Teachers do not Deal in Widgets

Although the use of merit pay, incentive pay, bonus pay, and job promotion are well-established measures in the private or corporate sector of American society, few examples of successful teacher merit pay systems exist. In 1983, the Eastern Washington University Department of Education surveyed six major private corporations to determine whether corporate merit pay programs could be applied to teachers and educational institutions. Survey findings suggest several reasons why merit pay programs for teachers will probably fail: (a) lack of monetary goals; (b) the necessity for subjective evaluation, which requires multiple measurement devices, extensive supervision, and time; (c) the absence of a many-tiered corporate structure in most educational institutions; and (d) increased supervisory direction that could stifle creativity and flexibility.     

Reading Disability: A Model for the Genetic Analysis of Complex Behavioral Disorders

Family, linkage, and twin studies of reading disability are briefly reviewed, and evidence is presented from the twin component of the Colorado Reading Project that implicates genetic factors in the expression of reading disability. Recently developed behavioral genetic methodology is outlined, which provides an estimate of the magnitude of these genetic effects. The present report details the application of this methodology to reading performance data obtained from 96 identical twin pairs and 72 fraternal twin pairs in which at least one member of each pair was identified as reading disabled. Results indicate that approximately 50% of the reading deficit observed in the probands may be attributed to genetic factors. Although such an analysis assumes that reading disability is a homogeneous disorder, there may exist alternative forms with differing genetic etiologies. To test this hypothesis, the methodology can be extended to assess differential genetic etiology in alternative subgroups of disabled readers.     

Individualism versus collectivism or versus authoritarianism?

Although there has been progress in the definition, antecedents, and consequences of individualism and collectivism, there are some fundamental issues that need to be resolved. This study examined two such issues: the dimensionality of individualism and collectivism, and the relationship of these constructs to authoritarianism. Thirty-eight American undergraduates judged the similarity among 15 concepts that have previously been shown to be reflective of elements of individualism, collectivism, and authoritarianism. Multidimensional scaling revealed two dimensions: individualism versus authoritarianism and active collectivism versus withdrawal from group involvement. Unlike the conception by Hofstede (1980) that individualism and collectivism are opposites, these results strongly suggest they are orthogonal. Furthermore, authoritarianism was construed as the opposite of individualism. Implications of these findings for future research are discussed.     

Spiritual Seeking,Narcissism, and Psychotherapy: How Are They Related?

This study used data from a long-term longitudinal study of men and women to examine the relations among spirituality, narcissism, and psychotherapy. The findings indicated that in late adulthood (age late 60s/mid 70s) spirituality was related to autonomous or healthy narcissism but was unrelated to willful (overt) or hypersensitive (covert) narcissism, two pathological forms of the construct. Autonomy in early adulthood (age 30s) was a significant predictor of spirituality in late adulthood (a time interval of close to 40 years) and this relation was mediated by involvement in psychotherapy in midlife. Autonomy was related positively, and hypersensitivity was related negatively, to concern for the welfare of future generations. These findings are discussed in light of current concerns about the social implications of the therapeutic culture.     

Religiousness, Spiritual Seeking, and Authoritarianism: Findings from a Longitudinal Study

We use long-term longitudinal data from a sample (N = 155) of older age mainline Protestants, Catholics, and a small number of conservative Protestants to investigate the relations among church-centered religiousness, spiritual seeking, and authoritarianism. In late adulthood, religiousness was related positively, and spiritual seeking was related negatively, to authoritarianism; these relations held even after excluding conservative Protestants and controlling for education, gender, age cohort, and personal flexibility. We find a similar pattern using measures of religiousness, spiritual seeking, and control variables scored in early adulthood, a time interval of close to 40 years.     

Brief Therapy: Focused Solution Development

This article describes the form of brief therapy developed at the Brief Family Therapy Center. We have chosen a title similar to Weakland, Fisch, Watzlawick, and Bodin's classic paper, "Brief Therapy: Focused Problem Resolution" (20) to emphasize our view that there is a conceptual relationship and a developmental connection between the points of view expressed in the two papers.     

The Role of Threat Appraisal in the Relation Between Peer Victimization and Adjustment Problems in Early Italian Adolescents

Appraisals are a key, but understudied part of the coping process. In the current study, the mediating role of threat appraisals in the relation between relational and physical victimization by peers and internalizing and externalizing problems was investigated in a sample of 155 Italian adolescents (52% female; M age = 12.2 years) using a cross‐sectional design. Structural equation modeling revealed that appraisals of threat (negative self‐evaluation, negative evaluation by others, loss of relationship) mediated associations between peer victimization and internalizing problems. Moreover, peer victimization affected externalizing behaviors, but this link was not mediated by threat appraisal. Implications for interventions with youth are discussed.     

Hemophilia In Context: Adjunctive Hypnosis for Families with a Hemophiliac Member

This is a report of preliminary findings of a pilot study conducted at the Philadelphia Child Guidance Clinic and Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. The study examined the use of adjunctive hypnotic techniques with families in which at least one member was a hemophiliac. It is suggested that hypnotic approaches may be more effective if they take into consideration patient-family and family-hospital relationships. Advantages of an open-systems, clinical-research model of hemophilia are presented.     

The New Scholarship on Women

Biklen, S.K., & Dwyer, C. (Eds.). (1986). The new scholarship on women in education [Special issue]. Educational Researcher, 15(6). McHugh, M.C., Koeske, R.D., & Frieze, I.H. (1986). Issues to consider in conducting nonsexist psychological research. American Psychologist, 41, 879–890.