Are occupational interests hormonally influenced? The 2D:4D-interest nexus

Occupational interests constitute a psychological variable with pronounced sex differences. Whereas males are more interested in things, females primarily take an interest in people. As various studies with mammals and humans documented the role of androgen exposure on sex-typical behavior, we assumed that androgen levels are associated with occupational interests. In our study, we used 2D:4D digit ratio as an indicator of prenatal androgen levels and finger lengths as an indicator of post-pubertal androgen levels. Occupational interests were measured with a standard interest inventory. We hypothesized that finger lengths and ratios indicating high androgen levels are associated with stronger interests in things and weaker interests in people. All measures were gathered using an online interest inventory thereby leading to sufficient statistical power (N = 8646). Results partly confirmed our hypotheses. We found significant correlations between finger lengths and interests in things for males. Moreover, in the case of males we identified significant correlations between finger lengths (positive) as well as digit ratios (negative) with realistic interests and significant correlations between finger lengths (negative) and social interests, which are a marker variable of the people-things dimension.     

Enquiring into the qualitative nature of anger: Challenges and strengths of the introspective method

Current Psychology - Anger is known to be a negatively valenced emotion that can trigger different forms of harmful actions. Traditionally, it is studied from a third-person point of view using...     

Psychometric Evaluation of the Italian Adaptation of the Test of Inferential and Creative Thinking

This article describes the psychometric properties of the Italian adaptation of the Analyse des Schlussfolgernden und Kreativen Denkens (ASK; Test of Inferential and Creative Thinking) for measuring inferential and creative thinking. The study aimed to (a) supply evidence for the factorial structure of the instrument, (b) describe its reliability in terms of internal consistency, and (c) explore its convergent and discriminant validity. The examinees were 284 high school students and adult graduates. Both exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were used to examine the dimensional structure. The 2-factor model provided an acceptable fit for the empirical data. As expected, stronger correlations were found among the subscales within the same construct domains compared to correlations among the subscales from the different construct domains. The psychometric qualities of the ASK appeared fairly good, thereby suggesting that it might be helpful in several application fields, including academic and professional guidance, human resource selections, and job placement.     

Call of the Wild

Freud described "wild analysis" as an undisciplined version of psychoanalysis; but the new Penguin series of Freud's writings collects many of his papers under the title Wild Analysis, challenging the differentiation. This paper traces wild elements at the core of psychoanalytic thought, crediting Groddeck, Ferenczi, and Winnicott for bringing them to the open. The image of the wild analyst can serve us as the image of the deeply involved, personally motivated analyst, whose work is intense and emotionally risky. This is the opposite of the "civilized" analyst who uses well-defined existing paths, takes no personal risks, and therefore stays at an emotional distance from his/her patients. Every analyst's capacity to develop a unique analytic self, based on his/her genuine life experience and worldview, is endangered if stepping out of line is slandered as "wild analysis" or as insanity. The relevance of these issues for contemporary psychoanalytic thought and education is demonstrated.     

Item factor analysis: current approaches and future directions

The rationale underlying factor analysis applies to continuous and categorical variables alike; however, the models and estimation methods for continuous (i.e., interval or ratio scale) data are not appropriate for item-level data that are categorical in nature. The authors provide a targeted review and synthesis of the item factor analysis (IFA) estimation literature for ordered-categorical data (e.g., Likert-type response scales) with specific attention paid to the problems of estimating models with many items and many factors. Popular IFA models and estimation methods found in the structural equation modeling and item response theory literatures are presented. Following this presentation, recent developments in the estimation of IFA parameters (e.g., Markov chain Monte Carlo) are discussed. The authors conclude with considerations for future research on IFA, simulated examples, and advice for applied researchers.     

The Scarlet Letter,Revised; Or,Vicissitudes of the Utopian Fantasy of “A New Sexual Person”: Commentary on Papers on President Clinton's Impeachment

It is not difficult to suppose that under the domination of a civilized sexual morality the health and efficiency of single individuals may be liable to impairment and that ultimately this injury to them, caused by the sacrifices imposed on them, may reach such a pitch that, by this indirect path, the cultural aim in view will be endangered as well [Freud, 1908, p. 181].