Interpretation in the Context of Supervision

The author looks into the issue of interpretation and traces its evolution both from mere opinion, and from the point of view of the historical development of hermeneutics. In supervision interpretive dissonance may occur at several levels starting with the patient himself as well as his “gatekeepers,” and going up to the supervisor. The relationship between interpretation and supervision is examined in this context, taking into consideration the subjective and intersubjective levels of scientific inquiry. Supervision enhances the complexity of interpretation by introducing yet a third subjectivity that questions the supervisee's interpretation. This has advantages and shortcomings, as supervisors are not always aware that it is ultimately in the supervisee-patient situation where hypotheses are tested and confirmed. Theory alone cannot supersede the intersubjective situation. It is pointed out that psychoanalytic curricula should be reexamined in order to include semiotic science and its application to interpretation and supervision.     

Stress and intraocular pressure in myopes

Abstract

The aim of the present study was to investigate whether the intraocular pressure (IOP) responses in myopes and normally-sighted controls differ when the subjects are exposed to a short-term achievement related stressor. A second aim was to examine to what extent IOP would decrease through relaxation in myopes as compared with the controls. Nineteen short-sighted and 19 normally-sighted adults were subjected to four conditions: (1) baseline I, (2) arithmetical mental operations under time pressure and noise, (3) baseline II, and (4) relaxation. IOP was assessed before and after each experimental condition. Heart rate was measured, and subjective ratings were obtained regarding the level of stress and relaxation subjects experienced. The stressing achievement situation led to significant increases in IOP and to significantly higher increases in myopes than in controls. Relaxation led to significant decreases of IOP in both groups. Heart rate and subjective ratings did not differ between groups under any condition. The present results point to specific intraocular reaction patterns to stress in myopic persons. The potential impact of this finding for a behavioral approach to shortsightedness is high since IOP is considered one of the main variables in the development of myopia.     

Psychoneuroimmunology and male infertility: A possible link between stress,coping and male immunological infertility

Abstract

This current study investigated a link between stress and coping with some male infertility problems via psychoneuroimmunological theories. The study was carried out on 77 males who came to a fertility clinic for sperm diagnosis. Appraisal and coping with stress reaction to negative life events and to infertility were related to non-sperm cells within the seminal plasma. Those men who had felt strained from external events and from problems of infertility, and had used emotional escape coping strategies, were more prone to have an immunosuppressed reaction, indicated by bacteria within their plasma. Those using task focused control strategies were more prone to have an immunostimulatory reaction, indicated by white blood cells, including in some cases, sperm destroying phagocytes suggesting a possible auto-immunity reaction. When the analyses were done separately on patients with known male fertility problems in comparison with those with unexplained infertility, the two opposing psychoneuroimmunological processes became more pronounced.     

Scientific empathy,American buddhism,and the ethnography of religion

This paper examines some of the current ideas and methods that have problematised the study of religion within a globalised community. Religion and culture cannot be considered bounded entities, to be described as unchangeable. However, their constant process of change is not something new. It becomes new due to writing patterns and contemporary ideas on the relevance of religion or the creativity of culture. By analysing some discussions on possession cults, the paper suggests that ritual and performance constitute the moments when culture and religion are mediated. It is through ritual that religious practices are adapted, and it is in a ritual performance where culture is contested and challenged. Religion becomes ‘confused culture’, that once again is re‐organised and made orderly by reflection on ritual practices. Finally, the paper suggests that the agenda for an anthropology of religion for this new century is two‐fold. Firstly, to try to become more conversant with ever changing localised practices of ritual, and secondly, to try to converse about those practices with other practitioners and scholars from different fields and in different fields.     

Can't See the Forest for the Trees? The Effect of Media Multitasking on Cognitive Processing Style

Media multitasking represents an important aspect of the recent evolution in media consumption habits. While some experimental research exists, it has primarily focused on the detrimental effects of multitasking on task performance. We go a step further by examining the impact of media multitasking on information processing style. Study I demonstrates that media multitasking, compared to sequential media consumption, leads to a more local perceptual processing style. Furthermore, the frequency of media switching predicts the level of perceptual processing. Study II extends these findings by showing that media multitasking also affects conceptual processing style. Specifically, media multitasking leads to lower-level (or more concrete) construal of behaviors in a subsequent task. It further shows that conceptual rather than visual switching between media drives the observed differences in conceptual processing. These findings suggest that, as a growing phenomenon, media multitasking behavior may substantially alter the way media viewers process media content.     

The anxiety buffering function of close relationships: mortality salience effects on the readiness to compromise mate selection standards

This research examines the utility of a terror management approach to understanding the motivations and emotional consequences of compromise in mate selection. One hundred and sixty‐eight undergraduates completed a self‐esteem scale and a scale tapping ideal mate characteristics, and were then assigned either to a mortality salience, physical pain salience, or neutral condition. Half of the participants rated their readiness to compromise ideal mate standards and the remaining half completed a neutral scale. Then, participants completed a scale tapping their emotional state. Mortality salience led participants to significantly compromise their mate requirements. This effect seemed to be most pronounced among high self‐esteem participants who also experienced the greatest amount of guilt when compromising under mortality salient conditions. Low self‐esteem participants who compromised under mortality salient conditions reacted with higher levels of shame. The results are discussed in terms of the anxiety buffering functions of close relationships. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Mapping Attitude Formation as a Function of Information Input: Online Processing Models of Attitude Formation

Consistent with calls for a dynamical social psychology (Jacoby et al., 1987; Nowak, Lewenstein, & Vallacher, 1994), attitude formation was studied using a recently developed, computer‐based simulation technique termed Higher Order Cognitive Tracing (see Jacoby et al., 1994). Participants’ attitudes toward 12 different products in 3 product categories were investigated as a function of incremental information input. As opposed to traditional memory‐based models of attitude formation, the study explored online processing models. Results indicate that the impact of information tends to decrease the later in the sequence that information is accessed. In addition, new information that is affectively inconsistent with prior information tends to have a greater impact on attitudes than information that is affectively redundant. This effect is more pronounced earlier rather than later in the sequence of information acquisition. Implications and suggestions for future research are discussed.     

Test–Retest Reliability of Ratings of Job Performance Dimensions in Managers

This article examines the test–retest reliability of supervisory ratings for several dimensions of job performance and for overall job performance. We found that the test–retest reliability of overall job performance is .79 (SD = .08), a value very close to the one found by Viswesvaran, Ones and Schmidt (1996), and that the average test–retest reliability for specific dimensions of job performance is .57 (SD = .07). We also found that some dimensions of job performance appear to be easier to rate than others. We suggest some implications of these findings for research and practice of personnel selection.