Counseling Commons^™

Identity Research And The Psychosocial Formation Of One’S Sense Of Spiritual Self: Implications For Religious Educators And Christian Institutions Of Higher Education, Chris Kiesling, Gwendolyn T. Sorell, Marilyn J. Montgomery, Ronald K. Colwell

Faculty Publications - Graduate School of Counseling

Utilizing Erikson’s (1963) psychosocial ego identity development theory, 28 qualitative interviews with religiously devout Americans are analyzed to determine different patterns of adult spiritual identity. Following an integrationist approach, we provide response to the question, “What types of identity development are accommodated, promoted, or prohibited by particular models of Christian education and the educational communities that embody them?” Recognizing individual differences in (a) the social and contextual factors that affect identity formation, (b) the way religious doubts are resolved, and (c) what individuals seek from community, we offer important implications for religious educators and Christian institutions of higher education.

The Role Of Identity In Acculturation Among Immigrant People: Theoretical Propositions, Empirical Questions, And Applied Recommendations, Seth J. Schwartz, Marilyn J. Montgomery, Ervin Briones

Faculty Publications - Graduate School of Counseling

The present paper advances theoretical propositions regarding the relationship between acculturation and identity. The most central thesis argued is that acculturation represents changes in cultural identity and that personal identity has the potential to ‘anchor’ immigrant people during their transition to a new society. The article emphasizes the experiences of nonwhite, non-Western immigrant people moving to Western nations. The article also calls for research on heretofore unexplored aspects of the relationship of acculturation to personal and social identity. Ideas are proposed for interventions to promote cultural identity change and personal identity coherence.

Finishing Therapy Well (Book Review), Kristina M. Kays

Faculty Publications - Psychology Department

Reviews the book, "Good Goodbyes: Knowing How to End in Psychotherapy and Psychoanalysis" by Jack Novick and Kerry Kelly Novick (see record 2006-05376-000). Deciding when to end clinical therapy and how to end it well can be a mystifying process. In "Good Goodbyes: Knowing How to End in Psychotherapy and Psychoanalysis", Jack Novick and Kerry Kelly Novick share insights from their vast combined experience to diminish the mystery of therapeutic closure. The book, which is firmly based in psychoanalytic theory, uses a question format to explore the many hows, whys, whats, and whens of termination. The authors outline treatment stages …

Dancing Around The Fire (Book Review), Kristina M. Kays

Faculty Publications - Psychology Department

Reviews the book, "What Therapists Don't Talk About and Why: Understanding Taboos That Hurt Us and Our Clients" by Kenneth Pope, Janet Sonne, and Beverly Greene (see record 2006-03273-000). What truly hauntstherapists in private practice are not the basic countertransference issues discussed in most graduate training programs but the unspoken secrets of their inner world. Too often, therapists are preoccupied by sexual responses to clients, hostile thoughts, and desire for professional approval, but training and peer discussions rarely focus on these forbidden topics. "What TherapistsDon't Talk About and Why: Understanding Taboos That Hurt Us and Our Clients" is an updated …

Incorporating Spirituality Into The Therapeutic Setting: Safeguarding Ethical Use Of Spirituality Through Therapist Self-Reflection, Anna A. Berardi Phd.

Faculty Publications - Graduate School of Counseling

As various mental health professions are increasingly open to incorporating the client's spirituality into the therapeutic process, therapists now more than ever feel greater freedom to discuss topics that heretofore may have been perceived as off limits. Yet, inviting discussion about a client's spirituality within the context of therapy is fraught with danger due in large part to the subjective nature of such a deeply personal, life changing, and in today's world, political aspect of human experience. This chapter invites the therapist to consider one's ethical obligations to the client before attempting to utilize a client's spirituality as a therapeutic …

Toward An Interdisciplinary Study Of Acculturation, Identity, And Culture, Seth J. Schwartz, Marilyn J. Montgomery, Ervin Briones

Faculty Publications - Graduate School of Counseling

As both Côté and Hand point out in their commentaries, acculturation, identity, and culture are complex processes that are determined and affected by the con-texts in which they operate. As we stated in our article in this issue, we do not dismiss the notion that culture and identity are complex and individualized phenomena that vary from one person or context to the next. However, our goal is pragmatic in that we wish to operationalize acculturation, identity, and culture for empirical research that can then be used to design and support intervention efforts. To design interventions that consist of core components …

An Initial Examination Of The Role Of Gender In Social Anxiety And Self-Medication. Primary Psychiatry, Tracey Garcia, Lindsay Ham, Marilyn Montgomery, Lynn Hernandez

Faculty Publications - Graduate School of Counseling

Social anxiety disorder (also known as social phobia) is a common, debilitating disorder. Social anxiety disorder is the fourth most prevalent disorder, with lifetime prevalence rates of 12.1% (Kessler et al., 2005). Socially anxious individuals have demonstrated impairments in academic, occupational, and social functioning (Stein, Torgrud, & Walker, 2000 ) Social anxiety and substance abuse appear to be related. •Substances may be used to reduce distress in social situations (e.g. Tran Haaga, & Chambless, 1997; Goodwin, Fergusson, & Horwood. 2004; Ham, Hope, White, & Rivers, 2002) •Kushner, Sher, and Erikson (1999) concluded that regardless of whether a substance use problem …

Psychosocial Intimacy And Identity: From Early Adolescence To Emerging Adulthood, Marilyn J. Montgomery

Faculty Publications - Graduate School of Counseling

Erikson (1968) stated that healthy identity development during adolescence is a precursor of intimacy in romantic relationships during emerging adulthood. However, from a developmental contextual perspective there are reasons to question this strict developmental ordering. Using interview and questionnaire data from a longitudinal study on 93 adolescents, we tested whether ego development in middle adolescence predicts intimacy in emerging adulthood. Second, we examined whether identity achievement at the transition to adulthood mediates this link. Results revealed direct links between early ego development (age 15) and intimacy in romantic relationships (age 25). No paths were found from earlier intimacy to later …

A Comparison Of Two Approaches For Facilitating Identity Exploration Processes In Emerging Adults, Seth J. Schwartz, William M. Kurtines, Marilyn J. Montgomery

Faculty Publications - Graduate School of Counseling

This article, using a controlled design, reports the results of an exploratory study to investigate the impact of two types of intervention strategies (cognitively vs. emotionally focused) on two types of identity processes (self-construction and self-discovery) in a culturally diverse sample of 90 emerging adult university students. A quasiexperimental design was used to evaluate the relative impact of the cognitively focused self-construction and emotionally focused self-discovery strategies. Quantitative and qualitative results indicated that cognitively focused intervention strategies were most efficacious in affecting self-constructive identity processes, whereas emotionally focused intervention strategies were most efficacious in affecting self-discovery identity processes. This pattern …

Developmental Considerations For Substance Use Interventions From Middle School Through College, Elizabeth J. D’Amico, Phyllis L. Ellickson, Eric F. Wagner, Rob Turrisi,, Kim Fromme, Bonnie Ghosh-Dastidar, Douglas L. Longshore, Daniel F. Mccaffre, Marilyn J. Montgomery, Matthias Schonlau, Dale Wright

Faculty Publications - Graduate School of Counseling

This article summarizes a symposium organized by Dr. Elizabeth D’Amico and presented at the 2004 Annual Meeting of the Research Society on Alcoholism in Vancouver, Canada. The four presentations illustrate the importance of creating substance use interventions that are developmentally appropriate for youth. They represent innovative approaches to working with preteens, teenagers, and young adults. Dr. D’Amico’s paper describes her research on the development of a voluntary brief intervention targeting alcohol use among middle school students. Findings indicated that by using school and community input, she was able to obtain a diverse a sample of youth across grades, sex, ethnicity, …

Does Intervention Change Anything? New Directions In Promoting Positive Youth Development, William M. Kurtines, Marilyn J. Montgomery, Lisa L. Arango, Gabrielle A. Kortsch

Faculty Publications - Graduate School of Counseling

Although a literature on interventions that promote positive development has begun to emerge, important gaps concerning these interventions continue to exist. As part of our program of research, we have made an effort to begin addressing these gaps. An overview of a research project conducted using two sets of multi-ethnic data drawn from the Miami Youth Development Project (Kurtines, Montgomery, Lewis Arango, & Kortsch, 2001) is presented. Though tentative and preliminary, the findings from the project provide preliminary evidence for the success of Changing Lives Program (CLP) in promoting positive qualitative change. Specifically, the results document a relation between participation …

Abuse Experiences In A Community Sample Of Young Adults: Relations With Psychiatric Disorders, Sexual Risk Behaviors, And Sexually Transmitted Diseases, Jonathan G. Tubman, Marilyn J. Montgomery, Andres G. Gil, Eric F. Wagner

Faculty Publications - Graduate School of Counseling

This study documents significant associations among lifetime abuse experiences, psychiatric diagnoses, and sexual risk behaviors in a multiethnic community sample of young men and women (N = 1803) in South Florida. Self-report data were collected via structured interviews as part of a longitudinal follow-up of a larger school-based study. Participants were grouped according to extent of lifetime abuse experiences. Cumulative lifetime abuse experiences were associated with increased risk for a broad range of individual lifetime psychiatric disorders, as well as cumulative lifetime psychiatric disorders. Both cumulative abuse experiences and cumulative psychiatric disorders were independently associated with (a) higher levels of …

Role-Related Identity Structure In Adult Women, Carolyn W. Graham, Gwendolyn T. Sorell, Marilyn J. Montgomery

Faculty Publications - Graduate School of Counseling

This study explored women’s role-related identity structures through in-depth inter- views with 60 employed and stay-at-home women married to professional men. The employment, wife, mother, and homemaking roles of these women were examined to understand how married women integrate employment and family roles (i.e., wife, mother, and homemaking roles) within their identity. The women arranged the structure of their multiple roles in a variety of ways: Most structured their roles hierarchically, others intertwined several roles, some perceived their roles as equally important, a few indicated that they were “more than” their roles, and a small group of women were actively …

Recovery From Alcohol Or Drug Abuse: The Relationship Between Identity Styles And Recovery Behaviors, Joseph M. White, Marilyn J. Montgomery, Richard S. Wampler, Judith L. Fischer

Faculty Publications - Graduate School of Counseling

The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between identity styles and recovery from substance abuse. Consistent findings have established a relationship be- tween identity diffusion and substance misuse, but no research has explored the influence of identity styles on recovery processes. Participants (N = 252) from treatment and recovery-based facilities and groups using a 12-step recovery model were assessed with the Identity Style Inventory (White, Wampler, & Winn, 1998) and self-report measures of pretreatment addiction, length of continuous abstinence, quality of recovery, and recovery progress. Those with a diffuse/avoidant style had shorter lengths of continuous abstinence, fewer …

The Development And Validation Of A Measure Of Identity Distress, Steven L. Berman, Marilyn J. Montgomery, William M. Kurtines

Faculty Publications - Graduate School of Counseling

The most frequently used measures of identity development do not contain a scale to measure the distress that can sometimes be associated with the process. The purpose of this study was to assess the reliability and validity of the Identity Distress Survey. The measure was found to have high internal consistency and test–retest reliability. Identity distress was related to the constructs of identity style and identity status. Identity distress was positively correlated with identity exploration and associated with the informational style and was negatively correlated with identity commitment. This measure could help identify those people who are having exceptional difficulties …

Similarities Or Differences In Identity Development? The Impact Of Acculturation And Gender On Identity Process And Outcome, Seth J. Schwartz, Marilyn J. Montgomery

Faculty Publications - Graduate School of Counseling

This study examined the effects of variations in acculturation and gender on identity processes and outcomes. Three hundred fifty-seven students at a culturally diverse university completed measures of identity processes (exploration, commitment, and identity style) and outcomes (identity status). The generalizability of the underlying identity processes across contextual variations was ascertained by evaluating the consistency of factor solutions across immigrant generation and gender. Results suggested that the processes underlying identity development are consistent across variations in acculturation and gender. Supplemental analyses revealed effects of acculturation and gender on the extent to which individuals utilized various identity processes and manifested various …

Starting Over: A Tentative Theory Exploring The Effects Of Past Relationships On Postbereavement Remarried Couples, Andrew Scott Brimhall, Michelle Engblom-Deglmann

Faculty Publications - Graduate School of Counseling

Using grounded theory methodology 24 participants were asked to discuss how the death of a previous spouse, either theirs or their partner’s, was currently affecting their second marriage. Participants were interviewed individually and as a couple. The central category was memories of the deceased spouse. Six additional categories emerged from the data: past spouse on pedestal, current/past comparison, insecurity of current spouse, curiosity about past spouse/relationship, partner’s response to curiosity, and impact on the current relationship. Existing literature, auditors, and participant feedback were all used to validate the results. Expanding on a tentative theory (Brimhall, Wampler, & Kimball, 2008), provisional …

Theories Of Crying, Jeffrey A. Kottler, Marilyn J. Montgomery

Faculty Publications - Graduate School of Counseling

It was dark outside, and cold, so cold the man’s eyes stung from the moisture on his lids. He was hunched over, trying to make himself as small a target as possible against the frigid wind. He shuffled along at an unsteady gait, trying to keep his balance on the slick sidewalk. Occasionally, he would stop, peek out from under his hood to reorient himself in the blowing snow, and then step cautiously but purposefully onward toward his destination.

Feminist Perspectives On Erikson’S Theory: Their Relevance For Contemporary Identity Development Research, Gwendolyn T. Sorell, Marilyn J. Montgomery

Faculty Publications - Graduate School of Counseling

In view of recent controversies about theory and self, identity development re- searchers need to examine the utility of their own theory. In an effort to begin this enterprise, we define what we see as the central concerns of Erikson’s theory—a life- span, psychosocial emphasis, and the notion of agentic identity development—and use a feminist standpoint analysis to examine the usefulness of these aspects of his theory in a rapidly changing, multicultural context. We critique the theory’s emphasis on biology as a significant component of psychosocial development, including the emphasis on the biological distinctiveness of women and men as an …

Using Systems Perspectives In Supervision, Marilyn J. Montgomery, C. Bret Hendricks, Loretta J. Bradley

Faculty Publications - Graduate School of Counseling

This article emphasizes the important contributions of systems theory in the supervision process. A case study is used to illustrate how attention to the systemic contexts of the client, the supervisee, and the supervision process itself enlarges the possibilities for helpful change. The unifying themes of many systems theories are identified (diagnosing the system, viewing problems in context, and focusing on systemic change), and techniques for keeping supervision systemically focused are suggested. The usefulness of systems perspectives for conceptualizing diverse cultural influences and for framing advocacy efforts is explored. In addition, the supervision goals of three common systems-based approaches (structural, …

Opportunity Knocks Only Once? Challenging Common Beliefs About Adulthood, Marilyn Montgomery, Camille Debell, Patricia R. Mccarthy, Gerald Parr

Faculty Publications - Graduate School of Counseling

Growth-oriented groups for adults are designed to help individuals learn about themselves for the purpose of making constructive life changes. While the success of such groups always depends to some extent on individual characteristics (e.g., motivation, openness to experience), group success can also be affected by members' beliefs or stereotypes about appropriate age-related behaviour. In this article, proverbs such as Don't change horses mid-stream or Opportunity knocks only once are targeted for discussion by group participants as a means of identifying irrational beliefs, confronting stereotypes, promoting flexible thinking, and examining acceptable adult behaviour.

Prescriptive Travel And Adventure-Based Activities As Adjuncts To Counselling, Jeffery A. Kottler, Marilyn J. Montgomery

Faculty Publications - Graduate School of Counseling

One of the greatest challenges for counsellors is finding ways to promote constructive client actions outside sessions (Shelton & Levy, 1981). Often, clients perform well during therapeutic encounters but have difficulty applying what they have learned to real life situations (Stokes & Baer, 1977). In fact, inability to generalize learning is one of the most frequent problems encountered in our field (Rose, 1989).

Some of our most difficult and resistant clients are those who appear compliant, cooperative, eager, and solicitous in sessions but don't translate insights into action in their lives (Kottler, 1992), and don't continue their progress after treatment …

Paranoid Personality Disorder., Nancy S. Thurston

Faculty Publications - Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) Program

Excerpt: "The core feature of a paranoid personality disorder (PPD) is a longstanding, pervasive pattern of mistrust in the motives of others. Persons with this disorder assume that others have malevolent intentions to harm, exploit, or deceive them, even when no objective evidence exists. They ruminate over unfounded suspicions that their family and friends are disloyal and will scrutinize these relationships for evidence of untrustworthiness. In particular they are prone to pathological jealousy of their spouse or lover. They are often reluctant to confide in others out of fear that anything they say will be used against them. This makes …

Models Of Mental Illness, Rodger K. Bufford

Faculty Publications - Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) Program

Excerpt: "Although the concept of mental illness is central to the field of mental health and the practice of counseling, there is continuing disagreement about its definition. Several views are widely held. Each has important implications for understanding mental illness, determining which conditions are disorders and who has them, and choosing appropriate approaches to treatment. This controversy involves several important issues."

Overcorrection, Rodger K. Bufford

Faculty Publications - Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) Program

Excerpt: "Like extinction, response cost contingency, and time out, overcorrection is a behavioral procedure used to decrease the frequency of an undesired behavior. Overcorrection involves an exaggerated form of making amends or restoring the damages caused by misbehavior. Schreibman, Charlop, and Kurtz (1992) describe overcorrection as a weak or "mild but effective form of punishment [requiring] effortful behavior contingent on the occurrence of inappropriate behavior" (p. 339). For example, a child who runs in the hall may be required to return to the point of the offense and repeatedly walk from there to the desired destination; one who left the …

Covert Sensitization, Rodger K. Bufford

Faculty Publications - Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) Program

Excerpt: "A form of aversion therapy in which a covert response such as a thought or an image is followed by an imagined aversive event. An individual may imagine himself relaxing in front of the television and eating a large bowl of hot buttered popcorn, enjoying the smell and taste; he then imagines the rolls of fat accumulating around his waist, having to buy new clothes, and being rejected by his girlfriend because of his weight. In covert sensitization the cognitive elements of the stimulus-response sequence rather than overt responses and external stimuli are dealt with. The goal is to …

Behavior Modification, Rodger K. Bufford

Faculty Publications - Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) Program

Excerpt: "Behavior modification is "learning with a particular intent, namely clinical treatment and change" (Ullmann & Krasner, 1965, p. 1). Initially behavior modification referred largely to operant techniques and behavior therapy to respondent techniques. As early as 1965 the terms behavior modification and behavior therapy were used interchangeably (O'Donohue & Krasner, 1995). With publication of the journal Behavior Research and Therapy in 1963 and the founding of the Association for the Advancement of Behavior Therapy, behavior therapy became a general term for all of these techniques. Thus behavior therapy will be used in this discussion."

Delusional Disorder, Nancy S. Thurston

Faculty Publications - Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) Program

Excerpt: "Delusional disorder is one among several types of psychotic disorders, all of which involve grossly impaired reality testing. The core feature of delusional disorder is one or more nonbizarre delusions that last for at least one month. These delusions involve situations that could plausibly happen in life. Apart from the direct impact of the delusion, persons with this disorder appear normal to others and are able to function adequately in everyday life. If the person has a mood episode (such as depression) while having delusions, it must be relatively brief in order to warrant the delusional disorder diagnosis. The …

John Broadus Watson, Rodger K. Bufford

Faculty Publications - Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) Program

Excerpt: "Father of American behavioral psychology. Born and reared in Greenville, South Carolina, he received an M.A. from Furman University and then went to the University of Chicago, where he received his Ph.D. in 1903 and remained as an instructor. In 1908 Watson left Chicago for Johns Hopkins. Forced to resign from Johns Hopkins in 1920 due to adverse publicity about his divorce, he subsequently entered the advertising business."

Stereotypic Movement Disorder, Nancy S. Thurston

Faculty Publications - Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) Program

Excerpt: "Persons with stereotypic movement disorder move their bodies in ways that are nonfunctional, repetitive, and seemingly driven. This may include relatively benign movements such as rocking, hand waving, and twirling objects. However, it may also involve dangerous or even life-threatening behaviors such as head banging and self-biting."