Showing papers on "Interpersonal relationship published in 2007"

Peer Interactions, Relationships, and Groups

Abstract: The chapter begins with a distinction made between the interactions children have with peers, the relationships they form with peers, and the groups and networks within which peer interactions and relationships occur. From this conceptual overview, a review of relevant theories is presented. Thereafter, a developmental perspective of peer interactions, relationships, and groups is presented covering the periods of infancy, toddlerhood, early childhood, middle childhood, and adolescence. Subsequently, methods and measures pertaining to the study of children's peer experiences are described. Next, we examine factors that may account for peer acceptance and rejection as well as qualitatively rich and poor friendships. Among the factors discussed are included temperament (biological factors), sex of child, parenting, parent-child relationships, and culture. The chapter concludes with a discussion of the extent to which individual differences in peer acceptance, rejection and friendship (prevalence and quality) predict adaptive and maladaptive developmental outcomes and a suggested agenda for future research. Keywords: friendship; peer interactions; peer relationships; peer rejection; social acceptance; social competence

Client-Centered Therapy

Abstract: Client-centered therapy, also called the person-centered approach, describes Carl R. Rogers’ way of working with persons experiencing all types of personal disturbances or problems in living (Rogers, 1959; 1961; 1969; 1970; 1972; 1980a; 1986a). As early as 1939, Rogers developed his theory of psychotherapy with troubled children, and went on to expand his theoretical approach to include work with couples, families, and groups. His most comprehensive theoretical statement was published as a chapter in Sigmund Koch’s Psychology: A Study of a Science (Vol. III) in 1959, and includes his theory of motivation and personality development, as well as theory of group interaction and interpersonal relationships (Koch, 1959, 184–256). Over his long career, Rogers extrapolated client-centered values to the education, marriage, group encounter, personal power, and conflict resolution (Rogers, 1969, 1970, 1972). Today, the person-centered approach is practiced in the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Greece, Portugal, Demark, Poland, Hungary, The Netherlands, Italy, Japan, Brazil, Mexico, Australia, and South Africa, as well as here in the United States and Canada. A world association, which can be contacted online, was founded in Lisbon in 1997 that reflects the growth and vitality of the approach entitled the World Association for Person-Centered and Experiential Psychotherapy and Counseling (WAPCEPC). Another international organization comprised of a diversemembership—laypersons, educators, business consultants, therapists, artists, psychologists—theAssociation for the Development of the Person-Centered Approach (ADPCA), is also accessible on the internet.

Boosting Attachment Security to Promote Mental Health, Prosocial Values, and Inter-Group Tolerance

Abstract: In this article, we conceptualize the sense of attachment security as an inner resource and present theory and research on the broaden and build cycle of attachment security generated by the actual or symbolic encounter with external or internalized loving and caring relationship partners. We also propose that the body of research stimulated by attachment theory offers productive hints about interventions that might increase positive experiences and prosocial behavior by bolstering a person's sense of security. On this basis, we review recent experimental studies showing how interventions designed to increase attachment security have beneficial effects on mental health, prosocial behavior, and intergroup relations, and discuss unaddressed issues concerning the mechanism underlying the beneficial effects of these interventions, the temporal course of these effects, and their interaction with countervailing forces.

Transformative Paradigm Mixed Methods and Social Justice

Abstract: The intersection of mixed methods and social justice has implications for the role of the researcher and choices of specific paradigmatic perspectives. The transformative paradigm with its associat...

Adolescent Development in Interpersonal Context

Abstract: This chapter addresses the psychological processes associated with attaining autonomy and forming interdependent relationships with others during the second decade of life. We divide the chapter into six major sections. First, we provide an overview of the defining features of adolescence, including biological and cognitive maturation and changes in societal expectations of adolescent individuals. Second, we characterize influential conceptual perspectives on adolescence. Third, we outline the expanding social networks of adolescents and the nature and significance of interpersonal relationships with family members, friends, and romantic interests. Fourth, we describe the impact of social contexts, such as neighborhoods, schools, the workplace, and leisure settings. Fifth, we consider key adolescent developmental tasks of achieving both a sense of independence and satisfying and effective interdependent relationships with others. Finally, we consider how this contemporary approach illuminates growth and change during adolescence, as well as differences between childhood, adolescence, and adulthood. Keywords: adolescence; independence; interdependence; interpersonal development

The role of need fulfillment in relationship functioning and well-being: a self-determination theory perspective.

Abstract: Self-determination theory posits 3 basic psychological needs: autonomy (feeling uncoerced in one's actions), competence (feeling capable), and relatedness (feeling connected to others). Optimal well-being results when these needs are satisfied, though this research has traditionally focused on individual well-being outcomes (e.g., E. L. Deci & R. M. Ryan, 2000). Three studies examined the role of need fulfillment in relationship functioning and well-being. Study 1 found that fulfillment of each need individually predicted both individual and relationship well-being, with relatedness being the strongest unique predictor of relationship outcomes. Study 2 found that both partners' need fulfillment uniquely predicted one's own relationship functioning and well-being. Finally, in Study 3, the authors used a diary recording procedure and tested a model in which the association between need fulfillment and relationship quality was mediated by relationship motivation. Those who experienced greater need fulfillment enjoyed better postdisagreement relationship quality primarily because of their tendency to have more intrinsic or autonomous reasons for being in their relationship.

The Adult Attachment Interview and Self-Reports of Attachment Style: An Empirical Rapprochement

Abstract: Although 10 studies have been published on the empirical overlap of the Adult Attachment Interview (AAI) and measures of self-reported attachment style, results in this literature have been inconsistently interpreted in narrative reviews. This report was designed as a rapprochement of the AAI and attachment style literatures and includes 3 studies. Study 1 (combined N = 961) is a meta-analytic review showing that by J. Cohen's (1992) criteria (mean r = .09), the association between AAI security and attachment style dimensions is trivial to small. Study 2 (N = 160) confirms meta-analytic results with state-of-the-art assessments of attachment security and also examines attachment dimensions in relation to the Big 5 personality traits. Finally, Study 3 is an investigation of 50 engaged couples that shows that developmental and social psychological measures of attachment security predict somewhat distinct--though theoretically anticipated--aspects of functioning in adult relationships.

Exploring positive relationships at work : building a theoretical and research foundation

Abstract: Contents: Series Foreword. Part I: Introduction. B.R. Ragins, J.E. Dutton, Positive Relationships at Work: An Introduction and Invitation. Part II: Positive Relationships: Individuals and Dyads. L.M. Roberts, From Proving to Becoming: How Positive Relationships Create a Context for Self-Discovery and Self-Actualization. E.D. Heaphy, Bodily Insights: Three Lenses on Positive Organizational Relationships. R.W. Quinn, Energizing Others in Work Connections. B.R. Ragins, A.K. Verbos, Positive Relationships in Action: Relational Mentoring and Mentoring Schemas in the Workplace. M.G. Pratt, K.T. Dirks, Rebuilding Trust and Restoring Positive Relationships: A Commitment-Based View of Trust. M.N. Davidson, E.H. James, The Engines of Positive Relationships Across Difference: Conflict and Learning. J. Greenberg, Positive Organizational Justice: From Fair to Fairer-and Beyond. S. Duck, Commentary: Finding Connections at the Individual/Dyadic Level. Part III: Positive Relationships: Groups and Communities. W.A. Kahn, Meaningful Connections: Positive Relationships and Attachments at Work. M. Higgins, A Contingency Perspective on Developmental Networks. D. Ancona, W. Isaacs, Structural Balance in Teams. R. Blatt, C.T. Camden, Positive Relationships and Cultivating Community. K.L. McGinn, History, Structure, and Practices: San Pedro Longshoremen in the Face of Change. W.A. Kahn, Commentary: Positive Relationships in Groups and Communities. Part IV: Positive Relationships: Organizations and Organizing. K. Golden-Biddle, K. GermAnn, T. Reay, G. Procyshen, Creating and Sustaining Positive Organizational Relationships: A Cultural Perspective. M.A. Glynn, K. Wrobel, My Family, My Firm: How Familial Relationships Function as Endogenous Organizational Resources. W. Baker, J.E. Dutton, Enabling Positive Social Capital in Organizations. J.K. Fletcher, Leadership, Power, and Positive Relationships. D.M. Rousseau, K. Ling, Commentary: Following the Resources in Positive Organizational Relationships. Part V: Conclusion. J.E. Dutton, B.R. Ragins, Moving Forward: Positive Relationships at Work as a Research Frontier.

Attachment and the experience and expression of emotions in romantic relationships: a developmental perspective.

Abstract: In this longitudinal study, the authors tested a developmental hypothesis derived from attachment theory and recent empirical findings. Target participants were 78 individuals who have been studied intensively from infancy into their mid-20s. When targets were 20 –23 years old, the authors tested the way in which interpersonal experiences at 3 pivotal points in each target’s earlier social development—infancy/early childhood, early elementary school, and adolescence—predicted the pattern of positive versus negative emotions experienced with his or her romantic partner. A double-mediation model revealed that targets classified as securely attached at 12 months old were rated as more socially competent during early elementary school by their teachers. Targets’ social competence, in turn, forecasted their having more secure relationships with close friends at age 16, which in turn predicted more positive daily emotional experiences in their adult romantic relationships (both self- and partner-reported) and less negative affect in conflict resolution and collaborative tasks with their romantic partners (rated by observers). These results are discussed in terms of attachment theory and how antecedent life experiences may indirectly shape events in current relationships.

The relation of attachment security to adolescents' paternal and peer relationships, depression, and externalizing behavior.

Abstract: The relation of attachment security to multiple domains of psychosocial functioning was examined in a community sample of 167 early adolescents. Security of attachment organization, assessed using the Adult Attachment Interview, was linked to success in establishing autonomy while maintaining a sense of relatedness both with fathers and with peers, even after accounting for predictions from qualities of the mother-teen relationship. Growth curve analyses revealed links of insecurity to increasing patterns of externalizing behavior and higher and stable patterns of depressive symptoms across adolescence. Implications for a developing theory of the connections of the attachment system to multiple domains of functioning in adolescence are discussed.

Psychological Foundations of Trust

Abstract: Trust lies at the foundation of nearly all major theories of interpersonal relationships. Despite its great theoretical importance, a limited amount of research has examined how and why trust develops, is maintained, and occasionally unravels in relationships. Following a brief overview of theoretical and empirical milestones in the interpersonal-trust literature, an integrative process model of trust in dyadic relationships is presented.

The Close Relationships of Lesbians and Gay Men

Abstract: This article reviews empirical studies of same-sex couples in the United States, highlighting consistent findings, drawing comparisons to heterosexual couples, and noting gaps in available research. U.S. Census data indicate that there were more than 600,000 samesex couples living together in 2000. Research about relationship formation, the division of household labor, power, satisfaction, sexuality, conflict, commitment, and relationship stability is presented. Next, we highlight three recent research topics: the legalization of samesex relationships through civil unions and same-sex marriage, the experiences of same-sex couples raising children, and the impact of societal prejudice and discrimination on same-sex partners. We conclude with comments about the contributions of empirical research to debunking negative stereotypes of same-sex couples, testing the generalizability of theories about close relationships, informing our understanding of gender and close relationships, and providing a scientific basis for public policy.

Addressing Diversity in Schools: Culturally Responsive Pedagogy:

Abstract: ©2006NCCREST Why do We need to Address diversity? As more and more students from diverse backgrounds populate 21st century

Barriers to Adjustment: Needs of International Students within a Semi-Urban Campus Community.

Abstract: Following an ecological framework, the primary purpose of this study was to examine the adjustment needs of international students within their academic and social communities Focus group interviews revealed that students are more in need during their initial transition after arrival to the US and that they experience a number of barriers in their attempts to adjust Some of these barriers were related to academic life, health insurance, living on or off campus, social interactions, transportation, and discrimination The implications of these findings are discussed Recommendations are made for how higher education institutions can help facilitate these students' integration into their communities ********** International students have become the focus of media and a research interest for many social scientists following the changes in American society after the September 11 attacks Shortly after the attacks, the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) became part of the Department of Homeland Security and changed the regulations for international students Some of these regulations include tougher visa rules to get into the country and a close follow-up of the student through a computerized system (Chapman, 2003) Higher education institutions feared that they would financially suffer from these new regulations and that students would choose to study in other English speaking countries such as Canada, England, and Australia Despite these concerns, the US continues to host the highest number of international students in the world A total of 586,323 international students were enrolled in different US colleges during the 2002-2003 academic year, an increase from the academic years since before September 11, 2001 International student enrollment continues to increase at a steady pace and currently 46% of all college students in the US are international students (Institute of International Education, 2004) Prior research has demonstrated that these students face many challenges in adjusting to their new environment and that this may have an impact on students' academic success and psychological well-being, and educational institutions' effectiveness in retaining these students (Barratt & Huba, 1994; Charles & Stewart, 1991; Pedersen, 1991) In the wake of 9/11, it may well be that the challenges these students confront have intensified because of the increased scrutiny to which they are subjected by the state and because of the suspicion with which foreigners are perceived in the broader community Since societies and communities are dynamic, it continues to be important to examine the adjustment issues that international students encounter in different social and institutional contexts This study examines the needs of international students in a semi-urban university situated in a relatively racially and culturally homogeneous community It looks at how the students interact with and participate in their academic and social communities and how well these communities provide the necessary support to promote a healthy adjustment for these students It also suggests ways for higher education institutions to better serve international students in their efforts to integrate into their new community The study utilizes an ecological framework (Bronfenbrenner, 1979, 1995; Kelly, 1990; Kelly et al, 2000) in interpreting and analyzing the data It argues that institutions of higher education need to constantly evaluate the entire context into which they recruit and educate international students It is insufficient to focus on the concerns they have as merely an expression of individual problems Rather, attention must be given to the different parts of the social system that foster or inhibit these students' adjustment In the sections that follow, we review the research literature on the adjustment experiences of international students We then discuss the framework for analysis and the parameters of the present study …

The Conceptual Domain of Service Loyalty: How Many Dimensions?

Abstract: Purpose – The majority of research in marketing now represents loyalty as a multi‐dimensional construct; however, agreement on whether it has two or three dimensions is lacking, and measurement of these dimensions has been inconsistent. The purpose of this paper is to utilize theory from the psychology literature on interpersonal relationships to provide theoretical guidance for examining the nature of service loyalty and to uncover its dimensionality.Design/methodology/approach – This paper argues for and tests, using survey data from over 300 service customers, a multi‐dimensional conceptualization of loyalty based on theory from the interpersonal psychology literature.Findings – The findings of this research highlight that service loyalty is similar to loyalty in interpersonal relationships, providing further evidence for the notion that service provider‐consumer relationships can approximate friendships or even romantic partnerships in terms of loyalty‐like responses. It also suggests that to identify...

What do people desire in others? A sociofunctional perspective on the importance of different valued characteristics

Abstract: Humans, as discriminately social creatures, make frequent judgments about others' suitability for interdependent social relations. Which characteristics of others guide these judgments and, thus, shape patterns of human affiliation? Extant research is only minimally useful for answering this question. On the basis of a sociofunctional analysis of human sociality, the authors hypothesized that people highly value trustworthiness and (to a lesser extent) cooperativeness in others with whom they may be interdependent, regardless of the specific tasks, goals, or functions of the group or relationship, but value other favorable characteristics (e.g., intelligence) differentially across such tasks, goals, or functions. Participants in 3 studies considered various characteristics for ideal members of interdependent groups (e.g., work teams, athletic teams) and relationships (e.g., family members, employees). Across different measures of trait importance and different groups and relationships, trustworthiness was considered extremely important for all interdependent others; the evidence for the enhanced importance of cooperativeness across different interdependence contexts was more equivocal. In contrast, people valued other characteristics primarily as they were relevant to the specific nature of the interdependent group or relationship. These empirical investigations illuminate the essence of human sociality with its foundation of trust and highlight the usefulness of a theoretically derived framework of valued characteristics.

Risk and Promotive Factors in Families, Schools, and Communities: A Contextual Model of Positive Youth Development in Adolescence

Abstract: OBJECTIVE. Emerging evidence about optimal youth development highlights the importance of both reducing negative behavior and promoting positive behavior. In our study we tested a contextual model derived from positive youth-development theory by examining the association of family, school, and community risk and promotive factors, with several outcome indices of both positive and negative adolescent development. METHODS. A sample of 42305 adolescents aged 11 to 17 (51% girls) was drawn from the 2003 National Survey of Children9s Health. Survey item composites were formed representing promotive and risk factors in the family (eg, closeness, aggression) and school and community (eg, community connectedness, school violence). Outcome composites reflected positive (social competence, health-promoting behavior, self-esteem) and negative (externalizing, internalizing, academic problems) developmental outcomes. Ordinary least squares regression was used to test the overall model. RESULTS. Between 0.10 and 0.50 of the variance in each outcome was explained by the contextual model. Multiple positive family characteristics were related to adolescent social competence and self-esteem, as well as lowered levels of internalizing and externalizing behavior and academic problems. Family communication, rules about television, and parents9 own healthy behavior were related to adolescent health-promoting behavior. School and community safety were associated with increased social competence and decreased externalizing behavior. School violence was related to adolescent internalizing and externalizing behavior, as well as academic problems and lower self-esteem. CONCLUSIONS. Our results support the proposition that healthy adolescent development has roots in multiple contexts. Youth who were involved in contexts that provided positive resources from important others (ie, parents, schools, and communities) not only were less likely to exhibit negative outcomes, but also were more likely to show evidence of positive development. These findings provide important implications for intervention and prevention efforts and, more generally, for the promotion of positive, competent, and healthy youth development.

Children's internet use in a family context: Influence on family relationships and parental mediation.

Abstract: We conducted a survey of 222 fourth-, fifth-, and sixth-grade Korean children to examine (a) whether children's Internet use influences declines in family time and family communication and (b) how parental mediation techniques are related to children's online activities. According to the findings, total time using the Internet was related to perceived declines in family time but not related to family communication. The influence of the Internet on family time and family communication differed by the type of children's online activities. The analysis of the relationship between parental mediation techniques and children's online activities indicated that parents' recommendation of useful Web sites and co-using were positively related to frequency of children's educational online activities. However, parental restrictions on time and Web sites did not alter children's actual Internet usage.

Longitudinal study of social support and meaning in life.

Abstract: The purpose of this study was to see whether 3 types of social support (enacted support, negative interaction, and anticipated support) are associated with change in meaning in life. Data from a nationwide longitudinal survey of older people suggested that greater anticipated support (i.e., the belief that others will provide assistance in the future if needed) is associated with a deeper sense of meaning over time. The same was true with respect to emotional support received from family members and close friends. In contrast, the findings revealed that, at least initially, negative interaction lowers an older person's sense of meaning in life. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2007 APA, all rights reserved).

Stressful Life Events, Motives for Internet Use, and Social Support Among Digital Kids

Abstract: This study presents the interrelationships between stressful life events, motives for Internet use, social support, and the use of the Internet among a sample of adolescents and children aged 8 to 18 (N = 717). The results show that stressful life events are significantly associated with the consumption of the Internet for mood management (such as entertainment and information seeking) and social compensation (such as recognition gaining and relationship maintenance) motives. Secondly, the more children and adolescents exhibit high levels of social support, either online or offline, the less they find stressful life events upsetting. Thirdly, as individuals exhibit greater ability to personally access different types of social support to meet their needs, their motivations for Internet use are characteristically more allied to mood-management and social-compensation. This study reasserts that the mental and physical impact of stressful life events are in fact buffered by one's degree of social support and...

The Development of the Person: Social Understanding, Relationships, Conscience, Self

Abstract: The development of social understanding, relationships, self, and conscience constitute the most important ways that early developing individuality intersects with the social world. These topics have also received the most concerted research attention by students of early development. This chapter summarizes research on these achievements, emphasizing: (1) the relational context in which early social and personality development unfolds, (2) psychological growth arises from the shared activity of children with others, from which developing persons appropriate new skills and understanding, and (3) thinking and understanding in early childhood is a critical foundation for what follows in later years. Keywords: attachment; conscience; morality; relationships; security; self; understanding

Social exclusion and mental health: conceptual and methodological review.

Abstract: Background The concept of social exclusion is now widely used in discussions about the nature of disadvantage, and there are ongoing initiatives to promote social inclusion among those with mental health problems. Aims To conduct a conceptual and methodological review of social exclusion, focusing initially on the origins and definitions of the concept and then on approaches to its measurement, both in general and in relation to mental health. Method We used two main strategies. First, we utilised expertise within the study team to identify major texts and reviews on social exclusion and related topics. Second, we searched major bibliographic databases for literature on social exclusion and mental health. We adopted a non-quantitative approach to synthesising the findings. Results There is no single accepted definition of social exclusion. However, most emphasise lack of participation in social activities as the core characteristic. There are a number of approaches to measuring social exclusion, including use of indicator lists and dimensions. In the mental health literature, social exclusion is poorly defined and measured. Conclusions If social exclusion is a useful concept for understanding the social experiences of those with mental health problems, there is an urgent need for more conceptual and methodological work.

Tracking Changes in Social Relations Throughout Late Life

Abstract: Objectives. This research aimed to chart age-related changes in 11 dimensions of social relations during later life. We also examined interpersonal differences in intra-individual changes. Methods. We used hierarchical linear modeling with data from a nationwide survey of 1,103 elders who were interviewed up to four times over a 10-year period. Results. Age-related changes in social relations varied across the different dimensions, and significant interpersonal differences existed in these trajectories. Emotional support was relatively stable with advancing age, whereas other types of received support (i.e., tangible and informational) increased with age and levels of provided support declined. Furthermore, the findings revealed declines in contact with friends, support satisfaction, and anticipated support. These changes were not uniform throughout the sample, as indicated by significant random effects with respect to the intercepts and slopes in virtually each model. Gender and socioeconomic status accounted for some of this variation. Discussion. These findings highlight the dynamic nature of social relationships in late life. In addition, the findings both provide evidence of older adults managing their social ties to meet the challenges of aging and suggest the importance of the interplay between giving and receiving support.

Leaders as attachment figures: leaders' attachment orientations predict leadership-related mental representations and followers' performance and mental health

Abstract: In 3 studies, the authors examined the contribution of leaders' attachment styles to their leadership motives and beliefs and to followers' outcomes. In Study 1, participants completed measures of attachment orientation, leadership motives, self-representations, and leadership style. Studies 2 and 3 were conducted within Israeli military units either during a leadership workshop or during intensive combat training. Israeli military officers and their soldiers (followers) reported on their attachment styles, and the soldiers reported on the officers' leadership qualities and on the soldiers' own performance and mental health. Leaders' attachment anxiety was associated with more self-serving leadership motives and with poorer leadership qualities in task-oriented situations. Leaders' attachment anxiety also predicted followers' poorer instrumental functioning. Leaders' attachment-related avoidance was negatively associated with prosocial motives to lead, with the failure to act as a security provider, and with followers' poorer socioemotional functioning and poorer long-range mental health. Results are discussed with respect to the value of attachment theory for the study of leadership.

Cultural Context, Sexual Behavior, and Romantic Relationships in Disadvantaged Neighborhoods

Abstract: When culture is invoked to understand the consequences of growing up in disadvantaged neighborhoods, the isolation of ghetto residents from mainstream institutions and mainstream culture is often emphasized. This article attempts to reorient current theorizing about the cultural context of disadvantaged neighborhoods, particularly when it comes to adolescent decision making and behavior. I argue that rather than being characterized by the dominance of “oppositional” or “ghetto-specific” cultures, disadvantaged neighborhoods are characterized by cultural heterogeneity: a wide array of competing and conflicting cultural models. I apply this conception to sexual behavior and romantic relationships among adolescents using survey data from Addhealth. Analyses show that disadvantaged neighborhoods exhibit greater heterogeneity in cultural frames and scripts and that, in more heterogeneous neighborhoods, adolescents' frames and scripts are poorly predictive of their actual behavior.

Exploring the relationship between perceived emotional intelligence, coping, social support and mental health in nursing students

Abstract: Studies conducted with nurses or nursing students have shown that emotional intelligence is a skill that minimizes the negative stress consequences. The present work examines the role of perceived emotional intelligence (PEI) measured by the Trait Meta-Mood Scale, in the use of stress-coping strategies, in the quantity and quality of social support and in the mental health of nursing students. The results indicated positive correlations between clarity and social support, social support and repair, and social support and mental health. Hierarchy regression analysis pointed out that clarity and emotional repair are predictors of social support, and emotional repair is the main predictor of mental health. These results show the importance of PEI in stress coping within the nursing framework.

Alexithymia and interpersonal problems.

Abstract: This study examines whether alexithymia relates to specific interpersonal problems, based on data collected in a sample of mental health outpatients (N = 404) and a student sample (N = 157). Linear regression analysis, in which the effects of group, gender, and age were controlled, indicated that two interpersonal problems were significantly and reliably related to alexithymia: cold/distant and nonassertive social functioning. The theoretical relevance of the results for attachment and psychoanalytic theory is indicated, as well as implications of the findings for clinical practice.

Risk Factors for Victimization in Romantic Relationships of Young Women: A Review of Empirical Studies and Implications for Prevention

Abstract: This article reviews the literature on risk factors for victimization in romantic relationships of adolescent girls and young adult women. The review includes 61 empirical studies published between 1986 and 2006 that have investigated risk factors for sustained psychological, sexual, and physical violence in romantic relationships of young women ages 12 to 24. An ecological approach is used as a conceptual model to review risk factors into four categories: sociodemographic factors, individual factors (personal and interpersonal), environmental factors (family, community, and peers), and contextual factors (linked to the romantic relationship). Methodological limitations of the studies in terms of measurement issues, samples studied, research designs, and underlying conceptual models are discussed. Finally, implications for prevention programming are considered. Recommendations are presented about which clientele should be targeted, which risk factors should be considered, and when programs should be imple...

On Their Own and Presumed Expert: New Teachers’ Experience with Their Colleagues

Abstract: Background/Context In order to develop effective strategies for retaining able and committed teachers, it is important to understand how new teachers experience their work with their colleagues. A previous qualitative study conducted by the authors and others presented a conceptual framework for understanding new teachers’ experiences of the professional culture of their schools. The prior work suggested that new teachers might be more likely to stay in teaching and remain at their schools when they work in what the authors called integrated professional cultures, which promote frequent and reciprocal interaction among faculty members across experience levels; recognize new teachers’ needs as beginners; and develop shared responsibility among teachers for the school. Focus of Study This study uses the concept of integrated professional culture to frame an inquiry about new teachers’ experiences at their schools and with their colleagues. Research Design The study examines the experiences of a representative random sample of 486 first- and second-year teachers surveyed in four states (California, Florida, Massachusetts, and Michigan). Participants were chosen using two-stage stratified cluster sampling. The mail survey achieved a response rate of 65 percent. The authors conducted descriptive analyses of the questionnaire data and summarized new teachers’ experiences in a series of comparative tables. Conclusions/Recommendations The data revealed that many novice teachers report that their work is solitary, that they are expected to be prematurely expert and independent, and that their fellow teachers do not share a sense of collective responsibility for their school. In integrated professional cultures, new teachers interact with experienced colleagues in an ongoing way. However, the authors found that approximately one-half (in CA and MI) to two-thirds (in FL and MA) of new teachers generally plan and teach alone. In integrated professional cultures, new teachers are recognized as novices and offered extra assistance; however, the authors found that less than one-third (MI) to less than one-half (CA) reported that extra assistance was available to them. Finally, in integrated professional cultures, teachers share a sense of collective responsibility for the school. However, less than half of the new teachers in the four states reported that teachers share responsibility for the students in their school. Taken together, these findings reveal that many new teachers work without the support of integrated professional cultures. Given these findings, the authors discuss in detail what policymakers and school leaders can do to address the critical challenge of supporting new teachers.