On The Record

Heard on the street

'?I?ve learned to trust penises, because they are good indicators of what is going on in a relationship.'

?Eileen Palace, Tulane University, on male sexual dysfunction and the use of the pill Viagra as treatment (New York Times, June 23).

'The machines keep getting better. It?s the human part of the equation that needs some work.'

?Psychologist Mark Rosekind, airline consultant, on fatigued pilots who nod off in the cockpit (Miami Herald, June 23).

'The Golden Gate Bridge is like having a loaded gun around the house. We?re just trying to unload that gun and tip the balance more toward the side of life.'

?Psychologist Richard Seiden on the wired fence that has been put on the bridge to deter people from leaping to their deaths (San Francisco Chronicle, June 10).

'If you are playing a game where there?s lots of aggression and a lot of energy and determination needed to win, probably some sexual tension might help.'

?Alan Elkin, sexologist and clinical psychologist, on whether athletes should abstain from sex before they compete (Sports Illustrated, June 2).

'Denial is essentially a psychological shot of Novocaine.'

?George Blackall, Pennsylvania State University, on seriously ill people who deny they are sick. (ABCnews.com, June 1).

Heard in the Monitor

'What we seem to be getting here is that the speaker-phone is the cheapest method of conducting family intervention to rural teens with disabilities.

?Robert Glueckauf, Indiana University/Purdue University Indianapolis, page 32.

'I had one principal tell me there?s no violence in his school. I just rolled my eyes. It?s there. He just doesn?t see it.'

?Robert Zagar, Chicago forensic psychologist, page 36.

'We are a profession caught up in the pace and rhythm of a decidedly technological society, and we need to step back before promulgating solutions and treatments.'

?Alan Swope, California School of Professional Psychology, page 42.

'Our disadvantages are compensated for by being a bit more distant from the bandwagon, which perhaps keeps one from getting carried away too easily with the trend of the month in the Northern Hemisphere.'

?Cliff Abraham, University of Otago, New Zealand, page 49.