The self in transformation: Dialectical processes in long-term psychotherapy

A number of phases are notable during the process of integration of the self through psychotherapy. Each of these phases encompasses a particular ontology in relation to the dynamic self. The underlying process of change, moreover, may be conceived of as dialectical in nature with each phase having a unique thesis and antithesis. A clinical case is presented to illustrate these ideas for the therapist.     

Preschoolers' construction order of event sequences related to mental ability and degree of familiarity.

Preschoolers' understanding of sequential relations was investigated in two experiments. Experiment 1 showed that appreciation of sequential relations depends on the level of mental ability and the degree of familiarity displayed with the social or behavioral phenomena under investigation. Experiment 2 reproduced the findings of Experiment 1 and, further, demonstrated that an increase in experience and familiarity through an interaction phase between children with higher and those with lower mental abilities led to a significant exchange of information and performance that was retained over the posttest phase. The data of both experiments are discussed within the framework of the "invariance hypothesis" (Bullock, 1985) in contrast to Piagetian theory (Piaget, 1946/1969).     

Courtesy stigma: the social implications of associating with a gay person

We investigated the operation of courtesy stigma with American male college students who reacted to a fictitious male student described as gay, rooming by choice with a gay male student, involuntarily assigned to room with a gay, or rooming with a male heterosexual. Among respondents who expressed strong intolerance of gays, the voluntary associate of a gay was perceived as having homosexual tendencies and as possessing the same stereotyped personality traits attributed to a gay. No such courtesy stigma was attached to the involuntary associate of a gay by these respondents. Relatively tolerant respondents engaged in no courtesy stigmatization at all. Thus, courtesy stigmatization occurred only under circumscribed conditions and appeared to depend more on the tendency of highly intolerant individuals to infer that a male student who apparently liked a gay individual was himself gay than on a motivation to maintain cognitive consistency.     

The spiritual well-being and need of parishioners

In this study we compare the spiritual well-being and need of healthy and ill parishioners, creating data that pastors can use as background in assessing pastoral need within their parishes. Three questionnaires generate the data, and the results demonstrate increased need of parishioners in the hospital. Specifically, women hospitalized for problem pregnancies demonstrate statistically more need than healthy parishioners, and these data suggest that pastors should assess their needs carefully. A group of patients who fight their metastasized cancer create scores statistically similar to healthy parishioners. Demographic variables also have an impact on spiritual well-being and need, particularity the parishioner's age and level of education.This research was supported in part by the Section of Graduate Education and Research, the Department of Family Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio.The PIL and SONG were obtained through the Institute of Logotherapy in Saratoga, California. The Spiritual Well-Being Scale was used with permission of Craig W. Ellison.     

Respect: Response to shame in health care

Shame is a not uncommon experience of patients in health care settings. Religious assessments often confuse shame with guilt, and therefore respond in ways that may not be appropriate. Illustrated by a case study, this article distinguishes shame from guilt and examines systemic considerations. Then shame is explored in relation to traditional, negotiating, and individualistic belief paradigms, looking at epistemology, causality, response to shame, healing models, and tasks. It concludes with a discussion of the idea of respect as foundational for responding to people experiencing shame in health care.     

Prison pastoral care: The seer as a new paradigm

The purpose of this essay is twofold: to review two existing paradigms (the Priest and the Prophet) of pastoral care with prisoners; to propose a new paradigm (the Seer). The prison chaplain has been traditionally identified as a priest or a prophet. The change of pastoral setting from parish to prison is a drastic one that requires a paradigm shift. Incarceration is understood in terms of liminality which is a transitional period of a life re-ordering. To those in liminality, the Seer as a divine visionary of hope comes to reawaken a sense of God's presence and aims at renewing of covenant faith.This article is an edited version of an address presented by the author to the Chaplains of Tennessee Department of Corrections at their annual meeting in January 1990.     

Perceptions of current and ideal body shape of athletes and nonathletes

This study was done to examine the relationship between sex and perception of body image among athletes and nonathletes. A total of 211 men and women athletes and nonathletes completed a questionnaire which asked them to identify from a nine-figure body-silhouette scale their current image and the image that they thought was most ideal. t tests showed no significant differences for men based upon athletic participation and that both athletes and nonathletes were satisfied with their body image. However, when comparing current image and ideal image, significant differences were found for women athletes and nonathletes. These data support previous research documenting women's dissatisfaction with their body images and show athletic participation is not associated with this perception.     

Visible persistence following a brief increment in stimulus luminance

In previous studies, it has been demonstrated that visible persistence--the period for which the perceived duration of a stimulus exceeds its physical duration--can be extended by briefly incrementing the luminance of the stimulus immediately prior to offset. Using a two-component pattern integration task, we show that this effect is not an artifact of change in the total luminous flux within the stimulus. Visible persistence was unaffected by overall luminance of the stimulus. It was also time-locked to the luminance increment. Visible persistence is seen to result from a process that is initiated by stimulus onset and that can be either wholly or partially reinitiated by the onset of the luminance increment. The duration of this process (which determines the duration of stimulus visibility) can be modified in a graded fashion by stimulus events that occur after its initiation. We outline a single-process inhibitory feedback model of the persistence mechanism that accounts for the present findings.     

New assessments of weight-related body image derived from extant instruments

A study of 79 female college students examined the reliability and validity of two new size/weight-related measures of body image. The Body-size Appraisal Scale and the Overweight Preoccupation Scale were derived from existing instruments. Analyses supported the internal consistency and 2-wk. test-retest reliability of both new scales. Correlations of scores on each scale with measures of anxiety about being fat, negative body-image affect and avoidance, restrained and bulimic eating, and depression support their concurrent and construct validity. Scores on the Overweight Preoccupation Scale were also related to the extent of investment in physical appearance. Regression analyses indicated that each new scale could be predicted from several other conceptually relevant body-image attitudes, even after actual body weight was controlled.