Forgiveness as a coping strategy

The process of forgiveness is receiving increased research attention as both a state and a trait. Some observers have noted the conceptual similarity between forgiveness and some strategies of coping. The purpose of this research was to determine the degree of convergence between measures of forgiveness and measures of coping and,in particular, to determine if state or trait forgiveness are more closely linked with either problem-focused or emotion-focused coping or their components. College students (n = 241) completed surveys containing measures of both state and trait coping and state and trait forgiveness in counterbalanced order. Results indicated that although forgiveness was extensively related to the indexes of coping, for the most part, the correlations were modest. Although on balance the pattern of results appeared to suggest that forgiveness is more consistent with conceptualizations of problem-focused coping than emotion-focused coping, the pattern of results was far from clear. It is suggested that these results may be due to the overlap between problem-focused and emotion-focused strategies which has been recognized recently in the coping literature

Comparing Sexual-Minority and Heterosexual Young Women’s Friends and Parents as Sources of Support for Sexual Issues

The present study provides a comparative analysis of sexual-minority and heterosexual emerging adult women’s experiences seeking support for sexual issues from parents and friends. Participants included 229 college women (88 sexual-minority women; 141 heterosexual women), ranging in age from 18 to 25 years of age, who provided written responses to an inquiry about a time they went to friends and parents for support for a issue related to their sexuality. Responses indicated that the majority of participants had sought support from either a parent or a friend and that mothers and female friends were more likely involved that fathers or male friends, respectively. Sexual issues that participants reported discussing with parents and friends were inductively grouped into five categories: dating and romantic relationships, sexual behavior, sexual health, identity negotiation, and discrimination and violence. Issues that were discussed differed based on sexual orientation identity and the source of support (parent or friend); they did not differ by age. Participants generally perceived parents and friends responses as helpful, though sexual-minority participants perceived both parents and friends responses as less helpful than heterosexual participants. Overall, results suggest both similarities and differences between sexual-minority and heterosexual young women’s experiences seeking support for sexual issues from parents and friends

Unexpected Side Effects: A Cautionary Note on Challenges of Persistent Self-Transcendence

Self-transcendence is an ambiguous construct without consensual meaning, yet many claim that it relates to, or even causes, beneficial outcomes. Few discuss its potential deleterious side effects, choosing to focus primarily on positive effects. However, anything with sufficient potency to heal may have unintended side effects, especially when it leads beyond a transitory state to becoming an enduring trait, such as when self-transcendence (ST) becomes persistent self-transcendence (PST). With PST, evidence is overviewed here, along with two illustrative case reports, that people can suffer emotional difficulties, motivation changes, loss of self-reflexivity, anhedonia, dissociation, depersonalization, memory problems, and other psychological concerns. This is discussed in terms of the disruption of the sense of self, which ordinarily serves as an integrative center for the person that conveys a sense of agency. Possible neurobiological and sociocultural effects of PST are also discussed, with a focus on its role on narrative memory as the construction of self-concept. Evidence has also been accumulating on problematic side effects of meditation and mindfulness, techniques commonly presented as paths to PST. Given that PST is often presented as a pinnacle of human development and spiritual attainment, seekers of PST, psychologists, and other mental health professionals are urged to become informed about its possible side effects, and view this phenomenon in a more balanced way

Unexpected Side Effects: A Cautionary Note on Challenges of Persistent Self-Transcendence

Self-transcendence is an ambiguous construct without consensual meaning, yet many claim that it relates to, or even causes, beneficial outcomes. Few discuss its potential deleterious side effects, choosing to focus primarily on positive effects. However, anything with sufficient potency to heal may have unintended side effects, especially when it leads beyond a transitory state to becoming an enduring trait, such as when self-transcendence (ST) becomes persistent self-transcendence (PST). With PST, evidence is overviewed here, along with two illustrative case reports, that people can suffer emotional difficulties, motivation changes, loss of self-reflexivity, anhedonia, dissociation, depersonalization, memory problems, and other psychological concerns. This is discussed in terms of the disruption of the sense of self, which ordinarily serves as an integrative center for the person that conveys a sense of agency. Possible neurobiological and sociocultural effects of PST are also discussed, with a focus on its role on narrative memory as the construction of self-concept. Evidence has also been accumulating on problematic side effects of meditation and mindfulness, techniques commonly presented as paths to PST. Given that PST is often presented as a pinnacle of human development and spiritual attainment, seekers of PST, psychologists, and other mental health professionals are urged to become informed about its possible side effects, and view this phenomenon in a more balanced way

The Effects of Chronic Ethanol Self-Administration on Hippocampal Serotonin Transporter Density in Monkeys

Evidence for an interaction between alcohol consumption and the serotonin system has been observed repeatedly in both humans and animal models yet the specific relationship between the two remains unclear. Research has focused primarily on the serotonin transporter (SERT) due in part to its role in regulating extracellular levels of serotonin. The hippocampal formation is heavily innervated by ascending serotonin fibers and is a major component of the neurocircuitry involved in mediating the reinforcing effects of alcohol. The current study investigated the effects of chronic ethanol self-administration on hippocampal SERT in a layer and field specific manner using a monkey model of human alcohol consumption. [3H]Citalopram was used to measure hippocampal SERT density in male cynomolgus macaques that voluntarily self-administered ethanol for 18 months. Hippocampal [3H]citalopram binding was less dense in ethanol drinkers than in controls, with the greatest effect observed in the molecular layer of the dentate gyrus. SERT density was not correlated with measures of ethanol consumption or blood ethanol concentrations, suggesting the possibility that a threshold level of consumption had been met. The lower hippocampal SERT density observed suggests that chronic ethanol consumption is associated with altered serotonergic modulation of hippocampal neurotransmission