Reflexive Communities: The Non-Western Church as Healing Community

Many non-Western Christian communities have experienced terrible human rights violations at the hands of fellow citizens, civil authorities, or rebel groups, Christian or otherwise. This article presents a brief and practical model of healing that attempts to remain consistent with the general characteristics of non-Western social realities. It suggests that rather than relying on the paucity of professional therapies offered in those contexts, non-Western churches themselves can become harbingers of healing for the traumatized community. By blending social theory with biblical narratives, this article proffers an example of how healing can take place within sociocentric communities.     

Pat Duffy Hutcheon,Building Character and Culture

Studies in Philosophy and Education -     

Impact of Co-Therapy Teams on Client Outcomes and Therapist Training in Marriage and Family Therapy

This study of 33 student therapists, 402 client systems, and three supervisors tested the efficacy of using student co-therapy teams as an aspect of clinical training in a marriage and family therapy program. This study utilizes both quantitative and qualitative methodology. Two research questions were addressed: “Do different pairings of co-therapists affect client outcomes?” and “Is co-therapy a viable option for a training program?” The results indicate that client outcomes using co-therapy are at least as effective as treatment using one therapist and in some circumstances produce more positive outcomes for both clients and student therapists.     

Multigenerational Sexual Abuse: A Cognitive Developmental Approach to Understanding Mothers in Treatment

This paper takes a cognitive developmental perspective in the qualitative analysis of 9 interviews of women who were sexually abused as children and whose children were also sexually abused. It discusses ways in which the development of cognitive self-understanding can by stymied by childhood sexual abuse and how this, in turn, can affect a woman's ability to parent her children and take full advantage of psychotherapy. It studies the recovery process that participants describe at various stages of a social cognitive developmental model of self-understanding. Finally, it promotes the use of a cognitive developmental perspective in clinical work and offers suggestions for counselors addressing issues of childhood sexual victimization.     

Coming out discourses of Asian American lesbians

The authors examined the accounts of a small group of Asian American lesbians regarding their experiences forming their sexual identities. Discourse analysis and the social constructionist approach were applied to the subjects’ accounts of their coming out. Focus group subjects’ discussions were transcribed in order to depict the practices they employed to render their experiences meaningful to themselves and others. There was an internal dialectical process between the subjects’ subjective and objective reality, during which they came to terms with their subjective identity, or came out to themselves. There was also an external dialectical process between the subjects and society, during which they negotiated with their objective world for their subjective identity, or came out to the public in general and to their families in particular. The research suggests that in these dialectical processes, Asian cultural values and beliefs served as the means through which the conflict between the subjects’ interiority and their social networks was reconciled. The desire to reabsorb the subjects served to motivate the family members to work collaboratively to overcome cultural barriers to acceptance. The authors are grateful for the help of Robert Dominguez and all the participants who made the study possible.     

Uncovering the links between brand choice and personal values among young British and Spanish girls

This paper presents empirical research which demonstrates how snacks brands can satisfy certain personal values for female 11–12 year‐old British and Spanish consumers. The qualitative research design uses a means‐end approach, based on a laddering technique, to uncover the links between brand choice and personal values. After reviewing the means‐end model and other relevant theory, the research methodology and design are presented in detail. The findings reveal significant scope for positioning snacks brands using the values of well being and fun and enjoyment (UK and Spain), while the value of friendship and belonging emerges as an extra dimension for the British respondents. Copyright © 2001 Henry Stewart Publications.     

The Effects of Switching on Denominational Subcultures

For many years, sociologists have examined the role of religious collectivities in shaping individual attitudes and behaviors. This research has assumed that religious groups are the "locus of subcultural differences" in social attitudes. However, scholars have not addressed how denominational mobility or switching affects denominational subcultures. Our research uses data from the General Social Surveys to examine the consequences of switching on denominational subcultures. Our analysis investigates denominational differences in central tendencies and differences in homogeneity for "switchers" and those who remain affiliated with the same religious group over the life course. Further, comparisons of both types of religious group differences are adjusted to account for sociodemographic characteristics. Several promising directions for future research on religious variations in social values and attitudes are discussed.     

On exploring meanings: Combining humanistic and career psychology theories in counselling

The notion of meaning is considered a significant construct in both humanistic psychology and vocational psychology. These two psychological disciplines appear to share some philosophical common ground with respect to the role of meaning making and meaning interpretation in people's life career experiences. This paper intends to take a look at such shared conceptual foundation, and examine the feasibility in incorporating the humanistic meaning construct into career psychology. Career counselling implications are discussed.     

Evidence of Impaired Glucose Tolerance and Insulin Resistance in Patients With Alzheimer’s Disease

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and diabetes rarely occur together, a finding that provides a possible clue as to the development of AD. Abnormal glucose metabolism is not limited to diabetes, but also can include impaired glucose tolerance, insulin resistance, and hyperinsulinemia. AD patients have significantly varying insulin levels after drinking sugared sodas and thus may be classified as insulin resistant. After reviewing the literature on impaired glucose tolerance and insulin production in AD, we present several hypotheses as possible explanations for the relationship between insulin resistance and AD. Finally, we suggest future studies, including studies on use of thiazolidinediones (currently used in the treatment of diabetes) in AD.