Missing: critical and skeptical perspectives on comprehensive soldier fitness

The author read with interest, and concern, the January 2011 issue of the American Psychologist. The Special Issue on Comprehensive Soldier Fitness addressed a hugely consequential national issue and offered a vision for psychological resilience along with an elaborate set of supporting articles, concluding with some comments on "Objections" to psychologists working with the military. While a bold vision was offered and a game plan presented, no data or evidence are yet available (it is far too early in the process), and that should concern us all. The author hopes the American Psychological Association (APA) and the American Psychologist offer skeptical and critical views in future issues on the issue of the psychological health of our military and as evidence emerges regarding the Comprehensive Soldier Fitness program.     

Impressions on Social Networking Sites: Examining the Influence of Frequency of Status Updates and Likes on Judgments of Observers

This study explores how the number of status updates and markers of approval on social networking site profiles affect observers’ impressions of a profile owner’s personality and character. Using signaling theory and Brunswik’s lens model, the broader aim of this study was to examine whether the presentation of content on profiles affects inference making of the profile owner’s character. An experimental design was employed among college students to test whether the frequency of status updates and “Likes” on those updates affect initial impressions of a profile owner’s psychological state and social skills deficits and in turn later appraisals of attractiveness and credibility. The findings indicated that fewer status updates on a profile led to judgments of the profile owner as more depressed and socially unskilled than owners who post status updates more frequently. Impressions concerning depression and social skills deficits biased later judgments of the owner’s attractiveness but not credibility.     

Behavioral responses to anxiety: Self-reliance,counterdependence, and overdependence

This article builds on the original foundations of attachment theory and traces the strategies for achieving felt security into the adulthood years. The theoretical case is made for a link between a secure, self-reliant strategy and healthy adulthood functioning. This self-reliant strategy counteracts the health risk factors of social isolation and separation in human relationships. The strategy results in an enduring personality characteristic of self-reliance, a paradoxical pattern of behavior characterized by flexibility and bonding in relationships which appears rather autonomous. This article proposes a work-related measure of self-reliance which also incorporates the two insecure, unhealthy strategies for achieving felt security. These strategies are the dismissing strategy, which results in a counterdependent pattern of behavior, and the preoccupied strategy, which results in an overdependent behavior pattern. Preliminary reliability and validity data concerning the Self-Reliance Inventory are presented.     

Beyond organizational entry and newcomer stress: Building a self-reliant workforce

This article extends the organizational entry and newcomer stress literature by focusing on the importance of building a self-reliant workforce. It posits that newcomer socialization now and in the future requires building a workforce of self-reliant managers and employees who can function effectively in a dynamic, global workplace. This article suggests that socializing workers to be self-reliant helps employees and organizations to thrive in the uncertain economic environment that is the determining factor in the success of today's organizations. It further contends that by reducing ambiguity and increasing employability, employees are likely to suffer less distress and organizations are less likely to pay the price for distressed employees.     

Who Fights,Who Flees? An Integration of the LC4MP and Psychological Reactance Theory

ABSTRACT

This study tests the hypothesis that defensive message processing, like defensive behaviors in the real world, has two directions, fight-and-flight. The Limited Capacity Model of Motivated Mediated Message Processing (LC4MP) characterizes defensive message processing by increases in unpleasantness and arousal reports, and accelerated heart rate indicating either a focus on internal processing (internal thoughts) or the active withdrawal of cognitive resources from processing highly arousing and unpleasant media messages. However, the LC4MP has not included direct measures that allow discrimination between fight-and-flight responses. Psychological reactance theory (PRT) predicts defensive responses including anger and counterarguments (reactance) when media messages threaten viewers’ freedom and autonomy. We hypothesized that PRT provides the LC4MP with the appropriate measures (anger and counterarguments) needed to discriminate fight-or-flight responses. Results supported this prediction. Participants (N = 49 adult-smokers) high in defensive and low in appetitive reactivity (risk-avoiders) withdrew from the message (fled: characterized by low anger and counterarguments) while those high in appetitive and low in defensive reactivity (risk-takers) experienced reactance (fought: characterized by high anger and counterarguments) in response to freedom threatening antitobacco messages that are highly arousing and unpleasant. Moreover, both reactance and message withdrawal yielded the same cognitive, emotional, and physiological responses predicted by the LC4MP as indicators of defensive message processing. Theoretical and message design recommendations are discussed.     

Animal Cruelty,Domestic Violence,and Social Disorganization in a Suburban Setting

ABSTRACT

Breaking away from a focus on the influence of individual characteristics on animal cruelty and guided by social disorganization theory, we investigated animal cruelty violations in block groups in a city in coastal Virginia. We discovered that block groups with higher levels of social disorganization, measured by economic disadvantage, ethnic heterogeneity, residential mobility, and family disruption, had higher levels of animal cruelty violations and reports of aggravated and simple domestic violence. The rates of animal cruelty violations were significantly correlated with aggravated domestic violence but not reports of simple domestic violence.     

Implicit theories of a desire for fame

The aim of the present studies was to generate implicit theories of a desire for fame among the general population. In Study 1, we were able to develop a nine‐factor analytic model of conceptions of the desire to be famous that initially comprised nine separate factors; ambition, meaning derived through comparison with others, psychologically vulnerable, attention seeking, conceitedness, social access, altruistic, positive affect, and glamour. Analysis that sought to examine replicability among these factors suggested that three factors (altruistic, positive affect, and glamour) neither display factor congruence nor display adequate internal reliability. A second study examined the validity of these factors in predicting profiles of individuals who may desire fame. The findings from this study suggested that two of the nine factors (positive affect and altruism) could not be considered strong factors within the model. Overall, the findings suggest that implicit theories of a desire for fame comprise six factors. The discussion focuses on how an implicit model of a desire for fame might progress into formal theories of a desire for fame.     

The Stress of Organisational Change: A Dynamic Process Model

Plongées dans un marché mondial, les organisations ne cessent de subir de profonds changements. Encore que la plupart de ces changements soient nécessaires et souvent retardés, ils présentent comme inconvénient le risque de coûts élevés en terme d'accroissement des dépenses de santé, de pertes de productivité, de baisse de la satisfaction professionnelle et de chute du moral. Ces coûts peuvent être directement imputés à la détresse qui frappe les salariés d'une organisation confrontée à des changement permanents. Cet article propose un modèle dynamique permettant d'aborder les articulations complexes entre le changement organisationnel et le stress subi par les individus. A partir de ce modèle, des interventions prenant en compte tous les aspects du problème pourront être conçues pour aider les salariés à gérer le stress provoqué par les mutations des organisations.
Organisations in the global marketplace continue to experience tremendous change. Although most of these changes are necessary and long overdue, the downside includes the risk of huge costs in terms of increased health care expenses, lost productivity, lower levels of job satisfaction, and low morale. These costs may be directly attributed to the distress that is created when an organisation's employees encounter constant changes. This paper establishes a dynamic framework from which we can begin to understand the complex interplay between change at the organisational level and stress at the individual level. Using this framework, comprehensive interventions can ultimately be developed to help employees manage the stress of organisational transitions.