Book Reviews

Books reviewed:
Barbara Kellerman, Reinventing Leadership: Making the Connection Between Politics and Business
Jon Hurwitz and Mark Peffley (eds.), Perception and Prejudice: Race and Politics in the United States
Neil J. Smelser, The Social Edges of Psychoanalysis
Paul Wachtel, Race in the Mind of America: Breaking the Vicious Circle Between Whites and Blacks
Russell F. Farnen and Jos D. Meloen, Democracy, Authoritarianism and Education: A Cross-National Empirical Survey     

The Psychology of Terrorism: An Agenda for the 21st Century

Research on political terrorism, which began in the early 1970s, faces some persistent problems. These involve defining the concept, collecting empirical data, building integrative theory, and avoiding the attribution of terrorism to personality disorders or "irrationality." Furthermore, analysis risks being driven by events or the concerns of policymakers. Nevertheless, it is generally accepted that psychological explanations of terrorism must take multiple levels of analysis into account, linking the individual to the group and to society. Future research should critically examine the assumption that a "new terrorism" has appeared at the end of the 20th century. Analysts should also take advantage of 30 years of history to develop comparisons and developmental studies that look not only at the causes of terrorism but at changes in terrorist strategy, the termination of terrorist campaigns, government decision-making, and policy effectiveness.     

离异家庭儿童发展性研究综述

随着世界各国离婚率的提高,离异家庭对儿童发展的影响已经成为众多学者研究关注的焦点.文章着重介绍和分析了离异家庭儿童发展性研究的进展、离异家庭儿童心理和行为问题的产生机制以及离异家庭儿童发展的影响因素和作用机制.最后对公共政策的制定提出建议.     

应急药物储备及其优化的伦理研究

应急药物在应对突发公共卫生事件中起到保障人类健康和维护国际安全的作用,然而当前的应急药物储备策略在实践中面临着资源分配不公、社会公正性有待提升及储备灵活性亟待增强等伦理问题,以伦理学视角为基础,对应急药物储备的优化路径进行探索,提出应急药物储备的优化应建立在公平公正、优先性及公益性等伦理原则基础上,逐步完善应急药物储备公正价值观、加强药品供应链资源的合理配置、健全应急医疗药物储备的制度体系等政策措施,以期为应急医疗药物储备管理模式的发展提供参考和借鉴。

     

Book Review

Books Reviewed:
Stanley A. Renshon (ed), One America: Political Leadership, National Identity, and the Dilemmas of Diversity     

Book Review

Experienced military air traffic controllers (25 respondents, males = 15, females = 10, years of experience = less than one year = 5 respondents, more than one year but less than three years = 11 respondents and more than three years = 9 respondents) participated in this study to determine whether self-directed team learning exists within their air traffic control teams and to understand the impact of self-directed team learning on the air traffic control work environment. Data on self-directed team learning and learning approaches were collected using a Self-directed Team Learning Questionnaire (SDTLQ) and a Learning Approaches Questionnaire (LAQ). These data were analysed using an inductive reasoning mode for qualitative data analysis and quantitative data analysis followed a supporting deductive reasoning mode. Triangulation as a technique was used to determine whether multiple sources of data agreed and to obtain better, cross-checked insights (Burgess, 1985). Results revealed that these air traffic controllers and air traffic control teams investigated in the study do indeed function within self-directed working, training and learning environments. The quality of team performance was influenced by self-directed team learning initiatives. Furthermore, the quality of self-directed team learning relied upon the effectiveness of air traffic control team performances.     

Book Review

Repetition priming is one of the most robust phenomena in cognitive psychology, but participants vary substantially on the amount of priming that they produce. The current experiments assessed the reliability of repetition priming within individuals. The results suggest that observed differences in the size of the repetition priming effect across participants are largely reliable and result primarily from systematic processes. We conclude that the unreliability of semantic priming observed by Stolz, Besner, and Carr (2005) is specific to uncoordinated processes in semantic memory, and that this unreliability does not generalize to other processes in visual word recognition. We consider the implications of these results for theories of automatic and controlled processes that contribute to priming. Finally, we emphasize the importance of reliability for researchers who use similar paradigms to study individual and group differences in cognition.     

Book Review

This article is based on Ulkuniemi's key-note lecture in the Congress of Photo Therapy and Therapeutic Photography. The lecture dealt mainly with the history of family photography and the uses of family photographs in art education. Here Ulkuniemi has put her ideas in dialogue with some of the themes presented in the Special Issue (11.1) of European Journal of Psychotherapy and Counselling. Thus this article also serves as a commentary to some of the texts in this journal. The main approach of this article is to offer some hints about possibilities for using photographs in therapy by giving practical examples from the field of art education and art – Ulkuniemi's own visual-pedagogical installations. Another aim is to offer a general view of how a family photograph is constructed. Ulkuniemi will ‘break the frames’ by showing the various factors existing outside the frames that have influence on the outcome of the picture.     

Book Review

Cognitive Behaviour Therapy - a Guide for the Practising Clinician. Gregoris Simos (Ed.). East Sussex: Brunner-Routledge, 2002. 330 pages. ISBN 1-58391-104-9.     

Book Review

Abstract

Case vignettes are offered to illustrate five principles of self psychological treatment the author believes are generally accepted by self psychologists. A sixth principle is included, contributed by self psychologists informed by intersubjectivity. They are:

1. The centrality of the empathic vantage point for analytic observation. This requires a shift in the listening stance from observing from the outside to observing from the inside. The analyst attempts to listen from within the context of the analysand's subjective reality in order to understand his experience.

2. Alterations in the sense of self must be recognized and understood.

3. When ruptures occur between patient and analyst (selfobject bond), such ruptures are analyzed.

4. From a technical point of view, the careful exploration of both the state of the selfobject bond, and the meanings to the patient of the analytic activity needs to be carefully examined and understood by both patient and analyst.

5. Defensive activities are thought to be undertaken in the service of psychological survival.

6. A deeply entrenched defensive structure may appear as a resistance to progress in treatment. Such pathological structures of accommodation function to dismantle progress in self delineation.     

Book Review

Throughout different civilisations and historical epochs, anthropological and religious texts have been replete with accounts of persons who have reported anomalous experiences in the form of visions or voices. In these contexts, such experiences are considered to be a “gift” that can be spiritually enriching or life enhancing. One such group of individuals are mediums who claim to receive information from spirits of the deceased in the form of auditory or visual perceptions. This study explores how mediums come to interpret their experiences as mediumistic and how they describe their relationship with spirit voices. In-depth interviews were conducted with 10 Spiritualist mediums using interpretative phenomenological analysis. Three themes were identified: “Childhood anomalous experiences”, “A search for meaning: Normalisation of mediumship”, and “relationship with spirit”. These themes illuminated aspects of the mediumistic experience that have therapeutic implications for individuals who have similar experiences but become distressed by them.     

Book Review

Uncertainty is a major source of psychological strain during organizational change. This study tested a model of change-related communication, uncertainty, and control and their relationship with psychological strain, job satisfaction, and turnover intentions. Self-report data were obtained from staff at a psychiatric hospital undergoing restructuring. Results indicated that uncertainty had a direct and an indirect (via feelings of lack of control) relationship with psychological strain. Partialling out common method variance led to a complete mediation of this relationship by control. Other predictions about the relationship of these variables with psychological strain, job satisfaction, and turnover intentions were supported. Implications for future research and practice of change communication are discussed.     

Book Review

Book reviewed in this article:
Hunter Brown, William James on Radical Empiricism and Religion     

Book Review

There is no abstract with this book review