This chapter introduces the concept of this international book and the relevance of the self-silencing construct to understanding depression and related problems across cultures, contexts, and populations. The chapter summarizes silencing the self theory and situates the theory among other psychological theories of depression. The authors each describe the research that led them to become interested in the idea of this edited volume in which contributors from a range of different countries and settings explore self-silencing, and they provide a summary of the content of the book. The chapter also presents issues arising from research on self-silencing that raise questions for further investigation as well as ideas that relate self-silencing theory to broader constructs of “culture” and “self.” The authors argue that examining how gender-specific norms and social inequality affect self-silencing within relationships and across cultures is necessary for a fuller understanding of depression and its treatment.

Objective The present study examined changes in women's mood states resulting from their viewing pictures in fashion magazines of models who represent a thin ideal. Method Female university students completed the Profile of Mood States (POMS), the Body Parts Satisfaction Scale (BPSS), and the Eating Disorder Inventory (EDI). They were then exposed to 20 slides; the experimental group (N = 51) viewed images of female fashion models and a control group (N = 67) viewed slides containing no human figures. All subjects then completed the POMS and the BPSS again. Results Women were more depressed (R2 = 0.745, p <.05) and more angry (R2 = 0.73, p <.01) following exposure to slides of female fashion models. Discussion Viewing images of female fashion models had an immediate negative effect on women's mood. This study, therefore, supports the hypothesis that media images do play a role in disordered eating. © 1999 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Int J Eat Disord 25: 223–226, 1999.

These findings empirically demonstrate an association between IBS and emotional abuse, as well as a possible connection with psychosocial variables, that may mediate the connection between emotional abuse and functional bowel symptoms. We suggest that these variables be further evaluated in the context of clinically relevant research on IBS.

The purpose of this article is to explore structural competency as a framework for training in counseling psychology. Structural competency as a guiding paradigm can be an important component of counseling practice that is informed by an understanding of the effects of oppression and structural-level disparities on the psychological well-being of marginalized groups and individuals. We outline a set of training principles that can inform the development of socially responsive curricula in counseling psychology programs. These principles are derived from the need for an emancipatory, liberatory stance among newly trained practitioners and from the need for counseling psychologists to engage in anti-oppression advocacy. We argue that part of this advocacy must involve partnering with clients to counteract the over-reliance on de-contextualized treatments that ignore the role that individual and collective agency can play in bringing about positive psychological change.