Social Norms and Egalitarian Values Mitigate Authoritarian Intolerance Toward Sexual Minorities

In the United States, acceptance of sexual minorities (e.g., gay men and lesbians) has increased substantially since the early 1990s. This study examined whether authoritarians' attitudes have been influenced by the societal shift toward greater acceptance of sexual minorities. Using data from the American National Election Studies (ANES) collected between 1992 and 2012, we tested a model in which authoritarianism, endorsement of egalitarian values, and social norms shifting in the direction of tolerance predict individual attitudes toward sexual minorities and LGBT rights issues. Results indicated that (1) there was a subset of authoritarians who endorsed egalitarian values, (2) authoritarians in general became more tolerant (i.e., held less negative attitudes) toward sexual minorities between 1992 and 2012, and (3) “egalitarian authoritarians” held more positive attitudes toward sexual minorities than other authoritarians. The findings contribute to contemporary theory and research on authoritarianism, which is moving from a monolithic view of authoritarianism to one in which culture and core values activate and shape manifestations of authoritarian tendencies.     

Mothers’ Attributions About Child Misbehavior: Can Situational Suggestions Change General Perceptions?

Mothers’ attributions about children’s misbehavior were experimentally manipulated to examine causal relationships among attributions, mood, and behavior and assess whether suggestion can change mothers’ general perceptions. Forty mothers of children aged 33 to 71 months were primed with dysfunctional child-referent (child responsible) or environment-referent (situation caused) attributions before a parent-child interaction. Mothers in the dysfunctional child-referent condition placed greater responsibility on children, reported less positive mood and endorsed more overly reactive discipline, and their children displayed more negative mood and misbehavior. The experimental manipulation also affected mothers’ general child attributions. Understanding how attributions form and change has implications for parenting interventions.     

Prospective effects of social support on internalized homonegativity and sexual identity concealment among middle-aged and older gay men: a longitudinal cohort study

Background and objectives: Middle-aged and older gay men experience higher rates of depression and anxiety compared to their heterosexual counterparts, with internalized homonegativity and sexual identity concealment known to be major stress-related contributors. This study examined the prospective effect of different types and sources of social support on internalized homonegativity and sexual identity concealment experienced among middle-aged and older gay men.

Methods: A longitudinal survey involving two waves of data collection separated by 12 months was conducted among a cohort of 186 gay-identified men aged 40 years and older.

Results: Two types of social support were found to be important. Greater baseline tangible or practical support independently predicted lower internalized homonegativity at 12-month follow-up, while greater baseline emotional or psychological support independently predicted a lower tendency toward sexual identity concealment at 12-month follow-up. Greater baseline support from community or government agencies, such as health services and support organizations, predicted higher internalized homonegativity at 12-month follow-up.

Conclusions: These findings suggest that tangible and emotional support may be beneficial in reducing internalized homonegativity and sexual identity concealment among middle-aged and older gay men. Ensuring that services provide environments that do not compound the stressful impact of stigma also appears to be important.     

Selective approach to a male and subsequent receptivity to mounting comprise mate‐choice behavior of female mice1

Abstract: To ensure the effectiveness of the mate‐choice behavior of female house mice (Mus domesticus), we observed them in two different situations that involved restriction of the area of movement of the male mice. In Experiment 1, we observed 12 trios consisting of two male mice and an estrous female placed in a chamber in which none of the animals was restricted during the 6‐h test. It was found that the female was more receptive to the male that had ejaculated with it first. Additionally, when the female initiated the mating event by approaching the male, the lordosis quotient was higher than that when the male initiated the mating event. In Experiment 2, a female was able to visit two males that were prevented from getting out of small boxes. As a result of the 3‐h observation of 10 cases, it was found that the females were more receptive to the dominant male. The intromission ratio of the dominant male was also higher than that of the subordinate male. The behavioral roles of female mice in mating interactions and their adaptive validity are discussed.     

Victims of Abuse by Priests: Some Preliminary Observations

This paper describes the results of psychological assessments of 25 adult males who were victims of sexual abuse by Catholic priests as children or early adolescents. Preliminary data suggest that premorbid personality patterns in these victims put them at greater risk for abuse and also exacerbated the effects of their victimization. These observations are considered in the context of prevalent explanatory models of the traumagenic effects of child sexual abuse.     

Sexual Ethics Training in Seminary: Preparing Students to Manage Feelings of Sexual Attraction

Pastoral Psychology - Sexual boundary violations by clergy have received heightened media attention in recent years with far reaching implications for the long-term well-being of the Church as an...     

Dimensions of Perfectionism and Anxiety Sensitivity

The current study investigated the extent to which dimensions of perfectionism are associated with components of the anxiety sensitivity construct. A sample of 177 undergraduate students completed the Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale, the Perfectionism Cognitions Inventory, the Perfectionistic Self-Presentation Scale, and the Expanded Anxiety Sensitivity Index developed by Taylor and Cox (1998). The results confirmed that automatic thoughts involving perfectionism and the interpersonal aspects of the perfectionism construct are associated with anxiety sensitivity. Examination of the Anxiety Sensitivity Index factors showed that perfectionism cognitions were associated primarily with anxiety sensitivity involving fears of cognitive dyscontrol, while socially prescribed perfectionism and perfectionistic self-presentation were associated primarily with fears of publicly observable anxiety reactions in a manner suggesting that the interpersonal perfectionism dimensions are linked closely with an anxious sensitivity to negative social evaluation and subsequent panic attacks. The theoretical and treatment implications of the link between perfectionism and anxiety sensitivity are discussed.     

当代大学生性道德价值取向调查研究

本研究以信度和效度较高的自编问卷,通过对我国经济发达不同地区的九所不同类别高校1673名大学生进行调查,揭示:不同类别大学生间的性道德观念存在显著差异;不过,大学生总体上对性道德持肯定态度,对性行为道德、边缘性行为道德的认可程度较高,对独自性行为存在矛盾心态,对同性恋倾向持否定态度。本研究提出:性行为道德由"贞操、感情、自愿、责任、忠诚"五因素构成;边缘性行为道德由"感情、自愿、责任"三因素构成。     

试析性目的与性道德的三个不等式

性伦理的可能性存在于性生活的正当性中,但性生活的正当性并不等于性道德.性生活的目的就其主要方面可以是为着婚姻(爱情)、生育(生存)、快乐(生理),这也是性行为的主要功能.然而,以这样的目的或功能而来的性生活都不能等同于性道德.     

The Psychophysiology of Orthostatic Panic in Cambodian Refugees Attending a Psychiatric Clinic

Orthostatically triggered panic was examined in female Cambodian refugees. Heart rate, blood pressure (BP), panic, and dizziness responses were assessed during orthostatic challenge in three diagnostic groups: orthostatic panic without comorbid posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), orthostatic panic with PTSD, and other mental disorders without orthostatic panic or PTSD. During orthostatic challenge, the panic group without PTSD showed a significant drop, whereas the group with other mental disorders showed an increase in systolic BP. The group with panic and PTSD showed a blunted systolic BP response during orthostasis that fell between the responses of the other groups. Catastrophic, culturally specific cognitions present during orthostatic challenge were significantly correlated with the amount of reported panic upon standing. Some patients recalled previous traumatic events during the orthostatic challenge. The findings suggest that orthostatically induced panic attacks in Cambodian refugees are generated by an interaction of orthostasis physiology, catastrophic cognitions, and trauma associations.