Empirical Identification of Dimensions of Religiousness and Spirituality

Numerous measures of Religiousness and Spirituality (R/S) exist, but the number and type of dimensions represented by these measures remain unclear. We used exploratory and confirmatory analyses in two U.S. college-student samples to identify five dimensions of R/S: Religious/Spiritual Involvement, Search for Meaning, Religious Struggle, Quest, and Spiritual Well-Being. Over half of the measures loaded on the first factor (Religious/Spiritual Involvement). In bivariate and multivariate analyses, the factors had unique patterns of relationships with each other, with alcohol use and problems, and with measures of affect and personality. Although this study utilized a college-student sample, the factors obtained are similar to those found in studies using other samples. While R/S can be represented as a global characteristic, additional dimensions also exist and may have significance for understanding how R/S are related to health and well-being.     

stigma management strategies among women with physical disabilities: contrasting approaches of downplaying or claiming a disability status

The lived experiences of women with physical disabilities have received little research attention. To investigate a variety of social and interpersonal issues, in-depth tape-recorded interviews were conducted with 24 female students with physical disabilities. Findings concerning their experiences as students indicate that these women need to negotiate their disability status with able-bodied others. Respondents employ contrasting stigma management strategies of deflection, normalization, disidentifiers, and advocacy with students, faculty, and campus personnel. Women with physical disabilities either downplay or claim their disability status depending on the type of stigma (discredited or discreditable), the nature of the relationship with the audience (personal or formal), and the perceived reaction of the audience (accepting or questioning the legitimacy of the disability). Implications regarding conflicting presentations of self, divergence of strategies from normative expectations, and lack of group consciousness are discussed.     

Multidimensional Self-Perception of Sexually Abused Girls: Factor Models and Differences Between Sexual Abuse and Comparison Groups

This study investigated the multiple dimensions of self-perception in a sample of sexually abused and nonabused comparison girls (n = 140), with particular attention to self-perception in the scholastic, social, athletic, physical (appearance), and behavioral conduct domains. First, this study examined whether the five dimensions of self-perception were psychologically discrete. Second, the relationships between the self-perception factors and childhood sexual abuse were investigated using structural equation modeling. The results supported the multidimensionality of self-perception and suggested the presence of two distinct second-order self-perception factors: academic- and social-self. While the sexually abused girls indicated less positive perception for the academic-self than the comparison group, the two groups did not differ regarding the social-self. The findings highlight the importance of a multidimensional approach to self-perception in assessing and treating sexually abused children.     

"SOMEONE LIKE ME CAN BE SUCCESSFUL": DO COLLEGE STUDENTS NEED SAME-GENDER ROLE MODELS?

Two studies examined the extent to which matching on gender determines the impact of career role models on the self. Because women face negative stereotypes regarding their competence in the workplace, they may derive particular benefit from the example of an outstanding woman who illustrates the possibility of overcoming gender barriers to achieve success. In contrast, men may not have the same need for same-gender role models. Study 1 assessed the impact of gender-matched and mismatched career role models on the self-perceptions of female and male participants. In Study 2, female and male participants were asked to describe a career role model who had inspired them in the past. In both studies, results indicated that female participants were more inspired by outstanding female than male role models; in contrast, gender did not determine the impact of role models on male participants.     

Psychological Groups and Political Psychology: A Response to Huddy's "Critical Examination of Social Identity Theory"

In a recent article in this journal, Leonie Huddy (2001) asks whether the social identity approach developed by Tajfel, Turner, and their collaborators can "advance the study of identity within political science" (p. 128). She concludes that "various shortcomings and omissions in its research program" (p. 128) hinder the application of the approach to political phenomena. This paper presents a response to Huddy's evaluation of the social identity approach. Several aspects of her account of social identity work are challenged, especially her suggestion that it ignores subjective aspects of group membership. The interpretation of the minimal group paradigm is discussed in detail, as are issues of identity choice, salience, and variations in identity strength. The treatment of groups as process in social identity theory and self–categorization theory is given particular emphasis.     

Handling complex real-world data with two cognitive engineering tools: COGENT and MacSHAPA

The ultimate concern of cognitive engineering is how complex sociotechnical systems might be designed so that humans can work within them and control them safely and effectively. Because of this, large amounts of observational data analysis and knowledge elicitation are incorporated in cognitive engineering. At many points, these two methodologies coalesce. In this paper, we describe two complementary cognitive engineering software tools—MacSHAPA and COGENT—that are being developed alongside each other. MacSHAPA is designed for observational data analysis, and COGENT is designed for knowledge elicitation and cognitive engineering, but both sup-port requirements gathering. We first outline current trends in cognitive engineering that have given rise to the need for tools like MacSHAPA and COGENT. We then describe the two tools in more detail, and point to their similarities and differences. Finally, we show how the two tools are complementary, and how they can be used together in engineering psychology research.     

Chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgicencephalomyelitis as a twentieth-century disease: analytic challenges

The challenges of chronic fatigue syndrome (often called myalgic encephalomyelitis, especially in the UK) (CFS/ME) to analytical and medical approaches are connected with our inability to understand its distressing somatic symptoms in terms of a single identifiable and understandable disease entity. The evidence for the roles of viral aetiologies remains inconclusive, as does our understanding of the involvement of the immune system. The history and social context of CFS/ME, and its relation to neurasthenia and psychasthenia are sketched. A symbolic attitude to the condition may need to be rooted in an awareness of psychoid levels of operation, and the expression and spread of CFS/ME may sometimes be aided by the ravages of projective identification. Psychic denial, sometimes violent, in sufferers (especially children and adolescents) and their families may be important in the aetiology of CFS/ME. We draw out common threads from psychodynamic work with five cases, four showing some symptomatic improvement, analytic discussions of three cases being presented elsewhere in this issue of JAP.     

Effects of sex-role deviant lifestyles in otherwise normal persons on the perception of maladjustment

Subjects rated 12 stimulus persons (SPs) on maladjustment in several areas, and on the likelihood of requiring psychiatric help, in a person perception task. Half of the SPs were male and half female. Half of each were sex-role congruent and half sex-role deviant in terms of occupation, life styles, or interests, though normal in all other respects. Bias scores were constructed for subjects reflecting the extent to which each was influenced by sex-role deviance. Measures of gender stereotyping and sex-role ideology were also obtained. Results showed that sex-role deviant SPs were rated as significantly more maladjusted than congruent SPs and more likely to require psychiatric help. Sex-role deviance had a much greater effect on male than female SPs. Gender stereotyping and sex-role ideology showed only a moderate relationship, which suggests that these concepts should be distinguished. Measures of evaluative bias showed low to moderate relationships with sex-role ideology and very low correlations with gender stereotyping.This research is based on parts of a doctoral dissertation by the first author. It was supported by an Ontario Mental Health Foundation Research Studentship Award to the first author and by Canada Council Grant #S74-0707 to the second author.