Because of the rising interest in the relevance of psychology to missions, a number of empirical studies have been completed which address various issues pertaining to missionary selection, stress, and ongoing functioning. This paper presents a critique and synthesis of the empirical literature relevant to missionary selection, stress, and…

Using data from the Iowa Youth and Families Project, this longitudinal study investigated the predictive validity of different dimensions of observed parent behavior on adolescent externalizing (aggression, hostility) and internalizing (depression, anxiety) problems over a 2-year period. In addition, the study examined how observer ratings…

This paper discusses the use of Rational Recovery (RR) as a counseling technique in treating people who feel fat, particularly women. Fatness is viewed as a philosophy, not a physical condition. Cultural influences defining and stressing ideal femininity come down hard on women whose physiques or appearances do not measure up. RR gives people…

For the vast majority of persons of all ages who suffer from major depression, it is recurrent. A traditional wisdom has been that elderly persons respond more poorly to treatment for serious depression than younger persons. The psychiatric status of 127 elderly persons hospitalized for an episode of major depression was systematically assessed…

The phenomenon of adolescent runaway behavior is of critical concern to mental health professionals. Conceptualization, prediction, and treatment interventions are of extreme importance. This study sought to build upon prior research by using the Personality Inventory for Children (PIC). Previous research indicated that adolescent running away…

This literature review, from 1990 to the present, discusses the characteristics of autism and the comorbidity of mental retardation and autism. Specific medical syndromes that complement the heterogeneity concept are described, including epilepsy, fragile X syndrome, Rett syndrome, tuberous sclerosis, and Asperger syndrome. The paper presents some…

Hope has been theorized to be a stable cognitive mindset that develops over time, as children experience success at meeting challenges and in conquering obstacles to their goals (Snyder et al, 1994). To determine the effects of children's violence exposure, both as victims and as witnesses, to children's hope, 99 children living in violent areas…

Peer relations contribute substantially to both social and cognitive development. The essentials of friendship are reciprocity and commitment between individuals who see themselves more or less as equals. Affiliation and common interests, the main themes in friendship relations, are first understood in early childhood. Friends serve as emotional…

This paper reports on a study to develop a scale of stress measurement and its use with undergraduate students (N=269) at a large land grant mid-Atlantic university. Students, within the classroom setting, were given a questionnaire containing 52 potentially stressful hypothetical situations and were asked to indicate the degree of stress they…

Numerous studies have established a relation between negative life events and psychological and physical health, however, these studies have focused on the consequences of life stress of psychological and physical functioning. The possibility that individuals may experience negative life events due to preexisting emotional dysfunctioning is…

Hope has motivational importance to individuals who have suffered a major physical loss. Theories of adjustment to a spinal cord injury take one of three approaches: (1) premorbid personality, which highlights the individual's past experiences, personal meanings, and body image; (2) typologies of injury reactions, which range from normal to…

The causes of stress for college senior-level administrators and their coping approaches were studied, based on discussions with 60 administrators from 44 institutions in the United States and England. Four sources of stress were identified: stress from the general environment, stress from job-related but external sources, stress from internal…

Research on interpersonal influence within counseling psychology has focused primarily on the characteristics of the counselor. There is a need to study the role of client characteristics in resistance or noncompliance. A review of the literature indicates that most client characteristics associated with noncompliance in therapy can be narrowed…

Cognitive processes, particularly in regard to negative content schemata, seem to play an instrumental role in the development and maintenance of depression. In order to better understand the nature of negative schemata in depressed individuals, both depressed and nondepressed subjects participated in two studies in which they were required to…

The author strongly argues for transracial adoption considering it as an effective way to eradicate various problems facing black children. She answers various objections raised against transracial adoption. The important issue, the author maintains, is to provide psychological care to many black children who need it badly. (SE)