COMPLIMENTARY WEIGHTISM: THE POTENTIAL COSTS OF APPEARANCE-RELATED COMMENTARY FOR WOMEN's SELF-OBJECTIFICATION

Little is known about the effects of receiving compliments about appearance. An ethnically diverse sample of 220 college women completed self-report measures of appearance commentary, trait self-objectification, body surveillance, and body dissatisfaction. Results indicated that the impact of appearance criticisms and compliments, but not their frequency, predicted higher body surveillance and more body dissatisfaction. Moderated mediation analyses indicated that increased body surveillance partially explained the relationship between feelings about appearance comments and body dissatisfaction and that this effect was moderated by level of trait self-objectification. Higher self-objectifying women reported higher levels of body surveillance and more body dissatisfaction regardless of whether they felt positively or negatively about the appearance comments, whereas lower self-objectifying women were less stable in their reports. Importantly, all women reported higher body surveillance and more body dissatisfaction in association with feeling good about receiving appearance compliments, which supports the idea of complimentary weightism , whereby appearance compliments represent a seemingly innocuous type of interpersonal feedback that may have detrimental consequences for women's self-objectification and body image.     

Where there's life,There's hope,and where there is hope,there is...

Using the Hearth Hope Index, we describe the level of hopefulness among hospital patients and compare it to that reported by community persons and family members in a surgical waiting room. We also correlate these results with depression and self-esteem scores. As measured by these selected instruments, the results suggest that the level of hopefulness is not significantly different among the three samples, that it is positively correlated with self-esteem and negatively associated with depression, and that, among the demographic variables, only the respondent's age and frequency of attendance at worship significantly influence hope scores. The results suggest that pastoral caregivers can encourage hopefulness among those under their care by bolstering self-esteem and giving attention to depressive symptoms. They also suggest that those who need the most pastoral support are younger adults with limited education. Pastoral caregivers can use these results, we think, to inform their work in giving pastoral care.     

An automated system for mapping spatial movement patterns in behavioral research

A computerized positioning system was developed and used to map gross body movement of children around a room in response to high-intensity sound stimulation. Details of the data collection system are discussed. The system has potential for use in a variety of research projects when it is necessary to identify position coordinates and analyze changes in spatial location for subjects within a test room environment.     

Male and female careers: Sex-role and occupational stereotypes among high school students

The present study combined two areas of research, occupational perceptions and sex-role stereotypes, in a 2 (Gender of Subject: male, female) × 2 (Gender of Character: male, Paul or David; female, Paula or Susan) × 2 (Gender of Occupation: male, doctor or lawyer; female, nurse or secretary) between-subjects factorial design. High school students rated male and female characters in traditional and nontraditional occupations on the following six personality traits: ambitious, effective, emotional, intelligent, responsible, and traditional. The main finding was that occupational stereotypes were more prevalent than sex-role stereotypes. Reasons for this outcome are discussed and the implications of the study in light of past and future research are considered.     

Similar mechanisms underlie curvature comparison by static and dynamic touch

In four experiments, we tested whether haptic comparison of curvature ranging from ?41m to +41m is qualitatively the same for static and for dynamic touch. In Experiments 1 and 3, we tested whether static and dynamic curvature discrimination are based on height differences, attitude (slope) differences, curvature differences, or a combination of these geometrical variables. It was found that both static and dynamic haptic curvature discrimination are based on attitude differences. In Experiments 2 and 4, we tested whether this mechanism leads to errors in the comparison of stimuli with different lengths for static and dynamic touch, respectively. If the judgments are based on attitude differences, subjects will make systematic errors in these comparisons. In both experiments, we found that subjects compared the curvatures of strips of the same length veridically, whereas they made systematic errors if they were required to compare the curvatures of strips of different lengths. Longer stimuli were judged to be more curved than shorter stimuli with the same curvature. We conclude that similar mechanisms underlie static and dynamic haptic curvature comparison. Moreover, additional data comparison showed that static and dynamic curvature comparison is not only qualitatively, but also quantitatively similar.     

Special education litigation and school psychology

When constitutional or statutory rights of exceptional children were violated, litigation was implemented as one means to obtain those rights. Legislative and administrative actions were exhausted before the issue was brought to the courts. The procedure of litigation was first initiated in 1967, and several landmark cases since then have provided prototypes for subsequent cases which concerned the rights of handicapped children. As a result of the gross injustice that existed in the education and treatment of handicapped children, there were over thirty lawsuits filed on their behalf. Education and treatment of the handicapped child, long viewed as a charitable endeavor, must now be considered as an inalienable right not to be denied to the “special” citizen. Although the courts have been forced to decide upon some of the critical issues regarding exceptional children, the implementation will be more effective and efficient if the education profession itself assumes the responsibility. This overview of significant litigation points up the evidence presented in the lawsuits which should be of concern to the practice of school psychology.     

My mind is alive and well and fouling up the system: existential-phenomenological considerations in family therapy

It is customary amongst family therapists who work within a general systems framework to reject any consideration of individual phenomenology in their evaluation and treatment of family difficulties. One of the reasons often cited for this is the supposed incompatibility between the systems and intrapsychic perspectives. It is argued in this paper (a) that the two perspectives, while derived from two different levels of conceptualization, are not mutually exclusive or unconnected; (b) that an understanding of the experiential world of family members as this contributes to family interaction patterns can promote effective intervention. A framework is suggested drawing on existential (experiential) concepts and the thesis is illustrated by means of a case-study.     

An Exploration of Parents’ Experiences and Empowerment in the Care for Preterm Born Children

Because of improved survival rates and medical prospects, the emphasis in care for preterm infants has shifted in recent years to a focus on support for the wellbeing of children and their families. For the healthcare professionals the parents of these children are the main partners for improving the care of their children. In this context, referring to “patient empowerment” implies not only the infant but also the parents, in other words “parent empowerment”. We aimed to explore parents’ experiences with hospital and aftercare for their preterm children, and the implications for parent empowerment, by organizing face-to-face (n = 4 and n = 7) and online (n = 14) focus group interviews with parents of preterm children. These focus group interviews showed that these parents indicated a lack of support and recognition of parental worries in the care for their infant during two important periods: (1) the transfer to another hospital and (2) after discharge home. These group interviews showed that parents greatly value initiatives that support and empower them in their role as parents and that strengthens their involvement in the care for their children. Requirements for enhancing parent empowerment are proposed.     

Positive illusions in marital relationships: a 13-year longitudinal study

This study examined the long-term consequences of idealization in marriage, using both daily diary and questionnaire data collected from a sample of 168 newlywed couples who participated in a 4-wave, 13-year longitudinal study of marriage. Idealization was operationalized as the tendency for people to perceive their partner as more agreeable than would be expected based on their reports of their partner's agreeable and disagreeable behaviors. Spouses who idealized one another were more in love with each other as newlyweds. Longitudinal analyses suggested that spouses were less likely to suffer declines in love when they idealized one another as newlyweds. Newlywed levels of idealization did not predict divorce.