A Significant Counselor Personality Characteristic: Tolerance of Ambiguity

Gruberg, Ronald

doi:10.1002/j.1556-6978.1969.tb01312.x

Cited by 10 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 9 publications

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“…The significant correlations between tolerance of ambiguity and empathic understanding and respect support earlier theoretical statements (Bordin 1955;Stone & Shertzer 1963) and research findings (Brams 1961;Gruberg 1969) that having a tolerance of ambiguity is characteristic of effective counselors. Data from the present investigation suggest that counselors offering high levels of empathic understanding and respect do not feel the need to structure the stimulus field in the counseling relationship (e.g., via questions).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 84%

“…It was therefore hypothesized that the subjects' rated "ability to work with others" is positively correlated with empathic understanding, genuineness, and respect. The second variable, tolerance of ambiguity, has been a prominent variable associated with effective counseling in both theoretical writings (Bordin 1955;Stone & Shertzer 1963) and research investigations (Brams 1961;Gruberg 1969).…”

Section: Purposementioning

confidence: 99%

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Toward More Adequate Selection Criteria: Correlates of Empathy, Genuineness, and Respect

Jones

1974

Couns Edu & Supervision

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Correlations were obtained between scores or ratings on 17 variables derived from a review of the research and theory on the problem of selection and rated levels of empathic understanding, genuineness, and respect provided by 19 graduate students to clients during the counseling practicum experience. The results revealed that empathic understanding and respect are significantly related to two similar personality variables: tolerance of ambiguity and need for order. Ratings from Carkhuff's Index of Communication were significantly related to empathic understanding. None of the variables investigated was significantly related to genuineness. Suggestions are made for further research and the improvement of existing selection instruments.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 84%

Section: Purposementioning

confidence: 99%

Toward More Adequate Selection Criteria: Correlates of Empathy, Genuineness, and Respect

Jones

1974

Couns Edu & Supervision

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“…A general suspicion has existed that the level of one's conceptual flexibility has a bearing on the ability to provide facilitative interpersonal responses (Carlozzi, Edwards, & Ward, 1978;Kemp, 1962;Passons & Olsen, 1969). Consistent with this notion, researchers have investigated cognitive rigidity and flexibility (Whiteley, Sprinthall, Mosher, & Donaghy, 1967), dogmatism (Foulds, 1971;Milliken & Paterson, 1967;Omizo, Ward, & Michael, 1979), and tolerance for ambiguity (Gruberg, 1967;Jones, 1974) as they relate to counselor effectiveness. Although results have been inconclusive and characterized as disappointing (Rowe, Murphy, & DeCsipkes, 1975), interest in this area continues (Carlozzi, Campbell, & Ward, 1982).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

All‐Inclusive Conceptualization as a Dimension of Trainee Empathic Responding

Brown

Smith

1984

Couns Edu & Supervision

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Investigations into the personality characteristic all-inclusive conceptualization (AIC) indicated that this variable was related to the ability to integrate facilitative interpersonal behaviors. A test of AIC was administered to 28 counseling practicum students who also submitted audiotapes of an initial, middle, and final counseling session. The sessions were rated, using a 5-point Carkhuff scale, as to the level of empathic understanding present. Significant negative correlations were found between scores on the test and rated levels of empathic understanding in each counseling session. The correlations indicated that those trainees who scored higher on the test of AIC offered their clients lower levels of empathic understanding than did their lower scoring colleagues. Implications for this finding are discussed.Researchers have made considerable efforts over the past 30 years to understand the relationship between personality characteristics and the ability to counsel effectively (Matarazzo, 1978). Investigations into the personality characteristic all-inclusive conceptualization (AlC) provide information associating this variable with the ability to integrate facilitative interpersonal behaviors (Drakeford, 1967). Snider has defined AIC as the tendency to respond to stimuli in terms of overgeneralized language (1969) and as one's reaction to the word as if it were the object it stands for (1979). AIC research emanates from the pioneering interests of general semanticists, who have argued that the tendency towards absoluteness or allness in language is directly related to dysfunctional behavior (Hayakawa, 1943;Korzybski, 1948).A general suspicion has existed that the level of one's conceptual flexibility has a bearing on the ability to provide facilitative interpersonal responses

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“…Despite predictions to the contrary, counselors' scores on the tolerance of ambiguity scale do not appear to be reflected in the manner in which they responded to the different clients and client behaviors presented in this study. Tolerance of ambiguity has previously been examined in regard to therapists' effectiveness (Gruberg, 1969;Jackson & Thompson, 1971;McDaniel, 1967;Valsi, 1974Valsi, /1975) and clients'perceptions of the therapist (Chasnoff, 1976;Tucker & Snyder, 1974). Those researchers who found a significant relationship between therapists' effectiveness and tolerance of ambiguity used therapy trainees as subjects, whereas ambiguity tolerance was not a significant discriminator when more experienced therapists were involved (Jackson & Thompson, 1971;Valsi, 1974Valsi, /1975 or when effective therapists' behavior was modeled (Chasnoff, 1976).…”

Section: Counselor Tolerance Of Ambiguitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Investigation of factors involved in therapists' annoyance with clients.

Fremont¹,

Anderson²

1988

Professional Psychology: Research and Practice

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One hundred one counselors/therapists from 13 agencies completed a 16-item questionnaire describing their reactions to behaviors of three clients that a previous study had shown were irritating or annoying to therapists. The subjects' reactions to certain "rules" of therapy and their ambiguity tolerance were also examined. Counselors' reactions were most negative to client impositions and attacks and least negative to client resistance and involvement in client dynamics. Several rules were significantly correlated with counselors' annoyance, but there was no relationship with counselors' ambiguity tolerance.Therapists' annoyance or anger with clients has largely been ignored in the research literature, but a number of authors have discussed their clinical observations of therapists' anger and its impact on clients. Cahill (1981), Rothenberg (1971), and Rubin (1969 all stressed anger as a positive, caring drive. Cahill (1981) made an important distinction wherein anger occurs in the context of a relationship in which the object of the anger is trusted and pursued. In contrast, he suggested that hostility originates in disappointment, rejection, and punitiveness.Anger, however, has its more noxious aspects, often arising in situations in which the individual feels less powerful, useful, whole, or valued (e.g., Gaylord, 1984;Rothenberg, 1971). Novaco (1976) implicated anxiety in the arousal of anger, suggesting that anger functions as an ego defense, a protective reaction to feelings of vulnerability.For therapists there is also the danger that annoyance/anger at clients' behavior might be a manifestation of countertransference and, as such, might be a reflection of the therapist's own unresolved neuroses. Discussing negative countertransference, Singer (1965) commented that "it is important to distinguish between realistic negative attitudes such as annoy-SUZANNE R. FREMONT received her PhD in psychology from the University of Missouri at Columbia and is currently Assistant Director of the Counseling Center at the State University of New York College at Cortland. Her interests include the training of counseling professionals and outreach programming in campus communities. WAYNE ANDERSON has a PhD in psychology from the University of Missouri at Columbia and is presently Chair of the Joint Training Program in Counseling Psychology. He has a dual appointment at the University of Missouri as a professor of psychology and as a counseling psychologist with the Counseling Services. His research interests are the psychology of the aggressive offender (murder and rape) and the effects of counselor self-disclosure on client behavior. He has recently coauthoredBwftmiu:^ Book/or Therapist and Client.

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A Significant Counselor Personality Characteristic: Tolerance of Ambiguity

Cited by 10 publications

References 9 publications

Toward More Adequate Selection Criteria: Correlates of Empathy, Genuineness, and Respect

Toward More Adequate Selection Criteria: Correlates of Empathy, Genuineness, and Respect

All‐Inclusive Conceptualization as a Dimension of Trainee Empathic Responding

Investigation of factors involved in therapists' annoyance with clients.

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