Journal file.

This section of the Journal attempts to keep readers informed of current resources of an integrative nature or those related to the general field of the psychology of religion appearing in other professional journals. A wide range of psychological and theological journals are surveyed regularly in search of such resources. The editor of the Journal File welcomes correspondence from readers concerning relevant theoretical or research articles in domestic or foreign journals which contribute directly or indirectly to the task and process of integration and to an understanding of the psychology of religion.

JOURNAL OF PSYCHOTHERAPY INTEGRATION

Norcross, J. C. (2006).

Personal integration: An N of 1 study

Vol. 16 (1), 59-72

In this article, Norcross addresses the origins of his integrative orientation and explicates several ways in which he embodies that orientation in his personal life and professional career. He first describes how the term integration deliberately embraces a dual meaning: the integration of the major systems of psychotherapy and the integration of the clinician as a person. He says, "my theoretical orientation, research interests, and indeed vocational choice emanate from sources more deeply felt than graduate school training. They are rooted in the person that I am and the person I am becoming." Pluralism, pragmatism, and customizing to the individual circumstance characterize not only his theoretical orientation but also his personal life.

Norcross believes that he was predisposed to his current integrative orientation from his beginning in his family of origin. He was born the second of four children, all boys, and became both a mediator and a rebel. His parents were from different life styles in different parts of the country, hence he experienced a combining of diverse religions and cultures. His family dynamics led him to an openness to scientific innovation and a propensity to rebel against conventional wisdom.

His integrative orientation was then crystallized by formal training, which modeled the transtheoretical spirit, and was subsequently strengthened by early research and friendships in the integration movement. He expanded research into the person of the therapist, and conducted several studies on the personal and professional characteristics of clinical psychologists. Self-change was integrated with formal psychotherapy, and these were seen not as contradictory but as complimentary. The author then briefly sketches how his ongoing research and practice continue in the integrative tradition, though not always invoking that term.

Norcross concludes by encouraging several directions for rejuvenating the movement: Research, training, advocacy, and patient benefit. He believes that we have reached the point where we need not justify psychotherapy integration as a legitimate area of interest, but we now need research on the efficacy and applicability of integrative approaches and research on tailoring or customizing psychotherapy to the individual patient. And where there is research there needd be training, all for the advocacy of patient benefit.

JOURNAL OF COUNSELING PSYCHOLOGY 

Heppner, P., Heppner, M., Lee, D., Wang, Y., Park, H., & Wang, L. (2006).

Development and validation of a collectivist coping styles inventory

Vol. 53 (1), 107-125

How people cope with stressful and traumatic life events has been the focus of inquiry for decades in Western psychology in part due to the prevalence of stress and trauma in people's lives. Research has indicated that factors that influence an individual's reaction to trauma include the nature and severity of the event and the individual's ability to cope with stress and trauma. This research consisted of three studies, utilizing a sample of over 3,000 Taiwanese college students, aimed at developing and validating a situation-specific Collectivist Coping Styles (CCS) inventory from an Asian perspective. The examiners originated this investigation from two separate but highly interrelated lines of research: Applied problem solving and coping, which have in essence been each depicted similarly as a highly complex, often intermittent, goal-directed sequence of cognitive, affective, and behavioral operations for adapting to stressful internal and external problems.

The first study, titled Scale Construction and an Exploratory Factor Analysis, was used to develop an inventory designed to assess ways of coping with specific stressful and traumatic life events in a collectivistic culture such as Taiwan. The second study, A Confirmatory Factor Analysis and Additional Validity Estimates, was used to examine the stability of the factor structure of the CCS. The purpose of the third study, Examination of Test-Retest Reliability and Discriminant Validity, was to provide additional reliability and validity estimates for the CCS.

The results from the exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses supported a stable 5-factor structure of the CCS: (a) Acceptance, Reframing, and Striving; (b) Family Support; (c) Religion-Spirituality; (d) Avoidance and Detachment; and (e) Private Emotional Outlets. These factors reflected Asians' use of a combination of primary and secondary control efforts and represented different constellations of items than typically found on coping-problem solving inventions in Western countries. Estimates of concurrent and construct validity suggest the CCS is related to a problem solving inventory, an overall problem resolution index, two psychological distress measures, and an index of the degree to which the trauma interfered with the lives of participants in conceptually expected directions, but is not strongly related to social desirability. Overall, the CCS was found to be useful and psychometrically sound measure of collectivistic coping.

Lastly, the authors discuss the limitations of the study and future directions for this area of research.

CULTURAL DIVERSITY AND ETHNIC MINORITY PSYCHOLOGY

Abernethy, A., Houston, T., Mimms, T., & Boyd-Franklin, N. (2006).

Using prayer in psychotherapy: Applying Sue's differential to enhance culturally competent care

Vol. 12 (1), 101-114

In this article, the authors discuss the application of Sue's cultural competence differential of hypothesis testing, dynamic sizing, and cultural specific expertise as a model for considering cultural factors in the treatment of an African American family. Three cultural dimensions are highlighted: Spirituality, womanism, and community exposure to trauma. The authors define culturally competent care as acknowledging and incorporating the importance of culture and language, the cultural strengths of people and their communities, the assessment of cross-cultural relations, vigilance to dynamics in cultural and linguistic differences, and the adaptation of services to meet culturally unique needs. They believe that the importance of culturally competent care is highlighted by the ethical guidelines that have been developed by the American Psychological Association.

The article reviews the research and clinical literature that highlight the importance of spirituality for African Americans, who are more likely to pray privately and attend religious services than Caucasians. Therefore, culturally competent care of African Americans entails many factors, but the authors propose that spirituality is one of the most important factors that must be considered. The challenge for the therapist is how to integrate this general cultural knowledge on the importance of spirituality for African Americans in the treatment and clinical care of these individuals and families. The authors promote that Sue's model for facilitating the therapist's integration of cultural knowledge in patient care is an efficacious approach.

A case example is used to describe the application of Sue's model. Given the centrality of spirituality for this particular African American family, prayer is used to facilitate the therapeutic process. Discussion from a womanist perspective highlights the spiritual, communal, and personal dimensions that the aunt faces as an African American woman. Consideration of the community context and potential exposure to trauma and loss allows for a fuller appreciation of the psychosocial context of the nephew. The authors conclude by summarizing how they illustrated the use of a prayer as a culturally competent intervention in the treatment of an African American family.

GROUP DYNAMICS: THEORY, RESEARCH, AND PRACTICE

Urlich, S. C. (2005).

Evaluating the charismatic group Subud: Javanese mysticism in the West

Vol. 9 (3), 161-172

The effects on individuals of belonging to charismatic groups are an area of intense psychological, sociological, and evolutionary interest. These effects can range from the socially beneficial and psychotherapeutic to severe psychiatric illnesses. Effects can also vary between individuals in the same group. This makes it difficult for these groups to be analyzed in a generic way, as one person's religious freedom is another's negative cult exploitation. The author defines the term "charismatic group" as having the following psychological characteristics: A shared belief system, social cohesiveness, behavioral norms, and the imputation of charismatic power to the group from its leadership.

The influence of charismatic groups on individuals' lives can be profound. Urlich reviews literature on the charismatic group known as Subud. Subud claims it has no theology, and members believe they directly communicate with their deity through the latihan ritual. To analyze the group, the author uses a systems approach to integrate psychological, psychiatric, sociological, and theological evidence. He shows that Subud's theology is based on the latihan and that the aim is to promote a dissociative state through unrestrained emotional expression in a group setting. Depression, hallucinations, and violent behavior have been reported within this group.

One mechanism advanced to explain the different effects on different people from involvement in charismatic groups is the relief effect. The relief from neurotic distress individuals experience is directly related to the degree of affiliation they feel with the group. Once individuals join a group, they may experience relief from psychological affliction, and this relief is reinforced by the intensity of their relationship to the group. A socially cohesive group promotes a greater sense of affiliation through this process of operant conditioning.

Urlich generates two hypotheses for future quantitative testing related to the relief effect operating and the effects on children within this group. The author's first hypothesis states that the relief effect does operate on all Subud members through the latihan ritual. The relief that members experience from neurotic distress after the latihan promotes greater social cohesion within Subud. The second hypothesis states that compelling social and psychological pressure is placed on Subud children. Children are among the most vulnerable in these types of groups, especially when critical thought is discouraged and feeling only is promoted.

FURTHER READINGS:

Abernety, A. D., & Lancia, J. J. (1998). Religion and the psychotherapeutic relationship: Transferential and countertransferential dimensions. Journal of Psychotherapy: Practice and Research, 7, 282-289.

Geels, A. (1997). Subud and the Javanese mystical tradition. Surrey, England: Curzon.

Heppner, P. P., Cooper, C. C., Mulholland, A. M., & Wei, M. F. (2001). A brief, multidimensional, problem solving based psychotherapy outcome measure. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 48, 330-343.

Hunt, S. J. (2003). Alternative religions: A sociological introduction. Aldershot, England: Ashgate.

Norcross, J. C. (1993). Research directions for psychotherapy integration: A roundtable. Journal of Psychotherapy Integration, 3, 91-131

Sue, S. (1998). In search of cultural competence in psychotherapy and counseling. American Psychologist, 53,440-448.