PsycCRITIQUES Blog

Dissociative Identity Disorder: Legitimate or Faddish Diagnosis?

Scott O. Lilienfeld and Joanna M. Berg are enthusiastic about Debbie Nathan's book Sybil Exposed: The Extraordinary Story Behind the Famous Multiple Personality Case. They note,

Nathan's book is a must read for clinical psychologists and psychiatrists, as well as for students in all mental health professions. … [It] is a devastating cautionary tale of psychotherapy gone terribly wrong and of what can happen when healers place fame and fortune above patient care. It is also a needed reminder that certain urban legends can have baleful consequences, shaping our conceptions of ourselves and others for the worse.

It is interesting to note that Sybil was once treated by Dr. Herbert Spiegel, an expert on hypnosis and father of David Spiegel, the Stanford psychiatrist who chaired the DSM-5 Task Force on Dissociative Disorders, and it appears that Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) will be retained as a diagnosis in the new Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, due to be published in May 2013.

Is DID simply a fascinating but faddish diagnosis that grew from an urban legend, or is there legitimate science supporting the existence of patients with multiple personalities who genuinely suffer from this condition?

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A Psychological Urban Legend With Disastrous Consequences
By Scott O. Lilienfeld and Joanna M. Berg
      PsycCRITIQUES, 2012 Vol 57(20)

101 Ways to Increase Billing

In a review of the book Internet Addiction: A Handbook and Guide to Evaluation and Treatment, Tracy Knight calls attention to an online petition sponsored by the Society for Humanistic Psychology (2011). The petition questions the inclusion of questionable "disorders in the proposed Diagnostic and Statistical Manual–5 (DSM–5)," in addition to expressing other concerns. Knight asks, and I join in asking, whether every behavior that might have negative consequences should be labeled a disease. If we are honest, making problematic human behaviors into diseases, disorders, and mental illness is a way to make money. We are attempting to enhance reimbursement; otherwise, we would turn most of our attention to work on prevention and the development of policies promoting healthy living environments and wellness. We would not fall over each other in the attempt to provide every service reimbursable through the third-party payment system of the medical industry.

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The Addiction Addiction?
By Tracy A. Knight
      PsycCRITIQUES, 2012 Vol 57(12)

Competent Teaching Is an Ethical Issue

Professional psychologists (clinical, counseling, and other) complete extensive training programs to become licensed to practice. That training should give the public confidence that these psychologists will be competent and ethical or they will face sanctions. In my review of the book Teaching Ethically: Challenges and Opportunities, edited by Eric Landrum and Maureen McCarthy, I note that,

Competence in practice is a major item in the American Psychological Association's (2002) "Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct" [section 2.01a], and that is generally understood to mean that psychologists receive appropriate training, followed by supervision and evaluation. When that does not happen, it is not ethical.

However, psychology teachers have no specified training designed to ensure competence. Is teaching really that much easier than counseling? Does this lack of training mean that undergraduate students are being subjected to legions of marginally competent teachers? We really don't know. I have attended dozens of teaching conferences and convention programs on teaching where the teachers I met were dedicated and creative. However, after 40 years of faculty life I am aware that cases of at least marginally competent teaching are not rare.

The Society for the Teaching of Psychology (STP, Division 2 of APA) has done a lot to contribute to developing standards for excellence in teaching. Many of the contributors to Teaching Ethically are STP leaders, and this book is a fine example of consciousness raising. However, I believe we need more than books, reports, and "best practices" conferences, so I present these two suggestions:

• APA with STP should develop a model training program, including coursework and supervised experience.
• Completion of this program should become a requirement for hiring new faculty, at least in departments where teaching is the primary mission.

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Ethical Challenges for Teachers
By James H. Korn
      PsycCRITIQUES, 2012 Vol 57(18)

Are For-Profit Universities Expanding Access or Exploiting Students?

Alliant University president Geoffrey Cox recently reviewed Andrew Rosen's book Change.edu: Rebooting for the New Talent Economy, and his review was generally sympathetic. However, Cox points out the inherent conflict between the need to maximize shareholder profits and the need to provide high-quality—and sometimes expensive—educational opportunities for students.

For-profit colleges are receiving increasingly close scrutiny from Congress, and critics claim for-profit schools routinely recruit poor, working-class, and unqualified students who are unlikely to graduate and who often default on the loans they take out to support their education. According to a recent New York Times article, "for-profit colleges enroll 12 percent of the nation's college students, [but] they soak up about 25 percent of the federal government's student-aid budget." The article further notes that fewer than half of students who enroll in 4-year for-profit schools graduate, and almost half of students who were paying back student loans in 2009 defaulted by 2010.

In toto, do for-profit universities expand access for underserved and nontraditional students who might not otherwise receive a higher education, or do they simply exploit vulnerable students to generate the highest possible returns on shareholder investments?

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Higher Education's Brave New World—Again
By Geoffrey M. Cox
      PsycCRITIQUES, 2012 Vol 57(17)

Psychology and Race: Leaving a Legacy of Racism Behind

In their review of Race and the Genetic Revolution: Science, Myth, and Culture, Lundy Braun and Amed Logrono note the "re-emergence of research linking intelligence to race" and go on to state, "That this is happening now in the field of psychology is all the more troubling, given that there is no consensus on what actually constitutes this thing we call intelligence." In addition to this caution, I add that it is troubling because we do not really know what is meant by "race." Williams (2006) states,

For scholars who examine and analyze the germination, maturation, demise, and revival of particular ideas from one historical epoch to another, the malleability of most ideas is axiomatic. Yet the questions of how and why certain ideas retain their essential valuations for centuries are, for most historians of ideas, more problematic—especially in the case of an idea as volatile as that of race. (p.120)

Braun and Logrono note the implications of our research endeavors failing to critically examine the meaning of race for areas as diverse as forensics and education. Given discussions of disparities, I add health to the list of research areas in need of examination where the discourse on race is concerned.

Setting aside the studies of the impact of the social assignment of race on relationships, resources, opportunities, and life outcomes, I tend to think that most studies of race are consciously or unconsciously alluding to race as a biological construct. However, we cannot know this if we do not ask. How often do reviewers of journals critically consider this issue, and what are the consequences of this discipline's failure to address what is meant by "race" on the value of psychology’s contributions to science? As psychologists, we proudly participated in The Decade of Behavior (2000–2010) and loudly trumpeted our ability to assist society in meeting some of its greatest challenges, racism included. At this juncture it is important that we ask ourselves where we intend to lead society where issues of race are concerned.

Reference

Williams, V. J. (2006). The social sciences and theories of race. Urbana, IL: University of Illinois Press.

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Can Science Explain the Concept of Race?
By Lundy Braun and Amed Logrono
      PsycCRITIQUES, 2012 Vol 57(16)

Are Optimists Healthier?

In their review of Howard Friedman and Leslie Martin's book The Longevity Project: Surprising Discoveries for Health and Long Life From the Landmark Eight-Decade Study, Martha Crowther and Chao-Hui Huang point out a number of surprising findings:

For example, people tend to think that cheerfulness and optimism are benefits to health and well-being; however, these positive personality traits may play a negative role in health outcomes as cheerful and optimistic people tend to underestimate the threats of risky health behaviors during their pursuit of happiness. Conversely, worrying may not always exert a detrimental effect on one’s health. In fact, worrying combined with conscientiousness may be a protective factor for health and longevity.

Other studies coming from positive psychology suggest a largely salutary relationship between optimism and health. All things considered, are optimistic people healthier?

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Secrets to a Long, Healthy Life: Uncovering Myths About Longevity
By Martha Crowther and Chao-Hui Huang
      PsycCRITIQUES, 2012 Vol 57(15)

It Seems So Counterintuitive

Relatively few psychology books capture the public's attention the way Steven Pinker's books do. For example, The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined has been reviewed in Scientific American, The New York Times, and The Washington Post. Phil Zimbardo is perhaps the only other major psychologist whose scholarly books have received such popular acclaim.

Writing in PsycCRITIQUES, David Geary, Drew Bailey, and Benjamin Winegard praise the book, noting,

Steven Pinker's The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined is a brilliant analysis of the decline in human violence over the past several centuries and of the social and psychological processes associated with this decline.

Pinker's major premise in Better Angels is that the world is becoming far less violent, and he makes a compelling case, marshalling extensive historical and statistical evidence. However, if Pinker is right, why is his argument so counterintuitive, and why does it seem like we are living in such a violent age?

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Strategic Cooperation and the Rise of the Modern World
By David C. Geary, Drew H. Bailey, and Benjamin Winegard
      PsycCRITIQUES, 2012 Vol 57(11)

Media Violence Research: How Could Results Be Better Conveyed to the Public?

In their review of Steven Kirsh's Children, Adolescents, and Media Violence: A Critical Look at the Research (2^nd ed.), Craig Anderson and Sara Prot note that the media violence literature is nuanced and complicated, and researchers have not been successful in communicating research findings to the general public. They note journalism's obsession with getting "both sides of the story," the deep pockets of the video game industry, and a general fear of censorship and its deleterious effects. They comment,

Two additional, related aspects of the failure of media effects researchers to effectively communicate what has been known for decades are that (a) violent media effects are inherently complex and (b) most scientific summaries of the vast research literature are difficult for the educated layperson to comprehend (e.g., Anderson et al., 2010).

Why haven't psychologists been more effective in communicating their research findings on media violence to the general public?

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Myths and Facts About Youth and Violent Media
By Craig A. Anderson and Sara Prot
      PsycCRITIQUES, 2012 Vol 57(14)

Psychological Science Applied to Real World Problems

Yale psychologist Alan Kazdin was APA President in 2008, and one of his presidential themes was "Psychology's Contributions to the Grand Challenges of Society." This made him the perfect person to review Gernsbacher, Pew, Hough, and Pomerantz's edited book Psychology and the Real World: Essays Illustrating Fundamental Contributions to Society, and I am grateful that Dr. Kazdin took on this challenging task. Describing the qualifications of the chapter authors, he notes,

Over 40 scholars contributed; they constitute a Who's Who of our science, including Elliot Aronson, Paul Ekman, Susan Goldin-Meadow, E. Tory Higgins, Elizabeth Loftus, Barbara Rogoff—and the list continues at this same level.

Kazdin concludes his review by noting,

Psychology and the Real World is excellent in the genre it pioneers and in conveying the vibrancy and relevance of our field. The human experience, the mind, brain, and the underpinnings of all we do are filled with amazement, intrigue, and the unexpected. The book conveys in user-delicious ways that psychology has theory, methods, and findings that provide answers, and answers that make a difference.

Can you give examples of situations in which psychological science has had a significant impact on real world problems?

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Rigor and Relevance: Psychological Science's Multiple Contributions to Everyday Life
By Alan E. Kazdin
      PsycCRITIQUES, 2012 Vol 57(9)

What Is Really Wrong With Treating Juvenile Offenders More Like Adults?

In his review of Slobogin and Fondacaro's book Juveniles at Risk: A Plea for Preventive Justice, Norman White states,

I agree with the authors that it is very important to use evidence-based research in the process of trying to understand how to provide quality care and treatment of youths; it is imperative that we examine current functioning and practices of the court as it has moved far from its basic foundation of parens patriae. The movement toward treating children as adults, viewing them as adults, and punishing them as adults is harmful to their lives' trajectories. We need reasoned and clearly vetted program development. I am not sure that preventive justice provides that solution.

Does good research evidence exist that treating youths like adults in the juvenile justice system is harmful? Isn't it part of society's role to prepare youths for adult responsibilities? Don't we as parents, teachers, neighbors, etc. try to teach our young people what it means to be an adult by instilling in them adult values and habits (such as be on time for class/work, empathize with others, learn to cooperate with classmates/co-workers, and that acting unethically or illegally—e.g., cheating on an exam, stealing—has negative consequences)? So, shouldn't juvenile offenders be treated, at least to some extent, like adult offenders? And isn't there research evidence to demonstrate the effectiveness of this type of training in preventing further delinquent behavior?

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It's Broke; We Must Fix It: A Selective Incapacitation Approach to Juvenile Justice
By Norman A. White
      PsycCRITIQUES, 2012 Vol 57(12)

What Leads to a Loveless Childhood?

In his book The Loveless Family: Getting Past Estrangement and Learning How to Love, Jon P. Bloch describes how the wounds from a "loveless childhood" can be long lasting and result in deep feelings of insecurity and uncertainty throughout life. And he isn't exclusively referring to children who have experienced extreme forms of abuse or neglect; he also focuses on those who are well provided for but have nonetheless grown up not feeling loved or cherished within their own families. The author describes situations that may result in lovelessness, such as favoritism, or parents who exhibit hostility, are overly intrusive, have extremely high expectations, or are highly critical.

Reviewer Alice Sterling Honig points out the need to also consider the role of attachment relationships, temperament, and parental discipline styles in producing the adult who feels "unloved." How might each of these impact a "loveless childhood"? How does a child's temperament, in particular, play a role in the development of the child's feelings of being loved? How does "goodness of fit" between caregiver and child play a role?

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What Happens When You Did Not Feel Loved as a Child?
By Alice Sterling Honig
      PsycCRITIQUES, 2012 Vol 57(10)

Society and Disordered Eating

The book Developing an Evidence-Based Classification of Eating Disorders: Scientific Findings for DSM–5 provides an overview of the controversies surrounding the classification of eating disorders. Among the topics discussed are the advantages of changing the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM) from a categorical to a dimensional framework and the value of reducing the use of the classification Eating Disorder, Not Otherwise Specified (ED-NOS). In her review of the book, Marla Sanzone highlights the focus on a dimensional versus a categorical framework for classification. She notes from the book that the dimensional framework is meant to

increase the consistency and meaning of differences among symptoms and minimize the confusion common to descriptive methods that frequently introduce subtypes within each category and overlapping qualities between diagnostic categories. Examples in current DSM-IV eating disorder classifications would include anorexia, restricting type; anorexia, binge-eating/purging type; bulimia, purging type; and bulimia, nonpurging type (American Psychiatric Association, 1994).

However, some researchers and clinicians might ask if this change is sufficient to achieve the goals of a diagnostic manual. Wilfley et al. (2007) state,

There are numerous examples in medicine where the line between disease (such as diabetes or hypertension) and normality is blurred, and cutpoints are defined based on prognostic indicators, thus simultaneously employing a dimensional and categorical model. (p. S124)

Sanzone points to the suggestions of Becker et al. in Chapter 20. These authors propose

that considering anxiety and mood disorders as the primary diagnosis and eating disorders as a secondary diagnosis could allow for integration of idiosyncratic presentations such as anxiety with and without food- or weight-phobic behavior. This could significantly reduce the frequency of eating disturbances garnering the ED NOS diagnosis.

While it is true that the use of ED NOS might decrease, such a change complicates the diagnostic framework for mood disorders.

Despite the discussion, the most significant change in the DSM-5 is the proposal of binge eating as a stand-alone diagnostic category and removal of the amenorrhea criteria from the anorexia diagnosis. What of the other diagnostic criteria provided? Given the variety of suggestions offered to address concerns related to the classification of eating disorders, researchers and clinicians alike may be left wondering whether DSM-5 will resolve the major issues of concern. Are there preferences in approach among psychologists providing treatment? To what extent will any of the proposed changes in the DSM-5 eating disorders classification affect treatment planning and intervention?

Reference

Wilfley, D., Bishop, M., Wilson, G., & Agras, W. (2007). Classification of eating disorders: Toward DSM-V. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 40, S123-S129.

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Reviewing the Research Regarding the Reclassification of Eating Disorders for DSM–5
      By Marla M. Sanzone
      PsycCRITIQUES, 2012 Vol 57(10)

Should Psychologists Use the Term "Evil"?

Robert Furey reviews Mario Mikulincer and Phillip R. Shaver's book The Social Psychology of Morality: Exploring the Causes of Good and Evil. Should psychologists even approach the topic of morality using terms like "evil"? Should we not examine the causes, moderators, mediators, and consequences of positive behaviors (such as altruism, providing social support) and negative behaviors (such as harassment, bullying, theft, infidelity, violence) without labels such as "evil"? Doesn't the use of terms such as "evil" ignore, to use Furey's phrasing, "the depth, complexity, and importance of moral psychology"?

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The Good, the Bad, and the Bystanders
By Robert Furey
      PsycCRITIQUES, 2012 Vol 57(6)

Can Investing in Psychological Services Reduce Medical Costs in the Long Run?

Robert McGrath and Gillian Donovan call Nicholas Cummings and William O'Donohue's Understanding the Behavioral Healthcare Crisis: The Promise of Integrated Care and Diagnostic Reform "timely, informative, and important." However, they question the authors' unqualified endorsement of the medical cost offset argument for psychological services, noting,

Although there is good evidence for the possibility of a medical cost offset resulting from the provision of psychosocial services (Chiles, Lambert, & Hatch, 2002), there are also notable failures to demonstrate this offset (e.g., Bickman, 1996; Polen, Freeborn, Lynch, Mullooly, & Dickinson, 2006). In the absence of extensive information about the circumstances under which the offset is demonstrable, using this argument as the primary justification for involvement in healthcare has the potential to backfire.

In toto, does the extant evidence support claims that psychological services actually save money in the long run by reducing medical costs?

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Behavioral Health Care in the Brave New Health Care World
By Robert E. McGrath and Gillian Donovan
      PsycCRITIQUES, 2012 Vol 57(7)

Promising More Than Can Be Delivered

Elaine Walker and Carrie Holtzman say in their review that "Schizophrenia: Current Science and Clinical Practice brings together international experts in the field of schizophrenia to present overviews of contemporary scientific findings on the etiology and treatment of the disorder," highlighting findings from neurobiological, genetic, social, and neurocognitive research. They also note that these experts call attention to the "complex etiologic processes that give rise to schizophrenia" and to the growing recognition of the need for intervention at the various stages of the disorder, including the "putative prodromal stage," which might have implications for "preventing or at least delaying the onset of psychosis." There is also a discussion of how "advances in our understanding of the biological underpinnings of the disorder may directly inform efforts toward individually tailored treatments."

When I began my career in psychology, it was frequently asserted that the cutting-edge genetic and neurobiological research of the time would change the course of treatment for serious mental illnesses, particularly schizophrenia. Three decades have passed since I began my training, and the promise of biologically and genetically informed treatments remains. However, I find that I am much less enthusiastic about each of the latest findings than I once was. Certainly the introduction of atypical antipsychotic medications has changed the prognosis and quality of life for those diagnosed with schizophrenia, and we understand much more about the value of tailoring interventions to the stage of the disorder. Despite advances, I find myself wondering whether the resources devoted to genetic, neurocognitive, and neurobiological research have delivered all that has been promised. Or, perhaps, I am simply impatient with the pace of translation of findings into practice. Do you think research in these areas is delivering on its promise? Or should we be adjusting our expectations?

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The Science of Schizophrenia: Synthesizing the Latest in Research and Practice
By Elaine F. Walker and Carrie W. Holtzman
      PsycCRITIQUES, 2012 Vol 57(2)

Should Health Be Considered a Basic Human Right?

The words that we memorize from the United States Declaration of Independence—"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness"—should serve as an impetus to us to question why, as a society, we choose to make health a commodity to be bought and sold. How can individuals have a right to life without the basic resources that ensure health, including basic housing, sanitation, clean water, nutrition, and health care? And yet, as a nation, we have struggled for several decades with the issue of how to deliver health care to all of our citizens. And if we cannot or will not deliver it within our own borders, how great could our real commitment to global health be?

In his review of the book Rights-Based Approaches to Public Health, Will Ross points the reader to the UN's General Comment 14 on the Right to the Highest Attainable Standard of Physical and Mental Health: "Every human being is entitled to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health conducive to living a life of dignity." Ross goes on to describe the rights-based approach (RBA) framework that is presented in the book as one that "cannot be easily dismissed as political in nature or hegemonic." He describes the book as the editors' attempt to have "respected public health practitioners and human rights advocates…craft sensible methods of operationalizing the basic human rights principles outlined in the UN's (2003) Human Rights Based Approach Statement of Common Understanding." However, I question whether sensible strategies for operationalizing the human rights principles discussed are our major implementation problem. Rather, it seems that this is more about politics and how our democracy will act at home and abroad as the social and economic demands of an age of global connectedness press us to live up to the ideals espoused in the Declaration of Independence and the United States Constitution.

Psychology is a discipline with a wealth of knowledge in decision making, conflict resolution, intergroup relations, altruism, health behavior, mental health, and well-being. Given criticisms that RBA approaches are "costly, time-intensive," and "lack solid evidence supporting their effectiveness," are we psychologists willing to support efforts to at least engage in dialogue to determine whether this framework can lift the level of the debate? Will we support advocacy on the part of the American Psychological Association even if we are unwilling to engage in such advocacy as individuals?

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Public Health and Human Rights: Realigning Approaches to Improve Global Health Problems
      By Will Ross
      PsycCRITIQUES, 2012 Vol 57(5)

What Is the Relationship Between the Psychological and Economic Consequences of Linguistic Diversity?

In his review of the book How Many Languages Do We Need? The Economics of Linguistic Diversity by Victor Ginsburgh and Shlomo Weber, Harry Whitaker notes that,

Although this book focuses on economic outcomes, Ginsburgh and Weber do take economic theory to a personal level in the discussion of the costs of learning a second (or third) language.

However, the discussion does not include the psychological advantages (or disadvantages, if any) of having a linguistically diverse society or of individuals learning a second or third (or more) language. What are the psychological (e.g., cognitive, affective, personality, behavioral) advantages and disadvantages to living in a linguistically diverse society? What are the psychological advantages and disadvantages for individuals who learn additional languages? How are these related to the economic advantages and disadvantages?

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The Perils of Polyglottism
By Harry A. Whitaker
      PsycCRITIQUES, 2012 Vol 57(1)

How Can Psychology Help Decrease the Wrongful Conviction Rate?

Leslie Rosen, reviewer of Conviction of the Innocent: Lessons From Psychological Research edited by Brian L. Cutler, asks an important question with her review title: "Psychological research has much to say: So why don't the courts, police departments, and legislatures listen?"

It is a question to be taken seriously given that, in the past 22 years, 281 prisoners with a 13-year average length of prison stay have been exonerated through DNA evidence (The Innocence Project). Cutler's book addresses the many facets of this problem, including those who are most likely to be wrongfully convicted (youths and those with cognitive impairments due to mental illness and intellectual disabilities), the significant impact of bias throughout the process of evidence selection, evaluation and presentation, and the psychological phenomena of confirmation bias and belief preservation leading a detective/officer to focus on only one suspect and interpret evidence in a way that best implicates that person.

What additional research is needed to inform recommendations for improving the legal process and decreasing the conviction rate of innocent people? What recommendations could be offered now, given the current body of knowledge? Has progress been made, or are the courts, police departments, and legislatures just not listening?

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Psychological Research Has Much to Say: So Why Don't the Courts, Police Departments, and Legislatures Listen?
      By Leslie B. Rosen
      PsycCRITIQUES, 2012 Vol 57(3)

Ethics for Whom?

Janet Matthews's review of the two-volume APA Handbook of Ethics in Psychology raised two concerns for me regarding educating all psychologists in the full range of ethical issues. My first concern is "a tendency to focus on those parts of the code that are specifically relevant to one's major activities without viewing the code in its entirety." For several years I taught an ethics course for graduate students in I/O and experimental psychology. Topics included competency, dual relationships, and other issues typically of primary concern to clinicians. We had guest teachers familiar with state licensing and clinicians' struggle to gain prescription privileges. The general idea was that all psychologists are responsible for the ethics of every psychologist. I wonder how many graduate programs share that idea.

My second concern is that the cost of these volumes will limit their use by and impact on students. Matthews believes they are worth the $395 price. Certainly large libraries will buy the set as will most departments, although probably mainly those with accredited professional programs. However, these hefty volumes are out of the price range of the many departments and libraries whose budgets have been cut or were not large to begin with. None but the wealthiest (1%?) graduate students will even consider a purchase. This will be another money-maker for APA Publications, but I doubt that the majority of psychologists (99%?) will see these books.

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Ethics 101: Philosophical Foundations to Practical Applications
By Janet R. Matthews
      PsycCRITIQUES, 2012 Vol 57(2)

Can Relationships Between Adult Children and Their Parents Sometimes Be "Toxic"?

In their review of Poisonous Parenting: Toxic Relationships Between Parents and Their Adult Children, J. Douglas Pettinelli, Katie M. Heiden Rootes, and Christine Schneider note that clinicians often encounter adult children who are suffering from "toxic relationships" with their parents who, according to the book, can be classified as either pageant, dismissive, or contemptuous parents. The reviewers point out, however, that the parent–child relationship is not one-dimensional or linear, and more attention to family diversity issues is warranted due to the "unique impacts of gender, culture, ethnicity, race, sexual orientation, and religion on multigenerational family dynamics."

Is the term "toxic relationships" or the parent typologies described in the book useful for research and/or clinical practice? If yes, how? If no, why not?

What are some examples of the unique impacts of culture, gender, religion, etc. on family dynamics? How might clinicians effectively use this information to help improve these troubled relationships?

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Too Much Pathology, Not Enough Repair
By J. Douglas Pettinelli, Katie M. Heiden Rootes, and Christine Schneider
      PsycCRITIQUES, 2011 Vol 56(48)

How Do We Approach Research on Our Increasing Use of Technology?

In her review of Sherry Turkle's book Alone Together: Why We Expect More From Technology and Less From Each Other, Marianne LaFrance notes that Turkle expresses concern about whether virtual intimacy degrades real intimacy and what happens when people (including children and youth) would rather text than talk; however, LaFrance notes that Turkle does not base her concerns on current research.

What should be the research goals in investigating the causes and effects (positive or negative) of being increasingly online, whether through cell phones, texting, e-mail, social networking, or other forms of communication? What do we know, either from psychological research or from research in other areas (such as communication), and what do we still need to know? What may be some of the mediators and moderators of these effects?

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We, Lonely Robots
By Marianne LaFrance
      PsycCRITIQUES, 2011 Vol 56(51)

Have We Advanced Our Knowledge of Biracial Children and Their Parents?

In his review of Michael Connor and Joseph White's edited volume Black Fathers: An Invisible Presence in America (2^nd ed.), Chammie Austin states,

Although Connor and White state in the preface that "no attempt was made to cover all types of fathers" (p. x), conspicuously absent from the discussion of Black fathers is any chapter on fathers of biracial children. This omission is especially dubious, given the significant number of African American fathers of biracial/multiracial children (U.S. Bureau of the Census, 2000). Furthermore, this exclusion is also questionable, given the discussion earlier in the text of slave owners fathering Black children. Several scholars (e.g., Lusk, Taylor, Nanney, & Austin, 2010) have written about the challenges facing biracial youth, and the absence of one's father is certain to exacerbate those challenges.

Are psychologists making significant strides in understanding the growing population of biracial children in the United States? Do we adequately understand their socialization, identity development, issues around any stress and coping related to discrimination, and development of their own friendships and romantic relationships? And, do we adequately understand the issues faced by parents of biracial children?

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Beyond Baby Daddy: A New (Better) Understanding of African American Fatherhood
By Chammie Austin
      PsycCRITIQUES, 2011 Vol 56(41)

Are Campuses Prepared for Handling Potential Threats Posed by Severely Disturbed Students?

Reviewer E. Scott Geller says of the book This Is Not a Fire Drill: Crisis Intervention and Prevention on College Campuses,

[it] educated me substantially about the complexity of the issues surrounding the seemingly straightforward task of identifying severely disturbed students and removing them from the university community if they impose a possible danger to themselves or others.

Geller has been a faculty member of Virginia Tech (VT) for over 40 years and was there at the time of the tragic shooting in April 2007 when senior Seung-Hui Cho shot and killed over 30 students and injured at least 26 others. In his review, Geller highlights the following discussion in the book:

After the VT disaster, for example, laws were passed by the Virginia legislature that "have wide-ranging implications for clients, counseling centers, and universities themselves" (p. 108) and "will result in a significant alteration of business as usual, potentially for university counseling centers across the country" (p. 122). Will these changes be beneficial to the prospect of preventing disasters caused by university students? A lawyer and current president of the National Behavior Intervention Team Association says "no," claiming such policy change "is ill-considered," mainly because it "potentially undermines the clinical relationship, creates incentive for the subject to lie" (p. 122), and decreases the probability of a long-term student–counselor relationship.

Have the colleges/universities you are familiar with made changes to policies and procedures to monitor for and respond to potential threats from severely disturbed students? Do you consider the policies/procedures justified or adequate/inadequate? What is your opinion of how they affect the student-counselor relationship?

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Empowerment for Crisis Prevention and Recovery: What Does It Take?
By E. Scott Geller
      PsycCRITIQUES, 2011 Vol 56(39)

Psychology’s Role and Responsibilities in the High-Stakes Testing Agenda

In an insightful and informative review of High-Stakes Testing in Education: Science and Practice in K–12 Settings, Mark D. Shermis raises several important questions. Psychologists have been involved in the enterprise of high-stakes testing since its initiation in the United States. However, have we been diligent in assessing the consequences of our involvement? Should an assessment of the current place of such testing in our society be a part of psychology's research agenda?

Shermis addresses two points of particular note that I ask my colleagues to consider. He expresses concern for the "consequential validity" of tests, or what happens to students who fail to meet established criteria on tests. In addition, he notes that there are

questions regarding whether high-stakes testing may have narrowed the curriculum, whether there is even a match between instructional time allotted and the domains tested, and the degree to which the assumption of equity of instructional quality across classrooms is reasonable.

Given this state of affairs, aren't psychological disciplines such as school and educational psychology obligated to turn some portion of their attention to these issues?

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Is Public Education Improved Through High-Stakes Testing? Can It Be?
By Mark D. Shermis
      PsycCRITIQUES, 2011 Vol 56(41)

Are We Asking the Right Questions About Media Violence?

In the book The The Lust for Blood: Why We Are Fascinated by Death, Murder, Horror, and Violence, author Jeffrey Kottler argues that people's fascination with media violence is part of human nature. His premise is that researchers have focused on the wrong question, investigating how media violence affects our minds and behavior. Instead, the real question to ask is, what in our nature leads us to be so fascinated with media violence?

In his review of Kottler's book, Christopher Ferguson discusses how the field of media effects research has been plagued with inconclusive findings and dubious methodology, as has been noted in various court opinions. He asks,

How did the field stop functioning as a science…and instead become more like an advocacy group, with the process of data collection little more than a pro forma effort to support a predetermined conclusion? There is a certain "sociology of media violence research" question lingering: how the sociology of a science can itself distort the scientific process.

In his concluding remarks about the book, Ferguson says,

Kottler puts a mirror on the human condition that is, perhaps, unflattering, noting both our fears and our natural fascination with death and violence. Perhaps this explains the reification of media effects theory in psychology, that is, that media effects theory is a kind of moral reaction and dismissal of our baser urges (Ferguson, 2010). It is, perhaps, comforting to think that our darker nature is a product of the media rather than the inverse.

What is your opinion on the state of the field of media effects research? Do you see the field changing direction in terms of types of questions asked and methodology used? Are there findings from other fields in psychology that have not been adequately applied to exploring media effects?

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The Intrinsic Appeal of Violence
By Christopher J. Ferguson
      PsycCRITIQUES, 2011 Vol 56(38)

Do Psychological Scientists Need to Use More Qualitative Methods?

In his review of Sue A. Kuba's book The Role of Sisters in Women's Development, Victor Cicirelli states,

[T]he book demonstrates how important it is to go beyond questionnaires and scales to assess the sibling relationship and to examine the unbiased qualitative narratives of those actually experiencing the relationship in question. Finally, any reader of The Role of Sisters in Women's Development will come away with a greater understanding of the complexity and meaning of relationships between sisters.

Are psychologists missing important aspects of the human experience by focusing on quantitative methods and using fewer qualitative methods? Are we so enamored with rating scales, ANOVAs, multiple regressions, structural equations, and hierarchical linear models that we miss the "complexity and meaning" of our participants' cognitions, affect, relationships, and behaviors? Or, are researchers proficient at using a balance of qualitative and quantitative methods as appropriate?

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What's So Special About Sisters' Relationships?
By Victor Cicirelli
      PsycCRITIQUES, 2011 Vol 56(36)

The Hopeful Search for How We Can Overcome Evil

In their review of Ervin Staub's book Overcoming Evil: Genocide, Violent Conflict, and Terrorism, Fathali Moghaddam and Zachary Warren write,

Staub's core question is how to make violence less likely.…Staub gives central place to the behavior of bystanders.…The defining component for Staub is that bystanders [such as government leaders, members of the media, or ordinary individuals, as well as groups, organizations, and nations] have opportunities and responsibilities to respond to, and prevent, violence.…

Among the strengths of Staub's text is his effective integration of theory with practical steps, including concrete examples of active bystandership.…Active engagement, he says, requires sustained education and engagement, including engagement with indigenous cultures and religions.

In practice, this claim carries rather complex implications. For example, religious engagement remains a controversial component of U.S. foreign policy.…President Obama's historic speech in Cairo on June 4, 2009, promised to engage Muslim communities, but what this religious engagement looks like in practice remains controversial. So, too, are goals of "developing pluralism" and "democratization," which are understood differently in different regions of the world.

Of the various groups of "bystanders"(and consider others not specifically mentioned in the quotation), which ones would be more likely to improve their active responsiveness? Do you think it pragmatic that active bystandership can be improved, at either smaller levels, such as organizations or communities, or larger levels? What is an example of active bystandership that impressed you?

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The Universal Challenge of Combating Evil
By Fathali M. Moghaddam and Zachary Warren
      PsycCRITIQUES, 2011 Vol 56(41)

Rethinking Resilience

I was recently asked to discuss mental health with a community group. One of my take-home messages was that we should work to develop resiliency as a preventive strategy for mental illness. Resilience in Deaf Children: Adaptation Through Emerging Adulthood, edited by Debra H. Zand and Katherine J. Pierce and reviewed by Ros Hunt, has led me to think more critically about my use of the term. Indeed, I am now engaged in the kind of questioning the contributing authors call for. As Hunt summarizes,

What do we mean by resilience? Is it inherent traits or acquired skills? Is it adaptability to disadvantageous circumstances or challenges? Is it synonymous with achieving desired outcomes?

The most important and challenging questions put forward in Hunt's review relate to how we view the state of being deaf. He asks,

If resilience is a response to risk, how is risk assessed? For example, is being deaf a risk factor, or is it the results of being deaf that create the risk?

The questions made me stop to consider whether my cultural competence training has adequately addressed this issue and why issues related to deaf children, but also children and adults across a range of ability statuses, so rarely receive our attention. What are your thoughts on the questions above?

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Resilience in Deaf Children?
By Ros Hunt
      PsycCRITIQUES, 2011 Vol 56(43)

How Much and What Kind of Psychological Help Should Be Offered After Disasters?

In her review of Lewis Aptekar's book In the Lion's Mouth: Hope and Heartbreak in Humanitarian Assistance, Judy Gibbons notes Aptekar's point that "mental health services must be an essential component of humanitarian assistance."

What are the best ways to offer mental health assistance to those who need aid after disasters? And, how much and what type of mental health services should be offered? If you have had experience offering such services, how well do they work and are they welcomed by other types of aid workers (medical professionals, etc.)?

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The Challenges and Costs of Humanitarian Aid: Working With the Displaced in Ethiopia
      By Judith L. Gibbons
      PsycCRITIQUES, 2011 Vol 56(27)

Should Psychology Professors Use More Popular Culture to Teach?

In his review of D. E. Wittkower's Facebook and Philosophy: What's on Your Mind?, Richard Bloom notes the use of popular cultural products by philosophy professors.

Should psychology professors make more use of popular culture? Should we design our approach to teaching to the (ever changing) popular culture? This would go beyond just a few examples in class, as many of us do, by incorporating popular culture into our pedagogy, maybe even making it the basis of our pedagogy.

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Minding Facebook
By Richard W. Bloom
      PsycCRITIQUES, 2011 Vol 56(27)

How Do We Make "Culture" a More Usable Construct?

Susan Gelman highlights one of the important points of the book Developing Destinies: A Mayan Midwife and Town, by Barbara Rogoff, with Chona Pérez González, Chonita Chavajay Quiacaín, and Josué Chavajay Quiacaín.

[In the] United States, culture is typically essentialized (Gelman, 2003), viewed as an unchanging, inborn, encompassing identity that determines an individual's attributes.

This static view of culture, to some extent, stereotypes individuals and serves as another way to confine groups to spaces and places. Yet, this was never the intent of a focus on culture. The complexity of culture and its resistance to the research requirements of precise numerical measurement have hampered our use of this construct. How can the field of psychology break out of this "box" and optimize our use of this important aspect of human life and experience?

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Stability and Change in Individual and Culture
By Susan A. Gelman
      PsycCRITIQUES, 2011 Vol 56(38)

Can We Bring Academic Discussions on Prejudice to a More Public Forum?

In his review of Moving Beyond Prejudice Reduction: Pathways to Positive Intergroup Relations, Jeffrey Noel highlights an important observation in the book:

…opening the self to others makes one vulnerable to rejection or even victimization, and if we are to encourage a social practice, we must acknowledge the risks of that practice.

A casual perusal of the popular literature on the behaviors of ethnic minority children and workers illustrates how often we have failed to understand and address this reality. Why are all of the African Americans eating at the same lunch table? Why do minorities congregate in groups? Why do they speak another language when they know we don't understand? Noel goes on to state,

When history suggests that the intentions of an outgroup are not to be trusted, how can vulnerability be encouraged? From the perspective of a group that has been on the receiving end of prejudice and oppression, should vulnerability be encouraged?

Yet, I have not heard this response when these observations are made in the media or the questions are posed in public discussions. These are important insights, but, as with so much of psychology, relevant insights are shared only in journals and discipline-specific discussions. When do social psychologists become truly social and at least pose questions for rational discussion and debate in more public forums? Could this be one strategy for "moving beyond prejudice reduction"?

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Including Outgroups in the Self: The Challenge and Promise of Positive Intergroup Relations
      By Jeffrey Noel
      PsycCRITIQUES, 2011 Vol 56(37)

Ethical Issues and International Adoption

In her book Babies Without Borders: Adoption and Migration Across the Americas, Karen Dubinsky delves into how international and interracial adoption may negatively affect children as they sometimes bear the weight of adult political conflicts. Reviewer Judith Gibbons highlights some examples from the book, such as the 1960s' Operation Peter Pan in which 14,000 Cuban children were sent to the United States by their parents as a result of anti-Castro propaganda suggesting the communist government would terminate parental rights and force children to become wards of the state. This is but one of many intercountry adoption scandals addressed in Dubinsky's book, raising many important questions about the circumstances surrounding international adoption.

Are American parents adequately informed about the social and political implications of adopting a child from another country? What constitutes an ethical adoption?

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Do Symbols of Children as Innocent, Orphaned, and Vulnerable Serve Children’s Best Interests?
      By Judith L. Gibbons
      PsycCRITIQUES, 2011 Vol 56(25)

How Do We Implement Psychological Therapy to Prevent Future Heart Attacks?

In his review of the book Depression and Heart Disease, Matthew Newman notes that not only is depression a risk factor for heart disease, but "depression following a heart attack dramatically increases one's risk of cardiac-related death."

While medications may alleviate depression, what types of psychological therapeutic interventions are helpful in treating specifically depression following a heart attack? Are there interventions or therapies to increase the social support and social capital that might help treat or prevent depression following a cardiac event? What are possible mediating variables between depression and heart disease that might inform such therapeutic interventions?

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Whole-Hearted
By Matthew L. Newman
      PsycCRITIQUES, 2011 Vol 56(25)

The Loss of Closeness Learning

The word revolutionary is not too extreme to apply to our ability to provide higher education to thousands of students via the Internet—that is, distance learning. In his review of Unlocking the Gates: How and Why Leading Universities Are Opening Up Access to Their Courses by Taylor Walsh, Donald Foss suggests that the federal government could launch an effort to develop a large number of courses on a distance learning model. His review refers to evidence that at least one such model is as effective as face-to-face learning.

The private sector (e.g., the University of Phoenix) already is doing this, and I suspect our Congress is not looking for new ways to spend. But isn't something lost in these real or imagined efforts? The log model (student on one end, teacher on the other) suggests a closeness that allows a focus on individual students, allowing frequent interaction and inspiration. Effective distance learning can certainly do well with cognitive objectives. However, I bet emotional and motivational outcomes would suffer, and the process clearly is different. Perhaps closeness learning in small classes is only for the well-off.

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Online Courses: A Public Good or a Disruptive Model for Higher Education?
By Donald J. Foss
      PsycCRITIQUES, 2011 Vol 56(34)

Does Emotion Get Enough Respect and Understanding?

In his review of David Brooks's book The Social Animal: The Hidden Sources of Love, Character, and Achievement, John Kihlstrom states:

It is one of the signal failures of our field that it largely ignored emotion until only just recently. For most of the 19th century, psychology was focused almost exclusively on problems of sensation and perception (itself a legacy, by the way, of the British Enlightenment). The Cannon–Bard theory (e.g., Cannon, 1932) encouraged us to define emotion solely in terms of undifferentiated physiological arousal in response to threat, and then radical behaviorism ruled emotion, as well as cognition, out of bounds altogether.

Do psychologists (of all specialties) now pay sufficient attention to emotion? Further, have we sufficiently integrated emotion into our current research on automatic/unconscious processes (another important issue in Brooks's book)? Does the general public have a good understanding of the role of emotion based on our research?

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The Intuitive Animal
By John F. Kihlstrom
      PsycCRITIQUES, 2011 Vol 56(33)

Retributive or Restorative Justice: Time to Change Our Ways?

In the United States, the retributive justice model is most common and probably the one that comes to mind for most of us. Since the 1970s, however, research and use of the restorative justice model have been slowly increasing (they have a longer history in other parts of the world). In her review of the book Restorative Justice Dialogue: An Essential Guide for Research and Practice, Linda Woolf concludes,

Restorative justice approaches such as victim–offender mediation, family conferencing, peacemaking circles, sentencing circles, and other community-based interventions are excellent alternatives or adjuncts to traditional retributive practices within the U.S. justice system. Most important, restorative justice can lead to increased accountability and healing within communities. Umbreit and Armour open their text by stating, "The past four decades have seen an unprecedented rise in violence, a drastic deterioration of community fabric, and a growing sense of personal danger, which breeds fear, isolation, and estrangement from those who are different from us" (p. 1). Restorative justice as a process within communities can be used to counter such trends and facilitate the development of more peaceful neighborhoods and societies.

Should the restorative justice model be more widely used in the United States? Why or why not? Does the United States have cultural parameters that would either promote or inhibit the use of this model? What efforts would be needed to increase the use or acceptance of this model of justice?

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Alternate Paths to Justice
By Linda M. Woolf
      PsycCRITIQUES, 2011 Vol 56(28)

The Sextons' Legacy of Suicide

In her review of Half in Love: Surviving the Legacy of Suicide: A Memoir, by Linda Gray Sexton, daughter of famous poet Anne Sexton, Alma Bond states:

Anyone who doubts the inherited tendency to suicide should take a look at Anne Sexton's family history. The length of the list of suicides is incredible. The whole family on both sides was peppered with mental illness, alcoholism, and the wish to commit suicide. Linda's father spent many mornings in the kitchen speaking to Linda of his own suicidal feelings. His aunt had succumbed to the family illness and lived out her life in institutions. After Anne died, her oldest sister and her father's sister killed themselves. Did her cousins feel the same urge? Linda wondered. Was the cause genetic, a chemical imbalance in the body, the influence of living with someone suffering from the illness, or all of the above? What about her future children? she ruminated. Would they suffer from the same illness? Should she even have children?

What do you think? How does a genealogy shaped by mental illness and suicide color the experience of parenthood?

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The Legacy of Anne Sexton
By Alma H. Bond
      PsycCRITIQUES, 2011 Vol 56(20)

What Does Love Mean to You?

In her review of Elizabeth Gilbert's book Committed: A Skeptic Makes Peace With Marriage, Ilene Serlin writes:

Acknowledging the stresses that the Western ideal of the nuclear family places on modern marriages, Gilbert begins to realize that love is being there for each other and "there is not one special person who will make your life magically complete, but that there are any number of people (right in your community, probably) with whom you could seal a respectful bond" (p. 41). Marriage is not found but built: "The emotional place where a marriage begins is not nearly as important as the emotional place where a marriage finds itself toward the end, after many years of partnership." (p. 41)

Does Western culture overemphasize the role of love and romance in the success of long-lasting relationships? What are the critical elements to building a long-lasting marriage/relationship? The idea of romantic marriage is relatively new, historically speaking. Will ideas about marriage continue to evolve? Will divorce rates in the future (25 years, 50 years) drop, rise, or stay about the same?

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Marriage Guide for the Quarter-Life Crisis
By Ilene Serlin
      PsycCRITIQUES, 2011 Vol 56(28)

Are We Meeting the Mental Health Needs of Military Families?

In his review of Families Under Fire: Systemic Therapy With Military Families, Thomas Williams notes that practitioners treating the families of military members "must take the time to understand the context for wars and the impact of multiple deployments" on military personnel and their families. Although this is certainly true, there are families in need of psychological treatment whose military members have not experienced overseas or war-related deployment. This elicits questions and concerns related to how well we understand the noncombat- and nondeployment-related stresses of military culture and life.

To what extent are military families different from nonmilitary families who experience stress and the need for psychological care? Has the military adequately met its obligation to allocate resources to ensure the psychological health and well-being of the men, women, and children who did not enlist but must adjust to all aspects and phases of military life? Are there educational strategies that can be used to assist civilian partners in their adjustment to military life?

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Understanding, Treating, and Strengthening Military Families With Systemic Therapy: Readiness and Repercussions of the "Long War"
      By Thomas J. Williams
      PsycCRITIQUES, 2011 Vol 56(23)

Should We Encourage Our Children to Win at All Costs?

In their review of Duina's Winning: Reflections on an American Obsession, Richard Ackley and Lee Derryberry state:

Winning hypothesizes that Americans are consumed by competition, and this results in negative consequences for us. But we are not aware of the consequences. Even worse, we are not aware of why we need competition so essentially. The impact of winning and losing is not only destructive but also invisible.

So, to continue the debate of the last decade, should we or should we not encourage our children to win? Should we, as some suggest, teach our children to enjoy the activity and social relationships (whether school, sports, boardgames, etc.) and not focus on winning? Have we gone too far in focusing on winning to the point where students will cheat and lie in order to get a high grade on an exam or in a course? Or are there real advantages to socializing our children to win?

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Winning Isn't What We Think
By Richard Ackley and Lee Derryberry
      PsycCRITIQUES, 2011 Vol 56(19)

Hans Eysenck Considered

In his review of Roderick Buchanan's book Playing With Fire: The Controversial Career of Hans Eysenck, Ian Nicholson notes,

Eysenck is reputed to have been the most prolific psychologist ever, producing at least one book and 50 journal articles and chapters per year throughout the 1950s and 1960s. He was a publication machine with almost superhuman powers of absorption and a seemingly effortless proficiency at writing…

Albert Ellis wrote a book or two almost every year, and Robert Sternberg (the former editor of Contemporary Psychology) has attained this level of productivity. What other psychologists come to mind who have had or do have exceptionally productive careers?

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Courting Controversy
By Ian Nicholson
      PsycCRITIQUES, 2011 Vol 56(26)

Is Dieting a Waste of Time?

Kelly Bliss provides a sympathetic and enthusiastic review of Linda Bacon's Health at Every Size: The Surprising Truth About Your Weight (2nd ed.), a scholarly book that turns conventional wisdom on its head and suggests that much—if not all—of what we have been told by the medical establishment about weight control is simply untrue. As Bliss notes (quoting Bacon), "'Not one study has ever shown that diets produce long-term weight loss for any but a tiny number of dieters. Not one' (p. 47)."

Is there really a conspiracy to mislead the public about dieting and weight? Have psychologists, unwittingly or not, been a part of this conspiracy?

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Ending the War on Obesity and Starting a New Peace Movement
By Kelly Bliss
      PsycCRITIQUES, 2011 Vol 56(25)

Should Psychologists Be Sympathetic to Hate-Crime Perpetrators?

In her review of Gadd and Dixon's Losing the Race: Thinking Psychosocially About Racially Motivated Crime, Kellina Craig-Henderson states about the book:

A second aspect of this work that is distinctive is its unapologetic focus upon the motivations, circumstances, and frailties of offenders. This is a book that aims to give voice to those who have been charged with, accused of, or punished because of their participation in racially motivated offenses. Indeed, in making the case for studying racism, the authors include a revealing quote by another researcher, Les Back (2004). What follows is an excerpt of that quote:

[We must] allow the people we write about to be complex, frail, ethically ambiguous, contradictory and damaged. … [W]hen we make white racists into monsters there is a danger of organizing racism into some—often very predictable white bodies—and away from others. (pp. xvii–xviii)

Should psychologists and other social science researchers be sympathetic to those who engage in racially motivated crimes? The book clearly takes this approach. What are the advantages and disadvantages?

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Racially Motivated Hate Crime in One Region of England
By Kellina M. Craig-Henderson
      PsycCRITIQUES, 2011 Vol 56(18)

The Oedipus Complex and Psychoanalysis: What Might the Future Bring?

Regardless of what anyone believes about the future role of psychoanalysis in psychology, discussions within the psychoanalytic community remain vibrant. Readers of PsycCRITIQUES have likely noted the number of books related to psychoanalysis produced and reviewed in any given year. However, few of these titles ever focus on the traditional psychoanalytic construct of the Oedipus complex. In his review of Oedipus: The Most Crucial Concept in Psychoanalysis, Paul Brinich highlights author Juan-David Nasio's argument that, "the Oedipus complex remains at the center of psychoanalysis—indeed, that without it there can be no psychoanalysis."

A return to a discussion of the Oedipal complex stimulates several questions related to the future of psychoanalysis in psychology. Are the original psychoanalytic constructs still central to this school of thought today, whether Oedipal issues, castration anxiety, or other factors that affect ego development? Will there be a definitive statement that harmonizes traditional components of the theory with new developments, or will this school of thought necessarily splinter and move in separate directions? And finally, what would be the implication of such a splinter for psychoanalysis, if any?

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Oedipus Through Lacanian Eyes
By Paul M. Brinich
      PsycCRITIQUES, 2011 Vol 56(19)

It Was the Sixties, Man

In the late 1980s I taught a course on humanistic psychology during which I talked about its origins in the 1960s. In discussion a student said, "Dr. Korn, tell us about the sixties," a clear clue to me that I was aging. A sense of the importance and excitement of that period came back as I read Frederick Heide's review of The Harvard Psychedelic Club: How Timothy Leary, Ram Dass, Huston Smith, and Andrew Weil Killed the Fifties and Ushered in a New Age for America by Don Lattin. This is the story of the rise and transformation (good and bad) of Timothy Leary, Richard Alpert, Andrew Weil, and Huston Smith from early experiences with psychedelic drugs (mostly LSD), through serious though poorly designed research to divergent individual paths.

Heide's review refers to "the dizzy sense of possibility that characterized America in the 1960s." That excitement also was present in psychology: humanistic psychology developed to challenge established approaches, cognitive psychologists were using computers (big ones) to simulate human thought, and social psychologists were using elaborate (and deceptive) stage productions in their research.

By the end of the century psychology's involvement with pharmacology came to focus on prescription privileges for clinicians, humanistic psychology became marginal, brain imaging replaced the computer simulation, and social psychologists rarely ventured beyond paper and pencil instruments.

Were the 1960s really a time of unusual creativity and excitement in psychology, or am I just being nostalgic? And I didn't inhale.

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To Fathom Hell or Soar Angelic: Four Psychedelic Explorers Who Changed America
By Frederick Heide
      PsycCRITIQUES, 2011 Vol 56(17)

Can Psychology Contribute to Designs of Less Stressful Environments?

In his review of the edited book The Handbook of Stress Science: Biology, Psychology, and Health, David Goldstein notes the definition of stress given in the opening chapter of the book:

[Stress is] a process in which environmental demands tax or exceed the adaptive capacity of an organism, resulting in psychological and biological changes that may place persons at risk for disease.

As psychologists work to develop the methods that will permit understanding of the role that stress plays in disease, are we paying attention to the methods available to assess the psychosocial environment and its contributions to people's adaptive capacity? What does psychology have to contribute to the development of environments that support adaptive capacity and reduce stress?

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Stress Science Comes of Age
By David Goldstein
      PsycCRITIQUES, 2011 Vol 56(15)

The Etiolog(ies) of Homosexuality

In their review of Simon LeVay's book Gay, Straight, and the Reason Why: The Science of Sexual Orientation, Louis Hoffman and Justin Lincoln write:

With the preponderance of scientific research supporting the genetic and biological influences on sexual orientation, it is very hard to justify a position that it is just a choice without ignoring or discounting scientific evidence.

Is identifying "the etiolog(ies) of homosexuality" relevant to psychologists? What are the moral and ethical implications of pursuing this line of study?

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Science, Interpretation, and Identity in the Sexual Orientation Debate: What Does Finger Length Have To Do With Understanding a Person?
      By Louis Hoffman and Justin Lincoln
      PsycCRITIQUES, 2011 Vol 56(15)

Should Schools Make Cooperation Training a Priority?

In his review of Tom Tyler's Why People Cooperate: The Role of Social Motivations, Dana Dunn states:

Tyler's research suggests that connected identities, attitudes and values, and procedural justice, as well as trust, lead to cooperation within groups. In ideal settings, cooperation becomes a social norm, a fact of life that people witness, experience, and hopefully imitate. What began as an external influence is modeled, then internalized; although cooperation emerges within the group, it is really part of each person, a self-regulated quality.

How can we use the ideas in Tyler's book to improve cooperation in classrooms? Schools often have to accommodate many different types of students along dimensions of gender, SES, prior educational preparation, etc.

Many think that schools have not adapted research-based methods to improve cooperation (e.g., Aronson's jigsaw classrooms and similar programs). Should improving cooperation be a priority in the school system (given all of the other challenges schools face), and if so, how might these programs be implemented?

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Beyond "Me First": Cooperation as Social Motivation
By Dana S. Dunn
      PsycCRITIQUES, 2011 Vol 56(11)

Can Psychotherapy Be Too Evidence Based?

In his review of Sex in Psychotherapy: Sexuality, Passion, Love, and Desire in the Therapeutic Encounter, Charles Golden notes:

As evidenced by Hedges's case studies, the book becomes clear on the emphasis of psychotherapy as art rather than science in the sense being promoted today by professional psychology. In our emphasis on science and attempts to emulate the medical model of evidence-based techniques, we may be shortchanging students in learning the art of psychotherapy. Too often I see cases in which techniques have replaced an ability to understand the client, causing the therapist to miss important clues that therapy has focused on the wrong issue despite generating pretty graphs and impressive data. The importance of the art must always be remembered if we are to produce the most effective psychologists.

Have clinical and counseling training programs gone too far in their attempt to be evidence based? Or are clinical and counseling training programs already striking a good balance between art and science in psychotherapy training? What would you consider to be the best balance between art and science in psychotherapy?

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Not Your Evidence-Based Psychotherapy...
By Charles Golden
      PsycCRITIQUES, 2011 Vol 56(9)