Analyses of deviant sexual behaviors have most often derived from psychodynamic or behavioral theory. Little systematic research attention has been paid to the role of intervening cognitive variables such as social perception and the causal attribution process. Two studies were conducted to examine differences in cognition between child molesters…

A study examined the phenomenon of burnout in social service agencies, approaching burnout as a symptom of organizational communication patterns rather than a characteristic inherent in or developed within a particular individual. Sixteen working teams (defined as three or more people in a person-oriented service, who are perceived as a team by…

Since an individual's ability to think critically most often manifests itself orally, research on sex differences should not overlook interpersonal communication styles and patterns in relation to the critical thought process. Any such examination should (1) define critical reasoning as it exists within Western society; (2) examine perceptions of…

Written by professional psychologists, the 10 articles collected in this bulletin focus on stressful experiences that, when inappropriately responded to, can result in developmental problems for children. Stress factors are conceptualized as being either direct or indirect, or internal or external. Articles are organized in terms of these four…

A perception of "faculty power" frequently expressed during consultant/consultee interactions is analyzed, and approaches to dealing with the perception and also meeting the consultation objectives are suggested. This commonly expressed perception is that faculty hold untested strength that should not be bothered, challenged, or antagonized. In a…

This study was designed to investigate bereavement reactions and self-concept in 33 white middle and upper-middle class adolescents (14 to 19 years old) whose siblings had died. Participants completed the Offer Self Image Questionnaire for Adolescents (SIQ) and were interviewed regarding bereavement and self-concept. Specific bereavement variables…

Although self-concept is traditionally viewed as being fairly stable over time and situations, a more recent position takes note of the variability or inconsistency characteristic of certain aspects of the self-concept. To determine whether spontaneous self-esteem (SSE) increases when a valued aspect of self is made salient, college students…

In an effort to determine if Indian and white adolescents differed in their choice of defense mechanisms, a random sampling of tenth, eleventh and twelfth grade students from 22 Oklahoma public schools were given the Defense Mechanism Inventory. Scores for 170 Indian students and 197 white students assessed five categories of defenses: turning…

Rational-Emotive Therapy (RET) is predicated on a theory of causality. According to Ellis (1962), beliefs regarding an event, and not the event itself, cause emotional reactions. Mentally healthy persons practice this reational theory of causality. Neurotic persons accept an irrational theory of causality based on coincidental or correlational…

Test anxiety is a variable cognitive, affective, or physiological response, or any combination thereof, occurring during evaluative, self-report examinations. Research suggests that the cognitive, affective, and physiological components of test anxiety are interrelated and that these components in addition to global test anxiety, are negatively…

Performance becomes degraded when the human processing system undergoes the stress of processing overload. Information processing models are often used to predict how performance will be affected. Single channel models hypothesize that information will either be lost in the queue or processed with delay. Single capacity models predict that for a…

Widowhood must be regarded as an expected stage in the life cycle of most women and some men. Widowed individuals endure much emotional and physical distress, often in conjunction with financial hardship and relative social isolation. Conceptual and practical guidelines for use by professionals in the fields of gerontology and mental health are…

It is suggested that bias--when associated with a predictor, a test, or a statistical estimator--is not always bad, in spite of the immediate negative response evoked by the word, bias. Four settings are described to illustrate situations in which a procedure should not be summarily rejected due to bias: (1) educational researchers rejected the…

The purpose of this paper is to introduce a model of the psychological processes that take place when a persuader decides to use or not to use a given persuasive message. The assumption is made that if the perceived emotional impact of a message is more positive than an ethical threshold (which varies from person to person), the persuader will use…

The authors have developed a bibliography related to key issues in adolescent sexuality. Included are the following topics: (1) biological basis of sexuality; (2) adolescent sexual behavior; (3) homosexuality; (4) contraception and contraceptive behavior; (5) venereal disease; (6) morals; (7) abortion; (8) historical or anthropological view; (9)…