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)     

The place and promise of theory in rehabilitation psychology research.

Objective: Although rehabilitation psychology is more focused on empirical evidence and clinical application than theory development, the authors argue for the primacy of theory and explain why theories are needed in and useful for rehabilitation psychology. Impediments to theory development are discussed, including the difficulties of applying psychological theories in multidisciplinary enterprises and the difficulties in developing a theory-driven research program. The authors offer suggestions by reviewing research settings, knowledge gained through controlled studies, grantsmanship, and then identify topical areas in which new theories are needed. Researcher-practitioners are reminded that rehabilitation psychology benefits from a judicious mix of scientific rigor and real-world vigor. Conclusions: The authors close by advocating for theory-driven research programs that embrace a methodological pluralism, which will, in turn, advance new theory, produce meaningful research programs that inform practice, and realize the goals of this special issue of Rehabilitation Psychology--advances in research and methodology. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The social psychology of Rorschach validity research.

An analysis of the research extant in the literature on the validity of the Rorschach, revealed that there was a relationship between where the research was done (academic, nonacademic settings) and type of validity study (construct, criterion, i.e., theoretical or practical validity). Ramifications of these findings with regard to formulation and interpretation of studies on the Rorschach were discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

An ecological perspective on integrating personality and social psychology.

We use the Gibsonian ecological construct of affordance to integrate personality and social psychology. Illustrative applications include the interpersonal implications of depression, the nature of social competence, the meaning of traits, and various aspects of the structure and function of attitudes. We also use the affordance concept to derive a lock-and-key metaphor for integrating personality and social psychology. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Contemporary perspectives and future directions of personality and social psychology.

Conducted an empirically based study in which the judgments of experts were used to identify the theoretical/methodological structure of the field of personality and social psychology, as well as the core "interest communities" extant in these disciplines. The similarities of figures prominent in the history of the field were judged by 16 of the American Psychological Association's Division 8 (Society of Personality and Social Psychology) Fellows. Multidimensional scaling of these similarity judgments revealed 3 general dimensions along which the figures varied: synthetic vs analytic, internal vs external determinants of behavior, and prominence. An alternate view of the field was provided by a taxonomic scheme in which the figures were grouped along major ideological, substantive, and methodological lines. The following 5 contemporary interest communities were identified from the self-characterizations of the Fellows: (a) psychoanalysis and psychiatry, (b) modern personality theory, (c) measurement and individual differences, (d) sociology, and (e) social psychology. Statements of implications for future directions in the field were also obtained from Ss. (38 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The place of psychology in the university.

Following an introduction by the guest editor, this special issue contains 3 main parts: (a) the reprinted report of the 1947 Harvard Commission on "the place of psychology in an ideal university" followed by retrospective comments by 5 of the members of the original Commission as seen "25 years later"; (b) 6 papers and 2 commentaries on alternative current models for psychology in the university; and (c) summaries by E. R. Hilgard (general) and K. E. Clark (psychology) of the findings of the Behavioral and Social Sciences Survey Committee of the National Academy of Sciences Social Science Research Council. This issue was prepared as a background document for academic psychologists whose departments or institutions are contemplating or undergoing administrative reorganization. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

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)     

The implications of social influence research for a conceptual framework for psychological social psychology.

The conceptual framework of psychological social psychology is scientific (in the image of the natural sciences) and includes, but is not limited to, determinism, behaviorism, and individualism. Focusing on research on social influence, this paper demonstrates problems with, and changes occurring in, that conceptual framework while setting the research in its historical context. Those problems, it is argued, are fundamental to, and not resolvable within, the conceptual framework of the subdiscipline. A reformulation of the conceptual framework of psychological social psychology is recommended. (French abstract) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The power of the situation: The impact of Milgram's obedience studies on personality and social psychology.

Few psychological studies, if any, can claim a legacy as imposing as the obedience studies of Stanley Milgram. Their impact was of notable consequence in the separate spheres of research ethics, research design, and theory in psychology, and they changed the ways that psychologists conceptualize and conduct their research. The authors discuss the legacy of these studies, especially as they effected dramatic changes in the fields of personality and social psychology. The article concludes with a discussion of what psychological science has lost in the aftermath of Milgram--high impact studies--and the salience that such research has in illuminating the most significant problems of our society, studies that could produce great human benefits. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The social psychology of citations.

Discusses 2 social facets of citations and citation counts. It is proposed that literature is cited both because of scholarly impact and to show a familiarity with the pertinent literature. In this sense, citation counts measure social consensus indistinguishable from scholarly impact. Qualitative evaluation methods are considered to be appealing because of the social-historical climate. (15 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The psychology of social impact.

Proposes a theory of social impact specifying the effect of other persons on an individual. According to the theory, when other people are the source of impact and the individual is the target, impact should be a multiplicative function of the strength, immediacy, and number of other people. Furthermore, impact should take the form of a power function, with the marginal effect of the Nth other person being less than that of the (N–2)th. When other people stand with the individual as the target of forces from outside the group, impact should be divided such that the resultant is an inverse power function of the strength, immediacy, and number of persons standing together. The author reviews relevant evidence from research on conformity and imitation, stage fright and embarrassment, news interest, bystander intervention, tipping, inquiring for Christ, productivity in groups, and crowding in rats. (27 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

On grandiosity in personality psychology.

Responds to the comments by A. Wood and S. Joseph (see record 2006-23492-015); S. R. Maddi (see record 2006-23492-016); and S. Epstein (see record 2006-23492-017) on the current author's original article (see record 2006-03947-002) "A New Big Five: Fundamental Principles for an Integrative Science of Personality" (McAdams & Pals, April 2006). Here, McAdams responds to the objections raised in the three commentaries to his and Pals' characterization of the grand theories of personality provided by Freud, Jung, Rogers, and other luminaries from the first half of the 20th century. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The social psychology of aging in industry.

In 3 previous studies, H. Meltzer (see PA, Vols 33:4955, 38:4107, and 39:1533) investigated the relationship between work attitudes and mental health. Results show that as workers got older, attitudes toward place of employment increased favorably, satisfaction increased, and work took on more significance. In a 4th study, content analysis of life and work stories was used to investigate the relationship between positive mental health and age of workers. 143 workers were divided into 5 groups according to age: 20–29, 30–39, 40–49, 50–59, and 60+ yrs. Mental health indices were adapted and condensed from M. Jahoda's (1958) 6 categories of criteria for total positive mental health. Results suggest that the stereotype of decreasing cognitive capacity and ineffectual role execution was largely false. Older Ss seemed more satisfied and less prone to change jobs but when compared with 30–39 yr old Ss, they scored lower on signs of mental health. (20 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The crisis of confidence in social psychology.

Notes that social psychologists' early enthusiasm has been replaced by serious doubts about the future of their field. Difficulties in conducting research, unfulfilled expectations about research payoffs, and outside pressures had all contributed to a sense of crisis. Relief may come from acceptance of theoretical and methodological pluralism, from reevaluation of research expectations and ethical stances, and from the development of realistic responses to societal demands. (49 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Self-knowledge of an amnesic patient: Toward a neuropsychology of personality and social psychology.

Presents the case of W. J., an 18-yr old female who, as a result of a head injury, temporarily lost access to her episodic memory. W. J. was asked both during her amnesia and following its resolution to make trait judgments about herself. Because her responses when she could access episodic memories were consistent with her responses when she could not, the authors conclude that the loss of episodic memory did not greatly affect the availability of her trait self-knowledge. The authors discuss how neuropsychological evidence can contribute to theorizing about personality and social processes. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Some research trends in social psychology during the 1960s.

Discusses the trend in social psychological research towards increased laboratory experimentation with college students, using analysis of variance designs. Some social psychologists have suggested that during the 1970s there will be greater emphasis on real-world field studies with other populations, using correlational designs. However, an analysis of the articles published in the 1969 Journal of Personality and Social Psychology shows that 9 out of 10 articles involved experimental manipulation, 3 out of 4 used college students as Ss, and 4 out of 5 used an analysis of variance design. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Impact of the research training environment and counseling psychology students' Holland personality type on interest in research.

We surveyed 358 counseling psychology students in 10 APA-accredited programs with regard to change in research interest and (a) research training environment, (b) J. L. Holland (1978) personality type, and (c) environment-personality interactions. Investigative and Investigative-Artistic students had the highest interest in research. Enterprising interests were related to lower levels of research interest and delay in completing training. Programs identified in a previous study as having the greatest positive impact on research interest were found in the current study to also select students with more Investigative interests. Environment, person (Holland type), and some person–environment interactions were all predictive of increased research interest, but person variables were the strongest predictors. The most impactful specific environment factors may depend on the Holland personality type of the student. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Translational research: How social psychology can improve psychotherapy.

In an effort to generate innovative treatments, the National Institute of Mental Health has made translational research for alleviating mental illness a major funding priority. Although translational research is a powerful approach for moving basic science findings into novel treatments, it remains ambiguous and rarely implemented in psychology. The current article describes conceptual and methodological issues involved with translational research, including considerations about time frame, scope of hypothesis tested, dose of treatment, contraindication, and sampling. Translational concepts and methods are illustrated with areas of social psychology that are promising for translation into solutions for pressing questions in psychotherapy research. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Role, personality, and social structure in the organizational setting.

An analysis of the interaction between the psychological factors of the individual functioning within the environmental context of an organizational structure (hospital, business, prison, school, etc.) and the resultant "role" played. 36 refs. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The turn to discourse in social psychology.

We discuss the emerging turn to discursive social psychology as an alternative to experimental social psychology. We note that the barriers to change are rooted in the history of the discipline, in the failure of researchers to recognize the distinction between movements and actions and in their reluctance to switch from positivist to post-positivist criteria. We outline the tenets of discursive psychology and of its associated method, discourse analysis. Illustrations of discourse analysis are drawn primarily from a recent study of date rape. Throughout, we emphasize the centrality of discourse in social life and the definition of the social being as Homo loquens. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)