associative processes rather than at the level of primary brain motivational systems. They discuss methodological implications of this multidimensional, multilevel approach and suggest that alcohol-induced physiological changes need to be investigated as dynamic response patterns rather than isolated events tied to solitary measures. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Hostility and withdrawal in marital conflict: Effects on parental emotional unavailability and inconsistent discipline.

This study examined the nature of pathways between marital hostility and withdrawal, parental disagreements about child rearing issues, and subsequent changes in parental emotional unavailability and inconsistent discipline in a sample of 225 mothers, fathers, and 6-year-old children. Results of autoregressive, structural equation models indicated that marital withdrawal and hostility were associated with increases in parental emotional unavailability over the one-year period, whereas marital hostility and withdrawal did not predict changes in parental inconsistency in discipline. Additional findings supported the role of child rearing disagreements as an intervening or mediating mechanism in links between specific types of marital conflict and parenting practices. Implications for clinicians and therapists working with maritally distressed parents and families are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A reconceptualization of issues in the treatment of abused women: A case study.

The personality profile of abused women needs to be reconceptualized as a result of living in an abusive situation rather than as the antecedent that provokes abuse from the spouse. The personality traits exhibited by abused women closely parallel symptoms of learned helplessness, a concept that can be used to explain the perception of no alternatives, an inability to effect change, and passivity. A strategy for therapeutic intervention is outlined through a case study that suggests changing faculty beliefs and developing skills prior to instituting change in the abused woman's environment. The case study is significant in its successful modification of the abusive male's behavior even though he never came to therapy. Significant posttherapy decreases in MMPI personality scales as well as mood scales indicate vast personality changes in the client as a result of her successful attempts to change her environment. (12 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Comments on the Grusec and Goodnow (1994) model of the role of discipline in moral internalization.

J. E. Grusec and J. J. Goodnow (see record 1994-25033-001) provided a compelling framework for organizing parameters of disciplinary encounters found to affect moral internalization. However, their central hypothesis (that cognitions of accurate perception and acceptance of the message mediate the impact of specific tactics on internalization) remains untested. Before embarking on research programs designed to reveal the determinants of acceptance of parental messages in the hope that such research will inform our understanding of internalization, researchers would be well advised to devise conceptually sound measures of message acceptance and to show that message acceptance does indeed mediate internalization. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Predicting inept discipline: The role of parental depressive symptoms, anger, and attributions.

Relations among parents' psychological difficulties (i.e., depressive symptoms, overt anger), dysfunctional attributions for child misbehavior, and inept discipline were investigated in a representative community sample of 451 mothers and 449 fathers. Depressive symptoms and anger were hypothesized to relate to discipline via their link with parents' attributions. Path analyses revealed that depressive symptoms predicted parent-centered causal attributions (i.e., stable, global, and dispositional), which, in turn, related to laxness. Depressive symptoms also predicted child-centered responsibility attributions (i.e., controllable, intentional, and negative), which, in turn, related to overreactivity. Anger predicted overreactivity directly. The patterns of relations were similar for fathers and mothers. The importance of addressing parents' psychological difficulties and dysfunctional attributions in interventions for families with disruptive children is discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Portal hypertension: A surgical hepatologist's view of current management

Current strategies for management of acute esophageal variceal bleeding and for long-term treatment after an episode of variceal bleeding are outlined. Acute variceal bleeding is best managed by means of endoscopic therapy (sclerotherapy, band ligation, or "superglue"), whereas the role of pharmacologic agents remains controversial. In cases of failure of endoscopic therapy, a transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) procedure, an emergency shunt, or a transection operation should be performed. Patients who experience an acute variceal bleeding episode require long-term management to prevent recurrent bleeding. Endoscopic treatment is preferred using either sclerotherapy or banding. The principal alternative is long-term pharmacologic therapy with beta-adrenergic receptor blocking agents. Major surgical procedures should be reserved for failures of endoscopic or pharmacologic therapy. The distal splenorenal shunt or the new narrow-diameter polytetrafluoroethylene portacaval shunt is preferred. All patients who are first seen with acute variceal bleeding should be considered for a liver transplant, although few will ultimately become transplant candidates. Patients with end-stage liver disease who are not transplant candidates should be identified and major high-cost therapy discontinued. Prophylactic therapy prior to variceal bleeding should be considered in selected patients. At present, only pharmacologic therapy is justified. The major problem remains identification of those patients at high risk for a first episode of variceal bleeding.     

The dying child's awareness of death: A review.

A review of the professional opinions in the literature reveals both the honest concern of the authors for the parents, nurses, and physicians of the dying child and the lack of objective data on what the child actually knows about his illness or what his psychological reactions are to it. The result has been the accumulation of a set of contradictory attitudes often based on nothing more than the authors' personal reactions and unsubstantiated observations. 2 controlled studies directly measuring the child's concerns pointed to a very real awareness by a child as young as 6 yrs of the seriousness of his illness. Implications for designing future research in this area are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Impact of computers on professional practice: A survey of current practices and attitudes.

Surveyed 227 practicing psychologists to explore the impact of computers on the everyday practice of psychology and practitioners' attitudes toward specific uses of computers. Whereas more than half of the respondents reported using computers in their practices, most restricted their use to clerical applications. Few practitioners used their computer for more clinical applications. Reasons most frequently reported for not using computers related to lacking the necessary skills and experience and to financial considerations. Overall, practitioners had positive attitudes toward a variety of specific applications of computers. Implications of these findings for facilitating the appropriate use of computers by practitioners are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Memory beliefs as social cognition: A reconceptualization of what memory questionnaires assess.

Few attempts have been made to integrate research on memory beliefs across adulthood with related constructs in social cognition. This article addresses the issue of how respondents formulate answers to memory-beliefs questions from a social–cognitive perspective. We propose that reported memory beliefs represent the outcomes of a process that involves both the retrieval of previously stored information about self and about memory and on-line constructive processes. This article offers a set of assumptions that clarifies existing data on memory beliefs and generates new hypotheses regarding the interactions between beliefs about the aging process, memory, and constructs such as memory self-efficacy and how such variables combine with the on-line constructive processes to produce individual differences in responses. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The unity of the discipline: A challenge for the profession.

Examines the issue of disunity within the discipline of psychology, within the profession of psychology, and between the two. References are made to tensions that have existed in or between academic/scientific and applied/professional psychology throughout the history of psychology in Canada and the US. The emphasis, however, is on more recent events and their implications for the profession of psychology in the immediate future. Factors are identified within the discipline and the profession, and in society that could operate to strengthen the links between professional and academic psychology. A shortened French version of the article is also presented. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Impact of psychotherapy supervision on therapist orientation and values.

Research has suggested that psychotherapy skills are developed and valued depending in part on the level of trainee experience. Beginning trainees tend to value and benefit from supervisor support, whereas later trainees tend to gravitate toward technical guidance. This cycle may be repeated with continuing experience. We present illustrative data from our own research to suggest that several years after training, early supervisory experiences may still exert an effect on one's theoretical position. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Policies on minority employment: A psychologist's view.

Discusses the fact that in recent yrs, industrial/organizational psychologists have been deeply involved in controversies about industrial practices regarding selection, training, and promotion as they have adversely affected the careers of minority group members and females. The author is not concerned with the specifics of selection and training but focuses on 4 key equal employment opportunities (EEO) and challenges for management: measurement, underutilization, targets and timetables, and implementation by middle management. Two barriers to full EEO for minorities and women are analyzed: legalism and reverse discrimination vs affirmative action. (16 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child: A cross-cultural view.

The U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child (U.N. General Assembly, 1989) enumerates substantive children's rights and implementation processes through which these rights are to be realized. Cultural differences in interpreting the Convention could occur in both of the aforementioned areas. This article examines cultural variability in beliefs about (a) the appropriate distribution of power in families and institutions; (b) the degree to which behavior should be regulated by individuals versus through external rules; (c) the scope of responsibility individuals should have for themselves, their immediate and extended families, and society's children; and (d) the importance of individual rights versus group and family loyalties in the ordering of society. Cultures may vary widely in how the best interests of the child are defined. Awareness of these areas of cultural divergence could help decision makers draft and implement culturally sensitive international policy. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Use of discipline in an organization: A field study.

526 hourly employees working in a refinery were surveyed about their perceptions of their immediate supervisor's disciplinary behavior as well as the kinds of factors supervisors take into account when applying discipline. Factor analytic and correlational procedures were explored to (a) determine the kinds of disciplinary factors that are perceived as operating in the organization; (b) determine the relationships between these disciplinary factors and other employee variables such as satisfaction with supervisor, disciplinary history, and grievances; and (c) determine the attributions that supervisors are perceived as forming within the disciplinary process and determine the relationships between these types of attributions and selected employee variables. Several reliable supervisory disciplinary factors are identified that showed high relationships with supervisory satisfaction and the evaluation of the organizational disciplinary program but low correlations with more distant and objective variables of disciplinary history, grievances, and absenteeism. Several attributional dimensions that Ss perceived their supervisor to be using when applying discipline were identified. However, these dimensions are not consistent with the kinds of attributional elements identified in previous literature. Both reward- and punishment-oriented supervisor behavior were independently and incrementally related to satisfaction with supervision, but reward-oriented behavior was more important. (16 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)