Several approaches to the study of play are examined and critiqued, including Matthews and Matthews' (1982) paradigm case approach and Sutton-Smith and Kelly-Byrne's (1984) view of play as a commonly-recognized-as-framed event in which the metacommunicative function always retains primacy. Consideration of the genesis of play in the child leads to…

Parents should admit and articulate their negative feelings about parenting, share feelings of suffering with other parents, and nurture each other. On the basis of a new shared understanding, parents can then organize and work to redefine the nurturing role and humanize society and its institutions so that they better meet human needs. Soell's…

"The Yellow Wallpaper," by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, is a remarkable piece of history and sociology, as well as a feminist story concerning the search for self. Written in 1890, the story, which closely parallels the author's own life, vividly chronicles a woman's descent into madness. Charlotte married an artist after a lengthy…

Maintains that children find their place in the world most securely by seeing themselves as part of the continuing work of creation. Considers how human tendencies, such as exploration, orientation, order, imagination, abstract thought, precision, repetition, self-control, and communication, allow humans to use the environment to meet various…

This paper views the adaptive behavior of individuals with mental retardation as a coping response to the biological and social demands of the environment. Adaptive skills are contrasted with adaptive behaviors, with skills being based primarily on developing new learning and habituating specific responses. Adaptive behavior represents a more…

This paper examines psychological and social issues for single mothers in the context of therapeutic strategies for effective intervention. Never married, previously married, and Lesbian mothers are considered in terms of sociocultural myths and sources of stigma; research findings related to these myths; and interventions targeting the…

Implications of Maslow's Need Hierarchy are considered in this paper, along with possible qualifications to the suggested structure and potential effects of superimposing relative deprivation theory onto the hierarchy as an approach to adult education. The interfacing of needs and alternative structurings is discussed in terms of two theories: (1)…

The American space shuttle Challenger's explosion prompted a national grieving process typified by stages of shock, disbelief, acknowledgement, and finally recovery/adaptation. President Reagan's speech on the evening of the disaster assisted this process by integrating content and structure with the psychological needs of the audience. Reagan's…

Discusses information garnered by the Center for Early Adolescence (North Carolina) from parent surveys, visits to programs, and conversations with youth workers, program directors, and young people concerning successful after-school programing for young adolescents. Adolescent needs (diversity, self-exploration, participation, physical activity)…

If human service personnel are to serve clients effectively, they must understand the condition of human need and the objects of need which satisfy the condition. While definitions of need vary according to academic discipline, a review of literature in ten academic areas revealed that need as a human condition is based upon the existence of…

Well meaning parents and teachers often use children's play for the purposes of literacy and socialization. Yet, these attempts may deny play to children by subordinating play to some other concept. Evidence shows that even when parents play with their very young children they generally play games like shopping, cooking, and eating; whereas when…

A psychologist, who is the father of a child with a neuromuscular disorder, discusses psychosocial services for special needs children and their families. Parents are identified as the key to the family's mental health. Parents' feelings upon learning of their child's handicap include anger, blaming others and self, and guilt. These feelings are…

In order to identify important clinical questions in long-term care settings for older adults, it may be helpful to examine the psychological consultant's role in these settings. A consultant is often faced with some staff members who think he has all the answers and by others who think he has none. The consultant may also encounter a strong…

Adults must understand the development of the child's concept of death to comprehend children's questions about death and answer them appropriately. Children under 5 years of age view death as reversible and not final and may believe that the dead can breathe, feel, talk and continue to grow. While young children may believe in the reversibility…

Historically, the literature on psychotherapy with borderline personality disorder has been based on object-relations theory or psychoanalytical approaches, rather than cognitive and behavioral approaches. In clinical assessment, the term borderline has been used to refer to patients with both neurotic and psychotic symptoms, a particular type of…