Oksana Yakushko

Work Hope and Influences of the Career Development Among Ukrainian College Students

This exploratory study focused on the career development experiences of college-age students in Ukraine, a country that is experiencing tremendous social, political, demographic, and economic transitions. The tentative hypotheses included examination of relationships among work hope attitudes, self-esteem, and career development influences in a sample of 312 Ukrainian college students. Greater work hope attitudes were found in those students who reported relying on their own selves in their career choice in contrast to those who relied on their parents or other sources. Self-esteem was positively related to work hope attitudes as well as students’ beliefs in the importance of education and skills in obtaining work. Suggestions for future research, theory, and practice with this population are provided.

Insider Outsider: Reflections on Working with One's Own Communities

Working as researchers within cultural communities can be challenging and rewarding. In this article, four researchers share their lived experiences in being both insiders and outsiders within their cultural communities as well as highlight discussions among feminist and community-participatory focused scholars about the insider-outsider positionality. Cultural communities represented among the researchers include Eastern European, Middle Eastern, American Indian, and East Asian.

Disenfranchised Grief Among Lesbian and Gay Bereaved Individuals

Experiences of grief among lesbian and gay (LG) individuals who have encountered the death of their partner remain invisible within the larger culture and within the counseling literature. This contribution provides a conceptual review of literature regarding the bereavement process of individuals who identify as sexual minorities. Special focus is given to the concept of disenfranchised grief and its impact on LG individuals. Two clinical vignettes are presented to illustrate the distinct experiences of older LG individuals who face end-of-life issues in their caregiver roles, as well as middle-aged LG persons who may encounter the death of a partner.

Cross-National Measure of Fear-Based Xenophobia: Development of a Cumulative Scale

To apply a Mokken Scale Procedure in developing a hierarchical cross-national scale to measure xenophobia, a pool of 30 xenophobia-related items was collected from several sources and modified using established unidimensional criteria. The survey was administered to 608 undergraduate students in the USA, 193 undergraduate students in The Netherlands, and 303 undergraduate students in Norway. 14 items measuring perceived threat or fear and meeting the criteria of the Stereotype Content Model were selected for further analysis. A separate item analysis and, subsequently, Mokken Scale Procedure yielded a cumulative scale with the same five items for each of the three samples. The items and the total scale met criteria for homogeneity in all samples with H >….40.

Exploring the relationships between fear-related xenophobia, perceptions of out-group entitativity, and social contact in Norway

An internet-related survey distributed to Norwegian students explored predictors of fear-related xenophobia toward immigrants. Specifically, this study examined a new social construct called “entitativity” (i.e., the extent to which out-group members are perceived as bonded together in a cohesive or organized unit), as well as frequency of informal social contact and valence of a recent encounter in relation to certain xenophobic attitudes. Correlational and multiple regression analyses indicated that perceived out-group entitativity was a moderate predictor of fear-related xenophobia. Voluntary informal contact was a weak predictor of fear-related xenophobia, whereas negative evaluation of an encounter in the recent past was a strong predictor. Further analysis indicated that the effect of entitativity on xenophobia was strongest when informal social contact was low. Moreover, analysis indicated that the effect of valenced contact was partly mediated through perception of entitativity.

Whatever happened to the human experience in undergraduate psychology? Comment on the special issue on undergraduate education in psychology (2016).

This comment addresses the omission of a series of critical reflections in recent discussions of undergraduate education in psychology. The lack of a stronger focus on human meaning and experience, on social context, on methodological diversity, and on social critique limits the critical horizons of undergraduate psychology education. Many perspectives are routinely excluded from undergraduate psychology curricula and associated guidelines, particularly psychoanalytic theories, human science approaches, and related critical standpoints. These perspectives can offer an educational focus vital for development of students capable of critical reflection and social action. (PsycINFO Database Record

‘Teaching’ depth: Reflections on the challenges and rewards of integrating depth psychology into research methodology

Abstract This article discusses how students enrolled in graduate level methodology courses can integrate key depth psychological values into the research process. As Coppin and Nelson (2005, p. 101) suggest, inquiry centered on the psyche asks researchers ‘to be fully involved with the opus on every level,’ both personal and archetypal, which ‘makes the work especially meaningful and especially arduous.’ This is equally true when teaching depth research and conducting depth research. To illustrate, we describe the personal challenges and rewards of being instructors and discuss three models, composite case examples, of integrating depth that have emerged in the classroom. In the first model, students begin by actively, rigorously separating their intellectual research pursuits from their depth experiences, either due to prior research education in non-depth oriented settings or due to a lack of understanding of how depth psychology applies to the research process. In the second model, the student chooses a topic based on intellectual appeal or the availability of resources for the study. Though a traditional starting point for most human science research, the student is curious about, and eager to, examine the depth psychological dimensions of their research. In the third model, students readily fit Romanyshyn’s (2007) idea of ‘wounded researchers’ who are claimed by the topic through their own psychological complexes and seek to pursue its calling through active engagement with the unconscious.

Global Love for Sale: Divergence and Convergence of Human Trafficking with “Mail Order Brides” and International Arranged Marriage Phenomena

ABSTRACT International marriage brokering firms claim their services facilitate long term relationships between men and women living in different areas worldwide. However, many legal experts, human rights advocates, and scholars speak to the exploitative nature of such relationships, often connecting them to human trafficking. Feminist and cultural scholars echo these concerns, but challenge whether human trafficking accurately describes such relationships. This contribution highlights multidisciplinary research and scholarship regarding “mail order brides.” Further, discussion extends to consider ethno-immigrant communities, clinical work with women impacted by these practices, and compare the “mail order brides” phenomenon with that of human trafficking.

Women Healers: Global and Local Women’s Knowledge in Psychology—An Introduction

ABSTRACT This article briefly addresses key events throughout recorded history of indigenous healing, highlighting the role of women and their work despite predominant patriarchal, societal views and subsequent hardships for women engaging in healing roles. Additionally, this article identifies terms and definitions that will be used throughout the special issue and introduces articles for the special issue which have been written by women around the world. The editors invite readers to question Western dominant discourse about healing, and, in particular, indigenous healing by women.

Indigenous Women of the Amazon Forest: The Woman Shaman of the Yawanawa Tribe

ABSTRACT Among the most diverse and indigenous areas of the world is Latin America, specifically the Amazon river basin and its rain forests. Indigenous tribes and indigenous healing practices from these areas have recently gained more attention and popularity. However, less is known about experiences of tribal women related to indigenous practices, including the long-standing legacy of patriarchal and Christian colonization. This contribution offers the voice of one of the few known women-shamans in the area: Hushahu of the Yawanawa tribe. This first full public interview in a Western publication provides not only a perspective on indigenous healing, but also on experiences of indigenous tribal women in light of their history of colonization and oppression.