1 Ruralness as a Psychological Construct -- Definitions of Rural -- Rural Values and Attitudes -- Manning Theory -- Isolation -- The Contents of This Volume -- References -- 2 Characteristics of Rural America -- Demographic Characteristics -- Rural Social Institutions -- Rural Social Organization -- Conclusions -- References -- 3 Interaction in Rural Families -- Characteristics of Rural Families -- Implications of Findings -- Conclusions -- References -- 4 Cross-Cultural Research in Psychological Development in Rural Communities -- Cross-Cultural Findings on Rural-Urban Differences in Cognitive Growth -- Another View of Rural-Urban Differences -- Conclusions -- References -- 5 Issues of Linguistic Development in Rural Subcultures in the United States -- The Basis of Difference -- Language Learning and Rural Subcultures -- Institutionalized Discontinuity -- Conclusion -- References -- 6 Is there a Psychology of the Rural Aged? -- What Is Rural? Who Are the Rural Aged? -- Deficiencies in Definitions of Rural Aged -- Differences between Rural and Nonrural Aged -- Independence, Dependence, and Isolation -- Need for and Availability of Services -- How They See It -- Loneliness -- Is Rurality An Important Variable? -- Environments and Adaptations -- Understanding the Rural Aging -- References -- 7 Environmental Perception and Cognition in Rural Contexts -- Spatial Cognition -- Perception of Natural Hazards -- Scenic Quality Analysis -- Concluding Remarks -- References -- 8 Locus of Control and the Rural Experience -- The Locus of Control Construct and Its Cognates -- The Shaping of Causal Expectancies and Their Ramifications -- Rural and Urban Settings -- Research on Locus of Control and Rural Life -- Conclusion -- References -- 9 Social Psychology and Religious Fundamentalism -- The Grounding of Fundamentalism -- Historical Considerations -- Where Are the Fundamentalists? -- Church Attendance and Religiosity -- Education and Religiosity -- Blessed Are the Poor? -- Liberalizing Factors -- Compassion and Prejudice -- Association Patterns -- Fundamentalism: Old or New? -- References -- 10 The Quality of Life in Rural and Urban America -- Subjective Indicators of Rural and Urban Quality of Life -- Objective Indicators of Rural and Urban Quality of Life -- Conclusions -- References -- 11 Needs Assessments in Rural Areas: Issues and Problems -- Needs-Assessment Techniques -- Needs Assessments in Rural Areas -- Problems in Rural Needs Assessments -- Conclusion -- References -- 12 Problems in Program Development and the Development of Alternatives -- Overview -- Background -- The Person -- The Situation -- The Interactive Process -- The Development of Alternatives -- Implications for Future Directions -- Some Concluding Thoughts -- References -- 13 Models of Service Delivery -- Issues in Rural Service Delivery -- The Models -- Individual and Community Change -- References -- 14 Child Abuse: a Review with Special Focus on an Ecological Approach in Rural Communities -- Definitions of Child Abuse -- Child Abuse as a Psychiatric Problem -- Child Abuse as a Sociological Problem -- Child Abuse as an Ecological Problem -- Conclusion -- References -- 15 Home-Based Early Intervention -- Rationale -- The AEL Experiment -- Characteristics of Rural Appalachians -- HOPE: An Early Intervention Strategy -- Immediate Program Effects -- Enduring Program Effects: Long-Term Follow-Up -- Replication Phase and Kindergarten Comparison -- References -- 16 Community Psychology and Rural Legal Systems -- Problems of Rural Judicial Administration -- Summary -- Patterns of Rural Crime -- Dispute Processing in Rural Communities -- Legal Socialization in Rural Communities -- Summary -- References -- 17 The Energy Crisis and Behavioral Science: a Conceptual Framework for Large-Scale Intervention -- Why is Energy a Topic for Rural Psychology? -- An Interdisciplinary Large-Scale Framework -- Why Behavioral Science? -- A Framework for Organizing Community Action -- References -- 18 Epilogue: Some Research Questions -- Methodological and Conceptual Issues -- Specific Areas of Research -- Rural Psychology and Social Change -- Why a Rural Psychology? -- References.