Existential Underpinnings of Approach and Avoidance of the Physical Body

In addition to enjoying pleasurable bodily activities, people appear threatened by the physical aspects of the body; they experience anxiety and inhibitions surrounding sex, eating, bodily appearance and functions. Based on terror management theory, we posit that people are dually motivated to approach the life-affirming properties of the physical body, and to avoid the physical or animalistic aspects of the body because of their association with death. This paper summarizes a substantial body of research, consisting of over twenty empirical studies, that identify personality and situational variables that interact with mortality concerns, moderating approach and avoidance attitudes and behaviors with respect to the physical body. We suggest that this dynamic motivation can go far in explaining the often observed ambivalence toward the body.     

Lack of correlation between digit ratio (2D:4D) and Baron-Cohen’s “Reading the Mind in the Eyes” test, empathy, systemising, and autism-spectrum quotients in a general population sample

The second-to-fourth digit ratio (2D:4D) is sexually differentiated and is a likely biomarker for the organisational (permanent) effects of prenatal testosterone on the human brain. Recent research has highlighted a possible role of prenatal testosterone levels in both the etiology of autism-spectrum disorders and in sex and individual differences in cognitive styles of the normal mind (Baron-Cohen’s Extreme Male Brain Theory of Autism and Empathising/Systemising Theory). Importantly, autistic children present lower (hypermasculinised) 2D:4D than healthy controls. Based on these accounts, we investigated the relation of 2D:4D with Baron-Cohen’s measures of empathising (“Reading the Mind in the Eyes” test, RMET; Empathy Quotient, EQ), systemising (Systemising Quotient, SQ), and autistic-like traits (Autism-Spectrum Quotient, AQ) in the general population (N = 423 Austrian adults). Whereas sex differences into the expected direction and of expected size were obtained for all variables and internal scale consistencies tallied to retrievable reference values, 2D:4D was unrelated to RMET, EQ, SQ, and AQ scores. Candidate explanations for this lack of correlation might be possible developmental timing differences in the expression of 2D:4D and empathising/systemising, qualitative (as opposed to quantitative) functional differences between the normal and the autistic mind, or the suboptimal psychometric properties of the measures.     

Weighted vest effects on impact forces and joint work during vertical jump landings in men and women

Weighted vest (WV) use during vertical jump landings (VJL) does not appear to alter peak vertical ground reaction forces (GRF) or peak joint torques. However, WV effects on joint work and sex differences during VJL are not well understood. This study assessed WV effects on vertical GRF and sagittal joint work during VJL in men and women. Twelve men and 12 women performed VJL wearing a WV with zero added mass (unloaded) and with 10% body mass (loaded) while GRF and kinematic data were obtained. Mixed-model analyses of variance (α = 0.05) and effect sizes (ES) were used to assess differences between sexes and/or load conditions. Regardless of sex, greater landing height (p < 0.001; ES = 0.37) and peak vertical GRF (p = 0.001; ES 0.51) occurred when unloaded, while greater landing time (p = 0.001; ES = 0.46) and negative lower extremity work (p < 0.001; ES = 0.41) occurred when loaded through greater negative work about the hip (p = 0.001; ES = 0.27) and ankle (p = 0.020; ES = 0.27). No differences in hip (p = 0.753; ES = 0.03), knee (p = 0.588; ES = 0.07), or ankle (p = 0.580; ES = 0.09) joint displacement were detected between loaded and unloaded conditions. Men exhibited greater landing heights (p < 0.001; ES = 2.49) and greater peak vertical GRF than women (p = 0.007; ES = 1.18), though women exhibited greater negative lower extremity work (p < 0.001; ES = 1.98) than men through greater negative knee (p < 0.001; ES = 1.98) and ankle (p = 0.032; ES = 0.94) work. No sex differences were detected for joint angular displacement about the hip (p = 0.475; ES = 0.30), knee (p = 0.666; ES = 0.18), or ankle (p = 0.084; ES = 0.71). These data revealed a unique load accommodation strategy during VJL with a WV characterized by greater lower extremity joint work performed via increased joint torque despite lesser landing height and peak vertical GRF. Women appear to perform greater lower extremity joint work than men during VJL despite lesser landing height and peak vertical GRF. Current and prospective WV users should be aware of their load accommodation strategy during VJL with an external load. Women may consider developing more refined load accommodation strategies for VJL regardless of whether external loading is applied to avoid performing excessive amounts of lower extremity work.     

Effects of attention during encoding on sex differences in object location memory

Attention plays a key role in memory processes and has been widely studied in various memory tasks. The role of attention in sex differences in object location memory is not clearly understood. In the present study, two experiments involving 186 participants and using an object array presented on paper were conducted to examine two encoding conditions: incidental and intentional. In each experiment, the participants were randomly assigned to divided versus full attention conditions. In the first experiment, which involved incidental encoding, women outperformed men in memorising location‐exchanged objects in both the full and in the divided attention condition. In the second experiment, which involved intentional encoding, women outperformed men in memorising location‐exchanged objects in the full attention condition, but not the divided attention condition. These findings deepen our knowledge regarding the role of attention in object location memory, specifically in terms of the conditions under which females have an advantage for detecting changes in an array of objects.     

Aggression and Sociometric Status among Peers: Do Gender and Type of Aggression Matter?

The connections between the use of different types of aggression (direct physical, direct verbal, and indirect) and sociometric status among same-sex and opposite-sex peers were studied. The subjects were 209 ninth-grade adolescents. Although an adolescent's aggression in general was related to being rejected by peers, a different picture emerged when the shared variance between types of aggression was controlled: The partial correlations showed that when the level of direct (physical and verbal) aggression was kept constant, increases in indirect aggression did not explain variance in peer rejection scores. On the contrary, the use of indirect aggression contributed (especially among boys) to social acceptance by peers. The direct (physical and verbal) forms of aggression were unrelated to adolescents' social acceptance scores. No clear differences were detected between girls' and boys' acceptance or rejection of their aggressive peers, despite the finding that boys seemed to tolerate indirect aggression better than girls did.     

Masculinity-femininity as a national characteristic and its relationship with national agoraphobic fear levels: Fodor's sex role hypothesis revitalized

Hofstede's dimension of national culture termed Masculinity-Femininity [. Cultures and organizations: software of the mind. London: McGraw-Hill] is proposed to be of relevance for understanding national-level differences in self-assessed agoraphobic fears. This prediction is based on the classical work of Fodor [. In: V. Franks & V. Burtle (Eds.), Women in therapy: new psychotherapies for a changing society. New York: Brunner/Mazel]. A unique data set comprising 11 countries (total N=5491 students) provided the opportunity of scrutinizing this issue. It was hypothesized and found that national Masculinity (the degree to which cultures delineate sex roles, with masculine or tough societies making clearer differentiations between the sexes than feminine or modest societies do) would correlate positively with national agoraphobic fear levels (as assessed with the Fear Survey Schedule-III). Following the correction for sex and age differences across national samples, a significant and large effect-sized national-level (ecological) r=+0.67 (P=0.01) was found. A highly feminine society such as Sweden had the lowest, whereas the champion among the masculine societies, Japan, had the highest national Agoraphobic fear score.     

Juger la recrutabilité des candidats : quels effets de l’apparence et des aptitudes en fonction des types de postes ?

Scientific research has shown the influence of norms and of gender and beauty stereotypes on evaluations and hiring decisions. Recent studies (Desrumaux, 2005; Jawahar & Mattson, 2005) have shown an evolution of the lack of Fit model (Heilman, 1983). The objective of this research is to test the effects of physical appearance, GMA and normative pieces of information (internality/externality) related to the candidate on the candidates’ recrutabilty. This study has also taken into account hierarchy level and sexual connotation of the job. We have tested its effects on medical jobs, of higher level (surgeon, doctor nutritionist) or subordinate (ambulance man and dental assistant). The results indicate that an attractive candidate is judged more recrutable for a subordinate job than a superior one. Moreover, for a subordinate job, the effect of the attractiveness was more important for male target than for feminine target. Results show also that men are judged less hirable than the women for female type jobs. Moreover, the effect of the aptitude is more discriminating for the external ones than for the internals. Results were discussed on the line of the lack of fit correspondence model.     

Driver anger in France: The relationships between sex,gender roles,trait and state driving anger and appraisals made while driving

This study aimed to further understand the relationships between sex, gender identity, trait and state driving anger and situational appraisals made while driving, and to validate the 33-item Driving Anger Scale (DAS) in a sample of drivers from France. In total, 378 drivers (males = 38%) aged from 18 to 79 years completed a survey containing the 33-item DAS, the Bem Sex-Role Inventory (BSRI) and eight questions regarding self-reported state anger and appraisals in relation to a recalled recent anger provoking situation experienced while driving. Confirmatory Factor Analysis supported the original six-factor structure of the 33-item DAS. Moreover, Structural Equation Modelling of the factors associated with the recalled anger event showed that trait anger influenced state anger through negative appraisal tendencies, and this was influenced by both sex and gender roles. Females and those reporting more masculine traits tended to have higher levels of trait driving anger. Conversely, drivers with feminine traits had low state anger except if they negatively appraised the situation. This new model could be taken into consideration for developing interventions to reduce anger and “road rage” incidents.     

Sexual Intimacy,Mental Illness,and Homelessness

The current article reviews the literature on sexuality among individuals with a severe mental illness (SMI) who have experienced homelessness, a topic that has received little attention in the research literature, particularly from a community psychology perspective. The review begins with a synthesis of the literature on SMI and sexuality, followed by a review of the available literature on SMI, homelessness, and sexuality. It concludes with an interpretation of the findings using community psychology values and principles. The findings highlight the importance of intimate relationships to recovery for many individuals with an SMI who have experienced homelessness. Policy implications for homeless shelters and housing interventions are discussed.