Parent Characteristics as Antecedents of Maternal Gatekeeping and Fathering Behavior

The present study examined the role of prebirth parent characteristics as predictors of maternal gatekeeping (mothers' attempts to encourage or discourage fathers' interaction with their infant) and fathering behavior. Parents' idealization of their relationships within their families of origin, beliefs about the roles of fathers, and personality attributes (negative emotionality and communion) were assessed before their infant's birth. At 3.5 months postpartum, maternal gatekeeping behaviors (negative control, facilitation) and fathers' involvement and competence with their infants were assessed during observation of triadic play and child care. Results suggest reciprocal relations between maternal gatekeeping and fathering behavior. Furthermore, greater paternal communion was associated with greater paternal competence during play, whereas greater maternal communion was associated with lower paternal competence during child care. Greater maternal communion and greater maternal idealization related to fathers' lower relative involvement during play. As for maternal gatekeeping behavior, high negative emotionality in 1 parent was only accompanied by high levels of inhibitory maternal gatekeeping when the other parent had less progressive beliefs about the father's role. The implications of these findings for clinicians and practitioners are discussed.     

The Religious Dynamics of Decision Making on Gay Rights Issues in the U.S. House of Representatives, 1993–2002

In recent decades, homosexuality has emerged as a truly national political issue. As a result, the U.S. Congress is increasingly called upon to consider and set policy on an array of issues related to the status of gay men and lesbians. This article investigates legislator decision making pertaining to gay issues in the U.S. House of Representatives. Specifically, we examine the effect of several indicators on legislator support for progressive gay policies, including ideology, partisanship, and the characteristics of district religious affiliation. We use additive indices of legislator support for progressive gay policies, and use logit and ordered logit to derive estimates of influence. The findings indicate that even while legislator partisanship and ideology largely structure decision making, legislators are also highly responsive to the presence of conservative Protestants and (to a lesser extent) Roman Catholics in their constituency .     

Relational closeness: Comparing undergraduate college students' geographically close and long‐distance friendships

Abstract As interpersonal relationships change with the advent of new technology, researchers need to reexamine their theoretical constructs ( R. G. Adams, 1998 ). This study uses survey methodology to examine college undergraduates from the United States. It explores the concept of relational closeness by comparing how geographically close and long‐distance friends define closeness in their relationships. It assesses prior methods of defining and measuring closeness in interpersonal relationships for the impact of physical distance between the friends. Differences illustrate factors that are important in understanding relational closeness in general and in long‐distance relationships in particular.     

Criteria Used by College Students to Select Employment Referents

Content analysis of college students' rationales for selecting employment referents suggests that their choices do not always match with what employers value in reference reports. The concluding section of the article offers suggestions for effective referent selection.     

Employment of Recent University Business Graduates: Do Age,Gender, and Minority Status Make a Difference?

This study examined differences in the process of job search based on age, gender, and minority status. A sample of 398 recent business graduates of a southern university completed a survey on their current status and job search process, which was matched to their academic record. Results showed that women had higher GPAs than did men, but fewer women went on to graduate school immediately after graduation. African Americans had lower GPAs at graduation, were more likely to have used the university placement center, and were less likely to have had internships than Whites. These results are discussed in terms of providing better preemployment opportunities for women and African Americans and in terms of a realistic employment preview mechanism for all students.     

Family Sculpting in Preventive Work with "Well Families"

This paper will describe an experimental community project aimed at "well families". The program was designed to be preventive by providing service to families before their problems escalated into crisis proportions. It emphasized an educational rather than treatment bias; this orientation forced us to expand concepts, experiment with new techniques, and re-evaluate our ideas on how families change. Of particular importance to us was the emphasis on behavioral change rather than intellectual insight. In the course of this work, family sculpting came to be an increasingly valuable tool.     

REFERENT SELECTION IN DETERMINING EQUITY PERCEPTIONS: DIFFERENTIAL EFFECTS ON BEHAVIORAL AND ATTITUDINAL OUTCOMES

The concept of differential equity allows individuals to have different perceptions of equity depending on the pay referent used. Different pay referents should result in different tactics to reduce inequities. To test this hypothesis, equity perceptions with respect to seven different referents were compared as to their relationship to pay satisfaction, intent to remain with a company, and frequency of extra-role behavior. Findings suggest that the various types of inequity relate differentially to each of the three outcome variables.