A Counselor's Primer on Postpartum Depression

Women are more likely than men to experience depression, and they are particularly vulnerable to depression during the postpartum period. Postpartum depression is distinguished from normal postpartum adjustment, postpartum blues, and postpartum psychosis. Biological, psychodynamic, and diathesis-stress perspectives on postpartum depression are described. Counselors are encouraged to fashion individualized treatments for postpartum depression that are matched to the stressors and vulnerabilities of their clients.     

The Use of Drama as an Inservice Training Technique

This article describes the use of drama as a technique for facilitating group discussion and understanding. The play “It's a Man's World” reverses the typical male and female roles in the business world to dramatize the sometimes discriminatory employment practices that women face in the business world today. The play follows applicant George Ford through a series of frustrating interviews until he finally becomes aware of the “correct” answers. The correct response comes too late, however, and backfires.     

Social influence techniques during marital conflict

The use of social influence techniques was examined in two studies of marital conflict. In each study, couples discussed two issues in counterbalanced order: one in which the husband wanted change and one in which the wife wanted change. Interactions were coded for the use of influence techniques. Evidence from both studies supported a social role explanation, such that roles based on who wanted change predicted the use of influence, whereas gender did not. Secondary hypotheses based on attribution theory and schema theory were also supported. When discussing areas in which they wanted change in partners, spouses made more partner attributions, were more likely to suggest change, and were more likely to explain their partners’behavior than when discussing areas in which their partners wanted change. However, they were more likely to ask questions to clarify the problem when discussing a change their partners wanted in them than when discussing a change they wanted. The importance of considering social structural variables such as social roles in examining conflict interactions is discussed.     

A Test of Gamson's Theory of Political Trust Orientation1

Two issues derived from Gamson's theory of political trust are examined and tested. Essentially, this theory hypothesizes that prior probability of success and type of available influence technique determine the extent to which political partisans will attempt to influence decisions made by authorities. Further, the theory suggests that prior probability of success, type of influence technique, and the partisans' success or failure in getting preferred outcomes will determine the level of political trust toward the authorities. The present study reports data relevant to these predictions. These data show that type of influence technique strongly determines the extent of influence usage, while prior probability of success is a significant, hut weaker determinant. Although all three independent variables affect political trust orientation, the effect of success-failure is particularly strong, while that of type of influence technique is weak. There are no significant interactions among these three independent variables. In general, the findings support some aspects of Gamson's theory, while disconfirming others.     

Self‐supporting Arguments*

Deductive and inductive logic confront this skeptical challenge: we can justify any logical principle only by means of an argument but we can acquire justification by means of an argument only if we are already justified in believing some logical principle. We could solve this problem if probative arguments do not require justified belief in their corresponding conditionals. For if not, then inferential justification would not require justified belief in any logical principle. So even arguments whose corresponding conditionals are epistemically dependent upon their conclusions—epistemically self‐supporting arguments—need not be viciously circular. R.B. Braithwaite and James Van Cleve use internalist and externalist versions of this strategy in their proposed solutions to the problem of induction. Unfortunately, their arguments for self‐support are unsound and any theory of inferential justification that does not require justified belief in the corresponding conditionals of justification‐affording arguments is unacceptably arbitrary. So self‐supporting arguments cannot be justification‐creating.     

Context Effects of Radio Programming on Cognitive Processing of Embedded Advertisements

This experiment tested the hypothesis that the involvement, entertainment and enjoyment properties of radio programmes would be related to memory for the accompanying advertisements and attitudes towards them. Ninety-three subjects listened to one of three radio programmes (a phone-in, a chart show, or a nostalgia programme) in which were embedded a set of four unfamiliar advertisements. Subjects' ratings of the programmes as involving, entertaining, and enjoyable were positively correlated with subsequent ratings of the advertised brands and purchasing intentions. Analyses of variance indicated significant differences in memory for the advertisements and programme ratings: the phone-in programme context, which was rated significantly less interesting, enjoyable and entertaining, and more boring and humorous than the nostalgia radio programme context, produced significantly lower memory for the advertisements. These results provide substantial evidence for context effects operating in the radio medium.