Growth Mindset: Associations with Apprehension, Self-Perceived Competence, and Beliefs about Public Speaking

The relationships among growth mindset for public speaking (i.e., the implicit theory that public speaking abilities can be developed and improved) and beliefs about the nature of public speaking, public speaking apprehension (PSA), and self-perceived public speaking competence (SPPSC) were investigated in intensive and traditional formats of a general education public speaking course. In general, growth mindset was associated with lower PSA, higher SPPSC, and more sophisticated beliefs about public speaking. Mindset remained somewhat stable, PSA significantly decreased, and SPPSC significantly increased from the beginning to the end of the course. More sophisticated beliefs about public speaking as an expressive, transformational, and audience-centric endeavor also tended to increase. However, there were several important differences between intensive and traditional formats. In particular, changes in the intensive format were more consistent across variables and had larger effect sizes

The Many Faces of Physician-Assisted Suicide

Physician-assisted suicide is a complex and controversial issue that touches on standards of medical practice, the balance between individual rights and the rights of the state, and our fears of death and pain. Supporters of assisted suicide propose it as an alternative to a lingering, highly technological death, and define it as the act of a physician who prescribes a lethal dose of a medication for a terminally ill patient, with the knowledge that the patient intends to commit suicide. The recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling upheld prohibitions against assisting in a suicide, but left open the possibility that in certain specific cases assisted suicide might be constitutionally protected. The Supreme Court\u27s refusal to extend constitutional protection to assisted suicide was done in part to insure that public debate and legislative fact-finding would continue. As stated in Justice Rehnquist\u27s majority opinion, “...Americans are engaged in an earnest and profound debate about the morality, legality and practicality of physician-assisted suicide” (Washington v. Glucksberg, 96-110—Opinion, 1997, p. 26). As researchers, policy makers, and health care providers, we have an obligation to insure that political debate and empirical research are continuing and productive, and that this issue becomes more than just an occasion to play out ideological or personal differences

Gender and Death

All people die, men and women alike, but there are some interesting differences in how men and women approach death and dying. In the past, men and women had different experiences with the dying process. Historically men experienced death by seeking it out or confronting it in a predominantly male context. Men were more likely to be employed in hazardous occupations such as mining, to be engaged in military combat, or to pursue dangerous lifestyles. Women encountered death at home, by caring for seriously ill family members, preparing the dead, and comforting the bereaved. Currently most Americans die in an institutional setting, with nearly one in five older adults dying in a nursing home, and many more die in a hospital than at home. Death in late life is often the result of a decision to halt futile or unwanted medical treatment after a period of chronic illness and dependency. Whereas the circumstances of death may be similar for men and women, the response to one\u27s own terminal illness, socially constructed attitudes toward death, the experience of caring for dying people, and the response to loss, grief, and bereavement are likely to be quite different for men and women. This entry explores differences in life expectancy and primary causes of death between men and women, how gender might affect one\u27s desire for a hastened death through suicide or physician-assisted suicide, and gender differences in grief and bereavement