THE “COMPETENT COMMUNICATOR” AS A COGNITIVE PROTOTYPE

Past theories concerned with communicative competence have assumed that perceiver's evaluations of the competence of a communicative performance are based on a conception of the “ideal communicator.” Psychological theory on categorization implies that this assumption is most viable if conceptions of “prototypes” relevant to competence in general (“the communicatively competent person”) are rich in defining characteristics relative to their logical superordinate (“the skilled person”), yet distinct from other skill-related prototypes (such as “the artistically talented person”), and if conceptions of prototypes relevant to competence in specific interactive situations are also relatively rich in defining characteristics, but similar to one another. Analysis of freely elicited lists of characteristics for categories within a taxonomic hierarchy for skill support these implications, showing that people's conceptions of “communicative competence” are organized in the manner most conducive to their use as the basis for competence evaluation. Results also point out the critical role played by concrete, rather than abstract, characteristics in differentiating among general and situation-specific prototypes.     

THE DECISION TO IMPLEMENT GAINSHARING: THE ROLE OF WORK CLIMATE, EXPECTED OUTCOMES, AND UNION STATUS

This study empirically examines several factors that may predict management decisions to implement high-involvement gainsharing plans, interventions that pay company-wide bonuses for performance improvements and encourage employee involvement in work decisions. It addresses the question: why does one facility that considers implementing a gainsharing plan decide to do so, while another facility does not? In 59 facilities (32 nonunion and 27 union) considering the implementation of a gainsharing plan, 485 upper-level managers evaluated the work climate in their facilities (participation, identity, cooperation, and expected plan support) and rated the anticipated outcomes of the intervention. Union status had no direct relationship with the implementation decision. A significant interaction showed that implementation was positively related to participation and expected outcomes in the nonunion facilities, but was unrelated to these variables in the unionized facilities. The results provided little support for a “transformation” model of plan implementation and moderate support for a "compatibility" model.     

The Value of Curiosity and Naiveté for the Cross-Cultural Psychotherapist

Therapists today face a dramatic increase in the cultural diversity of their client populations. Cultural literacy, long the dominant model for preparing to do cross-cultural therapy, advocates study of the prospective client's history and culture. This model, however, poses logistical problems, emphasizes scholarship over the experiential and phenomenological, and risks seeing clients as their culture and not as themselves. In this essay, we argue that teaching culture alone can obscure therapists’ view of human diversity. To balance the cognitive model of preparation, a process-oriented approach is considered, whereby the therapists’ attitudes of cultural naiveté and respectful curiosity are given equal importance to knowledge and skill. We begin from a concern with clients’ vulnerability in the power distribution that inevitably exists in therapy, especially with immigrant and marginalized populations. The use of acculturation narratives, which the therapist explores with naiveté and curiosity, helps clients to find their voices.     

Job Development from a Counselor's Perspective: A Training Workshop

An inservice training workshop for employment counselors on the skill of job development is reviewed. Evaluations proved there is a need for additional inservice training on job development skills, including follow-up, marketing, using outside resources, matching employer needs with client capabilities, speaking before groups, effective verbal communication with employers, and overcoming objections.     

Managed Mental Health: A Primer for Counselors

The mental health service delivery system is experiencing a transformation attendant to rapidly developing cost containment mechanisms. This article reviews various aspects of the new managed mental health care systems and details the gains and losses the various mental health service provider professions may experience depending upon how each responds to the changing demands of alternate service delivery systems. Recommendations are presented regarding how counselors can establish a solid base in the new managed mental health care system.     

Implications of a Relapse Prevention Model for the Treatment of Sexual Offenders

This article presents the rationale for applying a relapse prevention model in the treatment of sexual offenders. First, a general model formulated from the cognitive/behavioral treatment of addictive behaviors is described and then guidelines are provided for the application of this model to the treatment of sexual offenders.     

Male and Female Preferences in Selected Career Factors

This study investigated seven factors relating to personal preferences in choosing a career. Differences between male and female preferences were also studied. While males and females express similarities relating to the seven factors, they also reveal differences that should be considered by counselors helping individuals explore career choices.