Awareness of subtle emotional feelings: a comparison of long-term meditators and nonmeditators

The authors explored whether meditation training to enhance emotional awareness improves discrimination of subtle emotional feelings hypothesized to guide decision-making. Long-term meditators and nonmeditators were compared on measures of self-reported valence and arousal, skin conductance response (SCR), and facial electromyography (EMG) to masked and nonmasked emotional pictures, and on measures of heartbeat detection and self-reported emotional awareness. Groups responded similarly to nonmasked pictures. In the masked condition, only controls showed discrimination in valence self-reports. However, meditators reported greater emotional clarity than controls, and meditators with higher clarity had reduced arousal and improved valence discrimination in the masked condition. These findings provide qualified support for the somatic marker hypothesis and suggest that meditation may influence how emotionally ambiguous information is processed, regulated, and represented in conscious awareness.     

Clinical significance methods: a comparison of statistical techniques

Clinically significant change refers to meaningful change in individual patient functioning during psychotherapy. Following the operational definition of clinically significant change offered by Jacobson, Follette, and Revenstorf (1984), several alternatives have been proposed because they were thought to be either more accurate or more sensitive to detecting meaningful change. In this study, we compared five methods using a sample of 386 outpatients who underwent treatment in routine clinical practice. Differences were found between methods, suggesting that the statistical method used to calculate clinical significance has an effect on estimates of meaningful change. The Jacobson method (Jacobson & Truax, 1991) provided a moderate estimate of treatment effects and was recommended for use in outcome studies and research on clinically significant change, but future research is needed to validate this statistical method.     

Modality-constrained statistical learning of tactile, visual, and auditory sequences

The authors investigated the extent to which touch, vision, and audition mediate the processing of statistical regularities within sequential input. Few researchers have conducted rigorous comparisons across sensory modalities; in particular, the sense of touch has been virtually ignored. The current data reveal not only commonalities but also modality constraints affecting statistical learning across the senses. To be specific, the authors found that the auditory modality displayed a quantitative learning advantage compared with vision and touch. In addition, they discovered qualitative learning biases among the senses: Primarily, audition afforded better learning for the final part of input sequences. These findings are discussed in terms of whether statistical learning is likely to consist of a single, unitary mechanism or multiple, modality-constrained ones.     

Measuring automatic retrieval: a comparison of implicit memory, process dissociation, and speeded response procedures

Using the stem completion task, we compared estimates of automatic retrieval from an implicit memory task, the process dissociation procedure, and the speeded response procedure. Two standard manipulations were employed. In Experiment 1, a depth of processing effect was found on automatic retrieval using the speeded response procedure although this effect was substantially reduced in Experiment 2 when lexical processing was required of all words. In Experiment 3, the speeded response procedure showed an advantage of full versus divided attention at study on automatic retrieval. An implicit condition showed parallel effects in each study, suggesting that implicit stem completion may normally provide a good estimate of automatic retrieval. Also, we replicated earlier findings from the process dissociation procedure, but estimates of automatic retrieval from this procedure were consistently lower than those from the speeded response procedure, except when conscious retrieval was relatively low. We discuss several factors that may contribute to the conflicting outcomes, including the evidence for theoretical assumptions and criterial task differences between implicit and explicit tests.     

Variations in EEG coherence as an index of the affective content of dreams from REM sleep: relationships with face imagery

EEG coherence was examined in relation to four measures of socioemotional dream content, including a new measure--the proportional representation of a character's face. Twenty-four healthy subjects, recorded for sleep stages and EEG activity, were awakened from REM sleep to report dream mentation and to rate it on these variables. Coherence scores were calculated for homologous interhemispheric electrode pairs (Fp1-Fp2, F3-F4, F7-F8, C3-C4, P3-P4, O1-O2, T3-T4, T5-T6) and for left and right intrahemispheric pairs for delta, theta, alpha, beta1, and beta2 frequencies. These were correlated with the mentation measures. Positive correlations were found between average interhemispheric coherence in most bands and the character face measure. A breakdown by gender revealed that this relationship was most evident for women, whereas for men positive correlations were observed between coherence and negative self-feeling. That similar relationships also obtained for both left and right intrahemispheric coherence is consistent with the hypothesis that dreamed socioemotional interactions reflect the integrative functioning of many brain regions in both hemispheres.     

Rational-Emotive Assessment with Religious Clients

Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT), when practiced effectively and flexibly, can be an excellent treatment modality for religious clients. Most of the American population acknowledges some religious belief and/or practice and religious clients sometimes present with unique disturbances and concerns about psychotherapy. In this article we discuss the rapidly changing literature relative to religiousness and mental health and highlight the ethical-professional risks of failing to carefully assess and responsibly manage client religiousness when it is personally and clinically salient. We conclude by outlining a model for focused assessment of religiousness early in REBT and recommend that REBT practitioners consider different components of religiousness and the manner in which they may impact response to treatment.     

Book reviews and notes

General

Islam and Islamic Groups: A Worldwide Reference Guide. Farzana Shaikh (ed.), 1992. London, Longman. x + 316 pp., hb £85.00, ISBN 0–582–09146–2.

Muslims: Their Religious Beliefs and Practices. Vol. 2: The Contemporary Period. Andrew Rippin, 1993. London & New York, Routledge. 171 pp., hb. £35.00, ISBN 0–415–04527–4; pb. £12.99, 0–415–04528–2.

The Medieval Spains. Bernard F. Reilly, 1993. Cambridge, Cambridge University Press. 228 pp., pb. £10.95, ISBN 0–521–39741–3.

Muhyiddin Ibn ^cArabi: A Commemorative Volume. Stephen Hirtenstein and Michael Tiernan (eds), 1993. London, Element Books. 379 pp., hb. n.p., ISBN 1–85230–349–2; pb. n.p., 1–85230–395.

Bulletin d'Etudes Orientales: Sciences Occultes et Islam. Annick Regour and Pierre Lory (eds), 1992. Damas, Institut Français de Damas. pb. n.p., ISBN 2–901315–04–6. ISSN 0253–1623.

Traditional Islam in the Modern World. Seyyed Hossein Nasr, 1990. London, Kegan Paul International Ltd. 335 pp., pb. no price, ISBN 0–7103–0332–7.

The Renewal of Islamic Law: Muhammad Baqer Al‐Sadr, Najaf and the Shi'i International. Chibli Mallat, 1993. Cambridge, Cambridge University Press. 245 pp., hb. £30.00, ISBN 0–521–43319–3.

Power‐Sharing Islam. Azzam Tamini (ed.), 1993. London, Liberty for Muslim World Publications. 192 pp., pb. £9.95, ISBN 0–9521672–0–4.

The Ethics of Disagreement in Islam. Taha Jabir Al‐'Alwani, 1993. Herndon, VA, International Institute of Islamic Thought. 158 pp., pb. n.p., ISBN 1–56564–118–3.

Regional Africa

Muslim Idenity and Social Changes in sub-Saharan Africa. L. Brenner (ed.), 1993. London, C. Hurst & Co. Ltd. 250 pp., hb. £35.00, ISBN 1–85065–195–7; pb. £10.50, 1–85065–196–5.

Windows on the Sudan: A Story of Pain and Pride. Timothy Biles, 1991. Dorset, Brenda Travers, 2nd edn. 164 pp., pb. £4.99, ISBN 0–9517915–0–8.

Sudan: History, Identity, Ideology. Herve Bleuchot, Christian Delmet and Derek Hopwood (eds), 1991. Reading, Ithaca Press. 298 pp., hb. £25.00, ISBN 0–86372–149–4.

Religion and Power in Morocco. Henry Munson Jr., 1993. New Haven & London, Yale University Press. 232 pp., hb. £19.95, ISBN 0–300–95376–2.

Lé Passe de la Ville de Sale dans tous ses Etats: Histoire, Archéologie, Archives. Joudia Hassar‐Benslimane, 1992. Paris, Editions Maisonneuve et Larose. 291 pp. no price, pb., ISBN 2–7068–1039–4.

Der Heiligenkult in Marokko: Formen und Funktionen der Wallfahrten. Hubert Lang, 1992. Passau, Passavia Universitatsverlag. 235 pp., pb. DM 49.80, ISBN 3–860360–06‐X.

Insoumissions Populaires et Révolution au Burkina Faso. Richard Banégas, 1993. Bordeaux, Centre d'Étude d'Afrique Noire. 148 pp., pb. 110FF, ISBN 2–908065–18–5.

Pragmatism in the Age of Jihad: The Precolonial State of Bundu. Michael A. Gomez, 1992. Cambridge, Cambridge University Press. 252 pp., hb. £35.00, ISBN 0–521–41940–9.

Peace is Everything: The World View of Muslims and Traditionalists in the Senegambia. David E. Marantz, 1900. Dallas, TX, International Museum of Cultures. 300 pp., pb. $32.00, ISBN 0–88312–816–0.

Europe

Muslims and Christians in Europe: Breaking New Ground. Essays in Honour of Jan Slomp. Gé Speelman, Jan van Lin and Dick Mulder (eds), 1993. Kampen, Uitgeverij Kok. 211 pp., pb. n.p., ISBN 90–242–8064–8.

Religion. Central Office of Information, 1992. London, HMSO. 80 pp., pb. £5.00, ISBN 0–11–701704–3.

The Migration Process: Capital, Gifts and Offerings among British Pakistanis. Pnina Werbner, 1990. Oxford, Berg. 391 pp., hb. £35.00, ISBN 0–85496–625–0.

Moscow's Muslim Challenge: Soviet Central Asia. Michael Rywkin, 1990. Revised ed, Armonk, NY, M. E. Sharpe. 180 pp., hb. $45.00, ISBN 0–87332–613‐X.

State Religion and Society in Central Asia: A Post‐Soviet Critique. Vitaly Naumkin (ed.), 1993. Reading, Ithaca Press. 289 pp., hb. £35.00, ISBN 0–86372–162–1.

Russia's Muslim Frontiers: New Directions in Cross‐Cultural Analysis. Dale F. Eickelman (ed.), 1993. Bloomington, Indiana University Press. 206 pp., pb. £11.99, ISBN 0–253–20823–8.

Middle East

Coexistence in Wartime Lebanon: Decline of a State and Rise of a Nation. Theodor Hanf, 1993. London, I. B. Tauris with The Centre for Lebanese Studies. xvii + 712 pp., hb. £45.00, ISBN 1–85043–651–7.

Russian Policy in the Middle East: From Messianism to Pragmatism. Alexei Vassilev, 1993. Reading, Ithaca Press. 384 pp., hb. £35.00, ISBN 0–86372–168–0.

Christian‐Muslim Relations

Stepping Stones to a Global Ethic. Marcus Braybrooke, 1992. London, SCM Press. 151 pp., pb. £9.95, ISBN 0–334–01574‐X.

A Greek and Arabic Lexicon, Materials for a Dictionary of the Mediaeval Translations from Greek into Arabic. Gerhard Endress and Dimitri Gutas (eds), 1992. Fascicle, 1. Leiden, New York, Köln, E. J. Brill. 96 pp., plus glossary, pb. DFL80.00, $45.75, ISBN 90–04–09494–6.

Dutch Colonialism and Indonesian Islam: Contacts and Conflicts 1596–1950. Karel Steenbrink, Translated by J. Steenbrink and H. Jansen, 1993. Amsterdam‐Atlanta, GA, Rodopi. 170 pp., hb. £18.50, ISBN 90–5183–267–2.

Wandering Like a Madman. Timothy Biles, 1992. Dorset, Beaminster Team Publications. 134 pp., pb. £4.99, ISBN 09517915–1–6.     

Book reviews and notes

GENERAL.

LA REVANCHE DE DIEU. By Gilles Kepel. Paris: Editions du Seuil, 1991. 283pp. Pb. n.p. ISBN 2–02–012929–9.

DEFENDERS OF GOD: THE FUNDAMENTALIST REVOLT AGAINST THE MODERN AGE. By Bruce B. Lawrence. London: I.B. Tauris, 1990. 306pp. Hb. n.p. ISBN 1–85043–288–0.

ISLAM AND THE CONTEMPORARY WORLD. By G.W. Choudhury. London: Indus Thames Publishers Ltd., 1990. 227pp. Hb. £15.00. ISBN 1–85555–000–8.

TOWARDS UNDERSTANDING THE QUR'AN. VOL.III, SURAHS 7–9. By Sayyid Abul a'la Mawdudi. Translated and edited by Zafar Ishaq Ansari. Leicester: The Islamic Foundation, 1990/1411. 328pp. Pb. n.p. ISBN 0–86037–205–7.

AL‐GHAZALI: INVOCATIONS AND SUPPLICATIONS: KITAB AL‐ADHKAR WA'L‐DA'AWAT: BOOK IX OF THE REVIVAL OF THE RELIGIOUS SCIENCES: IHYA’ ‘ULUM AL‐DIN. Translated with an Introduction and Notes by K. Nakamura. Cambridge: Islamic Texts Society, 1990. 131pp. Pb. n.p. ISBN 0–946621–14–4.

TODAY'S PROBLEMS, TOMORROW'S SOLUTIONS: THE FUTURE STRUCTURE OF MUSLIM SOCIETIES. By Abdullah Omar Naseef. London and New York: Mansell, 1988. 180pp. Hb. £30.00. ISBN 0–7201–1991‐X.

AN EARLY CRESCENT: THE FUTURE OF KNOWLEDGE AND THE ENVIRONMENT IN ISLAM. Edited by Ziauddin Sardar. London and New York: Mansell, 1989. 251pp. Hb. £30.00. ISBN 0–7201–2005–5.

BEYOND FRONTIERS: ISLAM AND CONTEMPORAY NEEDS. Edited by Merryl Wyn Davies and Adnan Khalil Pasha. London and New York: Mansell, 1989. 216pp. Hb. £30.00. ISBN 0–7201–2039‐X.

AL‐KASIM B. IBRAHIM ON THE PROOF OF GOD'S EXISTENCE: KITA AL‐DALI AL‐KABIR. Edited by Binyamin Abrahamov. Islamic Philosophy and Theology Series, Vol.V. Leiden: E.J. Brill, 1990. 201pp. Hb. DFL110.00 US$55.00. ISBN 90–04–08985–3.

ISLAM AND THE CULTURAL ACCOMMODATION OF SOCIAL CHANGE. By Bassam Tibi. Boulder, Colorado: Westview Press. 1990. 272pp. Hb. £24.95. ISBN 0–8133–0917–4.

BAHA’ I WALAD: GRUNDZÜGE SEINES LEBENS UND SEINER MYSTIK. By FRITZ MEIER. Acta Iranica. Textes et Mémoires, vol.14. Leiden: E.J. Brill, 1989. 484pp. Hb. DF200, US$100. ISBN 90–6831–094–1.

IBN RUSHD (AVERROES). By Dominique Urvoy. Arabic Thought and Culture Series. London: Routledge, 1991. 156pp. Pb. £10.99. ISBN 0–415–05567–9.

ISLAM: THE FEAR AND THE HOPE. By Habib Boulares. London: Zed Books, 1990. 144pp. Pb. £8.95; $15.00. ISBN 0–86232–945–0.

IBN KHALDUN. By Aziz al‐Azmeh. London: Routledge, 1990. 176pp. Pb. n.p. ISBN 0–415–03598–8.

REGIONAL.

Africa.

ZANZIBAR UNDER COLONIAL RULE. Edited by Abdul Sheriff and ed Ferguson. Eastern African Studies: London: James Curry, 1991. 278pp. Pb. £9.95. ISBN 0–85255–080–4.

ISLAM ET SOCIETES AU SUD DU SAHARA. Editions de la Maison des Sciences de l'Homme, Paris. No.4, November 1990. ISSN 0084–7685.

TURABI'S REVOLUTION: ISLAM AND POWER IN SUDAN. By Abdelwahab el‐Affendi. London: Grey Seal Books, 1991. xvi + 209pp. Hb. n.p. ISBN 1–85640–004–2.

FAITH OF OUR FATHERS: STUDIES ON RELIGIOUS EDUCATION IN SUB‐SAHARAN AFRICA. By Gerrie Ter Haar. Utrecht: Faculteit der Godgeleerdheid, Rijksuniversiteit Utrecht, 1990. 173pp. Pb. DFI. 10.00. ISBN 90–72235–13–4.

THE GUNNY SACK: AFRICA'S ANSWER TO ‘MIDNIGHT'S CHILDREN’. By M.G. Vassanji. Oxford: Heinemann International, 1989. 276pp. Pb. £4.95; $7.95. ISBN 0–435–90544–9.

NAVIGATION OF A RAINMAKER: AN APOCALYPTIC VISION OF WAR‐TORN AFRICA. By Jamal Mahjoub. Oxford: Heinemann International, 1989. 184pp. Pb. £4.95; $7.95. ISBN 0–435–90560–0.

Asia.

MUSLIM WOMEN IN INDIA: POLITICAL AND PRIVATE REALITIES. By SHAHIDA Lateef. London: Zed books, 1990. 238pp. Pb. £10.95; $16.95. ISBN 0–86232–955–8.

THE GIFT OF A VIRGIN: WOMEN, MARRIAGE AND RITUAL IN A BENGALI SOCIETY. By Lina M. Fruzzetti. Oxford: OUP, 1990. 178pp. Pb. £3.95. ISBN 0–19–56200–1.

SAINTS, GODDESSES AND KINGS: MUSLIMS AND CHRISTIANS IN SOUTH INDIAN SOCIETY, 1700–1900. By Susan Bayly. Cambridge: CUP, 1989. 502pp. Hb. £40.00. US$59.50. ISBN 0–521–37201–1.

Europe.

ISLAM IN RELIGIOUS EDUCATION TEXTBOOKS IN EUROPE. By Abdoldjavad Falaturi. Köln: Islamische Wissenschaftliche Akademie, 1990. 106pp. Pb. n.p. IBN 3–89108–005–0.

MUSLIM THOUGHTS FOR TEACHERS AND TEXTBOOKS AUTHORS. By Abdoldjavad Falaturi. Köln: Islamische Wissenschaftliche Akademie. 92pp. Pb. n.p. ISBN 3–89108–006–9.

RELIGION, STATE AND SOCIETY IN MODERN BRITAIN. Edited by Paul Badham. Lampeter: The Edwin Mellen Press, 1989. 401pp. Pb. n.p. ISBN 0–88946–832‐X.

POLITICAL PARTIES AND DEMOCRACY IN TURKEY. Edited by Metin Hepper and Jacob m. Landau. London & New York: Tauris, 1991. 225pp. Hb. £29.95. ISBN 1–85043–300–3.

EGYPT AND THE CRISIS OF ISLAM. By Zahia Ragheb Dajani. American University Studies, Series IX, History, Vol.56. New York: Peter Lang, 1990. ix + 255pp. Hb. £29.00. ISBN 0–8204–1060–8.

ISLAMIC FUNDAMENTALISM IN EGYPTIAN POLITICS. By Barry Rubin. Basingstoke: Macmillan, 1990. 178pp. Hb. £35.00.0 ISBN 0–333–54374–2.

SADAT AND AFTER: STRUGGLES FOR EGYPT'S POLITICAL SOUL. By Raymond William Baker. London: Tauris, 1990. 365pp. Pb. £26.50. ISBN 1–85043–216–3.

A HISTORY OF THE ARAB PEOPLES. By Albert Hourani. London: Faber and Faber Ltd., 1991. 551pp. Hb. £25.00. ISBN 0–571–13378–9.

TANZIMAT AL‐AHWAL AL‐SHAKSIYYA (PERSONAL STATUS LAW). Limassol: Middle East Council of Churches, 1990.394pp. Pb. n.p. (Arabic).

CAIRO UNIVERSITY AND THE MAKING OF MODERN EGYPT. By Donald Malcolm Reid. Cambridge: CUP, 1990. 296pp. Hb. £32.50; US$54.50. ISBN 0–521–36641–0.

EGYPT UNDER MUBARAK. Edited by CHARLES Tripp and ROGER OWEN. London: Routledge, 1989. 191pp. Hb. £35.00. ISBN 0–415–03887–1.

CITIZENS APART: A PORTRAIT OF THE PALESTINIANS IN ISRAEL. By Amina Minns and Nadia Hijab. London: I.B. Tauris, 1990. 210pp. Hb. n.p. ISBN 1–85043–204‐X.

RELIGIOUS RADICALISM AND POLITICS IN THE MIDDLE EAST. By Emmanuel Sivan and Menachem Friedman. New York: State University of New York Press, 1990. 244pp. P.b. $16.95. ISBN 2–7914–0158–8. (Hb), 0–7914–0159–6 (Pb).

VILLES AU LEVANT: HOMMAGE A ANDRE RAYMOND. Edited by Pierre‐Robert Baduel. Revue du Monde Musulman et de la Méditer‐ranée, no.55/56. Aix‐en‐Provence: Edisud, 1990. 307pp. Pb. FF.160.00. ISBN 2–85744–471–0.

THE NEAR EAST SINCE THE FIRST WORLD WAR. By M.E. Yapp. London and New York: Longman, 1991. 526pp. Pb. £14.95. ISBN 0–582–49499–0.

RECOGNIZING ISLAM: RELIGION AND SOCIETY IN THE MODERN MIDDLE EAST. By M. GILSENAN. London: I.B. Tauris, 1990. 288pp. Pb. £5.95. IBN 1–85043–297‐X.

KUWAIT AND IRAQ: HISTORICAL CLAIMS AND TERRITORIAL DISPUTES. By Richard Schofield. London: Royal Institute of International Affairs, 1991. 134pp. + annexes. Pb. £7.50 + postage. ISBN 0–905031–35–0.

HISTORY AND POLITICS IN ELEVENTH‐CENTURY BAGHDAD. By George Makdisi. Aldershot: Variorum, 1990. I‐IX + addenda and index. Hb. £42.50. ISBN 0–86078–289–1.

EGYPT: MOULIDS, SAINTS, SUFIS. By Nicholaas H. Biegman. London: Kegan Paul International, 1991. 175pp. Hb. £25.00. ISBN 0–7103–0415–3.

AN A TO Z OF THE MIDDLE EAST. By Alain Gresh and Dominique Vidal. London: Zed Books, 1990. 262 pp. Pb. £9.95; $15.00. ISBN 0–86232–881–0.

MY JERUSALEM: TWELVE WALKS IN THE WORLD'S HOLIEST CITY. By Teddy Kollek and Shulamith Eisner. London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 1990. 160pp. Hb. £14.95. ISBN 0–297–79697–6.

CHRISTIAN‐MUSLIM RELATIONS.

EARLY EGYPTIAN CHRISTIANITY FROM ITS ORIGINS TO 451 C.E. By C.W. GRIGGS. Leiden: E.J. Brill, 1990. 276pp. Hb. DFI.140; U.S.$70. ISBN 90–04–09159–9.

COPTS AND MUSLIMS IN EGYPT: A STUDY ON HARMONY AND HOSTILITY. By S.M. Solihin. Leicester: The Islamic Foundation, 1991. 120pp. Pb. n.p. ISBN 0–86037–207–3.

MY NEIGHBOUR IS MUSLIM. A HANDBOOK FOR REFORMED CHURCHES. Edited by John Knox International Reformed Centre, Geneva. Geneva: John Knox International Reformed Centre, 1990. 112pp. Pb. Sfr.10.00, DM12.00, $8.00, FF40.00.

ENCOUNTER BETWEEN CHRISTIANS AND MUSLIMS. Edited by Evangelisches Missionswerk, EMW. Offprint from Mission Studies. Vol. VIII 1, 15, 1991. 48pp.

ISLAMIC SPAIN 1250–1500. By L.P. Harvey. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1990; 369pp. Pb. £31.95, US$45.95. ISBN 0–226–31960–1.

MUSLIMS UNDER LATIN RULE 1100–1300. Edited by James M. Powell. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1990. 221pp. Hb. £29.95. ISBN 0–691–05586–6.

GOTTES IST DER ORIENT, GOTTES IST DER OKZIDENT: FESTSCHRIFT FÜR ABDOLJAVAD FALATURI ZUM 65. GEBURT‐STAG. Hrsg. Udo Tworuschka. Kölner Veröffentlichungen zur Religionsgeschichte. Bd. 21. Köln, Wien: Böhlau Verlag, 1991. 650pp. Hb. n.p. ISBN 3–412–03790–7.