Psychology and "ordinary language"—a critique of Smedslund

This article takes up methodological issues of the kind raised by Jan Smedslund in earlier issues of this journal, concerning the status of psychological enquiry as a discipline. Arguments are presented which aim to show that Smedslund has failed to establish the thesis that all generally valid theoretical statements in psychology are explications of conceptual relationships embedded in ordinary language, i.e., analytic statements. Some specific examples of what Smedslund takes to be "ordinary language theorems" are examined. Doubts are expressed concerning the validity of the proof procedure Smedslund employs in the "demonstration" of a number of his alleged theorems. Finally, it is argued that the results produced by the situation-bound and culture-bound empirical research of the psychologist need not be viewed as "arbitrary" in Smedslund's sense of that term.     

Preliminary Steps in the Development of a Screening Instrument To Assess Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

The authors demonstrate the complexities and processes involved in constructing a screening test for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Discussion includes item development, field testing, and preliminary results.     

The impact of social constraints on adjustment following a romantic breakup

Following a romantic breakup, people often seek opportunities to talk with close others. Although talking with others may prove helpful for some, the social‐cognitive processing (SCP) model posits that interpersonal interactions can hinder adjustment if disclosers perceive social constraints. The current research marked the first time the SCP model was explored with regard to the dissolution of romantic relationships (N = 217). Consistent with the SCP model, social constraints were associated with greater psychological distress, and avoidance of dissolution‐related thoughts and discussion partially mediated the relation between social constraints and psychological distress as levels of social support decreased. Social support may provide a buffer against engaging in avoidance behaviors in response to feeling socially constrained.     

PHILOSOPHY AND THE STUDY OF ITS HISTORY

Abstract: This article's goal is to outline one approach to providing a principled answer to the question of what is the proper relationship between philosophy and the study of philosophy's history, a question arising, for example, in the design of a curriculum for graduate students. This approach requires empirical investigation of philosophizing past and present, and thus takes philosophy as an object of study in something like the way that contemporary (naturalistic) philosophy of science takes science as an object of study. This approach also requires articulating a sense in which philosophy might make, or might have made, progress.