Self-Imagery and Attentional Control Maintenance Factors of Social Anxiety: A Comparison of Trait and State Assessments

Journal of Psychopathology and Behavioral Assessment - Models of social anxiety (SA) posit that socially-evaluative fears may be maintained by biased cognitive processes such as attention and...     

Testing the difficulty theory of the SON‐R –17, a non‐verbal test of intelligence

Fischer's (1973) linear logistic test model can be used to test hypotheses regarding the effect of covariates on item difficulty and to predict the difficulty of newly constructed test items. However, its assumptions of equal discriminatory power across items and a perfect prediction of item difficulty are never absolutely met. The amount of misfit in an application of a Bayesian version of the model to two subtests of the SON‐R –17 is investigated by means of item fit statistics in the framework of posterior predictive checks and by means of a comparison with a model that allows for residual (co)variance in the item parameters. The effect of the degree of residual (co)variance on the robustness of inferences is investigated in a simulation study.     

Understanding African American’s Religious Beliefs and Organ Donation Intentions

African Americans are overrepresented on the organ transplant waiting list and underrepresented among organ and tissue donors. One of the most highly noted reasons for lack of donation is the perception that donation is contrary to religious beliefs. The purpose of this cross-sectional study is to explore the complexities of religion (beliefs, religiosity, and religious involvement) and its association with willingness to donate and the written expression of donation intentions. Findings from a sample of 505 African American participants suggest that religion is a multidimensional construct and results differ depending on how the construct is measured and operationalized.     

Psychoanalysis and Trauma

This article articulates some of the problems that surround the use of the term trauma in psychoanalytic theory and suggests that the key element for a theory of pathogenesis and mental functioning is not the either/or of external versus internal causation or trauma versus drive. Rather, it is an understanding of whether, or to what extent, the raw data of existential experience is or is not transformed into psychological experience. From this perspective, trauma is whatever outstrips and disrupts the psyche’s capacity for representation or mentalization. Absent the potential for mental representation, these events and phenomena are historical only from an external, third-person perspective. Until they are mentalized, they remain locked within an ahistorical, repetitive process as potentials for action, somatization, and projection.     

Psychologisation and Critique in Modern‐day Western Culture

The paper reflects on the advancement of the psychologisation of Western society through the notion of «the therapeutic ethos» and discusses political and moral implications of its “triumph”. It is argued that the attempt to exorcise a “therapeutic Zeitgeist” showcases the problems of critique of contemporary culture. The Zeitgeist reveals itself as much in the tools of critique as the objective of critique. I therefore conclude that popular critical methods like discourse analysis have itself become a hegemonic discourse, which rarely equals its philosophical originator Michel Foucault's imaginative radical ambition.     

Self-Efficacy for Enhancing Students’ Career and College Readiness: A Survey of Professional School Counselors

Grounded in Bandura’s (1997) self-efficacy theory and Savickas’s (2011) career construction theory, this study examined school counselors’ beliefs about whether they can perform specific tasks related to supporting students’ career and college readiness. A national sample of school counselors (N = 2,047) completed the School Counselor Self-Efficacy for Enhancing Student Career and College Readiness Scale (Baker, Parikh-Foxx, & Martinez, 2017). Findings from a survey research design indicated that the extent of related training and the challenges associated with implementation of career service delivery were of concern to participants. Recommendations for training, practice, and further research are presented.     

The physical postures of yoga practices may protect against depressive symptoms,even as life stressors increase: a moderation analysis

Yoga contains sub-components related to its physical postures (asana), breathing methods (pranayama), and meditation (dhyana). To test the hypothesis that specific yoga practices are associated with reduced psychological distress, 186 adults completed questionnaires assessing life stressors, symptom severity, and experience with each of these aspects of yoga. Each yoga sub-component was found to be negatively correlated with psychological distress indices. However, differing patterns of relationship to psychological distress symptoms were found for each yoga sub-component. Experience with asana was negatively correlated with global psychological distress (r = ?.21, p < .01), and symptoms of anxiety (r = ?.18, p = .01) and depression (r = ?.17, p = .02). These relationships remained statistically significant after accounting for variance attributable to Social Readjustment Rating Scale scores (GSI: r = ?.19, p = .01; BSI Anxiety: r = ?.16, p = .04; BSI Depression: r = ?.14, p = .05). By contrast, the correlations between other yoga sub-components and symptom subscales became non-significant after accounting for exposure to life stressors. Moreover, stressful life events moderated the predictive relationship between amount of asana experience and depressive symptoms. Asana was not related to depressive symptoms at low levels of life stressors, but became associated at mean (t[182] = ?2.73, p < .01) and high levels (t[182] = ?3.56, p < .001). Findings suggest asana may possess depressive symptom reduction benefits, particularly as life stressors increase. Additional research is needed to differentiate whether asana has an effect on psychological distress, and to better understand potential psychophysiological mechanisms of action.     

Autonomy and the Moral Symmetry Principle: Reply to Frowe and Tooley

Helen Frowe has recently objected to Michael Tooley’s famous Moral Symmetry Principle, which is meant to show that in themselves killing and letting die are morally equivalent. I argue that her objection is not compelling but a more compelling objection is available. Specifically, Tooley’s rebuttal of a proposed counter-example to his Moral Symmetry Principle has two problematic implications. First, it undercuts the very principle itself. If we reject the proposed counter-example, then any instance of the Moral Symmetry Principle will actually demonstrate the moral in-equivalence of killing and letting die. Second, it commits us to the view, which Tooley wishes to avoid, that we are just as obligated to refrain from doing wrong as we are to prevent others from doing the same. I conclude with a brief discussion of a more general concern regarding Tooley’s basic strategy. My focus here is quite narrow. My claims, if plausible, only show that the Moral Symmetry Principle is unsound and thus cannot serve as a basis for the view that killing and letting die are morally equivalent.