A Psychoeducational Group Intervention for Family Members of Persons with HIV/AIDS

We describe a psychoeducational group intervention for family members of persons living with AIDS. The 33 family members were compared with 13 waiting-list controls in order to evaluate the effectiveness of the intervention. We focus on the practice aspects of the intervention, its development and implementation, and our belief that it is an apparently effective approach for helping family members work through the social and emotional aspects of the devastating impact of HIV/AIDS.     

The Conjoint Family Drawing

A new technique, the Conjoint Family Drawing, is described as a means of assessing family functioning. The method is projective as well as interactive, reflecting individual feelings and group interaction. Fourteen randomly chosen families, whose children had been referred to a Child Psychiatry Clinic, were studied. They were observed in a structured, performance-task-oriented session where they collaborated on drawing a picture of their family, which was discussed with them on its completion. Analyzing the data on all of the family portraits, six relevant dimensions were identified: 1) organizing role, 2) sequence, 3) size, 4) choice of person, 5) isolation, and 6) content. Clinical material is presented to demonstrate the value of the Conjoint Family Drawing as a potential research instrument, a diagnostic tool and a therapeutic device.     

The Influence of Parents on Female Business Students' Salary and Work Hour Expectations

This study examined the salary and work hour expectations of male and female business students. The study also examined the influence of parents on the development of those expectations. Results show that fathers had more influence than mothers had on both sons' and daughters' salary and work hour expectations.     

Identity Development and Worldview: Toward an Optimal Conceptualization

Positive self-identity is not easily attained in this culture. This premise is supported by the pervasive number of “-isms” (e.g., racism, sexism, heterosexism, ageism) and their adverse impact on those who are defined as inferior by the dominant way of perceiving. Examination of the conceptual system that predisposes people to these “-isms” concludes that (a) it is the nature of the conceptual system that is inherently oppressive and (b) all who adhere to this conceptual system have a difficult time developing and maintaining a positive identity. This article postulates a new way of describing the identity development process under oppression using optimal theory (Myers, 1988). From this optimal worldview, oppression is perceived as self-alienating and yielding a fragmented sense of self, based upon devaluation by self and others. Therefore, identity development is a process of integrating and expanding one's sense of self. Optimal theory provides a new inclusive model of identity development, which is described, along with its applications for counseling practice. No es facíl obtener una identidad positiva de uno mismo en esta cultura. Esta premisa se apoya en la gran cantidad de “-ismos” (e.g., racismo, sexismo, heterosexismo, “edadismo”) y los impactos adversos en la gente que sería definida como inferior por la manera dominante de percibirlo. La conclusión de un examen del sistema conceptual que predispone a las personas a estos “-ismos” es que (a) la naturaleza del sistema conceptual es inheréntemente opresivo, y (b) todos aquellos que se adhieran a este sistema conceptual tendrán dificultades con el desarrollo y mantemiento de una identidad positiva. Este artículo postula una nueva manera de describir el proceso del desarrolo de la identidad bajo opresión utilizando la teoría óptima (Myers, 1.988). Desde esta visión universal óptima, se ve a la opresión como autoalienación y creadora de un sentido fragmentado del yo, basado en la devaluación por uno mismo y por los demás. Por tanto, el desarrollo de la indentidad es un proceso de integración y amplificación de la percepción de uno mismo. Esta óptima teoría nos da un modelo inclusive nuevo del desarrollo de identidad, lo cual se describe, junta con sus aplicacions para la práctica de consejería.     

The Complexities of Diversity: Exploring Multiple Oppressions

There has been a growth of identity development models in multicultural psychology for the past 20 years; these frameworks, however, rarely acknowledge the complexities of multiple identities and multiple oppressions. The purpose of this article is to challenge our understanding of cultural diversity beyond its current simplistic frameworks. Alternative worldviews, such as Afrocentric psychology, can broaden our comprehension of human diversity and are used to examine the identity development literature. Several case examples of individuals experiencing multiple identities and multiple oppressions are explored to illustrate the complexities of cultural diversity. Implications for counseling, training, and research are briefly discussed. Durante los últimos veinte años ha habido un aumento de modelos de desarrollo de identidad en la consejería multicultural; sin embargo, estos cuadros no suelen reconocer las complejidades de identidades múltiples y opresiones múltiples. El propósitio de este artículo es desafiar a nuestro conocimiento de diversidad yendo más allá de sus simplistas cuadros actuales. Visiones universales alternativas, como la consejería afrocéntrica, pueden ampliar nuestra comprensión de la diversidad humana y pueden ser usadas para examinar la literatura del desarrollo de identidad. Para ilustrar las complejidades de diversidad, se exploran varios ejemplos de individuos que sufren de identidades múltiples y de opresiones múltiples. Se discuten las implicaciones para la conserjería, el entrenamiento y la investigación.     

Employee Counseling Services: Ethical Dilemmas

Issues surrounding the definition, identification, and handling of emotional problems in the work environment are presented. Strategies for dealing with these dilemmas are provided.     

Enriching Mentoring Relationships

This article focuses on counselors' use of new research on mentoring relationships. The research indicated mentoring is a behavioral phenomenon not dependent on personal traits. Some other common assumptions were unsupported.     

Gender differences in power and self-disclosure in dating and married couples

The relationship between power and self-disclosure was studied for 20 dating and 20 married couples. Power and self-disclosure scales (of feelings and of accomplishments) were constructed and administered individually. We hypothesized that: (1) Women disclose more about feelings than men. (2) Men disclose more about accomplishments than women. (3) Power is positively correlated with disclosure of accomplishments. (4) Power is negatively correlated with disclosure of feelings and weaknesses. (5) Dating men are more powerful than dating women, but there are no gender differences in power in marriage. Hypotheses 1,3, and 5 were supported. Hypotheses 2 and 4 were rejected. Our findings revealed that there were no differences in power or disclosure of accomplishments between men and women for the total group. However, a significant interaction was found between gender and marital status for power. Dating men had more power than dating women, but married women had more power than married men. Last, women disclosed more feelings than men across both groups.     

Qur'anic Recitation and The Aesthetics of Piety

Qur'anic recitation and azan (the call to prayer) are heard everywhere on the Muslim–Arabian Peninsula. Even those outside the Islamic tradition find Qur'anic recitation (tilawa) very beautiful. This article is an attempt to work out some of the puzzles—aesthetic and moral—of appreciating tilawa from outside the tradition. I defend an appreciation of tilawa that is aware and admiring of its piety, but appreciates it as an object of beauty. I further attempt to show how this does not violate Islamic precepts on the “art” of tilawa.