The social phenomenon of "dangerousness" is discussed in terms of legal and social responses and in terms of potential contributions by psychology and other behavioral and social sciences toward increased understanding and more effective coping by society with such social problems. Social scientists need to become more concerned with the study of dangerous behaviors and practices in our society, especially in light of the disproportionate injury and harm suffered by socially disadvantaged groups. Although values and ideologies are involved with perspectives on social problems, preferences that are essentially ideological should not be presented under the trappings of "science."There have been a number of developments in recent years which indicate closer research and professional interactions between the fields of lay? and psychology. The law continues to reflect increasing interest in the contributions of the behavioral and social sciences, and empirical legal research has flourished; judicial opinions frequently reference psychological and other related research, and collaborative research, teaching, and consultative endeavors involving legal scholars and social scientists have become quite common. And, as a more widely visible indication that the substantive area of "law and psychology" has indeed achieved notable recognition within the discipline, the year 1976 saw, for the first time, a chapter in the Annual Review of Psychology addressed to the topic of psychology and law (Tapp, 1976).With these developments as background, this article focuses on the phenomenon of "dangerousness" as it is addressed by our legal and social institutions, as well as on the role and potential contributions of psychology and other behavioral and social sciences to this important subject. The topic of "dangerousness" serves as a paradigm illustrating broader issues pertaining to interactions between 224 • MARCH 1978 • AMERICAN PSYCHOLOGIST
This article describes recent developments in mental health laws in the United States, especially as they relate to uses of the concept of "dangerousness" in the civil and criminal commitment of the mentally ill. In addition to providing a brief overview of the U.S. legal system and noting the importance of the Rule of Law, we review the historical development and current status of the relevant laws, provide some basic epidemiological statistics, and refer to some of the considerable body of extant empirical research in the field.
Present study intended to assess the generic competences of higher education students. Self-perceived level of generic competences of the students in the beginning and the end of an academic session was recorded to explore the role of higher education in imparting them the generic competences. All the students entering the University of Sargodha (Pakistan) during 2012, constituted the population of the study. Cluster sampling technique was used to carry out the panel survey. The same cohort of the students was surveyed twice over a period of one academic year. This study adopted a version of the Reflex Project instrument, consisting of 19 competences, to collect data from students of both genders in public-sector universities in Pakistan. Data were collected from 932 students (cluster sampling) studying at 10 (randomly) selected departments. There were 408 male and 525 female students in the study. The students rated themselves on a seven-point scale whose reliability was 0.82. The results indicated that higher education played its role in imparting and promoting the existing set of generic competences from the beginning to the end of the academic session; but the increase in the competence level was noted only to a modest level. Gender differences were found among the students in a few of the generic competences.
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