The effects of therapist sex, client sex, and client pathology on treatment goals formulated by practicing psychotherapists were investigated. Practicing male and female psychotherapists recommended treatment goals for either two male or two female pseudoclients who differed in their presenting pathology, which was severe and clearly defined. Male therapists chose significantly more feminine treatment goals for all their clients, whereas female therapists chose significantly more masculine goals, regardless of client sex. Therapists responded to the client's pathology, rather than the client's sex, in formulating treatment goals. This suggests either that client sex is not important in determining treatment goals or that client sex may affect therapists' treatment goal choice only when pathology is vague or nonsevere.Sex roles have traditionally been dealt with in theories of human adjustment as an important set of socially designated behaviors that differentiate normal men and women.
This study demonstrated that the emphatic sensitivity in paraprofessionals could be increased as a result of training and examined the maintenance of such changes 6-14 months after training was completed. Also explored is the relationship of verbal intelligence to changes in students' empathic sensitivity. Forty-seven students who were enrolled in an associate degree mental health/ human service program participated. Each of these students completed a 10week training course in one of four different groups. Each was given the Recognition Assessment Empathy (RA-E) on completion of the course (posttest) and again 6-14 months later (follow-up). Students in two of the groups were also pretested on the RA-E. Empathic sensitivity did increase after completion of the course, confirming previous research. More important, changes in empathic sensitivity were not only maintained but increased over time to a level comparable with a normative group of experienced clinicians. Mortality and selection effects were judged to be minimal. Finally, as predicted, no significant relationship emerged between verbal intelligence and empathic sensitivity either before or after training.
Research with women addicted to alcohol or to opiates shows low body esteem and a negative view of the female role to be characteristics of this group. The present study examines the relation between body and role attitudes. When measures of each were compared with a control group of nonaddicted women, the addicted group was shown to hold significantly more negative attitudes, although socioeconomic status proved to be a confounding factor. The hypothesis that drug-taking behavior may be more likely when a woman perceives both her body and her sex role negatively was supported. Because a difference was found between the groups in the use of fantasy, it was speculated that treatment measures for addicted women might be more effective if this difference were considered.
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