ABSTRACTS

Gurman, A. S. & Knudson, R. M. Behavioral marriage therapy: I. A psychodynamic systems analysis and critique.
Gurman, A. S. & Kniskern, D. P. Behavioral marriage therapy: II. Empirical perspective.
Jacobson, N. & Weiss, R. L. Behavioral marriage therapy: III. The contents of Gurman, et al ., may be hazardous to our health.
Gurman, A. S., Knudson, R. M. & Kniskern, D. P. Behavioral marriage therapy: IV. Take two aspirin and call us in the morning.     

Sex and relationship affect social self-grooming

Preening or self-grooming among young adults was observed in this study. Two hypotheses were tested. The first was that females would preen more than males. The second was that people in the presence of others with whom they share an established relationship would preen less than those who are developing a relationship. Both hypotheses were confirmed.     

Attachment theory: Application to clinical practice with adults

An application of attachment theory to clinical practice with adults is based on psychoanalytic-object relations theory, expanding and emphasizing the influence of affectional bonds with others. The role of the therapist is to provide the conditions in which to explore current and past experiences, especially those related to attachment, separation and loss, helping patients reappraise and reconstruct their inner representations of attachment relationships with others.     

Integration of Daniel Stern's developmental theory into a model of couples therapy

Therapists commonly use a combination of techniques derived from psychodynamic, cognitive and systemic approaches in their attempts to treat the resistant patterns brought into therapy by couples. In this paper we utilize Dan Stern's concept of RIGS (Representations of Interactions that have been Generalized) to generate an integrative model of conjoint therapy. The model presented here presents a framework within which these modalities can be effectively integrated.     

Sexual activity and risk taking in young heterosexual men: the relevance of sexual arousability, mood, and sensation seeking

In this research we explored three aspects of personality relevant to sexual activity and sexual risk taking in heterosexual men. Men with low inhibition of sexual arousal in the face of risk (low SIS2) reported more partners with whom they use no condoms and more lifetime "one night stands." Men who experience increased sexual interest in states of depression (MSQ) reported more partners in the past year and more one night stands. The disinhibition subscale of the Sensation Seeking Scale was predictive of whether sexual intercourse had occurred in the past 6 months, and also of the number of sexual partners in the past year. A measure of an intention to practice safer sex was strongly related to measures of sexual arousability and inhibition (SIS/SES). We discuss some clear similarities and also some interesting differences with a parallel study of gay men. Individual differences in sexual excitation and inhibition proneness and the relation between mood and sexuality are clearly relevant to high-risk sexual behavior and should be taken into consideration when designing behavioral interventions.     

Kinship care: Two case management models

Children in the care and custody of the state are increasingly placed with kin rather than in unrelated foster homes. Current estimates suggest that 400,000 children are in kinship care arrangements, with a projected increase to over a half million by 1995 (Center for the Study of Social Policy, 1990). This article provides an overview of the trend toward increasing use of kinship care for foster children and the reasons for this development. It then presents the case management models currently used in kinship care cases by two large public child welfare agencies, and it concludes with discussion of these models and their implications.     

Grass-roots reflections on substance abuse. A community dialogue approach

The Greater Cleveland Dialogue brings together people from all walks of life to express their sufferings and opinions. Professional ethicists have a role to play in this process, but chiefly as listeners and interpreters rather than as theoreticians. The ethics that arises from this process is at least as useful as the conclusions that descend deductively from the many rival "first principles" of a more theory-driven approach. If community dialogues provide a partial answer to questions of ethics and health care, they do so because they include the public. Policies related to health care affect the public and must be in tune with public sentiment if they are to be effective. Moreover, a different style of health care ethics emerges from the dialogue process. My view is that a truly public bioethics is ultimately necessary, since the policies our society develops in the area of health care can be meaningful only if they are grounded in the general will. We need to work harder at widening the umbrella of bioethics to include the public, for the sake of the community and for our own education as professionals. Certainly major questions for the future surround the nature of consensus and the process of achieving it.