Executive Career Counselling

Executive career counselling is relatively new. Some of its implications are examined and a three-tiered approach by organisations is advocated. Executives are verbally fluent, and this highlights the importance of the 'opening paragraph' of words they use in counselling. Neuro-linguistic programming offers a useful set of tools to the executive career counsellor. Left-handedness, probably overlooked in most types of counselling, is briefly considered. However, counselling is not only about problems, but also offers executives a welcome chance to review their lives and careers.     

Treatment recommendations for mentally disordered offenders: More than roulette?

Clinical judgments on the treatability and prognosis of mentally disordered offeenders (MDO) may strongly influence legal dispositions and the availability of treatment resources. This study examined 1,238 discharge summaries for MDOs referred for court assessments. Psychiatrists evidenced marked variability in how often they recommended treatment and how frequently they judged patients to have a poor prognosis. Two logit analyses suggested that diagnosis and consultation by other clinicians were associated with (a) treatment recommendations (i.e., Axis I diagnosis and social work consultations) and (b) prognosis (i.e., Axis II diagnosis and psychology consultations).     

Beliefs and inferences: A test of a rational-emotive hypothesis 1. Performing in an academic seminar

Subjects were asked to imagine that they were going to present an academic seminar. They were further asked to imagine (a) that they adhered to a rational belief or an irrational belief; (b) that they had made or had not made an effort in preparing for the seminar and (c) that their performance counted or did not count towards their final examination grade. Whilst in role, subjects were asked to make inferences about various aspects of their performance and the responses of others. While the results supported the hypothesis that imagining that one is holding an irrational belief leads to more negative inferences than holding a rational belief, it was also found that not making an effort in preparing for the siminar led subjects to make more negative inferences than making an effort. In addition, there were several two-way and three-way significant interactions between the independent variables. The results supported Ellis's (1985) recent formulation concerning the complex relationship between events and inferences (A), beliefs (B) and emotional and behavioral consequences of beliefs (C).Windy Dryden PhD is Senior Lecturer in the Department of Psychology, Goldsmiths' College, University of London, England. Julia Ferguson is Research Assistant in the Department of Psychology, Goldsmiths' College, University of London, England. Tony Clark was an Undergraduate Student in the Department of Psychology, Goldsmiths' College, University of London, England. He graduated in 1987.     

The Role of Intentions, Social Norms, and Attitudes in the Performance of Dental Flossing: A Test of the Theory of Reasoned Action

The theory of reasoned action proposed by Fishbein and Ajzen (1975) was tested as an explanatory model for a preventive dental behavior, dental flossing, in a sample of 65 undergraduate students. Intentions and direct attitudes were found to be the strongest predictors of flossing. Social influences exerted their influence by way of direct attitudes. Flossers (>1/week) and non-flossers (<1/week) were observed to agree with belief statements referring to the health value of flossing. However, statements referring to the social and sensory aspects of flossing were found to effectively discriminate the two groups. Implications for health education strategies are discussed in which a greater focus is placed on more immediate social and sensory benefits of flossing rather than on long-term health benefits.