Lesbian,gay, and bisexual youth in community settings: Personal challenges and mental health problems

Studied 194 lesbian, gay, and bisexual youth aged 21 and younger who attended programs in 14 community centers to determine the personal challenges they face due to their sexual orientation and their responses to these stresses. First awareness of sexual orientation typically occurred at age 10, but disclosure to another person did not occur until about age 16. There was much variability in sexual behavior, and many youths reported both same-sex and opposite-sex sexual experiences. Although most had told at least one family member about their sexual orientation, there remained much concern about family reactions. Suicide attempts were acknowledged by 42% of the sample. Attempters significantly differed from nonattempters on several milestones of sexual orientation development, social aspects of sexual orientation, parents' knowledge of sexual orientation, and mental health problems. The following organizations participated in this project and are thanked for their assistance: Affirmations (Detroit), the Atlanta Gay Center, Baltimore Gay and Lesbian Community Center, Boston Alliance of Gay and Lesbian Youth, Gay Alternative Youth (Pittsburgh), the Gay and Lesbian Youth Association of Dallas, Gay Youth Alliance — San Diego, the Gay and Lesbian Community Services Center of Los Angeles, Horizons Community Services (Chicago), the Indianapolis Youth Group, the Lesbian and Gay Community Services Center of Cleveland, Lavender Youth Recreation and Information Center (San Francisco), Outright (Denver), and Sexual Minority Youth Assistance League (Washington, DC). The following individuals associated with these groups are gratefully thanked for their help: Danny Barutta, Adriene Corbin, Tom Eversole, Chris Gonzalez, Bill Gripp, Rory Lopez, Phil Rector, Jamie Schield, Cheryl Schwartz, Jan Stephenson, Sterling Stowell, Amy Vitro, and Aubrey Wertheim. Gene Thomas is thanked for helping with data collection, as are Michael LaFlam, Patrick McNamara, and Mark Shiner, who processed the surveys. We also thank Rainer Silbereisen for his comments. This project was supported by funds from the Center for the Study of Child and Adolescent Development of the College of Health and Human Development at Pennsylvania State University.     

Visual and tactile memory for 2-D patterns: Effects of changes in size and left-right orientation

Visual identification of 3-D objects depends on representations that are invariant across changes in size and left-right orientation. We examined whether this finding reflects the unique demands of processing 3-D objects, or whether it generalizes to 2-D patterns and to the tactile modality. Our findings suggest that object representation for identification is influenced greatly by the processing demands of stimulus materials (e.g., 2-D vs. 3-D objects) and stimulus modality (touch vs. vision). Identification of 2-D patterns in vision is adversely affected by left-right orientation changes, but not size changes. Identification of the same patterns in touch is adversely affected by both changes. Together, the results suggest that the unique processing demands of stimulus materials and modality shape the representation of objects in memory.     

Religious Coping and Heart Transplantation: From Threat to Health

Previous research has established the existence of homogeneous religious coping profiles in cardiac-transplantation candidates labeled as the deferring/collaborators, self-directors, and the eclectic religious copers. However, their prospective impact on outcome has not yet been established. This paper examines potential differences between pre-cardiac transplantation religious coping cluster groups on post-cardiac transplantation quality of life (physical functioning, mental health, and general health). Results indicated that the religious coping profiles of deferring/collaborators and self-directors had significantly better scores on mental health and general health than did the eclectics. Implications for religious-coping research and clinical practice are discussed.     

Two Types of Externalism

A contrast is drawn between two types of externalism, one based on ideas of Wittgenstein, the other on arguments from Putnam. Gregory McCulloch's attempt to combine the two types is then examined and criticized. Putnamian externalism is ambiguous. It can be interpreted either as the empirical claim that we give priority to scientific as opposed to other forms of discourse, or as a metaphysical claim that our language attempts to conform to the structure of the world 'in itself'. But the first claim is simply false, and the second involves a form of metaphysical realism that a Wittgensteinian must reject as unintelligible. McCulloch's attempted synthesis of the two types is therefore either incoherent, or else simply adds an empirical falsehood to Wittgenstein's conceptual point. It is also noted that Putnam himself has progressively retreated from his original claims, and now appears to be a Wittgensteinian, but not a 'Putnamian', externalist.     

CONCEPT LEARNING AND LEARNING STRATEGIES

Abstract —Concept teaming and learning strategies of pigeons were manipulated in a matching-Co-sample task. Groups of 4 pigeons responded either 0, J, 10, or 20 times to a sample stimulus, and then chose between a matching comparison stimulus and a nonmatching comparison stimulus. Tests with unfamiliar arrangements of the three training stimuli showed that learning was not by if-then rules. Tests with novel stimuli showed that as the number of sample responses increased, learning about the configural pattern of each display gave way to more teaming about the sample-comparison relationship and more concept learning. Pigeons making the most sample responses showed complete concept teaming.     

Should the behavioral sciences become more pragmatic? The case for functional contextualism in research on human behavior

Although societal need for behavioral science research is enormous, current research practices seem to be inefficient vehicles for producing knowledge that guides practical action. Many of our most popular theories provide little direct guidance for application. They focus on the development of models of the relationships among organismic events such as attitudes, self-efficacy expectations, and behavior, but pay little or no attention to the contextual influences on behavior. Such research is in keeping with a long-standing mechanistic tradition in psychology. We propose a version of contextualism as an alternative paradigm for the behavioral sciences. According to this paradigm, theories and research are evaluated in terms of their contribution to the prediction and influence of behavior. Basic research organized to pursue this goal has a direct bearing on how behavioral phenomena can be changed for practical purposes. Conversely, applied research contributes to basic understanding of the determinants of psychological phenomena.     

Qualitative dimensions of normal worry and normal obsessions: A comparative study

Despite the crucial role typically given to negative thoughts in cognitive conceptualisations of emotional problems, few studies have compared the characteristics of varieties of such thoughts. The present study compared the process features of naturally occurring worries and obsessions in a non-patient group. Analyses of variance revealed several significant differences between these types of thought. The relationship between worries and obsessions, and the clinical and conceptual importance of the observed differences is briefly discussed.     

Feedback in dynamic psychotherapy: Definitions and essential concepts

Conclusion This paper gives a central place to that systemic process within dynamic psychotherapy that is called feedback. I have given the historical antecedents of the multileveled, mutually influencing processes in feedback in terms of their evolution from cybernetics, information, and system theories. Major interdisciplinary contributors included Norbert Wiener, John von Neumann, Jurgen Ruesch, Warren Mc Culloch, Gregory Bateson, Margaret Mead, Kurt Lewin, and Lawrence S. Kubie, who came from such fields as mathematics, neurophysiology, psychiatry, anthropology, psychology, ecology, and psychoanalysis. The place of free-associations, the domain of intrapsychic and interpersonal feedback, the requirements for a matrix allowing for nurturing, curative interaction, the nature of interventions, and the significance of transference-countertransference and reality in the feedback that occurs in dynamic psychotherapy have been focused on in this initial presentation on the subject. Paper presented at the Association for the Advancement of Psychoanalysis of the Karen Horney Psychoanalytic Institute and Center on April 22, 1993. Author of many publications on verbal and nonverbal communications.