Latin American Productivity from 1990 to 1998 in the Mexican Journal of Psychology

Published uninterruptedly since 1984, the Mexican Journal of Psychology (MJP) has been recognized as one of the most important periodicals in Spanish-language psychology. After coping with financial impediments and a lack of scientific contributions, the significance of the MJP emerged. The journal remains vital in the development of Latin American psychology. It is today recognized as having the highest impact of all Latin American psychology journals as well as having the second highest impact of all psychology journals in the Spanish language. The goal of the present study was to review the profiles of the MJP from 1990 to 1998 by using a bibliometric classification procedure. Four indicators were employed in the present analysis of the articles including measurement techniques, methodology, field of psychology, and main results.     

A qualitative exploration of positive psychology concepts in the film Wadjda and implications for future research

ABSTRACT

Positive psychology has often used both fictional and nonfictional examples to describe positive traits and outcomes. However, a film’s contribution to understanding of experiences has been rather underresearched in positive psychology literature. Although researchers in areas including journalism and film studies have conducted such investigations over the years, positive psychologists are yet to pursue this actively. This article is an attempt to explore positive psychology concepts displayed in the film Wadjda through thematic analysis. The film is about the life of an ordinary girl who displays positive outcomes under circumstances that might have overwhelmed others. This article focuses on the journey of the characters in the film and attempts to identify positive psychology features in the story. Although all characters portrayed in the film are shown to be undergoing some challenge, they are depicted as handling their life circumstances in a healthy manner. The story radiates positivity and fits Niemiec’s criteria of a positive psychology film. The article concludes by highlighting the need to conduct research on positive psychology films and its application in different areas.     

Social Psychology in Mexico: A Fifteen-Year Review

This article reviews the development of social psychology in Mexico by summarizing major trends in the field and their representation in La Psicología Social en México [Social Psychology in Mexico] and in the Revista de Psicología Social y Personalidad [Journal of Social Psychology and Personality], both published by the Asociacion Mexicana de Psicologia Social [Mexican Association of Social Psychology, AMEPSO] between 1986 and 1998. Over the years, the Mexican Association of Social Psychology has facilitated the professional advancement of many psychologists, whose diverse research areas include applied psychology, environmental psychology, social psychology, cognitive psychology, Mexican ethnopsychology, developmental psychology, ecological psychology, personality, and gender relations. Special emphasis is placed on the discussion of the current state of psychological methodology in Mexico and the importance of designing culturally relevant instruments.     

Economic psychology

Economic psychology studies the economic behavior of consumers and entrepreneurs. Economic behavior involves decisions on money, time, and efforts. The models of Katona and Strümpel are discussed and a new model is proposed. This new model stresses the cyclical character of economic behavior on a micro and a macro level. Economic psychology is related to organizational psychology, marketing research, mass communication research, economic sociology, and the household production approach. A proposition of the aims and scope of the Journal of Economic Psychology concludes this introductory article.     

Avoiding Aging? Social Psychology’s Treatment of Age

Population aging, in conjunction with social and cultural transformations of the life course, has profound implications for social systems—from large-scale structures to micro-level processes. However, much of sociology remains fairly quiet on issues of age and aging, including the subfield of social psychology that could illuminate the impact of these broader social forces on individual lives. This study examines the scope of research on age, aging, and the life course in the leading social psychological journal in sociology (Social Psychology Quarterly) and compares it with coverage in the primary social psychology journal in psychology (Journal of Personality and Social Psychology) and two sociology journals (American Sociological Review and Journal of Health and Social Behavior). An analysis of articles published between 1977 and 2006 shows that approximately 7 percent in Social Psychology Quarterly or Journal of Personality and Social Psychology seriously considered age. In contrast, 11 % of articles in American Sociological Review and 25 % in Journal of Health and Social Behavior did so. Across the journals, examinations of age increased over time. However, studies reflect a limited range of methodological and theoretical approaches with few employing qualitative methods or a symbolic interactionist perspective. We discuss several under-explored sites for research on age, aging, and the life course that would enrich social psychological and sociological scholarship more broadly.     

The work to make an experiment work

ABSTRACT

Contrary to its typical presentation in scientific publications as a certain and linear process, in reality, the experimental method, not least the design aspect of it, requires a great deal of trial-and-error and ad hoc decision-making on the part of the researchers. This uncertain and contingent aspect of research, although little known outside of the circle of experts, has important implications for our understanding of the nature of science and scientific findings.

This paper offers a backstage perspective to experiment design, where the uncertain and contingent nature of experimental research is at its starkest. It draws on insights from the sociological perspective of ethnomethodology through the auto-ethnographic first-hand experience of the first author's own social psychology experiments. Based on detailed lab notes and planning documents on how and why design changes were made, the analysis focuses on the evolution of the experiment design, particularly the researcher’s in situ practical reasoning for how to make the experiment work. From this, we show how ethno-methods shape experiment results and highlight the inseparability of social science experimentation from in situ practical reasoning.     

Niveau de comportement et prise de conscience en psychologie economique

Mental level and grasp of consciousness in economic behaviour. In economic psychology mental level is one of the most useful parameters. This notion provides a solution for the construction of a general model, and can also be applied to several specific questions. The idea of grasp of consciousness is the “internal” or ‘subjective” aspect of these studies relating to economic efficiency. But, in this context, interdisciplinary research is necessary and this has been made possible by the many surveys carried out, among others, by the Laboratory of Economic Psychology of the University of Strasbourg during the last twenty-seven years, in different countries of Europe, Africa and Asia.The concept of mental level allows utilisation of models: simplication, synthesis of quantitative and qualitative factors, and the careful selection of statistical and psychological data are necessary for a positive work. In each country we consider the situation of groups, such as provinces, corporations, enterprises and families, and the notation of mental level explains the principles of behaviour. We observe important thresholds of dynamism between these groups.Grasp of consciousness is a notion that enables further explanation: here, studies and observations are related with the mechanism of degrees of rationality. If the level of consciouness is low, the judgement includes little information, the choices and the forecase do not take into account all the factors. Economic growth and equilibrium are not satisfactory. It is possible to give many examples of this situation. Surveys in Greece and Portugal show the importance of the crossin of thresholds. “Economic horizon” is larger and information better after the period of transition.A second point concerns relative dépendance of this parameter upon external factors (stimuli). When the level of consciousness is not sufficient and rationality weak, influence of stimuli is strong. On the contrary, with high levels, considerations of personal interest are more powerful. Economic Psychology defines schemes of behaviour in the different situations. Surveys of Economic Psychology make use of methods adapted to qualitative investigations. These methods bring together measures for certain factors and notations for others. With questions on the past, present and future foreseeable life of the firm, it is possible, through good research, to determine the main features concerning an enterprise. For larger groups and for countries, the methods are parallel. Forecasting and better diagnosis are possible and qualitative surveys are good technique for improvement of applied economy.     

The Impact of Human Factors on Ab Initio Pilot Training

This article examines critically the power effects of a branch of psychology called Human Factors within the context of commercial aviation. A review of the aviation literature highlights the significance of Human Factors and its relevance to the recruitment and training of ab initio pilots. However, research in the field is criticized for failing to account for existing power relations and the potential effects of a new discursive format. This article uses the concept of discourse associated with Michel Foucault to analyse empirical data from interviews with individuals involved in ab initio pilot training at a European flying college. The analysis illustrates how staff at the training college use the rhetoric of Human Factors to enhance their own contribution and status, without fundamentally changing existing practices. Although this reinforces existing power relations, the Human Factors discourse also potentially empowers a different set of management employees. By illustrating the conflicting values and interests of two sets of managers and trainers at the college, the article is able to demonstrate the negative effects of the new discursive format on male ab initio pilots. It also discusses attitudes to female pilots, contributing to the debate about the ability of management discourses to promote gender equality within commercial organizations.     

Revisiting regional traditions: An emerging sociology of the great plains

Meliorism, empiricism, ethnography, locality, and reform characterized Midwestern American Sociology at the turn of the twentieth century. Almost a century later, the mini-regional Great Plains Sociological Association, through its refereed publication, The Great Plains Sociologist (TGPS), maintains a variant of this tradition. We examine the first decade (1988-1997) of published articles (N=52) in TGPS with a focus on authorship, affiliations, editorship, and components of the earliest Chicago sociology and its diffusion to the University of North Dakota and the region through the work of John Morris Gillette. The results show that TGPS is uniquely a publication representing empirical studies, of homespun social issues, involving local samples, by sociologists and criminologists affiliated with a range of colleges and universities in and around the Dakotas and that a sociology of the Great Plains is emerging. Implications for the journal, state and mini-regional associations, and the discipline are discussed. Morten G. Ender research areas are social psychology, military sociology, and undergraduate education. Shihluang Huang research areas are drug laws/policies, systems analysis, corrections, and community corrections. Both authors served on the faculty at the University of North Dakota where this project was completed.     

Reflections on the Work of Professor Selma Fraiberg

This paper reviews the work of Professor Selma Fraiberg who became a leading figure in the field of infant mental health. Born in 1918 she first received an MSW in Social Work and then undertook her Analytic Training in Detroit Michigan. While she maintained her identity as a social worker throughout her life, she integrated insights from the fields of social work, psychoanalysis and developmental and ego psychology in her research and practice. This paper traces her development as a clinician, researcher, and educator. Three cases describe her ability to integrate social work methodologies with analytic insights. The cases describe the treatment of a latency age child at a time of social change, a clinical research study of the developmental risk of children blind from birth, and a groundbreaking study in the field of infant mental health. Her study of infants at developmental risk focused on the parent /infant relationship and parents were included in the treatment process so that they could become more attuned to their young child. Her work highlighted the intergenerational issues that shaped the parental capacity for empathic nurturance between parent and child. The article Ghosts in the Nursery incorporated the major theoretical concepts of the new theoretical approach to treatment and is still much read in graduate programs today. Although extensive new research has added to the field of infant mental health, her contributions are still relevant to research and practice today.     

A Content Analysis of Quantitative Research in Journal of Marital and Family Therapy: A 10‐Year Review

We examined the trends of quantitative research over the past 10 years in the Journal of Marital and Family Therapy (JMFT). Specifically, within the JMFT, we investigated the types and trends of research design and statistical analysis within the quantitative research that was published in JMFT from 2005 to 2014. We found that while the amount of peer‐reviewed articles have increased over time, the percentage of quantitative research has remained constant. We discussed the types and trends of statistical analysis and the implications for clinical work and training programs in the field of marriage and family therapy.     

Retail entrepreneurial values in a bicultural community: Cultural and economic contentions and negotiation

Economic activity is universal yet the objectives of entrepreneurship are culture-specific in that the entrepreneur cannot be separated from the cultural context. The purpose of this research was to understand the structural differences between the Old Order Amish and their non-Amish counterpart as they conduct entrepreneurial activity in a bi-cultural rural setting. Eleven months of field research uncovered distinct differences between the two groups with regard to three conceptual themes: responsibility, cooperation and competition, and success. Amish entrepreneurs often find themselves in a state of negotiation between contradictory values of their own cultural system and those of the dominant world. The economic behavior of non-Amish entrepreneurs, on the other hand, is steeped in notions of individual gain found in the free market system. In an increasingly multicultural world, understanding the role of culture in economic life becomes critical if cultural groups are to conduct business in the same marketplace.     

The Pragmatic Case Study in Psychotherapy: A Mixed Methods Approach Informed by Psychology’s Striving for Methodological Quality

At least as far back as Plato and Aristotle, psychology began as a stepchild of philosophy. The establishment by Wilhelm Wundt in 1879 of the first formal psychological laboratory focused on studying psychophysiological phenomena was psychology’s declaration of independence as a discipline. By positioning itself as the application of natural-science-based, empirical methods involving quantitative, group-based approaches to psychological topics, the discipline consolidated its independence and its societal status and clout. This paper first summarizes these developments, to highlight the causes of psychology’s historical resistance to qualitative case studies, and to qualitative research generally. I then briefly review three movements that have stimulated psychology to slowly but surely embrace qualitative case study research, with the addition of complementary, quantitative data: the rise of postmodern philosophy, the related “cognitive revolution” in psychology, and the “mixed methods” model of research in the social sciences that synergistically combines qualitative and quantitative methods. The result of this embrace, in the context of psychology’s established science-oriented identity, has been for psychology to add quality-of-knowledge guidelines for elevating the yield of case study knowledge. This result is illustrated by three examples: Kazdin’s (J Consult Clin Psychol 49:183–192, 1981) strategies for reducing threats to the validity of conclusions from case studies; Elliott, Fischer, and Rennie’s (Br J Clin Psychol 38:215–229, 1999) development of methodological standards for both quantitative and qualitative research; and my own work in developing the Pragmatic Case Study (PCS), which particularly reflects three of the recent trends in psychology: pluralism, pragmatism, and the mixed methods approach. Comparisons between organized social work’s and organized psychology’s approach to psychotherapy training and research is noted, with the two fields starting off in opposite directions and recently coming together.     

Domestic Work and the Wage Penalty for Motherhood in West Germany

Previous research suggests that household tasks prohibit women from unfolding their full earning potential by depleting their work effort and limiting their time flexibility. The present study investigated whether this relationship can explain the wage gap between mothers and nonmothers in West Germany. The empirical analysis applied fixed‐effects models and used self‐reported information on time use and earnings as well as monthly family and work histories from the German Socio‐Economic Panel (1985–2007, N = 1,810; Wagner, Frick, & Schupp, 2007 ). The findings revealed that variation in reported time spent on child care and housework on a typical weekday explains part of the motherhood wage penalty, in particular for mothers of very young children. Furthermore, housework time incurred a significant wage penalty, but only for mothers. The authors concluded that policies designed to lighten women's domestic workload may aid mothers in following rewarding careers.     

Latin American Psychology in the Interamerican Journal of Psychology in the 1990's

This paper reviews 119 articles by Latin American psychologists, which have been published between 1990–1998 in the Revista Interamericana de Psicologia/Interamerican Journal of Psychology (RIP, ISP). As the official publication of the Interamerican Society of Psychology, the journal plays a prominent role, especially in Latin American psychology. It is concluded that Latin American psychologists have been active in many research areas and are seeking solutions for many pressing societal problems. While interested in a variety of general theoretical issues, Latin American psychologists have focused above all on applied studies.     

Policy Research and the Future: An Exemplar for a Critical Symbolic Interactionism

Abstract

Policy research is inquiry that seeks to inform organizational decisions. As such, it is embroiled in the construction of whatever futures these effectuate. Symbolic Interactionism has untapped resources for the conduct of policy research in its basic assumption that human nature and its situations are human creations. Within that tradition, it is always possible to compare what has been produced with some “future,” and to do so “critically.” The most relevant contemporary exemplar for such a comparison may be found in the work of Hugh Duncan. His analysis of the sociodramas that individuals perform, and his examination of comedy and tragedy as competing forms of social order is discussed. Finally, his attempt to exhibit the comedic as the humane form of social order is presented as a “formal” exemplar for the conduct of policy research which entertains a variety of futures in the investigation of present situations.     

Emotion and Therapy: Connecting with Leslie Greenberg

At the invitation of the Department of Psychology, Macquarie University, Leslie Greenberg gave seminars during 1997 on emotion in clinical practice and on current research endeavours. He is Professor, Department of Psychology, and Director of the Psychotherapy Research Centre, York University, Toronto, where he trained in psychology before going to the University of British Columbia for twelve years. His mentors were Laura Rice, one of Carl Rogers’ students, who introduced him to psychotherapy, and Pascual Leone, one of Piaget's students in developmental psychology. He learned to integrate a type of client-centered/ process-oriented approach with a Piagetian approach to psychotherapy research. He has had further training in Gestalt therapy and family therapy, and exposure to dynamic and cognitive therapy within the Society for Psychotherapy Research. Leslie Greenberg was a founding member of the Society for Exploration of Psychotherapy Integration (SEPI) and the Society for Constructivism in Psychotherapy. He is the co-author of Emotion in Psychotherapy (1987), Emotion, Psychotherapy and Change (1991), Emotionally Focused Therapy for Couples (1988), Facilitating Emotional Change (1993) and most recently, Working with Emotions in Psychotherapy (1997).     

The Magic Years revisited

Taking as its starting point Selma Fraiberg's book,The Magic Years, this paper presents a critique of traditional psychoanalytic developmental theory. A contrast is drawn with some of the findings of current research on infancy, and an outline is suggested for the foundations of a developmental theory that would be consistent with the tenets of self psychology.     

Goal attainment in urban ecology research: A bibliometric review 1975–2004

We analyze a core literature of urban ecology (all articles published in Urban Ecology and Urban Ecosystems from 1975–2004, n = 261) to support a reflexive analysis of the field. We structure this critical analysis based on criteria derived from programmatic statements made by scientific societies, research funding organizations and academic institutions regarding what urban ecology should be. Specifically, we assess the extent to which the literature reflects, and has evolved to reflect, a commitment to