Acceptance of male rape myths among college men and women

College students (157 men and 158 women; predominantly white middle class) from psychology courses at a midwestern university rated their agreement with statements reflecting myths that male rape cannot happen, involves victim blame, and is not traumatic to men. Statements varied by whether the rape perpetrator was a man or woman. Results showed that a majority of subjects disagreed with all myth statements, but most strongly with trauma myths. Percentages of disagreement with myths for subject groups ranged from 51% to 98%. Women were significantly more rejecting of rape myths than were men. Subjects were more likely to accept myths in which the rape perpetrator was female rather than male. Subjects' past victim experience with sexual coercion was not related to rape myth acceptance. Results are discussed in terms of societal attitudes toward rape and sex role stereotypes.     

Myths and Facts about Suicide from Individuals Involved in Suicide Prevention

Myth‐busting, in which a so‐called myth is presented and dispelled by facts, is used in suicide prevention gatekeeper trainings such as QPR. Evidence from other areas of public health shows this technique leads to memory for myths and not facts. An internet survey was used to determine if the “myths” and “facts” presented in QPR are endorsed as such by the suicidology community and to determine if demographics influenced statement identification. Overall, statements did reflect the opinions of the suicidology community and any type of training increased correct identification. Future research should focus on whether myth‐busting is an appropriate strategy for suicidology.     

Why do people self-harm?

The accuracy of perceptions about self-harm that are presented in the psychological and psychiatric literature was assessed with a sample of self-harmers. A list of 20 statements containing ten myths and ten accurate statements about self-harm behaviour was incorporated into an internet-based questionnaire. Respondents (n?=?243) rated their extent of agreement with each statement. Factor analysis confirmed the a priori classification of statements as being accurate. Only one item, regarding the relationship of self-harm to previous sexual abuse, did not confirm a priori classification; this statement was considered by self-harmers to be an accurate perception of self-harm. It was concluded that this questionnaire could be a useful aid for group-work training with professionals who are involved in working with people who engage in self-harm.     

With Onions and Tears: A Multidimensional Analysis of a Counter-Ritual

“Family rituals” and “family myths” are useful concepts for understanding some of the behavior of disturbed families and hence for planning therapeutic interventions. A case of a family of a schizophrenic patient is described in which a “counter-ritual” involving onion-peeling to induce tearing was invented. The intervention addressed the family's inappropriate laughter and denial of sadness and seemed to lead to therapeutic gains for the identified patient and the family. This counter-ritual, as an indirect affect-inducing experience, is analyzed from a variety of perspectives and a partial parallel is drawn to an Iranian cultural ritual. A suggestion is made that more light may be shed on the mechanisms and structures of myths and rituals in families by drawing on studies of myths and rituals in ethnography. “Counter-ritual” is offered as a general concept for a type of active family intervention that involves inventing and employing rituals antithetical to pathological ones engaged in by some families.     

Thoughts on autism with special reference to a paper by melanie klein

The article begins with a brief exploration of the various aspects of adolescent's psychic qualities as these are described in Greek mythology. It is argued that myths are an integral part of the way that adolescence is perceived and myths play an important role in adolescents' psychic and external world, as well as in their mythological thinking. Connections are made with the attraction towards the creation of myths about adolescence in ancient and contemporary societies. Three clinical vignettes from adolescents' psychoanalytic psychotherapy are presented in an effort to support the idea of the value and importance of mythology in adolescence in the clinical practice. Through the clinical material, we try to explore how psychic and developmental disturbances, which might lead to psychopathology, are reflected in family and personal myths and also in the mythological thinking of adolescents.     

Families' medical myths

A medical myth is defined as a false or distorted belief regarding issues of health within a family. This empirical study considers phenomenology, function and origins of medical myths operating in some forty families encountered in the author's psychiatric practice. Therapeutic strategies found useful in re-editing the myths are described. Implications for the family/medical professional relationship are discussed.     

Family myths in romantic fiction

Three types of myths frequently appearing in contemporary romantic fiction deal with traditional family values, spousal relationships, and love. Several myths belonging to each type are illustrated and analyzed. It is argued that by naturalizing some behaviors and idealizing others, romantic novels not only may indoctrinate their readers with a patriarchal ideology but also may inculcate upon them pathogenic family processes.     

Gender and racial differences in the acceptance of rape myths within a college population

Four hundred forty nine students completed a questionnaire that sought to measure degree of acceptance/rejection of nine statements that reflected prejudical, stereotyped, or false beliefs about rape, rape victims, or rapists. These statements, termed rape myths, are seen as reflecting and perpetuating sexual and racial stereotypes as well as serving to demean the victim and hinder the functioning of the criminal justice system. The data indicate that at least a substantial minority of respondents do accept rape myths as valid. Further analysis revealed significant differences by racial and sexual groupings. Results were interpreted through use of the concept of defensive attribution.     

Rape Myth Acceptance in College Students: How Far Have We Come?

Researchers have emphasized the significant roleof rape myth acceptance in individuals' predispositionto engage in sexually aggressive behavior, includingrape. The purpose of this study was to examine the current state of rape myth acceptance incollege students and the factors which differentiatedacceptance vs nonacceptance of rape myths. One hundredfifty-eightprimarily Caucasian respondents were provided with two measures of attitudes towardrape and asked the degree to which they agreed ordisagreed with each statement. Results indicated thatcollege students reported disagreement with rape myth statements. However, variations in the degreeof disagreement emerged; men and individuals who had notattended a rape awareness workshop expressed weakerdisagreement with rape myths than women and individuals who had attended a rape awareness workshop.Discriminant analysis of these variables successfullyidentified a core set of rape myths which differentiatedindividuals in terms of the degree to which they subscribed to rape-supportive attitudes.Conclusions were drawn regarding rape myth acceptanceand the need for further research.     

The myths of relationship abuse

Fortunately, people are becoming more aware than they used to be of the existence of relationship abuse and are consulting ministers and pastoral counselors to help them deal with this problem. Unfortunately, several myths exist regarding relationship abuse which, if taken as fact, are counterproductive to people involved in such relationships and countertherapeutic for the ministers and pastoral counselors who are attempting to help. This article addresses four commonly held myths regarding relationship abuse and the attendant pastoral implications. is a pastoral consultant and conductor of workshops. He makes his home in Tiburon, California.     

Marriage and Family Therapists' Endorsement of Myths About Marriage

Marriage and family therapy training programs aim to provide students with research-based knowledge about marriage and divorce. A group of 223 California-based clinical members of the American Association for Marital and Family Therapy (AAMFT) was surveyed on their endorsement of 21 myths about marriage. Therapists provided correct responses to an average of 9.4 of these items. Endorsement of specific myths correlated with varying demographic, professional and family of origin variables. Implications for therapist training, practice, and future research are discussed.     

Stories we tell each other: A comparison of families' and their therapists' explanations of presenting problems

This study reports the explanations of presenting problems given by 10 mothers of children referred to a department of child and family psychiatry and their therapists. Video-recordings of therapists' pre-session meetings and the initial therapy sessions were searched for explanatory statements. These statements were then coded. It was found that therapists referred to past events, present circumstances, relationships, and possible future events in their explanations of presenting problems significantly more frequently than mothers. It was rare for mothers to speak in terms of past or future events at all. The mothers explained difficulties in terms of character traits significantly more often than did the therapists. The implications of these findings are discussed.Thanks to all of the child and family consultation team at 1 Wolverton Gardens for their participation in this research and particularly to Ruth Kossoff for her great help with organising data collection.     

The ‘healthy’ family*

The importance of concepts and hypotheses about ‘healthy’ families for family therapists is stressed. A number of different approaches to defining ‘health’ is described. Concepts and hypotheses of family therapists from different schools are integrated into a more encompassing theory, thereby focusing on statements with respect to personality, cognition, behaviour, communication, relationship, role, family system and network. It is noted that family therapy literature lacks information about ‘healthy’ families. Moreover, nearly all statements are non-scientific and normative as they are not founded on empirical research.     

Paradoxes of the Always Already

This paper shows the relevance of findings from studying the logic of self-referential statements to Cultural studies, Black Cultural Studies in particular. Results following from the incompleteness of the systems in which these statements are quantified help to clear up a paradox stemming from current Afropessimist discourse.     

Family of origin as a supervisory consultative resource

This article describes the rationale and methodology of a supervisory approach that recruits family-of-origin members as resources to help resolve professional dilemmas. We have found that professional impasses resonate with family-of-origin themes. As supervisory consultants, family-of-origin members have access to family stories, rules, myths, and resources that can provide new messages for a more differentiated use of self in the clinical setting. The standard format of this family supervisory consultation is separated in three phases. First, the supervisor discusses and explores the nature of the supervisee's professional dilemma (i.e., difficulty with angry clients). Second, the supervisor explores the evolution of this same theme through the historical and personal stories of the family-of-origin members. Third, the supervisee anonymously presents a specific case that exemplifies this theme. The supervisor, along with consultation from the family, focuses on the development of a more flexible use of self in the therapeutic system. Thus, the session begins and ends with the professional development of the supervisee. However, there is personal sharing during the second phase, so there are sections that address developmental, supervisory, and ethical considerations. Even though the goal of this meeting is to promote professional growth, personal and family changes are common by-products. Four supervisory anecdotes illustrate this approach to supervision.     

Annotation: culture and family therapy

This annotation considers the importance of understanding culture for the theory and practice of family therapy. A number of theoretical approaches are described. Some are concerned with ubiquitous and universal family processes like the family life cycle, while others are concerned with the particularity of family life such as the content of myths and rituals. Some practical implications for the participants of the therapy, and the choice of therapeutic approach is discussed.     

Beliefs about Sexual Assault in India and Britain are Explained by Attitudes Toward Women and Hostile Sexism

As many as one in five women worldwide will be sexually assaulted over the course of her lifetime (United Nations 2008), yet myths that downplay the prevalence and severity of sexual assault are still widely accepted. Are myths about sexual assault (rape myths) more likely to be accepted in cultures that endorse more traditional gender roles and attitudes toward women? To explore the relationships among rape myth acceptance, attitudes toward women, and hostile and benevolent sexism, data were collected from 112 Indian and 117 British adults, samples from two cultures differing widely in their gender role traditionalism. Analyses confirmed a cultural difference in rape myth acceptance, with the more traditional culture, India, accepting myths to a greater extent than the more egalitarian culture, Britain. Indian participants’ greater rape myth acceptance was explained by their more traditional gender role attitudes and hostile sexism. We discuss ways in which promoting gender egalitarianism may help to break down negative beliefs and reduce the stigma surrounding sexual assault, especially in India, for example through interventions which increase exposure to women in less traditional roles (e.g., those in positions of power).     

The Relations of Pro-Drug-Use Myths With Self-Reported Drug Use Among Youth at Continuation High Schools1

Drug-use myths, questionable beliefs regarding the effects of drug use, may help to explain why people engage in self-injurious drug-use behavior. While clinicians and applied social researchers have used this concept of drug-use myths extensively when developing substance abuse prevention or cessation programs, drug belief-type myth measures have not been investigated empirically. The present study examined the internal consistency and discriminant validity of a drug-use myth measure among 362 continuation (alternative) high school youth and found it to be discriminable from demographic, drug use, and other psychosocial measures. Controlling for its relations with its correlates, social desirability, perceived friends' drug use, ethnicity items, and gender, the myth measure remained significantly associated with 4 drug-use measures. Future research regarding drug use myths as predictors of drug use is encouraged based on these results.