As state and federal governments and private industry begin to slow the pace of giving to institutions of higher education, the planned giving officer becomes increasingly interested in competing for the gifts given through philanthropy. A study was conducted using 3,006 questionnaires obtained from members of the Association of Planned Giving…

A literature study was conducted to highlight the relationship between psychological dysfunction and sexuality within a marital context. The research reviewed suggests that women report more psychological symptoms, in particular depression, than do men. The husband's personality and functioning appeared to determine the level of marital…

School psychologists may be asked to assess potentially violent adolescents. Research on predicting violence has demonstrated that: (1) most studies show poor predictive ability; (2) clinicians tend to overpredict violence; (3) prediction is difficult because the base rate is low; and (4) the best single predictor is past violent behavior. New…

Part of a collection of papers commissioned by Foundations, a development project that examined the career development needs of students entering the National Technical Institute for the Deaf, the paper reviews a range of developmental theories and models that pertain to adolescents and young adults. An attempt is made to create a composite…

This paper reviews 35 studies important in the historical development of field dependence, a popular research topic in psychology. The first section involves antecedents of the concept of field dependence, such as the influence of Kurt Lewin. Part two deals with the development of field dependence as an individual differences variable. Part three…

Describes issues and implications associated with personality conceptualizations of addictive behaviors. Directs attention toward characterizing the sociopolitical climate's effect on identification, evaluation, and management of substance abuse disorders. Explores alcohol and drug use in conceptual schemata encompassing multifactorial,…

The literature review classifies reported sources of negative attitudes toward the disabled into 13 psychodynamic and sociological categories and stresses the difficulty of quickly changing such negative attitudes. (MC)

Describes some obdurate problems and issues in personality theory and research and the shortcomings of attempts to resolve them. Assesses the trans-situational consistency of behavioral persistence of 22 second graders (10 males, 12 females) in east Vancouver by intercorrelating the rank orders of their behavioral persistence scores from three…

The decision-making process becomes maladaptive through the use of avoidance and delay. The irrational decision maker will try to remove him/herself from an uncertain situation by ignoring, postponing or shifting the responsibility for the problem. Personality and environment affect the process. (JAC)

Testing procedures developed on younger groups are often inadequate when testing the elderly. Special tests and administration techniques that increase the likelihood that elderly examinees will do their best are described. Psychological examiners must receive special training in testing to do a credible job with the elderly. (Author/BEF)

Reviews a number of studies done to identify the personality characteristics of librarians. Fifteen references are cited. (CHC)

Research and literature on resilience characteristics are reviewed for applicability to individuals with learning disabilities. The lack of agreement in defining or describing resilience is noted and risk factors for a lack of resilience are identified. Strategies which successful, resilient individuals use are identified, with suggestions for…

Etiological studies canvassing five major domains of risk are reviewed. The five domains reflect unique facets of risk that are central to many current prevention approaches and include: peer social influences, family processes, expectancies, social skills, and personality factors. Each domain is discussed with regard to major theoretical issues,…

The literature is reviewed on sibling relationships involving a child who is handicapped. An analysis of interaction patterns for nonhandicapped children is also provided. Factors contributing to a sibling's adjustment include family size, socioeconomic status, and characteristics of the child who is handicapped. Potential instructional roles of…

Study of the role of personality factors in health and disease suggests that motivational variables are related to and influence physiological systems. Affiliative trust and a greater sense of agency are associated with better health, while affiliative cynicism and a sense of helplessness are associated with more illness. (AF)