Why you don't have a “perfect right” to anything

This paper demonstrates why the kind of rights usually presumed in assertive training most probably do not exist and why acting as if such rights do exist proves problematic. It contrasts these improbable rights with legal rights which do exist for some people in some societies. It concludes by suggesting an alternative scheme, The Picnic Mentality, for dealing with problems others have attempted to address using the concept of rights.Hank Robb is Executive Director for the Pacific Institute for RET and Training Coordinator for the Counseling Psychology Program, Lewis & Clark College, Portland, Oregon.I wish to thank four anonymous reviewers for their comments on earlier versions of this article.     

The impact of defibrillator discharges on psychological functioning of implantable cardioverter defibrillator recipients

A lag exists with respect to our understanding of the psychological demands and rehabilitation needs of individuals who have undergone implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) implantation. The ICD is designed to transmit an electric shock to the heart to treat a potentially life-threatening arrhythmia. This study specifically examined the impact of defibrillator discharges on the psychological functioning of ICD recipients. A questionnaire was self-administered to 33 individuals who have been living with the ICD for at least 6 months. Results revealed that levels of anger and depression were significantly higher in those subjects who reported a lower discharge rate, while sense of well-being was significantly higher in those subjects who reported a greater discharge rate. Possible explanations for our findings were proposed as well as implications for clinical intervention were discussed.     

COLLEGE STUDENTS'ATTITUDES TOWARD EMPLOYEE DRUG TESTING PROGRAMS

Drug testing programs are becoming increasingly popular, but little is known about attitudes toward various aspects of common testing programs. This study examined college students'attitudes toward several aspects of drug testing programs. Results indicate that testing is seen, under some circumstances, as appropriate and necessary. However, attitudes toward most aspects of testing were characterized by extreme variability. Virtually all aspects of drug testing programs are strongly accepted by some individuals and strongly rejected by others. Furthermore, attitudes toward employee drug testing do not appear to vary as a function of employment experience, qualifications, or political inclinations, and are not strongly related to the individual's exposure to others'drug use. One of the few consistent correlates of approval of employee drug testing was the individual's drug use; self-report frequency of drug use was negatively correlated with the acceptability of employee drug testing.     

Effects of high and low dosages of methylphenidate in children with strong and sensitive nervous systems

This investigation was undertaken to explore the possible causes and consequences of the finding that attention- and learning-disordered children with sensitive (weak) nervous systems were titrated at higher dosages of methylphenidate than those with strong nervous systems. Pretreatment parent and teacher ratings of hyperkineticassociated behavior were no different for children typed as having strong or sensitive nervous systems or for those subsequently prescribed higher or lower dosages by a child psychiatrist “blind” to their type as well as condition (drug or placebo). However, those titrated at lower dosages, regardless of whether strong or sensitive, were rated as more improved than those given higher dosages. Pretreatment reaction time (RT) data suggested that sensitive types prescribed low dosages had less of a problem sustaining attention, and placebo RT data suggested that strong types titrated at low dosages had more of a problem sustaining attention. A contrast of placebo and drug RTs showed that strong types titrated at lower dosages improved more than strong types given higher dosages, whereas sensitive types given higher dosages improved more than sensitive types given lower dosages. The latter finding is thought to add support to the theory of Gray (1964), who suggested that, paradoxically, the weak nervous system needs a more intense stimulus than the strong to reach the concentration threshold.     

Cross-Racial/Ethnic Eyewitness Identification: A Field Study1

Using a method similar to that of Brigham, Maass, Snyder, and Spaudling (1982), 86 adult convenience store clerks were asked to identify 3 confederate/customers, one Anglo-American, one black-American, and one Mexican-American who had visited their stores 2 hours earlier. Wilcoxon matched pairs signed-rank test showed that clerks were superior at identifying customers of their own racial or ethnic group, Z= 2.84, p < .002. For clerks who made an identification, the correlation between the recognition accuracy and confidence in their identification was not significant, r_pbis (56)= .05. The results of this field study paralleled those found in most laboratory experiments of cross-racial/ethnic identification and demonstrated that Mexican-Americans are subject to the own/other groups identification accuracy phenomenon as well.     

The effect of subject's race and other's race on judgments of causality for success and failure

This study examined the proposition that blacks and whites make dispositional attributions for an in-group's positive behaviors and an out-group's negative behaviors. The study also examined whether this positive in-group bias was caused by dislike of the out-group or belief in a stereotype. Thus, blacks and whites made attributions to black and white others who succeeded or failed on tasks for which there was either no stereotype or a more negative stereotype of whites than of blacks. An out-group other's failure on both tasks was attributed to lack of ability more than was an in-group other's failure. This finding suggests that the in-group bias is caused by dislike of the out-group. Furthermore, in success conditions subjects' attributions to the in-group or out-group other did not differ. It was suggested that these attributions may result from a combination of an in-group bias and a polarized appraisal.     

INDIVIDUAL REACTIONS TO ORGANIZATIONAL RECRUITING: A REVIEW

The present paper reviews the research that has examined the influence of organizational recruiting on applicants' attitudes and job choice behaviors. It was found that recruiting representatives, administrative practices, and procedures used to evaluate applicant qualifications are all potentially important influences on job seeker attitudes and behaviors. However, limitations of the existing research necessitate caution in the interpretation of findings. Of particular concern is the likely generalizability of results presented here to all job seekers. The review concludes with recommendations for the conduct of subsequent recruiting research.