Maternal preconceptions about parenting predict child temperament, maternal sensitivity, and children's empathy

This study examined the influence of maternal preconceptions on child difficult temperament at 6 months and maternal sensitivity at 12-15 months and whether all 3 variables predicted children's empathy at 21-24 months. Within a low-income, ethnically diverse sample of 175 mother-child dyads, path models were tested with 3 empathy indices (prosocial, indifference, inquisitive) as outcomes. Results indicated that maternal preconceptions significantly predicted child difficult temperament, maternal sensitivity, and children's empathy. Temperament mediated the link between maternal preconceptions and inquisitiveness, and maternal sensitivity mediated the link between preconceptions and prosocial responses. Group modeling techniques revealed no significant differences across gender or ethnicity. Correlations suggested contextual effects based on the familiarity of the person in distress. The implications and utility of developing parenting interventions are discussed.     

The influence of transformational leadership on organisational citizenship behaviour in a South African combat military unit

This study investigated perceived individual transformational leadership (TL) to influence behaviours on follower organisational citizenship behaviour (OCB) in a South African combat military unit. A sample of 300 of 567 military followers (males = 78%; black Africans = 82%) completed a survey on their perceptions of transformational leadership qualities among their leaders who were trained in TL: Idealised influence, Inspirational motivation, Intellectual stimulation and Individualised consideration. The military followers also self-reported on their own OCB: Altruism, Civic virtue, Courtesy, Sportsmanship and Conscientiousness. Data were analysed utilising regression analysis to predict military followers’ self-reported OCB from perceived TL behaviours. Findings indicated that only Individualised consideration could significantly predict the OCB dimensions of Altruism, Civic virtue, Sportsmanship and Conscientiousness, but not Courtesy.     

Collective reflection in practice: an ethnographic study of Swedish police training

Although reflection has been viewed as an individual process, increased attention has been given to how reflective processes are socially anchored. The present article contributes to this knowledge through an examination of how collective reflection is enacted in the context of police education. The article is based on a one-year ethnographic study of police recruits undergoing training, and the main sources of data collection were participant observations and field interviews. The data were inductively analysed, and a model that differentiates amongst ‘specular’, ‘dialogic’ and ‘polyphonic’ reflection processes is presented. The findings suggest that collective reflection involving multiple individuals adds complexity to reflective processes and that these processes may take on more diverse forms than has been acknowledged, as previous research has mainly focused on dialogic collective reflection. The implications of these findings, such as how increased complexity may counteract the benefits of collective reflection, are also discussed.     

Predictors of psychological outcomes in a longitudinal study of Latina breast cancer survivors

Objective: This study sought to investigate the unique contributions of socio-ecological, cultural and cancer treatment-related factors in predicting depressive symptoms and cancer-specific distress among Latinas. Design: Participants were 140 English or Spanish-speaking Latinas (M_age = 50.6) with non-metastatic breast cancer who were assessed within two years of diagnosis (Time 1) and three months later (Time 2).

Main Measures: Hierarchical regression analyses identified predictors of depressive symptoms and cancer-specific distress at Time 1 and 2.

Results: Most women scored above the clinical cut-offs for depressive symptoms and cancer-specific distress. After adjusting for socio-ecological factors, greater Latino enculturation, measured by Latino ethnic identity, was significantly associated with greater cancer-specific distress at Time 1 (β = .20, p < .05). A significant interaction (p < .01) revealed that among women high on Latino identity, lower English language use was associated with more cancer-specific distress than higher English language use. After adjusting for socio-ecological factors, greater satisfaction with surgical treatment predicted improved depressive symptoms and cancer-specific distress across time (β_s range from ?.31 to ?.18, p_s < .01).

Conclusions: Findings elucidate the complex relationship between culture and psychological outcomes in the breast cancer context and suggest that treatment satisfaction might be an important intervention target for Latinas.     

From cultural to existential diversity: The impossibility of psychotherapy integration within a traditional framework

The authors build upon Castonguay and Goldfried's analysis regarding issues and directions central to advancing psychotherapy integration. They elaborate on two issues addressed only minimally in Castonguay and Goldfried's article. The first involves moving beyond traditional psychotherapy territory to include cultural, self-in-relationship, and interdisciplinary domains. The second concerns using more holistic and synergistic processes to coconstruct integrative theories and approaches. Finally, the authors offer some insights into what they believe should be the goals of the integrative movement and into additional issues they think should be addressed to attain these goals. Psychotherapy has become so complex and changing that we need a new view—one that recognizes the impossibility of any final or superior integrative theory and the need for constant change and evolution in theory and practice.     

Family communication styles, attitude towards institutional authority and adolescents' violent behaviour at school

The purpose of present study is to analyse the relationship among certain family and school factors, adolescents' attitude towards institutional authority, and violent behaviour at school. The sample is composed of 1049 adolescents of both sexes and aged from 11 to 16 years old. Statistical analyses were carried out using structural equation modelling. Results indicate a close association between negative communication with father and violent behaviour in adolescence. Moreover, data suggest that teachers' expectations affect students' attitude towards institutional authority, which in turn is closely related to school violence. Finally, findings show an indirect influence of father, mother and teacher in adolescents' violent behaviour, mainly through their effect on family- and school-self-concept.     

Illusion of control in Internet users and college students.

When people try to obtain a desired event and this outcome occurs independently of their behavior, they often think that they are controlling its occurrence. This is known as the illusion of control, and it is the basis for most superstitions and pseudosciences. However, most experiments demonstrating this effect had been conducted many years ago and almost always in the controlled environment of the psychology laboratory and with psychology students as subjects. Here, we explore the generality of this effect and show that it is still today a robust phenomenon that can be observed even in the context of a very simple computer program that users try to control (and believe that they are controlling) over the Internet. Understanding how robust and general this effect is, is a first step towards eradicating irrational and pseudoscientific thinking.