Parent Conferences as Therapeutic Moments

This article presents a model for school-based parent conferences that is therapeutic and change focused in nature.     

Revisiting the Notion of Hierarchy

The traditional definition of hierarchy in terms of power has rendered the image of the hierarchical therapist a fit subject for constructionist critiques. This essay uses an alternative definition of hierarchy, cast in temporal and developmental terms, as the basis for a revised understanding of the role of hierarchy in the therapeutic process. It is argued that when therapy is constructed as a “framing-developing hierarchy,” rather than as a “power hierarchy,” then constructionist aspirations to create a therapy that is nonjudgmental, nonpathologizing, and noncontrolling are realized.     

Improving The Measurement of Divergent Thinking Attitudes in Organizations

Three new improved scales measuring three independent divergent thinking attitudes were developed in field research with managers and were labeled “Valuing New Ideas,” “Belief that Creativity is Not for Only a Select Few,” and “Not Feeling Too Busy for New Ideas.” These three scales represent an improvement over three scales initially identified by Basadur and Hausdorf (1996). Two studies were done. The first was a reliability study in which higher internal consistencies and improved understanding and labeling were achieved. The second was a field experiment in which preliminary evidence of external validity of the three scales was established. The scales effectively measured the changes in these attitudes that were expected after training. Opportunities for future research are identified.     

Lovers With Happy Feet: The Interdependence of Relationship and Activity Factors for Individuals Dancing With a Romantic Partner

The significance that romantic partners ascribe to joint activities and the impact these activities have on relationship quality were examined in the context of self‐determination theory. Individuals who practice ballroom dancing with a romantic partner were invited to complete measures of motivation and perception of dyadic adjustment for their relationship and when dancing. Results from path analyses suggested direct and indirect effects of relationship motivation on satisfaction when dancing with a partner. Additionally, direct and indirect effects of motivation for dancing with a partner on relationship satisfaction were also found. Overall, this study suggests that couple functioning plays a role in joint activity functioning and satisfaction. Satisfaction in joint activities can also contribute to the overall quality of the relationship.     

Beyond Bipolar Thinking: Patterns of Conflict as a Focus for Diagnosis and Intervention

Most family typologies in the history of family therapy organized the observation according to bipolar scales. The implied assumption of such models is that the attribution of the one observational characteristic is inevitably bound to the negation of its opposite characteristic. This article presents a formal observational schema that has the possibility to grasp contradictory, conflicting characteristics. Using this schema, one can develop a clinically relevant family typology, making distinctions between different patterns of interaction by which conflicts and antagonistic tendencies in families are organized. Clinical observation and experience suggests that one can distinguish families with members with psychosomatic, manic-depressive, and schizophrenic symptoms by the way they overcome conflicts and ambivalence.