Self‐Directing Religious Coping: A Deistic God,Abandoning God,or No God at All?

Self-directing religious coping has been correlated with both positive and negative outcome variables in previous research. The purpose of this study was to explore the potential meaning behind these mixed findings by clarifying the nature of the self-directing religious coping construct. A new set of subscales was constructed that operationalized different aspects of the construct. This scale, the original Religious Problem Solving Scale, and mental-health measures were given to 262 undergraduate students at a moderate-sized midwestern university. Two factors were identified with the revised self-directing measure: a deistic and supportive but nonintervening God factor and an abandoning God factor. The Abandoning God Subscale was more highly correlated with the original Self-Directing Scale than was the deistic God measure. The Deistic and Supportive God Subscale was correlated with both positive and negative mental-health outcomes, whereas the abandoning God measure consistently related to poorer outcomes.     

Metaphor and Thinking in Science and Religion

Excerpts from Chapters 1 and 3 of New Maps for Old: Explorations in Science and Religion (Gerhart and Russell 2001) explore the ramifications of metaphoric process for changes in thinking, especially those changes that lead to a new understanding of our world. Examples are provided from science, from religion, and from science and religion together. In excerpts from Chapter 8, a double analogy—theology is to science as science is to mathematics—is proposed for better understanding the contemporary relationship between science and religion. A conservation of epistemological sufficiency is disclosed as one moves from mathematics to empirical science to theology—a move from one discipline to another that involves a sacrifice of one aspect of thought to gain another.     

Changing Worldviews: Responding to Betty Birner and Robert Masson

Worldviews are changed by higher viewpoints that can develop by metaphoric process, the equating of two formerly disparate known concepts. The equating results in a distortion—a tectonic reformation—of the associated fields of meanings that effects a rearrangement of associated concepts leading to new cognitive relations. We comment on reviews of our books Metaphoric Process (1984) and New Maps for Old (2001) by Robert Masson and Betty Birner. Metaphoric process may further understanding of the formation of diverse worldviews and their reconciliation.     

Constructing a minority group identity out of shared rejection: the case of international students

With a sample of international students, we investigated how perceptions of rejection by the host community are related to a sense of identification with other international students. Based on the rejection‐identification model (Branscombe, Schmitt, & Harvey, 1999 ) we predicted that perceiving prejudice from the host university would be negatively related to psychological well‐being. We expected that group identification with international students would mediate a positive effect of perceived discrimination on self‐esteem, thus suppressing the negative effect of perceiving prejudice on self‐esteem. Consistent with predictions, results supported a model in which identification with international students increased in response to perceiving prejudice and suppressed the costs of perceiving oneself as excluded from the host community. Interestingly, identification with participants' home country was not predicted by perceptions of discrimination. Results are discussed in terms of how minority group members construct group identities in response to the intergroup context. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Rhetorical representations of masculinities in South Africa: moving towards a material‐discursive understanding of men

A material‐discursive perspective holds advantage in understanding male realities. It seeks to integrate dominant approaches that appear anaemic in their failure to capture the interplay between the material and discursive realms of human existence. Three dominant metaphorical themes in the rhetorical representation of South African masculinities are described in an attempt to illustrate the complexity of embodied masculine experience. In this sense the discussion seeks to reveal the dynamic nature of masculine debate and lived experience across differing contexts. It serves to underline the importance of adopting a material‐discursive perspective in understanding men, which recognizes that they do not exist as a homogeneous social group, and as such experience their masculinities in a variable and changing fashion. The theoretical amalgamation of social representations and rhetoric is argued to provide a useful analytical tool in an endeavour of this nature. It is suggested that the rhetorical approach problematizes an overly consensual view of social reality that social representations theory typically promotes. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Neighborhood Context and Financial Strain as Predictors of Marital Interaction and Marital Quality in African American Couples

Demographic characteristics, family financial strain, neighborhood-level economic disadvantage, and state of residence were tested as predictors of observed warmth, hostility, and self-reported marital quality. Participants were 202 married African American couples who resided in a range of neighborhood contexts. Neighborhood-level economic disadvantage predicted lower warmth during marital interactions, as did residence in the rural south. Consistent with the family stress model (e.g., Conger & Elder, 1994), family financial strain predicted lower perceived marital quality. Unexpectedly, neighborhood-level economic disadvantage predicted higher marital quality. Social comparison processes and degree of exposure to racially based discrimination are considered as explanations for this unexpected result. The importance of context in relationship outcomes is highlighted.     

The effectiveness of distance learning initiatives in organizations

Today, organizations are increasingly adopting distance learning methods to train and develop their employees. Despite the widespread use of these methods, little research has been done regarding their effectiveness. The present paper reviews current literature on the effectiveness of distance learning methods in terms of employees’ reactions, learning, behavior, and organizational results. Suggestions for future research and practice are also offered.     

Initial Validation of Measures of Sanctification in Same‐Sex Romantic Relationships and Sexual Behavior

Researchers have created reliable and valid scales of the sanctification of romantic relationships and sexual behavior of opposite‐sex couples. The goal of the present study is to assess the reliability and validity of sanctification measures within same‐sex romantic relationships. Measures of sanctification and relationship adjustment were given to 256 persons in same‐sex romantic relationships living in the United States. Both sanctification measures had Cronbach alpha values above 0.80. Sanctification related to relationship adjustment in expected ways. Controlling for demographic variables, general religiosity, and self‐perceived spirituality, the sanctification of a same‐sex romantic relationship was associated with greater investment in the partnership, emotional intimacy toward one's partner, and relationship satisfaction. Sanctifying same‐sex sexual behavior related to more frequent sex and more positive emotions toward sex, after controlling for demographic variables, general religiosity, and perceived spirituality. Implications and suggestions for future research are discussed.     

Parenting young children with challenging behaviour

Previous research has established the link between harsh parenting and poor outcomes in children, although little attention has been paid to the concurrent protective factors which may exist. The relationship between parenting behaviours and childhood externalizing behaviours was investigated in a sample of 60 parents of young children (ages 2–5 years). Thirty families were selected for participation based on teacher‐reported externalizing behaviour in their young child which exceeded normal limits and matched with a sample of 30 parents of children without externalizing behaviour problems. Results found that parents of young children with externalizing behaviours tended to use more frequent verbal and corporal punishment with their young children, and reported more behaviour problems with their young children when compared with a control group. However, no significant differences were found between groups with respect to positive, nurturing behaviours, or utilizing appropriate developmental expectations. Implications for prevention are discussed. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

EXAMINING THE STRUCTURE OF THE SCHEDULE OF SEXIST EVENTS: REPLICATION AND EXTENSION

The current study reexamined the factor structure of the Lifetime and Recent scales of the Schedule of Sexist Events (SSE; Klonoff & Landrine, 1995 ) and conducted the first factor analysis of the SSE-Appraisal scale ( Landrine & Klonoff, 1997 ). Factor analyses conducted with data from 245 women yielded, for SSE-Lifetime and SSE-Appraisal scales, two reliable factors that can be scored as "Intimate and Personal Experiences of Sexist Events" and "Unfair Treatment Across Public Contexts" subscales. Data from the SSE-Recent scale yielded three factors that can be scored as "Sexist Degradation and Its Consequences,""Unfair and Sexist Events at Work/School," and "Unfair Treatment in Distant and Close Relationships" subscales. Recommendations are made for the future use of these proposed subscales in conjunction with total scale scores in research using the SSE to examine links between reported experiences of sexist events and women's health and well-being.