Meetings: A Swampy Terrain for Adult Development

This article introduces a model of modes of experience as a tool for making sense of some of the complexity in meetings. Although derived from theories of adult development, the mode model presented here assumes that individuals are more internally diverse than they may appear through the lenses of some stage theories. The article includes vignettes of meetings in various organizational contexts to illustrate the dynamic nature of modes, and it suggests that an individual's psychological development may be fruitfully viewed in terms of both an evolving repertoire of modes, and a growing capacity to exercise judgment about when to shift and when to stay in a mode. Seen in the light of a mode model, meetings bring nearly continuous opportunities to foster collective creativity and constructive risk-taking. Constructive approaches to using modes are described, as well as risks, such as that of attempting to pigeonhole individuals. The concept of modes is best used as a background way of thinking and relating with the ultimate aim of fostering conditions that support organizational and individual development over the long term.     

Overcoming the Problems of ‘Difference’ in Education: Empathy as ‘Intercorporeality’

In this paper I am concerned with the notion of empathy and its capacity for overcoming the problem of difference in social life. The concept of empathy has a long history in the Western philosophic tradition but has become discursively submerged in recent times. I am particularly interested in what philosophies of the body may contribute to our understanding of empathy. Psychoanalytic feminism provides some insights. However I identify Merleau-Ponty's conception of body-subject and the intersubjective encounter as offering a potentially more fruitful account of empathy.     

Training and credentialing in forensic psychiatry

The increase in legal regulation of psychiatric practice, malpractice litigation, number of mentally ill in correctional settings and concerns about the sometimes embarrassing quality of expert witness testimony has led to an heightened focus on training and credentialing of psychiatrists who work in these areas. The past 20 years has witnessed a growth of professional organizations, journals, accredited training programs and board certification. The paper outlines the nature of these programs and some of the dilemmas for the profession in establishing formal subspecialties.     

Individual Differences in Attitude-Behavior Consistency: The Prediction of Contraceptive Behavior

A model of individual differences that moderate attitude-behavior consistency was developed and tested in the context of predicting use consistency of the diaphragm. Variables hypothesized to moderate the attitude-behavior relationship included reactions to major life changes, the attitudes and opinions of others, sexual interest, locus of control, and the perceived susceptibility to pregnancy. Attitudes were conceptualized in terms of a Relative Contraceptive Utility (RCU), which was defined as the difference between the attitude toward the diaphragm and the attitude toward becoming pregnant. Women (N = 110) who attended family planning clinics in the New York Qty area and who used the diaphragm for an 8-month period were interviewed in the context of a 3-wave panel design. A threshold function between RCU and behavior was observed, such that when RCU was above an empirically derived cutoff, women tended to use the diaphragm consistently over an 8-month period. For women with RCUs below the cutoff, attitudes were unrelated to behavior. Inconsistency of diaphragm use for these latter women was best predicted by negative reactions to close friends' experiences with the diaphragm, low levels of perceived susceptibility to pregnancy, alcohol consumption, concern about becoming too old to have children, a preference for nonromantic sex, and the partner's unwillingness to refrain from sex if the women was not prepared.     

The sleep-promoting behaviors of habitual short- and longer-sleeping adults

Consistent with the view that habitual longer-sleepers are more concerned with their sleep, this group (n = 25) reported engaging in twice as many sleep-promoting behaviors as a group of short-sleepers (n = 25). The longer sleepers tended to use alcohol and the short sleepers food to promote sleep.     

Relationship maintenance and biases on the line bisection task: Attractive alternatives,asymmetrical cortical activity,and approach–avoidance motivation

People in long-term romantic relationships possess relationship maintenance mechanisms designed to protect against the temptation of desirable relationship alternatives. The current research examined the link between relationship maintenance mechanisms and an index of neurologically based approach/avoidance motivation. Participants completed a line bisection task that yields measures of asymmetric activity in the right and left frontal cortices; such activity is thought to reflect people's level of approach/avoidance motivation. Compared to single participants, participants in committed relationships displayed relatively less left visual field bias on the line bisection task (indicative of greater left frontal cortical activation and greater cognitive avoidance motivation) in response to available, attractive opposite-sex targets. Decreased left visual field bias was particularly pronounced among individuals with moderate levels of relationship commitment — those expected to display the highest levels of relationship maintenance. These findings provide insight into perceptual, motivational, and neurological processes that may help people avoid tempting relationship alternatives.