THE MEANING OF MS.

When Ms. was first introduced as an alternative to Miss or Mrs. it was perceived as a radical feminist innovation. Today, its use is unremarkable, even normative. This study examines two aspects of the meaning of Ms.: changes in its connotative meaning over time, and its current comparability to other titles. Female (n = 83) and male (n = 54) college students rated courtesy titles (Ms., Miss, Mrs., Mr.) on a set of bipolar adjective pairs composing a semantic differential scale in an exact replication of a 1978 study. Of the four titles, the largest change in meaning over time was for Ms., and the direction of the change was positive. These results document the social assimilation of a new gender-related concept.     

Sex role orientation and dimensions of self-esteem among middle adolescents

A questionnaire study of 229 high-school students examined the relationship between sex role orientation and various dimensions of self-esteem. The results provide strong support for the masculinity model self-esteem, especially for females. Multivariate analyses of variance revealed the following: (a) females perceived themselves to be significantly more socially competent than males; (b) males perceived themselves to be more physically competent than females; (c) adolescents high on masculinity perceived themselves to be significantly more socially competent, physically competent, and to have higher general self-esteem than those low on masculinity; (d) males and females high on masculinity perceived themselves to be significantly more physically competent and to have higher general self-esteem than females low on masculinity, although males low on masculinity did not differ significantly from any of the other interaction groups. Regression analyses by gender revealed the following: (a) the contribution of masculinity to social competence was much greater for females than for males, (b) the contribution of masculinity to physical competence was much greater for females than for males, and (c) the contribution of masculinity to general self-esteem was much greater for females than for males. In summary, for males, gender may override the impact of sex role orientation, while among females the impact of sex role orientation may be accentuated.     

Self-control in children: A multimethod examination of treatment outcome measures

This investigation consisted of a multimethod evaluation of treatment outcome measures that have been developed to assess self-control in children. Subjects were 132 children from the fourth, fifth, and sixth grades. Each child's homeroom teacher and one other classroom teacher independently completed the Self-Control Rating Scale (SCRS), the Teacher's Self-Control Rating Scale (TSCRS), and the 10-item Conners Teacher Rating Scale (TRS). Parents of 41 children completed the Teacher's Self-Control Rating Scale and the Conners Teacher Rating Scale. Children completed the Children's Perceived Self-Control Scale (CPSC) and were administered the Matching Familiar Figure Test (MFF). Results showed high internal consistency reliability for the TSCRS, SCRS, TRS, and MFF latency scores, CPSCS and MFF error scores demonstrated low reliability13-01=.07).Correlations between rating scales and MFF error scores also were low. The findings suggest that considerable construct confusion does exist between measures designed to assess self-control and impulsivity in children.1The authors wish to express their appreciation to Edward Guziewski, principal, and the teachers of Oregon Elementary School for their assistance and cooperation in this study. In addition, the authors thank an anonymous reviewer for helpful comments on an earlier draft of this article. This article was written while the first author was principal research investigator with the Behavioral and Social Sciences Research Unit of the Waisman Center on Mental Retardation and Human Development at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, which is funded in large part by Grant HD 03352 from the National Institute on Child Health and Human Development. An earlier version of this article was presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association, New Orleans, April 1984.     

Why religious movements succeed or fail: A revised general model

In this essay I refine and greatly expand the scope of my 1987 theory of why religious groups succeed or fail. The initial version was limited to new religions (cult movements). This version applies to all movements, including sects. The theory now consists of 10 propositions which attempt to specify the necessary and sufficient conditions for success or failure.     

Cognitive triad: Relationship to depressive symptoms,parents' cognitive triad,and perceived parental messages

Evaluating the relationship between children's depressogenic thinking, children's depressive symptoms, parents' depressogenic thinking, and perceived parental messages about the self, world, and future was the primary objective of this investigation. Children (n =133) from grades 4 to 7 completed measures of depression and anxiety, including a semistructured clinical interview, a measure of their cognitive triad, and a measure of perceived parental messages about the self, world, and future. Mothers (n =112) and fathers (n =95) completed a measure of their own cognitive triad. Results of a series of regression analyses revealed that (1) children's views of self, world, and future (cognitive triad) are related to severity of depression; (2) mothers' but not fathers' cognitive triads are related to their children's cognitive triads; (3) perceived parental messages to the children about the self, world, and future are predictive of the children's cognitive triads and ratings of depression; and (4) the relationship between perceived parental messages and depression is completely mediated by children's cognitive triads. Analyses of covariance indicated that the obtained mediational relationship between children's views of self, world, and future, perceived parental messages, and children's depressive symptoms was specific to depressive versus anxious symptomatology. Impfications for existing theory and research are discussed.     

Commitment as psychological process: Theory and pastoral implications

Persons today must devote significant effort to making and remaking personal commitments in a variety of contexts, both interpersonal and social in the larger sense. Therefore, it is important for pastors to acquire an understanding of the basic dynamics of the committing process. It is proposed that this process be viewed as a form of creativity involving four alternating phases, in which regression in the service of the ego allows deep and realistic commitments of self to be formed. Implications for pastoral care are suggested.     

The Effect of Residence Hall Judicial Pollcies on Attitudes toward Rule-Violating Behaviors1

As part of a longitudinal study of legal socialization (N= 507), a subset of the sample (n= 87) was chosen for an exploratory naturalistic experiment of the effect of manipulated residence hall judicial policies on attitudes toward rule-violating behavior. Freshman students who directly participated in the functioning of their dormitory judicial system (n= 26) expressed attitudes less tolerant of rule-violating behaviors than did freshman students (n= 12) who had no control over how rules were enforced. Students in both of these experimental conditions expressed attitudes less tolerant of rule-violating behavior than did those (n= 49) living in two control dormitories operating under the usual university policies. While noting the problem of confounds inherent in naturalistic designs, the results are interpreted as suggesting that while the imposition of strict rules by an external authority can result in attitudinal compliance, a stronger effect can be achieved by fostering shared values through active student participation in the judicial system. The implications of these findings are interpreted within the context of control theory.