Sexual Orientation and Human Rights in the Ethics Code of the Psychology and Counseling Organization of the Islamic Republic of Iran (PCOIRI)

The aim of this study is to investigate the necessity of revising the Ethics Code of the Psychology and Counseling Organization of the Islamic Republic of Iran (PCOIRI) with respect to people’s rights and dignity and to avoid unfair discriminations toward sexual orientation and gender identity. It is said that confused diagnoses; wrong decision making; unethical practice; and the subsequent harm caused to lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender clients result from the lack of a clear code and relevant guidelines. In addition, certain conditions in Iran (such as religious perspectives, laws, cultural biases, misunderstandings, a lack of local academic and scientific resources, and Western conspiracy theories) lead professional psychologists and researchers to avoid researching sexual minorities and gender identity, which negatively impacts the Ethics Code of the PCOIRI. Iranian and Western researchers have identified four primary sources to which psychologists and counselors can refer when faced with ethical dilemmas: developmental psychology, professional ethics codes, philosophy of psychology literature, and available researches and compilations on professional ethics. Finally it is suggested that, when dealing with homosexual clients and the related ethical dilemmas, Iranian psychologists and counselors need clear and specific guidelines and a professional ethics code developed from more appropriate reference points than legal and religious sources.     

Interrogating the Process and Meaning of Intergroup Contact: Contrasting Theoretical Approaches

To address the dearth of research on the process and meaning participants make of intergroup contact in settings of intractable conflict, Israeli, Palestinian and US youth were randomly assigned to conditions of dialogue‐based contact rooted in distinct social psychological theories. Over a 2‐week period, participants completed diaries containing surveys of psychological experience and space for free reflection. US youth reported lower levels of engagement, social identity salience and positive mood relative to Israelis and Palestinians. Qualitative data revealed a pattern of detachment and dissatisfaction among US youth. Compared with participants in a recategorization condition, participants in a mutual differentiation condition of dialogue reported lower levels of self‐consistency and higher levels of intergroup differentiation over time, suggesting the effectiveness of this approach to initiate a process of self‐reflection and intergroup distinctiveness. Palestinian participants in the mutual differentiation condition reported higher levels of empowerment and positive mood throughout contact relative to all other participants, suggesting the effectiveness of this approach to challenge power asymmetries and its positivity for the low‐status group. Results are discussed in terms of innovative methodological approaches to study intergroup processes in contact settings. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

品牌社区的形成与发展:社会认同和计划行为理论的视角

品牌社区是指一种特定的,不受地域限制的,基于某一品牌崇拜者之间结构化的社会关系而建立的社区。大量研究围绕社会认同理论、计划行为理论等相关理论,试图揭示品牌社区的形成、发展及作用机制。现有研究发现消费者对品牌的态度及其所感受到的主观行为规范等因素会影响个体的社区参与水平,而参与品牌社区有助于社区成员产生品牌认同,进而有效地维持并提高其品牌忠诚度。未来研究应该更多地关注自尊、自我意识以及社会认同威胁等变量。此外,国内研究者还应当考虑到东西方文化差异,促进相关理论及概念的本土化。     

同一性风格:青少年自我同一性研究的新视角

近年来,自我同一性问题的研究由关注同一性状态转向关注同一性风格。同一性风格是指个体在建立与维持同一性时表现出的社会认知策略方面的偏好,包括信息风格、规范风格和扩散/逃避风格。研究者围绕同一性风格与社会认知加工策略、人格、家庭环境、心理健康、学业表现等方面关系展开了丰富的研究。未来的研究方法和被试样本应该更加多样化,跨文化比较研究及干预性研究也有待进一步开展。     

The economic crisis and its implications on same-culture identities and the therapeutic relationship

Although the need for multicultural competencies has been well documented, very few studies show the effect of the economic crisis or other socio-political events on the therapeutic relationship. Furthermore, usually studies focus on the need to be aware of ‘the other’ and research on the implications of same-culture dyads is scant. The case of Greece is particularly interesting because of the peculiarities of the Greek national identity and its connection to the country’s socio-political past. Furthermore, the economic crisis together with the social and political upheaval has had a significant impact on the Greek identity. We argue that practitioners in Greece are products of a mono-cultural society and they should be empowered to develop awareness of their personal and cultural identity in order to be able to freely interact with the identities of others. This paper makes specific suggestions about increasing awareness and reflexivity in psychotherapeutic practice and training programmes. The authors highlight the need for research to investigate the multifaceted impact of the economic crisis on the identity of the practitioner and the therapeutic relationship in Greece. We hope that this paper invites further discussions among Greek and international practitioners.     

Sound escapes: images of spirituality from music teachers and students

This on-going piece of research seeks to identify what music teachers, performers and students from high school through to university understand by the word spirituality in relation to music. From this it is hoped to be able to look at the relevance of the term spirituality in the music classroom. In this paper, data are presented from qualitative research gained in the form of interviews with 37 respondents and four focus groups of children, and quantitative research from questionnaires completed by 38 trainee music teachers. From these data, we identified five themes relating to the respondents’ understanding of the term ‘spirituality’ in relation to music. These were: to what extent spirituality is seen as a religious concept; whether spirituality is an inner or outer experience; to what extent words are relevant to spiritual experiences; the role that knowledge and emotion play and whether musicians experience a sense of spirituality more when listening or performing. From these data we go on to identify implications for the music classroom.     

The Impact of Changes in the Work Environment on the Place-Identity of Academics: An Exploratory Study

The study examined the impact of changes in the work environment on the construction of place-identity among university academics. Data were collected from five academics at a large distance learning university in South Africa. The institution was undergoing major structural changes at the time of the study. Unstructured questions were used for the data collection. These data were analysed using content analysis and the results suggested academics construct identities towards their place of work and changes to this place may be perceived as a threat.     

Are you your father's child? Social identity influences of father absence in a South African setting

This study explored social identity influences of father absence on black South African young adults, including use of paternal surname. Informants were six young women and men between 21 and 35 years of age from a historically disadvantaged South African township. Data were collected through one-on-one in-depth interviews, and analyzed using thematic content analysis. Father absence was associated with lower self perceptions and non-use of paternal surname with diminished sense of identity. Use of maternal surname sufficed as an identity for some. Patriarchal norms explained children's perceived and experienced social identities in a historically disadvantaged black community.