The religiosity-psychoticism relationship and the two factors of social desirability: A response to Michael W. Eysenck (1999)

This paper is based upon an interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) which investigated the experiences of twelve people who had been sexually abused by Roman Catholic priests or religious. The premise of the research was based upon a perceived assumption that distinct forms of sexual traumatology generate unique trauma characteristics not accounted for within the existing Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) conceptual frameworks (International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems ((DSM-IVTR 2000;) ICD-10 R, 2007). Recent developments in psychodiagnostics to support the relevance of religious concerns where incorporated into the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders DSM-IV edition (1994) which allowed a range of “religious” and “spiritual” problems to be explicitly identified as a focus for specific clinical attention. However, these appear quite vague in accounting for the range of trauma experiences experienced by this participant group. Evidence arose which indicated the majority of the research participants considered “God” to have been integral within the abuse, manipulated by design or default by the cleric or religious perpetrator. These idiosyncratic trauma characteristic created significant anxiety and distress in areas such as theological belief, crisis of faith, and fears surrounding the participant's own mortality. The IPA research identified six distinct, themed differences of which four will be discussed in more detail for the purpose of this paper. It will consider the attributes of these themes in relation to Roman Catholicism, celibacy and Canon law, and further question the sufficiency of the DSM-IV “V” Codes in accounting for the myriad of symptoms survivors of sexual abuse perpetrated by Roman Catholic Priests and Religious actually describe.     

Cultural factors promoting coping among Tibetan refugees: a qualitative investigation

This study is an attempt to understand the role of cultural resources in promoting coping among Tibetan refugees. Tibetan refugee communities have adapted well and managed to preserve their cultural identity in exile and have been cited as models of successful coping with refugee life. Tibet is renowned for its rich culture and traditions. The unique feature of this culture is the devotion towards Buddhism which has exerted a strong influence in almost every aspect of their life and culture. This study is a qualitative investigation of 12 Tibetan refugees coming from diverse background (students, businessmen, activists, and ex-prisoners). Interpretive phenomenological analysis was used to analyse the narratives of case studies in order to explore various cultural factors promoting healthy coping. Major themes related to the cultural resources promoting healthy coping included – protective hand of Dalai Lama and other Lamas, Buddhist philosophy and practices, community bonding and support, and historical exemplars of strength and resiliency.     

Dissimilar effects of task‐relevant and interpersonal threat on independent–interdependent self‐construal in individuals with high self‐esteem

Previous research has indicated that individuals with high trait self‐esteem (HSEs) become more independent and less interdependent after experiencing a task‐relevant threat. However, these studies have not investigated other sources of ego threats, such as interpersonal threats. Therefore, the moderating effects of the degree of trait self‐esteem on task‐relevant and interpersonal ego threats were investigated in relation to independent, or interdependent self‐construal. It was predicted that in HSEs, the level of task‐relevant stress would be positively–negatively related to their independence–interdependence, whereas the level of interpersonal stress would be negatively–positively related to their independence–interdependence. In individuals with low trait self‐esteem (LSEs), the two types of stresses and independent–interdependent self‐construal may not have a significant relationship. We conducted a questionnaire survey with undergraduates. Correlational analysis of the results indicated that in HSEs, greater task‐relevant stress was related to heightened independence, whereas greater interpersonal stress had the opposite effect, indicating lower independence and heightened interdependence. However, these stresses were not related to the self‐construal of LSEs. These findings suggest that task‐relevant and interpersonal threat could have differential effects on independent and interdependent self‐construal for HSEs, but not in LSEs.     

Spiritual well-being,burnout and trauma in counsellors and psychotherapists

Burnout represents a potential risk for counsellors and psychotherapists in their work with distressed clients. In the research reported here, the relationship between spiritual well-being and burnout was explored, with attention paid to clinicians’ perceptions of trauma. Eighty-nine Australian counsellors and psychotherapists (71 females and 18 males) completed a demographic survey, the Maslach Burnout Inventory, and Spiritual Well-Being Scale. It was found that existential well-being accounted for some of the variance in MBI subscale scores, and buffered the effect of trauma on emotional exhaustion. In addition, clinicians who reported high levels of existential well-being reported being better able to avoid emotional exhaustion when working with severely traumatised clients.     

Community Engagement as Liberal Performance,as Critical Intellectualism and as Praxis

This article aims to illustrate that engagement is a dynamic and evolutionary process, moulded by contesting ideological, social actor and contextual forces. For purposes of illustration, I draw on a university-affiliated, participatory enactment of community engagement as a case example. The case illustrates that community engagement may assume a form of action, critical intellectualism and praxis. As action, community engagement is oriented towards performance of liberal democracy. Community engagement, as shaped by the critical intellectualism of the Black Consciousness philosophy, reflects community self-affirmation, autonomy and intellectual independence. Community engagement as praxis may be characterised by reflexivity, vision-making and the building of interpersonal relationships. Community engagement is marked by a dynamic interplay between race, power and counter-hegemonic ideology.     

Maternal Response to Father-Daughter Incest: Experiences of Mothers Following Disclosure

This study explored the impact of the disclosure of sexual abuse of the daughter by the father or father figure on the mother. Data were collected from seven mothers aged between 31 and 48 years whose daughters had a history of sexual abuse by the biological father, stepfather or live-in boyfriend. The children's ages ranged between 5 and 11 years with disclosure having taken place in the last two years before data collection. Data were collected using an interview schedule. The results obtained from the thematic content analysis indicate that the mothers were traumatized by the disclosure of the sexual abuse. The most prevalent symptoms were anger, anxiety, guilty, depression, insomnia, headache and fatigue. It is recommended that mothers be provided with psychological intervention in order to assist them deal with the trauma associated with the disclosure of the father-daughter incest.     

“Where Are You?” Defensive Dissociation and Fragments of Annihilated Faith

This article addresses the relation between defensive dissociation and faith. Defensive dissociation is understood as a response to severe trauma. In this response there is no interpreting subject to process the event linguistically and the result is fragments of unformulated memory that continue to be painfully present long after the original trauma. The victim of severe trauma alternates between the need to be here in the presence of other human beings and the dissociative isolation of not being here. There are two related claims in this article. First, defensive dissociation stands for an event where faith is annihilated. As a defense it protects a person's remnant sense of faith, subjectivity, agency, and personhood by creating a space of non-experience. Fragments of annihilated faith continue to be present in the person's present formulations of faith and concomitant behaviors, relationships, and use of objects. The second claim is that the core of severe trauma remains outside the victim and community's capacities to represent it symbolically. This incommunicable core of annihilated faith can be contained by a community of faithful persons who are willing to face the horror of non-being and being nowhere without succumbing to despair.     

Ego-Identity Achievement and Perception of Risk in Intimacy in Survivors of Stranger and Acquaintance Rape

One hundred twenty-two women participated in a study of the relationship between acquaintance/stranger rape and the respective variables of ego-identity achievement (attainment of self-image during adolescence that integrates one's ideas of what one is and what one wants to be) and perception of risk in intimacy (perception of close interpersonal relationships as a risky proposition). Results showed that compared to women who had not been sexually assaulted, survivors of rape in general reported lower ego-identity achievement and greater perception of risk in intimacy. Focusing on acquaintance rape and stranger rape with age at the time of assault as possible moderator, it was found that lower ego-identity achievement was systematically related to acquaintance rape in women who had been raped during their adolescent years, but not in survivors of rape during adulthood. Perception of risk in intimacy was significantly higher among women who had been raped when adolescents compared to those who had been raped during adulthood, but only in relation to acquaintance rape.     

Frequency and Impact of Interpersonal Trauma in Older Women

Interpersonal violence impacts the lives of many women in society. However, despite the proliferation of research in this area, there is limited information about the frequency and impact of interpersonal trauma experiences in late life. This study investigated the relationship between a history of interpersonal trauma and subsequent adjustment difficulties, including psychological distress and physical health, in women over the age of 60. Findings demonstrate that interpersonal trauma has a significant impact on later-life functioning. Additionally, the presence of multiple traumatization experiences was a critical factor in determining which individuals manifested long-term trauma symptoms.