Reports on the growth and achievement of gifted girls and women in the past decade have been encouraging. Certainly, more women today feel encouraged to achieve, assume leadership, and pursue careers formerly dominated by men. The women's movement and the programs it inspired have helped promising girls plan and act on deeply held interests and…

This research highlights the learning of female offenders on a 20-day tailor-made experiential adventure education course (Women in Action) delivered by Outward Bound New Zealand. The aims of the course were to increase self-awareness, to develop an understanding of the concept of choice and self responsibility, to improve communication skills and…

Reports on a seminar planned for women over 25 who wanted to seek out a new lifestyle or rejuvenate an old one. The goals were to help women explore their capabilities, help them develop realistic plans, and to stimulate personal growth. (Author/PC)

The article recounts the development of a gifted English girl as expressed in an interview at age 24. Revealed are problems, anxieties, and sensitivities of the gifted and their need for broad counseling and support. (DB)

"Fascinating womanhood" ("total woman") is explored as a response to anxiety generated by awareness of the potential for experiencing the self as a separate, responsible person. A therapeutic approach that can be utilized in encouraging optimal individuation is discussed, with group, marital, and individual therapy examples. Precautions are also…

Adult development theorists believe that the changes that occur during the adult years are predictable and age linked. Their theories explain how change is resolved by the majority of the adult population. Three persons whose research has been influential in the field of adult development during the 1970s are Erik Erikson, Daniel Levinson, and…

Identity development has been conceptualized as a process with four possible outcomes or identity statuses: Achievement, Moratorium, Foreclosure, and Diffusion. If males placed a high value on an identity crisis, women who identified with the male sex role would be expected to be in a crisis (Moratorium) or post-crisis (Achievement) status.…

Necessary developmental tasks concerned with identity development of gifted college women include developing competence, managing emotions, developing autonomy, establishing identity, freeing interpersonal relationships, developing purpose, and developing integrity. These issues may be used as counseling interventions to raise career aspirations.…

This case study describes a 13-year-old female with autism, mutism, hyperlexia, and spelling ability. Analysis indicated her reading and spelling abilities were dominated by visual rather than phonological processes. Most striking was an apparent social awakening during the 3.5 month period of the study, possibly related to the onset of puberty.…

Used newly developed codes for parenting behavior during the Great Depression reported in the Oakland Growth Study. Results indicated that economic hardship adversely influenced the psychosocial well-being of adolescent girls, but not boys, by increasing the rejecting behavior of fathers. This effect was particularly strong for unattractive girls.…

This study identified early conditions of successful adults, via a historical analysis of psychological traits and childhood environments of 38 notable 20th-century American women writers. The study rated multiple traits and conditions representing cognitive, affective, familial, and educational aspects. Results focus on the degree of persistence…

The study, with 89 gifted girls in grades 1-12, found decreased self-regard, self-confidence, inner courage, and self-assurance with increased age. Levels of perfectionism, hopelessness, discouragement, and emotional vulnerability rose with increasing age. Findings suggest the need for strong identity information and models and the encouragement…

An attempt was made to determine whether or not the male influence of teacher Confreres can bring about significant improvement in academic achievement, personality development, and sex role identification over a three-year period of time. Analysis of variance was used as the statistical process for determining tests of significance. The…