Objective and subjective rationality and decisions with the best and worst case in mind

Theory and Decision - We study decision under uncertainty in an Anscombe–Aumann framework. Two binary relations characterize a decision-maker: one (in general) incomplete relation, reflecting...     

Frameworks for resolving value conflicts in social work practice: A case study

Abstract

This article will discuss how two theoretical frameworks can be useful in the analysis of conflict situations in social work practice. By viewing situations from the perspective of competing and differing values, social workers are able to come to respect the positions of those with whom they are in conflict. The respect that emanates from being empathic and validating towards another's values is crucial for negotiating resolution to difficult conflict situations.     

Book reviews

Krafft‐ebing: a reconsideration

Step Children of Nature: Krafft‐Ebing, Psychiatry, and the Making of Sexual Identity. By Harry Oosterhuis. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000, 321 pages. Cloth, $30.00.

Love american style

Love and Eroticism. Edited by Mike Featherstone. London: 1999, 425 pages. Paper, $24.95.

Doing the right thing: Three new books on the importance of sex

Male, Female: The Evolution of Human Sex Differences. By David C. Geary. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association, 1998, 410 pages. Cloth, $49.95. Why Sex Matters. By Bobbi Low. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1999, 328 pages. Cloth, $29.95. Sex Differences: Developmental and Evolutionary Strategies. By Linda Mealey. San Diego, CA: Academic Press, 2000, 492 pages. Cloth, $79.95.

Courageous, compassionate, and scholarly: An evolutionary analysis of rape and male sexual coercion

A Natural History of Rape: Biological Bases of Sexual Coercion. By Randy Thornhill and Craig T. Palmer. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press, 2000, 251 pages. Cloth, $28.95.

Deconstructing the discourse of sexual dimorphism: rethinking, bending, and crossing sexual boundaries

Sexing the Body: Gender Politics and the Construction of Sexuality. By Anne Fausto‐Sterling. New York: Basic Books, 2000, 473 pages. Cloth, $35.00.     

The Interpersonal Relationships and Social Perceptions of Adolescent Perfectionists

This study investigated the relationship between multidimensional perfectionism, self‐reported interpersonal relationships, and peer‐reported prosocial, disruptive, and academic behaviors among a general sample of 984 9th‐grade adolescents. Cut‐scores from the Almost Perfect Scale‐Revised (APS‐R; Slaney, Rice, Mobley, Trippi, & Ashby, 2001 ) classified adolescents as adaptive perfectionists, maladaptive perfectionists, and nonperfectionist. Adaptive perfectionists reported significantly higher levels of positive interpersonal relationships than maladaptive perfectionists or nonperfectionists. Further, peers rated both perfectionism groups as more prosocial and less disruptive than nonperfectionists. Adaptive perfectionists were more liked than maladaptive perfectionists. Implications of these findings, particularly as they pertain to the nomothetic understanding of multidimensional perfectionism among older, school‐aged adolescents conclude the paper.     

Body mass index, disordered eating behavior, and acquisition of health information: examining ethnicity and weight-related issues in a college population

OBJECTIVE AND PARTICIPANTS: To investigate ethnic differences related to weight, the authors assessed body mass index, dysfunctional eating, receipt of health information, and perceived obstacles to healthy lifestyles of 210 ethnically diverse college women. METHODS: The authors used the Eating Attitudes Test to assess dieting, food preoccupation, and bulimic behaviors. RESULTS: The authors found no ethnic differences in body mass index or disordered eating, but African Americans were more likely than were European Americans and Latina Americans to receive nutrition information from professionals and less likely than European Americans to perceive time as an obstacle. Overall, receipt of health information from a professional was related to fewer disordered eating behaviors; however, the specific eating behavior that was reduced varied by ethnicity. CONCLUSIONS: Health professionals should reconsider traditional assumptions of disordered eating behavior as a European American problem and consider cultural appropriateness in the development of effective health programs.