The counselor and civil liberties

Although educators tend to talk positively about freedom, civil liberties are often denied to students as a matter of course. Since the counseling profession is committed to the concepts of individual development and human dignity, counselors have no choice but to stand firmly in favor of civil liberties and against repression. Their role should include working toward democratization of the environment, acting as civil liberties advocates for individual students whose rights are in jeopardy, and providing support for counselees who choose to dissent against conventionally accepted policies of school or society.     

Roles of fundamentalism and authoritarianism in relations between religiosity and civil liberties among Muslims

Two cross-sectional studies were conducted with undergraduate and graduate students (mean age = 22 years) in two university campuses in different regions of Turkey to investigate confrontations between conservative religious people and secular-liberal people and the roles of fundamentalism and authoritarianism for these groups. Study 1 investigated the connections between traditional religiosity and liberties and the impact of religious fundamentalism with a sample of 482 participants. Using hierarchical multiple linear regression and bootstrapping analysis, religiosity was seen as negatively connected to three components of liberties. It was shown that religious fundamentalism had an indirect effect on this connection. In Study 2, with a sample of 260 participants, the negative connection between traditional religiosity with liberties was confirmed. Further, it was found that particularly the conservatism dimension of right-wing authoritarianism played an explanatory role in this connection. In addition, as an extension of the two studies, it was observed that secular-liberal participants supported civil liberties in general, but they expressed opposition to freedom of religion in particular, indicating that the antagonism between religious and secular people may also stem from secular-liberal people. It was found that dimension of aggression of left-wing authoritarianism played an explanatory role in connection to this aspect.     

The “ambiguous liberties” of the commodified female body

This paper takes issue with the concept of liberty advocated for by contemporary legal feminists. Freedom, for such thinkers, represents bodily freedom, and freedom from unnecessary constraint upon the activities of female bodies. This paper argues that in a patriarchal capitalist society, such notions of female liberty are problematic. Firstly, such notions fail to recognise that freedom of choice is not equivalent to welfare or well-being. Secondly, legal feminist notions of liberty reinforce a form of bodily self-objectification. Through analysis of the function of the beauty myth in consumerist society, this article connects this self-objectifiying tendency in legal feminism to the commodification of the female body in capitalist society.     

Counselors,not political agitators

This is a rejoinder to the article by Harold J. Adams that appeared in the April 1973 issue of this journal. The discussion centers around the relationship of counselors to the social order and political system of this country. The author questions the basic premises presented by Adams, especially the assumption that social alienation is a natural outcome of the American system. He points out that the collectivism advocated by Adams would be counterproductive to solving the social ills of American life and suggests other strategies to promote effective social change.     

Counselors and the noncollege-bound student

Students in vocational curriculums, along with other noncollege-bound students, have long been the stepchildren of the American educational system. There are numerous factors that suggest why this pattern has developed and why it has generally been accepted by educators. Contemporary forces and movements, such as the career education thrust, reveal major shifts for all educational personnel in this respect. The focus of this article is on the obligations and roles of guidance personnel in this process of change. Stress is placed on four major types of changes: structural changes, preparation changes, programmatic changes, and directional changes.     

Selection,Function, and Assessment of Residence Hall Counselors

Two studies are reported which are concerned with the program of counseling in the women's residence halls of the University of Illinois. The first study demonstrated the inadequacy of the MMPI as a selection instrument for graduate assistants (G.A.'s) serving as residence hall counselors. The second study demonstrated: that students, G.A.'s, head residents, deans, and professional psychologists differ significantly in their definition of the G.A.'s function; that they differ less in defining the attributes of an ideal G.A.; that head residents and students do not differ significantly in their rating of a real G.A.; that the less experienced and the less able students ask more of a G.A. and value her more highly; that the program is functioning well as judged by student endorsement; and that neither the Strong, the Edwards, nor the CPI discriminate between the better and poorer G.A.'s. The data also suggest caution in generalizing results from one institution to another.     

Needed: Competent,Confident, and Committed Career Counselors

Gelso, C., Prince, J., Cornfeld, J., Payne, A., Royalty, G., & Wiley, M. (1985). Quality of counselors intake evaluations for clients with problems that are primarily vocational versus personal. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 32, 339–347. Pinkney, J., & Jacobs, D. (1985). New counselor's and personal interest in the tasks of career counseling. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 32, 454–457.     

Counselors and the Legalization of Physician-Assisted Suicide

With the shift in Americans' beliefs regarding legalizing physician-assisted suicide for the terminally ill, counselors must be prepared to counsel clients who have decided to end their lives. For counselors to avoid violating the ethical guidelines established by the American Counseling Association (ACA) regarding counseling these clients, a reevaluation of the ACA ethical standards may be needed.     

Archetypal Identity Development,Meaning in Life,and Life Satisfaction: Differences Among Clinical Mental Health Counselors,School Counselors,and Counselor Educators

Adults pursuing careers in counselor education, clinical mental health counseling, and counselor education (N = 256) participated in a study that examined relationships among archetypal identity development, meaning in life, and life satisfaction. Significant differences between groups existed for 5 archetypal identities, and meaning in life was significantly related to life satisfaction.