Ecosystemic Structural Family Therapy: Theoretical and Clinical Foundations

Ecosystemic structural family therapy (ESFT) is a systemic, strength-based, and trauma-informed family therapy model that has evolved from structural family therapy (SFT; Minuchin in Families and family therapy, Harvard University Press, Cambridge, 1974). ESFT is an evidenced-based family therapy approach designed to intervene with families of children who are experiencing behavioral health problems and are at the risk of out-of-home placement. In this article we review the theoretical, applied, and empirical evolution of ESFT relative to extant SFT models. ESFT is based on the fundamental assumption that child, parental, and marital functioning are inextricably linked to their relational environment. Five interrelated constructs guide ESFT therapists in their understanding of clinical problems: family structure; family and individual emotional regulation; individual differences (e.g., historical, biological, cultural, developmental); affective proximity; and family development (Gehart 2010). ESFT has an extensive evaluation history dating back to the 1980s involving over 4,000 families in 39 different sites. While ESFT is considered evidence-based, it might be more consistent with “Practice-Based Evidence” given its long, extensive, and successful, history in the child mental health system in Pennsylvania.     

Detecting Misspecified Multilevel Structural Equation Models with Common Fit Indices: A Monte Carlo Study

This study investigated the sensitivity of common fit indices (i.e., RMSEA, CFI, TLI, SRMR-W, and SRMR-B) for detecting misspecified multilevel SEMs. The design factors for the Monte Carlo study were numbers of groups in between-group models (100, 150, and 300), group size (10, 20, 30, and 60), intra-class correlation (low, medium, and high), and the types of model misspecification (Simple and Complex). The simulation results showed that CFI, TLI, and RMSEA could only identify the misspecification in the within-group model. Additionally, CFI, TLI, and RMSEA were more sensitive to misspecification in pattern coefficients while SRMR-W was more sensitive to misspecification in factor covariance. Moreover, TLI outperformed both CFI and RMSEA in terms of the hit rates of detecting the within-group misspecification in factor covariance. On the other hand, SRMR-B was the only fit index sensitive to misspecification in the between-group model and more sensitive to misspecification in factor covariance than misspecification in pattern coefficients. Finally, we found that the influence of ICC on the performance of targeted fit indices was trivial.     

Kurt Gödel and the Foundations of Mathematics: Horizons of Truth

MEDIEVAL LOGICS

P. 0 . LEWRY (ed.), The rise of British logic. Acts of the sixth European Symposium on mediaeval logic and semantics, Balliol College, Oxford, 19-24 June 1983. Toronto: Pontifical Institute of Mediaeval Studies, 1985. xii+421 pp. $34.50.

L. M. ,DE RIJK, La philosophie au moyen cige. Translated from the Dutch by P.Swiggers, Leiden: E. J. Brill, 1985. xi + 244 pp. 50 Hfl.

RAIMUNDUS LULLUS, Die neue Logik. Logica nova. Textkritisch herausgegeben von Charles Lohr. Übersetzt von Vittorio Hösle und Walburga Büchel. Mit einer Einführung von Vittorio Hosle. (Lateinisch-deutsch.) Hamburg: Felix Meiner Verlag, 1985. xciv + 3 17s. 64DM.

PAULUS VENETUS, Logica parva. Translation of the 1472 edition, with introduction and notes by Alan R. Perreiah. Miinchen and Wein: Philosophia Verlag, 1984. 372 pp. DM 138.

E. J. ASHWORTH, Studies in post-medieval semantics. London: Variorum Reprints, 1985. x + 342 pp. £32.00.

D. GABBAY and F. GUENTHNER (eds.), Handbook of philosophical logic. Volume 2: Extensions of classical logic. Dordrecht, Boston and Lancaster: D. Reidel Publishing Company, 1984. xi + 779 pp. Dfl. 31 5/$12O.OO/£80.25.

THOMAS M. SEEBOHM, Philosophie der Logik. Freiburg: Alber, 1984. 364 pp. DM 74.

WERNER STELZNER, Epistemische Logik. Zur logischen Analyse von Akzeptationsformen.Berlin: Akademie-Verlag, 1984. 206 pp. No price stated.

JAMES BOGEN and JAMES E. MCGUIRE (eds.), How things are: studies in predication and the history and philosophy of science. (Philosophical studies series in philosophy, Volume 29.) Dordrecht: D. Reidel, 1985. 345 pp. US $46.00.

GEORG HENRIK VON WRIGHT, Truth, knowledge, and modality. (Philosophical papers, Volume 3.) Oxford: Basil Blackwell, 1984. ix + 155 pp. 15.00.

JEAN VAN HEIJENOORT, Selected essays. Naples: Bibliopolis, 1985. 166 pp. No price stated.

H. WANG, Beyond analytic philosophy. Doing justice to what we know. Cambridge (Massachusetts) and London: The MIT Press, 1986. xii + 273pp. No price stated.

TEXTBOOKS

R. L.VAUGHT, Set theory: an introduction. Boston, Basel, Stuttgart: Birkhäuser, 1985. x+141 pp. SFr. 76.

W. H. NEWTON-SMITH, Logic: An introductory course. London, Melbourne and Henley: Routledge and Kegan Paul, 1985. x+ 230 pp. £5.95 (paper).

MISCELLANEOUS

PIERRE DUHEM, Medieval cosmology. Edited and translated by Roger Ariew.Chicago and London: University of Chicago Press, 1985. xxxi+ 601 pp. £24.75.

DAVID A. WHITE, Logic and ontology in Heidegger. Columbus: Ohio State University Press, 1985. xiv + 245 pp. $22.50.

J. W. DEGEN, Systeme der kumulativen Logik. Miinchen und Wien: Philosophia Verlag (Reihe Analytica), 1983. 265pp. DM 128.

GABRIELE LOLLI, La ragioni jisiche e la dimonstrazioni matematiche. Bologna: I1 Mulino, 1985. 365 pp. 30,000 lire.     

Keyboard Gangsters: Analysis of Incidence and Correlates of Cyberbullying in a Large Urban Student Population

The prevalence and pervasive nature of technology has fundamentally changed how individuals interact. Social networking has significantly altered communication and interaction patterns and created a dynamic venue for perpetration and victimization of bullying. A large population of middle and high school students was surveyed on perceptions and engagement in drug and alcohol usage, school violence, social networking usage, and cyberbullying victimization and perpetration. Findings indicate that although cyberbullying has many similarities to traditional bullying, there are important differences. Participation in school violence and usage of alcohol, tobacco, and illegal drugs predict both victimization and perpetration of cyberbullying.     

Differential Attention as a Mechanism of Change in Parent–Child Interaction Therapy: Support from Time-Series Analysis

Although many interventions address children’s externalizing behavior problems, negative treatment outcomes remain common. Reasons for success or failure are frequently unclear, due in part to a lack of research identifying treatment change mechanisms. The current study evaluated differential attention as a mechanism of change in Parent–Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT), a treatment for children with externalizing problems. Using sequential coding and time-series analysis, we examined parent–child interactions across treatment for three families. Contrary to hypotheses, child prosocial behaviors and parent skill use held steady or decreased across coaching periods, with the exception of one family, where the parent’s skill use increased during coaching. Partial support was found for the hypothesis that parent differential attention would predict child prosocial behavior in the next minute. These results provide support for differential attention as a mechanism of change, but also demonstrate that this factor is not the only such mechanism.     

Selling and Sales Management in Action Examining the Bases Utilized for Evaluating Salespeoples' Performance

Evaluating salespeoples' performance is an important task for sales managers. However, little is known about what bases are used by sales managers to evaluate the performance of their salespeople. A study was conducted to determine the bases actually used by sales managers and the results were compared with a study conducted in 1983. Findings indicate more emphasis on profit and cost control, a continued reliance on qualitative measures, and a wide variety of bases being utilized to evaluate the performance of salespeople. Furthermore, the stability of results, across a wide variety of respondent job titles as well as business types and sizes, indicates a good deal of generalizability to other firms.     

Personality predictors of smoking behavior in a sample of physicians

Abstract

The smoking status of 239 physicians was obtained from a mail survey in 1981. MMPI data, which had been obtained from these men 25 years earlier, was used to prospectively predict smoking status at follow-up. Those who never smoked had scores indicative of social conventionality (low scores on L, Pd, and Schubert scales; high scores on Ego-control). A similar pattern was found among smokers who quit after a relatively short smoking history. Compared to ex-smokers, those who continued to smoke at the time of follow-up were characterized by high scores on the Pd and Ma scales. These results were discussed in terms of a multi-stage conceptualization of the smoking cessation process.     

Forgiveness is an emotion-focused coping strategy that can reduce health risks and promote health resilience: theory,review, and hypotheses

Experimental evidence suggests that when people are transgressed against interpersonally, they often react by experiencing unforgiveness. Unforgiveness is conceptualized as a stress reaction. Forgiveness is one (of many) ways people reduce unforgiveness. Forgiveness is conceptualized as an emotional juxtaposition of positive emotions (i.e., empathy, sympathy, compassion, or love) against the negative emotions of unforgiveness. Forgiveness can thus be used as an emotion-focused coping strategy to reduce a stressful reaction to a transgression. Direct empirical research suggests that forgiveness is related to health outcomes and to mediating physiological processes in such a way as to support the conceptualization that forgiveness is an emotion-focused coping strategy. Indirect mechanisms might also affect the forgiveness-health relationship. Namely, forgiveness might affect health by working through social support, relationship quality, and religion.