Self-actualization, which involves the ultimate development of one's abilities regardless of external influences, is the basis for many personality theories. To assess the relationship between biological sex, sex role, and self-actualization, the Bem Sex Role Inventory (BSRI) and the Personal Orientation Inventory (POI) were administered to 129…

Critics of a dominant model of the person, which emphasizes autonomy and independence, have called for an alternative, more social, conceptualization of the self. To describe and validate social individuality as an alternative conceptualization of the self, 84 adults (54 females, 30 males), from a range of social classes and including persons…

Attribution theorists have argued that if an intrinsically motivated activity is extrinsically reinforced, the activity will be devalued and extinguished when the reward is removed. Hypothesizing that activities performed for their instrumental outcome are valued less than activities not so externally oriented, and that activities performed for…

Shostrom (1971) has identified a type of marriage in which self-actualizing couples do not simply accept their socially defined roles, but instead develop personality traits and values that are consistent with their own psychological health and that of the couple relationship. Antill (1983) found evidence for the importance of high scores in…

Although gifted children have been the subject of investigation for 60 years, little information is available on gifted adults, particularly in regard to life satisfaction. To investigate life satisfaction in adults who as children were labeled as gifted, 298 adults, with a mean age of 27, completed a Likert-type instrument measuring degree of…

A study investigated the process of giving interpersonal feedback in two continuing human relations groups to determine (1) the proportion of feedback perceived as useful for personal and interpersonal development, (2) the relationship between giving feedback that is perceived as useful and receiving that feedback, and (3) the relationship between…

An interview study examined the assumptions about adult learning held by 28 educational policy-makers, researchers, and staff developers. Fifteen assumptions were inferred from the interview data, each forming a dimension that describes learning as experienced by the participants: (1) Adult learning experiences are envisioned as similar for all…

A motivational approach to student learning that has been implemented in several courses at Wright University in Ohio consists of six efforts: (1) to instill in students the knowledge of motivation, both from within and without; (2) to make students members of cohesive work groups; (3) to apply theory learned; (4) to demonstrate achievement of…

The objective of this study was to explore the relationship between self-disclosure and intimacy status. Sixty-four women and 32 men (mean age = 27.44) were asked to complete the Greene Self-Disclosure Sentence Blank in response to one of two conditions, each of which specified a hypothetical target person for the self-revealing communication: a…

This paper describes a part of the LONG-project in Sweden, a study of the long-term ideological effects of higher education on students' notions of their surrounding world. Extending from 1978 to 1982, the main study of the LONG-project involved followup studies on 100 students representing four professional study programs: business administration…

The Self-Identity Development Model of Oppressed People (SIDMOP) is a synthesis of several areas of psychology, including developmental, cross cultural, and spiritual literatures. SIDMOP provides an all-inclusive model of identity development for oppressed minorities in the United States, regardless of ethnicity. The model was formulated from the…

The purpose of this study is to shift the focus of research away from problems faced by administrators making reduction in force or reassignment/rank reduction policies to a consideration of the experiences of those affected by such policies. Following descriptions of the study's open-ended ethnographic interviewing technique, the criteria for…

The STOP Abusive Behavior Syndrome (STOP ABS) Project attempts to implement a community-based discipline model for inner-city elementary schools that avoids both physical and emotional abuse by teachers and students, while contributing to the students' overall development. Prevailing disciplinary models either relate to children as objects to be…