Sociopsychological profiles of students that leave the ingroup or engage in social competition

We present a study of the sociopsychological profiles of students who are disposed to engage in social competition on behalf of ingroup interests. Five predictors were selected: the advantageous or unfavourable context for ingroup interests, group identification, meritocracy, just-world beliefs, and social dominance orientation. It was found that those students who were prepared to invest personal resources on behalf of ingroup interests were characterized by a strong group identification and middle or low scores in the meritocracy and social dominance orientation. In contrast, students with the lowest disposition to social competition were defined by their low identification and/or middle-high scores in the meritocracy and social dominance orientation. Against our expectation, the manipulation of the favourable versus unfavourable situation of the ingroup did not have a significant influence. In order of their importance, the variables that showed stronger effects were group identification, followed by meritocracy, social dominance orientation, and world-just beliefs.     

Sectioned offenders presenting with enduring mental illness: a study exploring behaviors indicative of bullying

Logit and logistic regression analyses were employed to explore the nature, extent and predictors of behaviors indicative of "being bullied" and of "bullying others" in a sample of 125 adult male offender-patients sectioned for enduring mental illness and detained within a high-secure psychiatric hospital. The study addresses the lack of research into this specialized population to date, with a subsidiary aim of comparing the results directly with a previous study conducted with a population of adult male personality-disordered offender-patients (n = 53). Participants were required to complete a self-report behavioral checklist (Direct and Indirect Patient behavior Checklist-Hospital version Revised). The prediction that indirect (subtle) aggression would be reported more frequently than direct aggression was supported in relation to perpetration estimates, with evidence such aggression was also more prevalent among personality-disordered than mentally ill offender-patients. As predicted verbal aggression was the most commonly reported direct behavior. Although it was predicted that those perpetrating aggression would present with increased experience with secure settings this was only supported with regard to bully-victims. Contrary to the prediction made, those victimized did not present with less experience of secure settings. Consistent with the hypothesis, bully/victims were predicted by increased negative behavior toward staff and hospital rules. The results are discussed in relation to the environment in which the aggression is taking place with the implications for practice and future research outlined.     

On the Value of Coming into Existence

In this paper I argue that coming into existence can benefit (or harm) aperson. My argument incorporates the comparative claim that existence canbe better (or worse) for a person than never existing. Since these claimsare highly controversial, I consider and reject a number of objectionswhich threaten them. These objections raise various semantic, logical,metaphysical and value-theoretical issues. I then suggest that there is animportant sense in which it can harm (or benefit) a person not to comeinto existence. Again, I consider and reject some objections. Finally, Ibriefly consider what the conclusions reached in this paper imply for ourmoral obligations to possible future people.     

The nonequivalence of behavioral and mathematical equivalence.

Sidman and his colleagues derived behavioral tests for stimulus equivalence from the axiom in logic and mathematics that defines a relation of equivalence. The analogy has generated abundant research in which match-to-sample methods have been used almost exclusively to study interesting and complex stimulus control phenomena. It has also stimulated considerable discussion regarding interpretation of the analogy and speculation as to its validity and generality. This article reexamines the Sidman stimulus equivalence analogy in the context of a broader consideration of the mathematical axiom than was included in the original presentation of the analogy and some of the data that have accumulated in the interim. We propose that (a) mathematical and behavioral examples of equivalence relations differ substantially, (b) terminology is being used in ways that can lead to erroneous conclusions about the nature of the stimulus control that develops in stimulus equivalence experiments, and (c) complete analyses of equivalence and other types of stimulus-stimulus relations require more than a simple invocation of the analogy. Implications of our analysis for resolving current issues and prompting new research are discussed.     

气质与学业成就的相关及其机制的研究

该研究考察了３１６３名中小学生的气质与学业成就、人格特征的关系。结果说明：１．学业成就与情绪性、内外向性气质特征相关显著,多血质、多血,粘液质和多血－胆汁质是有利于学习的气质类型。２．气质与人格存在着相互依赖性,不同气质类型学生群体具有与其气质相应的典型人格特征。３．要重视学生的气质差异对其人格和学业成就的影响。     

Desire and the female analyst

The literature on erotic transference and countertransference between female analyst and male patient is reviewed and discussed. It is known that female analysts are less likely than their male colleagues to act out sexually with their patients. It has been claimed that a) male patients do not experience sustained erotic transferences, and b) female analysts do not experience erotic countertransferences with female or male patients. These views are challenged and it is argued that, if there is less sexual acting out by female analysts, it is not because of an absence of eros in the therapeutic relationship. The literature review covers material drawn from psychoanalysis, feminist psychotherapy, Jungian analysis, as well as some sociological and cultural sources. It is organized under the following headings: the gender of the analyst, sexual acting out, erotic transference, maternal and paternal transference, gender and power, counter-transference, incest taboo - mothers and sons and sexual themes in the transference.     

DISCRIMINATIVE CONTROL OF THERAPISTS' PERFORMANCE1

In order to examine therapists' discriminative responding to normal and idiosyncratic patient responses, naive subjects were presented with a simulated “patient” for treatment. The subjects were made to believe they were reinforcing normal verbalizations emitted by this patient In fact, they were listening to a tape on which normal and idiosyncratic verbalizations had been recorded. Different probabilities of normal and idiosyncratic “patient” verbalizations could be presented to the subjects by means of a digital programming unit. In one of a number of conditions, the subjects' accurate reinforcing responses were followed by an increased probability of the patient's normal verbalizations. Accurate reinforcing responses emitted by the subjects were brought under the control of normal and idiosyncratic patient responses, by use of contingent feedback, change in patient responding, and monetary reinforcers. When the patient's normal verbalizations increased in probability, so did the subjects' accurate reinforcing responses following the patient's normal verbalizations, and to a lesser degree, the subjects' inaccurate reinforcing responses following the patient's idiosyncratic verbalizations. When the patient's idiosyncratic verbalizations increased in probability, the subjects' accurate and inaccurate reinforcing responses decreased in probability. The clinical implications of these tendencies are discussed.