Interpersonal determinants of attitude change following counterattitudinal behavior

In a test of predictions derived from an identity-analytic model of self-presentational behavior, individuals who privately endorsed positive or negative attitudes about sexual behavior were asked to deliver a prosexuality speech while alone, while watched by observers, or while being watched by observers who questioned the morality of the subject’s actions. Subsequent attitude measures indicated that the subjects who initially adopted negative attitudes justified their behavior by expressing more favorable attitudes about sexuality, but only when no audience witnessed their speech. When an audience was present, these individuals emphasized their lack of choice. In contrast, subjects who privately endorsed positive attitudes publicly expressed less favorable attitudes when their morality was challenged by the observers. These findings suggest that attitude change following counterattitudinal behavior (a) stems from private image-maintenance needs as well as public self-presentational concerns, and (b) is sometimes designed to secure an image of morality as well as an image of consistency.     

Efficacy of delayed auditory feedback for treating cluttering: Two case studies

Two clutterers were treated with similar preplanned delayed auditory feedback (DAF) procedures, using probe samples in which the DAF was not present to measure treatment efficacy. Whereas both clients met established fluency criteria during treatment, both clutterers had difficulty transferring gains to probe sessions—one more than the other. Differences in results of DAF treatment are discussed from the perspectives of differences in cluttering severity, coexisting disorders, and supplementary clinical techniques.     

A tabular summary of cluttering subjects in the special edition

Tables summarizing results of questionnaires, completed by authors, for each cluttering subject are presented. The first table summarizes symptoms and abnomalities manifested by the 29 clutterers. The second table summarizes the targets, procedures, and results of therapy for 15 of the clutterers for whom knowledge of therapy was available.     

Otto’s idea of the ‘numinous’- A crosscultural reappraisal

Conclusion Rudolf Otto’s concept of the ‘numinous’ was developed through study, observation, personal experience and religious and philosophical influences. The main philosophical influences for Otto's thought came from Fries, Schleiermacher, and Kant—from whom Otto derived the concept of thea priori nature of the numinous. However, the numinous does not appear to be a universally applicable category of experience, much lessa priori, and in some cases may distort religious experience. The example of Hinduism demonstrated how easily the concept of the numinous may be applied to one     

Families and Deinstitutionalization: An Application of Bronfenbrenner's Social Ecology Model

Bronfenbrenner's social ecology model is applied to families that include a member with a developmental disability who are involved in the process of transition from institution to community. An overview of the model is presented as well as discussion of counselors' use of it in providing services to families in this situation. The social ecology perspective can be applied to enhance understanding of the families and to provide a framework for structuring family support during the community transition process.     

Policy controversies in the negotiatory state

In this article Schön and Rein’s views about policy controversies and their resolution are introduced and critically examined. The broader context of their argument can be found in the emergence of the “negotiatory state,” where public policy is made in coproduction between interdependent actors in shared-power settings. Policy controversies, conceived of as conflicts rooted in clashes between the action frames that actors employ when they define problems and propose solutions to public issues, constitute a challenge to this institutional logic of policy-making. Schön and Rein’s book is largely devoted to identifying ways to resolve them. This article revisits their conceptualization of controversies, reassesses their implications for the integrity of the policy-making process, and places their proposed philosophy of “design rationality” in a broader repertoire of ways to cope with frame multiplicity and frame conflict in public policy-making.     

The myth of a secular state: A study of religious politics with historical illustrations

Religion has continued to assert itself as a significant moral force in Nigeria's post‐independence politics; however, some recent studies of the country's political life tend to dismiss religion as a kind of mystical irrationality or an act of deluded trust. After conducting an audit of what I take to be the assets and the liabilities of the intellectual traditions underpinning this secularist preference, I propose a theory of political morality in which themes of legitimacy, identity and social justice are explained against the background of religious expectations. I argue that the rationale for political behaviour in Nigeria is not fully accounted for by the categories of class and ethnicity, but must be sought in a more inclusive and transcendent moral basis. I conclude that the recent high‐profile involvements of religious persons in politics should not be seen as flashes of political insanity; rather, they constitute genuine attempts to reformulate the modern language of public morality.     

Changing perspectives in the extended family system in nigeria: Implications for family dynamics and counselling

The extended family system in Nigeria had in time past provided support structures for the Nigerian people. Today, Nigeria as a society has witnessed severe changes in the extended family system. This paper addresses issues connected with the extended family system in the Nigerian cultural setting before the influx of the extraneous forces as well as changes within the broader Nigerian society.