Case studies of help seeking behaviour among Asian single parents in Singapore

Using structured interviews, we examined patterns of help seeking behaviour for Chinese, Malay and Indian single parents living in Singapore, Four sources of social support-Family, Neighbours/Friends, Professionals and Religion-were identified and related to four problem areas-Financial, Practical, Emotional and Information. As expected, support for our sample of Asian single parents was most likely to come from the family, and least likely to come from friends and neighbours. However, there were differences between the three ethnic groups across problem areas in the type of support they were most likely to receive. The generalizability of our results is limited by the small sample size, but a framework for understanding help seeking behaviour of Singaporean Asians is proposed.     

A theory of causality: Causality=interaction (as defined by a suitable quantum field theory)

In this paper I put forward a suggestion for identifying causality in micro-systems with the specific quantum field theoretic interactions that occur in such systems. I first argue — along the lines of general transference theories — that such a physicalistic account is essential to an understanding of causation; I then proceed to sketch the concept of interaction as it occurs in quantum field theory and I do so from both a formal and an informal point of view. Finally, I present reasons for thinking that only a quantum field theoretic account can do the job — in particular I rely on a theorem by D. Currie and to the effect that interaction cannot be described in (a Hamiltonian formulation of) Classical Mechanics. Throughout the paper I attempt to suggest that the widespread scepticism about the ability of quantum theory to support a theory of causality is mistaken and rests on several misunderstandings.     

The Relationship Between the Francis Scale of Attitude Toward Christianity and Measures of Intrinsic,Extrinsic and Quest Religiosity

A sample of 244 churchgoers completed the Francis Scale of Attitude toward Christianity, together with measures of intrinsic, extrinsic and quest religiosity proposed by Batson. The findings support the view that, among a religiously committed sample, a positive attitude toward Christianity is associated positively with intrinsic religiosity and negatively with both extrinsic religiosity and quest religiosity. Pastoral Theology and Mansel Jones Fellow at     

Personality, learning style and work performance

Just over two hundred telephone sales staff completed the Eysenck Personality Inventory (EPI) and Honey and Mumford's Learning Styles Questionnaire (LSQ). Extraversion was highly correlated both positively and negatively with three of the four LSQ measures. The lie scale from the EPI was also systematically correlated with the Activist and Reflector scales of the LSQ. Both the EPI and LSQ traits were modestly correlated with two criteria: ratings of Actual Performance and Development Potential. Regressions were used to determine the best predictors of the two ratings measures. Personality variables (extraversion, neuroticism) and certain learning styles (reflector, pragmatist) were statistically significant predictors of rated performance, though they accounted for less than 10% of the explained variance. The results concur with recent meta-analytical studies that show personality variables account for a small but important amount of variance in measures of work performance.     

Sex-Role Stereotyping in Television Commercials: A Review and Comparison of Fourteen Studies Done on Five Continents Over 25 Years

Since the pioneering content-analytic study byMcArthur and Resko (1975) on sex-role stereotyping oftelevision advertisements in America, many others haveused a similar methodology and coding scheme to examine similar stereotypes in their owncountries. This study compares and contrasts 14 studies,all using the McArthur and Resko (1975) scheme: 3 fromAmerica, 1 each from Australia, Denmark, and France, and 2 and one from Great Britain, Hong Kong,Indonesia, Italy, Kenya, Mexico, and Portugal. Problemsof such a comparison are considered: specifically, theequivalence of the channel, the three different time periods, and slight variations in thecontentcategories. Nevertheless, clear patterns arisewhich attestto the universality of sex-role stereotypingin television commercials.     

Self-of-the-Therapist Work: A Balance Between Removing Restraints and Identifying Resources

The authors propose that self-of-the-therapist work is most productive when therapists and supervisors approach family of origin issues and historical life events in a balanced way and suggest that they move to an approach that ideally liberates restraints posed by self-of-the-therapist issues, while at the same time accesses resources available to therapists because of the same issues. This is a shift from the primarily restraint focus that has dominated self-of-the-therapist work. This paper also provides personal experiences of the authors, guidelines on how to create safety and balance, as well as practical examples of self-of-the-therapist exercises.     

Can parental responses to adult children with schizophrenia be conceptualized in terms of loss and grief? A case study analysis

It has been suggested that parental responses to adult children with schizophrenia may involve feelings of loss and grief, centred around loss of the pre-morbid version of their child. In this exploratory study, an in-depth case study analysis of four parental accounts of their responses was undertaken in order to obtain insights into whether these responses can be conceptualized in terms of loss and grief, with the aim of informing therapeutic practice with parents in this position. Information was also obtained on how parents coped with the reactions that their child's condition elicited in them. Data were analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. In relation to the central research question, it was found that the perception of loss was not uniform amongst participants. Three acknowledged a sense of loss, at least to some extent, but one parent resisted such an interpretation because she perceived a continuity over time in her son's behaviour and she also challenged her son's diagnosis. One parent acknowledged a loss of his daughter's pre-morbid self but qualified this by pointing to her continued physical presence. The usefulness of existing models of grief is examined in light of the findings. The implications for the practice of counselling psychology are discussed.     

The determinants of parents' beliefs about the intelligence their children: A study from Hong Kong

One hundred and ninety‐three Hong Kong parents (mean age 42.2 years) were given a structured interview / questionnaire concerning their own and their children's self‐estimated overall and multiple intelligence. Previous research suggested that males tend to give higher overall “g” estimates to their children and themselves than do females, as well as higher scores on mathematical and spatial intelligence (Furnham, 2001). Further, studies in the West suggest that parents think their children are significantly brighter than they are and that their sons are brighter than their daughters. Estimates were lower than those found in Western populations but, even so, males rated their own mathematical and spatial intelligence higher than did females. Hong Kong Chinese parents did not think their sons were brighter than their daughters. The seven multiple intelligences factored into three clear factors for self and children, and regressions indicated that it was “academic” intelligence (verbal, mathematical, spatial) that was most “g” loaded. The child's age and the self‐rated overall IQ of both the parents were the best predictors of the child's overall estimated IQ. Less than a third of the parents had taken an IQ test or believed they measured IQ very well. Those who were more likely to be better educated, had taken an IQ test, and believed intelligence was inherited were more likely to award themselves higher overall IQ scores. Results are compared with the British studies in the same area.