FEMINIST THERAPY WITH MAINLAND PUERTO RICAN WOMEN

This article discusses the use of feminist therapy with mainland Puerto Rican women. Sociocultural factors such as the experience of cross-cultural translocation, the process of transculturation, and the colonial background of Puerto Rico with its deleterious effects are examined. Special emphasis is given to Puerto Rican sex roles, the paradoxical condition of power and powerlessness, and Puertorriqueñas' complex sense of identity. These issues are illustrated with a clinical population, and as such, may represent an extreme position within the range of reactions to these sociocultural variables. Clinical vignettes present the use of feminist therapy with this client population. Feminism—with its emphasis on empowerment, adaptation and flexibility in role relationships, promotion of competence, and commitment to social change—is particularly relevant for Puerto Rican women. However, in order for feminist therapy to be effective with this population, it must be embedded in a sociocultural context.     

The False Consensus Effect in Unfavorable (Suicide) and Favorable (Honor) Events1

According to the false consensus effect (FCE), people view their own judgments, choices, and characteristics as common; judgments, choices, and characteristics which are not their own are viewed as uncommon and deviant. To test the FCE both for unfavorable and favorable characteristics and for positive and negative events, 135 undergraduate subjects were divided into four groups based on median splits of their self-attributions of intelligence and psychological disturbance. They then read a history about a 19-year old youth who either committed suicide or received an honor and they rated the youth and both parents on psychological disturbance and intelligence. Subjects who viewed themselves as relatively intelligent viewed others as relatively intelligent, whereas subjects who viewed themselves as relatively psychologically disturbed viewed others as relatively disturbed. These results partially support the FCE as opposed to attributive projection. It may be helpful to explain these results to bereaved families so that they can better understand and anticipate the reactions of others.     

Assessing Poggendorff effects via collinearity,perpendicularity, parallelism,and Oppel (distance) experiments

By adjusting the orientation of, and separation between, two free-standing dots, Ss indicated directions and distances associated with the Poggendorff display (a transversal interrupted by parallel lines). Judged distance between parallels (with transversal absent) increased slightly when additional interior parallels were added; this Oppel effect can be interpreted as contour repulsion. Errors in judging the orientation of an actual transversal segment were too small to account for the Poggendorff effect. The usual large errors occurred for estimates of the orientation of the missing transversal segment between the parallel lines. Cognitive mistracking adequately describes the Poggendorff effect. Mistracking is a function of the angle subtended between transversal and parallels, and of the orientation of the entire display.     

Sex bias in the newspaper treatment of male-centered and female-centered news stories

Differences in the newspaper treatment of men and women were examined in two sets of news stories collected a year apart, in the fall of 1976 and 1977. In both samples, coverage of women was more likely to include mention of personal appearance, marital status, and spouse than was coverage of men. These differences could not be attributed to the greater number of men in the news, nor to differences in the sections of the newspaper where stories about men and stories about women were usually found. They were equally true of locally written and national wire-service stories.     

Oral report of words and word approximations presented to the left or right visual field

Subjects reported letter strings forming words, pronounceable high approximations to words, and unpronounceable low approximations to words presented tachistoscopically to the left or right visual field (LVF, RVF). (a) For number of strings totally correct, the same RVF superiority was obtained with high approximations as with words, the field difference with low approximations being negligible. (b) In contrast, for letter scores from partially correct strings, RVF superiority did not vary with string type. Finding (a) is interpreted to indicate that the left hemisphere is differentially specialized for processing words as units and that requiring oral report makes pronounceable strings processable as word-like units. Finding (b) suggests that the left hemisphere is not specialized for processing subword fragments.     

Predicting Dieting Behavior by Using, Modifying, and Extending the Theory of Planned Behavior

The theory of planned behavior (TPB) was used, modified, and extended to predict dieting intention and behavior. Female undergraduates ( n = 256) responded to a survey assessing variables from the TPB and additional predictor variables. Seventy-eight of these participants also completed a follow-up questionnaire 3 months later that assessed their subsequent weight-loss behavior. A model was developed for dieting using path analysis to assess the most significant paths to intention to diet and follow-up dieting. In the final predictor model, 77% of the variance in intention to diet and 46% of the variance in follow-up dieting were explained. The strongest predictor of intention to diet was direct attitude, and the strongest predictor of follow-up dieting was prior dieting. This study also included a confirmatory analysis of the dieting model (n=117). Approximately 2/3 of the paths were confirmed, and 72% of the variance in intention was explained.     

Protégés’ and mentors’ reactions to participating in formal mentoring programs: A qualitative investigation

Mentors and protégés from two formal mentoring programs were interviewed about the benefits associated with program participation, problems encountered in the program, and recommendations for program improvements. The most commonly reported benefits for protégés included learning, coaching, career planning, and psychosocial support. Mentors most frequently reported learning, developing a personal relationship, personal gratification, and enhanced managerial skills. Both groups identified a range of problems including mentor-protégé mismatches, scheduling difficulties, and geographic distance. Unique problems were also identified, including mentor neglect (by protégés), unmet expectations (by protégés), structural separation from the mentor (by protégés), and feelings of personal inadequacy (by mentors). Finally, suggestions for program improvement were identified such as clearer communication of program objectives, better matching, targeted participation in the program, and better program monitoring. Findings are discussed in terms of what we currently know about informal mentoring and implications for mentoring theory. Suggestions for mentoring practice are also discussed.     

Alfred Stieglitz and Donald Judd: Titans of Creative Spaces

Inclusive, non-elitist art spaces are mounted by remarkably talented, creative individuals. Alfred Stieglitz and Donald Judd were two such individuals. Stieglitz's space was an intimate urban art gallery in Manhattan while Judd's space in Marfa, Texas was expansive, isolated, and rural. Aside from sharing the usual characteristics of the very creative, both were charismatic, physically attractive, intelligent men who held forceful visions about art. Unlike most of their peers, they had the capacity to write well and speak convincingly. Their resolute confidence and aesthetic competencies enabled them to attract and hold astute colleagues. Last they had the necessary expertise and connections to obtain resources required to maintain their vision.     

Role of motivation,self‐efficacy and parent support in adolescent structured leisure activity participation

An increasing body of research supports the positive physical, social and psychological health benefits of adolescent involvement in structured out‐of‐school leisure activities. Analysis of data from 1280 12–17‐year‐old Western Australian metropolitan high school students, found that several factors were associated with adolescent involvement in structured leisure activities, including parent support of the activity (both active and passive), intrinsic motivation and self‐efficacy. There were no significant gender differences in the rate of participation or hours spent participating in structured leisure activities overall. More female than male students, however, were involved in structured creative activities and male students spent significantly more time involved in structured physical group activities. Recommendations for supporting adolescent involvement in structured leisure activities are discussed.