Religious and Spiritual Practices Among Patients with Cancer

The aim of this study was to investigate the frequency with which cancer patients engage in religious and spiritual practices, the methods used, the reasons for such a search, and the levels of depression and hopelessness in patients who seek spiritual assistance. One hundred and ten radiation oncology patients, who gave voluntary informed consent were included in this study. Questionnaires about religious and spiritual practices were administered, along with the Beck Depression and Beck Hopelessness scales. Twenty percent of the patients preferred spiritual practices. Female gender, lower education levels, and higher depression and hopelessness scores were associated with this preference. The frequency of depression was 18.2%, and the frequency of hopelessness was 20.9%. A significant number of cancer patients engaged in religious and spiritual practices. We recommend that practitioners offer their patients brief but sufficient information about religious and spiritual support and determine their patients’ depression and hopelessness levels.     

Populism vs. elitism: social consensus and social status as bases of attitude certainty

This study examined the effects of social consensus and social status on attitude certainty that is conceptualized multi-dimensionally as perceived clarity and correctness of one's attitude. In a mock opinion exchange about a social issue, participants were either supported (high consensus) or opposed (low consensus) by most of the confederates. They were informed that their opinion (high status) or their opponents' opinion (low status) had the alleged psychological significance indicative of future success. Post-experimental attitude clarity was significantly greater when attitudinal position was associated with high rather than low status. Attitude correctness was interactively affected by social status and social consensus. Supporting the compensatory effect hypothesis, attitude correctness was comparable across the levels of social consensus as long as they were associated with high status, and across the levels of social status as long as they were associated with high social consensus.     

Psychological Profiles of Individuals Seeking Ordination in the Episcopal or Presbyterian (PCUSA) Churches: Comparisons and Contrasts

The present study examined the psychological profiles of 138 candidates for ordained ministry from the Episcopal (n = 90) and Presbyterian Church (USA) (n = 48). Employing scales scores from the MMPI-2, MCMI-III, and 16PF-5, we used a series of one-way ANOVAs to test for differences between genders, denominations, and (for Episcopalians) ordination type and completion versus non-completion of the ordination process. Our results suggest that, consistent with the literature, these future clergy were generally well-adjusted and socially skilled. Denominational differences in our sample were virtually non-existent. While similar on most dimensions, female candidates may appraise their circumstances and relationships with a greater emphasis on emotional considerations than their male counterparts. Differences between Episcopal candidates for the Priesthood and the Deaconate were consistent with differences in their respective leadership and support roles. Finally, discriminant function analysis indicated that candidates who completed their ordination appeared to have a more realistic and positive attitude toward the process as well as a more deferential and less independent orientation than those who did not.     

The Unseen Cost: A Discussion of the Secondary Traumatization Experience of the Clergy

The vocation of clergy life can be a hazardous journey. Stress and burnout are issues, which are increasingly reported by clerics. Burnout is defined by a constellation of work related symptoms (Doolittle, Mental Health, Religion & Culture,10(1), 31–38, 2007), with emotional exhaustion recognised as a core component. Despite this recognition the research has not focused on factors which lead to this state of emotional exhaustion in particular secondary traumatization. The purpose of this article is threefold. Firstly, it presents the theoretical framework of secondary trauma. Secondly it reviews the literature aligning clergy and trauma work and thirdly it discuses the emotional and physical toll upon clergy from this aspect of their role.     

Intrinsic value and the supervenience principle

An important constraint on the nature of intrinsic value---the “Supervenience Principle” (SP)---holds that some object, event, or state of affairs ϕ is intrinsically valuable only if the value of ϕ supervenes entirely on ϕ's intrinsic properties. In this paper, I argue that SP should be rejected. SP is inordinately restrictive. In particular, I argue that no SP-respecting conception of intrinsic value can accept the importance of psychological resonance, or the positive endorsement of persons, in explaining value.     

Evolved cognitive biases and the epistemic status of scientific beliefs

Our ability for scientific reasoning is a byproduct of cognitive faculties that evolved in response to problems related to survival and reproduction. Does this observation increase the epistemic standing of science, or should we treat scientific knowledge with suspicion? The conclusions one draws from applying evolutionary theory to scientific beliefs depend to an important extent on the validity of evolutionary arguments (EAs) or evolutionary debunking arguments (EDAs). In this paper we show through an analytical model that cultural transmission of scientific knowledge can lead toward representations that are more truth-approximating or more efficient at solving science-related problems under a broad range of circumstances, even under conditions where human cognitive faculties would be further off the mark than they actually are.     

Dialectical Behavior Therapy for Managing Interpersonal Relationships

Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) is a treatment designed for individuals having borderline personality disorder (BPD), patients having binge eating disorder, co-morbid substance dependence and BPD, and depressed older adults. This paper aims to explore the use of DBT and to ascertain the status of DBT education in treating difficulties in handling interpersonal relationships among clients seeking counseling and psychotherapy. The skills training mode can be employed for teaching skills to solve relationship problems. Validation and acceptance strategies can lessen rejection sensitivity and negative feelings that make interpersonal situations chaotic. Black and white thinking can be resolved by finding a middle path through acceptance and change. This paper suggests the possible utility of DBT for enhancing psychological well-being in clients.     

Management of Writer’s Cramp

Writer's Cramp is a functional motor disorder classified as an occupational neurosis included under ICD-9 and under Other specified neurotic disorders of uncertain etiology in ICD-10. It is exhibited while writing in the form of spasms, in-coordination, pain, stiffness , and tension in muscles of fingers and hand of the writing arm; often spreading to lower and upper arm and subsequently to shoulder girdle. In India it has been reported to be 5.4 per thousand among office workers in urban settings. It has been treated differently by neurologists, psychiatrics and psychologists depending upon their views on its genesis. Psychological intervention tends to involve therapeutic packages ranging from 20 to 50 sessions with elements from relaxation, conditioning, reinforcement schedules and 'supinator' writing with abstinence from writing during the implementation of regime. The present paper discusses the successful treatment of writer's cramp with brief cognitive behavior management without any restrictions on writing     

Decreased aggressive and locomotor behaviors in Betta splendens after exposure to fluoxetine

The failure of sewage treatment plants to remove pharmaceuticals such as fluoxetine from waste water has become a concern given that these products are being detected in the surface waters of many countries of the world. The effects of fluoxetine in sub-lethal doses on the neural systems and behaviors of aquatic life are worthy of investigation. This study investigated the effects of sub-lethal amounts fluoxetine dissolved in water on the aggressive and locomotor behaviors of 44 male Betta splendens. Fish treated with 705 microg/l of fluoxetine and 350 microg/l of fluoxetine generally demonstrated significant decreases in locomotion and number of aggressive attacks compared to 0 microg/l of fluoxetine (controls) on Days 11 and 19 of drug exposure and persisted for at least 13 days after removal of fluoxetine. Consistent with decreases in the number of aggressive attacks, there was a significant increase in aggression-response time to a perceived intruder for treated males on Days 11 and 19 and persisted for 6 days following removal of fluoxetine. However, the differences in aggressive and locomotor behaviors seen in the fluoxetine-treated groups were indistinguishable from controls three weeks following drug removal.