Psychometric properties of a measure of psychological factors among francophone adolescent learners in a South African setting

This study reported on the psychometric properties of a prospective measure of psychological wellbeing among immigrant francophone adolescent learners in high schools in the Western Cape, South Africa. The sample size comprised 170 participants (females = 51%; age range 14 to 20 years). Scores from the measure were analysed for internal consistency and factorial structure. The evidence suggests scores from the measure to be reliable for measuring emotional regulation, aggressiveness, empathy, and sympathy among the immigrant francophone adolescent learners.     

Psychometric properties of beliefs about relationship violence against women and gender stereotypes scale

This article describes psychometric properties of the Gender-Based Relationship Violence Beliefs Scale (BEREVIWOS) and the Gender Stereotypes and Beliefs (GESTABE) scale in a Nigerian setting. Analysis was based on a convenience sample of 202 respondents. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was used to determine construct validity of the three-factor structure of each scale and measurement invariance procedures were utilised to determine whether the factor structure was equivalent across gender. Convergent and discriminant validity of the scales, and predictive and incremental validity were examined for consistency with theory on gender beliefs/stereotypes and violence in patriarchal society. A single-factor CFA model approach was used to examine common method bias. Results suggest the BEREVIWOS and GESTABE are multidimensional scales with an intercorrelated three-factor structure. The fit of the models and composite reliability were adequate. Scores from the BEREVIWOS and GESTABE appear reliable and valid measures of underlying beliefs and stereotypes associated with violence against women in Nigeria.     

Psychological career resources identity and life orientation among young emerging adults in a Nigerian setting

This study explored whether young emerging adults’ psychological career resources identity predicted their orientation to life. The participants were a random sample of 400 predominantly full-time undergraduate students from four tertiary institutions in Nigeria (47% = female; age range 18 to 30 years). They completed psychological career resources and life orientation measures. The data were analysed by performing multiple regression analysis to explore whether psychological career resources accounted for the variance in life orientation. Overall, the results showed that those participants with well-differentiated career preferences and strong career drivers (sense of career calling, career goals and career intentionality) were likely to have a stronger sense of coherence. Developing a strong psychological career resources identity may potentially assist the young adult in developing a positive orientation to their life-career in developing country employment settings.     

Clients’ experiences of dynamic interpersonal therapy (DIT): opportunities and challenges for brief,manualised psychodynamic therapy in the NHS

Dynamic interpersonal therapy (DIT) is a brief manualised psychodynamic intervention for depression. This is a first study exploring clients’ experiences of DIT specifically and brief, manualised psychodynamic psychotherapy (PP) in general. Interpretative phenomenological analysis was the methodology employed. Five participants completed a semi-structured interview, three weeks to ten months after completing DIT. The scores of pre- and post-therapy outcome measures of depression and anxiety were also available. Two emerging superordinate themes are presented here: (1) ‘The Distinct Features of DIT’, referring to how its therapeutic style and time limitations were experienced and (2) the ‘Impact of Therapy’, referring to perceived outcomes. While previous findings showed that therapist’s perceived limited activity in long-term PP was experienced as hindering/unhelpful, the perceived sense of direction in DIT appeared adequate to most participants. Secondly, the time limitations provoked complex responses. Reactions to the distinct elements of DIT are to be treated both as therapeutic opportunities and as challenges. Further, in line with psychoanalytic theory, most participants described relational changes that went beyond symptom relief and remained in progress after therapy ended. Intriguingly, there was no consistency between participants’ qualitative accounts of change and the scores of the outcome measures.     

Dynamic interpersonal therapy in an NHS tertiary level specialist psychotherapy service

We describe the introduction of dynamic interpersonal psychotherapy (DIT) into an National Health Service (NHS) tertiary psychoanalytic specialist psychotherapy service. Training in DIT began as our contribution to Improving Access to Psychological Therapies and primary care services, supporting the training and supervision of their DIT practitioners. We then discovered DIT could be a valuable treatment within our own tertiary NHS service for patients with complex presentations. Currently fighting for survival, like many NHS psychoanalytic psychotherapy services nationally, we have adopted a manual-guided, psychoanalytically based therapy to broaden our tertiary clinical psychoanalytic service and accommodate trends in mental health service provision, whilst protecting the quality and integrity of our psychotherapy. DIT helped us continue providing relevant and beneficial psychoanalytic and psychodynamic services to individual patients despite limitations of the financially challenged NHS, NICE guidelines and Payment by Results. We outline the progress and outcomes for patients with complex mental health presentations, include individual case discussion and our experience of using the DIT approach within a traditionally longer term psychoanalytic psychotherapy service.     

社会排斥对产品触觉信息偏好的影响及其作用机制

社会排斥的现象在当今社会日益凸显,已成为世界各国探究社会政策和不平等问题的一个重要方向。然而却鲜少有研究从心理机制的角度探讨社会排斥对人们的产品偏好的影响。本文通过1个预实验和4个主实验,系统研究了社会排斥如何影响个体对不同触感产品的偏好,并探讨了其内在影响机制。实验结果发现在经历社会排斥(相较于社会接纳)之后,个体更偏好触感柔软的产品,消极心理体验是其内在驱动机制,并且该作用机制被归属感的重要性所调节。当归属感被认为很重要时,个体在经历社会排斥后对柔软触感产品的偏好以及消极心理体验的中介作用会被强化,而当归属感被认为不重要时,以上效应会被削弱。本文还对研究结论的理论贡献和实践应用进行了深入讨论。     

On some common objections to a behavioral approach to psychological categories

This paper addresses several objections that have been leveled against a behavioral approach to psychological categories. It reconstructs and critically assesses (a) the so-called causal objection; (b) alleged counterexamples whereby one can exhibit the typical behaviors associated with a psychological phenomenon without exhibiting the latter, including Lewis’ “perfect actor” case and Kirk’s “zombie”; (c) alleged counterexamples whereby organisms can exemplify psychological phenomena without exhibiting any behavior associated with them, including Armstrong’s imagined brain in a vat, Putnam’s “super-super-spartans” scenario, and related cases; and (d) the holistic objection. Mistaken assumptions in each of these objections are pinpointed. The paper starts with a brief characterization of behaviorism about psychological categories and a summary of the particular version thereof supported here, which draws upon Ryle and Skinner, among others.     

Examining the indirect effects of religious orientations on well‐being through personal locus of control

Religiosity often positively correlates with well‐being. Some orientations towards religion may, however, adversely affect well‐being by decreasing perceptions of personal locus of control—a critical antecedent of mental health. We examined this possibility in a New Zealand‐based national sample of religiously identified adults (N = 1486). As predicted, fundamentalism had a negative indirect effect on life satisfaction, but a positive indirect effect on psychological distress. Conversely, people's intrinsic religious orientation had a positive indirect effect on life satisfaction, but a negative indirect effect on psychological distress. Notably, all four indirect effects were transmitted through personal, but not God, locus of control. These results highlight the diversity of religious orientations and show that religious orientations that deemphasize people's personal locus of control have negative consequences for well‐being.     

Does avoidance‐attachment style attenuate the benefits of being listened to?

We tested both Rogers's hypothesis that listening enables speakers to experience psychological safety and our hypothesis that the benefit of listening for psychological safety is attenuated by avoidance‐attachment style. We tested these hypotheses in six laboratory experiments, a field correlational study, and a scenario experiment. We meta‐analyzed the results of the laboratory experiments and found that listening increased psychological safety on average but that the variance between the experiments was also significant. The between experiment variance in the effect of listening manipulation on psychological safety exposes a methodological challenge in choosing a research paradigm of good‐versus‐normal listening, as opposed to normal‐versus‐poor listening. More importantly, we found, as expected and across all designs, that the higher the avoidance‐attachment style was, the lower the effect of listening on psychological safety. This finding has implications both for practice and for placing a theoretical boundary on Rogers's theory.     

父母的心理控制与儿童心理社会功能的关系

心理控制是一种侵入式教养,它是指父母使用引发儿童的内疚感、爱的撤回等方式侵入儿童思想和情感的教养行为,这种消极的、侵入式教养导致儿童产生诸多心理社会功能失调。跨文化研究发现,我国文化背景下父母的心理控制水平更高。社会环境、父母的人格和儿童的行为等因素都对父母的心理控制水平产生影响。父母的心理控制会对儿童的行为问题、自主性等一系列的心理社会功能产生消极影响。未来研究应立足中国特色文化,深入探讨儿童多重看护条件、儿童自身易感性等因素对心理控制效应的影响。