Counseling in Italy

The counseling profession in Italy is in an early stage of development. No university preparation programs exist, and counselors are not employed in schools. Counselors maintain private practices, work in agencies, and are employed by the government. Counselors receive their preparation in Italy from professional associations in programs that include 450 to 500 hours of instruction. The social and political climate in Italy suggests that the profession of counseling will continue to develop.     

Development of the comprehension and appreciation of fables

The authors proposed and tested a model of fable comprehension and appreciation. They proposed that fables are metaphoric in that they teach moral lessons about human activity, and that apprehension of the moral derives from a belief in a just world. In Study 1, children from kindergarten to 8th grade and college students received Aesop fables, reversed-outcome Aesop fables, and fable-like stories. As predicted, kindergartners and some 1st graders did not demonstrate a belief in a just world and did not differentiate between normal and reversed-outcome Aesop fables. Quality of morals provided by older participants was superior to that of younger participants. In Study 2, the quality of fable moral was found to be significantly correlated with quality of proverb and metaphor interpretation. Also, memory for goal or intention story elements was found to be related to quality of moral produced. Directions for future research are identified.     

Validity and reliability of electroencephalographic frontal alpha asymmetry and frontal midline theta as biomarkers for depression

Electroencephalographic (EEG) frontal alpha asymmetry (FAA) and frontal midline (FM) theta have been suggested as biomarkers for depression and anxiety, but have mostly been assessed in small and non‐clinical studies. In a clinical sample of 79 adults with depression (ICD‐10: F32), resting EEG and scales of depression (MADRS) and anxiety (HADS‐A) were measured at intake and after 3 months. FAA and FM theta values were referenced to a normative population database. Internal consistency, test‐retest reliability, and correlations with psychiatric tests were examined. Reliability was sufficient. However, FAA and FM theta values were close to the general population, and correlations with psychiatric tests were mostly small and non‐significant, with the exception of FAA on F7–F8 z‐scores and HADS‐A. We conclude that the validity of FAA and FM theta and therefore their potential as biomarkers for depression and anxiety remain unclear.     

Body size perception and body satisfaction in restrained and unrestrained eaters.

In 21 restrained and 20 unrestrained eaters body size perception was measured using the video distortion technique (VDT), the image marking procedure (IMP) and the kinesthetic size estimating apparatus (KSEA). Body satisfaction was assessed by questionnaires (Body Shape Questionnaire, Dieting scale of the Eating Attitudes Test). Restrained eaters showed no systematic over- or underestimation of the body size but less perceptual accuracy (in VDT and KSEA). Furthermore, they were clearly more dissatisfied with their bodies than unrestrained eaters. Both findings were unrelated to each other. In both groups depressive mood or thoughts seemed to be associated with body dissatisfaction but not with body size misperception. Objective body measures (body mass index, body fat content) were not related to either body size perception or body satisfaction. The findings suggest that a perceptual uncertainty in regard to body size (either for visual or for somatosensory aspects) has already developed in restrained eaters, which may constitute a predisposition for more overt forms of body size misperception as found in eating disorder patients.     

Couples Therapy Using the Technique of Construct Differentiation

A central problem in couples therapy is the clients' tendency to persist in endless and fruitless alternation between attacking the partner and justifying themselves. The technique of construct differentiation described in this article has proved helpful in coping with this situation. In three clearly structured steps, the therapist explores the personal constructs of each partner in the presence of the other. Instead of concentrating in the usual way on circularity of thoughts, feelings, and behavior, the partners are hindered from interacting and are confronted by the therapist's questions concerning their own inner process, independently of that of the partner. By becoming aware of their own ambivalent constructs and those of the partner, the eagerness to convert the partner to their own point of view can be reduced, and the construct system of each partner can be enriched by the other's constructs. Construct differentiation proves especially useful in the treatment of power struggles and narcissistic collusions.     

Making a Good Impression at Work: National Differences in Employee Impression Management Behaviors in Japan,Korea, and the United States

Impression management has important implications for success at work. This study explores differences in impression management in the East and West by examining the use of self-promotion, ingratiation, and exemplification directed towards three targets: supervisors, peers, and subordinates among 945 company employees from Japan, Korea, and the United States. Our results show that Korean employees used all three strategies most frequently, followed by United States, and then Japanese employees. Japanese and Korean employees used impression management strategies differentially across the three targets, and U.S. employees used impression management equally across targets. This elucidates how cultural trends in hierarchical relationships impact social behavior within the workplace. A follow-up mediation analysis found that relational or labor mobility fully mediated country differences in impression management, suggesting that culture is also reflected in larger social ecological trends in employee's ability and likelihood to change jobs, which also account for impression management strategy usage. Theoretical and practical implications for international business are discussed. This research may be useful in aligning strategies foreign employees might employ for using impression management when in Japan, Korea, and the United States.