The Effectiveness of Argumentative Strategies

In this article, I further analyze the notion of the effectiveness of argumentative strategies, introduced in Jovičić, 2001. The most relevant achievements of the theories of reasonable discussion and the theories of persuasion are called to mind with the aim of explaining the mechanism of the argumentative effectiveness. As a result, a procedure for evaluating the effectiveness of argumentative strategies is suggested.     

Strategies for coping with career indecision: Concurrent and predictive validity

Recently, Lipshits-Braziler, Gati, and Tatar (2015a) proposed a model of strategies for coping with career indecision (SCCI), comprising three main types of strategies: Productive coping, Support-seeking, and Nonproductive coping. Using a two-wave longitudinal design (30-week time lag), the effects of these strategies on career decision status and career decision-making difficulties were tested among 251 students in a college preparatory program. The results showed that the use of Nonproductive coping strategies at the beginning of the program was associated with and predicted a higher degree of individuals' career decision-making difficulties, and also distinguished between decided and undecided participants at both the beginning and the end of the program, thus partially supporting the concurrent and the predictive validity of the SCCI. Furthermore, a decrease in the use of Nonproductive strategies over time predicted a decrease in individuals' career decision-making difficulties. In addition, a decrease in the use of Nonproductive coping strategies and an increase in the use of Productive ones predicted individuals' advancement toward making a career decision. Theoretical and counseling implications are discussed.     

Nie Wieder: Group‐Based Emotions for In‐Group Wrongdoing Affect Attitudes toward Unrelated Minorities

This article focuses on the effects of group‐based emotions for in‐group wrongdoing on attitudes towards seemingly unrelated groups. Two forms of shame are distinguished from one another and from guilt and linked to positive and negative attitudes towards an unrelated minority. In Study 1 (N = 203), Germans' feelings of moral shame—arising from the belief that the in‐group's Nazi past violates an important moral value—are associated with increased support for Turks living in Germany. Image shame—arising from a threatened social image—is associated with increased social distance. In Study 2 (N = 301), Britons' emotions regarding atrocities committed by in‐group members during the war in Iraq have similar links with attitudes towards Pakistani immigrants. We extend the findings of Study 1 by demonstrating that the effects are mediated by a sense of moral obligation and observed more strongly when the unrelated group is perceived as similar to the harmed group. Guilt was unrelated to any outcome variable across both studies. Theoretical and practical implications about the nature of group‐based emotions and their potential for affecting wider intergroup relations are discussed.     

The Linguistic Therapy of Evaluation: A Treatment Plan for Silvia

This paper describes the treatment of a depressed woman, Silvia (I. Caro, 2001), treated with the linguistic therapy of evaluation. The linguistic therapy of evaluation is a type of cognitive psychotherapy developed from the theory of general semantics. The theory and the treatment are based on the use of language and the role this plays in the development of emotional problems such as anxiety and depression. We briefly describe the main conceptual and assessment issues of the therapy and the procedure followed in the case of Silvia. The aim of the therapy is to change patients' evaluations, that is, to help them to develop an extensional orientation instead of an intensional orientation, which is assumed to be at the core of emotional problems. The paper ends with a brief review of the process and outcome research that has demonstrated the efficacy and the clinical process of the linguistic therapy of evaluation.     

A Psychological Support for Peacekeeping Soldiers and their Families: A Preliminary Model

Being a military family can be challenging, and the demands placed on soldiers and their families can become very complex. Military deployments are part of a soldier's military career that cannot be avoided and have the potential to influence military families directly. Separation within a military family is an inherent consequence of military deployments. Military deployments consist of various phases. Each phase has unique emotional and psychological challenges attached to it. These challenges can significantly influence every member in the military family. It is therefore imperative that the military, soldier and military families be sensitized around these phases and their unique challenges. A model is proposed to empower military families in the face of deployment.     

A randomized pilot study of mindfulness‐based cognitive therapy and group cognitive‐behavioral therapy for young adults with social phobia

Piet, J., Hougaard, E., Hecksher, M. S., & Rosenberg, N. K. (2010). A randomized pilot study of mindfulness‐based cognitive therapy and group cognitive‐behavioral therapy for young adults with social phobia. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology, 51, 403–410. Twenty‐six young participants, 18–25 years, with social phobia (SP) were randomly assigned to eight 2‐hour sessions of group mindfulness‐based cognitive therapy (MBCT) and twelve 2‐hour sessions of group cognitive‐behavioral therapy (CBT) in a crossover design with participants receiving treatments in reversed order. Outcome was assessed after treatments, and at 6‐ and 12‐month follow‐ups. MBCT achieved moderate‐high pre‐post effect sizes (d = 0.78 on a composite SP measure), not significantly different from, although numerical lower than those of CBT (d = 1.15). Participants in both groups further improved in the periods following their first and second treatment until 6‐months follow‐up (pre‐follow‐up ds = 1.42 and 1.62). Thus, MBCT might be a useful, low cost treatment for SP, although, probably, less efficacious than CBT.     

A Teacher-Consultation Approach to Social Skills Training for Pre-Kindergarten Children: Treatment Model and Short-Term Outcome Effects

This study evaluated the post-treatment outcome effects of a classroom-based social skills program for pre-kindergarten children, using a teacher-consultation model. The pre-K RECAP (Reaching Educators, Children, and Parents) program is a semi-structured, cognitive-behavioral skills training program that provides teachers with in-classroom consultation on program implementation and classroom-wide behavior management. Data on children's social skills and behavior problems were collected from parents and teachers at pre- and post-treatment, for 149 children aged 4–5 years (of whom 56% were girls). Significant treatment effects were found for teacher but not parent reports, with treatment group children improving significantly more than comparison group children in their teacher-rated social skills and internalizing and externalizing problems. These results provide some preliminary support for the efficacy of the program on children's social skills and behavior problems, and for a teacher-consultation model for training teachers to implement school-based mental health programs.     

A Model for Building School–Family–Community Partnerships: Principles and Process

The extant literature documents the importance of school counselors’ roles in school–family–community partnerships, yet no model exists to guide school counselors through the process of building partnerships. The authors propose a model to help school counselors navigate the process and principles of partnerships. They define partnerships; discuss the principles of democratic collaboration, empowerment, social justice, and strengths focus that should infuse partnerships; enumerate a partnership process model; and discuss implications for practice and research.