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PubMed1988

Context-dependent automatic processing in depression: accessibility of negative constructs with regard to self but not others.

The existence of automatic negative self-referential thought in depression was examined by using the concurrent memory load paradigm. Depressed and nondepressed subjects judged each of a series of depressed- and nondepressed-content adjectives as to its descriptiveness of the self or of the average other person. While making each judgment, some subjects held six digits in working memory, whereas the remaining subjects had no concurrent memory load. We found that the memory load manipulation resulted in a reliably smaller increase in depressed subjects' self-referential judgment latencies for depressed content than for nondepressed content, with the reverse being true of nondepressed subjects. For all subjects, however, the load effect on other-referential judgment latencies was smaller for nondepressed-content adjectives than for depressed-content adjectives. The results suggest an automatic, unintentional component in the depressed person's use of negative social constructs in self-perception but not in other-perception, indicating a context-dependent form of automatic processing.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Hierarchical structure of moral stages assessed by a sorting task.

Following criticism of Kohlberg's theory of moral judgment, an empirical re-examination of hierarchical stage structure was desirable. Utilizing Piaget's concept of reflective abstraction as a basis, the hierarchical stage structure was investigated using a new method. Study participants (553 Dutch university students and 196 Russian high school students) sorted statements in terms of moral sophistication. These statements were typical for the different stages of moral development as defined in Colby and Kohlberg. The rank ordering performed by participants confirmed the hypotheses. First, despite large individual variation, the ordering of the statements that gave the best fit revealed that each consecutive Kohlbergian stage was perceived to be more morally sophisticated. Second, the lower the stage as represented by the items, the higher the agreement among the participants in their ranking; and the higher the stage as represented by the items, the lower the agreement among the participants in the rankings. Moreover, the pivotal point depended on the developmental characteristics of the sample, which demonstrated a developmental effect: The ordering of statements representative of moral stages below one's own current stage was straightforward, whereas the ordering of statements above one's own stage was difficult. It was concluded that the Piagetian idea of reflective abstraction can be used successfully to operationalize and measure the hierarchical nature of moral development.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2006

Searching for meaning in negative events: concept analysis.

AIM: The aim of this paper was to synthesize the literature related to meaning and present a conceptual analysis of searching for meaning in unexpected, significant, negative events. BACKGROUND: Events or situations that are perceived as unexpected and negative (e.g. chronic and/or life-threatening illness) can disrupt life plans and lead to emotional distress. Nurses are in a key position to aid in the coping process by assisting individuals to integrate the meaning of an unexpected, negative event into the life experience. METHODS: In May 2004, a comprehensive literature search using the terms meaning, search for meaning, meaning-making, making meaning, life change events, adaptation-psychological, stress, and coping was carried out. Of 339 possible references, 86 were included in the analysis. FINDINGS: Global meaning refers to an individual's beliefs, values, and purpose/goals. Situational meaning refers to the meaning the individual attaches to a situation. When the meaning attached to the situation is not congruent with global meaning, meaning is considered shattered and a search for meaning ensues. In the search for meaning, people may attempt to change the meaning of the event (through reattributions or creating illusions) or change global meaning (through positive reappraisal, problem-solving coping, or revaluing ordinary events). CONCLUSION: Nurses are in a key position to assist people through negative events. The process of searching for meaning provides a solid foundation for the development of nursing interventions to assist individuals through difficult times. Research is needed to develop nursing interventions based on the process of the search for meaning, as well as measures reflective of the search for meaning.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed2003

[Health and work: a correlation of concepts in the perspectives of a rural population and of Christophe Dejours].

This study deepens the discussion about the concept of health constructed by Christophe Dejours and the one perceived by families who are descended from Italian immigrants who are agricultural workers at the Fourth Colony of Italian Immigration, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. In this paper, the concept of health is discussed viewing the academic and popular knowledge. As the study develops, it is possible to perceive the occurrence of an approximation of the author's thoughts with the families descending from Italian immigrants regarding health and work. Among the elements that confirm this closeness is the fact that only the human being himself is able to establish the limits between normal and pathological.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

The demographics of disability.

In this article, I have attempted to clarify some of the disparate estimates and ways of measuring disability that have been used in different surveys. The definitional issue has implications for the size of the population that will be covered by the ADA. I have reviewed several perspectives, including that of researchers, disability advocates, and individual self-perceptions, which need to be considered in understanding the meaning of disability. Disability involves limitations in actions and activities because of mental and physical impairments. Comparison of these different perspectives reveals that the differences lie in the range of activities that are considered. At least 36 million persons, over 14 percent of the U.S. population, are limited in selected activities. Depending on what are considered to be major life activities, the population covered by the ADA could vastly exceed that figure. Little information is available about the extent to which persons with disabilities, however defined, are affected by discrimination and unequal treatment. Limited data are available from one survey conducted by the International Center for the Disabled, which indicate that as many as 66 percent of persons with activity limitations who are not working would like a job. On the other hand, many persons with activity limitations indicate that their limitations are an important cause of their unemployment. About a quarter of persons with activity limitations due to impairments have experienced discrimination in some form. The impact of the ADA will likely vary by impairment. Because the prevalence of chronic diseases is far greater than the prevalence of physical and sensory impairments, chronic diseases are more frequently the cause of disability. The risk of disability is highest for impairments with low prevalence. Because states and local areas differ in the prevalence of disability, the impact of the ADA will also be likely to vary by geographic area. For some states, the rate of work disability is more than twice the rate of other states. Yet, research indicates that much of the variation is due to socioeconomic characteristics of areas. This reflects, at the macroeconomic level, that persons with disabilities are more likely to be poor and less educated than persons without disabilities. Because of differences in understanding what disability is and insufficient knowledge about the extent of the problem of discrimination toward persons with disabilities, assessment of the potential impact of the ADA is challenging.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Conceptual systems of undergraduate nursing students as compared with university students at large and practicing nurses.

Phase I of a longitudinal study compared characteristics of abstractness-concreteness of junior-level baccalaureate nursing students at the University of Colorado with characteristics of practicing nurses and other college students. Three measurement instruments were used: Harvey's Conceptual Systems Test, the Role Survey, and the Self-Esteem Questionnaire. Nursing students were found to be more abstract than practicing nurses; no difference was found on abstractness-concreteness between nursing and the other students. More nursing students than practicing nurses or other students were found to have a need for structure and order. And, nursing students showed higher overall expanded role orientation than practicing nurses. Phases II and III of the study will examine nursing students' changes in abstractness-concreteness during the second and third years of study.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[The significance of social factors in the genesis of psychic substructures. Suggestion on the schematic description of internalization in psychoanalytic theory].

In the conceptformation concerning the genesis of mental substructures, classic Psychoanalysis has much more stressed instinctual conflict conditions than psychosocial ones. The authors present a schematizing attempt which permits a description of the structure forming part of psychological processes following the internalization of social offers. A distinct disproportion of the modes of internalization is presumed for the social low and lower middle class. A normative, a final, a cognitive, a selfimage related, and an operational mode of psychosocial internalization are proposed.

Adult↗
PubMed1979

Conceptual style and life satisfaction following spinal cord injury.

The major purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between conceptual style and life satisfaction following a physical loss. It was predicted that conceptual abstractness is positively associated with life satisfaction. Fifty-four men between the ages of 18 and 41 who were paraplegic or quadriplegic, because of a spinal cord injury that occurred at least 18 months prior to the interview, were asked to complete questionnaires designed to measure their conceptual styles and their satisfaction with various aspects of their lives. The data suggest that: the respondents were generally satisfied with life; dissatisfaction was frequently greatest in family and other intimate relationships; and physical trauma may trigger changes in conceptual style in the direction of greater complexity and abstractness. The predicted positive association between conceptual abstractness and life satisfaction was supported in several instances by the data.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1997

Distinguishing multiple dimensions of conceptions of ability: implications for self-evaluation.

Three separate lines of research have suggested that conceptions of ability may play a key role in the development of self-evaluation. Each line has focused on a different dimension of conceptions of ability: conceptions of ability as uncontrollable, conceptions of ability as constant, and conceptions of ability as capacity. Unfortunately, there has been little attention to the convergences and divergences among the 3 dimensions. The present study examined this issue in 236 second- through fifth-grade children. Children indicated the extent to which they conceived of ability as uncontrollable, as constant, and as capacity. Two forms of self-evaluation (performance following failure and the extent to which self-perceptions of competence converge with external indicators of competence) were investigated. In addition, cognitive competence was assessed. The near-zero correlations, 3-factor solution yielded by confirmatory factor analysis, variability in age-related differences, differential links to cognitive competence, and diverse forms of self-evaluation among the 3 dimensions suggested that the 3 are relatively distinct, and that they may play different roles in the development of self-evaluation. Moreover, the 3 dimensions appear to interact with one another to influence self-evaluation.

Aptitude↗
PubMed1998

Children's thinking about traits: implications for judgments of the self and others.

The relation between the way in which children interpret human behavior and their beliefs about the stability of human traits is investigated. In interviews with 202 7- and 8-year-olds across 2 studies, the belief that traits are stable predicted a greater tendency to make trait judgments, and an increased focus on outcomes and behaviors through which traits can be judged. In the academic domain, a belief in trait stability was associated with an emphasis on the evaluative meanings of performance outcomes, as opposed to mediating processes such as effort. In the sociomoral domain, the same belief was associated with an emphasis on the evaluative meanings of behaviors (e.g., whether the person is good or bad), as opposed to factors that mediate behavior, such as intention. Results suggest that beliefs about the stability of traits may serve an important role in thinking about and functioning within the academic and sociomoral domains.

Achievement↗
PubMed2006

Insight in frontotemporal dementia: conceptual analysis and empirical evaluation of the consensus criterion "loss of insight" in frontotemporal dementia.

The objective of this study was to suggest a new formulation of the core research diagnostic consensus criterion "loss of insight" in frontotemporal dementia (FTD). Eight patients with FTD (diagnoses made by interviews, medical and neuropsychological examination, CT scan, and regional cerebral glucose metabolism measured by positron emission tomography (PET) participated in the study). The results indicated that insight was present in three out of eight patients, and that insight appears to be a heterogeneous concept. Two types of insight emerged: Emotional insight associated with frontotemporal functions, and cognitive insight, related to posterior cognitive functions. These results suggest that loss of insight should not serve as a core criterion on FTD, but serves well as a supportive criterion of the disease.

Affect↗
PubMed1989

Repeated failure: a source of helplessness or a factor irrelevant to its emergence?

We tested the validity of the egotism model of human helplessness. In contrast to the original theoretical approach of Seligman and his associates, which points to response-outcome noncontingency as the main source of helplessness, the egotism alternative proposes that repeated failure itself is the critical determinant of helplessness symptoms. Repeated failure threatens the self-esteem of the subject, who supposedly engages in a least-effort strategy during the test phase of a typical learned helplessness study, which results in performance impairment. To examine the egotism explanation, we gave subjects noncontingent-feedback training with or without repeated failure on five consecutive discrimination problems. In two experiments, noncontingent-feedback preexposure produced helplessness deficits in performance on avoidance learning, whereas repeated failure appeared irrelevant to helplessness. This and our other findings from research are inconsistent with the egotism explanation and support instead Seligman's original proposal, in which helplessness is attributed to prolonged experience with noncontingency.

Achievement↗
PubMed1991

Aspects of written language production over adult life.

Self-descriptions written by adults were analyzed to explore the effects of age, gender, vocabulary, nonverbal intelligence, and educational-occupational status on lexical aspects of language and grammatical complexity. Multivariate analyses indicated that, after controlling for other background variables, age had a significant effect on vocabulary diversity, sentence complexity, subordinating conjunctions, and possibly sentence length. Four variables--word output, word length, long words, and readability--were affected mainly by vocabulary and educational-occupational status. An unexpected and small but significant gender difference in the readability of the descriptions was observed across all age groups.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

Self-recognition in chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes): distribution, ontogeny, and patterns of emergence.

Investigations of mirror self-recognition (SR) in chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) have had small samples and divergent methods. In Experiment 1, 105 chimpanzees (10 months to 40 years of age) were observed for signs of SR across 5 days of continuous mirror exposure. In Experiments 2 and 3, negative SR adult and adolescent chimpanzees were saturated with mirror exposure in efforts to facilitate SR and a longitudinal study was conducted with a number of young subjects. In Experiment 4, mark tests were administered to groups of positive SR, negative SR, and ambiguous SR subjects. In Experiment 5, we explored whether previous positive SR reports in young chimpanzees were artifacts of increased arousal during mirror exposure. Results suggest that SR typically emerges at 4.5-8 years of age, at the population level the capacity declines in adulthood, and in group settings SR typically occurs within minutes of a subject's exposure to a mirror.

Aging↗
PubMed2002

Nurses' and patients' perceptions of dignity.

It is generally agreed in the nursing literature that the maintenance of patient dignity is an important element of nursing care that is highly valued by patients. Despite this, dignity is seldom defined and there are few guidelines that nurses may use in their practice to safeguard individual patients' dignity. This phenomenological study aimed to uncover patients' and nurses' perceptions of dignity, formulate a definition of dignity based on the experience of patients and nurses, and identify nursing practices that maintain or compromise patient dignity. The study found that the characteristics nurses associated with dignity were many and varied. Important elements in the meaning the nurses ascribed to the notion of patient dignity were the elements of respect, privacy, control, advocacy and time. The themes which emerged from the patient interviews were similar to those which emerged from the interviews with nurses. The characteristics that patients attributed to dignity and its maintenance included respect, privacy, control, choice, humour and matter-of-factness.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗
PubMed2000

Interpretation and comprehension of linguistic humour by adolescents with head injury: a group analysis.

The aim of the present study was to determine the ability of adolescents with a head injury to interpret and comprehend linguistic humour. Nine adolescents with head injury aged between 12 years 1 month and 15 years 4 months, and nine individually matched adolescents aged between 12 years 1 month and 16 years 1 month were administered a humour test, a standard language battery, the CELF-3, and the Self-Esteem Index. The test of humour abilities required each subject to recognize and select an explanation from a group of three, as to what made each item funny. Items were based on morphological, semantic and syntactic humour elements. Comparison at a group level demonstrated that adolescents with head injury performed significantly poorer in the interpretation and comprehension of linguistic humour than a group of individually matched peers. Contrary to expectations, a relationship between the level of self-esteem and humour comprehension did not exist. The findings of the present study suggest that further research into the effects of head injury on linguistic humour in adolescents is warranted, particularly from a case-by-case perspective.

Adolescent↗