EJOP Archives: 2007 Volume 3
The Contact Work Primer
“Much more than a primer … this is a superb practical introduction to Pre-Therapy and contact work that will be of value to all mental health professionals working with contact-impaired individuals”…..
Pre-Therapy as individual psychotherapy was born in the United Sates and contact work for institutional settings was developed in Europe. This book reflects the development of contact work with growing range of clients.
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Biased Judgements of Euro Coins’ sizes: Stimuli-specific and Interindividual Suggestive Effects
The introduction of the Euro released both hope and fear. On January 1st, 1999, the Euro became the official currency in most states of the European Community (EC). For the majority of the population however, this expressed itself only in fixed exchange rates between the participating currencies, since cash money was not changed immediately. Suggestibility regarding the biased estimations of Euro coins from alleged different countries was examined. It was predicted that images regarding different nations would affect these estimations.
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Emotional and instrumental aggressiveness and body weight loss
Violence and aggressiveness are social concerns. Also, at a time of rising prevalence of obesity, many people tend to control their body weight through dieting. The impact of several specific diets on mood and cognitive performances are currently giving rise to an increasing number of studies. Aggression is a heterogeneous phenomenon that can take place in several situations and covers a wide spectrum of different behaviors and meanings.
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Migrant men: managing gay and European identities in London
This study explores the nature of multiple identities in migrant gay men living in London. By using a phenomenological perspective, the stories of eleven gay men have been analyzed to develop a better understanding of the meanings attached to migrant, European, national and gay identities. The study begins with a review of the main social psychological and social constructionist research around identities and highlights the role of social categories (structure) and multiple identities in creative actors (agency) that emerge as dominant discourses around the nature of the self.
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Cultural Psychology: A Once and Future Discipline
Undoubtedly we are now witnessing the dawns of a new era in the theory and practice of Wundt’s “second psychology”, an era of re-discovery and re-assessment of all key issues that concern the maturation of a discipline. At such times proposing integrated and viable approaches to the study of mind and culture is both daring and praiseworthy. Michael Cole, Professor of Communication and Psychology at the University of California, San Diego, has successfully undertook such a task and by this offered us an exemplary textbook of “contemporary” cultural psychology.
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The Development of the Brief Social Desirability Scale (BSDS)
The objective of this work is to devise a brief, practical, reliable and valid social desirability instrument for use in contexts where a short scale is useful for example in the assessment of social desirability factor in psychiatric patients.
The Brief Social Desirability Scale (BSDS) has the advantages of brevity and practicality. It can be used before administering attitudinal surveys in order to factor in the effect of the social desirability on attitudinal questionnaires. BSDS is preferred in many test situations where the administration time is limited or subjects are unable to bear lengthy questionnaires and the related drop in reliability due to brevity of the scale remains tolerable.
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Chuang-tze：A Positive Psychologist in Ancient China
The positive psychological movement has played a more and more important role in the stage of psychology. Positive psychology emphasizes subject well-being and has three pillars: positive emotion, positive traits, and positive institutions. Chuang-tze was a notable thinker in the history of ancient China. His life career and his world outlook provide an important cue to the understanding of positive psychology. The unexhausted life force and lofty state of spirit in his thought strongly influence and attract people of later generation. Moreover, his brilliant exposition about value and value judgment is the vital source for us to excavate his theory of value.
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Over Age in Marital Status and Submissiveness as Determinant of Suicide Ideation in adults
Assertiveness trait of an individual is straight forwardness in all dealings of life. The person has independence in nature, non convincing with other’s ideas, and dominance in behavior in general, whereas submissiveness keeps his ideas to himself only, not dare to open her mouth, fearful to meet and exchange views with others, accept subordination and act as others say, hesitant to oppose other’s views. It appears that young adults today are more likely prone to emotional-disorders that develop suicidal thoughts correspond closely to marital-status, in that it tends to occur more frequently among single persons and those who are divorced and separated than among married living together.
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Implicit organizational behavior: What employees aren’t aware of may be important!
Have you ever lacked an explanation for why you thought or did something? Compelling findings from research conducted by social-cognitive psychologists suggests that human attitudes and behaviors sometimes occur implicitly. That is, they occur outside people’s awareness and control. For example, seeing an elderly person automatically elicits stereotypic attitudes (e.g., forgetfulness) and behaviors (e.g., slower motor movements) associated with old age (Bargh, Chen, & Burrows, 1996).
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Excellence through diversity: Interview with a prolific researcher
Broadly speaking, researchers can be classified into two groups: those that focus on one specific area of research and others that publish across many topics. For this issue’s interview, we talked to Dr. Timothy Judge, professor and researcher in I/O psychology/business/organizational behavior that publishes across various areas from selection to work-family conflict.
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SPAARS Approach: Integrated cognitive model of emotion of Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder
SPAARS (Schematic, Propositional, Analogical and Associative Representational Systems) is the integrated cognitive model of emotion proposed by Power & Dalgleish (1997). In SPAARS, emotions are described as appraisal based against an individual’s goals and this makes the theory functional in nature. The theory proposes two routes for the generation of emotions, namely a direct one in which the appraisals have become automatized and the other where these are still not automatized.
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Psyched out by numbers: Altruism and the dangers of methodolatry
Try to remember the last time you helped someone. It may have been a relative, a friend, or a stranger on the street. Helping may have been easy, or may have involved considerable effort. The question is: why did you help? Was it to benefit the other person, or to benefit yourself? ‘Of course I helped to benefit the other person’, most people would say. If this is what you think, you believe in altruism – a term coined by Comte (1851), referring to the motivation to help others without personal gain. But now, think again: could it be that you helped simply to avoid the consequences of refusing to help?
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ANALYSIS OF IDENTIFICATION ACCURACY Determining the Accuracy of Eyewitness Identifications Using Statement Analysis
Statement analysis has been used for years to determine the accuracy of statements. The Judgement of Memory Characteristics Questionnaire was revised in the current study to assess the accuracy of eyewitness identifications. Participants watched a video of a theft then identified the perpetrator from a line-up. Two statements were obtained: descriptions of the perpetrator and post-identification statements. The characteristics present in descriptions did not predict identification accuracy. However, analysis of the characteristics present in post-identification statements resulted in two predictive factors: Quality of Description and Amount of Detail.
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POOR PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT & ADJUSTMENT OF ADOLESCENTS
Present investigation is to compare the adjustment pattern of adolescents living in physically deprived environment. Children who have insufficient fresh air to breath, open ground to play and healthy environmental surrounding are quite unable to promote social and psychological interaction and develop ultimately inferiority complex and a feeling of inadequacy in them.
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Work Motivation Patterns Underlying Workaholism Components
This study examined motivation patterns associated with workaholism components (work involvement, feeling driven to work, joy in work) identified by Spence and Robbins (1992). Data were collected from 211 Norwegian journalists using anonymous self-report questionnaires. Two motivation patterns were considered: intrinsic and extrinsic. Journalists scoring higher on intrinsic motivations reported greater work involvement and greater work enjoyment; journalists scoring higher on extrinsic motivations reported lower work enjoyment. The motivation patterns were independent of levels of feeling driven to work because of internal needs.
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Stereotypes Revised – Theoretical Models, Taxonomy and the Role of Stereotypes
Traditionally social psychologists had been “stereotypical” about stereotypes. Especially the early work in this field presented stereotypes as misleading, extreme and destructive in the context of inter-group relations. Such a position is explained by the fact that most researchers focused initially on the study of antagonistic groups that shared a past of conflict, exploitation and violence (Brigham, 1971). As a result, a common belief at that time was that inter-group harmony can be enhanced by eliminating stereotypes (Taylor, 1981).
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Regulating the Psychological Therapies – From Taxonomy to Taxidermy
Denis Postle, the author of this book, is not the typical therapist or writer. He epitomizes the creative personality with a history of two decades as an accomplished documentary film-maker, who decided to use his talent and devotion to make psychotherapy a fit home for the human spirit.
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Taking the Pulse of Global Psychology
One of the first assumptions any reader might have when first visiting the EJOP web-page is that of finding a journal focused on European psychological research. Since our first numbers we took pride in promoting European authors and in launching a special column, “Europe’s ImPulse”, dedicated to studies concerning the European Union or articles presenting mainly European psychological events. At the same time Europe’s Journal of Psychology has presented itself as a journal that is opened for both psychologists and psychology students worldwide, a journal that has an international Scientific Committee and Editorial Board formed by renowned professionals and researchers.
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Handbook of Research Methods in Industrial and Organizational Psychology
To cover an extensive topic such as research methods in organizational psychology is most definitely an ambitious goal. Nowadays more than ever researchers and practitioners are dealing with an overwhelming variety of methods and designs. With these new concerns arise, among them the problem of choosing the most adequate methodology, of increasing the validity of our instruments, of collecting and reporting data while respecting research ethics.
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Organizational Science: The New Frontier
In a constantly changing environment organizations face complex challenges and therefore an interdisciplinary level of analysis would be more appropriate in dealing with all these demands. Organizational Science is an emerging field which attempts to address the shortcomings of other disciplines that work in isolation by studying organizations and how they deal with theoretical and practical problems from a multiple perspective.
In this issue’s interview, we talked to Dr. Steven Rogelberg, Professor in the first Organizational Science doctoral program at UNCC.
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RELIGIOUS SENTIMENT AS PERIPHERAL: CROSS-CULTURAL STUDY OF RELIGIOUS ORIENTATION BY MULTIDIMENSIONAL SCALING
The relation between intrinsic and extrinsic orientations was studied in four samples of believing affiliates (Bosnian Muslims, Serbian Orthodox, Slovenian Catholics and US Protestants). By exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis and by multidimensional scaling (MDS), differences in patterns of religious orientations were discerned in the various cultures. By EFA, in the two European settings a closeness between intrinsic (I) and extrinsic personal (EP) orientation was noted. Beside that extrinsic other (EO) items, indicating peripheral nature of the religious sentiment, appeared as a separate dimension. The CFA produced slight differences in this direction, still allowing for a four component finding. The two dimensional presentation in MDS also indicated a similarity in pattern of the dimensions of religious orientation. In all four cases a pattern in the distribution of items appears allowing for naming the vertical axis as indicating the variation between centrality and periphery, and the horizontal one as indicating the variation between social and personal dimensions in religious sentiment.
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Religion Psychology – A Perspective on Human Beliefs and Emotions
First, we define the notion “Creator” as it is used in this article. From there, we discuss two important and contrary human beliefs.
Next, we present the situation of people who deal with troubles. From analyzing the change in their feeling, we withdraw a psychological mechanism describing the struggle between two contrary beliefs and the role of this struggle in dealing with troubles. In fact, this struggle is separated by two basic notions of time in our mind: The Past and The Future. In addition, we discuss the mutual relationship between the troubles relating to the Past and the troubles relating to the Future.
At last, we conclude about the importance of acknowledging and controlling these two contrary beliefs.
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Clinical inclusion of dissociative episodes-a case study
We described a clinical case presenting with dissociative and PTSD-like symptoms and we attempted a diagnosis and some symptom explanations in the light of existing theories about trauma and dissociation.
KEYWORDS: dissociation, posttraumatic stress syndrome, trauma theory
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An Alternative Support Model to the Medical Model of Medication for Long Term Schizophrenia
Some historical background to schizophrenia is also outlined. The theory is that alternative support like long term clinical hypnotherapy and long term CBT plus psychotherapy and counselling is effective in helping some schizophrenics to reduce their medications to improve their quality of life.
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THE ARCHETYPAL FEMALE IN MYTHOLOGY AND RELIGION:
For decades, Carl Gustav Jung treated many thousands of patients and explored many of the world’s mythologies and religions. His empirical and scholarly research led him to conclude that all humanity shares an instinct to produce images and concepts based on universal themes. These themes he termed archetypes, and the commonly shared instinct he called the Collective Unconscious. Of these many themes, two female archetypes, the anima and the mother, are explored in this two-part discussion.
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Social Representations between Greeks and Jordanians: A comparative study
The present paper refers to a comparative study of Social Representations (SRs) for a sample of 1207 Greek and Jordanians primary school pupils (653 from Rethymnon city of Greece and 554 from Zarka city of Jordan). The data were collected through an open-ended questionnaire. Conceptually, three directions of images or social representations were formulated; positive, neutral and negative. The results clearly show that the direction of images for both samples was moved towards neutral SRs, as depicted by the quantity of statements. The study also revealed that the main source of information about their social representations to each other was the school for the Jordanian pupils and television for the Greek pupils.
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THE ARCHETYPAL FEMALE IN MYTHOLOGY AND RELIGION: THE ANIMA AND THE MOTHER
This study explores, in two parts, two of these archetypal entities: the anima and the mother, and how they manifest as goddesses in the myths of various cultures and sometimes combine with each other. Part one describes the two archetypes, their characteristics and manifestations, and how they can be divided into three categories or realms: goddesses of the underworld, the earth, and the sky or celestial realm. It details the difference between the anima in male consciousness and the animus in female consciousness. Using a personal dream example and Jungian theory, it then demonstrates that the anima in dreams and mythology can be relevant to women as well as men. Focusing on the anima, it then explores the underworld – the myths and entities of this shadowy realm as an expression of the unconscious mind of the individual and whole cultures. Part two extends the exploration to the animas and mothers of the earth and sky, and how in these realms, the mother excels.
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TA Today: A New Introduction to Transactional Analysis.
Transactional analysis is a theory of personality that can be applied in virtually all fields of psychology: educational, counseling, organizational and psychotherapy. Besides the theory on personality, TA also provides us with a theory of communication, a theory of child development, and a theory of psychopathology.
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Cock Fights and the Balinese Male Psyche
This essay deals with the social, religious and sexual dimensions of
cockfighting in Bali and the roles it plays in Balinese culture. It
considers unconscious attitudes Balinese men may have about
their penises and hidden anxieties they may have about circumcision
and castration generated by attendance at cockfights.
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Semiotic mediation, psychological development process and social representations: towards a theoretical and methodological integration
This article proposes the integration of the subjective, developmental and cognitive aspects of the semiotic processes in a psychological context, and the historical, institutional and ideological fundamentals of sign systems in a sociocultural context. It revisits certain arguments for the rejection of the mind-body dichotomy, investigates the implications of this rejection in terms of the relations thought / language, individual / collective and cognition / emotion, and establishes relations between the process of semiotic mediation and the theory of social representations. It proposes, both theoretically and methodologically, a psychosocial synthesis for human psychological development, forming the basis for psychological intervention in social interaction situations, based on three main points. The focus group is used not simply in order to treat and develop a particular object through conversation, but as a procedure for psychological intervention and a locus of change, presupposing a sequence of group situations, each based on what was produced the previous time.
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Ethics and Psychology
The psychologists are talking every day about diversity and universality in psychology. Is diversity a hindrance or an element which helps the development of psychology?
But what is, in fact, the ideal of psychology? Psychology is a science who proposes to discover the entire human diversity and to integrate this diversity into its own methods. But for this, there must be founded the causes of these differences between human beings. And these causes derive not only from the differences between the singular identity of each human being, from the professional or social identity, but also from the cultural identity.
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