The compulsive perfectionist is compared with "stress seekers" who pursue challenges without judging themselves as harshly. Examples of these types from the literature in terms of economic life, fiction, interpersonal relationships, and sexuality are discussed. Risk-taking and social pressure are seen as key factors in the balanced…

Children come to school each day with problems stemming from unmet physical, emotional, and social needs. In response, efforts to reform systems that provide services to these children have increased. Reform efforts have found flaws in the current delivery system. School psychologists are in unique position to provide significant contributions to…

Relates personality disorders to career development issues and counseling interventions. Case examples suggesting career-focused treatment interventions for dependent, borderline, obsessive-compulsive, and passive-aggressive personality disorders are presented. (Author/JBJ)

Reviews data collected by the Oxford Monitoring System for Attempted Suicide in teenagers between 1985-1995 to determine trends in acts of deliberate self-harm. Notes substantial increase in number of episodes of deliberate self-harm for both males and females. Discusses implications for hospital and counseling professionals and well as…

Describes an after school service learning and character education program for students with emotional, behavioral, and learning problems and their nondisabled peers. This article, which honors the memory and tradition of Drs. Fritz Redl and David Wineman, also describes characteristics of students who have "egos that cannot perform" and…

Recent studies have demonstrated that personality disorders (PDs) can be assessed via a prototype-matching technique, which enables researchers and clinicians to match an individual's five-factor model (FFM) personality profile to an expert-generated prototype. The current study examined the relations between these prototype scores, using…

Anxiety and avoidance dimensions of adult attachment insecurity were tested as moderators of treatment outcome for interpersonal psychotherapy (IPT) and cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT). Fifty-six participants with major depression were randomly assigned to these treatment conditions. Beck Depression Inventory-II, Six-Item Hamilton Rating Scale…

Objective: To compare the pattern of familial aggregation of psychopathology in children who are good responders (GR) to methylphenidate (MPH) versus those who are poor responders (PR). Method: A total of 118 clinically referred children ages 6 to 12 years, diagnosed with ADHD participated in a double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized 2-week…

A concern to many interested in the development and growth of teenagers is a serious deterioration in the messages of some rock music. Rock music is considered a regenerative and revolutionary act by artists in the music industry--the energy center of a new culture. The psychological impact and meaning of rock music for adolescents is addressed as…

Group leaders frequently encounter a reluctance among members to talk about their problems in the group. Simple well-known exercises can be used to elicit successive approximations of the desired group behavior. The leader then uses reinforcement and other techniques to strengthen, maintain, and generalize the behavior elicited by each exercise.…

This report begins by providing two case examples of closed head injuries in families. Closed head injuries or traumatic brain injuries are briefly defined and it is noted that brain injury can cause socialization problems, personality changes, and confusion. It is suggested that families that have an individual member with a closed head injury…

This study assumes that all suicidal and self-destructive behavior can be placed on a continuum from hopeful (H) to hopeless (S). The author attempts to show that there is an underlying continuum of hope corresponding to what we know about the statistics of suicidal behavior. He employs two operational hypotheses as tests of his ideas: (1) a group…

A recent revision of the proposed DSM III description of the borderline category is presented with reference to the work of Masterson and Grinker. The contributions of Roger Shapiro and his group to a psychoanalytic formulation of the developmental and familial dynamics are summarized with reference to genetic factors and the lack of validation,…

Although almost one-third of licensed psychologists who work in health care settings are employed primarily in private practice, no major study of outcomes in this setting has been undertaken. Outcomes in a private practice were investigated with 33 adult clients who planned to pursue psychotherapy until release by their therapist. The clients…

This study considers degree of personality integration as influenced by social and racial group membership. The effect of personality integration upon educational achievement and vocational exploration was also studied. A sample of 226 high school seniors were selected to represent a cross-section of social class and racial population. The data…