Understanding Betrayals in Marriage: A Synthesized Model of Forgiveness

Forgiveness is an issue that is problematic for many couples, particularly those in marital therapy. However, little attention has been paid to this construct in the psychological literature. The purpose of this article is to describe a synthesized model of forgiveness using constructs from multiple theories, including forgiveness, trauma recovery, cognitive-behavioral, family systems, and insight-oriented theories. Forgiveness is conceptualized as a process consisting of three stages, each of which has cognitive, behavioral, and affective components. Furthermore, these stages seem to parallel a person's natural response to traumatic stress. First, there is a response to the initial impact; second, there is an attempt to give the event some kind of meaning, or put it into context; and finally, the person begins to move forward and readjust. Forgiveness is conceptualized as attaining: (a) a realistic, nondistorted, balanced view of the relationship; (b) a release from being controlled by negative affect toward the participating partner; and (c) a lessened desire to punish the participating partner. Implications for marital therapy also are discussed.     

MANAGERIAL SALARY-RAISE DECISIONS: A POLICY- CAPTURING APPROACH

Using policy-capturing and direct-ranking methodologies, managers made salary-raise decisions for 104 hypothetical employees. These employees were experimentally varied on five manipulated characteristics: (1) performance level, (2) performance consistency, (3) tenure, (4) current salary, and (5) external job offer. The main effects of these five characteristics accounted for an average of 77% of the variance in the managers' raise decisions. On the other hand, the interactions accounted for virtually no variance. Substantial individual differences were found among managers in the weights they attached to the five characteristics, even though all of the managers were from the same organization. Substantial differences were also observed in the relative importance of the five characteristics as determined by policy capturing and direct ranking. Future research and administrative practice implications are suggested, especially those regarding individual differences in attribute weights among managers.     

Doctoral Student Selection in Counselor Education: A Multidimensional Assessment Strategy

The authors describe the selection process implemented by a counselor education department for screening doctoral applicants. This 2-day selection process is designed to assess each applicant in four areas: counseling skills, interpersonal effectiveness, level of professional knowledge, and credentials.     

Using Microcomputer-Based Assessment in Career Counseling

The author provides an overview of the current status of microcomputer-based testing, reviews several testing applications available in microcomputer format, and offers ideas on future developments.     

Training Alcoholics in Telephone Skills for Contacting Potential Employers

In this study of unemployed alcoholics, the authors found that telephone skills for contacting potential employers can be taught in a standard program of alcohol treatment.     

An assimilation effect in perceptions of Sweden's political parties on the left-right dimension

The hypothesis that people would assimilate in their perceptions of the position of a preferred political party was tested using the left-right dimension in Sweden's 1976 National Election Survey. The hypothesis was supported within each of five party preference groups. People who strongly identified with their party showed a stronger tendency towd assimilation, but the effect was also present among people with a weak identification.     

A School-Based Program from Infancy to Kindergarten for Children and Their Parents

The authors present a program of service and research with preschool children that has been shown effective in providing positive preventive outcomes.     

Adding a Family Counseling Training Component to a Community Agency Counseling Master's Degree

This article presents an example of the planning and implementation of a program to retrain counselor education faculty members and then to add a family counseling specialty component to a master's degree community agency counseling program. Implications for professional development, credentialing, and improving relationships with agencies and the community are discussed.     

Prevalence and severity of anxiety, depression and Type A behaviors in angina pectoris

The role of psychological factors in coronary heart disease was examined by administering the Bech Rating Scale (BRS) of mood disorders and the Jenkins Activity Survey (JAS) for Type A behavior patterns (TABP) to a consecutive sample of angina patients ( N = 94), to a consecutive sample of noncardiac patients ( N = 47), and to a random sample of adults from the general population ( N = 217). Anxiety and depression were both more frequent and more severe in angina patients than in noncardiac patients or in the general population. There was a tendency for certain components of TABP (i. e. speed, impatience, hard-driving and competitive disposition) to be elevated in angina patients, but a similar trend was noted in noncardiac patients. Although no consistent relations were observed between negative emotions and TABP scores in angina patients, their anxiety and depression scores were reliably related to their use of nitroglycerin. The findings concur with previous studies concerning the presence of anxiety and depression in patients with angina pectoris and indicate that such negative emotions are not closely related to Type A personality traits.     

Toward an ecology of student development

A key assumption behind the Cube is that the work of counselors can be more effective as they strive toward the developmental and organizational ends of those dimensions, using whichever methods are appropriate. Blocher fills in some of the detail behind this assumption with his example of life in the elementary school classroom. He posits three subsystems in the classroom ecology. The first he calls “opportunity structure,” the second “support structure,” and the third “reward structure.” The implementation of an ecological approach to student development will require the preparation of a professional with quite different competencies and interests than has been the case. The last section of this issue is addressed to that concern.