Circumplex Model of Marital and Family Systems: I. Cohesion and Adaptability Dimensions,Family Types,and Clinical Applications

The conceptual clustering of numerous concepts from family therapy and other social science fields reveals two significant dimensions of family behavior, cohesion and adaptability. These two dimensions are placed into a circumplex model that is used to identify 16 types of marital and family systems. The model proposes that a balanced level of both cohesion and adaptability is the most functional to marital and family development. It postulates the need for a balance on the cohesion dimension between too much closeness (which leads to enmeshed systems) and too little closeness (which leads to disengaged systems). There also needs to be a balance on the adaptability dimension between too much change (which leads to chaotic systems) and too little change (which leads to rigid systems). The model was developed as a tool for clinical diagnosis and for specifying treatment goals with couples and families.     

Deterioration in Marital and Family Therapy: Empirical,Clinical, and Conceptual Issues

Recent empirical evidence of deterioration during both nonbehavioral and behavioral marital and family therapy is presented. While the frequency of patient worsening in marital-family therapy does not appear to exceed that previously found for individual psychotherapy, the acceptability of the evidence for negative effects in the treatment of systems may be greater than that which exists for individual treatment. After examining the empirical evidence of negative effects in family therapy and some of the factors that influence their occurrence, the authors discuss some conceptual issues relevant to a definition of worsening in marital and family therapy and present some methodological guidelines for the assessment of deterioration in therapy with family systems. It is concluded that the study of deterioration processes in family therapy may aid the understanding of family change processes more generally.     

Behavioral Marriage Therapy. IV. Take Two Aspirin and Call Us in the Morning

The Jacobson-Weiss critique of the Gurman-Knudson and Gurman-Kniskern discussions of behavioral marriage therapy (BMT), while scholarly, derives from such a narrow conceptual set that, with only minor exceptions, Jacobson and Weiss have failed basically to comprehend the essence of our theoretical and logical criticisms of BMT. Moreover, a careful reanalysis of the research cited by our critics as evidence for the efficacy of BMT reveals the strength of the empirical foundation of this approach to have been greatly exaggerated. While few of our concerns about a preominantly behavioral approach to marriage therapy have been ameliorated by Jacobson and Weiss' commentary, some success seems to have been achieved in terms of our original purpose: to stimulate critical thinking about the premises and process of marital therapy.     

A BEHAVIORAL CONSISTENCY APPROACH TO DECISION MAKING IN EMPLOYMENT SELECTION

Evaluations of applicants made using an assessment process which incorporates many practices and procedures advocated in the literature but often disregarded in employment were examined. Two employment interviewers and 29 line managers independently evaluated 181 applicants for manufacturing production work in terms of 5 factors of effective performance. Average interrater reliabilities ranged from .60 to .69. Results indicated reliabilities were comparable for applicants grouped by race and sex, and that interviewers were calibrated with one another in terms of level of evaluations. The assessment model described in the present study is discussed in terms of its suitability as a vehicle for further research in employment interviewing and its practical usefulness.     

The Efficacy of Group Counseling with Older Adults

This article argues that group counseling is more conducive to coaching older adults than is the traditional one-to-one approach.     

The Role of Applicant Nonverbal Communication in the Employment Interview

This research examined the effects that the nonverbal behavior of job applicants had on subsequent hiring evaluations. Interviewees (n = 32) were instructed to use one of four styles of nonverbal behavior during the recording of short job interviews with a standard content. The videotaped interviews were watched by behavior raters (n = 22), who assessed nonverbal-cue usage, and by judges (n = 50), who evaluated the applicants as prospective employees. The applicants were also rated by judges (n = 30) for physical attractiveness. Results supported the hypothesis that nonverbal behavior in the job interview operates as subtle reinforcement. Implications for job-counseling programs are discussed.     

On the Reclaiming of Denied Affects in Family therapy

A central developmental task of the family is to help its members develop the capacity to cope with the grief attendant on separation and loss. In order to work through such feelings, each member must first be able to acknowledge the affect as present, internal, and belonging to the self. Depending on the degree of intrapsychic differentiation, and the dread of abandonment, family members may seek to avoid awareness of such feelings within themselves. The disclaimed emotions remain powerful unconscious motivators of behavior, exerting their influence despite their denial. Some typical clinical illustrations of this are provided. Excerpts from conjoint family therapy are then presented to illustrate the therapeutic interventions made in assisting a family to acknowledge denied grief over the separation of one of its members along with unspoken tender feelings within the family. This paper affirms the continued relevance of a psychodynamic, interpretative approach for families struggling with unresolved grief.