The implications of a developing theory about human posibilities for the conduct of individual life and the future of society rest on the basic fact that, because only a fraction of the possibilities the future holds can be actualized by an individual or by society, choice is a universal imperative. One important reason that better choices are not…

Achieving Dialog, a model course in dyadic communication for close relationships, is described and presented as a new course for the counseling/human development curriculum. Research findings from a comprehensive evaluation of the Dialog course are summarized. The societal need for the course is indicated, and the educational challenge to…

From the time he was four years old until the day he went to college, Horace A. Judson was a migrant. His life as a migrant in the fields, the camps, the communities, and the numerous schools in which he was enrolled is described. The problems of migrant workers are not merely the problems of poor people but rather problems of minorities…

Intrinsic motivation and self-reinforcement can be used identically to explain behavioral persistence in the absence of external reward. Yet the relationship between these concepts has not been adequately explored. Since intrinsic motivation appears to be dependent on an interesting task and self-reinforcement independent of task, it was…

Most of the frameworks that have been constructed to mark off the changes in the cycle of adulthood are characterized by a particular focus such as developmental ages, the role of age and timing, or ego development. The theory of Erik Erikson, based upon his clinical observations, represents these crucial turning points in human development: ages…

The central and most common element in existing conceptualizations of communication competency is the concept of control, which suggests that competency is a function of the communicator's ability to exert influence over physical and social surroundings. This paper identifies six phases of the control process: goal specification, information…

Certain techniques have been found to be effective in the socialization process, and because these are basically learning principles they are tenable for socialization in any group, as socialization itself is a learning process. The peculiar differentiating aspects of group identity lie in the content (the particular values and goals espoused by…

The relationship of self-concept and sex with work values was investigated. A two-factor, multivariate analysis of variance, with self-concept and sex as independent variables and work values as dependent variables, was performed on protocols collected from 99 rural elementary school pupils. No interaction was found. Both main effects were…

Defines humanism as a philosophy based on the worth of human beings. Traces the history of humanistic education from its Renaissance roots in Europe through the rise of progressive education, teacher education, elementary education, vocational education, and curriculum development in the United States. Sees humanism as inextricably related to…

This study explores the influence of gender and power on autobiographical memory following a brief social interaction. The hypothesis stated that gender and social role (that of leaders versus helpers) would interact in predicting the affective tone and themes (agency and communion) of an autobiographical memory for previous leadership…

This paper describes a study on how, and to what degree, students' demographic information, ethnic identity, and attitudes about women contribute to their ability to be empathic. The report defines an empathic person as one who is interpersonally sensitive and aware of one's self and impact in relationship to others and is responsible for the…

A study investigated the relationships between adult learning theory and the question "Why am I?" or life mission. Three sets of interviews were conducted, each involving a comprehensive interview with each of five people who had made a significant contribution to society over their individual lifetimes. The first set elicited information about…

A reflective discussion is presented on the process of becoming an ethical researcher. Interest in the question stems from personal biography. The framework of ethical concerns of L. G. Roman and M. W. Apple (1990) is used to discuss seven issues that researchers commonly face: (1) the writing of a "true" account; (2) the usefulness of…

This paper describes the content, techniques, and benefits of a life history course, which was designed to extend the traditional goal of psychological development through autobiography into a spiritual context. The three major components of the course are described. The format of the lectures is presented, focusing on concepts, ideas, and tools…

Using data collected from 44 college faculty members, a study investigated the personality characteristics of writers, the ways in which highly productive writers differ from less productive ones, differences in writing strategies, and underlying motivations to write. The subjects were all male, tenured faculty members of a midwestern university…