MMPI characteristics of drug abusers with and without histories of suicide attempts

Compared to drug addicts without histories of suicidal attempt (n = 50), drug addicts who have attempted suicide (n = 50) were characterized by higher levels of maladjustment--particularly in the areas of depression, feelings of alienation, and use of projection and externalization--and were more emotionally withdrawn. Certain Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) codetypes appeared in the attempt group that were not present in the no history group. Drug addicts with suicidal ideation but no history of attempt (n = 13) were not significantly different from the other two groups, and their inclusion as a comparison group masked the real differences between the other two groups. The MMPI results suggest it may be possible to identify a suicide attempt group in substance abusers but not when contrasted with a suicidal ideation group. Treatment implications are considered.     

The role of individual bargaining behavior in the pay setting process: A pilot study

A model of initial salary detemination for professional and managerial employees is developed. That part of the model which concentrates on the role of employee salary negotiation behaviors and attitudes was investigated using a sample of 117 individuals. Significant variance in salary bargaining attitudes and behaviors was found; attitudinal and demographic differences between negotiators and non-negotiators were determined. Additionally, negotiating behavior was found to be positively related to salary, but only slightly related to salary growth.     

The concept of formal justice

Conclusion In Greek mythology, Themis, the goddess of justice, is blindfolded so that she may not see those who stand before her, and consequently, so that she can administer justice consistently and impartially. The imagery provides an apt illustration of the formal dimension of justice. Yet it serves only to blind us to the actual workings and character of the practice of doing justice. I have argued here that we must take seriously the full implications of material principles of jusitce. And when we do, there is no longer any conceptual space left in our reflections on justice for the virtue of formal justice. Of course, the just treatment of relevantly similar subjects does result in the equal treatment of these subjects; this, after all, is a logical consequence of acting upon a material principle of justice in similar cases. But this, let me emphasize, is only a consequence of doing justice and as such it reveals only a contingent feature of doing justice. The proponents of the formal dimension of justice have, so to speak, failed to see the trees through the forest. Impressed by the consequence of equality of treatment between cases, they have generalized their observations into specific claims about what it means to do justice to certain subjects. These generalizations, in turn, have led to the unfortunate and misleading reification of the concept of formal justice.Moreover, by exposing the myth of formal justice, the image of justice as an austere, rationalistic, and abstract virtue is also called into question. Justice is not blind to particular subjects. Quite the contrary, it looks to those who stand before her and demands from us the response which is appropriate for them. The practice of doing justice, this is to say, signals the need to respect the rights and deserts of particular subjects. Or rather, we comprehend and express this need by means of the practice of doing justice.     

Rural multi-problem families

Despite the apparently lower prevalence of notified dysfunction in the country, when severe individual and family psychopathology does exist it often engenders considerable stigmatization and social isolation. The resulting creation of 'one-family ghettos' tends to heighten family dysfunction, producing a new set of specific and frequently more severe difficulties for the therapist. Some case histories are cited to illustrate these problems, and the authors discuss their treatment regime which is domiciliary, focused in the here-and-now, active and task-centred.     

Early education,intellectual development,and school performance: A reply to Arthur Jensen and J. McVicker Hunt

In this response to the critiques by Arthur Jensen and J. McVicker Hunt, we focus on three issues that clarity the results and conclusions of our original paper. These issues include the meaning of g, the permanence of effects produced by early education, and the educational significance of IQ gains produced by early education programs. In addition, since the nature of longitudinal studies insures the accumulation of new data to test and refine conclusions drawn from earlier data, we begin by briefly summarizing new data from our study pertinent to these three issues.     

The Rawdon-Smith illusion

A loudness illusion is described which was originally reported by Rawdon-Smith and Grindley (1935). It is analogous to the Craik-O’Brien-Cornsweet brightness illusion. Procedures are described for generating and measuring the size of the effect, and data are presented showing factors that influence its magnitude. Other examples are discussed that suggest that this effect is a very general phenomenon.     

Response probability and similarity of retrieved response tendencies as determinants of response suppression difficulty

The primary objective of this study was to test the validity of the here labelled ‘suppression-time’ assumption which contends that the more difficult the response suppression operation, the longer the time required for its successful implementation. A secondary interest addressed the possibility that output suppression difficulty would be influenced by the level of response-response (R-R) compatibility existing between retrieved response tendencies. Two basic requirements confronted subjects within an experimental session: (a) dual-initiation (Dual-I) of paired arm movements, (b) initiation/suppression (I/S) of retrieved outputs, the irrelevant response being suppressed, the relevant output initiated. RT(I/S) magnitude and failure-to-inhibit error frequency increased as response probability increased, thereby providing support for the ‘suppression-time’ assumption. But R-R compatibility degree variations, when realized, did not consistently affect response suppression difficulty.     

MMPI substance abuse scales on drug addicts with and without concurrent alcoholism

The range and utility of the MMPI-derived MacAndrew Alcoholism Scale (MAC) and the Heroin Addiction Scale (He) was assessed with a large sample of drug addicts with and without concurrent alcoholism. Results indicated that addicts with a co-existing alcohol problem obtained higher MAC scores than addicts without a current alcohol problem. Opiate abusers scored higher on the MAC than non-opiate abusers. No such effects were observed with the He scale. The MAC is a particularly robust scale that taps generic substance abuse and may even be sensitive enough to detect alcoholism in drug addicts.