Triandis' theoretical framework, concerning cultural patterns labeled individualism and collectivism, is probed with regard to the religious marker in the Israeli Jewish society. Three methods are used to examine collectivism-individualism constructs in 185 religious and 956 secular high school students: value items, interest in different domains of history, and attitudes toward political issues. A common collective basis of mutual value consensus was found in the two groups; however, as predicted, there were differences between secular and religious students on the three kinds of items, since the religious scored higher than the secular students on items emphasizing collectivist orientation. The differences, however, do not fit the common theoretical framework of collectivism-individualism, but rather tend to reflect the distinction between in-group and universal collectivism.

A theoretical framework concerning cultural patterns labeled individualism and collectivism is probed with regard to two conflicted societies, Israeli-Jewish and Palestinian-Arab societies. The following three methods were used to examine collectivism/individualism constructs among 1,190 Palestinian and 1,144 Israeli high school students: items that tap values, interest in different domains of history, and attitudes toward conflict resolution. Both groups were found to be more collectivistic than individualistic oriented. However, as predicted, the Palestinians scored higher than the Israeli students on items emphasizing in-group collectivist orientation (my nationality, my country, etc.). The differences between the two groups tended to reflect some subdistinctions such as different elements of individualism and collectivism. Moreover, they reflected the historical context and contemporary influences, such as the stage where each society is at in the nation-making process.

The authors investigated how 2 groups with unequal social power - immigrant adolescents from Ethiopia (n = 241) and the former USSR (n = 531)-and their Israeli host peers (n = 854) might construct an immigrant identity regarding adaptation to life in their new country. The authors introduce the concept of immigrant identity representations based an integrative model combining parts of J. W. Berry's (1990) acculturation model (BAM) and H. Tajfel's (1981) version of social identity theory (SIT). The findings reveal a common pattern of identity representations and are interpreted in terms of the integrative combination of the BAM and SIT frameworks.

The social and emotional adaptation of 51 breast cancer patients was assessed four times during the first year after mastectomy according to Weissman and Paykel's Social Adaptation Scale (SAS) and judges' ratings. Openness of communication was measured by eight indices during the first two interviews. It was predicted that they would correlate positively with successful adaptation as measured at the third and fourth interviews. Most patients were aware of their diagnosis, and their communication about their plight was found to be multifaceted. Successful copers sought information; less successful copers avoided it. However, where emotions and not facts were the issue, palliative measures such as avoidance of speaking about the threat and refusal to accept its further implications were connected with better adjustment. The findings indicate that palliation is a prerequisite to good instrumental adjustment when the emotional reactions are intense and countermeasures are limited. More research is needed for assessing communication with specific others and change over time.

The relationship between war‐related stressors and emotional and behavioral adjustment during the Israel‐Lebanon war was studied on a sample of 220 Israeli students, many of whom had been in combat. Mastery had direct effects on the well‐being of both sexes. There was limited support for the stress‐buffering effect of intimacy for men, such that those who had less intimate ties were increasingly negatively affected by greater exposure to war‐related stressors, whereas those with more intimate relationships were relatively unaffected; the buffering effect applied both to emotions and behavior. No stress‐buffering effect of intimate ties was found for women, but women were not affected by war‐related stress at this time. The diagnosis post‐traumatic stress disorder is examined in terms of the fact that normally healthy populations may be at increased risk of long‐term adjustment difficulties following exposure to extreme stress if the threat of recurrence of the stressor continues. Implications for Vietnam veterans are also discussed.