The International Forum for Logotherapy, 1992, 15, 122-127.

RECENT PUBLICATIONS OF INTEREST

TO LOGOTHERAPISTS

Bengesser, G. & Sokoloff, S. (1989). After suicide-postvention. European Journal of Psychiatry, 3, 116-118.

This paper states that general practitioners, psychiatrists, and policemen should take the initiative in suicide cases by encouraging those bereaved to make use of "postvention" facilities. It states that patients suffering guilt and severe depression following a suicide should seek treatment with antidepressants and several listed psychotherapies, including logotherapy.

Callan, D. [Cancer Family Care Inc., Florence, Kentucky 41042, USA] (1989). Hope as a clinical issue in oncology social work. Journal of Psychosocial Oncology, 7(3), 31-46.

This paper outlines a framework, developed from logotherapy and psychosocial oncology, that focuses on hope in the counseling of cancer patients. Special attention is given to the tasks of identifying a patient's source of hope, distinguishing authentic hope from denial, and using hope to change maladaptive coping behaviors.

Dukes, R. [U. Colorado, Colorado Springs, Colorado 80907, USA] & Lorch, B. (1989). The effects of school, family, self-concept, and deviant behaviour on adolescent suicide ideation. Journal of Adolescence, 12, 239-251.

Results of a youth survey linked suicide ideation with adolescent ideological and emotional disparity with parents. Results also linked suicide ideation with disparity between the importance placed on academic achievement and the satisfaction with actual achievement. The linkage was through the intervening variables of self-esteem, purpose in life, alcohol use, and eating disorder. Findings are interpreted to suggest family interaction as a significant contributor to hopelessness and self-derogation, which are linked to suicidal thoughts/behavior.

Ebersole, P. [California State U., Fullerton, California 92634, USA] & DePaola, S. (1989). Meaning in life depth in the active married elderly. Journal of Psychology, 123, 171-178.

In this study, the PIL test was used to measure satisfaction with personal depth of life-meaning. A meaning essay about individuals' strongest life-meaning was rated for depth. On the PIL, elderly persons scored significantly above the PIL manual norms for younger adults. However, elderly persons' essays were rated significantly lower in depth than a previous sample of younger adults. It was suggested that elderly persons are better able to appreciate life but less able to communicate their depth of appreciation.

Ebersole, P. [California State, U., Fullerton, California 92634, USA] & Flores, J. (1989). Positive impact of life crises. Journal of Social Behavior & Personality, 4, 463-469.

Undergraduates completed a questionnaire about the most painful experience of their life, its long-term effects, and its impact on their personal life meaning. 87% of those who rated the impact of long-term crises positively also reported a positive change in personal life-meaning. This was interpreted to support the idea that cognitive changes induced by painful experiences present a means of evolving and strengthening personal life-meaning.

Ebersole, P. [California State U., Fullerton, California 92634, USA] & Quiring, G. (1989). Social desirability in the Purpose-in-Life Test. Journal of Psychology, 123, 305-307.

This study administered the Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability Scale and the PIL test to undergraduates, and found only a modest relationship between the two. While the findings were consistent with those of Snavely (1962), the correlations accounted for only a small proportion of the total variance, and, thus, it was concluded that social desirability is only a minor factor in PIL scores.

Gorman, Brian F. [United States International University; PH.D.; Microfilms Order Number DA8923920] (1989). The fear of success, self-transcendence, and the high performance athletic personality. Dissertation Abstracts International .

In this Dissertation the PIL test, Fear of Success Scale, and 16 Personality Factor Questionnaire were administered to 125 athletes. Comparisons were made between athletes who were both relatively self-transcendent and relatively not fearful of success, and a theoretical high performance personality profile pertinent to athletes. The results were interpreted as suggesting that the personality of the high-performance athlete is rather self-transcendent and success-oriented with a propensity toward emotional maturity and composure, plus a tendency toward stability, adaptability, spontaneity, and daring; there was also a tendency toward being independent, and dealing with life confidently and boldly.

Hermans, H. [U. of Nijmegen, Dept. of Clinical and Personality Psychiatry, Montessorilaan 3, P. O. Box 9104, 6500 HE Nijmegen, The Netherlands] (1989). The meaning of life as an organized process. Psychotherapy, 26, 11-22.

In this article, the subjective experience of life-meaning is theorized to be an organized process that is characterized by a number of personal valuations ordered into a composite whole, with ongoing changes and reorganizations over time. Logotheory and other theories are incorporated into this conceptualization. Two studies using a self-confrontation procedure for assessing life-meaning are presented.

Hershberger, P. [Psychology Service, VA Medical Center, 4100 W. Third St., Dayton, Ohio 45428, USA] (1990). Self-complexity and health promotion: Promising but premature. Psychological Reports, 66, 1207-1216.

This research (based upon the author's doctoral dissertation) focused on self-complexity, defined as the number of nonredundant aspects by which the self is cognitively represented. It was hypothesized that self-complexity functions as a buffer against the adverse consequences of high stress. Unsuccessful attempts were made to increase the self-complexity of college students through the use of psychoeducational interventions, with the goal of decreasing physical symptoms. The previously reported (Linville, 1987) buffering interaction was evident among those experiencing the strongest intervention. The relationship between self-complexity and sense of life-meaning was discussed, but null research results were obtained from this particular study.

Johnson, M. [Missouri Western State Coll., St. Joseph, Missouri 64507, USA] & Mullins, P. (1990). Moral communities: Religious and secular. Journal of Community Psychology, 18, 153-166.

This study considered the extent to which community groups (social/service clubs, professional organizations, churches) constitute "moral communities" (coherent social networks that support meaningful human relationships by fostering common attitudes, values, and practices). Data from psychology students, adults who were contacted at home and adults attending church indicated that for many persons community groups constitute moral communities, that such groups differ in the intensity and frequency of moral community feelings, and that the religious congregation is most likely to inspire feelings of moral community. Feelings of moral community were significantly correlated with reduced feelings of mass society and increased feelings of self-esteem and life-meaning.

Lantz, J. [6641 High St., Suite L, Worthington, Ohio 43085, USA] (1989). Family logotherapy with an overweight family. Contemporary Family Therapy: An International Journal, 11, 287-297.

This paper postulates that existential vacuum develops in families that don't experience a sense of family meaning, and many symptoms fill the existential vacuum. Family logotherapy is described as a means to facilitate the family search for meaning. Components of family logotherapy include existential reflection, existential countertransference, ritual, restitution, suggestion, environmental modification, dereflection, and paradoxical intention. In an example, the therapy was used with a family in which the mother, father, and daughter were overweight because the family used overeating to fill a family existential vacuum. Using family logotherapy, the family was able to gain meaning and lose weight.

Lantz, J. [6641 High St., Suite L, Worthington, Ohio, 43085, USA] & Harper, K. (1989). Network intervention, existential depression, and the relocated Appalachian family. Contemporary Family Therapy: An International Journal, 11, 213-223.

This paper reports that relocated Appalachian families often suffer from existential depression due to separation from meanings discovered in both nature and the family's extended network back home. Networking to expand the family's extended network and to reconnect the family with nature is recommended. Network intervention strategies and existential reasons for their use with the families are described.

Lantz, J. [6641 High St., Suite L, Worthington, Ohio 43085, USA] & Pegram, M. (1989). Cross cultural curative factors and clinical social work. Journal of Independent Social Work, 4, 55-68.

This paper reviewed 8 cross-cultural curative factors identified in anthropology literature, and described their usefulness (including case materials) in the practice of clinical social work. The 8 factors are physical intervention, world view of respect, hope, helper attractiveness, control, rites of initiation, cleansing experiences, and existential realization.

Pfost, K. [Illinois State U., Normal, Illinois 61761, USA], Stevens, M., & Wessels, A. (1989). Relationship of purpose in life to grief experiences in response to the death of a significant other. Death Studies, 13, 371-378.

Undergraduates who experienced the recent death of a relative or friend completed the PIL test and the Grief Experience Inventory. Persons with little meaning in their lives appeared to experience more intense anger in response to the death. This relationship was not moderated by passage of time since the loss.

Ryff, C. [Dept. of Psychology, Brogdan Hall, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA] (1989). Happiness is everything, or is it? Explorations on the meaning of psychological well-being. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 57, 1069-1081.

This paper integrated existing theories of psychological well-being and concluded there are six dimensions: self-acceptance, positive relations with others, autonomy, environmental mastery, purpose in life, and personal growth. Assessment instruments were constructed to assess each of the six dimensions. The purpose in life instrument was designed such that high scores would meet the following definition: Has goals in life and a sense of directedness; feels there is meaning to present and past life; holds beliefs that give life purpose; has aims and objectives for living. Psychometric properties of the instruments (taken from a large sample of healthy, well-educated adults) were presented.

Shek, D. [Chinese U. of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong] (1989). Perceptions of parental treatment styles and psychological well-being in Chinese adolescents. Journal of Genetic Psychology, 150, 403-415.

This study found that parental treatment styles were correlated with Chinese adolescents' general psychiatric morbidity, anxiety, depression, somatic symptoms, purpose in life, and ego strength. The strongest correlations were with total scores on the PIL test. The findings were suggested to indicate that Chinese adolescents' recollections of their parents' treatment styles are significantly associated with the adolescents' psychological well-being defined by several criteria.

Stetz, K. [U. Washington, School of Nursing, Seattle, Washington 98105, USA] (1989). The relationship among background characteristics, purpose in life, and caregiving demands on perceived health of spouse caregivers. Scholarly Inquiry for Nursing Practice, 3, 133-153.

In this study, caregiver spouses of terminally ill persons were administered the Mishel Uncertainty in Illness Scale and measures of caregiving demands, role alterations, purpose in life, and general health perceptions. A stronger sense of purpose in life was positively associated with perceived health. A higher level of caregiver uncertainty was negatively associated with health.

Weinstein, L. [Marymount Coll., Salina, Kansas 67401, USA] & Cox, L. (1989). College students are more bored than college faculty. Bulletin of the Psychonomic Society, 27, 69-70.

This study compared the scores on the PIL test of undergraduates and faculty at a secular college with those of age-matched undergraduates and faculty from a religious college.