(Dis)armed friendship: impacts of colonial ideology on early Quaker attitudes toward American Indians

Quakers’ early relations with American Indians (especially the Lenne Lenape, later known as the Delaware Indians) were generally positive. Core Quaker principles were simplicity, integrity, equality and peace – principles that could coincide well with those of the similarly egalitarian Lenne Lenape, who had been designated peacekeepers by the Iroquois Confederacy. Although the relationship was different than that of other settlers and American Indians, it was still suffused with colonial ideology. From the founding of Pennsylvania to the period of Grant’s ‘Peace Policy’, Quakers had to negotiate two wars and changing attitudes to North American Indians by American Presidents and government. The paper focuses on corresponding shifts in Quaker attitudes and policies. Our interest is in Quaker responses to Native Americans over time, finding that Quakers became increasingly distanced from the Indians and focused on acculturation. In their zeal to become acceptable to American Governments and through that, assist Native Americans, Quakers had, in fact, assimilated themselves.     

Empower my decisions: The effects of power gestures on confirmatory information processing

Recent research has shown that social power systematically influences information processing in many ways, and can be induced simply via powerful gestures or postures. The current studies investigated the impact of embodied power on confirmatory information processing after decision making. Based upon previous social power research, we hypothesized that individuals who posed in powerful ways (making a clenched fist or sitting in an open, expansive posture) would systematically prefer decision-consistent over decision-inconsistent information; an effect known as selective exposure, or biased assimilation. Four studies consistently indicated that bodily positioning associated with high levels of power induced greater confirmatory tendencies in the evaluation and search stages of a subsequent, decision-relevant information task (Studies 1–4). This tendency is unlikely to be due to mere physical strain (Study 4), and was mediated by differences in experienced decision certainty (Studies 3 and 4); indicating that the embodiment of high power makes people more confident regarding the validity of their decisions. Consequently, high-power posers systematically prefer information that is consistent with their decision preference.     

The role of similarity and dissimilarity focus in sequential judgments of physical attractiveness

The present results indicate that procedurally priming comparison focus can change the contrast effect in judgments of physical attractiveness (Kenrick & Gutierres, 1980). Participants were primed to search for similarities vs. differences between target and standard of comparison in a task using material irrelevant to the subsequent physical attractiveness judgment. Focusing participants on similarities testing produced the assimilation effect: evaluation of target and comparison standard as being similar. Focusing participants on dissimilarity testing produced the contrast effect: evaluating the target as different from the standard of comparison.     

Understanding the Role of Gender and Ethnic Oppression when Treating Mexican American Women for Eating Disorders

Gender, ethnicity, and weight issues are often the basis for internalized oppression. Mexican American women with eating disorders are subject to such internalization, complicated by cultural and family factors. Mexican American women (n = 136) were assessed. The resulting culturally discrepant gender identity theory describes the complicated set of relationships between weight, cultural weightism, gender identity, assimilation to U.S. culture, family factors, and eating disorder symptoms. Therapists treating eating disorders should consider ethnic and gender identity in addressing the conflicts between family, culture, and gender expectations; and demonstrate sensitivity to the complex inter-generational relationships in Mexican American families.     

心理咨询中当事人的改变过程：同化模型的视角

摘 要 目的：选用心理咨询中获得成功改变的中国当事人,验证美国学者William B. Stiles等提出的同化模型。方法：采用同化分析这一用来追踪心理治疗中当事人问题经验发展进程的研究方法,对案例的会谈逐字稿资料进行分析。结果：三位研究者追踪到了两个主题（两对声音）,摘录了68个段落。其对两个主题摘录段落的同化评分与三位独立评定者的评分具有较高的相关（0.90和0.85）,同化的评分随着会谈的进程而提高（相关分别为0.89和0.91）。当事人在心理咨询中的改变过程遵循同化模型有关治疗改变的发展序列。结论：中国当事人的心理咨询改变过程支持同化模型的理论构想。     

Assimilation Effects of Eye Shadow on Facial Colors

Makeup can change facial complexion, making it of interest both practically and for empirical research on perception. We examined the assimilation effect of eye shadow on complexion using two series of eye shadows: typical colors that are not evenly saturated and colors with saturation as even as possible. Twenty participants assessed the degree of redness in reddish faces, yellowness in yellowish faces, and lightness in both faces via paired comparisons. The results indicated that: (a) the reddish face was perceived as redder when it had eye shadow of pinkish and purplish colors or reddish saturated colors instead of containing yellowish components; (b) the yellowish face became less yellow with colors without a greenish or yellowish component; and (c) except for the lighter yellowish shade, eye shadow made the face perceptually darker. We confirmed the assimilation effect of eye shadow on complexion and showed differences in perceptual hue change according to the original face colors.     

Religious Parties, Religious Political Identity, and the Cold Shoulder of Liberal Democratic Thought

Elements of the relation between religion and politics are standard themes in political theory: toleration and free exercise rights; the parameters of separation of church and state; arguments for and against constraints imposed on religious discourse by philosophic norms of public reason. But religious parties and partisanship are no part of political theory, despite contemporary interest in value pluralism and in liberal democratic theory's capacity to address multicultural, religious, and ethnic group claims. This essay argues that religious parties are missing elements in discussions of identity politics. They play an important role not just in expressing but also in constructing and mobilizing religious political identity. Political activity linked to parties is a principal way of bringing diffuse, politically unorganized groups, whose leaders are self-appointed and not regularly accountable for the way they represent co-religionists in political life, into the democratic mainstream. With political organization and especially partisanship, the fact of pluralism is made concrete for democratic purposes.     

A Tale of Two Cities: Replication of a Study on the Acculturation and Adaptation of Immigrant Adolescents From the Former Soviet Union in a Different Community Context

While a great deal of research has been conducted to understand acculturation and its relationship to adaptation in the new country, surprisingly little attention has been paid to the ways in which the characteristics of the local community impact these processes. The present study addresses this gap in the literature by exploring the potential role of community differences in the acculturation and adaptation processes of 269 refugee and immigrant adolescents from the former Soviet Union who resettled in two different community contexts. Specifically, a prior study on acculturation and adjustment among high school students (D. Birman, E. J. Trickett, & A. Vinokurov, 2002) was replicated with the same émigré population in a contrasting community within the same state. The contrast between these communities allowed us to test hypotheses emerging from an ecological perspective concerning (1) patterns of acculturation, (2) levels of discrimination and its effect on acculturative outcomes, and (3) community differences in the relationship between acculturation and outcomes. In addition to the focus on community differences, the study also employs a multidimensional measure of acculturation and assesses acculturation to both American and Russian culture. Furthermore, adaptation is assessed across different life domains; including peer relationships, family relationships, school adaptation, and psychological adaptation. Findings support the general ecological perspective, suggesting the importance of studying acculturation and adaptation as a reflexive process in which culture and context are very much intertwined.     

Acculturation and adaptation of Soviet Jewish refugee adolescents: predictors of adjustment across life domains

This study explores how acculturation is related to adaptation across different life spheres for 162 Soviet Jewish refugee adolescents in a suburban community in Maryland. Because the different contexts of refugee adolescents' lives vary in acculturative demands, different patterns of acculturation should be related to adaptation in different life spheres. The study uses a multidimensional measure of acculturation and assesses acculturation to both American and Russian cultures as it relates to psychological adaptation, peer relations, and school and family outcomes. Findings support the general ecological thesis that acculturation to different cultures is differentially related to adaptation across life domains. Acculturation to American culture predicted better grades and perceived support from American peers. Acculturation to Russian culture predicted perceived support from Russian peers. Both American acculturation and Russian acculturation predicted reduced loneliness and perceived support from parents. Further, different dimensions of acculturation, such as language and identity, were differentially related to adaptation. Implications for acculturation theory and measurement are drawn, and cautions are offered about the interpretation of acculturation studies using single proxies such as language use or preference.     

心理咨询中好坏效果案例的同化水平对比:基于同化模型的视角

目的:通过对比心理咨询中4例好效果案例和4例坏效果案例同化水平的差异,对同化模型有关成功治疗改变过程的理论构想进行检验,并寻找区分好坏案例的关键点。方法:选用7位经过培训的评定者组成三个研究小组,采用同化分析这一用来追踪当事人问题经验发展进程的研究方法,对8个当事人完整的咨询逐字稿资料进行分析,并对涉及当事人问题经验的段落进行摘录。依据同化问题经验量表和同化标识手册对摘录的段落进行同化评定。结果:8个案例的核心问题得到一致确定,三组评定者评分的组内相关系数ICC(1,1)在.64~.86之间,ICC(1,K)在.84~.96之间。好效果案例结束时的同化水平均分(M=5.50)和同化进展均分(M=4.25)高于坏效果案例(2.13和-.13)。好坏效果案例的同化进程均出现前进中倒退的情形,但好效果案例能够在倒退中保持上升,而坏效果案例未能完成上升。好效果案例最终的同化水平均达到了4(理解/领悟)及以上,坏效果案例最终的同化水平均未达到4。结论:研究结果基本支持同化模型的理论设想,即症状强度的减少同更高的同化水平相联系;并初步确定区分好坏效果的关键点是同化水平4;但从同化进程来看,可考虑对模型的发展序列进行修改完善。