Beyond the Steers and Rhodes model of employee attendance.

This paper presents a causal model of employee absenteeism which modifies and extends the Steers and Rhodes (1978) process model of employee attendance. A summary and critique of the Steers and Rhodes model is offered. The proposed model integrates diverse literatures regarding organization behavior and occupational health. Sources are provided for the acceptable operationalization of variables.     

On nonparametric profile analysis of several multivariate samples

A unified development is offered for asymptotically distribution-free profile analysis of several multivariate samples. This includes as special cases procedures based on generalized U-statistics and also those based on linear rank statistics. Furthermore, it includes as special cases analysis of location profiles and also scalar profiles. Finally, asymptotic power and consistency properties are discussed for tests of hypotheses and subhypotheses of interest.     

History, etymology, and fallacy: attitudes toward male masturbation in the ancient Western world

This article examines the attitudes toward male masturbation in the ancient western world. More specifically, this work deals with ancient Egypt, Greece, and Rome. By comparing each epoch and geographic region, intolerance of autoerotic activity can be seen. Although there is a pattern of intolerance, the act of masturbation is always viewed provisionally. In addition, by examining these three periods of history not only can attitudes be scrutinized, but also it can be seen quite clearly that there was no golden age of sexuality: The attitude of accepted and encouraged unlimited and varied sexual practices does not exist in the ancient western world. As in many other cultures in various stages of history, procreative sexuality is the dominating theme. Thus, current attitudes of sex are derived from, and still survive due to the influence of, ancient western civilization.     

Union effects on employment stability: A comparison of panel versus cross-sectional data

In analyzing the impact of unions on employment stability, we introduce two innovations to correct for previous overestimates of the union effect: (1) a different approach to measure employment stability (although we use traditional measures for comparisons) and (2) panel data to obtain estimates uncontaminated by unmeasurable person differences between union and nonunion workers. Using common cross-sectional techniques, the new measures of employment stability indicate that unions account for 15 to 20 percent of employment stability variance rather than the 40 to 60 percent indicated in previous findings. Using panel techniques further reduces these measured union effects to no more than 11 percent. This research emanates from an undergraduate honors thesis written by McCutcheon, under the direction of Polachek. The authors wish to thank Thomas Kniesner, H. Gregg Lewis, and W. Stanley Siebert for valuable comments; Paul Jellinek and Lynn Igoe for superb editorial assistance; and the editor and a referee of this journal for valuable comments. The research was supported by the Carolina Population Center and the NICHD. All errors are the responsibility of the authors.     

Self Actualization in Marital Enrichment

The study attempted to evaluate the effectiveness of the Pairing Enrichment Program (PEP), a marriage enrichment program, in enhancing self-actualization. Shostrom's Personal Orientation Inventory (POI) was administered to an experimental group of married couples immediately prior to participating in PEP. A waiting list control group completed the POI at the same time. Three weeks later, following the completion of PEP for the experimental group, the POI was again administered to both groups. An analysis of co-variance was performed to test the effects of gender, group, and the interaction of these two factors on change in self-actualization (Post-POI minus Pre-POI), adjusting for six co-variables: Education of each, age of each, number of years married, and number of children. The results indicated that 1) being husband or wife had no significant effect on one's level of self-actualization, and that 2) the change in level of self-actualization was significantly greater (Positive Direction) for PEP participants than for non-PEP participants on the "I" and "C" scales of the POI