The psychology of the Persian Gulf war-part II. Congressional address—on the Issue of Veterans' Acquired Competence Gained Through National Defense Experience: Overcoming Psychological Impediments to Community Initiatives

This article highlights a number of impediments which have interfered with the ability of veterans to engage in meaningful community development. Many attempts at community building have failed because little or no attention had been given to veterans' psychological chains which have bound them to their traumatic past. Here, the application of behavioral science to understanding human action, and the guiding role it can play in social-community affairs is highlighted. Psychology can contribute immensely to bringing to professional and public awareness the reality (rather than the stereotype) of veterans' potential for goodness and positive community-building behavior. There are times when veterans need to seek psychotherapy to help integrate elements of their war trauma if they are to engage in vital actions in community development.Members of the Executive Committee of the Congressional Veterans Braintrust. Invited address presented at the 1990 Veterans' Braintrust Symposium, Black Veterans: From National Defense to Community Development, 20th Annual Congressional Black Caucus Foundation Legislative Weekend, September 28, 1990.     

The psychology of the persian gulf war — Part I. Gulf-Nam and Saddam Hussein's Nebuchadnezzar Imperial Complex: A political psychological analysis

Since Vietnam America lost its domestic and international face and has needed to regain collective self- respect, a sense of purpose, direction, and to reconstruct a set of values which will guide the nation's contemporary and future political and economic agenda at home and abroad. Saddam's invasion of Kuwait was a perfect opportunity for America to accomplish this — to raise America's image from the ashes of despair, self- doubt, and low credibility in the world. After the invasion, President Saddam Hussein was ejected out of obscurity into the light of world curiosity and intrigue. Seen as the leader who dared to steal an entire country in daylight, who took hostages and created human shields, and then arrogantly brushed aside the world's outrage, the entire world seemed to want to understand not Saddam's politics, but his mind. As the world threatened Hussein with ejection from Kuwait, he not only grandiosely retorted with threats of burning the entire planet, but became increasingly brazen, emboldened, dangerous, and resolute. Saddam's self organization fuels the Nebuchadnezzar Imperial Complex, which operate within the malignant narcissistic paranoid personality. The Iraqi leader's dynamics dovetailed with Gulf- Nam — the American post- Vietnam failure syndrome. This study focuses on Saddam's personality dynamics as a violent leader in the Arab world.     

Lingual vibrotactile threshold shift during magnitude-estimation scaling: effects on magnitude-estimation responses and scaling behavior across age

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of age on tactile threshold shifts occurring during magnitude-estimation scaling of vibratory stimuli presented to the dorsal surface of the tongue. Relationships of the lingual vibrotactile threshold shifts to suprathreshold stimulus intensity, magnitude-estimation responses, and over-all scaling behavior were explored. Three groups differing in mean age participated in this study (Group 1 8.05 yr., Group 2 19.46 yr., and Group 3 56.2 yr.). Each subject performed two magnitude-estimation tasks. In one task, threshold of sensitivity was measured after every suprathreshold numerical response to the subject. If a threshold shift was recorded, threshold was allowed to return to the pretest baseline level continuing to the next suprathreshold stimulus presentation. The results showed that threshold shift during magnitude-estimation scaling took place for all three age groups and that the shift was related to the intensity of the suprathreshold vibratory stimulus being applied to the tongue. They also showed that Group 2 (young adults) performed magnitude-estimation scaling differently when threshold shift was controlled than when it was not. The other two groups of subjects were not similarly affected.     

The reparation of the self: Clinical and theoretical dimensions in the treatment of Vietnam combat veterans

This paper discusses a broad range of theoretical and clinical issues pertaining to a proposed approach to individual psychotherapy with Vietnam combat veterans. Called theself-reparative process, this approach features four phases, ranging in the first from anactive behavioral-cognitive approach to the fourth phase that utilizes a less active, psychoanalytic approach. This range of approaches is essential in order to adapt to the ongoing progressivespectrum-of-needs of the veterans, with the objective of increasing psychological control to resolving narcissistic rage and building a cohesive self.The views contained in this paper represent those of the author, who is solely responsible for its contents. As such, the views herein are not necessarily those of the Veterans Administration. Paper presented at a Queens Hospital Center (affiliation of Long Island Jewish-Hillside Medical Center) Department of Psychiatry, Grand Rounds in Jamaica, New York on April 10, 1981. The author acknowledges the gracious assistance of Doctors Scott Mykel and Robert Mednick of Queens Hospital Center during the first draft of this paper.     

Sensitivity and decisional factors in the psychological refractory period

Three trained Ss responded to a pair of events presented at fixed interstimulus intervals (ISIs) of 33, 67, and 100 msec. Each event was the independent presence of a visual stimulus (S-P) or its absence (S-A), to which Ss were to respond or not, with a set for speed over accuracy. The probabilities of Sop occurrence [P(S)] to each of the events were varied. Pretrial verbal reports or behavioral hypotheses (BHs) werealso obtained. P(S), ISI, BH, and order (first vs second event) were all generally determinants of both RT to Sop and inhibition probability to S-A. However, when the RT data were corrected for inhibition probability, order was the only systematic effect that remained. The results were discussed in terms of approaches to the psychological refractory period derived from signal detection theory involving differential sensitivity as opposed to criterion.     

School Counselor Problems: Colorado and Massachusetts

600 randomly selected school counselors in Colorado and Massachusetts were asked to specify questions they would like research to “answer” for them. Questions submitted by the counselors were categorized into the three general headings of role, skill, and information. Questions were also categorized into more specific areas to identify needed research. Differences were noted between Colorado and Massachusetts counselors and implications were made for counselor education programs.     

Perceptual dominance during lipreading

Two experiments were pedormed under visual-only and visual-auditory discrepancy conditions (dubs) to assess observers’ abilities to read speech information on a face. In the first experiment, identification and multiple choice testing were used. In addition, the relation between visual and auditory phonetic information was manipulated and related to perceptual bias. In the second experiment, the “compellingness” of the visual-auditory discrepancy as a single speech event was manipulated. Subjects also rated the confidence they had that their perception of the lipped word was accurate. Results indicated that competing visual information exerted little effect on auditory speech recognition, but visual speech recognition was substantially interfered with when discrepant auditory information was present. The extent of auditory bias was found to be related to the abilities of observers to read speech under nondiscrepancy conditions, the magnitude of the visual-auditory discrepancy, and the compellingheSS of the visual-auditory discrepancy as a single event. Auditory bias during speech was found to be a moderately compelling conscious experience, and not simply a case of confused responding or guessing. Results were discussed in terms of current models of perceptual dominance and related to results from modality discordance during space perception.