Liberal vs Radical Feminism Revisited

ABSTRACT This essay considers the movement away from a feminism based upon liberal political principles, such as John Stuart Mill espoused, and towards a radical feminism which seeks to build upon more recent explorations of psychology, biology and sexuality. It argues that some of these moves are philosophically suspect and that liberal feminism can accommodate the more substantial elements in these radical lines of thought.     

A SEX COMPARISON OF FACTORS RELATED TO SUCCESS IN NAVAL HOSPITAL CORPS SCHOOL1

Background information, Comrey Personality Scale scores, and a standard Navy aptitude test score were obtained on 600 Navy enlisted men and 600 Navy enlisted women prior to beginning Naval Hospital Corps School training. A comparison of the men and women indicated that the sexes differed on a number of background and personality dimensions. A double-split cross-validation design with multiple regression was then employed in the development of a test battery for predicting school completion. Results indicated that the men were more predictable than the women with cross-validities on the order of .53 for men and .41 for women. For the total sample, cross-validities were approximately .47. An empirical comparison of the utility of these equations for screening candidates for paramedical training suggested that the use of separate equations with the sexes would not produce results which were substantially different from use of the single equation developed on both sexes combined.     

Reality Monitoring for Sexual Abuse Memories

The reality monitoring model of Johnson and Raye proposes that the phenomenal characteristics of memories for real and imagined events are utilized in reality monitoring judgements. This study examined the reality monitoring strategies utilized by subjects when remembering sexual abuse, and compared them with the strategies utilized for other types of events. Thirty-one subjects described how they knew that four different autobiographical events (a sexual abuse experience, another unrelated trauma experience, a social occasion, and an imagined event) had, or had not, happened. Sexual abuse experiences were found to elicit a unique reality monitoring response profile. This profile suggests that the characteristics of memory for sexual abuse may be more vivid than other memories. In addition, the profile for sexual abuse shows fewer contextual supporting memories than other real memories, and more psychological reasoning responses. The finding that emotional rehearsal can cause fading of perceptual detail was not found to hold for the long-term autobiographical memories that were the object of this study. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

“SECOND-GUESSING”

Messages received from other social actors cannot always be taken at face value. When people have reason to question such messages, it is hypothesized that they engage in a cognitive process called “second-guessing,” wherein they reevaluate the literal interpretation of the message to determine its veridicality. Should they determine that it is not veridical, they generate an alternative, potentially more plausible interpretation. We assessed the frequency and importance of situations that might provoke reinterpretation of messages. Such situations were seen as occurring frequently and were of some importance. Social actors revealed sophisticated knowledge concerning the strengths and weaknesses of information obtained about people or events outside their direct experience. They also claimed to be able to “debias”such information, winnowing a “correct” interpretation from one judged to be “incorrect.” Preliminary data suggest that naive social actors are quite good at delecting scientifically documented sources of bias and making reasonable adjustments in their judgments to correct for those biases when plausibly present.     

PHILOSOPHERS,THEIR CONTEXT,AND THEIR RESPONSIBILITIES

Abstract: It has at various times been said, both before and since the fall of apartheid, that philosophers in South Africa are neglecting to do certain sorts of work. Behind this accusation lies a general claim that philosophers have responsibilities to their contexts. This essay is dedicated to (i) defending this claim against objections, and (ii) offering a positive argument for there being moral pressure on philosophers to increase understanding. My aim is not to accuse any philosopher or community of philosophers of neglect. It is rather to defend an understanding of both philosophy and ethical responsibilities that makes room for philosophers to have moral responsibilities. Whether or not it has ever in fact been appropriate to accuse philosophers in South Africa, or indeed anywhere else, of neglect, philosophers do indeed have responsibilities to their contexts.     

Review of refugee mental health and wellbeing: Australian perspectives

This review covers refugee mental health and wellbeing within the Australian context to assist psychologists who provide services for, or who conduct research with, refugees. It provides a brief overview of the refugee movement, prior to examining evidence relating to the impacts of pre‐displacement, displacement and resettlement factors on psychological adjustment in the resettlement phase, and the systemic and sociopolitical factors that influence the process of adaptation during resettlement. Australian findings suggest that mental health and wellbeing outcomes are influenced by a complexity of pre‐displacement, displacement, resettlement and systemic factors; the detention or award of temporary residence to refugees who are already experiencing psychological distress on arrival are cases in point. Limitations of the findings are considered. More research into the combined, pathwise relations between the psychosocial pre‐determinants and psychological sequelae of the refugee experience is required. Finally, suggestions for the development of practice, training and ethical guidelines are offered.     

The Trend Toward Eclecticism and the Development of Comprehensive Models to Guide Counseling and Psychotherapy

Models dealing with metatheory, group work, and client functioning level are described, and suggestions are presented for integrating the models into a comprehensive system.