Perceptions of primary family therapy supervisory techniques: A critical incident analysis

This study surveyed a randomly selected group of Approved Supervisors of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (n=275) and their supervisees (n=266) on their perceptions of the primary supervisory technique used in supervisory incidents that had a positive effect on supervisee development. Individual case consultation was the technique most often identified by both supervisors and supervisees.This study was funded in part by grants from the Research Committee of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy; the Agricultural Experiment Station, Purdue University; and the School of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Purdue University Calumet.     

Supervisors' and Supervisees' perceptions of the effectiveness of family therapy supervisor interpersonal skills

Abstract

This study surveyed a randomly selected group of Approved Supervisors of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (n=318) and their supervisees (n=299) on their perceptions of the effectiveness of several supervisor interpersonal skills. Both supervisors and supervisees had high ratings for the majority of the interpersonal skills and rated “respects the supervisee” most effective. Trends in supervisors' and supervisees' responses were assessed for (a) theoretical orientation, (b) supervision setting, (c) gender, (d) number of years supervising family therapists (for supervisors), and (e) number of years practicing family therapy (for supervisees).     

Perceptions of single and multiple incident rape

This investigation focused on impressions of single and multiple incident rape victims. College as well as non-college male and female samples reported their perceptions of a rape victim who was raped for the first time or who experienced a prior rape 1, 3, or 8 years previously. Half of the fictional victims with prior rape histories were described as having reported and half as not having reported the earlier incident. No differences in perceptions were related to initial or repeat victimization. Attempts to ward off realization of vulnerability to victimization were offered as explanations for differences in male and female observers' perceptions. College and non-college sample differences in observers' perceptions were discussed in terms of differences in living experience. Caution seems warranted in estimating the general public's perceptions of rape victims from assessments based on college student samples.This investigation was supported by a grant from the University of North Texas Organized Faculty Research Fund. Special thanks are extended to the Legal Services Department of the Dallas/Ft. Worth International Airport for their assistance and to Jack Haynes for assistance in the data analysis.     

A critical examination of Michael Polanyi's conception of skills

In this paper I will consider some of the main issues in Michael Polanyi's discussion of ‘Skills’ from Chapter 4 of his book Personal Knowledge published in 1958.The concept of ‘skill’ features prominently in psychological theories of human performance in activities such as games, gymnastics, swimming and dance; such theories are often applied to other spheres of human activity in which issues about skill acquisition arise. It is not surprising to discover that skill theory is considered to be essential to the study of human movement and physical education. Physical education teachers in schools have consistently maintained that ‘skill acquisition’ is a major objective for the P.E. curriculum — see Kane 1974. Yet concepts such as ‘skill’, ‘ability’ and ‘know-how’ are constituent features of practical knowledge therefore the notion of ‘skill acquisition’ on its own will not do as a curriculum objective since all instances of skill and practical knowledge are specific to their contexts, namely, to different practical activities. If particular activities are valued in schools in the pursuit of children's learning and education it seems necessary to clarify the epistemological features of such activities in order to understand what it means to teach them and what it means for children to learn and know-how to perform them successfully. It is in these respects that the concept of ‘skill’ in different human activities should attract the interest of physical education students. In order to draw attention to major features of Polanyi's thesis on the nature of ‘skill’ I shall consider the relevance of his ideas about skill and knowledge in relation to human action theory. I suggest that misconceptions may arise in teaching and learning theories relating to ‘playing soccer’ if the basic underlying ideas about ‘skill’ in human activities are inconsistent with ideas about human action or, say, practical reasoning. It is this issue that is not, in my view, attended to by Polanyi in his discussion of ‘skill’. Thus, if my criticisms of Polanyi's ideas are shown to be valid it will be necessary, by implication that is, to exercise caution before any attempt is made to use his thesis as a basis from which to formulate ideas about teaching skills and skill acquisition. The extensive use I make of quotations from Polanyi's writings is necessary because it is towards Polanyi's use of language in his explanation of ‘skills’ that much of my criticism is directed. It is hoped that what follows may provide students of human movement and physical education with an insight into Polanyi's view of ‘skills’ in particular and to issues related to skill theory and human action in general.     

Ruminative and reflective forms of self-focus: Their relationships with interpersonal skills and emotional reactivity under interpersonal stress

Self-focus can be divided into adaptive and maladaptive aspects, that is, self-reflection and self-rumination respectively. This study explores how these distinctive forms of self-focus are associated with interpersonal skills required for beginning and maintaining social relationships, and with negative emotional regulation when one experiences interpersonal problems. A survey of 150 undergraduates (Study 1) indicated contrasting cross-sectional associations between self-reflection and self-rumination and interpersonal skills; self-rumination is associated with perceived impaired interpersonal skills, whereas self-reflection is associated with the improved skills. In Study 2, using a four-wave longitudinal design, we investigated the buffering effects of self-rumination and self-reflection on negative emotional reactivity to interpersonal conflicts. Analysis of multilevel models indicated that self-rumination predicts a greater increase in negative affect after one experiences negative interpersonal events, whereas self-reflection had no such effects on the negative affect. These results suggest that self-rumination is associated with perceived impaired interpersonal skills, which could delay problem solving and exacerbate the effect of interpersonal problems, thereby leading to dysphoria. In contrast, self-reflection might contribute to the maintenance of relationships in usual or stable conditions but does not aid emotion regulation or problem solving in difficult or negative situations such as when one experiences interpersonal problems.     

Sexual activity among Zambian female teenagers: the role of interpersonal skills.

This study examined the relationship between interpersonal skills and sexual activity among female adolescents in Zambia. Data from 390 females in seven schools were analyzed. Results indicated that the inability to say no was associated with coital and noncoital sexual activity. The findings suggest that family planning programs should consider the role of interpersonal skills in controlling adolescent fertility.     

Forgiveness and psychological adjustment following interpersonal transgressions: A longitudinal analysis

Forgiveness is often assumed to be adaptive for psychological adjustment following interpersonal transgressions. Three hundred and forty seven individuals who had experienced a recent interpersonal transgression were surveyed on four occasions over the course of six weeks. Forgiveness was assessed with scales measuring interpersonal avoidance and revenge motivation and psychological adjustment was assessed with scales measuring depression and rumination. Latent growth curve analyses showed that intraindividual changes in forgiveness were positively correlated with changes in adjustment. Latent difference score analyses indicated that adjustment predicted subsequent change in forgiveness, but that forgiveness did not predict subsequent change in adjustment. The results suggest that adjustment facilitates forgiveness, but not that forgiveness facilitates adjustment.     

Group interpersonal skills training in a natural setting: an experimental study.

This study assessed effectiveness of group interpersonal skills training conducted in a natural setting with nonanalogue clients. Subjects (Ss) in a behavioral-training condition received 4 hr of instruction consisting of modeling, behavioral rehearsal, coaching, feedback and reinforcement. Training focused on positive and negative social responses and on initiating interactions, as well as reacting to interactions initiated by others. Subjects in a discussion-control condition engaged in focused discussion of interpersonal concerns but received no experiential practice. Within a pre-test-post-test control group design, subjective and objective measures were used to assess training effects. When compared to Ss involved in group discussion. Ss participating in group behavioral training revealed greater pre- to post-test changes on selfreported probability of engaging in selected interpersonal responses and on objective measures of eye contact, speech duration, positive affective responses, use of no-statements, compliance, refusals and requests for new behavior. Support for generalization of training is presented and methodological issues are discussed.     

Utility of cognitive-behavioral procedures for social skills training with children: A critical review

Thirty-three studies that have used cognitive-behavioral social skills training procedures were critically reviewed. These studies were classified under four broad categories: (a) modeling, (b) coaching, (c) treatment packages, and (d) social problem solving. Seven criteria were used to critically evaluate these studies: (a) subject characteristics, (b) treatment specification, (c) out come measures, (d) statistical analyses, (e) experimental design, (f) generalization, and (g) cost effectiveness.     

Intrapsychic and interpersonal guilt: a critical review of the recent literature

Various authors hold that some emotions (i.e., moral emotions) have the function of orienting people toward ethical actions. In addition to embarrassment, shame and pride, the moral emotion of guilt is believed to affect humans’ behavior when they carry out transgressions that violate social and cultural standards. Over the past century, many studies (including controversial ones) have been conducted on guilt. In this study, we analyzed and summarized mainly the most recent literature on this emotion. On one side, the destructiveness of guilt is emphasized. It inflicts punishment and pain on individuals for their errors and can lead to psychopathology (e.g., depression). On the other side, it is described as a “friendly” emotion that motivates behavior adapted to social and cultural rules. How can this asymmetry be explained? Different existing views on guilt are presented and discussed, together with recent proposals, supported by research data. Finally, we discussed some systematic models that try to incorporate these different views in a single framework that could facilitate future researches.     

The effect of social skills training procedures on the acquisition of appropriate interpersonal skills for mentally retarded adults

A pretest/posttest control group design was utilized to examine the effect of social skills training on social interactions with peers, conversational interactions with a novel partner, and ratings of overall social functioning. The results failed to support the hypothesis that social skills training could increase the generalization of overall conversational responding of mentally retarded adults. The results showed that social skills training augmented with self-monitored videotape feedback could not optimize the effects of social skills training alone. The subjects did demonstrate acquisition of the targeted behaviors during training by meeting preestablished criteria for all of the training sessions. However, the subjects failed to generalize those behaviors across settings to in vivosocial situations.     

Worry: A critical analysis of some theoretical approaches

Abstract

It is suggested that worry has not been given serious academic attention due to problems of definition, and a prevailing belief that it is an unnecessary addition to the theorists vocabulary given the term “anxiety”. However, an increasing awareness of the importance of cognitive factors in emotional disorders makes the study of worry a necessary endeavour. Furthermore, inclusion of worry in DSM III-R as the principle diagnostic index of Generalised Anxiety Disorder has given the term clinical credibility. Three theoretical approaches to the subject of worry are considered: the test anxiety literature, which has focused on the effects of worry on performance, and two largely clinical accounts, a tripartite theory of worry and anxiety proposed by Borkovec, Metzger, and Pruzinsky (1986), and the model of anxious apprehension proposed by Barlow (1988). All approaches are critically evaluated, and suggestions made for future formulations.