An Existential View Of Vocational Development

The paper is an attempt to point out that the literature of existential philosophy has produced a meaningful theory of vocational development. The theory not only appears to be cogent, but also lines up closely with current thinking in the field. The contrast with various authors is an attempt to illucidate through similarity the ultimate ramifications of the existential theory. An equally important aspect of this theory is that within it one discovers an explanation of work alienation. Finally, there is every reason to believe that the existentialists have produced only a small portion of the potential theoretical model.     

Cooperative Guidance and Instructional Programs for Leadership Preparation

This article outlines a sequential series of leadership programs, from elementary school to college level, that will serve to integrate the guidance and instructional processes. Leadership is viewed as one of the four main categories of talent: “academic, creative, kinesthetic (e.g., crafts, athletics), and psychosocial (e.g., leadership).” It is suggested that potential participants for leadership training might be identified by screening and nomination, case study, program planning and placement, and follow-up and evaluation. A four-front program of counseling-instructional activities including individual counseling, group counseling, seminars, and advanced classes is described. It is hypothesized that the interaction of teachers and counselors in actual curriculum building will lead to genuinely individualized educational programming.     

The Pavlovian basis of reciprocal inhibition therapy

While there is a slight disagreement between Wolpe’s views and Pavlov’s statements concerning the application of experimental psychology to the study of psychiatry, Wolpe indicates that he owes much to Pavlov. A Pavlovian analysis of therapy by reciprocal inhibition, which includes the physiological constructs as well as Pavlovian methodology, will increase our understanding of Reciprocal Inhibition therapy. The major techniques of Reciprocal Inhibition therapy are discussed in the terms of Pavlovian method and theory. Desensitization based on systematic relaxation appears to be effective because the excitatory stimulus is presented when the subject’s cortex is predominantly in an inhibitory state while relaxed. Assertive training relies mainly on building up the excitatory process by use of the second signal system. Thought-stopping is analogous to the external inhibition procedure with the use of the second signaling system as the “extra” stimulus. Deductions from Pavlov’s typology predict that an excitable subject will be difficult to desensitize and somewhat easier to train in assertive behavior and thought-stopping. Some implications of relating Pavlovian method and theory to Reciprocal Inhibition therapy are discussed.     

Humility as a psychotherapeutic formulation

Humility training is conceptualized as an appropriate treatment for persons who occasionally describe themselves, but are most frequently described by others as overbearing, insensitive and deceitful. Procedures are outlined to identify unrecognized fears and improve interpersonal skills. Humility is presented as a counterpoint to assertiveness and aggression/anger control interventions.     

PIGEONS ARE SENSITIVE TO THE SPATIAL ORGANIZATION OF COMPLEX VISUAL STIMULI

Abstract— Two experiments investigated the role of spatial organisation in the discrimination and generalization of complex visual stimuli by pigeons. In Experiment 1, after pigeons had been trained to discriminate line drawings of four objects, they were tested with novel pictures in which the same component parts of the objects were spatially rearranged. The spatially scrambled pictures led to a dramatic drop in recognition accuracy, hut responding remained above chance. In Experiment 2, pigeons reached a high level of discriminative performance when required to choose among four different spatial arrangements of the same object parts. These results confirm Cerella's (1980) conclusion that pigeons discriminate the component parts of complex visual stimuli, but. unless it is assumed that the scrambling deleted or created emergent features, the results disconfirm his conclusion that spatial organization plays no role in pigeons' picture perception.     

Enhancing Consultee Problem-Solving Skills in Consultative Interactions

Selected empirical research on consultative problem solving is reviewed. Although there is general support for the effectiveness of consultation in resolving a variety of presenting problems and in improving consultees' skills for solving future problems, there is a need for additional methods to facilitate the process. Direct training of consultees in behavior management, communication, and consultation process skills is advocated as one means of attaining this goal.