Rational-Emotive Assessment with Religious Clients

Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT), when practiced effectively and flexibly, can be an excellent treatment modality for religious clients. Most of the American population acknowledges some religious belief and/or practice and religious clients sometimes present with unique disturbances and concerns about psychotherapy. In this article we discuss the rapidly changing literature relative to religiousness and mental health and highlight the ethical-professional risks of failing to carefully assess and responsibly manage client religiousness when it is personally and clinically salient. We conclude by outlining a model for focused assessment of religiousness early in REBT and recommend that REBT practitioners consider different components of religiousness and the manner in which they may impact response to treatment.     

Book reviews and notes

General

Islam and Islamic Groups: A Worldwide Reference Guide. Farzana Shaikh (ed.), 1992. London, Longman. x + 316 pp., hb £85.00, ISBN 0–582–09146–2.

Muslims: Their Religious Beliefs and Practices. Vol. 2: The Contemporary Period. Andrew Rippin, 1993. London & New York, Routledge. 171 pp., hb. £35.00, ISBN 0–415–04527–4; pb. £12.99, 0–415–04528–2.

The Medieval Spains. Bernard F. Reilly, 1993. Cambridge, Cambridge University Press. 228 pp., pb. £10.95, ISBN 0–521–39741–3.

Muhyiddin Ibn ^cArabi: A Commemorative Volume. Stephen Hirtenstein and Michael Tiernan (eds), 1993. London, Element Books. 379 pp., hb. n.p., ISBN 1–85230–349–2; pb. n.p., 1–85230–395.

Bulletin d'Etudes Orientales: Sciences Occultes et Islam. Annick Regour and Pierre Lory (eds), 1992. Damas, Institut Français de Damas. pb. n.p., ISBN 2–901315–04–6. ISSN 0253–1623.

Traditional Islam in the Modern World. Seyyed Hossein Nasr, 1990. London, Kegan Paul International Ltd. 335 pp., pb. no price, ISBN 0–7103–0332–7.

The Renewal of Islamic Law: Muhammad Baqer Al‐Sadr, Najaf and the Shi'i International. Chibli Mallat, 1993. Cambridge, Cambridge University Press. 245 pp., hb. £30.00, ISBN 0–521–43319–3.

Power‐Sharing Islam. Azzam Tamini (ed.), 1993. London, Liberty for Muslim World Publications. 192 pp., pb. £9.95, ISBN 0–9521672–0–4.

The Ethics of Disagreement in Islam. Taha Jabir Al‐'Alwani, 1993. Herndon, VA, International Institute of Islamic Thought. 158 pp., pb. n.p., ISBN 1–56564–118–3.

Regional Africa

Muslim Idenity and Social Changes in sub-Saharan Africa. L. Brenner (ed.), 1993. London, C. Hurst & Co. Ltd. 250 pp., hb. £35.00, ISBN 1–85065–195–7; pb. £10.50, 1–85065–196–5.

Windows on the Sudan: A Story of Pain and Pride. Timothy Biles, 1991. Dorset, Brenda Travers, 2nd edn. 164 pp., pb. £4.99, ISBN 0–9517915–0–8.

Sudan: History, Identity, Ideology. Herve Bleuchot, Christian Delmet and Derek Hopwood (eds), 1991. Reading, Ithaca Press. 298 pp., hb. £25.00, ISBN 0–86372–149–4.

Religion and Power in Morocco. Henry Munson Jr., 1993. New Haven & London, Yale University Press. 232 pp., hb. £19.95, ISBN 0–300–95376–2.

Lé Passe de la Ville de Sale dans tous ses Etats: Histoire, Archéologie, Archives. Joudia Hassar‐Benslimane, 1992. Paris, Editions Maisonneuve et Larose. 291 pp. no price, pb., ISBN 2–7068–1039–4.

Der Heiligenkult in Marokko: Formen und Funktionen der Wallfahrten. Hubert Lang, 1992. Passau, Passavia Universitatsverlag. 235 pp., pb. DM 49.80, ISBN 3–860360–06‐X.

Insoumissions Populaires et Révolution au Burkina Faso. Richard Banégas, 1993. Bordeaux, Centre d'Étude d'Afrique Noire. 148 pp., pb. 110FF, ISBN 2–908065–18–5.

Pragmatism in the Age of Jihad: The Precolonial State of Bundu. Michael A. Gomez, 1992. Cambridge, Cambridge University Press. 252 pp., hb. £35.00, ISBN 0–521–41940–9.

Peace is Everything: The World View of Muslims and Traditionalists in the Senegambia. David E. Marantz, 1900. Dallas, TX, International Museum of Cultures. 300 pp., pb. $32.00, ISBN 0–88312–816–0.

Europe

Muslims and Christians in Europe: Breaking New Ground. Essays in Honour of Jan Slomp. Gé Speelman, Jan van Lin and Dick Mulder (eds), 1993. Kampen, Uitgeverij Kok. 211 pp., pb. n.p., ISBN 90–242–8064–8.

Religion. Central Office of Information, 1992. London, HMSO. 80 pp., pb. £5.00, ISBN 0–11–701704–3.

The Migration Process: Capital, Gifts and Offerings among British Pakistanis. Pnina Werbner, 1990. Oxford, Berg. 391 pp., hb. £35.00, ISBN 0–85496–625–0.

Moscow's Muslim Challenge: Soviet Central Asia. Michael Rywkin, 1990. Revised ed, Armonk, NY, M. E. Sharpe. 180 pp., hb. $45.00, ISBN 0–87332–613‐X.

State Religion and Society in Central Asia: A Post‐Soviet Critique. Vitaly Naumkin (ed.), 1993. Reading, Ithaca Press. 289 pp., hb. £35.00, ISBN 0–86372–162–1.

Russia's Muslim Frontiers: New Directions in Cross‐Cultural Analysis. Dale F. Eickelman (ed.), 1993. Bloomington, Indiana University Press. 206 pp., pb. £11.99, ISBN 0–253–20823–8.

Middle East

Coexistence in Wartime Lebanon: Decline of a State and Rise of a Nation. Theodor Hanf, 1993. London, I. B. Tauris with The Centre for Lebanese Studies. xvii + 712 pp., hb. £45.00, ISBN 1–85043–651–7.

Russian Policy in the Middle East: From Messianism to Pragmatism. Alexei Vassilev, 1993. Reading, Ithaca Press. 384 pp., hb. £35.00, ISBN 0–86372–168–0.

Christian‐Muslim Relations

Stepping Stones to a Global Ethic. Marcus Braybrooke, 1992. London, SCM Press. 151 pp., pb. £9.95, ISBN 0–334–01574‐X.

A Greek and Arabic Lexicon, Materials for a Dictionary of the Mediaeval Translations from Greek into Arabic. Gerhard Endress and Dimitri Gutas (eds), 1992. Fascicle, 1. Leiden, New York, Köln, E. J. Brill. 96 pp., plus glossary, pb. DFL80.00, $45.75, ISBN 90–04–09494–6.

Dutch Colonialism and Indonesian Islam: Contacts and Conflicts 1596–1950. Karel Steenbrink, Translated by J. Steenbrink and H. Jansen, 1993. Amsterdam‐Atlanta, GA, Rodopi. 170 pp., hb. £18.50, ISBN 90–5183–267–2.

Wandering Like a Madman. Timothy Biles, 1992. Dorset, Beaminster Team Publications. 134 pp., pb. £4.99, ISBN 09517915–1–6.     

Book reviews and notes

GENERAL.

LA REVANCHE DE DIEU. By Gilles Kepel. Paris: Editions du Seuil, 1991. 283pp. Pb. n.p. ISBN 2–02–012929–9.

DEFENDERS OF GOD: THE FUNDAMENTALIST REVOLT AGAINST THE MODERN AGE. By Bruce B. Lawrence. London: I.B. Tauris, 1990. 306pp. Hb. n.p. ISBN 1–85043–288–0.

ISLAM AND THE CONTEMPORARY WORLD. By G.W. Choudhury. London: Indus Thames Publishers Ltd., 1990. 227pp. Hb. £15.00. ISBN 1–85555–000–8.

TOWARDS UNDERSTANDING THE QUR'AN. VOL.III, SURAHS 7–9. By Sayyid Abul a'la Mawdudi. Translated and edited by Zafar Ishaq Ansari. Leicester: The Islamic Foundation, 1990/1411. 328pp. Pb. n.p. ISBN 0–86037–205–7.

AL‐GHAZALI: INVOCATIONS AND SUPPLICATIONS: KITAB AL‐ADHKAR WA'L‐DA'AWAT: BOOK IX OF THE REVIVAL OF THE RELIGIOUS SCIENCES: IHYA’ ‘ULUM AL‐DIN. Translated with an Introduction and Notes by K. Nakamura. Cambridge: Islamic Texts Society, 1990. 131pp. Pb. n.p. ISBN 0–946621–14–4.

TODAY'S PROBLEMS, TOMORROW'S SOLUTIONS: THE FUTURE STRUCTURE OF MUSLIM SOCIETIES. By Abdullah Omar Naseef. London and New York: Mansell, 1988. 180pp. Hb. £30.00. ISBN 0–7201–1991‐X.

AN EARLY CRESCENT: THE FUTURE OF KNOWLEDGE AND THE ENVIRONMENT IN ISLAM. Edited by Ziauddin Sardar. London and New York: Mansell, 1989. 251pp. Hb. £30.00. ISBN 0–7201–2005–5.

BEYOND FRONTIERS: ISLAM AND CONTEMPORAY NEEDS. Edited by Merryl Wyn Davies and Adnan Khalil Pasha. London and New York: Mansell, 1989. 216pp. Hb. £30.00. ISBN 0–7201–2039‐X.

AL‐KASIM B. IBRAHIM ON THE PROOF OF GOD'S EXISTENCE: KITA AL‐DALI AL‐KABIR. Edited by Binyamin Abrahamov. Islamic Philosophy and Theology Series, Vol.V. Leiden: E.J. Brill, 1990. 201pp. Hb. DFL110.00 US$55.00. ISBN 90–04–08985–3.

ISLAM AND THE CULTURAL ACCOMMODATION OF SOCIAL CHANGE. By Bassam Tibi. Boulder, Colorado: Westview Press. 1990. 272pp. Hb. £24.95. ISBN 0–8133–0917–4.

BAHA’ I WALAD: GRUNDZÜGE SEINES LEBENS UND SEINER MYSTIK. By FRITZ MEIER. Acta Iranica. Textes et Mémoires, vol.14. Leiden: E.J. Brill, 1989. 484pp. Hb. DF200, US$100. ISBN 90–6831–094–1.

IBN RUSHD (AVERROES). By Dominique Urvoy. Arabic Thought and Culture Series. London: Routledge, 1991. 156pp. Pb. £10.99. ISBN 0–415–05567–9.

ISLAM: THE FEAR AND THE HOPE. By Habib Boulares. London: Zed Books, 1990. 144pp. Pb. £8.95; $15.00. ISBN 0–86232–945–0.

IBN KHALDUN. By Aziz al‐Azmeh. London: Routledge, 1990. 176pp. Pb. n.p. ISBN 0–415–03598–8.

REGIONAL.

Africa.

ZANZIBAR UNDER COLONIAL RULE. Edited by Abdul Sheriff and ed Ferguson. Eastern African Studies: London: James Curry, 1991. 278pp. Pb. £9.95. ISBN 0–85255–080–4.

ISLAM ET SOCIETES AU SUD DU SAHARA. Editions de la Maison des Sciences de l'Homme, Paris. No.4, November 1990. ISSN 0084–7685.

TURABI'S REVOLUTION: ISLAM AND POWER IN SUDAN. By Abdelwahab el‐Affendi. London: Grey Seal Books, 1991. xvi + 209pp. Hb. n.p. ISBN 1–85640–004–2.

FAITH OF OUR FATHERS: STUDIES ON RELIGIOUS EDUCATION IN SUB‐SAHARAN AFRICA. By Gerrie Ter Haar. Utrecht: Faculteit der Godgeleerdheid, Rijksuniversiteit Utrecht, 1990. 173pp. Pb. DFI. 10.00. ISBN 90–72235–13–4.

THE GUNNY SACK: AFRICA'S ANSWER TO ‘MIDNIGHT'S CHILDREN’. By M.G. Vassanji. Oxford: Heinemann International, 1989. 276pp. Pb. £4.95; $7.95. ISBN 0–435–90544–9.

NAVIGATION OF A RAINMAKER: AN APOCALYPTIC VISION OF WAR‐TORN AFRICA. By Jamal Mahjoub. Oxford: Heinemann International, 1989. 184pp. Pb. £4.95; $7.95. ISBN 0–435–90560–0.

Asia.

MUSLIM WOMEN IN INDIA: POLITICAL AND PRIVATE REALITIES. By SHAHIDA Lateef. London: Zed books, 1990. 238pp. Pb. £10.95; $16.95. ISBN 0–86232–955–8.

THE GIFT OF A VIRGIN: WOMEN, MARRIAGE AND RITUAL IN A BENGALI SOCIETY. By Lina M. Fruzzetti. Oxford: OUP, 1990. 178pp. Pb. £3.95. ISBN 0–19–56200–1.

SAINTS, GODDESSES AND KINGS: MUSLIMS AND CHRISTIANS IN SOUTH INDIAN SOCIETY, 1700–1900. By Susan Bayly. Cambridge: CUP, 1989. 502pp. Hb. £40.00. US$59.50. ISBN 0–521–37201–1.

Europe.

ISLAM IN RELIGIOUS EDUCATION TEXTBOOKS IN EUROPE. By Abdoldjavad Falaturi. Köln: Islamische Wissenschaftliche Akademie, 1990. 106pp. Pb. n.p. IBN 3–89108–005–0.

MUSLIM THOUGHTS FOR TEACHERS AND TEXTBOOKS AUTHORS. By Abdoldjavad Falaturi. Köln: Islamische Wissenschaftliche Akademie. 92pp. Pb. n.p. ISBN 3–89108–006–9.

RELIGION, STATE AND SOCIETY IN MODERN BRITAIN. Edited by Paul Badham. Lampeter: The Edwin Mellen Press, 1989. 401pp. Pb. n.p. ISBN 0–88946–832‐X.

POLITICAL PARTIES AND DEMOCRACY IN TURKEY. Edited by Metin Hepper and Jacob m. Landau. London & New York: Tauris, 1991. 225pp. Hb. £29.95. ISBN 1–85043–300–3.

EGYPT AND THE CRISIS OF ISLAM. By Zahia Ragheb Dajani. American University Studies, Series IX, History, Vol.56. New York: Peter Lang, 1990. ix + 255pp. Hb. £29.00. ISBN 0–8204–1060–8.

ISLAMIC FUNDAMENTALISM IN EGYPTIAN POLITICS. By Barry Rubin. Basingstoke: Macmillan, 1990. 178pp. Hb. £35.00.0 ISBN 0–333–54374–2.

SADAT AND AFTER: STRUGGLES FOR EGYPT'S POLITICAL SOUL. By Raymond William Baker. London: Tauris, 1990. 365pp. Pb. £26.50. ISBN 1–85043–216–3.

A HISTORY OF THE ARAB PEOPLES. By Albert Hourani. London: Faber and Faber Ltd., 1991. 551pp. Hb. £25.00. ISBN 0–571–13378–9.

TANZIMAT AL‐AHWAL AL‐SHAKSIYYA (PERSONAL STATUS LAW). Limassol: Middle East Council of Churches, 1990.394pp. Pb. n.p. (Arabic).

CAIRO UNIVERSITY AND THE MAKING OF MODERN EGYPT. By Donald Malcolm Reid. Cambridge: CUP, 1990. 296pp. Hb. £32.50; US$54.50. ISBN 0–521–36641–0.

EGYPT UNDER MUBARAK. Edited by CHARLES Tripp and ROGER OWEN. London: Routledge, 1989. 191pp. Hb. £35.00. ISBN 0–415–03887–1.

CITIZENS APART: A PORTRAIT OF THE PALESTINIANS IN ISRAEL. By Amina Minns and Nadia Hijab. London: I.B. Tauris, 1990. 210pp. Hb. n.p. ISBN 1–85043–204‐X.

RELIGIOUS RADICALISM AND POLITICS IN THE MIDDLE EAST. By Emmanuel Sivan and Menachem Friedman. New York: State University of New York Press, 1990. 244pp. P.b. $16.95. ISBN 2–7914–0158–8. (Hb), 0–7914–0159–6 (Pb).

VILLES AU LEVANT: HOMMAGE A ANDRE RAYMOND. Edited by Pierre‐Robert Baduel. Revue du Monde Musulman et de la Méditer‐ranée, no.55/56. Aix‐en‐Provence: Edisud, 1990. 307pp. Pb. FF.160.00. ISBN 2–85744–471–0.

THE NEAR EAST SINCE THE FIRST WORLD WAR. By M.E. Yapp. London and New York: Longman, 1991. 526pp. Pb. £14.95. ISBN 0–582–49499–0.

RECOGNIZING ISLAM: RELIGION AND SOCIETY IN THE MODERN MIDDLE EAST. By M. GILSENAN. London: I.B. Tauris, 1990. 288pp. Pb. £5.95. IBN 1–85043–297‐X.

KUWAIT AND IRAQ: HISTORICAL CLAIMS AND TERRITORIAL DISPUTES. By Richard Schofield. London: Royal Institute of International Affairs, 1991. 134pp. + annexes. Pb. £7.50 + postage. ISBN 0–905031–35–0.

HISTORY AND POLITICS IN ELEVENTH‐CENTURY BAGHDAD. By George Makdisi. Aldershot: Variorum, 1990. I‐IX + addenda and index. Hb. £42.50. ISBN 0–86078–289–1.

EGYPT: MOULIDS, SAINTS, SUFIS. By Nicholaas H. Biegman. London: Kegan Paul International, 1991. 175pp. Hb. £25.00. ISBN 0–7103–0415–3.

AN A TO Z OF THE MIDDLE EAST. By Alain Gresh and Dominique Vidal. London: Zed Books, 1990. 262 pp. Pb. £9.95; $15.00. ISBN 0–86232–881–0.

MY JERUSALEM: TWELVE WALKS IN THE WORLD'S HOLIEST CITY. By Teddy Kollek and Shulamith Eisner. London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 1990. 160pp. Hb. £14.95. ISBN 0–297–79697–6.

CHRISTIAN‐MUSLIM RELATIONS.

EARLY EGYPTIAN CHRISTIANITY FROM ITS ORIGINS TO 451 C.E. By C.W. GRIGGS. Leiden: E.J. Brill, 1990. 276pp. Hb. DFI.140; U.S.$70. ISBN 90–04–09159–9.

COPTS AND MUSLIMS IN EGYPT: A STUDY ON HARMONY AND HOSTILITY. By S.M. Solihin. Leicester: The Islamic Foundation, 1991. 120pp. Pb. n.p. ISBN 0–86037–207–3.

MY NEIGHBOUR IS MUSLIM. A HANDBOOK FOR REFORMED CHURCHES. Edited by John Knox International Reformed Centre, Geneva. Geneva: John Knox International Reformed Centre, 1990. 112pp. Pb. Sfr.10.00, DM12.00, $8.00, FF40.00.

ENCOUNTER BETWEEN CHRISTIANS AND MUSLIMS. Edited by Evangelisches Missionswerk, EMW. Offprint from Mission Studies. Vol. VIII 1, 15, 1991. 48pp.

ISLAMIC SPAIN 1250–1500. By L.P. Harvey. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1990; 369pp. Pb. £31.95, US$45.95. ISBN 0–226–31960–1.

MUSLIMS UNDER LATIN RULE 1100–1300. Edited by James M. Powell. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1990. 221pp. Hb. £29.95. ISBN 0–691–05586–6.

GOTTES IST DER ORIENT, GOTTES IST DER OKZIDENT: FESTSCHRIFT FÜR ABDOLJAVAD FALATURI ZUM 65. GEBURT‐STAG. Hrsg. Udo Tworuschka. Kölner Veröffentlichungen zur Religionsgeschichte. Bd. 21. Köln, Wien: Böhlau Verlag, 1991. 650pp. Hb. n.p. ISBN 3–412–03790–7.     

A qualitative study of the therapists' experiences of working with community reinforcement and family training

Community reinforcement and family training (CRAFT) was developed to help and support concerned significant others (CSO) of people with, for example, alcohol use disorder. The aim of this study was to investigate therapists' experiences of working with CRAFT and their experiences of the CSOs receiving CRAFT. The study has a qualitative design and is based on three focus group interviews with 17 therapists. Interviews were analysed using thematic analysis. The analysis revealed six themes and four subthemes: Concerned significant others—A special group; Help prior to CRAFT—Offering information and a shoulder; CRAFT as a new and specific method (The toolbox of CRAFT, Formats for delivering CRAFT, Introducing a diary as homework and Implementing self-help material—Alone or in combination with sessions); Moving from a lack of structure to structure; Change in CSOs from the therapists' point of view; and Change in the therapist's role (Dilemmas—Personalising the intervention). The therapists were generally satisfied with the method and found it easy to adapt to. Moreover, working using a manual was more structured than they were used to and increased feelings of working professionally with the CSOs. Specifically, most therapists found the self-help book useful and indispensable in their work with CRAFT, but also agreed that it could not be used as a stand-alone intervention for most CSOs. The therapists' experiences are relevant for implementation of manualised, structured approaches and group-based interventions more broadly.     

Individual differences in neonatal “imitation” fail to predict early social cognitive behaviour

The influential hypothesis that humans imitate from birth – and that this capacity is foundational to social cognition – is currently being challenged from several angles. Most prominently, the largest and most comprehensive longitudinal study of neonatal imitation to date failed to find evidence that neonates copied any of nine actions at any of four time points (Oostenbroek et al., [2016] Current Biology, 26, 1334–1338). The authors of an alternative and statistically liberal post‐hoc analysis of these same data (Meltzoff et al., [2017] Developmental Science, 21, e12609), however, concluded that the infants actually did imitate one of the nine actions: tongue protrusion. In line with the original intentions of this longitudinal study, we here report on whether individual differences in neonatal “imitation” predict later‐developing social cognitive behaviours. We measured a variety of social cognitive behaviours in a subset of the original sample of infants (N = 71) during the first 18 months: object‐directed imitation, joint attention, synchronous imitation and mirror self‐recognition. Results show that, even using the liberal operationalization, individual scores for neonatal “imitation” of tongue protrusion failed to predict any of the later‐developing social cognitive behaviours. The average Spearman correlation was close to zero, mean r_s = 0.027, 95% CI [?0.020, 0.075], with all Bonferroni adjusted p values > .999. These results run counter to Meltzoff et al.'s rebuttal, and to the existence of a “like me” mechanism in neonates that is foundational to human social cognition.     

Organisational interventions to improve employees' health and wellbeing: A realist synthesis

Although organisational interventions have shown promising results in improving employees' health and wellbeing, reviews of the effectiveness of such interventions conclude results are inconsistent. Realist synthesis is considered an appropriate method of literature review to improve the consistency of empirical evidence by developing generalisable statements of ‘what works for whom in which circumstances’. In this article, to identify and synthesise existing evidence from the empirical studies of organisational interventions, we conducted a realist synthesis according to the RAMESES publication standards. We reviewed 28 articles. Six realist programme theories were developed that explain how different mechanisms of organisational interventions may bring about different outcomes in different contexts. These realist programme theories are based on the process mechanisms of implementation adherence, communication, employees' participation, senior management support, middle management support and external consultants/researchers support. This realist synthesis enhances the understanding of how organisational interventions may improve employees' health and wellbeing, in which contexts, and for which group of employees. As such, it makes an important potential contribution to designing, implementing and evaluating future organisational interventions.     

Psychological characteristics of elderly insomniacs

Sixty insomniacs, aged 60 years or over, fulfilling the DSM-IV criteria for primary insomnia, completed a set of questionnaires measuring psychological distress. These included the Sleep Impairment Index (SIM), the Symptom Check List 90-Revised (SCL-90-R), the Penn State Worry Questionnaire (PSWQ), the Toronto Alexithymia Scale-20 (TAS-20) and the Elders Life Stress Inventory (ELSI). The insomniacs were compared on these measures with two contrast groups, one of elderly good sleepers and one an elderly community sample. As norms were developed for the SCL-90-R and PSWQ, insomniacs were also contrasted with the norm groups on these measures. In general, the results indicated a higher level of psychological distress among insomniacs than among the good sleepers, while there were negligible differences between insomniacs and the community sample on most measures. Overall, elderly insomniacs scored higher on measures of worry compared with the other groups, followed by measures of somatization, obsessive-compulsion and depression. It is concluded that excessive worrying was the most characteristic feature of elderly insomniacs.