Directed Evolution

Though we humans are immensely more gifted than other animals, yet we are not the outcome of an inevitable selection of the 'fittest'. Nor on the other hand is our importance diminished by our evolutionary inheritance. Besides, we are already here! Faith in inevitable progress is a 'scientific', not a Christian, delusion. We realise that the universe has its own rules and complications which intrude on our lives and often thwart our choices. It is therefore legitimate to talk of chance, but we often fail to appreciate the real significance of this word. Chance is not a cause; in essence it refers to our own consciousness that we are immersed in circumstance, and it has no reality without our own purposiveness. Thus chance is not some blind and indifferent or even hostile cosmic mystery; it is the occasion of our own responses, and it even offers the opportunity of human growth. Just as we accept the laws (and dangers) of physics (e.g. gravitation), as the framework of our ordered existence, so also we may accept the surprises of chance without any despairing conclusion either from our latest researches in astronomy or from a fatal accident in the street.     

FACTORS AFFECTING PRE-DECISIONAL COMMUNICATION BEHAVIOR AFTER HELPING REQUESTS1

A field experiment was conducted to explore the relationship between two known determinants of helpfulness (cost of helping and dependency of other) and predecisional communication behavior. Male undergraduates were contacted by telephone and asked to volunteer for a survey study. The caller was either very dependent or less dependent on the subject for help. The survey was described as taking 3 hours (high cost), 1 hour (moderate cost), or 20 minutes (low cost). Following the request for aid, the information seeking and information giving behavior of the subject was coded. As anticipated, the greatest information giving was elicited from non-helpers, especially among subjects in the high cost-high dependency condition. Path analysis of the data indicated a causal sequence in which information giving mediated the effects of cost on decision to help. The findings were discussed in terms of Schwartz's (1975) model of normative behavior.     

AIDS Education: Professional Ethics,Social Advocacy,and Religious Values

The author encourages AIDS education efforts to attend to religious pluralism in society and to illustrate the self-monitoring that is identified with professional activity.     

Fanaticism That May Lead to a Nuclear Holocaust: The Contributions of Scientific Counseling and Psychotherapy

The author considers some of the fanatical beliefs that may possibly lead to a nuclear holocaust in the not-too-distant future, shows how dangerous these ideas are, and suggests that one of the best ways to minimize this kind of absolutistic and dogmatic thinking is through the psycho-educational approach pioneered by scientific counseling and psychotherapy.     

An Interview with Retired and Emeritus Counselors

The authors mailed a questionnaire to all APGA members identified as holding retired or emeritus status in order to gather information about their backgrounds and present living conditions. This article explores some of the respondents' life dreams, career patterns, family interactions, and the stresses and joys of their lives.