The purpose of this research is to review three contempor ary issues which are affecting the field of psychology. These issues are (1) problems for women in American society, (2) problems for homosexuals in American society, and (3) the therapeutic use of subliminal concepts.
PROBLEMS FOR WOMEN IN AMERICAN SOCIETY
Women in American society are confronted with a variety of problems ranging from discrimination in the workplace to attempts to impose external control on the personal decisions of women through restrictions on abortion and access to contra ceptive counseling. Probably the most significant of all of the problems faced by women in contemporary American society, however, are associated with divorce. Divorce in the United States typically places affected women at economic disadvan tage, while simultaneously adding to their responsibilities with respect to child care. The interaction of these latter two factors are responsible for a significant proportion of the need by women in contemporary American society for psychologi cal therapy (Kaplan, & Sadock, 1985).
The divorce rate per 1,000 persons of marriageable age in the United States increased from 1.6 in 1920 to 5.3 in 1981
1 2(U.S. National Center for Health Statistics, 1989). Since 1981, the rate has declined slightly, reaching 4.8 in 1988 (U.S. National Center for Health Statistics, 1989). Consi dered in another context, there was one divorce for every 7.5 marriages in the United States in 1920, while there was one divorce for every two marriages in 1981 (U.S. National Center for Health Statistics, 1989). Again, since 1981, the situation has improved somewhat, and, in 1988, there was one divorce for every 2.02 marriages (U.S. National Center for Health Statis tics, 1989).
A great deal of misery lies behind such statistics for all parties concerned with divorces, and a great deal of societal cost is also involved. Both misery and cost are applicable t...