Looks That Kill the Capacity for Thought

In this paper I explore ways in which the fundamental balance between life and death forces is portrayed within the Oedipus myth, showing how there are times when, as theorists, we are blind to the on-going dynamic polarities contained within the myth. Using clinical case material I explore the vicissitudes of the theme of infanticide and the impact of the infanticidal impulse on thinking processes and how things come together in the mind. I consider the link between the infanticidal impulse and what may be being symbolized by physiological problems with eyes and wombs. I give examples of the clinical use I have made of a variety of theoretical ideas which enabled my capacity for thought at those times when much of what was taking place was unthinkable.     

TOWARD A MULTIDIMENSIONAL APPROACH TO THE STUDY OF SELF-DISCLOSURE

In an effort to develop a multidimensional theory of self-disclosure, the present research considered two dimensions of disclosure content—degree of personalness (intimacy) and valence (positiveness or negativeness)—as well as gender of the discloser, timing of disclosure in relationship development, and the recipient of disclosure. In Study I, the variables of personalness and valence were manipulated through the use of prototypical disclosure statements with subjects blocked by sex. Subjects were asked to use a scale indicating phases of relationship development to rate when they would likely disclose statements. The analysis revealed significant main effects for all three factors: personal-ness, valence, and gender, as well as a significant interaction between personalness and valence. In Study II, personalness and valence were again manipulated, along with blocking for sex. The variable of disclosure recipient (target) was manipulated by asking subjects to separately indicate whether or not they would disclose each statement to five targets: stranger, acquaintance, parent, friend, and spouse. The analysis revealed significant main effects for three factors: personalness, valence, and target. All possible interactions of these variables were also significant. Due to the many consistencies between the findings of these two studies and the many highly significant interactions, it was concluded that a multidimensional approach to the study of self-disclosure is both justified and required.     

Children's perceptions of the sibling relationship in middle childhood: Connections within and between family relationships

Although sibling warmth and hostility have been shown to be statistically independent, they are intertwined in children's everyday experiences. We developed a multidimensional characterization of children's perceptions of their sibling relationships and examined differences in other family relationship measures as a function of different combinations of sibling hostility and warmth. Participants included 91 firstborn children between 10 and 11 years of age with younger siblings between 6 and 10 years of age. Children reported their levels of satisfaction, intimacy, and rivalry in their sibling relationships and their satisfaction with parent-child relationships. Parents rated their marriages. As compared with children in families with “affect-intense” sibling relationships (high hostility/high warmth), children in “hostile” sibling relationships (high hostility/low warmth) rated their sibling and parent-child relationships more negatively, and their parents rated their marriages more negatively. Results are discussed in terms of the role of hostility in sibling experiences and the importance of understanding multidimensional patterns in the sibling relationship.     

Sexism and racism: one battle to fight

“Top policy-making positions in the American establishment remain in the hands of white males who are not responsive to the needs of the poor, of minorities, or of women.”     

EFFECTS OF UNANTICIPATED SELF-DISCLOSURE ON RECIPIENTS OF VARYING LEVELS OF SELF-ESTEEM: A RESEARCH NOTE

Assuming that another's self-disclosure can be rewarding, it was hypothesized that attraction for one who disclosed a relatively high amount of personal information would be greater than attraction for a low discloser when the disclosure was perceived as being appropriate. Also, it was hypothesized that persons of high self-esteem may be more attracted to a high discloser than persons of moderate or low self-esteem. An experiment examined the effects of a confederate's self-disclosure (high or low degree of personal content) on a recipient. Greater attraction was demonstrated toward the confederate in the low disclosure condition, and her behavior was perceived to be more appropriate in this condition. Persons who participated in each of the experimental conditions were divided into three self-esteem categories. Those with intermediate levels of self-esteem were found to be the most receptive to a disclosing other, followed by subjects of low, and finally high self-esteem.