Tested Cooper and Fazio's dissonance model. Subjects made arguments that were consistent or inconsistent with their attitudes and were provided feedback about consequences. Attitude-change effect only occurred when behaviors were both inconsistent and resulted in aversive consequences. Results suggest that cognitive inconsistency may be necessary…

Considers the role of obligation in counselors' motivation to do their work. Observes that narrative practices related to the humanities, and to religious and spiritual traditions, may help counselors when obligation-based motivation is overwhelmed by the harsher elements of human nature and of the counseling profession. (RJM)

Coping and correlates of psychological distress of 174 Chinese parents of children with Down's syndrome, language delays, or no disabilities were compared. Down's syndrome parents more frequently used avoidance coping style. No differences were observed between Down's syndrome and language delay parents on psychological distress, optimism,…

Considers sexual harassment from the perspective of abuse of power, and discusses the possibility of having power within a situation that automatically and nonconsciously triggers a sexuality schema, just as racial or gender features automatically trigger stereotypes of that group. The possible origins of the automatic power/sex linkage and its…

Reports results of a study of the relationship of mood regulation expectancies with depressive symptoms and coping ability among 96 adults aged 65 years or older from non-nursing home residential communities and organizations. Relations of hassles and expectancies with coping responses were weaker than those found previously in younger samples.…

Investigated the effects of reading one of four priming stimuli stories (control, consenting sex, rape, or family) on males' evaluations of, and emotional reactions to, two videotaped date-rape scenarios. Results supported the concepts of a macho personality and revealed interactive effects for both the rape and family prime. (RJM)

Examined the effects of perceived control and close alternative outcomes on counterfactual generation (thoughts of what could have been). Subjects played a "wheel of fortune" game in which they controlled one of two wheels. Results supported the idea that people generate counterfactuals about events over which they have perceived…

Examined impact of outcome controllability on counterfactual thoughts (thoughts of what could have been). Two studies showed that outcome controllability affected counterfactual direction: thoughts on how things could have been better were more frequent following controllable outcomes, and thoughts on how things could have been worse followed…

Explored whether the links of depression, eating problems, and body image that apply to women also apply to men. A study of 234 male and female college students showed depression was higher in those with negative body image for both men and women. Depression accounted for significant variability in eating problems only in women. (GR)

Surveyed 63 people with spinal cord injury (SCI) in either their first, second, or fifth year post-injury. Results indicated that perceived levels of self-esteem decreased following the SCI. Found that self-esteem was lowest in the second year of injury. Self-esteem may be connected to loss of employment. (RJM)

Interviewed and physically assessed 102 married men in an attempt to develop a biopsychosocial model of male domestic violence. Used Tobit analysis to identify significant predictors. Analyzed separately, each domain was significantly related to male domestic violence. When considered together, only the biological and social domains yielded…

Shares a psychological look at student images of mathematical learning and problem solving through students' writings about mathematical experiences. The analysis is done from a Jungian psychoanalytic orientation with the goal of assisting students develop a deeper perspective from which to view their mathematics experience. (MDH)

A comprehensive investigation into psychological distress among Western Australian teachers used the General Health Questionnaire to measure nine independent variables, including five stressors and four distressors. The data showed high stress levels; stressors correlated positively with distress and distressors correlated negatively. Gender…

A theory of the updating of beliefs over time is presented that explicitly accounts for order-effect phenomena as arising from the interaction of information-processing strategies and task characteristics. The belief-adjustment model is supported by 5 experiments involving 192 adult subjects. (SLD)

Freshman seminar instructors need training for identifying the frequency, severity, and other aspects of grief emotions in relation to real or perceived loss as expressed by first-semester freshmen. Psychological studies of grief suggest ways instructors can assist students in coping successfully with loss and sadness. (Author/MSE)