When history constrains identity: Expressing the self to others against the backdrop of a problematic past

Negative histories threaten collective identity. Much research has focussed on how group members strategically defend against such threats. However, within certain groups such defence is difficult—because the group's past actions were unambiguously negative and because these were public and continue to frame relations with outgroups. We explored the consequences of this form of identity constraint on the individual's experience of the self. Two studies varied the salience of the past as German participants expressed their national identity to either an ingroup (German) or outgroup (English) audience. In both studies expressing German identity to an outgroup audience when the past was salient resulted in a more fragmented sense of self and reduced self‐esteem. This effect was mediated through a perceived inability to enact the self. Results are discussed with respect to the power of context to constrain identity expression, and the consequences of this for the self. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Optimism facilitates the utilisation of prior cues

It has been shown that optimists tend to rely more on their prior expectations than sensory input when making decisions of an intense nature (Geers & Lassiter, 2002). We investigated the degree to which this tendency persists over a range of discrepancies between prior cues and actual stimuli. Eighty‐seven participants were shown a subset of happy, sad and fearful pictures drawn from the Ekman facial expressions of emotion (Ekman & Oster, 1979). Each picture was preceded by a verbal cue indicating the impending emotional expression and intensity. The displayed pictures were either in agreement, slightly discrepant or very discrepant with the cue. Participants rated the extent to which they agreed/disagreed with the expectation cue. Probit signal detection models were used to produce acquiescence for each subject at each level of discrepancy. Correlation analysis was performed on acquiescence and dispositional optimism scores. There was a significant correlation between all acquiescence scores for levels of discrepancies and dispositional optimism. Optimism appears to be a trait associated with acquiescence. The apparent tendency of optimists to comply may be due to a cognitive style that relies on expectations, such that it takes them longer to recognise the extent of discrepancy between expectations and incoming information. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Adult Life Satisfaction and the Role of Forgiveness After Childhood Sexual Abuse: Evidence from a Seventh‐day Adventist Cohort

Negative physical and mental health outcomes are well documented for those who experience child sexual abuse. We explore the role of three types of dispositional forgiveness (of self, of others, and by God) as effect modifiers of the child sexual abuse and life satisfaction relationship. In 2010–2011, a sample of 5,506 Seventh‐day Adventists reported levels of forgiveness, life satisfaction, and whether or not they had experienced sexual abuse in each of the two age periods (younger than 8 years and 8–18 years). Reported experience of childhood sexual abuse lowered life satisfaction regardless of when the child sexual abuse occurred. Forgiveness of self and of others were associated with higher life satisfaction regardless of sexual abuse exposure. Feeling forgiven by God was associated with increased life satisfaction indirectly through forgiveness of self and others. However, for those abused later in childhood, the association of abuse with reduced life satisfaction was weaker for those who felt forgiven by God. These findings suggest forgiveness by God operates primarily through forgiveness of self (and others) but can also buffer the effects of childhood sexual abuse on later life satisfaction when the abuse occurs in childhood/adolescence.     

Social modeling of exercise inventory: A measure of exercise‐specific social influence

Because social modeling relates to exercise behavior, the Social Modeling of Exercise Inventory (SMExI) was developed to assess this form of social influence. In Study 1a, participants (n = 294) were asked how others help them to exercise regularly. Based on these responses, Study 1b (n = 246) and Study 1c (n = 146) examined the created scale’s factor structure. Study 2a (n = 265) established reliability and validity and examined predictive power toward theoretically relevant variables. Study 2b (n = 123) validated a 7‐day response format. The SMExI demonstrated high reliability and good measurement validity. It was related to other exercise‐specific social influences, predicted the amount to which individuals engaged in regular exercise, and provided incremental validity beyond existing measures of social influence. The SMExI provides a specific instrument that can be used to examine the extent to which social modeling relates to exercise behavior. Limitations and future directions for research and application are discussed.     

Tangible pictures: viewpoint effects and linear perspective in visually impaired people

Perception of raised-line pictures in blindfolded-sighted, congenitally blind, late-blind, and low-vision subjects was studied in a series of experiments. The major aim of the study was to examine the value of perspective drawings for haptic pictures and visually impaired individuals. In experiment 1, subjects felt two wooden boards joined at 45 degrees, 90 degrees, or 135 degrees, and were instructed to pick the correct perspective drawing from among four choices. The first experiment on perspective found a significant effect of visual status, with much higher performance by the low-vision subjects. Mean performance for the congenitally blind subjects was not significantly different from that of the late-blind and blindfolded-sighted subjects. In a further experiment, blindfolded subjects drew tangible pictures of three-dimensional (3-D) geometric solids, and then engaged in a matching task. Counter to expectations, performance was not impaired for the 3-D drawings as compared with the frontal viewpoints. Subjects were also especially fast and more accurate when matching top views. Experiment 5 showed that top views were easiest for all of the visually impaired subjects, including those who were congenitally blind. Experiment 5 yielded higher performance for 3-D than frontal viewpoints. The results of all of the experiments were consistent with the idea that visual experience is not necessary for understanding perspective drawings of geometrical objects.     

MMPI-A structural summary characteristics of male juvenile delinquents

The Minnesota Multiphasic Personal Inventory-Adolescent Structural Summary factor scores for 655 male juvenile delinquents were determined. These Structural Summary scores were compared to the Structural Summary scores in the normative sample of boys. Elevations on Factor 2 (Immaturity) were most characteristic, with half of delinquents' scores being elevated by at least one standard deviation. Discriminant analyses suggested that linear combinations of the Structural Summary scores are as capable of distinguishing between the normative and delinquent samples as were linear combinations of the clinical scales. Furthermore, use of Structural Summary scores provided incremental validity in distinguishing between the two samples, increasing positive predictive power by 20% to 40% as compared to use of only the clinical, content, and supplementary scales.     

A general systems approach to suicide prevention: lessons from cardiac prevention and control

The pathology of cardiac disease includes genetic, physical, biochemical, psychological, social, and environmental vectors. Factors contributing to suicide have been identified in these same areas. Survival from an acute cardiac event requires a systematized and multisectoral response. Communities that do not have systematized response capabilities to acute cardiac events have poorer survival outcomes. Suicide prevention and control may also be responsive to an integrated community response system. This paper examines the development of a community cardiac care model, explores potential parallels for a community suicide prevention and control model, and outlines a general systems theory framework for a suicide prevention and control system.     

Coping with Identity Conflict: Perceptions of Self as Flexible versus Fixed Moderate the Effect of Identity Conflict on Well-being

In four experimental studies, we explored the moderating role of perceptions of one’s self as flexible vs. fixed on the relationship between identity conflict, well-being, and self-esteem. Across different contexts, it was demonstrated that representations of self as stable vs. changeable moderated the effect of conflicting identities on well-being and self-esteem. Specifically, the activation of conflicting identities led to a decrease in well-being and self-esteem among those who construed their self as stable, but not among those who adopted flexible representations of self. The results suggest that the net effect of multiple identities depends not only on their compatibility and importance, but also on the way in which one’s self-concept is construed.