News: May to June 2009
Perfectionism affects women more than men
Women suffer from more feelings of inadequacy at home and at work than men, is the finding of research published in the Journal of Occupational and Organisational Psychology
The study by Jacqueline K. Mitchelson from Auburn University, USA looked at how some working people's need for perfection could affect their work-life balance. 288 working adults (over 80% with at least one child) took part in a questionnaire. The results showed that 38% of women felt that they didn't meet their own high standards at work. Women also felt more dissatisfaction with their performance at home compared to men.
Source: Journal of Occupational and Organisational Psychology; May 2009
Blushing: a vicious cycle
Thinking you're blushing makes you blush even more, according to research conducted by Corine Dijk and colleagues published in Behaviour Research and Therapy. One hundred participants were wired up to physiological measures of their facial skin temperature and colour and asked to make conversation with two strangers. Half were given feedback, via a vibrating device on their finger, about how much they were blushing. They thought the feedback was accurate, but really it was fixed in advance.
The main findings were that giving the participants false feedback that they were blushing actually caused them to blush more, and led them to think they'd be more negatively rated by the students they had to make conversation with. The finding could help explain why some shy people fall into a vicious circle of fearing blushing, feeling that they are blushing more than they are, and ultimately fearing social situations because of it.
Source: British Psychological Society
Lewis Psychology CIC feature in The Business Report
Lewis Psychology CIC is featured in the Business Report newspaper. Founder and Director, Teresa Lewis, spoke about why social enterprises are important to the local economy and how she set up the company.
Source: The Business Report (Black Country), May/June 2009, p12
Mothers of twins 'more likely to be depressed'
Mothers of twins or triplets are more likely to suffer post-natal depression than other new mothers, according to a survey carried out for the Twins and Multiple Births Association (Tamba). The survey of more than 1,000 mothers who had a multiple birth found 17 per cent experienced post-natal depression, while a further 18 per cent thought they might have. Around one in 10 of all new mothers develop post-natal depression.
Many respondents to the survey described feelings of profound isolation. Half of all respondents spent less than an hour a day talking to another adult. A small number of women said they had walked out on their babies but then returned. Others felt alone, cried regularly or self-harmed, and a few contemplated suicide.
Source: The Herald, May 2009
