Back to Courses I Teach

Fall 2006                                                                                             Prof. Tracey Revenson
Room 6114                                                                                         TRevenson@gc.cuny.edu 
                                                                                                         (212) 817-8709   

SHOELACE
by Charles Bukowski

                                It's not the large things that send a man to the madhouse...
                                No, it's the continuing series of small tragedies
                                that send a man to the madhouse...
                                not the death of his love
                                but a shoelace that snaps
                                with no time left...

In 1962, a seminal, observational study of adjustment to chronic disease appeared in the Archives of General Psychiatry (Visotsky, Hamburg, Goss, & Lebovits, 1962).  Its authors posed questions regarding adjustment to polio that continue to stimulate research today:  "How is it possible to deal with such powerful, pervasive, and enduring stresses as are involved in severe polio?  What are the types of coping behavior that contribute to favorable outcomes?"  (p. 28).  Four decades later, theoretical and empirical consideration of these questions has produced multifaceted conceptualizations of adjustment and many theoretical frameworks for understanding determinants of adjustment.

The seminar focuses on the intersections among the constructs of stress, coping, trauma, and resilience, in particular, theories that provide clues about which factors enhance adaptation.  We will explore how stress affects psychological functioning and physical health, and the interpersonal and environmental resources that individuals and communities draw upon to cope with stress and trauma.  Historically, in psychology, we have focused almost on negative health and mental health consequences of stress and trauma.  But what factors allow individuals, communities, and societies to flourish in the face of stress/trauma? To answer these questions, we will read the literature while focusing on several areas -- the terrorist events of 9-11, the experience of cancer, and loss and bereavement. 

Class Participation

My expectations for you are high: I expect you to do the readings in advance, think carefully about them before class, and participate regularly in class discussions by bringing in ideas, comments and observations.  We come from different theoretical orientations so it is important for everyone to contribute to the discussion. 

Papers

The two writing assignments are interconnected. The final paper is a 15-page research proposal on a topic within the area of stress, coping, trauma, and/or resilience. It is due in my mailbox by Thursday December 14 at 4 pm. The research proposal itself will contain the following sections: specific aims, significance of study, gaps in the literature that the study will address, a brief literature review, and a methods section.

The first paper is the specific aims section of the proposal (a 1-2 page statement of the research question, its significance, and the research aim(s) of your proposed study) and a bibliography of about a dozen readings for the literature review of the proposal.   It is due on Thursday, October 5 by 4 pm. If you have any questions about whether your topic is appropriate, please e-mail me as early in the semester as possible. There is no class (and hence, no readings) for October 5, the date the proposal is due. I expect you to spend a good amount of time that week (and before) doing literature searches, reading, and conceptualizing the research question. It is likely that I will ask you to revise your specific aims before giving you a grade. You are encouraged to use the assigned readings and topics as a starting point in developing your papers, but you should use additional material as well.  Most importantly, you should write a proposal on a topic you are passionate about or would like to do research in.

Grading
Class participation       25%
First paper                  25%
Research Proposal        50%

Except under extraordinary circumstances, no incompletes or extensions will be granted. The deadlines are to keep the proposal work on track during the semester and coursework completed by winter break.

Special Needs
The Graduate Center will make reasonable accommodations for persons with documented disabilities.  Services are available only to students who are registered and submit appropriate documentation. I am happy to discuss specific needs with you as well.

Many of the required readings come from the books listed below. If possible, make your purchases through the Graduate Center's Virtual Bookshop, http://www.gc.cuny.edu/bookshop. The other readings w ill be available for downloading on Blackboard.

Required to purchase (all paperbacks)

Cohen, S., Kessler, R. C., & Gordon, L. U. (Eds.).  (1995). Measuring stress:  A guide for health and social scientists.  NY: Oxford University Press.

Lazarus, R.S. & Folkman, S.  (1984). Stress, appraisal and coping.  NY: Springer.

McEwen, B. (2004).  The end of stress as we know it. Washington DC: National Academies Press.

COURSE TOPICS AT-A-GLANCE

WEEKLY ASSIGNED READINGS

Sept.  7                        The psychological aftermath of September 11th, 2001

Silver, R.C., Holman E.A., McIntosh, D.N., Poulin, M., & Gil-Rivas, V. (2002).  Nationwide longitudinal study of psychological responses to September 11.   Journal of the American Medical Association, 288 (10), 1235-1244.

Cohn, M.A., Mehl, M.R., & Pennebaker, J.W. (2004).  Linguistic markers of psychological change surrounding September 11, 2001. Psychological Science, 15, 687-693.

Bonanno, G.A., Galea, S., Bucciarelli, A., & Vlahov, D. (2006).  Psychological resilience after disaster: New York City in the aftermath of the September 11th terrorist attack. Psychological Science, 17, 181-186.
 
Gladwell, M. (2004).  Getting over it. The New Yorker, November 8, 75-79.

Lazarus & Folkman (1984).  Stress, appraisal and coping.  Chapters 1 and 2. 
           
Pearlin, L.I. (1989).  Sociological study of stress. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 30, 241-256.

McEwen, B.S. (1998).  The end of stress as we know it. Chapters 1-4.

Sept. 21            Measurement of Psychological Stress
           
Cohen, S., Kessler, R. C., & Gordon, L. U. (Eds.).  (1995). Measuring stress:  A guide for health and social scientists.  NY: Oxford University Press.
►Everyone reads Chapter 1 and at least 3 other chapters in the book from the list below:
 

Sept. 28            Trauma

Janoff-Bulman, R.  (1999).  Rebuilding shattered assumptions after traumatic life events: Coping processes and outcomes.  In C. R. Snyder (Ed.), Coping: The psychology of what works (pp. 305-323).  New York: Oxford University Press.

Brewin, C. R., Dalgleish, T., & Kramer, G. P.  (1996). A dual representation theory of posttraumatic stress disorder.  Psychological Review, 103, 670-686.

Nadel, L., & Jacobs, W. J.  (1998).  Traumatic memory is special.  Current Directions in Psychological Science, 7, 154-157.

Foa, E. B., & Meadows, E. A.  (1997).  Psychosocial treatments for posttraumatic stress disorder:  A critical review.  Annual Review of Psychology, 48, 449-480.

Oct. 12                         Theories of Psychological Adaptation

Taylor, S.E. (1983).  Adjustment to threatening events: A theory of cognitive adaptation.  American Psychologist, 38 (11), 1161‑1173. 

Taylor, S.E., Kemeny, M.E., Reed, G.M., Bower, J.E., & Gruenewald, T.L. (2000).  Psychological resources, positive illusions, and health.  American Psychologist, 55, 99-109

Lepore, S.J. (2001).  A social-cognitive processing model of emotional adjustment to cancer.  In A. Baum & B.L. Andersen (Eds.), Psychosocial interventions for cancer (pp. 99-116).  Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

Stanton, A., & Revenson, T.A. (2007).  Adjustment to chronic disease: Progress and promise in research.  In H.S. Friedman & R.C. Silver (Eds.), Foundations of Health Psychology (pp. 203-233). NY: Oxford University Press.

Oct. 19             Conceptualization of Coping

Lazarus & Folkman: Chapters 5-6

Revenson, T.A. (2003).  Scenes from a marriage: Examining support, coping and gender within the context of chronic illness. In. J. Suls & K.A. Wallston (Eds.), Social psychological foundations of health and illness (pp. 530-559). Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing.

Folkman, S., & Moskowitz, J.T. (2000). Positive affect and the other side of coping. American Psychologist, 55, 647-654.

Oct. 26             Does Coping Help? 

Zakowski, S.G., Ramati, A., Morton, C., Johnson, P., & Flanigan, R. (2004).  Written emotional disclosure buffers the effects of social constraints on distress among cancer patients. Health Psychology, 23, 555-563.

Wortman, C.B., & Silver, R.C. (1989).  The myths of coping with loss. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 57, 349-357.

Nolen-Hoeksema, S., Parker, L.E., & Larson, J. (1994). Ruminative coping with depressed mood following loss. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 67, 92-104.

Davis, C. G., Nolen-Hoeksema, S., & Larson, J. (1998). Making sense of loss and benefiting from the experience: Two construals of meaning. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 75, 561-574.

Bonanno, G. A., & Kaltman, S.  (1999). Toward an integrative perspective on bereavement.  Psychological Bulletin, 125, 760-776.

Nov. 23             Resilience

Masten, A. S.  (2001). Ordinary magic:  Resilience processes in development.  American Psychologist, 56, 227-238.

Lepore, S.J., & Revenson, T.A. (2006).  Resilience and posttraumatic growth: Recovery, resistance, & reconfiguration. In L. Calhoun R. G. Tedeschi (Eds.), The Handbook of Posttraumatic Growth: Research and Practice (pp. 24-46).  Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.

Bonanno, G. (2004).   Loss, trauma and human resilience: Have we underestimated the human capacity to thrive after extremely aversive events?  American Psychologist, 59, 20-28.

Dec. 7               Benefit-Finding and Post-Traumatic Growth

Tedeschi, R.G., & Calhoun, L.G. (2004).  Posttraumatic growth: Conceptual foundations and empirical evidence. Psychological Inquiry, 15, 1-18.

Janoff-Bulman, R. (2004). Posttraumatic growth: Three explanatory models. Psychological Inquiry, 15, 30-34.

Neimeyer, R.A. (2004). Fostering posttraumatic growth: A narrative elaboration. Psychological Inquiry, 15, 53-59.

Wortman, C.B. (2004).  Posttraumatic growth: Progress and problems.  Psychological Inquiry, 15, 81-90.

Optional:
Tedeschi, R.G., & Calhoun, L.G. (2004).  The foundations of posttraumatic growth: New considerations. Psychological Inquiry, 15, 93-102.