Psychological Literature (psychological + literature)

Distribution by Scientific Domains


Selected Abstracts


THE IMPACT OF BRITISH COUNTERTERRORIST STRATEGIES ON POLITICAL VIOLENCE IN NORTHERN IRELAND: COMPARING DETERRENCE AND BACKLASH MODELS,

CRIMINOLOGY, Issue 1 2009
GARY LAFREE
Since philosophers Beccaria and Bentham, criminologists have been concerned with predicting how governmental attempts to maintain lawful behavior affect subsequent rates of criminal violence. In this article, we build on prior research to argue that governmental responses to a specific form of criminal violence,terrorism,may produce both a positive deterrence effect (i.e., reducing future incidence of prohibited behavior) and a negative backlash effect (i.e., increasing future incidence of prohibited behavior). Deterrence-based models have long dominated both criminal justice and counterterrorist policies on responding to violence. The models maintain that an individual's prohibited behavior can be altered by the threat and imposition of punishment. Backlash models are more theoretically scattered but receive mixed support from several sources, which include research on counterterrorism; the criminology literature on labeling, legitimacy, and defiance; and the psychological literature on social power and decision making. In this article, we identify six major British strategies aimed at reducing political violence in Northern Ireland from 1969 to 1992 and then use a Cox proportional hazard model to estimate the impact of these interventions on the risk of new attacks. In general, we find the strongest support for backlash models. The only support for deterrence models was a military surge called Operation Motorman, which was followed by significant declines in the risk of new attacks. The results underscore the importance of considering the possibility that antiterrorist interventions might both increase and decrease subsequent violence. [source]


The Last Will and Testament in Literature: Rupture, Rivalry, and Sometimes Rapprochement from Middlemarch to Lemony Snicket

FAMILY PROCESS, Issue 4 2008
ELIZABETH STONE
Although the psychological literature on the last will and testament is sparse, authors of fiction and memoir have filled the gap, writing in rich detail about the impact of wills on families. Henry James, George Eliot, J. R. Ackerley, and others reveal that a will is not only a legal document but a microcosm of family life: a coded and nonnegotiable message from the will's writer to its intended readers, the heirs, delivered at a stressful time and driving home the truth that options for discussion between testator and heirs are now gone, all factors which may intensify the ambivalence of grief and stall its resolution. Among the problems the authors chronicle: reinvigorated sibling rivalries, vindictive testators, and the revelation of traumatic family secrets. Writers also demonstrate how contemporary social factors, such as divorce, second families, and geographic distance between family members, may complicate wills and ensuing family relations. Exemplary wills, or will-like documents, appear in fiction by Maria Katzenbach and Marilynne Robinson, allowing the living to make rapprochements with the dead, and pointing to testamentary strategies clinicians might develop to lead to a resolution of grief. The depth of these writers' accounts allows clinicians to imagine points at which they might productively intervene in matters pertaining to a will. RESUMEN Aunque la literatura psicológica sobre la última voluntad y el testamento es escasa, los autores de ficción y de memorias han llenado ese vación, escribiendo en rico detalle sobre el impacto de los testamentos en las familias. Henry James, George Eliot, J.R. Ackerley y otros, revelan que un testamento no es sólo un documento legal, sino un microcosmos de vida familiar: un mensaje codificado y no negociable de la voluntad de quien lo escribe a sus destinatarios, los herederos, enviado en un momento estresante y haciendo obvio el hecho de que las posibilidades de discutir entre el emisor y sus herederos ya no existen. Todos estos factores pueden aumentar la ambivalencia de la pena y demorar su resolución. Entre todos los problemas, los autores relatan: aumento de la rivalidad entre hermanos, testamentos vengativos, y la revelación de secretos de familia traumáticos. Los autores también demuestran cómo los factores sociales contemporáneos, como el divorcio, segundas familias y la distancia geográfica entre miembros de la familia, pueden complicar los testamentos y las relaciones familiares posteriores. Testamentos ejemplarizantes, o documentos con aspecto de testamento, aparecen en los trabajos de ficción de Maria Katzenbach y Marilynne Robinson, permitiendo a los vivos acercarse a los muertos, y señalando estrategias testamentarias que los profesionales de clínica pueden desarrollar con el fin de acabar con la pena. La profundidad de los relatos de estos autores permite a los profesionales de clínica imaginarse puntos en que pueden intervenir de una forma productiva en temas relacionados con testamentos. Palabras clave: última voluntad y testamento, muerte, secretos, Henry James, George Eliot, Marilynne Robinson, J.R. Ackerley, Dorothy Gallagher, Maria Katzenbach [source]


Approximate knowledge modeling and classification in a frame-based language: The system CAIN

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF INTELLIGENT SYSTEMS, Issue 6 2001
Colette Faucher
In this article, we present an extension of the frame-based language Objlog+, called CAIN, which allows the homogeneous representation of approximate knowledge (fuzzy, uncertain, and default knowledge) by means of new facets. We developed elements to manage approximate knowledge: fuzzy operators, extension of the inheritance mechanisms, and weighting of structural links. Contrary to other works in the domain, our system is strongly based on a theoretical approach inspired from Zadeh's and Dubois' works. We also defined an original instance classification mechanism, which has the ability to take into account the notions of typicality and similarity as they are presented in the psychological literature. Our model proposes consideration of a particular semantics of default values to estimate the typicality between a class and the instance to classify (ITC). In that way, the possibilities of the typicality representation proposed by frame-based languages are exploited. To find the most appropriate solution we do not systematically choose the most specific class that matches the ITC but we retain the most typical solution. Approximate knowledge is used to make the matching used during the classification process more flexible. Taking into account additional knowledge concerning heuristics and elements of cognitive psychology leads to the enrichment of the classification mechanism. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. [source]


Justice and local community change: Towards a substantive theory of justice

JOURNAL OF COMMUNITY PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 6 2002
Neil M. Drew
Justice is a core principle in community psychology, yet has been the subject of relatively little systematic research. In the social psychological literature on the other hand there is a long tradition of research on justice in social life. In this article the potential benefits of integrating the social justice aspirations of community psychology and the conceptualizations of procedural and distributive justice from social psychology are discussed in the context of planned community change. The benefits of exploring justice in this way are illustrated with reference to a research project examining public perceptions of the fairness of roadside tree lopping. Although the issue may appear trivial, it was seen by the local residents as important. The results support the development, application, and utility of a social community psychology of justice to issues of community change. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source]


Could repressive coping be a mediating factor in the symptom profile of individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia?

JOURNAL OF PSYCHIATRIC & MENTAL HEALTH NURSING, Issue 5 2010
B. SCHOLES rmn bn spq (mental health) msc pgctlhe
Accessible summary ,,This paper considers the potential impact of identifying individual coping style on the concept of schizophrenia within the framework of the stress vulnerability model. There is discussion of the role of psychological theories in our understanding of schizophrenia and the experience of those who live with this condition. ,,The concept of individual coping style, with particular attention to repressive coping style, is considered and the research on the impact of coping style on the person's mental and physical well-being is discussed. Whether this way of thinking about and understanding repression is helpful in how we understand schizophrenia is then considered. ,,Possible implications of identifying repression in people with schizophrenia by using the idea of coping style as a measure of this concept are considered, gaining and understanding of what role this identification may have on our understanding of how people experience this condition and express this experience to those who work with them. ,,The potential for study in this area may allow a greater understanding of the way in which our protective psychological functions interact with experience of the distressing and challenging symptoms, often associated with schizophrenia, and influence future understanding of the process and progress of this condition. Abstract Despite a relatively high prevalence, and the enduring patronage of the disorder by psychiatry and the pharmaceutical industry, innovative conceptualization of schizophrenia in a client-empowering and quality of life-enhancing way appears to represent a vacuum within the clinical agenda, certainly taking second place to ,patient management'. However, against this bland background of medicalization of what is clearly a poorly understood and complex multifactorial syndrome, innovative treatment approaches aimed at symptom control, in particular, the stress vulnerability model (SVM), have been developed. However, the SVM is an incomplete model of patient experience and says little of aetiological note. One area of psychological function that may give further insight into the symptom experience associated with schizophrenia within the context of stress vulnerability concerns the mechanisms of repression. Ironically, the notion of repression will for many represent the epitome of non-evidence-based psychiatric theory and related psychodynamic therapy practice. However, more contemporary work within the psychological literature has aimed to make the concept both measurable and observable. No longer occluded by the context of psychoanalysis, cognitive science accounts of repression may be of value in facilitating understanding of the variability and predictability of symptoms of schizophrenia and may provide a dimension of therapeutic engagement allied to the SVM. [source]


School physical activity interventions: do not forget about obesity bias

OBESITY REVIEWS, Issue 1 2008
P. B. Rukavina
Summary Obesity bias is the tendency to negatively judge an overweight or obese individual based on assumed and/or false character traits, such as being physically unattractive, incompetent, lazy and lacking self-discipline. Obesity biases, such as teasing or weight criticism during physical activity (PA), can be psychologically or emotionally damaging for overweight children and adolescents. Ultimately, the effects students experience over time may create a psychological barrier and students can become resistant to schools' health and PA interventions that promote lifestyle changes. Fortunately, the psychological effects of obesity bias are mediated by social buffers and coping mechanisms. Several PA-related researchers have proposed strategic intervention components, but no studies have been completed in PA settings. The purpose of this review was to discuss the nature and different types of obesity bias in PA settings. Major theoretical frameworks of the aetiology and change mechanisms of obesity biases from the psychological literature were reviewed and direct applications for strategic component interventions were made for PA settings. Because of the pervasiveness and entrenchment of obesity bias, it is obvious that multiple theoretical frameworks need to be considered and even combined to create safe and caring school PA environments for students. [source]


Rationality Disputes , Psychology and Epistemology

PHILOSOPHY COMPASS (ELECTRONIC), Issue 6 2008
Patrick Rysiew
This paper reviews the largely psychological literature surrounding apparent failures of human rationality (sometimes referred to as ,the Rationality Wars') and locates it with respect to concepts and issues within more traditional epistemological inquiry. The goal is to bridge the gap between these two large and typically disconnected literatures , concerning rationality and the psychology of human reasoning, on the one hand, and epistemological theories of justified or rational belief, on the other , and to do so in such as way as to expose interesting points of contact and convergence between them. [source]


Government Apologies for Historical Injustices

POLITICAL PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 2 2009
Craig W. Blatz
Scholars from various disciplines suggest that government apologies for historical injustices fulfill important psychological goals. After reviewing psychological literature that contributes to this discussion, we present a list of elements that political apologies should contain to be acceptable to both members of the victimized minority and the nonvictimized majority. Content coding of a list of government apologies revealed that many, but not all, include most of these elements. We then reviewed research demonstrating that political apologies that contain most of these facets are favorably evaluated, but especially by members of the nonvictimized majority. Next, we examined how the demands of victimized minorities affect their satisfaction with government apologies that lack some components. We conclude by discussing the implications of our analysis for when and how governments should apologize. [source]


Meaningful Voices: How Psychologists, Speaking as Psychologists, Can Inform Social Policy

ANALYSES OF SOCIAL ISSUES & PUBLIC POLICY, Issue 1 2004
David M. Frost
Kitzinger and Wilkinson (2004) posit that social advocacy can be argued for within both a discourse of equal rights and a discourse of mental health. They suggest that psychological evidence, because it is bound to a discourse of mental health, is currently not useful in advancing the campaigns for equal marriage rights. In our response to their argument, we (1) agree that the currently available psychological evidence is limited; (2) make the case that it is still important for psychologists to produce evidence that speaks to this debate; and (3) suggest how psychologists, still speaking as psychologists, can produce evidence that speaks to this debate through underutilized theoretical and methodological approaches to relevant issues. The authors analyze a key statement by United States President George W. Bush on the meaning of marriage and the available psychological literature on same-sex relationships to support their position. [source]


Misprescription and misuse of one-tailed tests

AUSTRAL ECOLOGY, Issue 4 2009
CELIA M. LOMBARDI
Abstract One-tailed statistical tests are often used in ecology, animal behaviour and in most other fields in the biological and social sciences. Here we review the frequency of their use in the 1989 and 2005 volumes of two journals (Animal Behaviour and Oecologia), their advantages and disadvantages, the extensive erroneous advice on them in both older and modern statistics texts and their utility in certain narrow areas of applied research. Of those articles with data sets susceptible to one-tailed tests, at least 24% in Animal Behaviour and at least 13% in Oecologia used one-tailed tests at least once. They were used 35% more frequently with nonparametric methods than with parametric ones and about twice as often in 1989 as in 2005. Debate in the psychological literature of the 1950s established the logical criterion that one-tailed tests should be restricted to situations where there is interest only in results in one direction. ,Interest' should be defined; however, in terms of collective or societal interest and not by the individual investigator. By this ,collective interest' criterion, all uses of one-tailed tests in the journals surveyed seem invalid. In his book Nonparametric Statistics, S. Siegel unrelentingly suggested the use of one-tailed tests whenever the investigator predicts the direction of a result. That work has been a major proximate source of confusion on this issue, but so are most recent statistics textbooks. The utility of one-tailed tests in research aimed at obtaining regulatory approval of new drugs and new pesticides is briefly described, to exemplify the narrow range of research situations where such tests can be appropriate. These situations are characterized by null hypotheses stating that the difference or effect size does not exceed, or is at least as great as, some ,amount of practical interest'. One-tailed tests rarely should be used for basic or applied research in ecology, animal behaviour or any other science. [source]


Drafting the parenting evaluation court order: A conceptual and practical approach

BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES & THE LAW, Issue 4 2010
A.B.P.P., John A. Zervopoulos Ph.D.
A court's order begins and directs the process of a court-appointed parenting evaluation. If the order is ill-defined, the evaluation, its conclusions, and the resulting expert opinion may be compromised. To draft a clear order, lawyers should understand the nature of a psychological evaluation, identify the legal bases and the authority in psychological literature and ethics for conducting a parenting evaluation, and establish the specific purposes for the court-ordered evaluation. Likewise, psychologists should understand these drafting issues to guard against role and ethical pitfalls in their court-appointed tasks. This paper will explore these issues. In addition, suggestions for drafting a motion petitioning the court for an evaluation are offered, and a model court order for parenting evaluations is presented. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]