Neurocognitive differences,self cohesion,and incoherent self narratives

This paper attempts to develop a framework through which the concepts of neurocognitive delays or deficits (generally referred to as learning disabilities) may be integrated into psychodynamic theory. The impact of these delays or deficits on the developmental dialogue is discussed. The child who suffers from such delays or deficits experiences the world in a unique way forming representations that encode personal meanings. These meanings are integrated into self narratives that have elements of incoherence in them. The incoherences in the self narratives result in the absence of self cohesion.Faculty, Continuing Education and Certificate Program, Smith College School for Social Work; in private practice.     

Misconceptions about strength exercise among older adults

The purposes of this study were to determine current opinions of strength exercise among older adults and whether knowledge of recommended protocols differs between strength-exercise participants and nonparticipants. One hundred twenty-nine older adults (77.5 +/- 8.6 years) responded to questions about their opinions, experiences, and knowledge of strength-exercise recommendations. Some misconceptions were identified in the sample, with 48.4% of participants responding "no" to "strength training increases muscle mass," 45% responding "no" to "increasing weight is more important than number of repetitions for building strength," and 37% responding that walking is more effective than lifting weights at building muscle strength. The number of correct responses was related to the number of years in school (semipartial r(2)= .046). More education is needed about the benefits and recommendations to ensure proper use of current strength-exercise protocols among older adults.     

The ABCs of engagement in out-of-school-time programs

The rapid growth of out-of-school time programs over the past five years has resulted in a dramatic increase in opportunities for young people. However, many programs have been ill defined, without appropriate attention to the developmental needs of children and adolescents and without the necessary elements in place to fully capture the interests and talents of youth. In this chapter, the author shows how constructs drawn from research in education can be applied to research and practice in the out-of-school-time arena, in an effort to learn how the field can more fully engage young people in activities and programs. With more and more research indicating positive connections between participation in safe, supportive, and challenging activity settings and healthy psychological and social adjustment, attempts to encourage engagement rather than casual participation are warranted. Researchers and practitioners need to be mindful that engagement results not just from showing up, but from the interplay of the affective, behavioral, and cognitive experiences of youth in these settings. Suggestions for designing growth-enhancing contexts that increase the likelihood of engagement are offered, as are suggestions for future research in this area.     

Framing Public Discussion of Gay Civil Unions

Although the framing of public opinion has often been conceptualizedas a collective and social process, experimental studies offraming have typically examined only individual, psychologicalresponses to alternative message frames. In this research weemploy for the first time group conversations as the unit ofanalysis (following Gamson 1992) in an experimental study offraming effects. Two hundred and thirty-five American citizensin 50 groups (17 homo-geneously conservative groups, 15 homogeneouslyliberal groups, and 18 heterogeneous groups) discussed whetheror not gay and lesbian partnerships should be legally recognized.Groups were randomly assigned to one of two framing conditions(a "homosexual marriage/special rights" frame or a "civil union/equalrights" frame). Results indicated framing effects that were,in all cases, contingent on the ideological leanings of thegroup. The "marriage" frame tended to polarize group discussionsalong ideological lines. Both liberal and conservative groupsappeared to find their opponents’ frame more provocative,responding to them with a larger number of statements and expressinggreater ambivalence than when reacting to more hospitable frames.     

The clinical social worker and current psychiatric drugs: Some introductory principles

This paper persents some common social work clinical and case management issues with respect to psychiatric drug treatment. The roles of the psychiatrist and the social worker are distinguished. Three types of negative treatment drug effect are described-physical, psychological, and social-with case examples. Techniques to prevent or reduce negative drug effects are presented. The paper emphasizes the need for greater social work professional attention being paid to drug therapy.     

CONSUMER SHORTAGES IN POLAND: LOOKING BEYOND THE QUEUE INTO A WORLD OF MAKING DO*

This is a participant-observation study of shopping in Poland during severe consumer shortages. Field work was done in November and December of 1982 in three Polish cities. The focus was to observe shopping queues, behavior in those queues, and to interview shoppers about their shopping tactics within and outside of the queues. One-hundred and forty queues were observed and 158 people were interviewed. Observations of queues included their size, composition, organization over long waits, and the behavior of queue participants. Shopping tactics are actions meant to locate scarce goods and save time with shopping. Some shopping tactics were done alone, but more likely these tactics involved others in shopping and distribution teams. This study is placed in the sociological context of response to scarcity and disruption.