Avowals and First-Person Privilege

When people avow their present feelings, sensations, thoughts, etc., they enjoy what may be called "first-person privilege." If I now said: "I have a headache," or "I'm thinking about Venice," I would be taken at my word: I would normally not be challenged. According to one prominent approach, this privilege is due to a special epistemic access we have to our own present states of mind. On an alternative, deflationary approach the privilege merely reflects a socio-linguistic convention governing avowals. We reject both approaches. On our proposed account, a full explanation of the privilege must recognize avowals as expressive performances, which can be taken to reveal directly the subject's present mental condition. We are able to improve on special access accounts and deflationary accounts, as well as familiar expressive accounts, by explaining both the asymmetries and the continuities between avowals and other pronouncements, and by locating a genuine though non-epistemic source for first-person privilege.     

FACTORS AFFECTING THE OPPORTUNITY TO PERFORM TRAINED TASKS ON THE JOB

One factor that can affect the transfer of technical skills to the job is the extent to which the trainee is given the opportunity to perform trained tasks on the job. The opportunity to perform trained tasks was conceptualized as consisting of three dimensions: breadth, activity level, and type of tasks performed. Graduates from an Air Force technical training program and their supervisors ( N = 180) responded to questionnaires measuring these three dimensions and various organizational, work context, and individual factors 4 months after the airmen had completed the training program. The results indicated that airmen obtained differential opportunities to perform trained tasks and that these differences were related to supervisory attitudes and workgroup support as well as the trainee's self-efficacy and cognitive ability. Implications for training research and practice are discussed.     

Psycho-Palliation and the Enlightened Counselor

The counseling process of psycho-palliation is presented as a type of spiritual journey that leads to enlightenment. First, the theory of psycho-palliation is defined. Then, a step-by-step outline is given on how a psycho-palliative attitude produces enlightenment for the counselor. Throughout the exposition, the theory of psycho-palliative counseling is expanded upon through the use of parables and spiritual references from the world's religions. Wosong had learned much and thought that he was ready to enter Heaven. So he went to the doors of Heaven and knocked. A voice said, “Who is there?” “It is Wosong, and I am ready to enter.” The voice replied, “I am sorry Wosong, but there is not room for me and thee.” Dejected, Wosong returned to his place, studied all the prophets and gave all he had to the poor. Once again he returned to the doors of Heaven and knocked. A voice said, “Who is there?” “It is Wosong.” The voice replied, “I am sorry Wosong, but there is not room for me and thee.” In complete confusion, Wosong returned to his place. For 7 years, he meditated on the voice of Heaven. Then, in complete humility, he knocked on the doors of Heaven. A voice said, “Who is there?” Wosong replied, “It is thyself.” So the voice said, “Enter. I always have room for myself.”     

COLLEGE STUDENTS'ATTITUDES TOWARD EMPLOYEE DRUG TESTING PROGRAMS

Drug testing programs are becoming increasingly popular, but little is known about attitudes toward various aspects of common testing programs. This study examined college students'attitudes toward several aspects of drug testing programs. Results indicate that testing is seen, under some circumstances, as appropriate and necessary. However, attitudes toward most aspects of testing were characterized by extreme variability. Virtually all aspects of drug testing programs are strongly accepted by some individuals and strongly rejected by others. Furthermore, attitudes toward employee drug testing do not appear to vary as a function of employment experience, qualifications, or political inclinations, and are not strongly related to the individual's exposure to others'drug use. One of the few consistent correlates of approval of employee drug testing was the individual's drug use; self-report frequency of drug use was negatively correlated with the acceptability of employee drug testing.     

MANAGERIAL DECISION MAKING ABOUT EMPLOYEE DISCIPLINE: A POLICY-CAPTURING APPROACH

This study examined how personnel managers ( n = 19) and line managers ( n = 28) make disciplinary decisions. Using a policy-capturing approach, subjects were asked to respond to disciplinary incidents that varied in terms of three factors likely to affect managerial attributions about the cause of the disciplinary problem (managerial provocation, personal problems, or tenure). The incidents also varied in terms of factors made relevant by the economic, institutional/legal, and hierarchical contexts. Of the six variables manipulated, the factor relating to the institutional/legal context had the largest impact on the decisions made by the personnel managers, and the factor relating to the hierarchical context had the largest impact on the decisions made by the line managers. While provocation was relatively important for both line and personnel managers, personal problems, tenure, and the economic implications of the decision had more modest impacts on managerial decisions. The results also suggest that there is substantial variation across managers in terms of the decision rules employed when responding to disciplinary cases.     

Circumplex Model of Marital and Family Systems: Vl. Theoretical Update

This paper updates the theoretical work on the Circumplex Model and provides revised and new hypotheses. Similarities and contrasts to the Beavers Systems Model are made along with comments regarding Beavers and Voeller's critique. FACES II, a newly revised assessment tool, provides both "perceived" and "ideal" family assessment that is useful empirically and clinically.     

Ethics,Violence, and Counseling: Hear No Evil,See No Evil,Speak No Evil?

Situations involving violence directed either at a client or by a client pose ethical and legal dilemmas for the mental health professional. The authors present information concerning both ethical and legal aspects of violence as they relate to client welfare, dangerousness, confidentiality or duty to warn, and counselor violence. In certain situations, case material is used to illustrate both the ethical standards and the laws and statutes that provide directives for professional behavior.     

MANAGERIAL DECISION MAKING ABOUT EMPLOYEE GRIEVANCES: THE IMPACT OF THE GRIEVANT'S WORK HISTORY

This study uses field data to examine whether managerial decisions about employee grievances are influenced by the grievant's work history with the organization. Additionally, because aspects of the grievant's history may be contractually relevant when evaluating grievances over disciplinary issues, the study examines whether the impact of the grievant's work history varies with the nature of the grievance. The results suggest that managers, at later stages of the grievance process, are influenced by the grievant's work history-even when that history is not relevant to evaluating the merits of the grievance. In finding this, the results suggest that inconsistencies exist in terms of the treatment of employees within the grievance system.