This report describes a classroom intervention for improving the social skills of fourth-grade students in an urban school. Children in the school were exhibiting poor social skills, as evidenced by lapses in self-discipline and by incidences of inappropriate behavior as noted by teacher observation and anecdotal records. After examining the…

An attributional intervention was designed to reduce aggressive males' tendency to attribute hostile intentions to peers and their concomitant reactive aggression. Subjects were 162 African-American and Latino elementary school boys--aggressive and nonaggressive--in grades 3 through 6. Subjects were randomly assigned to the attributional…

This digest examines data on video game use by children, explains ratings of video game violence, and reviews research on the effects of video games on children and adolescents. A recent study of seventh and eighth graders found that 65% of males and 57% of females played 1 to 6 hours of video games at home per week, and 38% of males and 16% of…

Research has documented the genetic contribution of paternal alcoholism and Antisocial Personality Disorder as risk factors for adolescent deviant behavior, including substance abuse. Teens (n=147) between the ages of 12 and 19 years and their parents participated in the study. The sample consisted of 74 substance abusing teens/families drawn from…

This monograph provides a schema that educators can use to help make the behavior of children and young people more sensitive to the intricacies of the world in which they learn and develop. Features include: (1) a review of the literature on the key issues facing teachers; (2) information on developmentally related discipline issues; (3) an…

This article discusses the history of the sociology of deviance and the exclusion from society of individuals who do not meet norms, and argues for a sociology emphasizing acceptance of differences on individual, group, and societal levels. Types of relationships based on mutual acceptance are discussed along with generalizations regarding the…

The 10 precepts offered in this paper in a spirit of tentativeness respond to the questions, "What ought society do when families crumble?" and "What ought government do when children are endangered?" The following ideas are discussed: (1) public policies and government programs should be differentiated according to the social capital accumulation…

Students who are involved in middle school alternative education programs are often labeled as severely disruptive. They have a history of physical violence, abusive language, truancy, and sometimes police arrests and juvenile detention records. These students need to learn how to deal with stress-producing events in a more socially acceptable…

The subject of peer harassment for women on college campuses is explored. In order to handle such situations effectively, administrators need to know the parameters of the problem, what they are dealing with, and ways to prevent bad situations. The topic is presented as follows: a definition of peer harassment; the prevalence of peer harassment;…

One factor consistently overlooked in the literature of both empirical research and treatment intervention strategies is the role of the father in the development and treatment of childhood disturbances. In declaring the mother-child relationship as the setting within which childhood disturbances occur, researchers assumed that the father was…

A federally funded Library Training Institute was held to explore the user/system interface in academic libraries. The institute was composed of 50 librarians including 20% administrators, 20% educators, and 60% public services librarians. Speakers from a number of disciplines including sociology, psychology, criminal justice, and marketing…

The dynamic and emerging social reality of the liberal/capitalistic Western World has created a new type of personality, the characteristics of which the educational community must be aware. Although early capitalism stressed production, the present emphasis features consumption as the dominant activity. The acquisitive, hardworking individual has…

Arguing that research shows that students possessing a number of identifiable social or interpersonal skills function better in school and community settings, this paper proposes that both public and private educational agencies identify relevant social skills for disruptive youth. It further suggests that they provide the training and practice…

THE HELPING TEACHER, OR CRISIS TEACHER, PROGRAM WAS INITIATED TO SERVE CULTURALLY DEPRIVED AND DISTURBED CHILDREN IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. IT (1) ASSISTED THE UNDERACHIEVER, (2) PROVIDED GUIDANCE, COUNSELING, AND LIFE SPACE INTERVIEWING TO A CHILD IN CRISIS, AND (3) DEFINED AND IMPROVED THE MENTAL HYGIENE OF STUDENTS AND STAFF. ASSISTANCE WAS OFFERED…

THE INFLUENCE OF ATTITUDES OF "RESSENTIMENT" ON SECONDARY SCHOOLS AND THEIR STUDENTS WAS ASSESSED. (THE TERM "RESSENTIMENT" WAS USED TO REFER TO A KIND OF FREE-FLOATING ILL-TEMPER THAT IS PART OF THE SYNDROME PRODUCED BY HOSTILITY REPRESSED OVER LONG PERIODS OF ADULT LIFE, AND WHICH IS CHARACTERIZED BY FEELINGS OF SEVERE AND…