Gender and sex-role appropriateness: Bias in the judgment of disturbed behavior

Male and female undergraduate raters made attributions of mental disorder, personality traits, and diagnostic and treatment judgments for four case studies in which sex of client and sex-role appropriateness of client behavior were manipulated. Significant interactions of sex-role appropriateness with both client sex and rater sex highlighted the significance of sex-role stereotypes in the attribution of mental disorder by nonprofessionals. The data indicated that these cultural sex-role definitions had the strongest negative effect for females and the female sex role. Implications of these findings for the clinical judgment process and female self-perception are discussed.The order of authorship was determined by random selection.     

Neuropsychological aspects of Parkinson's disease

The neuropsychological effects of Parkinson's disease have gained wide recognition in recent literature. Effects have been documented in almost all areas of cognitive functioning, including general intellectual functioning, visual-spatial functioning, executive functions, attention and memory functions, language functions, and affective processes. Visual-spatial functions, memory functions, and executive functions have received particular interest. This review of the literature is an attempt to tie together the large number of studies in these cognitive areas and to present a suggestion for a comprehensive neuropsychological battery tailored to the patient with Parkinson's disease. Throughout the review, factors relevant to Parkinson's disease, e.g., dementia, motor symptoms, and hemiparkinsonism, are considered.     

Moderators of the Dynamic Link Between Alcohol Use and Aggressive Behavior among Adolescent Males

Although longitudinal evidence has linked alcohol use with aggressive behavior during adolescence, most studies have failed to adequately control for the numerous between-individual differences that may underlie this association. In addition, few studies of adolescents have examined whether the nature of the within-individual association between alcohol use and aggression depends on individual and contextual factors. To address these limitations, this study examined the association between within-individual changes in alcohol use and aggressive behavior across adolescence and determined whether impulsive behavior, positive attitudes toward violence, violent peers, neighborhood crime, and race moderated this association. Data from 971 adolescent males assessed annually from ages 13 to 18 were analyzed using a within-individual regression panel model that eliminated all stable between-individual factors as potential confounds. Findings indicated that within-individual increases in alcohol use quantity from one’s own typical levels of drinking were concurrently associated with within-individual increases in aggressive behavior, and vice versa. However, increases in alcohol were more strongly linked to increases in aggressive behavior among boys with attitudes favoring violence and those who lived in high-crime neighborhoods. The association between alcohol and aggressive behavior was similar for White and Black young men. Interventions designed to reduce aggressive behaviors should consider targeting not only alcohol use, but also individual and environmental risk factors that contribute to this link.     

Becoming their mother: Knowledge,attitudes, and practices of orphanage personnel in Ukraine

Institutional caregiving can have adverse effects on children, yet little is known about the caregivers of institutionalized young children. We surveyed staff in three Ukrainian Baby Homes about their attitudes toward the nature of their work and the needs of the young children in their care. Seventy‐one caregivers completed anonymous, semistructured surveys. Popular reasons for working in Baby Homes included benefits and convenient work shifts, morality, and affection for children. Caregivers reported both favorable aspects of the work (enjoyment of children, professional satisfaction) and work difficulties (conflicts, lack of cooperation, little administrative support). In addition, they noted deficiencies in care: high caregiver–child ratio, frequent care disruptions, and lack of stimulation. Direct caregivers (in‐room “nannies,” educators, and nurses) and other providers (e.g., clinic nurses, physicians, therapists) differed in university‐degree attainment, professional motivation, enjoyment of children, professional satisfaction, and perceptions of self as substitute mother. A number of potential “windows for change” were identified, including recognition of deficiencies in institutional care and possibilities for improvement. Implications for interventions are discussed, including the need to consider lack of staff support, high emotional stress, internal conflicts, beliefs and attitudes about institutionalized children and their biological parents, and differences in staff educational achievement.     

Personal construct theory and the argument against mental illness

An attempt is made to integrate Thomas Szasz's 0974) theory of personal conduct and George Kelly's (1955) theory of personal constructs (PCT). It is argued that PCT provides an alternative to the void left behind by Szasz's negation of mental illness. Because PCT is concerned with psychological, rather than physiological, constructions of problems in living, it is not compatible with the biological model associated with Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) diagnostic categories. Rather, it is in keeping with the views of Szasz. Kelly's and Szasz's writings are used to support this view. Kelly's transitive diagnosis approach to “mental illness”, wherein diagnosis and therapy are construed as process oriented as opposed to category driven, is described as an alternative to the biological model. A contextualist approach (Sarbin & Mancuso, 1980) is also discussed. These approaches not only empower clients and allow them to assert responsibility and control over their lives, but also provide an alternative system to the one rejected by Szasz.     

ON RELATIVISM IN CONSTRUCTIVIST PSYCHOLOGY

Many scholars criticize constructivist approaches to psychology for culminating in a nihilistic relativism. This article reviews the problem of relativism within personal construct psychology and social constructionism. It argues that labeling constructivist approaches to psychology as essentially relativist or nonrelativist simplifies the debate by assigning indisputable characteristics to a family of theories. Both relativist and nonrelativist interpretations of personal constructivism and social constructionism are presented in suggesting that the current terms of the relativism debate often hinder constructivists, who are forced to defend themselves against charges of relativism using objectivist terminology. Some common arguments about the advantages and disadvantages of constructivist relativism are outlined and discussed. Further, the implications of relativism for constructivist ethics and action are contemplated, with particular attention paid to the roles of commitment and hermeneutic understanding. The article concludes that, while constructivist psychologists may not agree on whether to endorse or reject relativism, in order to maintain the viability of the constructivist viewpoint, they need to be able to formulate thoughtful responses to those accusing them of relativism.