Claimed self-handicaps and the self-handicapper: The relation of reduction in intended effort to performance

Two studies were conducted to examine the hypothesis that individuals who claim lack of effort as a handicap in anticipation of an unsuccessful performance will perform poorly to be consistent with the claim. Subjects who scored high or low on the Self-Handicapping Scale (Jones & Rhodewalt, 1982) were led to believe that they were about to take a test that was either important or trivial (high or low ego-relevance) and that they would either perform well or poorly (high or low expected difficulty). They then indicated in private how hard they intended to try and subsequently took the test. In both studies, high self-handicapping subjects who anticipated a difficult test indicated that they would withhold effort on the test and displayed poorer performance than subjects in all other conditions. These findings were obtained regardless of the level of importance of the test. Study 2 demonstrated additionally that the effects of self-handicapping were independent of the subject's level of self-esteem. Study 2 also found that high self-handicapping subjects who expected a difficult test reported experiencing more distracting cognitions while taking the test than did other subjects. The results are discussed with regard to the effects of anticipatory self-protective behavior on performance outcomes.     

Counterfactual Production and Achievement Orientation in Competitive Athletic Settings1

Two studies examined the impact of achievement orientation on counterfactual production in competitive sporting situations. In Study 1, participants created counterfactuals after reading 4 vignettes. Results indicated that participants reading about winners created more subtractive and downward counterfactuals than did participants reading about losers, while participants reading about losers created more additive and upward counterfactuals than did participants reading about winners. In Study 2, using participants in 3-on-3 basketball games, achievement orientation interacted with game outcome to produce adaptive responses for participants who held a mastery orientation and maladaptive responses for participants who held an outcome orientation. In addition to achievement orientation, the margin of victory played an important role in determining the type of counterfactual produced. The implications of these findings are discussed.     

医疗纠纷处理中若干伦理问题的思考

医疗纠纷的增势和处理难已成为众所周知的事实。但是,在医疗纠纷处理中存在着医患关系的信任性、医疗事故鉴定的公正性和经济裣的合理笥是思考的伦理问题。只要医患双方、乃至社会对诸如医疗行为是否等同于一般的服务行为、病人权益是否等同于消费者权益、医疗事故鉴定是不是医医相护、经济裣能不能实行等价赔偿原则、医疗差错要不要给予经济补偿等有效为统一的认识,就会有利于医疗纠纷的处理,有利于维护医患双方的合法权益,有利     

The Role of Affective Dispositions in Job Satisfaction and Work Strain: Comparing Collectivist and Individualist Societies

The individualism-collectivism dimension cuts across the East and the West. It explains the differing values and cultural breeding that are necessary in acculturating people's affective and cognitive behaviours in accordance with the culture to which they belong. Many empirical studies have investigated the effects of personality traits on job satisfaction and work strain. The personality of individuals affects how they perceive the impact of job satisfaction and work stress. Furthermore, personality traits are influenced by cultural background. This study surveyed 626 nurses from collectivist and individualist societies to find out the possible difference in the role of affective dispositions in self-reported job satisfaction and work strain between these two cultural orientations.     

Reflections of a Psychoanalyst at Mass

This article reports the ministry experience of a priest / psychoanalyst, including reflections on seminary education and training analysis. Freudian and Jungian insights are contrasted with reference to Christian tradition. Experiences as an interim priest in an Episcopal church are assessed psychoanalytically. Psychodynamics of liturgy, pastoral care, and spiritual development are illustrated with clinical vignettes.     

Coping styles as predictors of college adjustment among freshmen

Based on Tyler's model of psychosocial competence, the present study tested the hypothesis that students' differential coping styles could impact their adjustment to college. A college adjustment measure and a coping styles instrument were administered to 161 freshmen at a small eastern college. First-year students were chosen because college adjustment is particularly salient in the freshmen year. The results indicated that academic adjustment and personal/emotional adjustment were related to the coping strategies, while social adjustment and attachment/goal commitment were not related to coping strategies. Active coping, which focuses on doing something positive to solve the problem, was predictive of academic adjustment. Academic adjustment was negatively predicted by suppression of competing activities which consists of attending to one problem at a time to the exclusion of other things. Personal/emotional adjustment was negatively related to the focus on emotion/venting of emotions dimension which is coping by emotional catharsis. Personal/emotional adjustment was also positively predicted by active-coping. Gender differences were also examined and discussed. These findings were interpreted as supportive of Tyler's model and their counselling implications were discussed.     

Communal Orientation and Burnout Among Self-Help Group Leaders

To assess the relationship between burnout, communal orientation, and leaders' perceptions of balance in their relationships with group members 102 self-help group leaders were interviewed. Leaders had low to moderate levels of burnout as measured by the Maslach Burnout Inventory subscales of emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and personal accomplishment. As hypothesized, leaders' communal orientation was negatively related to the burnout subscales of depersonalization and personal accomplishment. Contrary to the study hypothesis, burnout was not related to balance. It was speculated that the salience of need-based norms in the group's helping relationships reduced expectations of reciprocity. The findings illustrate the usefulness of applying equity theory to studies of helping relationships within the setting of self-help groups.