Threat of Shock,State Anxiety,and the Holtzman Inkblot Technique

To study the relationship of selected Holtzman Inkblot Technique (HIT) scores and anxiety, Ss were matched on the basis of A-Trait scores on the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI). The HIT was administered to Ss under neutral and threat of shock conditions. State anxiety was monitored by means of the A-State scale of the STAI. None of the HIT variables reflected changes in A-State due to the experimental conditions. HIT anxiety correlated significantly with STAI A-Trait. Results are discussed in terms of Trait-State Anxiety theory and previous research.     

Validation of a Theory-Driven Profile Interpretation of the Dutch Short Form of the MMPI Using the TAT Social Cognitions and Object Relations Scale (SCORS)

Sixty psychiatric inpatients were assigned to one of three groups on the basis of F and K MMPI validity scales. Staff ratings of patient behavior and recorded incidents of "acting-out" behavior were obtained for patients with: (a) "plea for help" validity profiles, (b) hyper-defensive profiles, and (c) average profiles. Patients with "plea for help"profiles were perceived as "acting out" more frequently and engendering more feelings of frustration than patients in the other groups. These patients account for 77% of the incidents of inappropriate, destructive behavior and 83% of the seclusions in the patients sampled. Although the "plea for help"profile is considered invalid in some scoring systems, results suggest that this validity profile may be useful in treatment planning.     

Creative thought in Artists

One hundred and eleven subjects, 14 and 15 years of age, were administered the Coopersmith Self-Esteem Inventory and two questionnaires, modified from Bienvenu's Adolescent Communication Inventory, eliciting adolescents’ perceptions of their communication with both parents. The 10 males and 10 females with the highest self-esteem scores, and the 10 males and 10 females with the lowest scores were identified to form two groups: the High Self-Esteem Group and the Low Self-Esteem Group. Parents of these students completed questionnaires concerning parent-adolescent communication and marital communication and adjustment.

The five hypotheses tested were strongly supported. Adolescents with low self-esteem viewed communication with their parents as less facilitative than did adolescents with high self-esteem. Parents of adolescents with low self-esteem perceived their communication with their spouses as less facilitative, and rated their marriages as less satisfying, than did parents in the High Self-Esteem Group. There was lack of congruence between the perceptions of adolescents with low self-esteem and those of their parents; both mothers and fathers in the Low Self-Esteem Group viewed parent-adolescent communication as more facilitative than did the adolescents themselves.     

In search of average growth: Describing within-year oral reading fluency growth across Grades 1–8

Measures of oral reading fluency (ORF) are perhaps the most often used assessment to monitor student progress as part of a response to intervention (RTI) model. Rates of growth in research and aim lines in practice are used to characterize student growth; in either case, growth is generally defined as linear, increasing at a constant rate. Recent research suggests ORF growth follows a nonlinear trajectory, but limitations related to the datasets used in such studies, composed of only three testing occasions, curtails their ability to examine the true functional form of ORF growth. The purpose of this study was to model within-year ORF growth using up to eight testing occasions for 1448 students in Grades 1 to 8 to assess (a) the average growth trajectory for within-year ORF growth, (b) whether students vary significantly in within-year ORF growth, and (c) the extent to which findings are consistent across grades. Results demonstrated that for Grades 1 to 7, a quadratic growth model fit better than either linear or cubic growth models, and for Grade 8, there was no substantial, stable growth. Findings suggest that the expectation for linear growth currently used in practice may be unrealistic.     

Techniques of Affirmation: Deviant Behavior,Moral Commitment,and Subcultural Identity

Previous studies have examined how individuals act in ways that are considered deviant by mainstream standards and how these individuals neutralize their actions to maintain a positive self concept. But little is known about how individuals who defy social norms by “not doing” socially accepted behaviors construct meaningful subcultural identities. We explore the overlap between “deviant behavior” and subcultural identity through a case study of an abstinence-based subculture called straightedge. Through an analysis of online, textual interaction among participants of an internet forum dedicated to the straightedge youth subculture and focused discussions with forum members, we develop the concept of techniques of affirmation to frame how participants' beliefs regarding abstinence from drugs, alcohol, and promiscuous sex are articulated in subcultural discourse. We identify five affirmation techniques through which straightedge youths remain steadfast to their ideals, beliefs and non-actions: (1) acknowledgment of responsibility, (2) acknowledgment of injury, (3) acknowledgment of the victim, (4) discounting condemners, and (5) reference to priority relationships. We suggest that people and groups who orient themselves to subcultural frames of reference are more likely to utilize techniques of affirmation as part of constructing a positive sense of self.     

Well-being and Coping of Student Veterans Readjusting into Academia: A Pilot Survey

This study explored student veterans coping with transitions to postsecondary education. An instrument using a Tailored Survey Design and an Adult Transitioning Framework was developed to collect coping responses of 13 veterans with deployment experience transitioning to postsecondary education. Results indicated 38% reported difficulty managing finances, 93% utilized military training to manage stressors, and 38% sought environmental supports provided by the university. Findings suggest previous military experiences can be incorporated into occupations supporting individual coping skill development for the transition to postsecondary education. Further research is needed to understand barriers and facilitators of student veteran engagement in university resources.     

The Varieties of Wonder

Although wonder is a response to what is extraordinary or regarded as such, this covers a variety of things. Hence, wonder covers a spectrum from mere surprise or puzzlement to stronger responses like dread or amazement; moreover, it is often linked to other powerful responses like fear or admiration, and it can lead people into many pursuits and areas of reflection. I look at the variety of the objects of wonder, and of the neighbouring responses and conceptual connections found here, then I discuss the response of wonder itself, and its causes and effects. Finally, I ask why the sense of wonder can atrophy, and whether it can be suppressed deliberately.     

The role of Dependency and Self-Criticism in the relationship between anger and depression

This study explored the role of Dependency and Self-Criticism, two personality dimensions conferring vulnerability for depression, in explaining relationships among anger, anger regulation strategies, and severity of depression in a sample of adults (n = 253) using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). Dependency was associated with high levels of trait anger, the turning of anger towards the self, and low levels of anger directed towards others. Self-Criticism was associated with high levels of both state and trait anger, low anger control, and high levels of anger towards the self and others. Moreover, turning anger towards the self mediated the relationship among both Dependency and Self-Criticism and severity of depression. Problems with anger control also mediated the relationship between Self-Criticism and severity of depression. These findings suggest that Self-Criticism may be closely related to angry/hostile features in depression, while dependency may be more closely associated with the turning of anger towards the self. Although this study was cross-sectional and self-reports of anger might be biased by impression management, results suggest that these personality factors should be taken into account in both research on and treatment of anger in depression.     

The 2 × 2 model of perfectionism: Commenting the critical comments and suggestions of

The 2 × 2 model of perfectionism has recently been analyzed in a critical commentary from Stoeber (2012). The purpose of this article was to have another look at some of the key assumptions of the 2 × 2 model – with a particular focus on the ones that were critically reviewed by Stoeber (2012). In this article, I have tried to clarify our theoretical position to facilitate further theorizing and empirical examination of the 2 × 2 model. The article starts with an overview of the 2 × 2 model of perfectionism. Then, it reiterates the conceptual meanings attached to subtypes of perfectionism while emphasizing that the word “subtype” is a diminutive for within-person combinations of perfectionism. The article proceeds to outline the importance of adopting neutral labels to define subtypes of perfectionism in order to differentiate them from their expected outcomes. The 2 × 2 model is subsequently described as an open-ended theoretical system in which the four hypotheses are needed to offer a compelling framework to test moderating effects. The article also proposes alternative methods, with a particular focus on equivalence testing in order to empirically determine whether some subtypes of perfectionism are associated with equivalent outcomes.     

Toward an Understanding of the Connections in Creating Lasting Family Connections

Abstract

The Creating Lasting Family Connections^® (CLFC) program is designed to help improve relationship skills and reduce antisocial behaviors. Strader and colleagues propose that prosocial connectedness is responsible for program outcomes. We propose that the intersection of high agreeableness and low impulsivity represent an operational definition. We examined this definition in the context of a RCT with 246 men in prison reentry. CLFCFP increased the number of connected individuals. Being connected and the program independently impacted relationship skills, but no evidence was found to support the hypothesis that the program impacts would be more pronounced among those who were connected.