Motivating behavioral persistence: the self-as-doer construct

Why do some people persist in goal pursuit, even in the face of boredom or setbacks, whereas others quickly give up their goals? In this research, the authors introduce a new motivational construct, the "self-as-doer," to explore this question. Studies 1 and 2 found longitudinal evidence that those who more strongly endorse doer statements regarding their goals (i.e., exerciser, dieter, runner) show greater behavioral persistence and attainment regarding such goals, even controlling for other relevant constructs such as expectancy, self-concordance, commitment, and neuroticism. Study 3 used priming to make the self-as-doer momentarily accessible, finding an interaction such that those who read The Little Engine That Could (vs. Curious George) and wrote an essay applying the story's message to themselves (vs. others) showed the greatest persistence in physically demanding tasks. Implications for sustained motivation of all kinds are discussed.     

What is satisfying about satisfying events? Testing 10 candidate psychological needs

Three studies compared 10 candidate psychological needs in an attempt to determine which are truly most fundamental for humans. Participants described "most satisfying events" within their lives and then rated the salience of each of the 10 candidate needs within these events. Supporting self-determination theory postulates (Ryan & Deci, 2000)--autonomy, competence, and relatedness, were consistently among the top 4 needs, in terms of both their salience and their association with event-related affect. Self-esteem was also important, whereas self-actualization or meaning, physical thriving, popularity or influence, and money-luxury were less important. This basic pattern emerged within three different time frames and within both U.S. and South Korean samples and also within a final study that asked, "What's unsatisfying about unsatisfying events?" Implications for hierarchical theories of needs are discussed.     

The sociology of the sacred: A conversation with Jeffrey Alexander

Over the past 20 years, Jeffrey C. Alexander has been a leading social theorist and a pioneer of the ‘strong program’ in cultural sociology, which emphasises the significance of cultural structures of meaning for social life. Following an introductory overview of his work, this article records a public conversation with Alexander about the role and significance of the concept of the sacred in his sociological work. Issues addressed in this conversation include situating Alexander's interest in the sacred in his intellectual biography (including his significant intellectual influences), the mistrust of the concept of the sacred within the wider sociological community, the universality of cultural structures of sacred meaning, the limitations of sociological analysis focused on sacred meaning and methodological approaches to the study of the sacred.     

Reliability and Validity of the Fear of Intimacy Scale in China

Clarence G. Schulz and Rose K. Kilgalen. Case Studies in Schizophrenia. New York: Basic Books, 1970, 288 pages, $8.95. Reviewed by Edward S. Filicky, PhD

D. W. Winnicott. Playing and Reality. New York: Basic Books, 1971, xiii + 169 pages, $6.95. Reviewed by Barney Greenspan, Ph.D.

Dirk L. Schaeffer. Sex Differences in Personality: Readings. Belmont, California: Cole Publishing Company, 1971, 180 pages (paperback), $3.50. Reviewed by Laura Barbanel

B. B. Wolman (Ed.). The Psychoanalytic Interpretation of History. New York: Basic Books, 1971, x, 240 pages. Reviewed by Henry P. Hoey

D. W. Winnicott. Therapeutic Consultations in Child Psychiatry. New York: Basic Books, 1971, 410 pages, $15.00. Reviewed by Shanti Tayal, Ph.D.

Donald M. Uhlin. Art for Exceptional Children. Dubuque, Iowa: Wm. C. Brown, 1972, 146 pages, $3.50, paperbound. Reviewed by Florence Diamond

J. L. Gewirtz (Ed.) Attachment and Dependency. New York: Halsted Press, 1972, 251 pages, $10.95. Reviewed by Leonard B. Olinger, PhD

R. H. Woody and J. D. Woody. Clinical Assessment in Counseling and Psychotherapy. New York: Appleton-Century-Crofts, 1972, 370 pages. Reviewed by Dale D. Simmons, Ph.D.

Paul Ekman, W. V. Friesen, and Phoebe Ellsworth. Emotion in the Human Face. New York: Pergamon, 1972, 191 + xii pages. Reviewed by Clifford H. Swensen

Anthony Storr. Human Destructiveness. New York: Basic Books, 1972, 127 pages, $5.95. Reviewed by Norman Tallent

Henry V. Dicks. Licensed Mass Murder: A Socio-Psychological Study of Some S. S. Killers. New York: Basic Books, 1972, xiii + 283 pages, $7.95. Reviewed by Rolland S. Parker, PhD

T. R. Young. New Sources of Self. Elmsford, New York: Pergamon Press, Inc., 1972, 114 pages, $6.50. Reviewed by Ray A. Craddick

James N. Butcher, (Ed.) Objective Personality Assessment: Changing Perspectives. New York: Academic Press, 1972, 212 pages, $6.95. Reviewed by James H. Johnson

Donald P. Kent, Robert Kastenbaum, and Sylvia Sherwood. Research Planning and Action for the Elderly. New York: Behavioral Publications Press, 1972, 569 pages, $19.95. Reviewed by Margaret Mercer, PhD

Rupert Wilkinson. The Broken Rebel: A Study in Culture, Politics and Authoritarian Character. New York: Harper and Row, 1972, 390 pages, $12.95. Reviewed by Emanuel Berman

Alfred B. Heilbrun. Aversive Maternal Control. New York: John Wiley &; Sons, 1973, 324 pages, $15.95. Reviewed by Albert I. Rabin, PhD

Irla Lee Zimmerman, James M. WooSam, with Alan J. Glasser, Clinical Interpretation of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale. New York: Grune &; Stratton, 1973, 224 pages, $7.95. Reviewed by Ronald E. Smith, PhD

Hilde Bruch. Eating disorders: Obesity, Anorexia Nervosa and the Person Within. New York: Basic Books, 1973, 396 pages, $12.50. Reviewed by David C. Murray

Edith G. Neisser. Mothers and Daughters. Harper and Row, 1973, 396 pages, $10.00. Reviewed by Pamela Osborne Munter

Rudolf Arnheim. The Genesis of a Painting: Picasso's Guernica. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1973, 145 pages, 70 illustrations, $5.95, paper. Reviewed by Florence Rand Diamond     

Priming Effects on Cooperative Behavior in Social Dilemmas: Considering the Prime and the Person

We test whether people with a relatively more intrinsic vs. extrinsic value orientation (RIEVO) are particularly likely to enact cooperative behavior in resource dilemmas when they are primed with relatedness goals. In Study 1, high RIEVO participants primed with relatedness exhibited more restrained fishing behavior in a resource dilemma than their unprimed counterparts or participants low in RIEVO. Study 2 replicated this effect and further showed that the prime must signal the possibility of satisfying a valued goal (relatedness satisfaction) in order to elicit the value-consistent behavior. We discuss these results in the context of recent process models of goal priming, and also discuss how these findings contribute to our understanding of cooperative behavior and the predictive power of value constructs more broadly.     

Gun Violence Restraining Orders: Alternative or Adjunct to Mental Health-Based Restrictions on Firearms?

The gun violence restraining order (GVRO) is a new tool for preventing gun violence. Unlike traditional approaches to prohibiting gun purchase and possession, which rely on a high threshold (adjudication by criminal justice or mental health systems) before intervening, the GVRO allows family members and intimate partners who observe a relative's dangerous behavior and believe it may be a precursor to violence to request a GVRO through the civil justice system. Once issued by the court, a GVRO authorizes law enforcement to remove any guns in the respondent's possession and prohibits the respondent from purchasing new guns. In September 2014, California's governor signed AB1014 into law, making California the first U.S. state to enact a GVRO law. This article describes the GVRO and the rationale behind the concept, considers case examples to assess the potential impact of the GVRO as a strategy for preventing gun violence, and reviews the content of the California law. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The contract year syndrome in the NBA and MLB: A classic undermining pattern

We assembled National Basketball Association and Major League Baseball player performance data from recent years, tracking 3 year periods in players’ careers: pre-contract year (baseline), contract year (CY; salient external incentive present), and post-contract year (salient external incentive removed). In both sports, we examined both individual scoring statistics (points scored, batting average) and non-scoring statistics (e.g. blocked shots, fielding percentage) over the 3 years. Using extrinsic motivation theories, we predicted and found a boost in some scoring statistics during the CY (relative to the pre-CY), but no change in non-scoring statistics. Using intrinsic motivation theories, we predicted and found an undermining of many statistics in the post-CY, relative to both the CY and the pre-CY baseline. Boosted CY scoring performance predicted post-CY salary raises in both sports, but salary raises were largely unrelated to post-CY performance. The CY performance boost is real, but team managers should know that it might be followed by a performance crash—the CY “syndrome.”