Being the best: Preliminary results from a national study of the achievement of prominent Black and White women.

Examined the achieving styles, coping strategies, gender roles, and feminist attitudes of 125 prominent, highly achieving Black and White women (mean age 53.5 yrs) in the US. Multivariate analyses of variance were used to examine race differences and similarities; canonical regression analyses (MANOVAs) were used to examine relationships among achieving styles and the other sets of variables. Both similarities and differences between Black and White women were found, and achieving styles were significantly related to the other variables. Strengths, limitations, and implications of the study for counseling are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A causal model of the career orientation and career choice of adolescent women.

Expanded on R. E. Fassinger's (see record 1990-21225-001) model of career choice in college women by testing 2 causal models of career choice and orientation with high school women. Ss were 409 adolescent women enrolled in their last year of high school in an all-female private liberal arts high school in a large Midwestern city. Structural equation modeling analyses suggested that the career orientation and career choice of adolescent women were predicted by ability, agentic characteristics, gender role attitudes, and relationship with mother. Young women who possessed liberal gender role attitudes, were instrumental and efficacious with regard to math and careers, and exhibited moderate degrees of attachment and independence from their mothers tended to value their career pursuits. Adolescent women who selected nontraditional and prestigious careers showed high ability and strong agentic characteristics. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A Multicultural Test of the Theory of Work Adjustment: Investigating the Role of Heterosexism and Fit Perceptions in the Job Satisfaction of Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Employees.

Two expanded models (i.e., mediated and moderated) of the theory of work adjustment (TWA; R. V. Dawis, G. England, & L. H. Lofquist, 1964; R. V. Dawis & L. H. Lofquist, 1984) were tested for their capacity to explain the job satisfaction of a sample of lesbian, gay, and bisexual employees (N=397). Consistent with cultural critiques of the TWA, person-organization fit perceptions were tested as the mediator of the relationship between heterosexism and job satisfaction in one set of hypotheses, and experiences with informal heterosexism were tested as a moderator in the relationship between person-organization fit perceptions and job satisfaction in a separate set of hypotheses. The mediated model but not the moderated model was supported. Results were confirmed by a cross-validation sample. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Voces abriendo caminos (voices foraging paths): A qualitative study of the career development of notable Latinas.

This study used qualitative methodology to investigate the career development of 20 notable Latinas. The emergent theory proposed that Latina career development is influenced by sociopolitical, cultural, contextual, and personal variables. Results suggested that (a) career paths tended to be unplanned and nonlinear; (b) background variables, socioeconornic status, and educational experiences influenced the participants' sense of self and career motivation; (c) family, culture, and cultural identity werr influential; (d) relational support systems, particularly those that involved extended family, spouses, and mentors, were important; and (e) the participants' optimism, persistence, passion, and capacity for cognitive reframing helped them cope with challenges and remain true to their values, beliefs, and sense of self. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Toward an affirmative lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender leadership paradigm.

This article presents an affirmative paradigm for understanding the leadership of sexual minorities—that is, lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people. Although research on LGBT issues in leadership to date is almost nonexistent, there are several bodies of literature that can contribute to an understanding of the unique leadership challenges faced by sexual minority people. These include the literatures on stigma and marginalization, leadership in particular status groups (e.g., college students, women), and LGBT vocational issues (especially workplace climate and identity disclosure). We propose a new, multidimensional model of LGBT leadership enactment that incorporates sexual orientation (particularly regarding identity disclosure), gender orientation (including leader gender), and the situation (conceptualized here as group composition); the model also is embedded in context, the most relevant factors that affect the enactment of leadership being stigma and marginalization. We explicate this model with findings and concepts from relevant literatures, and we conclude the article with recommendations for building a scholarly literature in LGBT leadership. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Self-acceptance and self-disclosure of sexual orientation in lesbian, gay, and bisexual adults: An attachment perspective.

A model linking attachment variables with self-acceptance and self-disclosure of sexual orientation was tested using data from 489 lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) adults. The model included the following 4 domains of variables: (a) representations of childhood attachment experiences with parents, (b) perceptions of parental support for sexual orientation, (c) general working model of attachment, and (d) LGB variables. Results generally supported the proposed model. For example, attachment avoidance and anxiety were associated with self-acceptance difficulties, and avoidance was associated with low levels of outness in everyday life. Parental attachment had an indirect effect on identity and outness through its associations with parental LGB support and general attachment. Some results varied depending on participants' gender and parental religious affiliation. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Persistence, connection, and passion: A qualitative study of the career development of highly achieving African American–Black and White women.

This article describes a qualitative study of the career development of 18 prominent, highly achieving African American-Black and White women in the United States across 8 occupational fields. Grounded theory methodology (B. G. Glaser & A. L. Strauss, 1967; A. L. Strauss & J. Corbin, 1990) was used to generate a theory of the career development of participants that was grounded in their experiences, as related in semistructured, in-depth interviews. The theoretical model generated from the data included 5 major components: (a) a core story consisting of participants' work behaviors and attitudes, which is enacted within (b) sociocultural, (c) personal background, and (d) current contextual conditions and leads to particular career (e) actions and consequences. The emergent model and illustrative quotations from participants are presented, and the implications of the study and the theoretical model for both research and practice are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

An initial model of Latina achievement: Acculturation, biculturalism, and achieving styles.

Investigated the relationship between acculturation and achieving styles for 244 undergraduate Latinas at an eastern state university. Acculturation was measured in terms of Americanism and Hispanicism. Acculturation predicted the use of 6 out of 9 achieving styles. Hispanicism was positively related to 6 of the styles, whereas Americanism was related to 4 of the styles. The more bicultural the individual, the wider her repertoire of achieving styles. Differences in achieving styles were found in terms of country of origin but not in terms of race. The relationships among achieving styles, acculturation, acculturation pressure, and cultural opportunity are explored. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Counseling psychology research on sexual (orientation) minority issues: Conceptual and methodological challenges and opportunities.

This lead article of the special issue discusses conceptual and methodological considerations in studying sexual minority issues, particularly in research conducted by counseling psychologists (including the work represented in this special issue). First, the overarching challenge of conceptualizing and defining sexual minority populations is described. Second, the importance and value of scholarship about sexual minority issues are highlighted. Third, challenges in sexual minority research are outlined, using the articles in this special issue for illustrative purposes, and suggestions are offered for consideration in future research. Finally, the article concludes with a discussion of the ways in which counseling psychologists are uniquely positioned to advance knowledge, practice, and social justice through research on sexual minority issues. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Workplace diversity and public policy: Challenges and opportunities for psychology.

This article outlines both challenges and opportunities for psychology of issues related to diversity in education and work. For the purposes of this discussion, "diverse" populations include four groups currently marginalized and disadvantaged in the U.S. workplace: women, people of color, sexual minorities, and people with disabilities. An overview of employment participation patterns for these groups is presented, workplace barriers arising from marginalized status are highlighted, and the article concludes with a discussion of work-related legislative and public policy fronts that can be informed and influenced by the contributions of psychologists. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)