The effects of psychological security and insecurity on political attitudes and leadership preferences

Recent research from different perspectives suggests that uncertainty, mortality salience (MS), and other fundamental threats that cause feelings of insecurity motivate people to adhere to specific kinds of anxiety‐reducing political attitudes and values. In the current studies, we examined a complementary prediction that providing people with an alternative source of security would reduce their need to defend against insecurity, resulting in lower endorsement of the anxiety‐reducing political attitudes. Results supported this prediction, showing that security primes buffered or reversed the effects of insecurity and threats on political attitudes and leadership preferences. Participants primed with attachment security showed reduced liking of a strong, charismatic political candidate (Study 1), and lower support for the Iraq war, even in the face of mortality reminders (Study 2). We discuss these findings in the context of research on motivated social cognition, political psychology, and the effects of security and insecurity on attitudes and behaviors. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Present at the Creation: The Clinical Pastoral Movement and the Origins of the Dialogue Between Religion and Psychiatry

The contemporary dialogue between religion and psychiatry has its roots in what is called the clinical pastoral movement. The early leaders of the clinical pastoral movement (Anton Boisen, Elwood Worcester, Helen Flanders Dunbar, and Richard Cabot) were individuals of talent, even genius, whose lives and work intersected one another in the early decades of the twentieth century. Their legacy endures in the persons they inspired and continue to inspire and in the professional organizations and academic programs that profit from their pioneering work. To understand them and the era of their greatest productivity is to understand some of what psychiatry and religion have to say to each other. Appreciating their legacy requires attention to the context of historical movements and forces current in America at the end of the nineteenth and the beginning of the twentieth century that shaped religious, psychiatric, and cultural discourse. This essay attempts to provide an introduction to this rich and fascinating material. This material was first presented as a Grand Rounds lecture at The New York Presbyterian Hospital, Payne Whitney Westchester in the Department of Psychiatry, Weill Cornell Medical College.     

Exploring how symptoms of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder are related to reading and mathematics performance: general genes, general environments

Children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) tend to perform more poorly on tests of reading and mathematical performance than their typical peers. Quantitative genetic analyses allow for a better understanding of the etiology of ADHD and reading and mathematics outcomes, by examining their common and unique genetic and environmental influences. Analyses were conducted on a sample 271 pairs of 10-year-old monozygotic and dizygotic twins drawn from the Western Reserve Reading and Mathematics Project. In general, the results suggested that the associations among ADHD symptoms, reading outcomes, and math outcomes were influenced by both general genetic and general shared-environment factors. The analyses also suggested significant independent genetic effects for ADHD symptoms. The results imply that differing etiological factors underlie the relationships among ADHD and reading and mathematics performance. It appears that both genetic and common family or school environments link ADHD with academic performance.     

Cognitive-Behavioral Erectile Dysfunction Treatment for Gay Men

The purpose of the present paper is to assist cognitive-behavioral therapists who are treating erectile dysfunction among gay men. Little information is available to cognitive-behavioral therapists about the psychological and social effects of erectile dysfunction in this population, or how to incorporate the concerns of gay men with erectile dysfunction into a case conceptualization and treatment plan. The present paper provides an overview of the extant research on erectile dysfunction and of its treatment among gay men. The application of clinical research on erectile dysfunction to treatment for gay men will be illustrated using two case examples.     

How well do people recall risk factor test results? Accuracy and bias among cholesterol screening participants.

The authors conducted a community-based cholesterol screening study to examine accuracy of recall for self-relevant health information in long-term autobiographical memory. Adult community residents (N = 496) were recruited to participate in a laboratory-based cholesterol screening and were also provided cholesterol counseling in accordance with national guidelines. Participants were subsequently interviewed 1, 3, or 6 months later to assess their memory for their test results. Participants recalled their exact cholesterol levels inaccurately (38.0% correct) but their cardiovascular risk category comparatively well (88.7% correct). Recall errors showed a systematic bias: Individuals who received the most undesirable test results were most likely to remember their cholesterol scores and cardiovascular risk categories as lower (i.e., healthier) than those actually received. Recall bias was unrelated to age, education, knowledge, self-rated health status, and self-reported efforts to reduce cholesterol. The findings provide evidence that recall of self-relevant health information is susceptible to self-enhancement bias.     

Clinical Pragmatism in Bioethics: A Pastoral Approach

This paper addresses the integration of the philosophical school of American Pragmatism, as articulated by John Dewey and others, with the disciplines of bioethics and pastoral care. It suggests new avenues for theological reflection in the bioethical enterprise. It was first presented as the inaugural Anton. T. Boisen Lecture in Pastoral Care and Education in 2004 under the auspices of Continuum Hospice Care, New York.Curtis W. Hart, M.Div., is Director of Pastoral Care and Education, NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, Weill Cornell Medical Center and Lecturer in Public Health, Medicine and Psychiatry, Division of Medical Ethics at Weill Medical College, Cornell University. Correspondence to Curtis W. Hart, Cuh9001@nyp.org.     

Hiroshima and the King of Tyre

This paper—originally a sermon––addresses issues involved with nuclear idolatry from a biblical perspective. It utilizes psychological understanding and historical narrative as a context for theological reflection. It thus places depth psychological insight in service of social ethics. It was delivered at the Church of the Epiphany, Manhattan, New York, on August 14, 2005. The Rev. Curtis Hart, M.Div, is Director of Pastoral Care and Education, and Lecturer in Public Health, Medicine,and Psychiatry, Division of Medical Ethics, at the Weill Cornell Center of New York Presbyterian Hospital in New York City.