“I can’t get no satisfaction”: Insecure attachment,inhibited sexual communication,and sexual dissatisfaction

An Internet survey was conducted to extend the investigation of attachment style to the domains of sexual communication and sexual satisfaction. We hypothesized that insecure attachment would be associated with sexual dissatisfaction, mediated by inhibited communication of sexual needs. Further, the association of attachment with inhibited communication was expected to be mediated by attachment‐related tendencies toward deference to partners’ needs, concern with the relationship implications of sexual choices, general anxiety regarding sex, and feelings for one’s partner. Somewhat different mediational pathways were predicted for each of the 2 dimensions of attachment insecurity: anxiety and avoidance. Respondents (N= 1,989, around half of them involved in a sexual relationship at the time of the study and half not involved but with previous sexual relationship experience) completed measures of attachment‐related anxiety and avoidance, neuroticism (a possible confound), and sexual communication and satisfaction. Results generally supported the hypotheses and provided additional evidence regarding the associations between attachment style, sexual communication, and sexual satisfaction.     

The Effect of Several Self-Disclosure Permutations on Counseling Process and Outcome

Sixty male college seniors with deficient job-interviewing skills were randomly assigned to one of five cells in a 2 × 2 + 1 design. The presence or absence of two kinds of counselor self-disclosures was crossed and embedded in a standard interview skills-training program. The standard program and an additional no-treatment cell served as control conditions. Four different counselors treating participants on an individual basis provided predetermined, genuine self-disclosures at different points in the interviews. Their self-disclosures reflected the qualities of intimacy and/or skill display. Comparisons between the existential and coping-mastery model literatures were drawn. The supposition that counselor self-disclosures lead to improvements in counseling process and outcome was not supported.     

Model Legislation for Licensed Professional Counselors

State legislated licensure for professional counselors is a critical aspect of the evolution of the counseling profession. Model licensure legislation will help promote a unified view of the profession. Model legislation for licensed professional counselors, along with a rationale for the content of said legislation, is presented.     

Beyond Revolt: A Horizon for Feminist Ethics

The suggestion here is that casting the project of feminist ethics in confrontational language, rooted in a rebellion picture of moral epistemology, impedes the further development of that very project. Four commonplace examples are offered to make this suggestion plausible. I urge instead a pluralistic approach to styles of moral thinking and propose that the project of feminist ethics would be better served by casting it in the language of reconciliation.