Lesbians Who Abuse Their Partners

Abstract

This study explored the functional, interpersonal style of a small group of lesbians who had abused their partners (N = 15) and enrolled in a pilot feminist abuse cessation therapy program. Each completed a Fundamental Interpersonal Relations Orientation-Behavior scale (FIRO-B), a self-report assessment tool that measures expressed and wanted inclusion, control, and affection. Robust findings from the small, ethnically homogenous sample are discussed in terms of their implications for understanding one interpersonal dynamic of control in lesbian relationships in which there is abuse. Future directions for therapy and research are also outlined.     

Alltag mit der Depression des Partners

Objective. Clinical research on the quality of interpersonal relationships in individuals with unipolar depression supports the idea that the family plays a major role in the development and the course of major depression. In order to further explore how family functioning relates to unipolar depression, the authors examined changes in family functioning as viewed by the patients' spouses. Methods. Interview data from 54 spouses of patients with unipolar depression were analysed as part of the baseline assessment of a study on the economic and health burden experienced by families with mentally ill relatives. Results. Having a family member with a current major depressive disorder is a general stressor for families and has implications for the health and well-being of the patient's spouse. Depressive symptoms affect a wide range of aspects of marriage and family life and result in a process of adaptation and transformation of the patient's family. Thus, in assessing burden experienced by spouses particular attention should be paid both to the social environments and to different aspects of the relationship as perceived by the patient's spouse in order to further understand the factors mediating the interaction between major depression and family functioning.     

Implementation of the Sound Partners Reading Program

Eleven first grade and 10 second grade students, all with reading and behavioral difficulties, received one-on-one tutoring using the Sound Partners reading program (Vadasy & Pool, l997). Students received 30 min of tutoring each day for 5 months. Students were assessed on Letter-Word Identification, Passage Comprehension, and Word Attack subtests of the Woodcock-Johnson-Revised (WJ-R): Tests of Achievement. An informal measure (rapid letter naming) was also used. Results indicated that gains of approximately 1 standard deviation (or greater) were noted for subtests of the WJ-R for first-grade students; second graders showed relatively stable performance from pre- to posttest assessments. Similar performance was noted on the informal measure across grades. Program satisfaction data showed that overall the tutors, teachers, and students were pleased with the program. Discussion focuses on the implications for future investigations.     

Cultural psychology and theology: Partners in dialogue

Cultural psychology stresses the importance of the historical and socio-cultural in the formation of the self, and, in its more sophisticated versions, acknowledges the importance of embodiment, emotions and intra-psychic factors too, making it a promising dialogue partner for theology. Following a brief summary of bridging issues between psychology and theology, Benson's recent cultural psychology framework is outlined. Its relevance for theology is considered under three headings: incarnational categories, self-knowing and God-knowing, and theological method. The essay concludes with a short reflection on the self in Eucharistic space, and the limits of cultural psychological accounts.     

Partners becoming parents: A question of difference

The relationship between parents forms a significant part of the social environment within which infants and children develop. Research and clinical practice indicate that the process of becoming a parent can place a strain on a couple's partnership and that the presence of children can be associated with diminished levels of satisfaction within marriage. This paper considers why marital satisfaction may decline with the roles and responsibilities of parenthood and pays particular attention to the problem of managing difference at personal and public levels when unconscious assumptions and conscious expectations merge and apply pressure on the individual parents and their relationship.     

Intercultural Therapy with Latino Immigrants and White Partners

SUMMARY

Interethnic and interracial marriages of Latinos and White Americans are on the rise and will continue to reshape the identities of individuals, couples, families, and communities. Clinicians working with these intercultural couples find no systematic training to address what is becoming a significant segment of our society. Couple therapists, however, cannot be culturally competent and effective based solely on knowledge of some dimensions of a couple's cultural backgrounds. Using clinical and theoretical ideas, the author defines clinical work with these couples as an explicit intercultural exchange. Our task as clinicians requires a rethinking of our conversations with these couples. It involves a caring therapeutic approach that is sustained on relational and systemic levels, and intercultural conversational skills inspired by clinical and other literatures that are explicitly dedicated to work with cultural difference and the “other.”     

中美大学生理想伴侣相对偏好的性别与文化比较

亲密关系是社会心理学的重要研究领域,而理想伴侣一直是亲密关系领域的重要研究对象之一.已有研究大多考察人们的理想伴侣绝对偏好,较少涉猎理想伴侣相对偏好问题.本研究通过对664名中美大学生的问卷调查,比较了中美被试在外在特征、兴趣爱好、价值观等方面的理想伴侣相对偏好,以及相应的性别差异和文化差异特征.结果发现:(1)在兴趣爱好、价值观的理想伴侣相对偏好上,中美被试表现出较大相似性;(2)在外在特征、兴趣爱好、价值观的理想伴侣相对偏好上,女性的相对偏好更严苛;(3)与中国被试相比,美国被试的理想伴侣相对偏好性别差异更小.以上结果表明,进化心理和文化演进在不同程度上同时形塑人们的择偶心理.     

Employed Parents' Support from Partners,Employers, and Friends

Abstract

Employed parents (226 fathers, 264 mothers) in Canada were interviewed about the kinds of support that help them balance the dual responsibilities of work and family. The participants received tangible and emotional support from their partners. In the workplace, family-responsibility leave and flexible work arrangements were helpful. The participants also stressed the importance of supportive supervisors and expressed the desire for greater flexibility, shorter hours, and help with child care. The majority of the participants had friends who provided both emotional and practical support in balancing the competing demands of work and family. Comparisons by gender, family type, marital status, and life-cycle stage identified the importance of contextual variables. The findings highlight the importance of multidimensional assessment of support and the necessity to consider both the availability of and gaps in support.     

Women with Physical Disabilities Who Want to Leave Their Partners

Abstract

Four domains of barriers for women with physical disabilities who are considering leaving a partner are outlined. These obstacles include (a) physical needs; (b) financial needs; (c) custody concerns; and (d) relationship issues. Disability policies can have direct bearing on the lives of women with disabilities, and hence on their freedom to choose to remain with or to leave a partner.