Brings the perspectives of five individuals (Sigmund Freud, Karl Marx, Charles Darwin, Johann von Herder, James Madison) to the question of why humans behave as they do when faced with the need for decision making and change in higher education. Argues that effecting change is easier if leaders attend to the concerns and fears of those affected by…

This article identifies typical problems that gifted students face in social and emotional adjustment, including anxiety caused by advanced knowledge or understanding; heightened sensitivity to feelings of others; perfectionist tendencies; and feelings of being alone, isolated, and different. Resources to help students, parents, and teachers are…

Structural models were used to examine developmental stages of antisocial behavior and their relation to during-treatment performance of 245 probationers in an inpatient substance abuse treatment program. Separate childhood and adulthood antisocial functioning components predicted psychological functioning and program perceptions during treatment.…

Three case studies describe the process of parental grieving for the loss of a child with a disability. Characteristics of mourning unique to such a death are discussed. It is argued that, contrary to suggestions that chronic sorrow may end with the child's death, the emotion continues to emerge at peak times throughout the life of the parent.…

Focal theory is a framework for looking at psychosocial and leisure transitions in middle and later adolescence. Using cross-sectional survey data, found few gender differences in age-related relational transitions, but gender differences were apparent in shifting focuses of leisure involvement with age. Findings suggest a linkage between…

This longitudinal study investigated the relation between mothers' descriptions of mental states portrayed in pictures and 2- to 4-year-old children's theory of mind. Mothers described pictures to children at 3 different times during the year. Findings indicated that mothers' use of mental state utterances at early time points correlated with…

This study of 117 severely abused children found that 35% exhibited evidence of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Results indicated that PTSD was correlated with attention deficit disorders, anxiety disorders, psychotic disorders, suicidal ideation, and mood disorders. (CR)

First- and second-year findings of a survey of the development of disordered eating in 80 fourth- and fifth-grade girls and 85 boys are presented. Results, especially findings about body mass index and pubertal development, emphasize gender differences and the importance of identifying early risk factors for eating disorders. (SLD)

To further research on individual and environmental predictors of college student adjustment, surveyed 56 first-year college students. Although individual variables (e.g., problem-solving skills) were related most strongly to adjustment, environmental variables (e.g., social support) made significant incremental contributions to predictions of…

Examines the effects of group membership on group members' concerns about justice. Two types of effects are hypothesized to exist: inclusionary and exclusionary. Inclusionary effects involve the relationship between groups and their members. Exclusionary effects involve the relationship of groups to nonmembers. Data indicate that inclusionary…

Analyzed demographic, cancer, physical functioning and psychological data for late-stage cancer, newly admitted nursing home patients (n=90). Concluded that, compared to survivors, those who died within a three-month period more often acknowledged their condition as terminal, anticipated greater environmental stress and adjustment problems and had…

Parents of aggressive children often act in ways which contribute to and maintain their children's aggression. Common characteristics of parents of aggressive children include: unfulfilled dependency needs, low self-esteem, bonding failure, disturbed identity formation, cognitive immaturity, denied affects, chaotic lifestyle, and social isolation.…

Correlation of 82 academically gifted adolescents' personality scores with scores for identity exploration revealed that youth who were actively exploring (according to Erik Erikson's ego identity theory) exhibited the following psychological portrait: inner confusion, agitation, dissatisfaction, unhappiness, periodic spells of depression,…

Interviews with 40 incarcerated juvenile female offenders found they typically reported failing 1 or more grades; more than having serious arrest; using drugs prior to crimes and as part of their lifestyle; and acting intentionally, and most often with others, to commit crimes. Critical factors included academic deficiencies, siblings who were…

Explores the type and seriousness of concerns reported by Turkish adolescents (n=957) and compares these concerns with self-reported psychological distress. Concerns were grouped into five clusters: (1) personal future; (2) interpersonal relations; (3) local-universal issues; (4) social identity; and (5) use of drugs. Cultural differences were…