In‐group reassurance in a pain setting produces lower levels of physiological arousal: direct support for a self‐categorization analysis of social influence

A large body of research demonstrates a strong social component to people's pain experiences and pain‐related behaviours. We investigate this by examining the impact of social‐influence processes on laboratory‐induced pain responses by manipulating the social‐categorical relationship between the person experiencing pain and another who offers reassurance. We show that physiological arousal associated with laboratory‐induced pain is significantly lower in normal, healthy participants following reassurance about the pain‐inducing activity when that reassurance comes from an in‐group member in contrast to reassurance from an out‐group member and a no reassurance control. These data are consistent with predictions derived from self‐categorization theory, providing convincing empirical support of its analysis of social influence using a non‐reactive measure. These data also represent a clear advance within the pain literature by identifying a possible common process to the social‐psychological component of pain responses. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Feminist Challenges to Conceptions of God: Exploring Divine Ideals

This paper presents a feminist intervention into debates concerning the relation between human subjects and a divine ideal. I turn to what Irigarayan feminists challenge as a masculine conception of ‘the God’s eye view’ of reality. This ideal functions not only in philosophy of religion, but in ethics, politics, epistemology and philosophy of science: it is given various names from ‘the competent judge’ to the ‘the ideal observer’ (IO) whose view is either from nowhere or everywhere. The question is whether, as Taliaferro contends, my own philosophical argument inevitably appeals to the impartiality and omni-attributes of the IO. This paper was delivered during the APA Pacific 2007 Mini-Conference on Models of God.     

Re-visioning clinical research: gender and the ethics of experimental design

Since modern medicine is based substantially in clinical medical research, the flaws and ethical problems that arise in this research as it is conceived and practiced in the United States are likely to be reflected to some extent in current medicine and its practice. This paper explores some of the ways in which clinical research has suffered from an androcentric focus in its choice and definition of problems studied, approaches and methods used in design and interpretation of experiments, and theories and conclusions drawn from the research. Some examples of re-visioned research hint at solutions to the ethical dilemmas created by this biased focus; an increased number of feminists involved in clinical research may provide avenues for additional changes that would lead to improved health care for all.     

Risk Marker Analysis of Husband-to-Wife Violence: A Continuum of Aggression1

To evaluate whether a continuity of aggression assumption underlies husband-to-wife violence, an analysis of the 1985 National Family Violence Survey was performed to assess to degree to which highly recognized risk markers discriminate among various levels of husband-to-wife violence. Parallel analyses were conducted on men's reports of expressions of violence and women's reports of victimization. Individuals of both genders who reported more extreme forms of violence were more likely to report less extreme violence as well. In addition, several risk markers that discriminated individuals involved in husband-to-wife violence exhibited linear associations with the level of violence reported. These linear trends appeared consistent regardless of whether husbands' reports of inflicting violence or wives' reports of being victimized were examined. These results support the assumption that husband-to-wife violence lies upon a continuum of severity.     

University faculty gender roles perceptions

Gender role preferences for Ideal Woman and Ideal Man and perceptions of Most Women, Most Men and Self were surveyed in 400 faculty women and men, of which 83% were Caucasian, 9% Hispanic, 4% African-American, and 3% Asian. Both women and men faculty preferred an androgynous Ideal Woman, but a masculine Ideal Man. Similarly, faculty women described themselves as androgynous, while men described themselves as masculine. Both women and men perceive Most Women and Men as sex-typed. Women and men faculty preferences and perceptions were generally very similar.     

The ideal‐self inventory: A new measure of self‐esteem

This article reports on some research in progress developing a new measure of self‐esteem which we have called the Ideal‐Self Inventory (ISI). The inventory is based on a constructivist approach and simply asks participants to list ten characteristics to describe their ideal self together with the ten opposite characteristics to describe their not ideal self. The ISI has been tested on over 100 student volunteers and correlates significantly with the adult version of the Coopersmith Self‐Esteem Inventory. The applications of this new measure are discussed with particular reference to counselling and psychotherapy.