Eating Disorders on Campus: A Procedure for Community Intervention

Concern for students with eating disorders and concern for the environment served as the catalyst for the development of a procedure for responding to eating disorders. The procedure, which relies heavily on residence hall staff, is presented here, with emphasis on training, prevention, and issues in implementation.     

Depressive retardation and subliminally manipulated aggressive involvement

A group of 43 adult psychiatric in-patients with a preliminary diagnosis of depression were tested with the Meta-Contrast Technique to determine degree of depressive retardation. They were also given an Identification Test where subliminal tagging was used to direct identification with an aggressor or a victim depicted on a tachistoscopically exposed stimulus. The higher the degree of depressive retardation the more reluctant the subjects were to get involved in the aggressor-victim theme. A Creative Functioning Test also attested to the empty, dehumanized experiential world of the most retarded subjects.     

Gender effects on social support provision and receipt

This study was conducted to examine the influence of gender on social support provision and receipt using both self-report and observational methodologies. In response to another person sharing a problem, we predicted that men would be more likely than women to provide advice, and women would be more likely than men to provide emotional support. We also predicted women would be more likely than men to receive emotional support, and men would be more likely than women to receive negative support. Sixty-one pairs of college students, same-sex and mixed-sex dyads, shared a problem with each other. Problem-sharing transactions were audiotaped and transcribed for content analysis. Opposite-sex providers offered more emotional support than did same-sex providers, whereas same-sex providers listened more than did opposite-sex providers. No gender differences were found for advice-giving. Men were more likely than women to receive negative support. These results suggest that gender composition of the dyad has a greater influence on support provision and receipt than provider or recipient gender alone.     

THE EFFECTS OF APPLICANTs' REACTIONS TO COGNITIVE ABILITY TESTS AND AN ASSESSMENT CENTER

Manufacturing applicants' perceptions of two selection devices were examined. In Study 1, applicants ( n = 3,984) completed cognitive ability tests and a survey of reactions. In Study 2, a subset of applicants from Study 1 ( n = 194) participated in an assessment center and completed the survey. Applicants reacted favorably to the procedures but viewed the assessment center as more face valid than the cognitive tests. Applicants who perceived the selection techniques more favorably were also more satisfied with the selection process, the job, and the organization. Although applicants' perceptions of the procedures were related to job acceptance intentions, applicants' liking of the job and organization explained the largest unique variance. In future studies, applicants' job acceptance intentions and attitudes toward the job and organization should be assessed before and after administration of selection devices; not controlling for prior impressions resulted in overestimation of the contribution of applicants' perceptions of selection procedures.     

The Complexities of Diversity: Exploring Multiple Oppressions

There has been a growth of identity development models in multicultural psychology for the past 20 years; these frameworks, however, rarely acknowledge the complexities of multiple identities and multiple oppressions. The purpose of this article is to challenge our understanding of cultural diversity beyond its current simplistic frameworks. Alternative worldviews, such as Afrocentric psychology, can broaden our comprehension of human diversity and are used to examine the identity development literature. Several case examples of individuals experiencing multiple identities and multiple oppressions are explored to illustrate the complexities of cultural diversity. Implications for counseling, training, and research are briefly discussed. Durante los últimos veinte años ha habido un aumento de modelos de desarrollo de identidad en la consejería multicultural; sin embargo, estos cuadros no suelen reconocer las complejidades de identidades múltiples y opresiones múltiples. El propósitio de este artículo es desafiar a nuestro conocimiento de diversidad yendo más allá de sus simplistas cuadros actuales. Visiones universales alternativas, como la consejería afrocéntrica, pueden ampliar nuestra comprensión de la diversidad humana y pueden ser usadas para examinar la literatura del desarrollo de identidad. Para ilustrar las complejidades de diversidad, se exploran varios ejemplos de individuos que sufren de identidades múltiples y de opresiones múltiples. Se discuten las implicaciones para la conserjería, el entrenamiento y la investigación.     

Identity Development and Worldview: Toward an Optimal Conceptualization

Positive self-identity is not easily attained in this culture. This premise is supported by the pervasive number of “-isms” (e.g., racism, sexism, heterosexism, ageism) and their adverse impact on those who are defined as inferior by the dominant way of perceiving. Examination of the conceptual system that predisposes people to these “-isms” concludes that (a) it is the nature of the conceptual system that is inherently oppressive and (b) all who adhere to this conceptual system have a difficult time developing and maintaining a positive identity. This article postulates a new way of describing the identity development process under oppression using optimal theory (Myers, 1988). From this optimal worldview, oppression is perceived as self-alienating and yielding a fragmented sense of self, based upon devaluation by self and others. Therefore, identity development is a process of integrating and expanding one's sense of self. Optimal theory provides a new inclusive model of identity development, which is described, along with its applications for counseling practice. No es facíl obtener una identidad positiva de uno mismo en esta cultura. Esta premisa se apoya en la gran cantidad de “-ismos” (e.g., racismo, sexismo, heterosexismo, “edadismo”) y los impactos adversos en la gente que sería definida como inferior por la manera dominante de percibirlo. La conclusión de un examen del sistema conceptual que predispone a las personas a estos “-ismos” es que (a) la naturaleza del sistema conceptual es inheréntemente opresivo, y (b) todos aquellos que se adhieran a este sistema conceptual tendrán dificultades con el desarrollo y mantemiento de una identidad positiva. Este artículo postula una nueva manera de describir el proceso del desarrolo de la identidad bajo opresión utilizando la teoría óptima (Myers, 1.988). Desde esta visión universal óptima, se ve a la opresión como autoalienación y creadora de un sentido fragmentado del yo, basado en la devaluación por uno mismo y por los demás. Por tanto, el desarrollo de la indentidad es un proceso de integración y amplificación de la percepción de uno mismo. Esta óptima teoría nos da un modelo inclusive nuevo del desarrollo de identidad, lo cual se describe, junta con sus aplicacions para la práctica de consejería.     

Religion and Crisis in Jungian Analysis

Mental health professionals are trained to alleviate the suffering of people in crisis situations. Sometimes, however, it may be necessary to provoke a crisis to further the growth process. An example of an induced crisis is found in the analytical psychology of C. G. Jung. In Jungian terminology, a crisis occurs when one's persona-based personality structure collapses, and the ego is displaced as the center of the psyche. The subsequent confusion is necessary for the establishment of the self as the new center of the personality. The author discusses the religious implications of this transformation.     

Creativity and anxiety: An experimental study

Tested a group of 31 psychiatric patients with anxiety as one of their main symptoms using a percept-genetic (PG) test measuring creativity or willingness to reconstruct subjective interpretations of the stimulus. A control group of 43 from an earlier study was also included. For half of the subjects a threatening motif was presented subliminally during part of the PG series. By means of an interview, an estimation was made of the subjects' urge to create and of the severity of their anxiety. The Meta-Contrast Technique (MCT) was used to describe defenses in the clinical group. Taking into account their urge to be creative, the clinical subjects received relatively few positive scores on the PG test. The subliminal addition to the anxiety level did not facilitate creative functioning as was the case with the normal subjects. The main obstacles to creative functioning seemed to be grave anxiety and rigid defense mechanisms or, to generalize, low tolorance of the anxiety necessarily associated with creative work.     

Problems in Operating a Drug Rehabilitation Center in an Adult Correctional Setting and Some Preventive Guidelines or Strategies

In the operation of a Therapeutic Community (TC) within a prison setting, unique problems arise in blending the two modalities. This article reviews these unique aspects of operating a TC in a correctional setting and discusses possible preventative strategies in ameliorating potential difficulties. Some of the problems include differences in philosophy, nontherapeutic aspects of the prison environment, dependency on the prison environment, and unique staff problems. Specific and general suggestions are made for eliminating or coping with these problems. The authors conclude that changes can be made and effective treatment can exist within the correctional setting.