Social Capital, Social Networks, and Political Participation

Social Capital is created through the patterns of interdependence andsocial interaction that occur within a population, and we attempt to understand the participatory consequences of these patterns relative to the effects of human capital and organizational involvement. The production of social capital in personal networks was examined with the use of social network and participation data from the 1992 American study of the Cross National Election Project. The results suggest that politically relevant social capital (that is, social capital that facilitates political engagement) is generated in personal networks, that it is a by-product of the social interactions with a citizen's discussants, and that increasing levels of politically relevant social capital enhance the likelihood that a citizen will be engaged in politics. Further, the production of politically relevant social capital is a function of the political expertise within an individual's network of relations, the frequency of political interaction within the network, and the size or extensiveness of the network. These results are sustained even while taking account of a person's individual characteristics and organizational involvement. Hence, the consequences of social relations within networks are not readily explained away on the basis of either human capital effects or the effects of organizational engagement.     

Psychological assessment on internship: a survey of training directors and their expectations for students

We used a survey of internship training directors to examine the nature of assessment use and assessment skills training at 382 internship settings in professional psychology across the United States and Canada. For the purposes of this study, we created a questionnaire that inquired about the types of assessment instruments used at each internship setting, the amount and type of training offered at internship sites, and the type of assessment experience desired of interns before beginning their rotations. The results revealed several differences across type of internship facility surveyed as well as several trends in the current use of assessment in applied settings. The findings further demonstrate the important role of projective assessment in the training of graduate students and lead to the conclusion that major discrepancies may exist between what is being taught in graduate school and what students are expected to know on entering their internship positions.     

Convergent validity of Rorschach and TAT scales of object relations.

The Rorschach Mutuality of Autonomy Scale (MOA) and the Social Cognition and Object Relations Scale (SCORS) have been shown to be reliable and valid measures of interpersonal functioning. Utilizing a sample of 57 outpatients with a Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders Axis II diagnosis, this study extends the findings of previous research demonstrating the reliability and convergent validity of each measure. Analyses focused on the convergent validity between the Rorschach MOA Scale and 8 SCORS variables (complexity, affect, emotional investment in relationships, emotional investment in values and morals, understanding of social causality, management of impulses/aggression, self-esteem, identity/coherence of self) ratings of Thematic Apperception Test narratives. The conceptual nature and clinical utility of these findings are discussed in relation to psychological assessment.     

Hand test AGG and AOS variables: relation with teacher rating of aggressiveness

The purpose of this study was to determine the extent to which the Hand Test (Wagner, 1983) variables Aggression (AGG) and the Acting Out Score (AOS) were able to differentiate a group of children who were identified as aggressive and referred for psychological assessment by their teachers from a nonreferred, control group. Hand Test scores of 37 children who had consecutive referrals for psychological assessment because of aggressiveness were compared to the Hand Test scores of 37 children, matched on age and sex, from a nonreferred group. Through the use of an analysis of variance, AOS and AGG were found to significantly differentiate between the two groups. Spearman (rho) correlations between AGG and AOS scores with aggressive-referred status were rho = .45, p = .0001, and rho = .32, p = .006, respectively. Also, diagnostic efficiency statistics demonstrated moderate to high overall correct classification rates for AOS > or = 0 and AGG > or = 2 in identifying children in the aggressive-referred group. The results of this study provide support for the validity of the AGG and AOS scores in the assessment of aggressive behavior in children and demonstrate the utility of the Hand Test to identify aggressive tendencies in children.     

Exploring Psychological wellbeing in a Sample of Australian Actors

Objective

The objective of the current study was to explore what factors might impact the psychological wellbeing of adult, Australian professional actors.

Method

Twenty South Australian actors were recruited using purposive and snowball sampling. Ten were male and 10 female, ranging in age from 22 to 66 years old, with self‐reported professional experience ranging from 1 to 50 years. The participants were interviewed in‐depth about their experiences of being an actor, with a particular focus on wellbeing, and the data were analysed using thematic analysis, with numerous checks in place for methodological rigour.

Results

Two broad categories of themes were established; environmental and personal factors. Environmental factors included power, lifestyle, fringe‐dwelling, engagement, the tribe, and taking care of yourself. Personal factors included pursuit, strengths, the calling, precariousness and looking within.

Conclusions

Themes were considered in terms of contemporary wellbeing theory, along with clinical implications relating to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th edition (DSM5). Findings included: actors experience a range of threats to wellbeing, such as problems with autonomy, lack of environmental mastery, complex interpersonal relationships and high self‐criticism. Factors facilitating wellbeing include ongoing personal growth and a sense of purpose. The findings also suggest that actors are vulnerable to depression, generalised anxiety symptoms, vicarious trauma, and perfectionism.