Sociolinguistic and psycholinguistic indications of behavior disorders: analysis of a prisoner's discourse

Human verbal language communicates both manifest and latent messages concerning the speaker's world and behavior. To understand his world and analyze his problems,(1) it is important to decode the latent messages as they may hint at the root causes. The authors present a discourse analysis of a prisoner's text and a semantic and morphological analysis of it. This text reflects contempt for the law and its representatives, together with a weak attachment to legitimate society, neutralization of personal responsibility, denial of guilt, and low self-esteem. Sociolinguistic and psycholinguistic analysis points toward a more profound evaluation of the perceptions and world of the speaker. It seems that he yearns for attachment, for understanding and social acceptance, and perhaps even to abandon crime. The prisoner's latent feelings of helplessness and fear of humiliation may help the therapist establish a therapeutic relationship and help him change his perceptions and behavior.     

A three-year follow-up of the performance of a class of state police academy graduates using the MMPI-2

Research has demonstrated the utility of the MMPI-2 in identifying good and poor performance, dissatisfaction, termination, low performance ratings, unsatisfactory and satisfactory criterion groups, problematic behavior, corruption, and aggression. There is much research to suggest that certain patterns of responding to this measure by officer applicants predict job performance behaviors that supervisors and police executives view unfavorably. This study illustrates the fact that variables which are likely to predict police performance are less obvious and more subtle. Discussion centers on repression and underlying hostility. Authors' Note: William U. Weiss, Ph.D., is professor of psychology, The University of Evansville, 1800 Lincoln Avenue, Evansville IN 47722. At the time this study was done, Jessica Johnson was an undergraduate student research assistant. Gerald F. Serafino, Ph.D., and Ann Serafino are in private practice in Roswell, New Mexico.     

Controlling crime by persons who make,defend, and are supposed to enforce the laws

B.A., St. John's College 1949; J.D., Yale Law School 1952.     

Beliefs in a Just World as a Buffer Against Anger

Anger is the emotion typically accompanying unfairness appraisals. Belief in a just world (BJW) was expected to buffer against angry feelings because subjects high in BJW play down unfairness, justify unfairness as being self-inflicted, and avoid self-focused rumination. Three studies were run to test this hypothesis. A questionnaire study revealed that subjects who strongly endorse the belief in a personally just world are less likely to experience anger and, if they do experience such feelings, are less likely to suppress them. In two experiments, an angry, a happy, or a sad mood was induced. In the anger-evoking condition, subjects high in BJW were less angry and suffered no decrease in self-esteem compared to subjects low in BJW, who reported increased feelings of anger and decreased self-esteem. It is concluded that individuals high in BJW are better able to cope with anger-evoking situations, and that BJW can be seen as a personal resource protecting not only mental but also physical health.     

Some effects of mechanical trauma on the development of primary cancers and their metastases

Posttraumatic inflammation and, much less commonly, mechanical trauma itself may affect the clinical course of cancer. There is no evidence that a single incident of trauma can cause cancer, although posttraumatic chronic inflammation may be associated with carcinogenesis. In patients with cancer at the time of trauma, inflammation and repair processes may inhibit or enhance cancer growth, and trauma and its sequelae may increase the rates of invasion and dissemination.     

Contextual,cognitive, and adolescent factors associated with parenting in adolescence

In this study, we examined predictors of parenting during adolescence from three domains: the contextual (i.e., stress, support, marital satisfaction), social-cognitive (i.e., beliefs about adolescence), and child (difficulty). Fifty-three mothers and 38 fathers of 13–18 year olds were interviewed and rated on three dimensions of parenting—involvement, autonomy support, and structure. Parents completed questionnaires assessing predictor variables. Results indicated that, for mothers, higher numbers of recent stressful events were associated with less provision of structure and more control. For fathers, relations between views of adolescence and parenting were in evidence; while for both mothers and fathers strong relations between adolescent difficulty and parenting emerged. Relations between perceived difficulty of adolescent and parenting were more apparent in conducive than nonconducive contexts. The differential results for mothers and fathers are interpreted in terms of mothers' greater involvement and less role latitude than fathers. Parents' resources, experience, and expectations are considered in understanding why predictors might be associated with parenting variables.Received Ph.D. in clinical psychology from University of Rochester. Research interests include motivational development, parenting, self- and emotion-regulation. Also investigating factors affecting parenting, especially parent involvement.Received a Master's degree from New York University. Current interests involve interpersonal processes in depression.Received a Master's degree from Clark University. Research interests include the development of self-regulation with particular interest in the effects of power, authority, and responsibility on the socialization and disciplining of young children.Received Master's of Social Work degree from Columbia University. Current interests include factors that facilitate adolescents developing connections with the community.     

Power comes with responsibility��or does it?

In a Public Good (PG) experiment, after playing it the standard way, one of the players (the allocator) is given power over the endowments of her co-players. Will the allocator show responsibility i.e., contribute most or all of her own as well as her co-players?? endowments? Can we thus improve the suboptimal level of voluntary provisions of public goods? The result is that, on average, all players are better off than in the standard PG game. In repetitions of the procedure, however, selfish behavior (contributing mainly the others?? endowments) becomes more and more frequent.