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Introduction: One's sense of entitlement—the subjective perception of what one deserves from another person—can contribute to social attitudes and behaviour in positive or negative ways, depending on the way in which one construes this subjective sense. Previous work has examined how adolescents' sense of entitlement towards their parents contributes positively or negatively to their well‐being. In this study, we extend this line of research and focus on adolescents' sense of entitlement towards another important authority figure—teachers, while examining its associations with both students' and teachers' characteristics and implications for students' functioning at school. Method: We adapted the Adolescents' Sense of Relational Entitlement towards Parents scale to tap students' relational entitlement towards their teachers. We then examined the factor structure of the adapted scale and its associations with students' and teachers' relevant psychological measures in three samples (N = 1588). Results: Findings confirmed the three‐factor structure of student–teacher entitlement. Studies 2–3 also revealed that students' sense of entitlement was associated with both students' variables (e.g., psychological well‐being, self‐esteem, perceptions of teachers' acceptance of them and students' school engagement) and teachers' emotional difficulties. Study 3's findings indicated that students' sense of entitlement was associated with their school engagement. Conclusion: Students' sense of entitlement towards teachers seems to be associated with teachers' emotional makeup and attitudes towards students. In addition, this subjective sense is associated with students' school engagement. These findings suggest that there is theoretical value and practical implications for further unpacking both teachers' and students' factors associated with students' sense of entitlement and examining its association with academic functioning at school. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite supportive behaviors playing a central role in intimate relationships, the extent to which physiological and psychological factors are involved in the quality of the observed spousal support, remains largely unknown. From a physiological stance, cardiac synchrony has been identified as an important component involved in dyadic interpersonal interactions. This study aims to examine whether individual differences in attachment determine, at least to some extent, whether cardiac synchrony enhances or impedes the quality of the observed spousal support. Specifically, this study examines whether attachment style moderates the biobehavioral link between positive cardiac synchrony and observed spousal support. A total of 58 couples expecting their first child participated in a supportive interaction while their cardiovascular responses were recorded, and the quality of their caregiving behaviors was coded. Results indicated that couples' cardiovascular dynamics were synchronized during the supportive interaction. Furthermore, attachment moderated the association between positive cardiac synchrony and the behavioral manifestation of support, such that cardiac synchrony was negatively associated with the quality of support when offered by caregivers with higher scores of attachment anxiety. Our findings show that for those caregivers who have higher levels of anxious attachment—being synchronized with their care seeking spouses is associated with difficulties in providing effective support. We discuss these findings in the context of the emotion regulation difficulties characteristic of anxious attachment patterns. These findings suggest that future work could benefit from performing comprehensive studies that consider physiological, behavioral, and psychological constructs simultaneously. Our findings add a new perspective concerning a physiological mechanism involved in couples' supportive behaviors while taking into account one's attachment style. Whereas previous work pertaining to physiological synchrony tended to focus on couples' conflictual situations, the current work examined physiological synchrony during a supportive interaction. Results showed that couples exhibited physiological synchrony in their cardiovascular dynamics during supportive interaction. Importantly, this synchrony was negatively associated with positive support among caregivers with high attachment anxiety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: The main goal of these studies is to provide an experimental test of a core hypothesis based on attachment theory: Working models of mother are active in adults' minds and can bias their views of self and romantic partners.Method: In two studies, we conducted clinical interviews to identify positive and negative core traits that participants used to describe their mothers. We then implicitly primed either positive or negative traits extracted from the interviews and compared this priming condition to control conditions in which we primed either positive or negative control traits (traits that described the mother of another study participant). Following this manipulation, we assessed participants' self-appraisals (Study 1) and explanations of their romantic partner's hurtful behaviors (Study 2).Results: Priming with one's mother's positive traits led to more positive views of self and romantic partner (compared with the effects of priming with positive control traits). In contrast, as compared to negative control traits, the priming of one's mother's negative traits led to less positive views of self and romantic partner.Conclusions: Findings support the hypothesis that working models of mother play a causal role in shaping adults' representations of self and romantic partners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: In this study, we reexamine the mental pain-suicidality link in adolescence, by focusing on mental pain tolerance as a critical factor in explaining youth suicidal behavior.Method: In a series of three studies, participants completed measures of mental pain (tolerance and intensity), emotional regulation, depression, and suicidality. Study 1 included a nonclinical sample of 183 Israeli adolescents. Study 2 included a nonclinical sample of 139 Israeli adolescents, who completed additional measures of self-esteem, optimism, mindfulness, meaning in life, positive affectivity, and life satisfaction. Study 3 included suicidal psychiatric inpatients (N = 24), nonsuicidal psychiatric inpatients (N = 24), and nonclinical adolescents (N = 24).Results: In Study 1, mental pain tolerance was significantly associated with depression, suicidality, and emotion-regulation skills. In Study 2, mental pain tolerance was significantly associated with measures of psychological resources. In Study 3, we found that suicidal psychiatric inpatients reported significantly lower levels of mental pain tolerance than nonsuicidal psychiatric inpatients and nonclinical adolescents. No significant group difference was found in the reported intensity of mental pain.Conclusions: Findings imply that mental pain tolerance may be a better indicator for suicidal behavior during adolescence than reported pain intensity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In four studies, a behavioral system approach was adopted to understand prosocial behavior, and the contribution of caregiving orientations (hyperactivation, deactivation) to various aspects of volunteerism was examined. In Studies 1 and 2, conducted in Italy, engagement in volunteer activities and motives for volunteering were assessed. In Studies 3 and 4, conducted in Israel, compassion fatigue and changes in life satisfaction and meaning following sustained volunteer service were assessed. Caregiving deactivation was associated with less engagement in volunteer activities and more compassion fatigue. Caregiving hyperactivation was also associated with compassion fatigue but was accompanied by heightened engagement and motivation for volunteering, as well as volunteering‐related increases in life satisfaction and meaning. The findings were discussed from a behavioral system perspective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Past research has shown that attachment orientations shape sexual processes within relationships. Yet, little has been done to explore the opposite direction. In the present research, we examined whether sexual desire and emotional intimacy reduce attachment insecurities over time in emerging relationships. In an 8-month longitudinal study, we followed 62 newly dating couples across three measurement waves. At Time 1, romantic partners discussed sexual aspects of their relationship and judges coded their displays of sexual desire and intimacy. Participants also completed measures of relationship-specific attachment anxiety and avoidance in each wave. The results indicated that men's displays of desire predicted a decline in their own and their partner's relationship-specific insecurities. Conversely, women's displays of desire inhibited the decline in their partner's relationship-specific insecurities, whereas women's displays of intimacy predicted a decline in their partner's relationship-specific insecurities. These findings suggest that different sex-related processes underlie attachment formation in men and women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study tested monotropy, hierarchy, independence, and integration conceptual models of adolescent-mother and adolescent-father attachment to explain adolescents' perceived social interrelationships with extrafamilial attachment figures (peers, teachers). Participants included 356 Israeli adolescents (12-15 years). More adolescents were significantly classified as securely attached to mothers than to fathers, but high concordances emerged. Results supported two of the attachment models, hierarchy and integration, as explaining variation in adolescents' perceived extrafamilial interrelationships. As per the hierarchy attachment model, adolescent-mother attachment outweighed adolescent-father attachment to some extent in predicting adolescents' perceived social interrelationship measures. As per the integration attachment model, significant differences emerged on most social interrelationship measures between the 4 distinct subgroups: secure attachment to both parents, neither, only father, only mother. The Discussion section focuses on the unique importance of attachment to each parent for typically developing junior high students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present article, we report a series of studies examining the links between attachment orientations and compassion fatigue among volunteers working with traumatized individuals. Participants were volunteers in several trauma-related organizations, ranging in age from 18 to 69 years. In Study 1 ( N = 148), we examined associations between self-reports of attachment insecurities and compassion fatigue. In Study 2 ( N = 54), we used a diary design to assess attachment-related differences in emotional reactions to actual helping encounters over a 2-month period. In Study 3 ( N = 108), we examined the effects of the experimental enhancement of attachment security ( security priming) on reactions to a hypothetical helping encounter. As expected, attachment insecurities, either anxiety or avoidance, were associated with heightened compassion fatigue. Moreover, security priming reduced compassion fatigue in response to a hypothetical helping encounter. These findings underscore the relevance of attachment theory for understanding and preventing compassion fatigue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the past decade, there has been an explosion of interest in clinical applications of attachment theory. In the present article, we briefly describe John Bowlby's model of therapeutic change, the therapeutic relationship, and the therapist's role in emotional healing. We then review empirical evidence for three key propositions in Bowlby's model. First, a client's sense of security during therapy is crucial for facilitating therapeutic work. Second, a therapist's own sense of security contributes to positive therapeutic outcomes. Third, attachment insecurities can be effectively reduced in therapy, and movement toward greater attachment security is central to achieving favorable therapeutic outcomes. In sum, research evidence confirms the importance of establishing what Bowlby called a safe haven and a secure base within a therapeutic relationship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined the effects of relational conflict on sexual motivation. Sixty-one couples were videotaped while discussing either a major relationship problem or their daily routine. Both partners then completed measures of sexual motives and rated their romantic partner's sexual attractiveness. Results showed that conflict discussion inhibited relationship-based motives and had an adverse effect on women's perceptions of partner's attractiveness, but a beneficial effect on men's perceptions. Conflict discussion also inhibited self-serving sexual motives such as having sex to obtain relief from stress among people with avoidant partners, suggesting that people are unlikely to turn to avoidant partners for sexual consolation. Implications for understanding the role of the sexual system in regulating reactions to relationship distressful events are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A response from the authors of the article "Individual differences in adult attachment are systematically related to dream narratives" is presented.

In the present article we provide an overview of attachment theory as it has been adapted and tested in our research program. We then review attachment research by many investigators on a variety of topics likely to be of interest to family researchers: patterns of communication, management of conflict, provision of care and support to relationship partners and family members, family dynamics, and the emergence of attachment patterns within families [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives. Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) is one of the most disabling and highly prevalent anxiety disorders (ADs). Current cognitive models of OCD implicate views about the self and world in the maintenance of the disorder. However, little research has focused on issues that may lead to vulnerability to such views. In particular, a person's attachment insecurities (attachment anxiety, avoidance) may be important risk factors increasing the likelihood of such non-adaptive perceptions (Doron & Kyrios, 2005). Design. Participants meeting criteria for OCD were compared with cohorts meeting criteria for other ADs and healthy controls on a range of measures including adult attachment, OC symptoms, cognitions, and mood. Methods. Diagnosis of the clinical groups was established using the Anxiety Disorders Interview Schedule for DSM-IV (Brown, Di Nardo, & Barlow, 1994). The clinical relevance of attachment insecurities was ascertained by comparing their prevalence in an OCD sample ( N= 30), an ADs sample ( N= 20), and a community sample ( N= 32). Results. Attachment anxiety was significantly higher in individuals with OCD, even when controlling for depression. Conclusions. Addressing attachment anxiety in individuals presenting with OCD may be important for enhancing therapeutic outcomes. However, findings are based on cross-sectional data that preclude conclusions relating to causal influence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current study examines attachment-style differences in responses to inductions of group respect and disrespect. Participants completed a scale assessing attachment anxiety and avoidance, performed group tasks, and received high, average, or low respect feedback from group members. Then we assessed commitment to this group, actual effort expenditure on behalf of the group, and money donation to the group. For participants scoring relatively high on attachment anxiety, high group respect heightened group commitment and effort expenditure on behalf of the group, whereas group disrespect led to lower group commitment but to more money donation to the group and higher effort expenditure. Participants who scored relatively low on attachment anxiety were not significantly affected by group respect or disrespect. The implications of attachment theory for group dynamics were discussed. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Attachment security has been identified as an important buffer of distress in patients with cancer and other medical illnesses but current measures have not been adapted for this population who may be older, in long-term stable relationships, and suffering from considerable disease burden. This study reports on (1) the psychometric properties of a modified 36-item Experiences in Close Relationships scale (ECR), adapted for this population; and (2) the validity of a brief 16-item version of our modified scale. Methods: A modified ECR (ECR-M36) was constructed by rephrasing relevant items to refer more generally to people with whom one feels close, instead of specifically in relation to one's romantic partner(s). Patients with metastatic gastrointestinal (GI) and lung cancer completed the ECR-M36 and other scales tapping self-esteem, social support, and depressive symptoms on two occasions within a period of 4–6 months. Based on factor analyses of the ECR-M36, 16 items were selected to form a brief measure (ECR-M16). Results: Factor analyses of both ECR forms revealed a higher-order factor structure in which four first-order factors (Worrying about Relationships, Frustration about Unavailability, Discomfort with Closeness, Turning Away from Others) loaded onto two second-order factors tapping Attachment Anxiety and Avoidance. Both ECR forms were reliable and valid. Conclusion: The ECR-M36 and ECR-M16 are good measures of attachment orientations for use with medically ill, older populations. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The long-term contribution of mothers' attachment insecurities to their own and their children's psychological functioning was examined in a 7-year prospective longitudinal study of children with Congenital Heart Disease (CHD). Sixty-three mothers of newborns with CHD participated in a three-wave study, beginning with the CHD diagnosis (T1), then 1 year later (T2), and again 7 years later (T3). At T1, the mothers reported on their attachment style and mental health. At T2, the mental health measure was administered again, along with a marital satisfaction scale. At T3, participants completed these two measures again, and their children reported on their self-concept and completed the Children's Apperception Test. Maternal avoidant attachment at T1 was the best predictor of deterioration in the mothers' mental health and marital satisfaction over the 7-year period, especially in a subgroup whose children had severe CHD. In addition, mothers' attachment insecurities (both anxiety and avoidance) at the beginning of the study were associated with their children's emotional problems and poor self-image 7 years later. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study examines the association between disease-related factors, perceived social support, attachment security (i.e. attachment anxiety and avoidance), and the occurrence of depressive symptoms in a sample of patients with metastatic gastrointestinal or lung cancer. Results from a sample of 326 cancer outpatients with advanced disease indicate that disease-related factors are significantly associated with the occurrence of depressive symptoms, and the latter are inversely related to the degree of attachment anxiety and avoidance, and perceived social support. Attachment security (on the dimension of anxious attachment) significantly buffered the effect of disease-related factors on depressive symptoms, and perceived social support mediated the relationship between attachment security and depressive symptoms. The buffering effect of attachment security on depressive symptoms and its partial mediation through social support suggest that the interaction of individual, social, and disease-related factors contribute to the emergence of depressive symptoms in patients with metastatic cancer. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses various reports published within the issue, including one by Colleen Saffey and Marion Ehrenberg on postrelationship rumination, another by Maurice Guiaux on changes in proximity and support seeking.

Recent studies based on attachment theory demonstrate that dispositional and experimentally manipulated attachment security facilitate cognitive openness and empathy, strengthen self-transcendent values, and foster tolerance of out-group members, suggesting an effect of one behavioral system, attachment, on another, caregiving. Here we report 2 studies conducted in 3 different countries (Israel, the Netherlands, and the United States) to determine whether the 2 dimensions of attachment insecurity—anxiety and avoidance—are related to real-world altruistic volunteering. In both studies and across the 3 locations, avoidant attachment was related to volunteering less and having less altruistic and exploration-oriented motives for volunteering. Anxious attachment was related to self-enhancing motives for volunteering. Additional results suggested that volunteering ameliorates the interpersonal problems of individuals high in anxiety and that volunteering has more beneficial effects if it is done for altruistic reasons. Future directions for experimental research on this topic are outlined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Attachment theory is a powerful framework for understanding affect regulation. In this article, we examine the role played by attachment orientation in shaping emotional reactions to interpersonal transactions within close relationships. Using our recent integrative model of attachment-system activation and dynamics as a guide (), we review relevant evidence, present new findings, and propose hypotheses concerning how people with different attachment styles are likely to react emotionally to relational events. Specifically, we focus on attachment-related variations in the emotional states elicited by a relationship partner's positive and negative behaviors and by signals of a partner's (relationship relevant or relationship irrelevant) distress or pleasure. In so doing, we organize existing knowledge and point the way to future research on attachment-related emotions in close relationships. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Shneidman (1996) proposed that intense mental pain is related to suicide. Relatedly, Frankl (1963) argued that the loss of life's meaning is related to intense mental pain. The first goal of this research was to test Shneidman's proposition by comparing the mental pain of suicidal and nonsuicidal individuals. Meaning in life and optimism are the polar opposites of suicidality and hopelessness, and the examination of these variables in relation to mental pain was undertaken to provide a test of Frankl's proposition. In two studies, a relationship between a newly developed measure of mental pain--the Orbach & Mikulincer Mental Pain Scale, 2002 (OMMP; see also Orbach, Mikulincer, Sirota & Gilboa-Schechtman, 2002)--and suicidal behavior and life meaning were examined. Results confirmed both propositions. Implications for the study of mental pain and suicide are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An operationalization of mental pain is presented in three studies. The first study describes the operationalization of mental pain and the factor structure of the items produced by a content analysis of self-reports yielding a scale with nine factors: the experience of irreversibility, loss of control, narcissistic wounds, emotional flooding, freezing, estrangement, confusion, social distancing, and emptiness. Study 2 tested the relationship between mental pain and depression and anxiety in a normal population. Study 3 focused on the relationship between mental pain and coping. Mental pain is conceptualized as a perception of negative changes in the self and its functions that are accompanied by negative feelings. It is suggested that it can be meaningfully applied to the study of different mental states, life conditions, and transitions in life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Theory and research on adult attachment style emphasize the crucial role that the sense of attachment security plays in the formation and maintenance of couple relationships. In the present article, we review studies that have examined the contribution of adult attachment style to relational cognitions, emotions, and behaviors as well as to the formation, quality, and stability of dating and marital relationships. We discuss some of the measurement and design issues raised by this research. Based on the reviewed findings, we provide an integrative, systemic theoretical model delineating how the links between partners' attachment security and the quality of their couple relationship occurs. Finally, we discuss the implications of this model for the understanding of how attachment style and couple relationships combine to affect the family system in general, and parent‐child relationships and children's developmental outcomes, in particular. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This series of studies examined mortality salience effects on relationship strivings, while exploring the moderating role of attachment style. In the three studies, Israeli university students completed an attachment style scale, were assigned to a mortality salience or neutral condition, and then completed scales tapping specific relationship strivings and beliefs. Study 1 (N =104) examined participants' willingness to initiate social interactions with a hypothetical same-sex person; Study 2 (N =100) examined appraisals of interpersonal competence; and Study 3 (N =108) examined reports of rejection sensitivity. Findings revealed that mortality salience led to more willingness to initiate social interactions, lower rejection sensitivity and more positive appraisals of interpersonal competence than a control condition. These mortality salience effects were found mainly among persons who scored low on attachment anxiety or attachment avoidance. Findings were discussed in light of the terror management function of close relationships. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research examines the utility of a terror management approach to understanding the motivations and emotional consequences of compromise in mate selection. One hundred and sixty-eight undergraduates completed a self-esteem scale and a scale tapping ideal mate characteristics, and were then assigned either to a mortality salience, physical pain salience, or neutral condition. Half of the participants rated their readiness to compromise ideal mate standards and the remaining half completed a neutral scale. Then, participants completed a scale tapping their emotional state. Mortality salience led participants to significantly compromise their mate requirements. This effect seemed to be most pronounced among high self-esteem participants who also experienced the greatest amount of guilt when compromising under mortality salient conditions. Low self-esteem participants who compromised under mortality salient conditions reacted with higher levels of shame. The results are discussed in terms of the anxiety buffering functions of close relationships. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two studi es examined the possible mode rati ng role of har di ness on reacti ons to mortalit y sal ience indu cti ons . A sampl e of 240 Is rael i under graduate stude nt s comple te d a hardi ness scal e, were exposed to a mortali ty sali ence or control i nducti on, and then eit her r ate d the severit y and punishment of 10 social transgressi ons (St udy 1, N = 120) or performed a word- stem completi on task, whic h tapped the accessibi lit y of de ath- related thoughts (Study 2, N = 120). Resul ts indi cate d that a mortali ty sali ence inducti on led to more severe j udg ment s of soci al tr ans gr essions as well as to more sever e puni shments than a control i nducti on onl y among partici pants scoring low in the hardi ness scale . However, a mortalit y sali ence inducti on l ed to a hi gher cogni ti ve acce ssi bi l it y of death-related thoughts than a control conditi on regardless of partici pants' hardines s scores. The dis cussion emphasizes the impor tance of considering inner resources when examini ng reacti ons to mortali ty reminders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective Background Method Results Conclusion Implications We examined the association between adult women's reports of parentification during childhood and the extent to which basic psychological needs are satisfied in romantic relationships. We also explored the mediating role of sense of relational entitlement, pathological concern, and authenticity in relational contexts.Negative implications of adults' sense of being parentified as children have been observed in relational feelings, cognitions, and behavior.A convenience sample of 225 Israeli young adult women completed self‐report scales tapping retrospective accounts of parentification, basic psychological needs in romantic relationships, sense of relational entitlement, pathological concern, and relational authenticity. The data were analyzed with Pearson correlations and a mediation analysis.Parentification was associated with lower levels of need satisfaction and authenticity within romantic relationships and higher levels of pathological concern and either a restricted or inflated sense of relational entitlement. An inflated sense of relational entitlement and lack of authenticity mediated the association between women's reports of parentification and the extent to which they feel their personal needs are satisfied in romantic relationships.Women who feel parentified during childhood tend to show negative expectations of relational mutuality and experience difficulties in disclosing their personal needs and wishes to a partner, which seem to lead them to feel that their basic psychological needs are not satisfied in romantic relationships.Findings highlight the problematic nature of feelings of being parentified as children and the importance of helping people who hold these feeling to communicate their relational needs to a romantic partner. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents the dynamics and measurement of a relatively unstudied concept in children's and adolescents' suicidal behavior, the subjective experience of problem irresolvability (SEPI). Youngsters' lack of control due to being pressured to resolve irresolvable problems within the family circle; Construction and factor analysis of the SEPI scale.

This research assessed the association between parents' reports of attachment styles and their perceptions of family environment, on the one hand, and offspring's reports of adult attachment styles, on the other. The sample included 98 Israeli young adults who completed the adult attachment style scale, and their mothers and fathers who completed this scale, as well as FACES III, and the conflict and expressiveness sub-scales of the Family Environment Scale. Findings revealed associations between parents' and offspring's reports of attachment styles, which were qualified by gender matching. They also indicated independent and differential contributions of the examined dimensions of perceived family environment to offspring's attachment styles. The discussion attempts to integrate attachment theory with a family system perspective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current research assesses the association between spouses" self-reports of attachment style and their perceptions of family dynamics. The sample included 93 Israeli married couples with young children. Both husbands and wives completed the adult attachment style scale and the perceived and ideal versions of FACES III. Findings showed that spouses whose self-reports endorsed the secure style perceived relatively high levels of family cohesion and adaptability; persons who endorsed the anxious-ambivalent style reported high levels of family cohesion but low levels of adaptability; and persons who endorsed the avoidant style reported relatively low levels of both family dimensions. In. addition, significant associations were found between reports of attachment styles, on the one hand, and ideal representations of family dynamics, the marital partner's representations of family dynamics, and spouses' discrepancies in these representations, on the other. Findings are discussed in terms of attachment theory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A study was conducted on the effects of 72 hours of sleep loss and modified continuous operations on performance and psychological variables. This paper presents the results of self-report data of 12 subjects for the following psychological variables: sleepiness, affect, motivation, cognitive difficulties, and waking dreams. The relationship between the self-report measures and performance in a visual search and memory task is also examined. Most of the psychological variables are significantly affected by the number of days of sleep deprivation, all are significantly affected by hour of day; but only sleepiness, affect and motivation are also significantly affected by the interaction between these variables. The peak hours for self-reported psychological complaints are generally between 0400 and 0800, while the lowest number of complaints are usually reported in the afternoon/early evening, between 1600 and 2000. In addition, the results showed that (a) the amplitude of the circadian component of the psychological data increased over the period of sleep loss, and (b) psychological data were more highly correlated with a measure of general performance than with accuracy. The mechanisms of sleep deprivation underlying its effects on psychological and performance measures are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study investigated adolescents' perception of closeness to their parents and family rules restricting their conduct, in Arab and Jewish Israeli samples. A total of 854 11th-grade high school students reported their perceptions by a self-report questionnaire. Overall, the results indicate that the Arab youths perceived more closeness toward their parents and more rules restricting their conduct, compared with their Jewish counterparts. In both cultures, girls reported more restrictions on dating and leaving home than boys. Among Israeli Arab adolescents a positive association was uncovered between closeness to parents and number of rules. No such pattern was evident among Israeli Jewish youth. These and additional findings are discussed within the context of Triandis' cross-cultural dimension of collectivism-individualism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inter-judge agreement in the evaluation of attachment style was examined across different levels of acquaintanceship. A self-rating scale on attachment style was administered to 242 students. Then, 72 participants-25 avoidant, 25 secure, and 22 ambivalent-were invited to the laboratory in unacquainted same-sex pairs, videotaped during a five-minute conversation, and asked to rate the attachment style of their conversation partner. In addition, each participant asked four friends to rate his/her attachment style and the videotaped interactions were shown to a separate sample of strangers who rated participants' attachment styles. The results showed high correlations between participants' self-reported attachment styles and the manner in which they were perceived by their friends and conversation partners. In contrast, correlations with ratings by strangers based on videotaped interactions were low. This pattern of findings was observed in both discrete and continuous measures of attachment. The findings suggest that attachment style can be considered an observable interpersonal trait. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study re-examines the relationship between repressive coping style and the architecture of emotion-related memories by introducing methodological improvements in the elicitation of these memories. Participants were classified into four repressive coping groups according to the Taylor Manifest Anxiety scale and the Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability scale. They were then asked to recall personal experiences related to five core relational themes attempting to elicit positive and negative emotions and to rate how they felt in each situation. Results indicated that differences in the architecture of emotion-related memories among the four repressive coping groups depended on the type of the elicited memory. The discussion emphasizes the complexity of the relationship between repressive coping style and the architecture of emotion-related memories and suggests an expansion of the concept of repression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Three studies ( N = 337) explored adult attachment processes. Studies 1 and 2 examined differences between secure, avoidant and ambivalent people in the concept of romantic love, and Study 3 examined differences between the three groups in actual experiences in ongoing love relationships. Study 3 explored relationships from the point of view of both partners, and examined differences among attachment groups in perceptions of both actual and ideal relationships. Findings indicated that secure people put more emphasis on intimacy than avoidant and ambivalent people, and that their relationships were characterized by high intimacy and congruence of real-ideal and self-partner loves. The romantic relationship of ambivalent people was characterized by their failure to realize their desire for a warm and secure love. Avoidant people experienced less intimacy than secure people, but more commitment than ambivalent people in their relationships. They were found to underestimate partners' love and to want less intense love than secure and ambivalent people. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The five studies reported here assessed the relation of the arousal of happiness in a given situation and the congruence between a person's self-perception in that event (working self) and his/her ideal self. They assessed subjects' ideal selves, their working selves in particular events, and the intensity of the happiness they felt in those events. In addition, they assessed subjects' habitual self-concept and their ought self in order to test alternative hypotheses. The findings of the five studies supported our hypothesis that the short-lived state of happiness reflects the situational validation of the ideal self. They demonstrated that happiness in a given event increased with the congruence between the ideal self and the working self in that event. This relation was obtained whether the events were past, current, or hypothetical, and via the use of different assessment techniques. The discussion focused on the conceptualization of the short-lived state of happiness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study reported here tests the egotism hypothesis for poor performance following insoluble problems. In Expt 1 subjects were exposed to no feedback or to failure in insoluble problems which were attributed to internal or external causes. They were then given Raven problems that were alleged to be either highly or moderately difficult. In Expt 2, subjects exposed to no feedback or to failure attributed to internal or external causes were further divided according to the importance of the Raven problems. It was found that the egotism theory accounted for performance deficits among subjects who made an internal attribution for failure. Among such subjects, performance deficits were greatest in moderately difficult and in highly important tasks. However, this theory failed to account for performance among subjects who made an external attribution for failure. Among these subjects, performance deficits were greatest in highly difficult and in low importance tasks. Results are discussed in terms of the achievement motivation theory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study assessed the effects of stable/unstable attributions on subsequent task performance. In Expt 1, subjects were exposed to no-feedback, solvable or unsolvable problems in which they received instructions encouraging them to attribute the outcome to stable or unstable causes. In Expt 2, subjects were divided according to their attributional style for bad events into stable, non-defined and unstable attributors and were exposed to no-feedback or unsolvable problems. Both experiments assessed subjects' performance in a subsequent solvable task. It was found that exposure to unsolvable problems worsened subsequent performance only for those subjects who attributed failure to stable causes. An attribution of failure to unstable causes prevented the detrimental effects of unsolvable problems on performance. The role of stability attributions is discussed in terms of Abramson, Seligman & Teasdale's reformulation of learned helplessness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a study that examines the changes over time in the marital relations of Israeli combat veterans who sustained a combat stress reaction (CSR) during the 1982 Lebanon War. The marital relationship is characterized by both stability and normative transitions over time. While some stressful life events may strain the relationship and lead to temporary changes in its structure, other more extreme crises may result in severe and permanent deviations from normal lines of development. A prior study of wives of combat veterans, conducted by our group 6 years after the 1982 Lebanon War, examined the impact of combat stress reaction (CSR) and of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) on family and marital relations. Since it was not possible to draw firm conclusions about the nature of the connection between CSR and marital relations, researchers decided the next step should be to examine the evolution of the relationship over time in order to determine which changes are associated with veterans' traumatic combat experiences. Although the ideal method for investigating developmental processes is longitudinal examination at several points in time, this approach is not easily applied to trauma studies.

The Koach project included not only assessments before and after the residential phase, but also an ongoing evaluation of the therapeutic process. A systematic self-evaluation of achievement by the Koach trainees, and a concurrent evaluation by the commander/therapists was built into the Koach project as one of its key elements. Each trainee formulated with his commander/therapist a broad outcome area in which he wished to gain therapeutic improvement, and then broke it down into specific target behaviors which they contracted to work on during the project. Progress on each target behavior was monitored eve,y two days. Results indicate a linear pattern of improvement and a high degree of agreement between the ratings of the trainees and those of the therapists/commanders. These findings are congruent with the subsequent impressions of both the participants and the therapists regarding the overall effects of the project. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current study examines the impact of monitoring-blunting strategies on combat-related psychopathology among soldiers who suffered a combat stress reaction episode during the 1982 Lebanon War. For this purpose, we assessed subjects' habitual use of monitoring and blunting, their mental health status 2 years are participation in war (PTSD, general psychiatric symptomatology, and problems in social functioning), their trauma-related intrusion and avoidance tendencies, and their habitual coping styles. Results show that soldiers who rely primarily on monitoring strategies suffer the least from trauma-related psychopathology. The use of blunting strategies was associated with more severe psychopathology. In addition, monitors tend to rely on problem-focused coping strategies, while blunters tend to rely on emotion-focused coping strategies. Results are discussed in terms of Miller's conceptualization of styles of information seeking under threat. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the sleep of people diagnosed as suffering from chronic Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). The sleep of seven chronic post-traumatic patients with no known physical injuries was compared with that of seven matched control subjects. The post-traumatic patients had poorer sleep: decreased sleep efficiency, increase in number of awakenings, and decreased SWS, as well as longer REM latency. It was also found that their complaints correlated with relevant sleep-monitored measures. The findings add further support for the inclusion of sleep difficulties in the definition of the Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While the long-term effects of combat trauma on veterans have been studied extensively, its impact on veterans' wives has yet to be investigated. This study examined the implications of combat-induced psychopathology--wartime combat stress reaction (CSR) and current posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)--in a sample of 205 wives of Israeli combat veterans of the 1982 Lebanon war. Results show that both CSR and PTSD were associated with increased psychiatric symptoms in the wives. In addition, current PTSD was particularly found to contribute to impaired social relations among veterans' wives in a broad range of contexts, from inner feelings of loneliness, through impaired marital and family relations, and extending to the wider social network. Implications of these findings for treatment and further research are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]