Some Serious and Some Not So Serious Reactions to AACD and Its Journals

Critical self-evaluation is central to our professional survival and to the survival of our professional association, the American Association for Counseling and Development (AACD). Although the association and its journals certainly have their critics, unfortunately very little criticism is published for the benefit of the general membership. The purpose of this article is to elaborate on some serious and not so serious criticisms of AACD, its journals, its leaders, and its members.     

WHAT WE SHOULD STUDY, PROBLEMS WE SHOULD SOLVE: PERSPECTIVES OF TWO CONSTITUENCIES

Qualitative data from management and non-management employees were content analyzed to assess their perceptions of what organizational problems they would most like academic researchers to study. These data are then compared to the publications that have appeared in empirical journals over ten journal years (Campbell, Daft, and Hulin, 1982). Results indicate: (1) specific problem areas health care practitioners want studied: (2) strong congruence between the interests of the management and non-management subsamples; and (3) areas where academicians are not meeting the research needs of this sample.     

Self-Efficacy Counseling and the Maintenance of Sobriety

Self-efficacy in relation to one's addiction is shown to be a factor in sustained sobriety, and implications for counseling are explored.     

An Object-Relations Approach to Psychotherapy with Marital Couples,Families, and Children

AN APPROACH to object relations is presented here that conceptualizes the dynamics of interpersonal relationships. Although it is beyond the scope of this paper to provide a thorough review of the object-relations school of thought, the concepts introduced here have direct clinical implications for understanding and influencing the dynamics of the patient-therapist dyad, of the marital pair, and of the family unit. Included are the following concepts: (a) Couples in conflict are viewed as more similar than dissimilar despite apparent differences; (b) The therapist's countertransference reactions are seen as not irrational but a valid reflection of the patient's struggle; (c) The adult or child who is the identified patient is often a carrier or container of the split-off, unacceptable impulses of the other(s); (d) The individual is perceived as part of a unit in which even the more obvious pathological traits have an inherent healthy reparative function.     

Career planning inventories: “do-it-yourself” won't do

This article explores the practical difficulties encountered in using self-administering, self-scoring, and self-interpreting career guidance instruments with students who have white-collar aspirations and blue-collar histories. After dramatizing and summarizing the problems, the author describes a model for successful use of one such inventory—as a text rather than a test—with career exploration groups.     

THE LETTER OF RECOMMENDATION: SPECIFICITY AND FAVORABILITY OF INFORMATION

Ninety-eight personnel directors each read one variation of a letter of recommendation contained in a 2 (specific examples versus no examples) X 2 (numerical data versus nonspecific adjective modifiers) X 2 (favorable letter versus one unfavorable statement) factorial design. A survey of their perceptions revealed that the example specificity and favorability main effects increased several positive perceptions of the recommendee. Example specificity also enhanced the perceived credibility of the letter writer. The letter variations containing specific examples with either no numbers or one unfavorable statement produced the most positive perceptions of the recommendee. One implication of these findings is that writers of letters of recommendation should emphasize specific performance examples. Whether citing numerical data or negative information is effective requires further study.     

EFFECTS OF CANDIDATE CHARACTERISTICS ON MANAGEMENT PROMOTION DECISIONS: AN EXPERIMENTAL STUDY

This study examined the effects of candidate characteristics on simulated management promotion decisions. Seventy-two managers from three organizational levels participated as decision makers in a half-day exercise. Four candidate characteristics were manipulated: potential for advancement, the availability of assessment center information, current position, and sex. Other characteristics such as tenure and past performance were controlled by randomly distributing levels of the attributes across candidates or holding the attributes constant. The results showed that potential, assessment center information, and position were important in selecting finalists and rating the extent to which a candidate was considered. Two interactions, potential by position and sex by position, indicated that configural relationships played a significant role in the promotion decisions. Participants' perceptions of the importance of the information paralleled the statistical importance of the information. The external validity of the study was supported by comparing the results to data on actual promotion decisions. The results are discussed in terms of the value of different information and how it is processed in evaluating and selecting candidates for promotion.     

Nonparametric Statistics: Useful Tools for Counselors

This article discusses nonparametric statistics as a useful tool for the practicing counselor or researcher by focusing on their limitations and their appropriateness. Nonparametric tests are compared to their parametric counterparts, and the article includes a table listing the power-efficiency rating of selected nonparametric statistics.