Uwe P. Gielen

Moral Reasoning and Prosocial Action in Italian Culture

Abstract An Italian study on the development of moral judgment, based on the Moral Reflection Measure–Short Form (SRM-SF; Gibbs, Basinger, & Fuller, 1992), was performed. One hundred fifty-four adolescent and adult volunteers (male and female) involved in prosocial activities, and two control groups of 130 nonvolunteers completed the SRM-SF. Involvement in prosocial activities was associated with higher levels of moral judgment and Type B responses, which represent morally mature, internal, and universalistic forms of sociomoral reasoning. The results suggested that the SRM-SF is a reliable and valid measure of the development of moral judgment in Italian society.

Understanding immigrant families from around the world: introduction to the special issue.

Investigations of immigrant families enable researchers to trace family processes and childrens psychological adjustment in the presence of trenchant sociocultural change, cultural conflict, family dislocation, and the need for readjustment to new social environments. This special issue of 15 articles presents psychosocial research on immigrant families and children residing in Canada, Germany, Israel, the Netherlands, Portugal, and the United States. The articles focus on the psychosocial adaptation of immigrant families, parenting practices and their implications for child outcomes, and the importance of parent-adolescent relationships for adolescent mental health. Most of the articles are based on quantitative research methodologies. It is concluded that research on immigrant families is well suited to advance knowledge about the mutual dependence of dynamic sociocultural and family processes.

Promotion of Moral Judgement Maturity through Stimulation of Social Role-Taking and Social Reflection: An Italian Intervention Study.

We examined social role‐taking and moral judgement improvement after an educational group‐oriented intervention emphasizing guided reflection and role‐taking dimensions among 11 groups, made up of a total of 61 female and male Italian university students. They were compared to a control group of 59 students. We twice applied Italian adaptations of two role‐taking and two moral development measures, originally developed by Gibbs and by Lind respectively in the USA and in Germany. Good empirical support for the reliability and validity of the American and German instruments was noted in the Italian setting. Students assumed more responsibility in a variety of social roles, exposed themselves increasingly to social role‐taking opportunities, and showed increased moral judgement maturity after the educational intervention. An active orientation toward role‐taking opportunities was related to higher levels of moral judgement among both men and women.

Moral Reasoning in Radical and Non-Radical German Students

Ninety-one West German university students responded to Kohlbergs moral judgment interview, Q-sorts, TATs, and questions about background, political attitudes, and behavior patterns. Morally conventional Ss gave fewer liberal, non-authority-bound decisions on the moral interviews, were politically conventional, were less involved in political protests, went to church more often, studied practical applied subjects, had steady partners, and described themselves as relatively calm, fair, self-controlled, and orderly. Ss who were transi tional between conventional and principled morality were often politically radical, had tense relationships with parents, had been involved in physical fights, studied law or the humanities, lived alone, scored lower on n Affiliation, and described themselves as rebellious, argumentative, restless, doubting, and aloof. Principled Ss participated in radical activities, studied law or humanities, had tense relationships with parents, were less likely to live in dormitories, often lacked steady partners, and described themselves as talkative, genuine, authentic, self-confident, and yet tense. Considerable similarities exist between these results and findings in American studies.

SOCIOMORAL REFLECTION AND PROSOCIAL AND ANTISOCIAL BEHAVIOR: TWO ITALIAN STUDIES "'

Two Italian studies on the development of moral judgment based on the 1992 Sociomoral Reflection Measure-Short Form of Gibbs, Basinger, and Fuller were performed. In Study 1, 49 male and female adolescent volunteers involved in prosocial activities and a control group of 60 nonvolunteers completed the form. In Study 2, 60 male drug abusers in a drug-rehabilitation community were compared with a matched group of 60 nondrug abusers. Analysis showed that involvement in prosocial activities was associated with higher stages of moral judgment and Type B responses, while drug abuse was associated with lower stages of moral judgment and more Type A responses. The moral type scores were less closely associated with behavioral outcomes than the moral stage scores, perhaps reflecting the interplay between universal sociocognitive processes and specific real-life situations.

Corporal punishment and personality traits in the children of St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands

This research examined different forms of corporal punishment as experienced by 155 11- to 17-year-old youths in St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands. The study explored the frequency, severity, fairness, deservedness, and total number of different forms of punishment experienced in relation to six negative personality dispositions: aggression, negative self-esteem, negative self-adequacy, emotional instability, emotional unresponsiveness, and negative worldview. A very high proportion of the youths reported being physically punished. The greater the variety of forms of punishment that males experienced, the more emotionally unstable, hostile/aggressive, and overall psychologically maladjusted they were. But no significant relation emerged between corporal punishment and personality variables for females. A small subgroup of highly punished females as well as males, however, reported more feelings of emotional instability, hostility, and overall psychological maladjustment than did less severely punished youths. Results are discussed within a cultural framework emphasizing the widespread acceptance of corporal punishment in Caribbean cultures.

LEV S. VYGOTSKY: THE MAN AND THE ERA

Our interpretive essay situates the life and thought of the famed psychologist-educator, Lev S. Vygotsky within the confines of the frequently deadly political and ideological struggles taking place in the Soviet Union during the 1920s and 1930s. We analyze from a psychological point of view Vygotskys rise and fall in a situation of revolutionary social change, “class struggle,” “class hatred,” ideological warfare, deliberately induced mass starvation, and the development of a totalitarian state based on the systematic use of terror. Whereas most Western psychologists have given minimal attention to the political and educational purposes for which Vygotskys psychology was created, we emphasize that his Marxist orientation had a central influence both on his scientific preoccupations and on the course of his life. His revolutionary identity was anchored in a highly dynamic community with shared goals possessing a semi-sacred quality. Consequently, he experienced his later exclusion from this community as a kind of social and spiritual death.

Internationalizing undergraduate psychology education: Trends, techniques, and technologies.

How can we best internationalize undergraduate psychology education in the United States and elsewhere? This question is more timely than ever, for at least 2 reasons: Within the United States, educators and students seek greater contact with psychology programs abroad, and outside the United States, psychology is growing apace, with educators and students in other nations often looking to U.S. curricula and practices as models. In this article, we outline international developments in undergraduate psychology education both in the United States and abroad, and analyze the dramatic rise of online courses and Internet-based technologies from an instructional and international point of view. Building on the recommendations of the 2005 APA Working Group on Internationalizing the Undergraduate Psychology Curriculum, we then advance 14 recommendations on internationalizing undergraduate psychology education--for students, faculty, and institutions.

International Counseling: Case Studies Handbook

In this book, designed to increase mental health professionals’ global literacy, authors from 33 countries demonstrate multicultural skills and competencies through case studies that illustrate approaches to counseling and psychotherapy in their countries. Following an introductory section on the use of case studies, chapters focus on a cross section of countries in Africa; Australia and Asia; Central, North, and South America; Europe; and the Middle East. Each case describes the client and his or her presenting concerns and includes a culture-sensitive assessment and treatment plan, an analysis and critical reflection of the case, and questions for discussion. The final chapter of the text presents a comparative analysis of the cases.

Cross-cultural Psychology in Japan

This article portrays the situation of cross-cultural psychology in Japan, including historical background, institutional aspects, and research findings by Japanese investigators. Reflecting the internationalization of Japanese society, cultural influences on human behavior have recently drawn the attention of Japanese psychologists, and the number of researchers engaged in cross-cultural investigations is steadily increasing. A review of articles in current Japanese journals suggests that most cross-cultural studies belong to the areas of social, educational, and developmental psychology where they increasingly focus on specific themes and hypotheses. Although cross-cultural psychologists interact in each research area, cross-cultural findings have only rarely been discussed or integrated on the common plane of cross-cultural psychology. In part, this is true because no association of cross-cultural psychology exists in Japan. The authors emphasize the importance of a systematic approach to response styles which influence research findings and the fruitfulness of comparing Japanese findings to those obtained in other non-Western societies.