Managing Attitudes Toward High Achievers: The Influence 0f Group Discussion

For a variety of cultural, contextual, and interpersonal reasons, individual achievement often meets with potentially demotivating resistance from the group. In groups of between three and seven members, 397 psychology and social work students, in East and Northern Australian cities (Newcastle and Darwin), indicated their attitudes toward high achievers before, during, and after a group consensus task. In each location, and at both individual and group levels of analysis, initially slightly pro-achiever attitudes, following discussion of the issues, became polarized. Such changes, across diverse settings and groups, indicate that group discussion may be a robust tool, both for empowering teams and encouraging support for individual initiative.     

On-line Apple II for the recording and analysis of complex motor movements

The system described here was prompted by the need for a method of separately recording various components of a complex motor act. The task involved vertical, horizontal, and turn components. Our particular interest was the relation between integration of components and level of skill demonstrated. The peripheral equipment provides a separate analogue output for each component and plugs directly into the Apple’s game-paddle input. Trial data are stored directly on disk and can be retrieved for subsequent graphical plotting and analysis. The Apple II accommodates up to four inputs and returns results for movements as fast as .05 sec. The programming system can be used, without modification, for a wide variety of motor tasks. No additional interface or clock is required.     

Near-fatal experience,crisis intervention and the anniversary reaction

Grief and death-related reactions have been growing psychotherapeutic concerns during the last several decades. Beginning with Freud'sMourning and Melancholia, a host of depth-psychologists have devoted extensive attention to the psychodynamics of tramatic object-loss. More recently studies of biological resuscitation and phases of near-fatal experience have been widely researched. Concurrently, investigations of stress syndromes have sought to offer suggestions to those involved in the intervention of crisis effects. The author integrates several pronounced insights derived from this literature while shifting their dominant tenors of object loss or life after death recollections to repercussions associated with passive assults to the self. His own pre-terminal reflections, experimental research and psychoanalytic ministry form the foundation of his conclusions for pastoral counselors dealing with victimized clients who re-experience acute anxiety close to the anniversary of their injury.He also serves as Pastoral Consultant to The Canterbury House of Northwestern, Evanston, as well as All Saint's and Holy Innocents' Episcopal Churches, Atlanta.     

Book reviews

Journal of Religion and Health -