Young men's coping with androgenetic alopecia: acceptance counts when hair gets thinner

The present study examined how young men cope with balding (androgenetic alopecia). The sample consisted of 160 university students (18–30 years) with varying degrees of hair loss (stages II–VII on the Norwood–Hamilton Scale). Three ways of coping were distinguished: compensation, avoidance, and acceptance. Psychological distress due to hair loss depended neither on the age of participants nor on the stage of balding. Since compensation and avoidance were associated with high levels of distress, their functional value might be questioned. Acceptance, however, was negatively related to distress – even, or rather, especially when stage of hair loss was advanced. Furthermore, acceptance had a direct negative effect on medical consultation about hair loss. By contrast, compensation and avoidance had a positive distress-mediated effect on medical consultation. Taken together, this study underlines the adaptive role of acceptance when confronted with irreversible changes such as androgenetic alopecia.     

Understanding optimal outcomes.

Using a simulated employment contract negotiation, this study examined the relationship between negotiation strategies and the quality of negotiated outcomes. A log‐linear analysis showed that the frequency and sequencing of strategies was systematically related to negotiation outcomes. Impasse negotiations were characterized by the frequent use of contention and sequences that paired similar (either cooperative or competitive) strategies. Settlement was associated with decreased contention and the use of sequences that paired dissimilar strategies. Increasing joint gain was linked to the introduction of priority information and conciliation as well as to changes in the pattern of information exchange: Reciprocal and indirect (positional) information exchange led to low joint gain, whereas reciprocal and direct (priority) information exchange led to high joint gain.     

Successful teaching techniques in a race relations class

The authors present suggestions for enhancing a university course in race relations. These approaches were used in a series of classes offered at a state university in the southeastern United States during a historical period of notable racial tension. This course provided a supportive arena for personal questioning, student interaction, and positive change. Even 20 years later, former students reported that experiential components, such as living with a family of another race, were powerful instruments in self-growth, development, and racial understanding. Many reported this class as the basis of profound, life-long positive changes in racial attitudes.     

The Training of Employment Counselors in Hungary

This article describes the current situation in Hungary and the efforts that are being made to develop employment counseling service and training programs.