Self‐esteem trajectories across 25 years and midlife intimate relations

Guided by a life‐span developmental systems approach, this study examined links between self‐esteem assessed over 25 years and adaptive interaction and relationship risk at midlife using data from 341 Canadian adults surveyed (or followed) from ages 18 to 43. Results showed higher self‐esteem at age 18 was associated with more adaptive interactions and lower perceived relationship risk at age 43. A more rapid increase in self‐esteem through the transition to adulthood into midlife (ages 18–43) was also associated with more frequent adaptive interactions and less relationship risk at age 43. These results held after accounting for potential confounding variables. This study is the first to demonstrate self‐esteem trajectories over a quarter century predict midlife intimate relationship functioning.     

THE FIRST ‘DESIGNER BABY’: The Role of Narratives,Cliche´s and Metaphors in the Year 2000 Media Debate

The public do not like, and we do not like the idea of designer babies (Ruth Deech, then Chair of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority, quoted in The Independent, 18 October 2000). We are all on the slippery slope-the question we should be asking is: skis or crampons (Professor John Harris, The Centre for Social Ethics and Policy, University of Manchester, in an interview with Susan Johnson). LINGUISTIC AND CULTURAL GROUNDING OF THE DESIGNER BABY DEBATE In October 2000, news was released of the world’s first ‘designer baby’—Adam Nash who was born on 29 August 2000 in the United States. He was chosen as a donor for his sister Molly, who suffered with Fanconi Anaemia, which is a rare genetic disease. Without a bone marrow transplant, Molly would have died before the age of 10. A suitable donor had not been found, so her parents decided to undergo in vitro fertilization (IVF), and preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) to select an embryo that would not carry the disease-causing gene and would become a brother and a donor for Molly. At the time of his birth, Adam’s cord blood was collected and later transplanted into his sister. Initial reports suggest that the treatment has been successful.     

Social Contagion and Multiplexity Communication Networks as Predictors of Commitment and Role Ambiguity

This research compares two contrasting perspectives of social contagion processes associated with the organizational outcome variables of commitment and role ambiguity in organizations. The two perspectives are structural equivalence (which focuses on the positions of individuals in social networks) and cohesion (which focuses on an individual's direct communication contacts). It was hypothesized that structural equivalence would be more associated with role ambiguity and that commitment would be more associated with cohesion. The relationship between these variables and multiplex content networks was also studied. It was hypothesized that commitment was a much more broadly based concept in the sense that a number of functional content networks systematically relate to it. On the other hand, role ambiguity was hypothesized to be more closely associated with uniplex networks, especially those related to job duties and organizational goals. While there were exceptions, generally the research results supported the hypotheses relating to multiplexity. The hypotheses that structural equivalence was more associated with role ambiguity and that commitment was more associated with cohesion also were supported in this research.     

A Stage Approach to Career Counseling With Christian Women

Almost 75% of married women ages 25–54 years are in the labor force in the United States. Many are in occupations that are below their potential or are not personally satisfying. Lack of role satisfaction can result in depression, but the career issues of women in treatment are often ignored. Christian women may be particularly vulnerable to role dissatisfaction. The authors offer a stage model for assessment of Christian women who present with symptoms of depression, in hopes of addressing issues of role satisfaction from work and lessening depressive symptoms.     

Cognitive Style, Schizophrenia, and the Family: Methodological Implications of Contextual Effects

The study of a single case of a family with one schizophrenic daughter is reported here. A variety of measures were used in the study and it was carried out in a number of different contexts. The study has substantive interest in regard to the inter-connections of schizophrenia and of individual and familial patterns of cognition and perception. In addition it raises important methodological considerations stemming from the variability of the measures across differing contexts.