John Nash: Three Phases in the Career of a Beautiful Mind

This article is the Helen Flanders Dunbar Lecture presented at Columbia-Presbyterian Hospital in New York City in 2002, the centennial year of her birth. It focuses on three periods in the evolution of Nash’s mental illness, the predelusional, delusional, and postdelusional periods, and provides a psychoanalytic interpretation of each. Donald Capps is Professor of Pastoral Psychology at Princeton Theological Seminary. His books include Men, Religion, and Melancholia (1997), Living Stories: Pastoral Counseling in Congregational Context (1998), Social Phobia: Alleviating Anxiety in an Age of Self-Promotion (1999), Jesus: A Psychological Biography (2000), Giving Counsel: A Minister’s Guidebook (2001), Men and Their Religion: Honor, Hope, and Humor (2002), and A Time to Laugh: The Religion of Humor (2005). He has served as President of the Society for the Scientific Study of Religion and has an honorary doctorate in theology from the University of Uppsala, Sweden. Correspondence to Donald Capps, joan.blyth@ptsem.edu     

Differences in irrational beliefs of pregnant and never pregnant adolescents

Twenty-five pregnant and/or parenting adolescents were compared with sixteen nonpregnant adolescents on two irrationality measures: The Child and Adolescent Scale of Irrationality and the Adolescent Pregnancy Beliefs Questionnaire. Findings suggest that pregnant adolescents subscribe to a greater number of general irrational beliefs; to a greater number of irrational beliefs specific to sex, dating and birth control; to a greater number of beliefs consistent with promoting pregnancy; and to fewer beliefs that might deter pregnancy when compared to never pregnant adolescents.Karen Westphal holds a Ph.D. in School Psychology from the University of South Carolina. She is an Assistant Professor of Psychology, Department of Psychology, Cleveland State University, Cleveland, Ohio.Susan Wagner worked with Dr. Westphal on this research while she was a graduate student at Cleveland State University. She is presently employed in the Mood Disorders Research Project at University Hospitals, Cleveland, Ohio.     

Parents: Psychotherapy's scapegoats

In this article the author reviews the assumption made popular in self-help literature that parents are to blame for most failings in life. She traces the assumption's occurrence in writings of pioneer theorists and practitioners, and then cites researchers who describe a more complex understanding of human distress. She concludes by suggesting an approach to counseling which is supportive to parents.Dr. Alter is a therapist in private practice and teaches for Pacific School of Religion and New College Berkelely. She is the author of Resurrection Psychology: an Understanding of Human Personality based on the Life and Teachings of Jesus (Loyola, 1994) and many journal articles.     

Religiousness and College Student Alcohol Use: Examining the Role of Social Support

The purpose of this study was to examine the mediating role of social support in the relationship between religiousness and alcohol use in a sample of college students. Two dimensions of religiousness: religious commitment and religious coping were examined as predictors of alcohol use. Participants were male and female college students (N = 221); the majority of the sample was Christian (73.8%). Emotional social support was tested as a mediator. Both religiousness dimensions and emotional social support were related to less frequent alcohol use; however, mediation was not supported. These findings indicate that religious commitment and dispositional religious coping are protective against alcohol use, yet social support does not account for this relationship.

Trends in the Scientific Study of Religion, Spirituality, and Health: 1965–2000

The present study examined the degree to which interest in religion, spirituality, and health has changed in psychology and the behavioral sciences over the past few decades. To accomplish this, searches were conducted on the PsycINFO database between the years 1965 and 2000. Three basic searches were conducted combining the word “health” with the following search terms: 1. (religion OR religious OR religiosity) NOT (spiritual OR spirituality); 2. (spiritual OR spirituality) NOT (religion OR religious OR religiosity); and 3. (religion OR religious OR religiosity) AND (spiritual OR spirituality). The rate per 100,000 articles was then calculated for each of the three search-terms: religion, spirituality, religion and spirituality. A significant upward trend across years was found for the rate of articles dealing with spirituality, r(34) = .95, p<.001, and religion and spirituality, r(34) = .86, p<.001. A significant downward trend was found for articles that only addressed religion, r(34) = −.64, p<.001. The consequences of these trends are discussed.Dr. Andrew J. Weaver is a United Methodist minister and clinical psychologist. He is the Associate Publisher of Zion’s Herald, an independent religious journal founded in 1823 and is co-author of numerous professional and popular articles and eleven books. His recent book titles include Counseling Survivors of Traumatic Events and Reflections on Grief and Spiritual Growth.Dr. Kenneth I. Pargament is professor of clinical psychology at Bowling Green State University. Dr. Pargament has published over 100 articles on the meanings of religion and spirituality, the vital role of religion in coping with stress and trauma, perceptions of sacredness in life, and psychospiritual treatment. He is author of The Psychology of Religion and Coping: Theory, Research, Practice.Dr. Kevin J. Flannelly has been the Associate Director of Research at The Health Care Chaplaincy since 2001. Dr. Flannelly has published more than 100 studies in various areas of psychology and he has worked in the field of religion, spirituality and health since 1996. He recently published a review and analysis of the methodological quality of research on religion and health in the Southern Medical Journal.Julia Oppenheimer is a Ph.D. student at the University of Oregon, studying child development and clinical practice in the Clinical Psychology program. She has conducted research on the etiology and treatment of anxiety disorders, as well as publishing a number of studies on religion and mental health. Her current research on the development of children’s self-perceptions of personality is funded by a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Award. Correspondence to Dr. Kevin J. Flannelly, kflannelly@healthcarechaplaincy.org.     

Books received

Analytical Psychology Schoenl, William. C. G. Jung: His Friendship with Mary Mellon and J. B. Priestley. Psychoanalysis Murdin, Lesley. How Much is Enough? Endings in Psychotherapy and Counselling. Bell, David (ed.). Psychoanalysis and Culture. A Kleinian Perspective. Psychology Butler, Gillian & Mcmanus, Freda. Psychology. A Very Short Introduction. Miscellaneous Al-issa, Ihsan (ed.). Al-Junun: Mental Illness in the Islamic World. Edelson, Marshall & Berg, David N. Rediscovering Groups. A Psychoanalyst's Journey Beyond Individual Psychology. Ettin, Mark. Foundations and Approaches of Group Psychotherapy. A Sphere of Influence. Von Franz, Marie-Louise. The Problem of the Puer Aeternus. Hamilton, Ian Stuart. Key Ideas in Psychology. Hannah, Barbara. The Inner Journey. Lectures and Essays on Jungian Psychology. Laplanche, Jean. Essays on Otherness.The Rider Encyclopaedia of Eastern Philosophy and Religion. Schapira, Sylvie K. Choosing a Counselling or Psychotherapy Training. A Practical Guide. Ulanov, Ann Bedford. Religion and the Spiritual in Carl Jung.     

Book Reviews

The Cat: A Tale of Feminine Redemption. 1999. By Marie-Louise von Franz Toronto: Inner City Books

Psychology and Religion at the Millennium and Beyond. 1998. Edited by J. Marvin Spiegelman Tempe, Arizona: New Falcon Publications.

The Sacred Heritage: The Influence of Shamanism on Analytical Psychology. 1997. Edited by Donald F. Sandner and Steven H. Wong New York: Routledge.

The Mystery of Human Relationship: Alchemy and the Transformation of the Self. 1998. By Nathan Schwartz-Salant New York: Routledge.

Esperanza: Poems for Orpheus, 1998. By Holly Prado Los Angeles: Cahuenga Press.     

Personal Estimates of Character Traits

Abstract

The Journal of Psychology, Pedology and Psychotechnics. Series A: Psychology. (Edited by K. H. Korniloff.) 1928, 1, No. 1. Pp. 196. Series B: Pedology. (Edited by Salkind.) 1928, 1, No. 1. Pp. 199. Series C: Psychophysiology of Labor and Psychotechnics. (Edited by Spielrein.) 1928, 1, No. 1. Pp. 96.

Dresser, H. Outlines of the Psychology of Religion. New York: Crowell, 1929. Pp. xiii+451.     

Erikson's life cycle theory and the local church

This paper recommends the use of Erik H. Erikson's life cycle theory to clarify the dynamics of the corporate life of the local church. To support this recommendation, it illustrates how an incipient institutional crisis in an inner-city church reflects the conflict ofinitiative vs. guilt. In the analysis of this case, the initiative vs. guilt conflict is broken down into four basic themes. Each of these themes focuses on a different form of interaction between participants in the conflict, and each theme provides specific recommendations for the resolution of the crisis. While only one of the eight life crises has been applied in this study, the paper concludes that there is genuine merit in the application of the life cycle theory to the corporate life of the church.Dr. Capps is Associate Professor of Pastoral Care and Psychology of Religion at The Graduate Seminary, Phillips University, Enid, Oklahoma 73701. This article reflects research done for Dr. Capps' forthcoming book,Pastoral Care: A Thematic Approach (Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1979).     

Humility, Contemplation and Affect Theory

The affect theory of Tomkins is described and compared to Hilton’s Scale of Perfection. The affect theory suggests that the affects and emotions control human attention, cognition, and behavior. Thus, humans who are able to maintain affective balance and control are most able to negotiate their environment most successfully, and may be considered most free. The Scale of Perfection also suggests that control of the affects and emotions are important, particularly through humility and charity. Hilton describes the act of contemplation as the moment in which humans most fully become themselves and function optimally.Brendan Ignatius McGroarty is a doctoral student in Psychology and Religion at the Catholic University of America, where he is writing a dissertation on the Scale of Perfection and affect theory.     

Things are always more complicated than you think: An open systems approach to the organizational effects of computer-automated technology

The effects of computerized office and factory automation are examined. An open systems framework is used to organize this literature. The review suggests that the benefits of technology are derived from theintermediate effects of the technology on organizational processes (the task structure, personnel system, formal structure, and informal organization). Thus, it is misleading to examine thedirect effects of computerized technology on organizational outcomes such as profits and satisfaction. Some of the effects of technology on the organizational processes are inevitable (e.g., changes in informal communication patterns). Others are determined less by the technology than by management decisions. The key to achieving success with computerized technology is matching changes in organizational processes to each other, as well as to the technology and the larger environment of the organization.Ann Majchrzak is currently Associate Professor of Human Factors at the Institute of Safety and Systems Management at the University of Southern California. She has recently written two books on the subject of technological change. Katherine J. Klein is an Assistant Professor of Industrial and Organizational Psychology in the Psychology Department of the University of Maryland at College Park.     

Living with diabetes

Management of diabetes can be affected by emotional distress in two ways: directly, via the effect of stress on glycemic control, and indirectly via effects on self-care routines. Rational-emotive therapy, along with a number of other cognitive, emotive, and behavioral tools, is an important intervention for patients who have diabetes-related distress. The authors describe personal and professional examples of the application of these tools to living rationally with diabetes.Richard R. Rubin, Ph.D. is a staff member of the Diabetes Center and the Pediatric Diabetes Clinic at the Johns Hopkins Hospital. In addition, he has a private psychotherapy practice, substantially devoted to counseling and coping skills training for people with diabetes.Susan R. Walen, Ph.D. is an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology, Towson State University and Director of the Baltimore Center for Cognitive Therapy. She is the coauthor ofA Practitioner's Guide to Rational-Emotive Therapy.Albert Ellis, Ph.D. is the founder of Rational Emotive Therapy and president of the Institute for RET in New York City. He is the author of more than 50 books and 600 journal articles on psychotherapy topics.     

Peer interactions of conduct-disordered,anxious-withdrawn,and well-adjusted black adolescents

The relationship between behavior problems and adolescent peer relations was examined in 30 black male adolescents divided into three equal-sized groups on the basis of individual psychosocial functioning (conduct-disordered, anxious-withdrawn, well-adjusted). Groups were matched on age, IQ, and father absence. An observational method was used to evaluate dominance, conflict, affect, and social competence manifested with a friend and with a well-adjusted stranger. Conduct-disordered and anxious-withdrawn adolescents displayed less social competence and less positive affect than well-adjusted adolescents when interacting with both friends and strangers. Anxious-withdrawn adolescents evidenced more personal apprehension than their well-adjusted counterparts. All groups showed greater leadership ability, talked more, and showed less personal apprehension with friends than with strangers. The findings support the role of peer relations in the maintenance and exacerbation of adolescent psychosocial difficulties.This research was supported by funding to the Department of Psychology at Memphis State University granted through the Centers of Excellence Program of the State of Tennessee. This article is based on a master's thesis submitted by the first author to the Department of Psychology at Memphis State University.     

Aspects of Repetition in Bonobo–Human Conversation: Creating Cohesion in a Conversation Between Species

Ape language research has primarily focused on specific isolated language features. In contrast, in research into human language, traditions such as conversational analysis and discourse analysis propose to study language as actual discourse. Consequently, repetitions are seen as accomplishing various discursive and pragmatic functions in human conversations, while in apes, repetitions are seen as rote imitations and as proof that apes do not exhibit language. Tools from discourse analysis are applied in this study to a conversation between a language-competent bonobo, Pan paniscus and a human. The hypothesis is that the bonobo may exhibit even larger linguistic competency in ordinary conversation than in controlled experimental settings. Despite her limited productive means, the bonobo Panbanisha competently engages in co-constructing the conversational turns. She uses shared knowledge and repetitions to achieve compliance with a request. This reveals a knowledge about socio-linguistic interactions which goes beyond the pure informational content of words. Electronic supplementary material  The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Man in search of meaning: The St Petersburg School of Religion and Philosophy

Religion, State and Politics in the Soviet Union and Successor States by John Anderson. Cambridge: CUP, 1994, xi + 236 pp.

Religion in the Soviet Union: an Archival Reader by Felix Corley. London: Macmillan, 1996, xiv + 402 pp.     

Reviews

Books reviewed: Science and Theology: An Introduction, by JohnPolkinghorne Genesis, Genes, and God: Values and Their Origins in Naturaland Human History, by Holmes Rolston, III Playing God? Genetic Determinism and Human Freedom, by Ted Peters Green Space, Green Time: The Way of Science, by Connie Barlow Reconstructing Nature: The Engagement of Science and Religion , by John Brooke and GeoffreyCantor Whatever Happened to the Soul? Scientific and Theological Portraits ofHuman Nature, Edited by Warren S. Brown, Nancey Murphy, and H.Newton Malony The Turn of the Millennium: An Agenda for Christian Religion in an Age of Science, by Jeffrey G. Sobosan God without the Supernatural: A Defense of Scientific Theism, by Peter Forrest Religion and Creation, by Keith Ward     

BOOK REVIEWS

Abstract

Working With People: Clinical Uses Of Personal Construct Psychology edited by Gavin Dunnett New York: Routledge, 1988 Reviewed by Bradley P. Barns, Memphis State University

Practical Personal Construct Psychology: A Review Of G. Dunnett's (Ed.) Working With People New York: Routledge, 1988 Reviewed by L. M. Leitner, Miami University, Oxford, Ohio, U.S.A.     

Being-There-With-and-For: Contemporary Psychoanalysis Characterizes Notions of Being Religious

Diverse religious communities and traditions share certain common notions among the ways of life they seek to cultivate, notions that contemporary psychoanalysis can illumine. This essay offers three contributions: (a) substantive—characterizing features of a way: being-there-with-and-for; (b) methodological—outlining genres of relating psychology and religion; (c) philosophical—discussing relations between epistemology and ontology (that is, between maps and territory).

Handling Spirituality/Religion in Professional Training: Experiences of a Sample of Muslim Psychology Students

With increasing research interest in the relationship between spirituality/religion and mental health, the present study uses semi-structured interviews on a select group of Muslim students to explore their understanding and handling of spirituality in a secular training programme. Their understanding of spirituality, its perceived role in therapy and their training experiences are subjected to qualitative analysis using the framework approach (Ritchie & Spencer, 1994. In A. Bryman & R.G. Burgess (Eds), Analysing Qualitative Data. London: Routledge). All five participants perceived spirituality as central to human functioning. Probes into their training experience uncovered issues of bias against religious applicants, apprehension about demonstrating religious commitment, fear of punishment for compromising religious integrity, better rapport with Muslim patients but general uncertainty about handling spiritual issues in therapy, and a strong desire for the integration of spirituality/religion in the program.Cynthia Joan Patel, M.A., is a Lecturer in the School of Psychology at the University of Kwazulu-Natal, Westville Campus, Durban, South Africa. She is a Registered Counselling and Research Psychologist with the Health Professions Council of South Africa). Her research interests include women and religion, attitudes toward abortion, and the meaning of work in women’s lives. Armas E. E. Shikongo, M.A., is a Lecturer in the Department of Psychology at the University of Namibia. His research area is the psychology of spirituality.     

Understanding the Role of Emotion in Sense-making. A Semiotic Psychoanalytic Oriented Perspective

We propose a model of emotion grounded on Ignacio Matte Blanco’s theory of the unconscious. According to this conceptualization, emotion is a generalized representation of the social context actors are involved in. We discuss how this model can help to better understand the sensemaking processes. For this purpose we present a hierarchical model of sensemaking based on the distinction between significance—the content of the sign—and sense—the psychological value of the act of producing the sign in the given contingence of the social exchange. According to this model, emotion categorization produces the frame of sense regulating the interpretation of the sense of the signs, therefore creating the psychological value of the sensemaking.