In Babel

In discussions on the plurality or the pluralism of different theoretical approaches in psychoanalysis there is often talk about “Babylonian” circumstances, at times connected with the hope of being able to leave language confusion and communication problems behind. The author takes up the metaphor “Babel”, describes constructive and destructive facets of the actual state inside the psychoanalytic Babel and illustrates with examples some problems but also the potentials of the analytic discourse. She pleads for giving the potentials inside Babel a chance before looking for solutions beyond Babel. In the field of tension between inside and beyond Babel approaches are described how to tolerate the diversity of other language games, to acknowledge it and to deal with it.     

Specifying theories of developmental dyslexia: a diffusion model analysis of word recognition

The nature of word recognition difficulties in developmental dyslexia is still a topic of controversy. We investigated the contribution of phonological processing deficits and uncertainty to the word recognition difficulties of dyslexic children by mathematical diffusion modeling of visual and auditory lexical decision data. The first study showed that poor visual lexical decision performance of reading disabled children was mainly due to a delay in the evaluation of word characteristics, suggesting impaired phonological processing. The adoption of elevated certainty criteria by the disabled readers suggests that uncertainty contributed to the visual word recognition impairments as well. The second study replicated the outcomes for visual lexical decision with formally diagnosed dyslexic children. In addition, during auditory lexical decision, dyslexics presented with reduced accuracy, which also resulted from delayed evaluation of word characteristics. Since orthographic influences are diminished during auditory lexical decision, this strengthens the phonological processing deficit account. Dyslexic children did not adopt heightened certainty criteria during auditory lexical decision, indicating that uncertainty solely impairs reading and not listening.     

Can Hope be Changed in 90 Minutes? Testing the Efficacy of a Single-Session Goal-Pursuit Intervention for College Students

Despite extensive research demonstrating relationships between hope and well being, little work addresses whether hope is malleable. We test a single-session, 90-min intervention to increase college students’ hopeful goal-directed thinking (as defined by Snyder et al. in, Pers Soc Psychol 60:570–585, 1991). To date, this study represents the only test of hope’s malleability in fewer than five sessions and contributes to the small but growing literature regarding positive-psychology interventions. This intervention is especially relevant to college students, given the increasing psychological distress and lack of perceived control noted among this population (Lewinsohn et al. in, J Abnorm Psychol 102:110–120, 1993; Twenge et al. in, Pers Soc Psychol Rev 8:308–319, 2004). Ninety-six participants were assigned to the hope intervention or one of two comparison/control conditions—progressive muscle relaxation or no intervention. Assessment occurred prior to intervention (pre-test), following intervention (post-test), and at one-month follow-up. Participants in the hope intervention showed increases in measures of hope, life purpose, and vocational calling from pre- to post-test relative to control participants. They also reported greater progress on a self-nominated goal at one-month follow-up. Counterintuitively, although hope predicted goal progress, hope did not mediate the relationship between intervention condition and goal progress. Implications of these findings and future directions are discussed.     

Managing Integration: German and British Policy Responses to the “Threat from Within” Post-2001

The involvement of European Muslims in violent events since 2001 has confronted European states with their alleged failure to adequately integrate migrant and ethnic minority populations. More specifically, these events increased cultural and security concerns associated with growing diversity and created a climate in which the issues of breaking up parallel societies, and, more explicitly, integrating Muslim minority populations have become particularly pressing. As previous approaches aimed at incorporating migrants have been branded as a failure, many European governments have begun re-developing their policies on migrant incorporation, not least to mitigate the potential "threat" posed by a lack of integration. This article focuses on German and British policy developments in the area of integration post-2001 and compares how the two states have responded to the alleged "threat from within".     

Gender, Mentoring Experiences, and Salary Attainment among Graduates of an Historically Black University

The effects of gender and the development of mentoring relationships on salary attainment were examined among African-American graduates of an historically black institution of higher education. After controlling for a series of background, career, and organizational factors, there were no gender-based pay differences, and only those who had established mentoring relationships with white-male mentors displayed compensation advantages over graduates who had never formed mentoring relationships. These results are comparable to findings reported for majority and minority graduates of majority-culture schools of business and have implications concerning the ways in which companies and individuals work to maximize career potential.     

First Annual Diversity Challenge: “How to Survive Teaching Courses on Race and Culture”

The authors discuss the highlights of the 1st annual Diversity Challenge held October 11–12, 2001, at Boston College, Boston, MA. The Challenge's general focus was preparing educators to cope with the resistances encountered when they teach about race and ethnic culture. This introduction (a) provides an overview of the proceedings, (b) summarizes themes of presentations and articles selected, and (c) offers recommendations for subsequent events. Los autores analizan el primer Reto de Diversidad, que tuvo lugar del 11 al 12 de octubre, 2001, en Boston College, Boston, Massachusetts. El próposito del reto fue preparar a los profesores para que puedan enfrentar las dificultades que resultan de enseñar los temas de la raza y la cultura étnica. Esta introducción (a) da un breve resumen de los procedimientos, (b) resume los temas de las presentaciones y los ensayos seleccionados, y, (c) sugiere recommendaciones para eventos posteriores.