Structured group interaction, through an emphasis on pre-group structuring, didactic presentations, experiential learning, and evaluation, provides a flexible approach to achieving a variety of goals while compensating for many problem characteristics of an aged institutionalized population. Limitations and hazards involved in the approach are…

Structuring leader behavior can increase group member morale by decreasing perceptions of failure. Task nature determines how much discussants believe they can improve on future tasks. Style of leadership is an important determinant of member satisfaction. (Author/MFD)

Outlines a group-oriented residential treatment model for emotionally disturbed adolescents, aged 13-18. Key features include use of therapeutic language and value systems, delineation of developmental expectations, formation of a positive peer culture, and emphasis on the group process for both therapy and decision making. (Author/BF)

Assigned 27 demented elderly nursing home residents to either reminiscence group therapy, supportive group therapy, or a no-treatment control group. Results showed the self-reported level of depression in participants given reminiscence therapy was positively affected compared with participants in the supportive therapy and control groups.…

A survey of medical students in self-help groups revealed that social affiliation and an opportunity to express feelings in a "safe" environment were primary attractions. Nonprofessional faculty contact, support from fellow students, and stimulating discussions about medicine were the main benefits. (Author/MSE)

Although Yalom's framework of "therapeutic factors" for facilitating outcomes in group work has been accepted by psychologists, no empirically based instrument assesses all of these factors in one measure. The Therapeutic Factors Inventory (TFI), which is described here, was created to fill this need. In designing this measure, the…

The functioning of parent "C" groups (basically preventive in purpose) is described. Such groups are ones wherein parents discuss their interactions with children with each other and with a leader in an effort to make their own behavior more effective. Suggestions for administering such groups and for training counselors to lead them are given.…

This study describes an emerging sociological prototype and examines the degree to which urban stresses and conditions are absent or present and the manner in which they reveal themselves. (Author/RK)

Fantasy has proven successful in counseling situations in elementary schools. It can reduce fears, lower tension and test anxiety, inhibit acting-out behavior, bypass emotional blocks, help children find alternative behaviors, improve self-concept, elicit self-disclosure, and stimulate creativity. (Author)

The composition of encounter groups changed between 1971 and 1974. Female participants in 1971 reported more hostility and depression than males but by 1974 these differences were reversed. An increase in task orientation was found in both sexes. Emphasized the importance of monitoring changes in group composition. (Author)

Investigates the amount of structure furnished by the leader in the group experience over a nine-week period and its effects on measures of self-concept and self-actualization. (Author)

Assessed 50 male sex offenders' (enrolled in an inpatient group psychotherapy program) attitudes toward their parents. Results show attitude-toward-father scores improved significantly but attitude-toward-mother scores did not. Findings are attributed to treatment climate characteristics, greater identification with the father, and a general…

Examines the literature on group instruction that provides the foundation for instructional models proposed by recognized authorities in the field and based on professional association standards. Suggests ways both for translating this knowledge into effective training strategies and for maximizing instruction at the university level. (RJM)