Borderline daughters: An optimal configuration for their growth

A significant majority of patients with borderline personality disorder, in a long-term psychiatric hospital for adolescents, had been the daughters of younger middle class mothers (14–20) with fathers absent since birth or before age 5. This family configuration is optimal for the growth of a symbiotic mother-daughter relationship and the identity disorder prevalent in borderline patients. The similar histories of these patients are examined. They can be described in two categories: those who combine precocious sexuality with infantile behavior and a smaller group with a somewhat masculine pseudo-mature identity. The first group usually attempts to retreat to the father, has clinging, dependent relationships with males, sexually acts out and is at a very high risk for pregnancy and a repetition of the mothers' lives.This paper was presented at the American Association of Psychiatric Services for Children, Las Vegas, Nevada, March, 1986.Mr. Levy is at Wesleyan University     

Distribution-free test for symmetry based on Wilcoxon two-sample test

McWilliams introduced a test of symmetry based on a runs statistic for a continuous distribution about a known median. His test statistic R* performs better than other competitors considered in his study. In this paper, we present a conditional test for symmetry based on a Wilcoxon two-sample test. The proposed test turns out to be competitive with the test of McWilliams.     

The State of Medical Sociology—A Review Essay*

Birenbaum, Arnold, 1981. Health Care and Society. Montclair: N.J.: Allanheld Osmun. Bowling, Ann. 1981. Delegation in General Practice: A Study of Doctors and Nurses. London: Tavistock Publications. Cockerham, William C. 1982. Medical Sociology. 2d ed. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall. Locker, David. 1981. Symptoms and Illness: The Cognitive Organization of Disorder. London: Tavistock Publications.     

Reading Walter Benjamin and Donna Haraway in the age of digital reproduction

Walter Benjamin's 'The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction' has much to offer contemporary analyses of the 'Information Age'. This article rereads this famous essay in light of a later intervention by Donna Haraway, 'A Manifesto for Cyborgs: Science, Technology, and Socialist Feminism in the 1980s'. There are strong parallels and overlaps between these two groundbreaking pieces, despite their many differences. Both deal with how their respective generations of 'new' information and communication technologies (ICTs) are intertwined with broader sociocultural and political economic change. Both apply controversial, Marxian, theoretical insights to changes in the mode of (re)production in their analyses of techno-economic change that herald both negative and positive political possibilities. This article takes Benjamin and Haraway in turn, their lives and their work in general and these two essays in particular. It concludes with a brief discussion on how Benjamin's and Haraway's optimistic takes on technological change - as political opportunity, despite less than optimal tendencies in the political economic and technical apparatus of their respective ages - can contribute to fleshing out theory and research on ICTs. And to do so without lurching between the positions of extreme pessimism or optimism that characterize the debates to date.     

BIRTH ORDER AND RISKY ADOLESCENT BEHAVIOR

It is commonly believed that birth order is an important determinant of success. However, previous studies in this area have failed to provide convincing evidence that birth order is related to test scores, education, or earnings. Using data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth–1979, we investigate the association between birth order and adolescent behaviors such as smoking, drinking, marijuana use, sexual activity, and crime. Our estimates show that middle borns and last borns are much more likely to use substances and be sexually active than their firstborn counterparts. These results provide the strongest evidence to date that birth order is related to measurable behaviors. (JEL I12 , J12 , J13 )     

Organizations have to grow up.

Organizations progress through a series of growth stages as they mature. How they handle themselves in each stage will determine how well they function within a stage, how rapidly they progress to new stages, and whether they succeed to a new stage at all. Those organizations that adjust to growth most effectively become the standard setters that other organizations follow. Health care organizations, to compete effectively in a changed and changing environment, must seize opportunities to achieve excellence and reach the third stage of organizational development.     

Perceived risk and behavioural feedback: Strategies for reducing accidents and increasing efficiency

There is overwhelming evidence that people will adapt to an increase in perceived risk by taking more care, and to a reduction in perceived risk by taking less care (behavioural feedback). This can reduce the effects of some safety measures and even, in some cases, produce the opposite effect to that which was intended or expected. Any safety programme should take account of this by seeking to minimize any change in perceived risk while maximizing the change in objective risk. It is, for example, probably counterproductive to 'oversell' the potential benefits of any safety measure.     

THE RELATIONSHIPS AMONG ADOLESCENT PREGNANCY, PREGNANCY RESOLUTION, AND JUVENILE DELINQUENCY

We apply criminological theories of social control to explore the relationships among adolescent pregnancy, pregnancy resolution, and juvenile delinquency. While most ever-pregnant girls have especially high rates of delinquent behavior, adolescent mothers exhibit delinquency levels no higher than those of their never-pregnant peers. Unlike adolescent females who end their pregnancies through abortion, those who keep their babies experience a dramatic reduction in both smoking and marijuana use. Our results suggest that among adolescent girls, the birth of a child has a strong trajectory-modifying effect. It serves as a mechanisms of social control and substantially reduces the likelihood of delinquent behavior.     

Distribution-free tests for independence against positive quadrant dependence: A generalization

A class of distribution-free tests based on two matched pairs is considered for testing independence against positive quadrant dependence. The class of tests proposed by Kochar and Gupta (1990) is a member of the proposed class. The performance of the proposed class is evaluated in terms of Pitman asymptotic relative efficiency for Block-Basu (1974) model and Woodworth family of distributions. The small sample performance of few members of the proposed class is also studied by finding empirical powers. Unbiasedness and consistency of the proposed class of tests have been established.