Creativity,Gender and The Family: A Study of Creative Writers

Based on interviews with 20 creative writers, this study explores the relationship between creativity and the family. Although most research in this area addresses the effect of parental influences on young creators, this study examines the effect of being a parent and a spouse once adult creators establish families of their own. The family affects writers in terms of (a) gender expectations, (b) material and symbolic constraints of parenthood, and (c) social support provided by spouses. These social forces affect men and women differently, and may help explain why there have been so few female creators. Locating creativity within the context of family relationships will further expand the study of creativity from a psychological phenomenon to a social process.     

Career Development Consultation Skill Training by Counselors for Teacher Mentors

This article presents a career development consultation skill training program for enhancing the professional growth of beginning teachers by master teacher mentors trained by counselors and counselor educators.     

An Effective Career Development Program for Parents

This article is a comparative review of career development programs in Switzerland and the United States, with emphasis on the degree of parental involvement. Investigators visited schools and interviewed parents in both countries. This article offers ideas for improving the effectiveness of career development programs in the United States. Among the useful ideas from Switzerland are greater use of community resources such as departments of employment services, specific career training in schools, and school-based job placement programs.     

Parental Involvement in Children's Career Decision Making

This article presents findings of a survey of English, Swiss, and American parents regarding their involvement in their children's career decision-making process. A questionnaire was developed and a pilot survey was conducted. Although the results must be interpreted with caution, this study suggests that these parents exhibited some marked educational and career choice bias. Furthermore, these differences may reflect the nature of the educational systems of the countries represented. It seems that effective systems for career development and employment counseling result in parents who are confident in helping their children with career decision making.