The enhancement of psychological wellness: Challenges and opportunities

Developed the concept of psychological wellness and made the case that proportionally more resources should be directed to the pursuit of this goal. Five pathways to wellness are considered, implicating aspects of individual development and the impact of contexts, settings, and policies. The five pathways are: forming wholesome early attachments; acquiring age- and ability-appropriate competencies; engineering settings that promote adaptive outcomes; fostering empowerment; and acquiring skills needed to cope effectively with life stressors. Although these noncompeting pathways have differential salience at different ages and for different groups and life conditions, each is an essential element in any comprehensive social plan to advance wellness. Examples of effective programs are cited in all five areas, including recent comprehensive, long-term programs embodying multiple pathways to wellness. Some ideas in this paper were first presented in a talk at the W. T. Grant Foundation-sponsored conference on “Risk, Resiliency and Development,” Kiawah Island, S. Carolina, May 30, 1992. The author gratefully acknowledges support from the Grant Foundation in writing this article.     

Psychoanalysis and its neighboring sciences: paradigms and opportunities.

Breuer and Freud's prepsychoanalytic cathartic treatment proved to be generally ineffective. Consequently, both the treatment and the theory adduced to support it were revised to accommodate the issue of wishes and their expression. But the new treatment, too, had only limited success, which resulted in a further revision of the supporting theory to emphasize the "resistances," or the control and modulation of drives. There is an irony in these progressive shifts: as the therapy's limitations became more apparent, the theory became more expansive, and extended itself beyond its beginnings in neurotic symptoms, and into slips, dreams, character formation, and sociology. In short, it encompassed more of normal behavior as its expectations for the therapy of pathological behavior were increasingly called into question. The paper explores some implications of this historical turn for a scientific data base with opportunities to test and revise the various psychoanalytic hypotheses. One view would have it that psychoanalysis has been lamed by the physicalistic language of its metapsychology, by its isolation from the neurosciences and the cognitive sciences, and by a compartmentalization of practice and knowledge that has kept its practitioners focused on the worried well and unimpressed by the knowledge at its borders. Another view would propose that the restiveness of some current and past theorists to claim the mantle of "science" continues to lead to premature and awkward attempts to couple psychoanalysis with putative neighbors rather than stick to its last of shaping its own findings into a language reflecting a coherent theory capable of validation.     

The interstate delivery of psychological services: opportunities and obstacles

An analysis of the psychology licensing laws of the 50 states and the District of Columbia reveals that these laws pose serious obstacles to practicing outside of the state in which one is licensed. Eleven states do not allow any interstate practice. Twenty-three states allow an out-of-state psychologist to practice in that state but require some type of prior permission of the board. Only 17 states allow some interstate practice without prior approval, but several of these impose a variety of limitations. All 41 states that do allow an out-of-state psychologist to practice limit the number of days that such practice is allowed. These laws seem to be aimed more at protecting the psychologists who are licensed in that state than in protecting the potential consumers of psychological service. The need for reform of these laws is discussed, and a potential model-the interstate Mutual Recognition Compact-developed for nursing is a promising solution.     

Challenges in the conceptualization of trait self-control as a psychological construct

Self-control is widely believed to be a valuable characteristic that contributes to leading a healthy, happy, and successful life through the effective pursuit of long-term goals. Yet, despite a prolific literature spanning decades, essential questions about the conceptual nature of trait self-control remain unanswered. Substantially different perspectives on the theoretical nature of (trait) self-control coexist side by side. We briefly review prominent views informing what trait self-control as a psychological construct is. On this basis, we identify four conceptual challenges that we think the field should address moving forward: (a) integrating theoretical notions, (b) addressing variability in individual goals, (c) acknowledging variability in dominant responses, and (d) anchoring trait self-control in a nomological network. We highlight why addressing these challenges is crucial for gaining a deeper understanding of trait self-control. We also suggest how theoretical conceptualizations of trait self-control might do so and the implications this would bear for measurement and interventions.     

Challenges and opportunities in moving toward a public health approach in school mental health

These three outstanding papers are important for the discipline of school psychology, the field of school-based mental health, and more generally for systems of education and mental health for children and adolescents. As the authors emphasize, there is an unprecedented focus on improving programs that remove barriers to learning and enhance development, health, and mental health in youth, in the most universal natural setting—the schools. The authors also correctly highlight that school psychology is uniquely positioned to play a leading role in this reform and change effort. Two interconnected themes of the public health approach—applying the evidence base and moving toward preventive and population-focused interventions—are emphasized in these papers, and while they focus on school psychology, the issues discussed are generalizable to the many disciplines that operate within educational and mental health systems. In the following discussion, I react to the papers' two major themes, discuss realities that should be addressed for progress to be made, and comment on their implications for school psychology.     

The impact of the youth opportunities programme on young people's employment prospects and psychological weil-being

A study of 1978 and 1979 school-leavers in Leeds is reported. The results show that there is a significant improvement in employment prospects after participation in the Youth Opportunities Programme. Using Goldberg's General Health Questionnaire, a measure of probability of psychiatric disorder, it is shown that YOP acts as a buffer, alleviating the detrimental psychological effects of unemployment. This effect is only found during participation on YOP, and the detrimental psychological effects of unemployment return for those ex-trainees who are unemployed after YOP.     

Challenges and opportunities of a transactional world view: Case study of contemporary Mormon polygynous families

Summarized an ongoing research program on contemporary Mormon polygynous families. Husband-wife and wife-wife relations in plural families are examined from dialectical and transactional world views. Key research issues center on (a) how husbands and wives achieve viable dyadic and communal relationships, and (b) how dyadic and communal issues are managed in social and physical contexts through the life cycle of plural family relationships. I wish to express my appreciation and respect for the individuals and families who welcomed us into their lives and homes during the course of this research. Their honesty, forthrightness, and commitment to religious and family life is deep and honorable. We were personally enriched by having the opportunity to learn about a unique life-style, and hope that our portrayal of aspects of participants' lives is objective, responsible, and understanding.