Franz Boas, geographer, and the problem of disciplinary identity

This paper examines Franz Boas as an aspiring professional geographer during the 1880s: his Baffin Land research, his publications, his participation in geography organizations, and his struggle to attain a university appointment in geography. Frustrated by a seeming lack of opportunity for advancement in Germany, Boas explored career opportunities as a geographer in America and launched a series of unsuccessful but meaningful attempts to dominate the intellectual direction of American geography. Finally, the article reviews the circumstances surrounding Boas's appointment as an anthropologist at Clark University in 1889. Through examining Boas's own words and actions, the paper demonstrates that his professional identification with geography was lengthier and stronger than earlier accounts have suggested. It also critiques the myth of a Baffin Land "conversion" to anthropology, and delineates the circumstances of his shift from German human geography to his Americanist recasting of anthropology after 1889.     

ANTHROPOLOGY AT WAR: ROBERT H. LOWIE AND THE TRANSFORMATION OF THE CULTURE CONCEPT, 1904 to 1954

The concept of culture used in American anthropology has fundamentally transformed throughout the first half of the twentieth century. The changing resonance of the work of Robert H. Lowie offers revealing insights into this development. Lowie was part of the first generation of students of Franz Boas that highlighted the importance of individual variation for the study of both primitive and civilized societies. Yet, its initial resonance notwithstanding, the culture concept that prevailed in the discipline went into a different direction as the result of anthropologists’ involvement in the war effort. It was advanced by the second generation of Boas’ students such as Ruth Benedict and Margaret Mead, who stressed the homogeneity of cultures. The contrast highlights the diversity of approaches available within anthropology in the first half of the century and the crucial impact of World War II in determining which of these possibilities became institutionalized in the decades after the war.     

Synergetic Counseling and Native American Indian Students

Traditional school counseling efforts have often failed to meet the needs of Native American Indian students. Because many Native American Indian students have spiritual as well as secular concerns, school counselors must become more emphatic and competent in serving these students. This article argues that synergetic counseling efforts with Native American Indian students increase counseling effectiveness. A vignette and suggestions are offered toward that end.     

Alcohol and suicide death among American Indians of New Mexico: 1980-1998

The relationship between alcohol use prior to suicide was explored among American Indian decedents in New Mexico for the years 1980 through 1998. The suicide data were collected from New Mexico Vital Statistics and toxicology reports from the New Mexico Office of the Medical Investigator and matched on a case-by-case basis. Detailed analyses were undertaken for all cases of resident New Mexico Indians from the Navajo, Pueblo, and Apache cultures. Alcohol was detected in 69% of all suicides of American Indians with some variance by major tribal cultural groups (range = 62.1% to 84.4%). This is higher than in suicides among the overall New Mexico population (44.3%). The mean blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of the drinking Indian decedents at suicide was 0.198 (+/- SD of .088). Mean BACs were high for both males (0.199) and females (0.180) who had been drinking. Over 90% of the Indian decedents who had been drinking had BACs greater than the legal intoxication level of 0.08. The Navajo had the lowest percentage of cases that were alcohol involved, and their mean BAC was lower than the other two cultural groups. Alcohol use for completed suicides also varied somewhat by age, sex, method of suicide, and place of occurrence, but very little by whether the decedent was an on or off reservation resident. Analyses indicated that alcohol use prior to suicide was significantly more associated with male suicides than for females, and it was negatively correlated for those who died by overdose and also those using other drugs at suicide. Otherwise, alcohol use did not significantly differentiate American Indian suicides by age, use of firearms, hanging, use of other methods, or residence, for the presence of alcohol was a factor very commonly associated with all of these variables. Heavy alcohol consumption is, therefore, an important factor in over two thirds of all completed suicides among the Indians of New Mexico.     

Epidemiology of alcohol consumption and related problems in Latin American countries: Contributions of psychology

Alcohol consumption is the leading risk factor for morbi‐mortality in many Latin American Countries. However, epidemiologic studies are relatively scarce. Among factors such as limited research capacity, disciplinary traditions and an emphasis on psychopathology within the field of psychology, have been postulated to account for this. The aim of this article is to review epidemiologic research on alcohol in Spanish Speaking Latin American Countries, and to measure the contribution of psychology to the field. A systematic search was performed in English and Spanish using regional and international data bases. We identified 269 articles. Most focused on consumption patterns in youth, with samples from a single school and using a variety of measures. With the exception of multinational efforts like Emergency Room Collaborative Alcohol Analysis Project or those supported by World Health Organization/Pan American Health Organization, studies reviewed reflected little cross country collaboration. Mexico accounted for most of the productivity, while many countries had very few or no articles. Most research was performed by health science researchers with a small contribution from psychology, but which increased significantly over time. The results of this review provide a broad identification of patterns regarding epidemiologic research on alcohol, and demonstrate the need for national scientific policies to promote research on public health topics.     

Historic-sociocultural Premises (HSCPs) and Global Change

Global change occurs at many, often interrelated levels. This paper is angled specifically to identify: 1.) Dimensions of similarity and difference across societies. Representative conclusions from anthropology, sociology and cross-cultural psychology are explored. These dimensions could serve to determine base-lines to study global change in cultural traits and beliefs over time; 2.) It is argued, however, that for practical purposes, aimed at faster global change to a better world, with pluralism, human rights and ecological consciousness, it is better to proceed ethnopsychologically. The case of Mexico regarding generalized beliefs and their change over time is considered.     

The effects of verbal labeling on short-term and incidental memory: A cross-cultural and developmental study

Effects of induced verbal labeling on short-term and incidental memory were studied in Yucatan, Mexico. The 208 subjects, evenly divided by sex, were selected from four age groups (7–8, 10–11, 13–15, 20–21 years) from a large public school. Stimuli were cards depicting both animals and objects familiar to all subjects, and were presented over 14 trials. Short-term memory was tested with a probed serial recall task on each trial; incidental memory was tested following the 14 trials. Several results conformed to findings with earlier studies using American subjects: short-term memory improved with age; primacy and recency recall were influenced by both age and labeling; and the typical inverted U-shaped incidental memory function was found. Verbal labeling apparently aided recall by focusing attention on the relevant items, but such overt labeling also impeded the strategy of verbal rehearsal used by older subjects. Cultural factors appeared to play a limited role in the present study; the common element of formal schooling, among both American and Yucatecan subjects, was hypothesized as a possible explanation of such cross-cultural similarities.     

Differences in nonfatal suicide behaviors among Mexican and European American middle school children.

This report describes ethnic and gender differences in suicide ideation among two large samples of middle school students in New Mexico (n = 2,140) and Texas (n = 1,302). Students completed a self-administered questionnaire on suicide ideation and psychosocial risk factors. Mexican Americans in both samples reported significantly higher prevalence of suicide ideation than did their European American counterparts. Mexican Americans were 1.8 times more likely to have high suicide ideation than European Americans. The suicide ideation risk for Mexican Americans remained unchanged in both samples after adjusting for gender, age, family structure, depression, low social support, and self-esteem. This study indicates that ethnicity plays an important role in suicidal ideation, but the mechanism remains unclear.     

William Foote Whyte,Street Corner Society and Social Organization

Social scientists have mostly taken it for granted that William Foote Whyte's sociological classic Street Corner Society (SCS, 1943) belongs to the Chicago school of sociology's research tradition or that it is a relatively independent study which cannot be placed in any specific research tradition. Social science research has usually overlooked the fact that William Foote Whyte was educated in social anthropology at Harvard University, and was mainly influenced by Conrad M. Arensberg and W. Lloyd Warner. What I want to show, based on archival research, is that SCS cannot easily be said either to belong to the Chicago school's urban sociology or to be an independent study in departmental and idea‐historical terms. Instead, the work should be seen as part of A. R. Radcliffe‐Brown's and W. Lloyd Warner's comparative research projects in social anthropology.     

Adolescent drug use in Mexico and among Mexican American adolescents in the United States: environmental influences and individual characteristics

The authors compared high school students in Baja California Norte (BCN), Mexico (n = 775), with Mexican American students in Los Angeles (LA), California (n = 516). The students' use of cigarettes, alcohol, marijuana, cocaine, inhalants, and other illicit drugs were compared, because these vary by gender, country, and their age of first drug use and are influenced by demographic variables, individual characteristics, and environmental influences. More BCN students than LA students had used alcohol, but more LA than BCN students had used illicit drugs and initiated drug use earlier. When demographic variables were influential, they were most powerful and increased the risk for drug use more than environmental factors or individual characteristics. Environmental factors were most influential for boys' drug use, whereas environmental and demographic variables were most influential for girls' drug use.     

Predicting Positive Academic Intention Among African American Males and Females1

Significant attention has been given to the educational shortcomings of African American students. This study examined predictors of educational success among African American high school sophomores. It explored factors that predict differences in students’ academic intention to complete the school year, and how these factors differ by gender. The study was guided conceptually by the theory of planned behavior (TPB). We also assessed perceptions of self. Results indicated that most students had positive predispositions toward school‐year completion, with females being more positively oriented toward academic success than males. The TPB's attitude component was the only predictor tested to operate differentially across gender. Having a positive attitude toward school was a significantly greater predictor of intention to complete the school year for males than for females.     

On Difference and the “Beyond Psychotherapy” of Psychoanalytic Method: The Pivotal Issue of Free-associative Discourse as De-repressive Praxis

The American Journal of Psychoanalysis - It is argued that, in the course of the history of psychoanalysis since 1914 or thereabouts, the clinical and theoretical interests of psychotherapy have...     

Psychology,behavioral sciences,and the challenge to medical education

It is generally agreed that the health care system is in crisis despite reform efforts over the past two decades. Evidence is presented which suggests that medical education has failed successfully to integrate medically relevant behavioral science research findings into medical school curricula or train physicians in the application of behaviorally based treatment technologies. Psychologists in medical education settings have the opportunity to impact medical education and foster psychology's role in health care. If psychology fails to respond to this opportunity, we cannot then complain of the inevitable consequences.An earlier version of this paper was presented at the annual meeting of the American Association of Medical Colleges, Washington, DC, November 1993.     

Theodate Smith and Amy Tanner: child savers of Clark University.

This study is an examination of the contributions of Theodate Smith and Amy Tanner to the Children's Institute of Clark University. The institute, established in 1909 by Clark's president, G. Stanley Hall, failed to thrive as a liaison between child study and child welfare concerns for a number of reasons, including Hall's eventual disenchantment with the child welfare movement, financial difficulties, and the loss by the institute of Smith and Tanner. Both Smith and Tanner, unlike Hall, were sympathetic to child welfare concerns. Thus, Smith's death in 1914 and Tanner's departure from Clark in 1918 severed the links between the institute and child welfare interests.     

ANTHROPOLOGY,POLANYI, AND AFROPENTECOSTAL RITUAL: A SCIENTIFIC AND THEOLOGICAL EPISTEMOLOGY OF PARTICIPATION

The 1904 World's Fair in St. Louis sponsored both an International Congress of Arts and Sciences aimed at unity of knowledge and an anthropology exhibit of diverse peoples. Jointly these represented a quest for unifying knowledge in a diverse world that was fractured by isolated specializations and segregated peoples. In historical perspective, the Congress's quest for knowledge is overshadowed by Ota Benga who was part of the anthropology exhibit. The 1904 World's Fair can be viewed as a Euro‐American ritual, a global pilgrimage, which sought to celebrate the advances and resolve the challenges of modernity and human diversity. Three years later Afropentecostalism dealt with these same issues with different methods and rituals. This ritual system became the most culturally diverse and fastest growing religious movement of the twentieth century. I suggest that the anthropological method of Frank Hamilton Cushing, the postcritical epistemology of Michael Polanyi, and the Afropente‐costal ritual movement initiated by William J. Seymour are all attempts to develop a postmodern epistemology that is simultaneously constructive, focused on discerning reality, and broad enough to allow for human consciousness and diverse human communities. I explore this confluence of scientific and participatory epistemology through six theses.     

Predictive and concurrent validity of the Suicidal Ideation Questionnaire among American Indian adolescents

Suicide is currently the second leading cause of death for ages 15–24 years; reports indicate that 6–8% of American teens have attempted suicide. Rates of suicide and suicide attempts are at least as high, if not higher, for American Indian adolescents and young adults. The Suicidal Ideation Questionnaire (Junior High School Version) (SIQ-JR) could be used to identify young people who may be at risk for attempting suicide, since this questionnaire focuses on suicidal ideation, a major risk factor for suicide attempt. However, little is known about the predictive validity of the SIQ-JR, particularly in American Indian adolescent populations. A suicide attempt cluster at an American Indian boarding school provided the unique opportunity to examine the performance of the SIQ-JR in a group of American Indian high school students who had taken the SIQ-JR approximately 2 months prior to the outbreak of attempts. The SIQ-JR proved to be an excellent predictor of future suicide attempts when compared to other measures of distress: anxiety, depression, and alcohol use. The SIQ-JR is an effective screener for suicide risk in this American Indian adolescent population.     

Double Jeopardy: Child and School Characteristics That Predict Aggressive-Disruptive Behavior in First Grade

High rates of aggressive-disruptive behavior exhibited by children during their initial years of elementary school increase their risk for significant behavioral adjustment problems with teachers and peers. The purpose of the present study was to examine the unique and combined contributions of child vulnerabilities and school context to the development of aggressive-disruptive student behavior during first grade. Parent ratings and child interviews assessed three child characteristics associated with risk for the development of aggressive behavior problems in elementary school (aggressive-disruptive behaviors at home, attention problems, and social cognitions) in a sample of 755 first-grade children in four demographically diverse American communities. Two school characteristics associated with student aggressive-disruptive behavior problems (low-quality classroom context, school poverty levels) were also assessed. Linear and multilevel analyses showed that both child and school characteristics made independent and cumulative contributions to the development of student aggressive-disruptive behavior at school. Although rates of student aggressive-disruptive behavior varied by gender and race, the predictive model generalized across all groups of children in the study.     

REVIEWS

Book reviewed in this article:
Mid-Twentieth Century American Philosophy: Personal Statements . Edited by P. A. Bertocci. Essays by K. D. Benne, B. Blanshard, G. Boas, T. Brameld, H. S. Broudy, E. A. Burtt, H. Feigl, C. Hartshorne, G. R. Morrow, S. C. Pepper, R. W. Sellars, H. Spiegelberg, R. Ulich, W. H. Werkmeister, and P. Weiss.
Robert C. Neville, The Cosmology of Freedom
Albert William Levi, Philosophy as Social Expression
Ronald G. Dimberg, The Sage and Society: The Life and Thought of Ho Hsin-yin .     

Friendship factors and suicidality: common and unique patterns in Mexican American and European American youth

Research suggests a link between friendships and suicidality among U.S. youth, but this link has not been confirmed across ethnicities. The relationship between friendships and suicidality among Mexican American and European American adolescents was examined in this study. Specifically, the role of friendship problems (i.e., social isolation, poor quality friendships) and problematic friends (i.e., friends who were disconnected from school, delinquent friends) was explored. Participants were 648 community youth. Friends' school disconnection was related to Mexican American girls' suicidal ideation, while friends' delinquency was associated with European American youth suicidal behavior. Friendship factors were no longer associated with suicidality after controlling for suicidality correlates such as depression. These findings indicate that the relationship between friendships and suicidality varies by gender and ethnicity. They also suggest a dominant role of depression.     

Immigrant and Native-born Mexican-American parents' involvement in a public school: a preliminary study

Mexican-American parents of Texas elementary school students were surveyed to compare the types of school involvement in which immigrant and U.S.-born parents engage. Those completing the questionnaire included 246 mothers and 39 fathers born in Mexico as well as 95 mothers and 13 fathers born in the United States. More immigrant parents than U.S.-born parents indicated they helped their children with school work, attended school board meetings, volunteered at school, participated in parent-teacher conferences, went to school functions, served as room mother, engaged in school fundraising, and were present during parent advisory committee meetings.