Relations between physical activity, weight discrepancies, body-cathexis, and psychological well-being in college women

This study examined the relations between physical activity, weight discrepancies, body-cathexis, and indicators of psychological well-being in college women. Factor analysis and zero-order correlation, and partial correlation analyses show that physical activity was not directly related to psychological well-being, however, physical activity did reduce weight discrepancies and improved body-cathexis. When specific body types were examined, there were distinctive patterns of satisfaction with body parts and processes depending on whether the women's body types conformed to or deviated from idealized weights and heights.     

Reducing work/home conflicts in employed couples: A proposed program to balance job and family demands

Work/home conflict is a dominant stress for workers in industrialized countries, particularly in dual-employment families. Interindividual (husband/wife) and interrole (work/home) conflicts in such families are a unique source of stress and adversely affect family and marital relationships as well as performance at work. Neither family therapy nor the stress literature have reported any interventions directed specifically at reducing work/home conflicts in employed couples or parents, although many workplaces today offer stress prevention programs aimed at individual workers. This paper discusses the underlying theoretical rationale for a marital enhancement intervention currently being developed for prevention of distress associated with work/home conflicts. The program combines marital enrichment and training principles with stress management techniques and aims at reinforcing shared coping resources. It focuses on four main variables associated with interpersonal processes: unrealistic expectations based on irrational beliefs, social undermining, shared decision control, and social support.     

Reexamining models of healthy families

This paper presents the perceptions of members of an alternative family form concerning the strengths of their family type, the functions of family, family models, and traits of a healthy families in general. The concepts presented are the product of a qualitative research study of shared home families.     

Loudness enhancement and summation in pairs or short sound bursts

When a pair of short, temporally spaced sound bursts is presented and the listeners are requested to match the loudness of a third, comparison burst to the overall loudness of the pair, a fundamentally different result is obtained than when they are instructed to match the loudness of the comparison burst to that of the second burst in the pair. Loudness-level changes occurring in the first situation are designated as loudness summation; those occurring in the second situation, as loudness enhancement. Some parameters of both phenomena are studied. The results lead to the suggestion of a principle of maximum similarity in stimulus matching and to a reinterpretation of some earlier data.     

Walter Bradford Cannon: Reflections on the man and his contributions

My father's early research was with X-rays and led him to a serendipity finding concerning the role of distress in the physiological responses of cats. This chance finding led to further studies of the effects of emotional stimuli on various organs and systems in the body. These studies were the foundation for Cannon's discovery of the fight-or-flight, or stress response, and the development of his companion notion of homeostasis, embodied inThe Wisdom of the Body. While being fond of William James from undergraduate coursework under him, Cannon challenged and refuted the validity of the James-Lange Theory of emotions during his research career. Always fascinated by the psychological and emotional realm of human functioning, Cannon enjoyed warm and close relationships with Robert Yerkes and Ivan Pavlov over the years. The only time in my father's life when he felt strong pressure to produce may have been during World War I when he was part of the Allied medical team solving the problem of traumatic shock experienced by Allied troops in Europe.     

Rhetorical theory and family therapy practice

The study found that a connection exists between rhetoric and therapy because both fields are interested in using language as a tool for generating change. Persuasion is viewed as inherent in human communication, even though people do not necessarily intentionally attempt to persuade others. Following a brief (but detailed) explanation of the theoretical stance which informs the implementation of rhetorical techniques in therapy, three pragmatic exemplars are offered to demonstrate the employment of two classical rhetorical concepts, the parastasis catalogue and syncrisis.The authors are grateful to Sandra Kodner, MS for her participation in the development of this project.     

Relational‐Cultural Theory: A Framework for Bridging Relational,Multicultural, and Social Justice Competencies

Relational‐cultural theory (RCT) theorists advocate expanding the multicultural/social justice counseling competencies beyond the domains of self‐awareness, cultural knowledge, and culturally responsive helping skills. This article provides an overview of RCT and discusses how creating and participating in growth‐fostering relationships are essential dimensions of human development and psychological well‐being. Implications of this theoretical model for counseling practice are also addressed.     

A Self‐Regulatory Model of Resource Scarcity

Academics have shown a growing interest in the effects of resource scarcity—a discrepancy between one's current resource levels and a higher, more desirable reference point. However, the existing literature lacks an overarching theory to explain the breadth of findings across different types of resources. To address this, we introduce a self‐regulatory model of resource scarcity. In it, we propose that consumers respond to resource scarcity through two distinct psychological pathways: a scarcity‐reduction route aimed at reducing the discrepancy in resources and a control‐restoration route aimed at reestablishing diminished personal control by attaining security in other domains. We explain how a key determinant of which route the consumer will pursue is the perceived mutability of the resource discrepancy. We also specify moderators, based on our proposed model, to identify when each of the two routes is pursued. This model is assessed in the context of alternative theoretical perspectives, including commodity theory, life history theory, and models of compensatory behavior. Finally, we provide a research agenda for those interested in studying the psychology of resource scarcity from a self‐regulatory perspective.     

Response-to-stimulus interval does not affect implicit motor sequence learning, but does affect performance

Nissen and Bullemer (1987) reported that implicit motor sequence learning was disrupted by the addition of a secondary task. They suggested that this effect was due to the attentional load that the secondary task adds. Recently it has been suggested that the attentional load is not critical, but rather that the secondary task affects timing, either by lengthening or by making inconsistent the response-tostimulus interval (RSI)-that is, the delay between when a subject makes a response and when the next stimulus appears. In six experiments we manipulated the RSI and found no support for these two hypotheses. An inconsistent RSI did not adversely affect implicit motor sequence learning. A long RSI did not affect learning, although under some conditions subjects did not express learning if the RSI was long. These results are interpreted as reflecting the effects of attention.