"Detoxification" of Vietnam War Trauma: A Combined Family-Individual Approach

Treatment with families of veterans suffering from the aftereffects of combat trauma in the Vietnam War often requires a preliminary phase of disjoint treatment, in which family members are seen separately, before conjoint treatment can proceed. In this disjoint phase of treatment, wives and children are introduced to the brutal realities of Vietnam combat experience and to an understanding of its sequelae. This disjoint phase of family therapy detoxifies combat experience so that it can be approached in subsequent conjoint sessions along with more traditional family therapy issues.     

THE EFFECTS OF PERCEIVED SYSTEM KNOWLEDGE ON THE AGREEMENT BETWEEN SELF-RATINGS AND SUPERVISOR RATINGS

The viability of self-assessment in the performance appraisal process has been the focus of recent work. Although some contend that self-appraisals can be beneficial, the consistent finding of lenient and inaccurate self-ratings has led others to discount and doubt their usefulness. Recent research (Farh & Dobbins, 1989a,b) has investigated the influence of a variety of factors in improving the accuracy of self-ratings. The present study was conducted to examine the effect of perceived system knowledge (PSK) on the discrepancy between self- and supervisor ratings. Seventy-three employees of two banking institutions participated by completing a questionnaire on their perceived knowledge of the performance appraisal system. The results of moderated regression analyses suggest that the level of knowledge did in fact influence the agreement among subordinates and supervisors. Self-ratings were more congruent with supervisors'ratings when the subordinates reported high levels of perceived system knowledge. Implications of these findings for organizations and areas for future research are discussed.     

Some Thoughts on Ego Development and Counseling

Loevinger responds to Swensen on (a) the exact number of stages in ego development (or any other stage theory) (b) the importance of considering the client's ego level and that of counseling students (c) the need for more research on the optimum level for the counselor in relation to the client, and (d) the aims of therapy and psychoanalysis.     

Family participation in the treatment of alcoholism

The effect of family involvement on the efficacy of alcoholic treatment was investigated. Degree of family involvement, as measured by the participation of the wives of 60 alcoholics in a hospital family lecture series, was compared to recidivism rates and to completion of the in-patient treatment program. The wives' participation was closely related to whether or not their husbands completed in-patient treatment. Participation also appeared to be related to recidivism although additional services in the area of counseling for discharged alcoholic patients and their families are obviously needed.     

Female Aspirants to the Roman Catholic Priesthood

Parish priests (n=85), nonparish priests (n=55), and women who aspire to, but who are barred from, ordination in the Roman Catholic Church (n=235) participated in an investigation of Holland vocational-personality types, job satisfaction, and psychological dysfunction. Of the three groups, the women's Holland-type code, as determined by the means of the Holland-type scales of the Vocational Preference Inventory, was the most similar to the Holland-type code of clergy member as assigned by the Dictionary of Holland Occupational Codes. Women who were barred from the priesthood reported less job satisfaction than the priests. Significant differences on three clinical scales of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory were in the direction of greater psychological dysfunction on the part of the priests.