Gendered Power in Cultural Contexts: Part II. Middle Class African American Heterosexual Couples with Young Children

When race and gender intersect, understanding gendered power may be complicated. The authors first describe the historical context that serves as important background for understanding gender and power in heterosexual African American relationships. Then they show how family solidarity in the face of social injustices often overrides gender equality as a goal for middle class African American couples with young children. The findings illustrate pragmatic equality within couple relationships and the willful suspension of gender roles for the well-being of the family as a whole. However, gendered power impacts couples in a variety of ways. Sometimes a woman's fear that the man might leave, for example, diminished her power in the relationship. Often a woman accommodated a man's greater power in the family because of her perception that he was often denied power in the larger society. Societal discrimination of women was less visible to couples. Implications for practice are provided.     

Love: American style,Russian style,and Japanese style

This study was undertaken to examine young women's and men's orientations toward love in three very different cultures: Japan (N = 223), Russia (N = 401), and the United States (N = 1,043). The love variables examined were: frequency of lore experiences, attachment types, love styles, love as a basis for marriage, romantic attitudes, and predictors of falling in love. Many cultural differences were found in the love variables, but the effect of culture was not always in the expected direction. We also examined how the pattern of gender differences in love variables differed across the three societies. Some of the gender differences and similarities found in previous love research and also in the U.S. sample of this study were not replicated in the Japanese and/or Russian samples. We discuss the importance of studying love and other aspects of close relationships with data collected from more than one culture.     

The Gap Between Research and Practice on the Question of Counseling Effectiveness

This article looks at outcome research from a practitioner's point of view and suggests that a serious problem may be caused by research that assumes the technique being studied is experienced by the clients. An argument is made for a research model that emphasizes the client's experience of the effect of the technique.     

a bill of client rights and responsibilities

Little has been written about client rights except on the issue of confidentiality. The authors of this article propose a bill of rights for the client in the counseling relationship. With each right there is a corresponding responsibility. The authors suggest that if clients wish to exercise their rights, they must also be prepared to assume a greater degree of responsibility. Such a change in the counseling relationship may bring about greater involvement on the part of both client and counselor.     

Effects of Assertiveness Training on the Self-Esteem of Black High School Students

Effects of assertiveness training on assertive behaviors and self-esteem were investigated among Black high school students. Results showed a significant difference between scores of males and females on the written assertiveness measure. Scores of the 9 females in the experimental group accounted for all of the change, whereas scores of the 18 males actually dropped somewhat. No significant differences appeared on assertiveness or self-esteem across conditions, however. Possible reasons for lack of effects of the training are discussed. Continued study is necessary to identify ways for Blacks to meet their needs by moving from passive or aggressive approaches to assertive ones.     

Cogent Bodies,Self-Aware Souls: An Apologetic for Theater in Christian Higher Education

Mission statements of Christian institutions of higher education often include the purpose of forming individuals to live out their Christian commitments in larger society. This article presents the case that including theater in Christian higher education prepares students to further God's kingdom in this world after graduation—whether or not they do so through the medium of theater. Specifically, the argument is that training in theater serves two primary and interrelated goals in students' development: cogent bodies, capable of representing God to others through relationships, and self-aware souls, foundational for the development of character. The conclusion offers a case example of a successful theater program at Wheaton College.