Measuring Responsiveness in the Therapeutic Relationship: A Patient Perspective

This article reports results from a three-country study of patient perceptions of physician responsiveness. Based on existing research in the medical and social-psychological literatures, we theorized that patients' perceptions of physician responsiveness to their needs would be an important component of the patient–physician relationship and that this construct could be distinguished reliably from more global assessments of patient satisfaction. We then developed a new measure designed to assess these perceptions from the patients' point of view. This measure was administered to large samples of patients in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada. Results supported our hypotheses. Patient perception of physician responsiveness significantly predicted both patient satisfaction and subjective health-related problems, over and above effects attributable to general satisfaction. We also noted the absence of significant differences across the three cultures or sex, suggesting that the process we identify has considerable generality. We also describe a short version of our measure that researchers may find useful in a variety of research or clinical settings.     

Divine Action,Resurrection, and the Transformation of the Universe

Abstract

The article examines the notion of self-organization and explores the reality of biological processes from an epistemological point of view. First, I briefly analyze what is currently regarded as one of the most important discoveries not only in physics, but also in biology—namely, complex systems and deterministic chaos; secondly, I offer some reflections on the new frontiers of contemporary biology— namely, functional genomics and systems biology. The central part of the article focuses on the epistemological transition from genetic determinism to the new conception of “meaning” as emergence.     

Masculinity and Self‐Esteem in Israeli Jewish Professional Women 1

The literature suggests that while women experience unique challenges with self‐esteem and self‐acceptance, Jewish professional women in Israel face additional challenges in balancing majority culture values, ethnic traditions, and the socio‐historical‐political context of the country. The present study investigated differences in masculinity, femininity, locus of control, self‐esteem, and self‐acceptance among Israeli Jewish and other professional women, including professional women scientists. Masculinity scores were significantly lower for Israeli Jewish women, and self‐acceptance scores were significantly lower for Israeli Jewish women than for the group of professional women.     

The feasibility of a group bender-gestalt test for preschool and primary school-aged children

This study devised and tested a method for group administration of the Bender-Gestalt Test that would be feasible for screening large groups of beginning school-age children. Secondary considerations of the study were the reliability of the group method of administration as well as the predictive validity of test results gathered using the group technique. Students' (N = 144) age range was from five years through nine years. Results indicate that the group method of presentation using Koppitz's DBSS scoring system can yield results as valid and reliable as the traditional individual method of administering the Bender-Gestalt Test.