This chapter explores how a love researcher goes from having a conception or even a theory of love to actually constructing a love scale. A love scale provides a way to test the validity of a theory. A love scale enables couples to assess one aspect of their compatibility. A love scale provides individuals and couples an opportunity to enhance their love relationships. The one important thing to remember is that as measuring instruments love scales are far from perfect. Love scales are no different from scales for measuring intelligence or personality. An investigator might simultaneously measure intimacy with the intimacy subscale of the Triangular Love Scale and observe a couple in interaction, looking for behaviors signifying trust, caring, compassion, and communication. No scientist today believes that it is possible to capture the entire phenomenon of love through scientific study or through scales that are geared to measure love.

The purpose of the orienting to present reality (OPR) exercise is to help clients with a dissociative disorder, or help dissociative symptoms work with their ego state system to begin to experience present time and place. This generally enhances feelings of reality and security for the system as well as their sense of appropriate caring and protection by the adult client. The OPR Protocol is done in three steps: getting to know the ego state(s), using the workplace, and comparison between the present and the past. Generally, OPR will need to be repeated many times during treatment, since parts may appear who need orientation or reorientation during any phase in the therapy. This includes times during eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) trauma processing when a disoriented part(s) may appear.

This chapter outlines the basic information for assessing, managing, and discharging the normal newborn. There is growing evidence to support the need for neonatal nurses to have a better understanding of the normal newborn as they care for the sick and/or preterm infant. The nurse caring for the newborn plays a unique role in not only providing care to the newborn but also in assisting in the integration of the baby into the family. Understanding of the newborn is optimized when information related to the mother and family is known. The information from the maternal history, which includes previous health issues, prenatal, intrapartum, and postpartum histories, is critical for assessing adaptation to extrauterine life. This information gives insight into the environment from which the newborn has come and therefore helps determine the nurse’s plan of care.