Body-image disturbances and bulimia nervosa: An empirical analysis of recent revisions of the DSM-III

In the recent revision of the DSM-III, the diagnosis of bulimia nervosa includes the criterion of persistent overconcern with body shape and weight, which may be conceptualized as a form of body-image disturbance. The new diagnostic criteria for bulimia nervosa include only those who exhibit a binge-purge eating patern, excluding binge-eaters who, in the older DSM-III, receive a diagnosis of bulimia. This study was conducted to investigate body-image disturbances in bulimia nervosa and simple bulimia (i.e., binge-eating without purging). The experimental design included two control groups, obese and normal subjects, in order to determine whether the binge-eater had body-image disturbances different form those of normal and overweight samples. The study evaluated 596 subjects (417 normals, 109 bulimia nervosa subjects, 50 binge-eaters, and 30 obese subjects) in terms of perception of current body size and selection of ideal body size. Results indicated that the bulimia nervosa group selected a current body size larger than that selected by normals and an ideal body size smaller than that chosen by normals. However, bingeeaters did not differ from the obese control group on either current or ideal body size. These results are discussed in terms of the recent debate regarding the diagnosis of bulimia nervosa and sociocultural influences upon body-image disturbances.     

My sister's keeper: Negative effects of social welfare and affirmative action programs on black women

The campaign rhetoric of a former neo-Nazi and Klan grand wizard who won a seat in the Louisiana state legislature in 1989 encapsulated two of this article's key points: that black women on welfare bear the brunt of derision, anger, and calls for their forcible control, and that black women who use affirmative action programs for advancement bear the brunt of derision, anger, and calls for their systematic devaluation. This white backlash is one of the negative effects of social welfare and affirmative action programs described in the article, which focuses on black women because of their particular vulnerability in a sexist and racist society. The article is both a warning to black women of an insidious widening gap between their haves and have-nots, and a plea that they work hard together to close this gap by acknowledging the fundamental similarities of their struggles to survive, and by recognizing that they and their children need each other to effectively continue the struggle.     

A neglected triangle: Grandmother,mother, and daughter

This paper reports on exploratory research and therapeutic work with a neglected but highly important family triangle, the grandmother-mother-daughter triangle. Some characteristic relationships are described from a clinical sample of 18 daughters for whom such a triangle was important. The triangle may signal both problems and strengths for therapy and the daughters.     

Individual Difference Correlates of the Experience of Sexual Harassment Among Female University Students1

Individuals often report experiences that conform to objective definitions of sexual harassment, but rarely report the subjective perception that they have been sexually harassed. The present research proposed that individual difference factors may mediate this commonly observed discrepancy. It was hypothesized that erotophobia, sexual inexperience, youth, sex role traditionality, repressing defensive style, and need for social approval have a weak inhibitory effect on reports of objectively defined experiences of sexual harassment, but a strong inhibitory effect on subjective perceptions that one has been sexually harassed. Results showed that individual difference factors including erotophobia, repressing defenses, and need for social approval were associated with fewer reported objective experiences of sexual harassment, while the base rate of subjective perception that one had been sexually harassed was very low, and this subjective perception was generally unassociated with individual difference factors. Discussion focuses on individual difference characteristics and motivation to ignore or to fail to report objective experiences of sexual harassment, and on suggestions for further research into the very high base rate of objectively defined experiences of sexual harassment and the very low base rate of perceived sexual harassment.     

COUNSELING AND PSYCHOTHERAPY AS MORAL AND SPIRITUAL PRACTICE: FACING A MAJOR PARADIGM SHIFT

Blakeney and Blakeney offer a metatheoretical perspective for counseling and therapy that gives primacy to developmental issues and to understanding the worldview of the client. Their thinking adds to the growing paradigm shift currently occurring in the counseling field. This article further demonstrates the holistic and integrative nature and potential of the Blakeney framework, using Developmental Counseling and Therapy (DCT) as a method of translation. The authors offer a framework that challenges the notion of “higher” forms of knowledge, emphasizing instead multiperspctive thought and life-span cognitive-developmental processes.     

Sensitivity to aversive events in depression: Antecedent,concomitant, or consequent?

This study tested whether sensitivity to aversive events is a concomitant versus antecedent/consequent of depression. Twenty currently depressed subjects, twenty subjects with remitted depression, and twenty control subjects completed psychophysiological and learning tasks involving aversive components. Both currently depressed and remitted subjects, when compared to control subjects, exhibited greater decreases in skin resistance response reactions to negative social scenes and a greater sensitivity to extinction in the learning condition involving an aversive component. The fact that the responses of remitted subjects were very similar to those of currently depressed subjects on both tasks is consistent with the view that sensitivity to aversive events is an antecedent or consequent of depression, as opposed to being only a concomitant. The results also provide some support for the passive avoidance model of depression.This study was based on portions of a doctoral dissertation by the first author, with the second author as chairperson, at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.This research was aided by a Grant-in-Aid of Research to the first author from Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Society, an award from the Jill Shelby Memorial Fund to the first author, and support from National Institute of Mental Health Grant MH17071, awarded to C. R. Snyder.Portions of this paper were presented at the meeting of the American Psychological Association, New Orleans, August 1989, and at the meeting of the Association for the Advancement of Behavior Therapy, Washington, DC, November, 1989.     

Nurse psychologists: A unique group within health psychology

Since the mid-1980s commonalities between nursing and psychology have been explored, with subsequent establishment of a Nursing and Health Psychology Committee within the American Psychological Association's Division 38. A survey was undertaken to study this little-known, unique cadre of individuals with dual preparation in both nursing and psychology. Participants were queried regarding their educational preparations in both disciplines, current employment, theoretical and/or research interests, and current projects. Results of the survey provide information about the characteristics of this group. Dual preparation appears to offer certain advantages for the practice of health psychology.     

Mobilizing positive reinforcement in communities to reduce youth access to tobacco

A community intervention to mobilize positive reinforcement for not selling tobacco to young people was evaluated. The intervention had five components: (a) mobilization of community support, (b) merchant education, (c) changing consequences to clerks for selling or not selling to those under 18, (d) publicity about clerks’ refusals to sell, and (e) feedback to store owners or managers about the extent of their sales to adolescents. A multiple baseline design experiment was conducted, in which two small Oregon communities received the intervention, while two others continued in baseline. Outlets’ willingness to sell was assessed repeatedly by teenage volunteers. The intervention significantly reduced the proportion of stores willing to sell. Mobilizing socia and material reinforcement for stores not selling tobacco to young people is a viable means of reducing such sales. It may be especially valuable in communities where laws against sales to minors go unenforced. This paper supported in part by the National Cancer Institute Grant CA38273.     

Homeostatic interactions: a longitudinal study of biological, psychosocial and family variables in children with cystic fibrosis

A two-Year longitudinal study of thirty-five children used data gathered from pulmonary function tests, clinical measurements and standardized tests of depression, self-esteem and family environment to illustrate homeostatic interactions among biological and psychosocial adaptation to cystic fibrosis. Despite physical deterioration over the course of the study, children with cystic fibrosis reported lower depression and higher self-esteem than population norms, and improvements in psychological functioning. Decline in biological indicators of health was associated with increases on an index based on Family Environmental Scales (FES), subscales of cohesion, expressiveness and organization, and maintenance of high self-esteem and low depression. Presence of additional major life stressors was associated with deterioration in pulmonary function, higher levels of depression and poorer scores on the FES. These findings suggest that homeostatic interactions between children's health status and family functioning may moderate the physical and psychological sequelae of cystic fibrosis.     

PROCESSING SPEED, WORKING MEMORY, AND FLUID INTELLIGENCE:

Abstract— Processing speed, working memory capacity, and fluid intelligence were assessed in a large sample ( N = 214) of children, adolescents, and young adults (ages 7 to 19 years) Results of path analyses revealed that almost half of the age-related increase in fluid intelligence was mediated by developmental changes in processing speed and marking memory and nearly three fourths of the improvement in working memory was mediated by developmental changes in processing speed Moreover, even when age-related differences in speed, working memory and fluid intelligence were statistically controlled, individual differences in speed had a direct effect on working memory capacity which, in turn was a direct determinant of individual differences in fluid intelligence