Sexual prejudice and anger network activation: mediating role of negative affect

The present study sought to establish whether increases in negative affect following exposure to homosexuality mediate the relation between sexual prejudice and anger network activation. Participants were 159 heterosexual men who completed measures of sexual prejudice and state negative affect. Participants were randomly assigned to view a short video depicting either a male–male or male–female sexual interaction and, following the video, again reported state negative affect. Anger network activation was then assessed via response latencies from a lexical decision task that required participants to identify emotion or emotionally neutral words from non‐words. Results indicated that the pattern of covariation between sexual prejudice and anger facilitation was significantly more positive when participants viewed male–male erotica relative to male–female erotica. Increases in negative affect, particularly anxiety/fear, were found to mediate this association. These findings suggest that increases in negative affect following exposure to homosexuality may be the emotional trigger for biases in the processing of anger‐related information and represent the cognitive underpinnings of sexually prejudiced aggression toward gay men. Aggr. Behav. 00:1–10, 2005. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

Persistent neuropsychological problems after 7 years of abstinence from recreational Ecstasy (MDMA): a case study

This case study concerns a 26-yr.-old male who had consumed large amounts of Ecstasy seven years previously. He stated that his increasingly intensive use of ecstasy over a 4-yr. period had led to the emergence of multiple psychiatric and psychological problems. Given these problems, he stopped using Ecstasy, but the problems had not resolved despite seven years of abstinence. The neurocognitive profile was very similar to that shown by current heavy Ecstasy users, with deficits in immediate and delayed verbal recall, moderately impaired memory function, but normal expressive language ability and perceptual functioning. Extremely high pathology was evident, including depression and phobic anxiety. Severe problems with sleep and sex were also reported. Further studies involving larger groups of abstinent former users are needed; adverse sequelae associated with intensive Ecstasy use may sometimes be enduring.     

Forgivingness, vengeful rumination, and affective traits

Trait forgivingness is the disposition to forgive interpersonal transgressions over time and across situations. We define forgiveness as the replacement of negative unforgiving emotions with positive, other-oriented emotions. Rumination has been suggested as a mediator between forgivingness and emotional outcomes; however, we suggest that different content of rumination leads to different outcomes after transgressions. In four studies of 179, 233, 80, and 66 undergraduate students, trait forgivingness was negatively correlated with trait anger, hostility, neuroticism, fear, and vengeful rumination and was positively correlated with agreeableness, extraversion, and trait empathy. The disposition to ruminate vengefully mediated the relationship between trait forgivingness and (1) anger-related traits and (2) both revenge motivations and state anger following a specific recent transgression, but it did not mediate between forgivingness and (1) fearfulness and (2) avoidance motivations following a specific transgression. Self-hate statements, a proxy for depressive rumination, mediated the relationship between forgivingness and both depression and fearfulness but not the relationship between forgivingness and trait anger. Future research should distinguish the contents of mental rumination following interpersonal transgressions.     

Towards an integration of science,art and morality: The role of values in psychology

The purpose of this paper is to define the role of values in therapy. From both an historical and theoretical perspective, values are an integral part of the therapeutic process. Hence, a review of the research which highlights the effects, interplay and outcome of values in psychology is undertaken. The implications of this review are discussed with particular reference to cross-cultural and religious issues. The current trend for ‘value-free’ therapy is suggested as unattainable and, moreover, as reflective of the dominant sociopolitical structure. In addition, the impact of this research on the role of the professional is explored and the possibilities of future research highlighted. In sum, psychology is discussed as a value-laden process which needs to better integrate the science, art and morality of the discipline if it is to fulfill its potential as a therapeutic process.     

Does cigarette smoking cause stress?

Smokers often report that cigarettes help relieve feelings of stress. However, the stress levels of adult smokers are slightly higher than those of nonsmokers, adolescent smokers report increasing levels of stress as they develop regular patterns of smoking, and smoking cessation leads to reduced stress. Far from acting as an aid for mood control, nicotine dependency seems to exacerbate stress. This is confirmed in the daily mood patterns described by smokers, with normal moods during smoking and worsening moods between cigarettes. Thus, the apparent relaxant effect of smoking only reflects the reversal of the tension and irritability that develop during nicotine depletion. Dependent smokers need nicotine to remain feeling normal. The message that tobacco use does not alleviate stress but actually increases it needs to be far more widely known. It could help those adult smokers who wish to quit and might prevent some schoolchildren from starting.