Accounting for Poverty: From Attribution to Discourse

In this article it is argued that the attributional literature concerning explanations of poverty is inadequate due to its theoretical presuppositions. It is proposed that a discursive approach is better able to withstand criticism and contribute to a more adequate understanding of poverty accounts. Some examples are given of how a discursive approach might work in practice.     

Biological Foundations of Behavior: Implications for Counseling

Professional and social movements of the 1980s demand that counselors have a basic knowledge of biological foundations of behavior, a knowledge that has been neglected in counselor training programs, theories of counseling, and theories of personality. This article discusses biological explanations of human behavior and problems, along with implications and applications for the counselor in terms of the counseling setting, client problem, counselor role, counselor training, and the counseling profession.     

The Stereotyping of Nonreligious People by Religious Students: Contents and Subtypes

This study assessed the consensual stereotypes religious students have of the nonreligious. The stereotype's content, subtypes, subtype strengths, and valence were examined using multiple methods derived from the stereotype content literature. Results indicated that the nonreligious stereotype is diverse and that some impressions of nonreligious people may be quite negative. Six subtypes were identified within the principal stereotype. The most unfavorable subtype was related to a perceived disbelief in religion and spirituality. The most favorable subtype was associated with individualism.     

Educational risk factors for psychological truancy in Lesotho: a qualitative exploration

A qualitative case study design was used to explore educational risk factors that may contribute to psychological truancy in a Lesotho secondary school. Purposively sampled teachers (n = 4, females = 50%) and pupils (n = 4, females = 75%), who have experience of psychological truancy, took part in a focus group and individual interviews. Inductive content analysis was used to analyse data emanating from the interviews. The findings indicate that pupil–teacher relationships, the use of English as medium of instruction and a lack of resources may be educational risk factors contributing to psychological truancy. Positive pupil–teacher relationships and active classroom engagement are prerequisites for successful and active learning.     

The Divine Triangle: God in the Marital System of Religious Couples

Incoporating both Bowenian and structural approaches, this article offers a constructivist view for dealing with religious belief systems of couples. After exploring the evolving process by which couples mutually define an ongoing triadic relationship with their Deity, different triangular processes from an integrated structural and Bowenian perspective are presented. This view is evaluative in terms of the triangulation process rather than the belief systems themselves, and, as such, it can be useful in marital therapy regardless of the religious beliefs of the therapist. Implications for marital therapy are examined.     

The Impact of Conflict Issues on Fixed-Pie Perceptions, Problem Solving, and Integrative Outcomes in Negotiation

It is argued that a negotiator's fixed-pie perception, cooperative motivation, problem-solving behavior, and integrative outcomes are influenced by the content of the negotiation—the conflict issue. Negotiation involves conflicting interests, conflicting ideas about intellective problems, or conflicting ideas about evaluative problems. Study 1 showed that individuals in a negotiation about interests have a stronger fixed-pie perception and have a lower cooperative motivation than individuals in an evaluative negotiation, with intellective negotiations taking an intermediate position. Study 2 showed that individuals in a negotiation about interests made more trade-offs and reached higher joint outcomes than individuals in an intellective or evaluative negotiation. Study 3 replicated this finding in a field study. The studies bridge insights from negotiation research and decision-making research and show that the conflict issue has important effects on the negotiation process.     

The Logical Levels of Complementary,Symmetrical, and Parallel Interaction Classes in Family Dyads

It was postulated that the parallel interaction class is a higher logical order than complementary and symmetrical interaction, which appear to be of the same logical type. Father-mother, father-child, and mother-child dyads of 48 families were categorized into complementary, symmetrical, and parallel classes using the Relationship Styles Inventory. Each of the dyads in these three categories was then randomly assigned to one of two experimental conditions in which they jointly resolved a moral dilemma. In one condition, the dyads were asked to follow complementary rules, while in the second condition they were instructed to follow symmetrical rules. Results indicated that parallel dyads adjusted to both the complementary and symmetrical conditions, whereas symmetrical and complementary dyads did not successfully accommodate rules outside their own class. The implications in terms of therapeutic intervention and further research are discussed.