Psychology Applied to Modern Life: Adjustment in the 21st Century

689 Pages·2005·14.54 MB·English

by  Wayne Weiten

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WAYNE WEITEN is a graduate ofBradley University and received his Ph.D.in social
psychology from the University ofIllinois,Chicago in 1981.He currently teaches at the
University ofNevada,Las Vegas.He has received distinguished teaching awards from Di-
vision Two ofthe American Psychological Association (APA) and from the College of
DuPage,where he taught until 1991.He is a Fellow ofDivisions 1 and 2 ofthe American
Psychological Association.In 1991,he helped chair the APA National Conference on En-
hancing the Quality ofUndergraduate Education in Psychology and in 1996–1997 he
served as President ofthe Society for the Teaching ofPsychology.Weiten has conducted
research on a wide range oftopics,including educational measurement,jury decision-
making,attribution theory,stress,and cerebral specialization.His recent interests have
included pressure as a form ofstress and the technology oftextbooks.He is also the au-
thor ofPsychology: Themes & Variations(Wadsworth,2004) and the creator ofan educa-
tional CD-ROM titled PsykTrek: A Multimedia Introduction to Psychology.
MARGARET (MARKY) A. LLOYDreceived her B.A.from the University ofDenver and
her M.A.and Ph.D.in psychology from the University ofArizona.She is the author of
Adolescence(Harper and Row,1985).She has served as chair ofthe psychology depart-
ments at Suffolk University and Georgia Southern University and is the founding Chair
ofthe Council for Undergraduate Psychology Programs.She is a past President ofthe
Society for the Teaching ofPsychology (Division 2 ofthe American Psychological Asso-
ciation),past Executive Director ofthe Society’s Office ofTeaching Resources in Psy-
chology,and currently serves on APA’s Council ofRepresentatives for the Society.She is
Emerita Professor and Chair ofPsychology at Georgia Southern University and a recip-
ient ofthat institution’s Award for Excellence for Contributions to Instruction.
EIGHTH EDITION
Psychology
Applied to
Modern Life
ADJUSTMENT IN THE 21ST CENTURY
WAYNE WEITEN
University of Nevada, Las Vegas
MARGARET A. LLOYD
Georgia Southern University
Australia •Brazil •Canada •Mexico •Singapore
Spain•United Kingdom •United States
To two pillars of stability in this era of turmoil—my parents
W.W.
To the memory of my mother and father—models of integrity and courage
M.A.L.
Psychology Applied to Modern Life:Adjustment in the 21st Century,Eighth Edition
Wayne Weiten and Margaret A.Lloyd
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Student Edition:ISBN 0-534-60859-0
To the Instructor
Many students enter adjustment courses with great ex- In summary,we have tried to make this book both
pectations. They’ve ambled through their local book- rigorous and applied.We hope that our approach will
stores,and in the “Psychology”section they’ve seen nu- help students to better appreciate the value ofscientific
merous self-help books that offer highly touted recipes psychology.
for achieving happiness for a mere $12.95.After paying
far more money to enroll in a college course that deals
Philosophy
with the same issues as the self-help books,many stu-
dents expect a revelatory experience.However,the ma- A certain philosophy is inherent in any systematic treat-
jority ofus with professional training in psychology or ment ofthe topic ofadjustment.Our philosophy can be
counseling take a rather dim view ofself-help books and summarized as follows:
the pop psychology they represent.Psychologists tend to
see this literature as oversimplified,intellectually dishon- ■ We believe that an adjustment text should be a re-
est,and opportunistic and often summarily dismiss the source book for students.We have tried to design this
pop psychology that so many students have embraced. book so that it encourages and facilitates the pursuit of
Instructors try to supplant pop psychology with more so- additional information on adjustment-related topics.It
phisticated academic psychology,which is more complex should serve as a point ofdeparture for more learning.
and less accessible. ■ We believe in theoretical eclecticism.This book will
In this textbook,we have tried to come to grips with not indoctrinate your students along the lines of any
this problem ofdiffering expectations between student single theoretical orientation.The psychodynamic,be-
and teacher.Our goal has been to produce a comprehen- havioral,and humanistic schools ofthought are all treated
sive,serious,research-oriented treatment ofthe topic of with respect,as are cognitive,biological,evolutionary,
adjustment that also acknowledges the existence ofpop- and other perspectives.
ular psychology and looks critically at its contributions. ■ We believe that effective adjustment requires taking
Our approach involves the following: charge ofone’s own life.Throughout the book we try to
promote the notion that active coping efforts are gener-
■ In Chapter 1 we confront the phenomenon ofpop- ally superior to passivity and complacency.
ular self-help books.We try to take the student beneath
the seductive surface ofsuch books and analyze some of
Changes in the Eighth Edition
their typical flaws.Our goal is to make the student a more
critical consumer ofthis type ofliterature. One ofthe exciting things about psychology is that it is not
■ While encouraging a more critical attitude toward a stagnant discipline. It continues to progress at what
self-help books,we do not suggest that they should all be seems a faster and faster pace.A good textbook must evolve
dismissed.Instead,we acknowledge that some ofthem with the discipline.Although the professors and students
offer authentic insights.With this in mind,we highlight who used the earlier editions ofthis book did not clamor
some ofthe better books in Recommended Reading boxes for change,we’ve made some significant alterations.
sprinkled throughout the text.These recommended books For example,we have implemented an entirely new
tie in with the adjacent topical coverage and show the design that is intended to be more open and friendly
student the interface between academic and popular looking.All ofthe figures in the book have been redrawn.
psychology. This process has allowed us to achieve greater consistency
■ We try to provide the student with a better appreci- in style,make the graphics more attractive and modern
ation ofthe merits ofthe empirical approach.This effort looking,and enhance the pedagogical clarity ofmany fig-
to clarify the role ofresearch,which is rare for an adjust- ures. Color has been added to the integrated running
ment text,appears in the first chapter. glossary to make this pedagogical feature more promi-
■ Recognizing that adjustment students want to leave nent,and the look ofthe Applications has been changed
the course with concrete,personally useful information, so that students will no longer wonder whether these ele-
we end each chapter with an application section.The Ap- ments are an integral part ofthe chapters.And,ofcourse,
plications are “how to”discussions that address everyday we have made countless content changes to keep up with
problems.While they focus on issues that are relevant to new developments in psychology—adding and deleting
the content ofthe particular chapter,they contain more some topics,condensing and reorganizing others,and
explicit advice than the text proper. updating everything (there are 1198 new references).
To the Instructor v
The principal other change is the addition ofboxes These Recommended Reading boxes are placed where
called “Living in Today’s World.” These features were they are germane to the material being covered in the
originally developed in the previous edition to address is- text.Some ofthe recommended books are well known,
sues that surfaced in the aftermath ofthe 9/11 terrorist while others are obscure.Although we make it clear that
attacks in the United States (they were called Sidebars on we don’t endorse every idea in every book,we think they
Current Events).Continuing in this vein,many of the all have something worthwhile to offer.This feature re-
boxes in this edition deal with concerns raised by the on- places the conventional suggested readings lists that usu-
going specter ofterrorism in today’s world.For example, ally appear at the ends ofchapters,where they are almost
we discuss how people tend to be affected by traumatic universally ignored by students.
events,how people can cope more effectively with per-
sonal trauma,and how people can think more rationally Internet-Related Features
about the threat ofterrorism.However,in this edition we The Internet is rapidly altering the landscape ofmodern
have broadened the scope of coverage in this series of life,and students clearly need help dealing with the in-
boxes to include additional adjustment issues that are es- formation explosion in cyberspace.To assist them,we
pecially pertinent in light ofcurrent events,such as the have included two features.First,we recruited web expert
controversy over whether the government should pro- Vincent Hevern to write a concise essay that explains the
mote marriage and problems associated with living up to essentials ofthe Internet to the uninitiated.This essay,
today’s unrealistic ideals ofphysical attractiveness. which appears in the front ofthe book,briefly explains
URLs,domain names,hyperlinks,search engines,and so
forth.It also provides students with realistic warnings
Writing Style
about the instability ofURLs and the questionable valid-
This book has been written with the student reader in ity ofmuch ofthe information available on the web.Sec-
mind.We have tried to integrate the technical jargon of ond,we also asked Professor Hevern to evaluate hundreds
our discipline into a relatively informal and down-to- ofpsychology- and adjustment-related sites on the web
earth writing style.We use concrete examples extensively and come up with some recommended sites that appear
to clarify complex concepts and to help maintain student to provide reasonably accurate,balanced,and empirically
interest. sound information.Short descriptions ofthese recom-
mended websites are dispersed throughout the chapters,
adjacent to related topical coverage.Because URLs change
Features
frequently,we have not included the URLs for the Web
This text contains a number offeatures intended to stim- Links in the book.Insofar as students are interested in vis-
ulate interest and enhance students’learning.These spe- iting these sites,we recommend that they do so through the
cial features include Applications,Recommended Read- Psychology Applied to Modern Lifehome page at the Wads-
ing boxes, Internet-related features, Practice Tests, a worthPsychology Website (http://psychology.wadsworth.
didactic illustration program,and cartoons. com/weiten_lloyd8e).Links to all the recommended web-
sites are maintained there,and the Wadsworth webmas-
Applications ter will periodically update the URLs.Ofcourse,students
The Applications should be of special interest to most can also use search engines such as Google to locate the
students.They are tied to chapter content in a way that recommended websites.
should show students how practical applications emerge
out oftheory and research.Although some ofthe mate- Practice Tests
rial covered in these sections shows up frequently in ad- Each chapter ends with a ten-item multiple-choice Prac-
justment texts,much ofit is unique.Some ofthe Appli- tice Test that should give students a fairly realistic assess-
cations include the following: ment oftheir mastery ofthat chapter and valuable practice
in taking the type oftest that many ofthem will face in the
■ Understanding Intimate Violence classroom (ifthe instructor uses the Test Bank).This fea-
■ Monitoring Your Stress ture grew out ofsome research on students’use oftextbook
■ Understanding Eating Disorders pedagogical devices (see Weiten,Guadagno,& Beck,1996).
■ Getting Ahead in the Job Game This research indicated that students pay scant attention to
■ Building Self-Esteem some standard pedagogical devices.When students were
■ Enhancing Sexual Relationships grilled to gain a better understanding ofthis perplexing
■ Bridging the Gender Gap in Communication finding,it quickly became apparent that students are prag-
matic about pedagogy.Essentially,their refrain was,“We
Recommended Reading Boxes want study aids that will help us pass the next test.”With
Recognizing students’interest in self-help books,we have this mandate in mind,we added the Practice Tests.They
sifted through hundreds of them to identify some that should be very realistic,as many ofthe items came from
may be especially useful. These books are featured in the Test Bank for previous editions (these items do not ap-
boxes that briefly review some ofthe higher-quality books. pear in the Test Bank for the current edition).
vi To the Instructor
Didactic Illustration Program educational endeavors.It provides a thorough overview
The illustration program is once again in full color,and ofeach chapter,along with a list ofrelevant films and In-
many new figures have been added along with the re- foTrac College Edition® integration.It also includes a
drawing ofall the graphics.Although the illustrations are wealth ofsuggestions for lecture topics,class demonstra-
intended to make the book attractive and to help main- tions, exercises, and discussion questions, organized
tain student interest,they are not merely decorative:They around the content ofeach chapter in the text.
have been carefully selected and crafted for their didactic
value to enhance the educational goals ofthe text.
Test Bank (0-495-03029-5)
TheTest Bank,written by Mary Ann Valentino ofFresno
Cartoons
City College and David Ward ofArkansas Tech University,
A little comic relief usually helps keep a student inter-
contains an extensive collection ofmultiple-choice ques-
ested,so we’ve sprinkled numerous cartoons throughout
tions for objective tests,all closely tied to the learning ob-
the book.Like the figures,most ofthese have been cho-
jectives found in the text chapters.We’re confident that
sen to reinforce ideas in the text.
you will find this to be a dependable and usable test bank.
Learning Aids
ExamView® Computerized Testing
Because this book is rigorous,substantive,and sizable,a (0-495-00418-9)
number oflearning aids have been incorporated into the Windows®/Macintosh®CD-ROM
text to help the reader digest the wealth ofmaterial: Preloaded with all ofthe questions in the Test Bank,Ex-
amView allows you to create,deliver,and customize tests
■ Theoutlineat the beginning of each chapter pro- and study guides (both print and online) in minutes.Ex-
vides the student with a preview and overview ofwhat amView offers both a Quick Test Wizard and an Online
will be covered. Test Wizard that guides you step by step through the
■ Headings are used extensively to keep material well process ofcreating tests,while its unique “what you see is
organized. what you get”capability allows you to see the test you are
■ To help alert your students to key points,learning creating onscreen exactly as it will print or display on-
objectivesare distributed throughout the chapters,after line.You can build tests ofup to 250 questions using up
the level-1 headings. to 12 question types.Using ExamView’s complete word-
■ Key terms are identified with blue italicized bold- processing capabilities,you can enter an unlimited num-
facetype to indicate that these are important vocabulary ber ofnew questions or edit existing questions.
items that are part ofpsychology’s technical language.
■ An integrated running glossaryprovides an on-the- Multimedia Manager Instructor’s
spot definition ofeach key term as it is introduced in the Resource CD-ROM (0-534-24863-2)
text.These formal definitions are printed in blue bold- This one-stop lecture and class preparation tool makes it
facetype. easy for you to assemble,edit,publish,and present cus-
■ An alphabetical glossary is found in the back ofthe tom lectures for your course,using Microsoft®Power-
book,as key terms are usually defined in the integrated Point®.The Multimedia Manager lets you bring together
running glossary only when they are first introduced. text-specific lecture outlines,written by Lisa Garner of
■ Italics are used liberally throughout the text to em- Tallahassee Community College,and art from the text,
phasize important points. along with video and animations from the web or your
■ Achapter review is found at the end ofeach chapter. own materials—culminating in a powerful,personalized,
Each review includes a concise but thorough summary of media-enhanced presentation.The CD-ROM also con-
the chapter’s key ideas,a list ofthe key terms that were tains the full Instructor’s Manual,Test Bank,and other
introduced in the chapter,and a list ofimportant theo- instructor resources.
rists and researchers who were discussed in the chapter.
Transparency Acetates Set (0-495-03028-7)
Supplementary Materials
There are 50 acetates in this package,compiled by Susan
Shapiro of Indiana University East,along with general
A complete teaching/learning package has been devel-
comments on using these acetates.
oped to supplement Psychology Applied to Modern Life.
These supplementary materials have been carefully coor-
dinated to provide effective support for the text.(Avail- Study Guide (0-495-03032-5)
able to qualified adopters.Please consult your local sales TheStudy Guide,written by William Addison ofEastern
representative for details.) Illinois University,is designed to help students master the
information contained in the text. It contains a pro-
Instructor’s Manual (0-495-03031-7) grammed review oflearning objectives,quiz boxes,and a
The Instructor’s Manual, written by Lenore Frigo of self-test for each chapter.Your students should find it
Shasta College,is available as a convenient aid for your helpful in their study efforts.
To the Instructor vii
Critical Thinking with Psychology: Southern Nevada and Wayne Weiten.It contains experi-
Separating Sense from Nonsense, ential exercises for each text chapter,designed to help your
Second Edition (0-534-53659-X) students achieve personal insights.The questionnaires are
Students may have a difficult time distinguishing between psychological tests or scales that your students can admin-
the true science ofhuman thought and behavior and pop ister and score for themselves.The “Personal Probes”con-
psychology.This small paperback,written by John Rus- sist of questions intended to help students think about
cio,provides a tangible and compelling framework for themselves in relation to issues raised in the text.In addi-
making that distinction,teaching the fundamentals of tion to generating student interest,these exercises can be
scientific reasoning. fruitful in stimulating class discussion.The Personal Ex-
plorations Workbook can be ordered shrinkwrapped with
InfoTrac® College Edition . . . now with the text.
InfoMarks®!
NOT SOLD SEPARATELY.Available for packaging with Critical Thinking Exercises
the text! Now FREE four-month access to InfoTrac Col- We have developed a set ofcritical thinking exercises that
lege Edition’s online database ofmore than 18 million re- will be posted on the Internet at the Wadsworth Psychol-
liable,full-length articles from 5000 academic journals ogy Website (http://psychology.wadsworth.com/weiten_
and periodicals includes access to InfoMarks—stable lloyd8e).Written by Jeffry Ricker,these exercises are in-
URLs that can be linked to articles,journals,and searches. tended to introduce students to specific critical thinking
InfoMarks allow you to use a simple copy and paste tech- skills,such as recognizing extraneous variables,sampling
nique to create instant and continually updated online bias,and fallacies in reasoning.The exercises also chal-
readers,content services,bibliographies,electronic “re- lenge students to apply these skills to adjustment-related
serve”readings,and current topic sites.And to help stu- topics on a chapter-by-chapter basis.
dents use the research they gather,their free four-month
subsciption to InfoTrac College Edition includes access Book Companion Website:
to InfoWrite,a complete set ofonline critical thinking http://psychology.wadsworth.com/
and paper-writing tools.To take a quick tour ofInfoTrac weiten_lloyd8e
College Edition,visit http://www.infotrac-college.com/ This comprehensive website includes learning objectives,
and select the User Demo.(Journals subject to change.Cer- a full glossary,flashcards,crossword puzzles,InfoTrac
tain restrictions may apply.For additional information, College Edition articles with questions,web links,and tu-
please consult your local Thomson representative.) torial quizzes.
Culture and Modern Life (0-534-49688-1) WebTutor™ ToolBox for WebCT®
Culture and Modern Life is a small paperback intended to WebTutor™ ToolBox for Blackboard®
help your students appreciate how cultural factors mod- Preloaded with content and available via a free access
erate psychological processes and how the viewpoint of code when packaged with this text,WebTutor ToolBox
one’s own culture can distort one’s interpretation ofthe pairs all the content ofthis text’s rich Book Companion
behavior ofpeople from other cultures.Written by David Website with sophisticated course management function-
Matsumoto,a leading authority on cross-cultural psy- ality.You can assign materials (including online quizzes)
chology,this supplementary book should greatly enhance and have the results flow automatically to your grade
your students’understanding ofhow culture can influ- book.WebTutor ToolBox is ready to use as soon as you
ence adjustment.Culture and Modern Lifecan be ordered log on—or you can customize its preloaded content by
shrinkwrapped with the text. uploading images and other resources,adding web links,
or creating your own practice materials.
Personal Explorations Workbook
(0-495-03035-X)
ThePersonal Explorations Workbookis a small booklet as-
sembled by John Pulver of the Community College of
viii To the Instructor
Acknowledgments
This book has been an enormous undertaking,and we lent job ofcopy editing and indexing;Tom Dorsaneo,who
want to express our gratitude to the innumerable people performed superbly as our production editor; Linda
who have influenced its evolution. To begin with, we Beaupre,who created the colorful,inviting new design;
must cite the contribution of our students who have Linda Rill,who provided outstanding photo and permis-
taken the adjustment course.It is trite to say that they sions research; Carol Zuber-Mallison,who created the
have been a continuing inspiration—but they have. new graphics;Alma Bell ofThompson Type who oversaw
We also want to express our appreciation for the time the composition;and Fiorella Ljunggren,who shepherded
and effort invested by the authors ofour Internet essay previous editions into existence.Others who have made
and various ancillary books and materials:Vinny Hevern significant contributions to this project include Jennie
(LeMoyne College),Bill Addison (Eastern Illinois Uni- Redwitz (project manager),Jennifer Wilkinson (develop-
versity),Jeffry Ricker (Scottsdale Community College), ment editor),Jennifer Keever (ancillaries editor),Dory
John Pulver (Community College ofSouthern Nevada), Schaefer and Marlene Veach (marketing),Jessica Kim (ed-
David Matsumoto (San Francisco State University), itorial assistant),and Vernon Boes (art director).
Lenore Frigo (Shasta College),Lisa Garner (Tallahassee In addition,Wayne Weiten would like to thank his
Community College),Susan Shapiro (Indiana University wife,Beth Traylor,who has been a steady source ofemo-
East),Mary Ann Valentino (Fresno City College),and tional support despite the demands ofher medical career,
David Ward (Arkansas Tech University).In spite oftight and his twelve-year-old son,T.J.,who adds a wealth of
schedules,they all did commendable work. laughter to his dad’s life.He is also grateful to his former
The quality of a textbook depends greatly on the colleagues at the College ofDuPage and at Santa Clara
quality ofthe prepublication reviews by psychology pro- University,for their counsel and assistance,and to Mike
fessors around the country.The reviewers listed on page x Beede for his assistance with the references.Marky Lloyd
have contributed to the development ofthis book by pro- would like to thank graduate student Gizelle George for
viding constructive reviews of various portions of the preparing much ofthe reference list.She is also grateful
manuscript in this or earlier editions.We are grateful to to Janis Bohan and Glenda Russell for their suggestions
all ofthem. for resources on gay and lesbian issues.She also wishes to
We would also like to thank Michele Sordi,who has thank Judith A.Holleman for her assistance and support.
served as editor ofthis edition.She has done a wonderful
job following in the footsteps of Claire Verduin,Eileen Wayne Weiten
Murphy,and Edith Beard Brady,to whom we remain in- Margaret A.Lloyd
debted.We are also grateful to Jackie Estrada,for an excel-
Acknowledgments ix