THERAPISTS' PERSONALITIES AND THEIR EVALUATION OF THREE FAMILY THERAPY STYLES: AN EMPIRICAL INVESTIGATION

This study examined the relationship between beginning therapists' personalities and their evaluations of three divergent family therapy styles. Sixty clinical and counseling psychology students completed the Adjective Checklist (Gough & Heilbrun, 1983) and rated videotaped therapy sessions conducted by Bowen, Minuckin, and Whitaker. Adjective Checklist ratings of each subject were also obtained from three friends/family members. Self-rated personality factors of dominant-masculinity and, to a lesser extent, nurturant-femininity were significant predictors of subjects' ratings of the tapes. Gender was a factor in ranked ratings of the tapes. Other-rated personality traits were not significant predictors. Implications for therapy training and supervision are discussed.     

VALUES IN CONFLICT: CHALLENGES TO FAMILY THERAPISTS' THINKING

Our familiar and comfortable family therapy theories were not designed to deal with violence and may help maintain our collective avoidance. Our formulations appear to make violence more manageable than it is and demonstrate our naivete. The limitations of therapeutic neutrality are explored as are the dangers inherent in some of our interventions. Effective amelioration of family violence requires linkages to larger systems.-Editor.     

FACTORS RELATED TO FAMILY THERAPISTS' BREAKING CONFIDENCE WHEN CLIENTS DISCLOSE HIGH-RISKS-TO-HIV/AIDS SEXUAL BEHAVIORS

This national survey of 309 marriage and family therapists examined what therapists do when their HIV-positive clients disclose that they are engaging in high-risk sexual behavior. The participants were given vignettes in which a fictitious client told the therapist about engaging in unprotected sex. Although the basic situations were the same, the client variables of age, gender, race, sexual orientation, and HIV status were systematically varied. The participants were more likely to break confidence regarding unsafe sex practices when their clients were male, young, gay, or African American. Moreover, therapists who were more likely to disclose were older, female, had less experience with gay/lesbian populations, were Catholic, were very religious, and were more likely to practice in urban areas. The authors discuss the implications of these and other findings.     

FAMILY GOAL RECORDING: AN ADAPTATION OF GOAL ATTAINMENT SCALING FOR ENHANCING FAMILY THERAPY AND ASSESSMENT*

Family Goal Recording is proposed as a systemic approach for measuring change in the presenting concerns of couples and families. This paper describes the procedures for using Family Goal Recording as an outcome measure for family therapy and a device to enhance goal attainment. In addition, the results of an initial study on the reliability and validity of this method are presented.     

THREE APPROACHES TO FAMILY THERAPY: A STUDY OF CONVERGENCE AND DIVERGENCE*

The literature on professional development suggests that the process of segmentation or specialization within a profession logically accompanies the aggregation, dissemination and application of new and expanding bodies of knowledge. The present study empirically examines the extent and dimensions of this process of segmentation within the family therapy movement by comparing the belief and action systems of 1000 experienced family therapists oriented to one of three major models of family therapy. Two theses are suggested which may explain the findings depicting a unique patterning of similarities and differences among the three models; each implying different directives and implications for the continued growth of the interdisciplinary practice of family therapy.     

ADAPTING TO DEPRIVATION: AN EXAMINATION OF INFLATED EDUCATIONAL EXPECTATIONS

Many researchers argue that lower-class individuals adapt to their deprivation by lowering their aspirations for success. Data provide only limited support for this position, however, and suggest that many lower-class individuals continue to hold high aspirations. This article points to a second method of adapting to deprivation: raising expectations for success to inflated levels—levels that have a low probability of realization. The extent and determinants of inflated educational expectations are explored using data from a national, longitudinal survey of high school seniors. Results indicate that almost half of all deprived individuals with high aspirations have inflated expectations. The primary determinants of inflated expectations appear to be pressure to attend college and the overestimation of one's abilities. These data are relevant to anomie or strain theories of deviance and social structure and personality.     

THE MARITAL AND FAMILY THERAPY EXAMINATION PROGRAM: A SURVEY OF PARTICIPANTS

Participants in the Examination in Marital and Family Therapy between November 1994 and May 1996 were surveyed to ascertain who took the examination, how they prepared for it, whether they thought that it was fair, and how these variables related to scores. Two-thirds of the respondents were female. Most were taking the examination for the first time, were relatively young, were Caucasian, and spoke English as their primary language. They primarily practiced marital and family therapy and had completed master's level university programs in marital and family therapy, counseling, and psychology. Most were sitting for the examination relatively soon after completing their training in marital and family therapy. Individual study was the preparation method of choice for half of the sample. Demographic variables had a modest but ambiguous effect on test score. Educational background had none. However, a relatively short latency between graduation and examination was related to a higher score, as was the use of multiple preparation procedures. With regard to fairness, the participants largely agreed that the examination was moderately difficult, but that the problems were realistic and they had enough time to complete the test.     

USE OF THE DSM IN MARRIAGE AND FAMILY THERAPY PROGRAMS: CURRENT PRACTICES AND ATTITUDES

The DSM has largely become the common language of behavioral health which its authors intended. Although family systems theory resulted in part from the study of major mental illness, it later became distanced from considerations of individual psychopathology. No studies have assessed current practices and views within the field of family therapy on teaching students the use of the DSM. Member training programs of the Education and Training Council of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy were surveyed regarding their practices in teaching the DSM. Seventy-nine of 177 surveys (45%) were returned. Ninety-one percent of these programs offered training in the DSM, and in 93% of those such training was mandatory. Written comments indicated that pragmatic concerns about students being able to speak a common language with other behavioral health providers were among the primary reasons for teaching the DSM.     

AN EXPERIMENTAL ANALYSIS OF DYNAMIC INCENTIVES TO SHARE KNOWLEDGE

Knowledge‐sharing arrangements are an important part of the innovation process as they help firms acquire technological capabilities, shorten development time, and spread risk and cost. A question central to the study of knowledge‐sharing arrangements is the impact of competition on cooperation. While cooperation has the benefit of avoiding duplication, it may have an adverse effect on the competitive advantage of a leading firm. Hence, firms face a difficult challenge during the innovation process while deciding which components of it, if any, to carry out in collaboration with other firms. This paper reports the results of controlled laboratory experiments which identify how the decision to form research joint ventures changes with both relative progress during the R&D process and the intensity of product market competition. The design is based on a modified version of Erkal and Minehart “Optimal Sharing Strategies in Dynamic Games of Research and Development.” Research Paper 1038, University of Melbourne, Department of Economics, 2008. The results indicate that if expected profits are such that the lagging firms always stay in the race, cooperation unravels as firms move forward in the discovery process and as monopoly profits become more attractive. These results are generally consistent with the theoretical predictions. (JEL C91, L24, O30, D81)     

SYSTEMS CONSULTATION AND HEAD START: AN ALTERNATIVE TO TRADITIONAL FAMILY THERAPY

As Marriage and Family Therapists (MFTs) enter Head Start programs, systems consultation emerges as a viable alternative to providing therapy to enrolled children and families. As systems consultants, family therapists can offer organizational consultation, training, and support to Head Start staff, classroom interventions, and direct work with families. This article describes a multidimensional model for providing comprehensive mental health consultation to Head Start programs. It explores the skills necessary for MFTs to work effectively as systems consultants. Finally, recommendations are made for applying the model in both university and private settings.     

SELF-CONCEPT AND ATTITUDES: A COMPARISON OF CANADIAN INDIAN AND NON-INDIAN STUDENTS*

La recherche antérieure sur les étudiants indiens canadiens suggère la formation d'images de soi et d'attitudes négatives en conséquence de leur position dans la société et de la discrimination rencontrée dans la société et dans l'école. La plus grande partie de cette recherche a cependent négligé de comparer les attitudes de ces étudiants avec celles des étudiants non-indiens qui, on présume, n'ont pas à faire face aux mêmes pressions et situations sociales. La présente étude a été construite de façon à pouvoir examiner les états affectifs des étudiants indiens et non-indiens en contrôlant un nombre de variables importantes. Les résultats ne confirme pas l'affirmation faite par la recherche antérieure. Previous research on Canadian Indian students suggests that they develop negative self-concepts and attitudes as a result of their position in society and the discrimination they face in society and school. However, most of this research has failed to compare the attitudes of these students with the attitudes of non-Indian students who, presumably, have not faced the same social pressures and situations. The present study was designed to examine the affective states of both Indian and non-Indian students when a number of important variables were controlled. The findings do not support the contention that Indian students have negative self-concepts and attitudes.     

THE EFFICACY OF MARITAL AND FAMILY THERAPY: AN EMPIRICAL OVERVIEW, CONCLUSIONS, AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Based primarily on the contributions to this Special Issue of JMFT, this article provides an overview of the empirical research on the efficacy of marital and family therapy for the following disorders and problems: schizophrenia; affective (mood) disorders; slected externalizing, internalizing, and pervasive developmental disorders of childhood; adolescent conduct disorder; marital distress and the prevention of divorce; alcoholism; adult and adolescent drug abuse; and various chronic adult, adolescent, and childhood physical disorders. Convincing scientific evidence supports the efficacy of broadly defined marital and family therapy for the treatment of many disorders, as well as its superiority to standard and individual treatments for certain disorders and populations. We conclude with recommendations for future research as well as for collaborative initiatives between marital/family therapists and other professionals working in the marriage and family field.     

NETWORK AND MEANING: AN INTERACTIONIST APPROACH TO STRUCTURE*

Social network is a concept interactionists might use to link individual behavior to the larger social system. A symbolic interactionist formulation of network would: 1) approximate the original, anthropological usage better than the current structural conception does, 2) offer symbolic interactionists a unit of social organization better suited to their perspective than the small group, and 3) allow symbolic interactionists to deal with “macro” sociological concerns. Network is conceived of as a set of relationships which people imbue with meaning and use for personal or collective purposes. By emphasizing subjective meaning and the investigation of multi-purpose and weak ties, the interactionist formulation provides theoretical insights into those aspects of society which “structural” approaches overlook.     

PORTFOLIO CHOICE AND RISK ATTITUDES: AN EXPERIMENT

Using financial incentives, we study how portfolio choice (how much to invest in a risky asset) depends on three well-known behavioral phenomena: ambiguity aversion, the illusion of control, and myopic loss aversion. We find evidence that these phenomena are present and test how the level of investment is affected by these motivations; at the same time, we investigate whether participants are willing to explicitly pay a small sum of money to indulge preferences for less ambiguity, more control, or more frequent feedback/opportunities to choose the investment level. First, the observed preference for "control" did not affect investment behavior and in fact disappeared when participants were asked to actually pay to gain more control. Second, while people were indeed willing to pay for less ambiguity, the level of ambiguity did not influence investment levels. Finally, participants were willing to pay to have more frequent feedback opportunities to change their portfolio, even though prior research has shown that people invest less in risky assets (and earn less) in this case . ( JEL B49, C91, D81, G11, G19)