Diversity experiences predict changes in attitudes toward affirmative action

The current study examined the role of diversity experiences in promoting changes in attitudes toward affirmative action (AA). Using longitudinal data from a survey of over 1000 college students at admission and in their fourth year, results demonstrated that participation in diversity-related campus activities related to positive changes in attitudes toward affirmative action. This result was consistent across samples of White, African American, and Asian American students. Positive changes in attitudes persisted despite statistical controls for established predictors of attitudes toward AA such as merit and prevalence of discrimination beliefs, and individual-level characteristics such as experiences of discrimination and political liberalism. I discuss the relevance of this finding to the AA literature and to changing attitudes toward AA.     

The relationship of children's attitudes toward alcohol to their value development

Developmentally, attitudes toward casual alcohol use and toward the abuse of alcohol should be related to the development of value content and value structure. Two studies were conducted that found this to be generally so with upper elementary schoolchildren. A negative attitude toward the abuse of alcohol was definitely related to general measures of the intemalization of those values necessary to be a part of any group as well as the rejection of acts generally considered to be deviant in our culture. Attitudes toward casual use of alcohol were also somewhat related, but not as strongly. However, alcohol attitudes were unrelated to stage of moral development or other measures of thinking processes. Some shifts across age and sex were also noted. Programs oriented toward the prevention of alcohol abuse may need to communicate the value norms of our society and can proceed without impacting attitudes toward casual alcohol use.     

Impact of learning orientation on African American children's attitudes toward high-achieving peers

This study examined Ogbu's widely accepted thesis that African American students reject high academic achievement because they perceive its limited utility in a world where their upward mobility is constrained by racial discrimination. Boykin's psychosocial integrity model contends that Black students value high achievement but that discrepancies between their formative cultural experiences and those imposed in school lead them to reject the modes of achievement available in classrooms. Ninety Black children completed a measure of attitudes toward students who achieve via mainstream or African American cultural values. Participants rejected the mainstream achievers and embraced the African American cultural achievers. Moreover, they expected their teachers to embrace the mainstream achievers and reject those who achieved through high-verve behavior. Results suggest that Boykin's thesis is a needed refinement to Ogbu's ideas. They indicate that Black children may reject not high achievement but some of the mainstream cultural values and behaviors on which success in mainstream classrooms is made contingent.     

Holistic attitudes of high school students toward themselves and their school experiences.

This study was based on an analysis of essays written by 47 teacher education students in response to the question, "If you could live your high school days over again, what, if anything, would you change?" The responses were organized into 20 different categories and tabulated according to students' age and sex. In retrospect, 38% of these students would have improved their attitude toward high school. Thirty-six percent indicated that high school was a positive experience, though this attitude was often unrelated to academic achievement. The responses strongly suggest that for many high school students, general attitude toward school affects achievement more than do attitudes toward specific school characteristics.     

Parental socialization of emotion and depression in adulthood: The role of attitudes toward sadness

IntroductionLack of parental care and high parental control have systematically been linked to depression. Dysfunctional schemas explain this relationship.ObjectiveWe propose that a retrospective evaluation of unsupportive parental socialization of emotion should predict depression in adulthood and that this relationship should be mediated by negative attitudes toward sadness.MethodOne hundred and forty undergraduate students (mean age of 22) completed a questionnaire for assessing the socialization of emotion (QSE), another for evaluating types of attitudes toward sadness (QAFET), and the Brief Symptom Inventory Depression scale (BSI-D).ResultsResults show that four attitudes toward sadness, namely perception of sadness as a complaint, anger against the self if sad, fear of being rejected if sad and fear of where sadness might lead, each partially mediate the relationship between unsupportive parental socialization of emotion and adult depression.ConclusionOur findings have both theoretical and practical implications. On the one hand, we demonstrated that unsupportive parental socialization of emotion and some attitudes toward sadness both predict depression. On the other hand, our results justify a closer look at parental socialization of emotion and attitudes toward sadness when clinically investigating depression.     

Parental influence on children's self-estimated agressiveness

Parental influence on children's self-estimated aggressivences was measured with inventories. One hundred seventy-four adolescents (85 girls and 89 boys; mean age 13.6 years, SD 0.7) from a suburban school, known as prone to problems of aggression, served as subjects. The dependent variable aggresive personality was measured with the Buss-Durkee Hostility Inventory [J consult Psychol 21:343, 1974]. Parental influence was measured with scales specifically developed for the present research. the subjects estimated: 1) their emotional relation to each parent; and 2) their perception of how their parents a and b) behave when angry c) at home and d) with their peers. The results revealed clearly gender-specific efects: mothers and fathers affected sons and daughters differently. According to LISREL analyse, mother had a clearly stronger impact on sons, while fathers had a slightly stronger effect on daughters. In the case of fathers, hiting and alcohol abuse were, in addition to a negative emotional relationship, strong predictors of daughter's aggresivencess. However, aggressive fathers tended in general to get a counterreaction with their sons, leading to low aggressiveness with the same type of behavior in their case. Typical maternal predictors of children's aggressivencess were shouting and a negative emotional relationship. In the case of daughters, the former was a more important predictor than the latter, but in the case of sons, it was the other way around. Modeling effects were revealed: subjects imitated their parents' styles of behavior in anger, however, with different patterns at home and with peers. The results may be interpreted as support for both the cognitive learning and the frustration-aggression hypotheses as sources for aggressive behavior. © 1992 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Twentieth-century attitudes toward masturbation

This article demonstrates the progress that medicine, psychiatry, religion, and anthropology have made toward a variant perspective, of masturbation. Researchers documented the suffering and damage caused by classically ingrained religious and medical distortions.The secret sin of Judeo-Christianity and the social disease of nineteenth-century medicine has paradoxially become the therapy for various forms of psychosexual dysfunction. Catholic, Protestant, and Jewish denominations polarize opinions from rigorous orthodoxy to unconditional acceptance of this psychosexual behavior as a source of emotional homeostasis.Michael S. Patton, Ph.D., is an anthropologist concerned with sex research in society, history, and religion. He lives in Mansfield, OH 44903.     

Teacher attitudes toward stuttering

Attitudes of 100 elementary school teachers toward stuttering were studied using the Teacher Attitudes Toward Stuttering (TATS) Inventory. Teacher attitudes, as indicated by TATS Inventory scores, were compared with teacher knowledge of stuttering, age of teacher, number of years teaching experience, educational level, and whether the teacher had personal experience with a stutterer. Results indicated that significant positive correlations existed between teacher attitudes toward and knowledge of stuttering. Significant negative correlations were demonstrated between teacher attitudes/knowledge of stuttering and the presence of a stuttering child in the classroom. The applicability of the TATS Inventory as a clinical instrument in its current form and the research needed to enhance its flexibility are discussed.     

Ministers' attitudes toward delinquency

Conclusion An effective ministry to youth offenders depends greatly on our attitudes toward them. Working with them on any personal basis requires attitudes that help prepare us to be accepting, understanding, friendly, and firm.Indispensable also is a community-mindedness that frees us to be ecumenical rather than parochial in our concern and outreach. And this community-mindedness also leads us to utilize the agencies and programs that seek to help young people and prevent delinquency.The author expresses grateful acknowledgment to Dr. Paul E. Johnson, Dr. Daniel J. Levinson, and Dr. Donald T. Devine who contributed to the study on which this article is based.     

Seminarian attitudes toward counseling

This paper examines whether seminarians are interested in referring parishioners to pastoral counselors or prefer handling commingled psychological and spiritual problems through counseling parishioners themselves. Research results revealed openness toward referral and also a strong interest in counseling persons themselves. Forms of collaboration other than referral were also examined, and seminarians indicated openness to using consultation, training, and personal therapeutic support. Implications for church-psychology collaboration, generally, are discussed. Areas for further research are recommended.     

Psychologists' attitudes toward aids

Abstract

Practicing psychologists in all areas of the country will see an increasing number of persons at risk for AIDS, or with AIDS-related illnesses. Previous research has shown that AIDS elicits negative reactions from the general public and from certain health care professionals. In the current study, a national sample of randomly selected practicing psychologists completed attitude measures after reading vignettes that described a male patient with either AIDS or leukemia who was either homosexual or heterosexual. Respondents evaluated the AIDS patient more negatively and reported less willingness to interact with him in a professional role or in casual social situations. It is important to develop training and continuing education programs to prepare psychologists to deal with persons affected by AIDS.