No regrets: Custodial mothers' accounts of the difficulties and benefits of divorce

This study examines the accounts of 80 divorced single mothers in order to consider various emotional processes involved in the mothers' postdivorce family reorganization. A qualitative analysis was conducted on written responses to an open-ended question. Concerns tended to center around how the divorce had affected the children as well as various difficulties associated with single parenting. Loss and guilt on the part of many mothers was tempered by positive attributions about how divorce actually gave way to greater personal happiness, better parent-child relationships, and more rewarding lives. Focusing on the benefits of divorce appeared to be an important means of coping with many of the problems inherent in single parenting. Implications for treatment are discussed from an ecological perspective which emphasizes the therapist's role in helping mothers to create contexts of support.This research was funded in part by grant number 9103 from the Women's Research Institute, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.     

Wild (powerful) women: Restorying gender patterns

This paper addresses the use of the stories to help redefine gender expectations in relationships, creating a more active, powerful female voice. In particular, the popular bookWomen Who Run With the Wolves by Claudia Pinkola Estes is examined in context of other literature about women. Case examples demonstrating the application of such stories to marriage and family therapy are included.     

Family therapy in israel: A review of therapy done under unusual circumstances

Major issues affecting family therapy practice in Israel are discussed. Issues making family therapy in Israel unique include historical topics such as the legacy of the Holocaust, the emergence of the family therapy movement from the cradle of the kibbutz; and more recent events such as constant wars, the specter of terrorist threat, and coping with the everyday pressures of life in Israel—stress, loss, and bereavement. Future trends in family therapy in the Israeli context include the peace process and the adjustment it requires from families living in the West Bank and the Golan Heights. The advent of peace and normalization will force family therapists to grapple with issues until now not given the attention they require by a country always on the brink of war, including family violence, feminist issues and patriarchal family orientations, single-parent families, and cultural diversity.The authors would like to acknowledge the help of Israel Charny, Yael Geron, Tzipi Glick, Ruth Malkinson, Judith Wertheimer, and Susan Zeidel.     

Trust and the collection,selection, analysis and interpretation of data: A scientist’s view

Trust is a critical component of research: trust in the work of co-workers and colleagues within the scientific community; trust in the work of research scientists by the non-research community. A wide range of factors, including internally and externally generated pressures and practical and personal limitations, affect the research process. The extent to which these factors are understood and appreciated influence the development of trust in scientific research findings.     

The Influence of Skill and Intermittent Vision on Dynamic Balance

Two experiments are reported in which expert and novice gymnasts were required to walk across a balance beam as quickly as possible in various vision conditions. In Experiment 1, experts walked faster than novices in all vision conditions, showing the greatest superiority when vision was completely eliminated. Novices were more dependent on vision and were able to maintain their performance as long as a visual sample was available every 250 ms (i.e: 4-Hz samples).The results of Experiment 2 indicate that differences between expert and novice performers in the no-vision condition were not related to the use of a short-term visual representation of the movement environment. Our movement time findings are problematic for specificity of learning models of skill acquisition. As well, film data collected in Experiment 2 were not consistent with models that propose a transition from closed-loop to open-loop control.     

Jewish bioethics and medical genetics

Man has been aware of the science of genetics, i.e, how living things transport heritable traits to their offspring, since biblical times. However, knowledge regarding genetic disorders has increased greatly in recent years. Advances have been made with respect to both the methodology of genetic diagnosis and the treatment of genetic diseases. Both Jewish and secular ethicists, in general, approve of new genetic diagnostic techniques and genetic therapy if the risk/benefit ratio is favorable for humankind. However, all medical ethicists are still struggling with the ethical question: “To what extent should we tamper with the process of natural selection?”     

Problem-Solving Appraisal,Health Complaints,and Health-Related Expectancies

The authors examined the relation of problem-solving appraisal to health complaints and health-related expectancies among 321 undergraduates. Results indicated that self-appraised effective problem solvers reported fewer current physical symptoms during the 3 weeks prior to assessment and fewer health problems on the day of assessment than did ineffective problem solvers. Self-appraised effective problem solvers also had greater internal and lower chance expectancies for health outcomes than did ineffective problem solvers. Ineffective self-appraised problem solvers reported more negative health perceptions 3 months later during the week of final examinations. Personal control over emotional experiences when engaging in problem solving was significantly predictive of health perceptions. Results are integrated with theoretical models of problem solving and behavioral health. Implications for counseling are discussed.     

Hiring family therapists for a research project via videotaped interviews: A brief report

The authors describe an interview procedure devised for use in hiring therapists for a research and demonstration project in which the employers viewed videotaped interviews of applicants responding to a standard set of questions posed by an on-site researcher/interviewer. The approach is considered potentially useful for agencies to use in hiring therapists with a systemic orientation.     

Gender identity and family relationships: Perspectives from incestuous fathers

The purpose of this study was to understand how incestuous fathers constructed their gender identities and family relationships and to determine how these perceptions were linked to incest. Analysis of intensive interviews with 20 incest offenders suggested that incest occurred in context of entitlement stemming from masculine gender constructions and family experiences which lead to conflicts regarding control and intimacy and a build up of failure. Case illustrations and implications for clinical practice are addressed.     

Aiding the parolee adjustment process: A systemic perspective on assessment

Addressing the mental health needs of inmates and parolees is a complex process. The authors have found a family systems approach useful in conceptualizing the complexities of the adjustment process faced by parolees. The inmate/parolee is embedded in a number of complex systems that present difficulties related to boundary maintenance, hierarchy struggles, and family-of-origin loyalties. The authors suggest crucial areas for assessment and some common dysfunctional systems dynamics that are encountered.