Role theory provides a framework for defining and analyzing roles, role expectations, and role consensus; it conceptualizes patterns of human conduct; and it is used to describe activities of participants in interpersonal relationships. Role conflict occurs when contradictory expectations are held for the occupant of a position. Role analysis in a…

This study investigates beginning teacher induction programs; what is known about experienced teachers acting as mentors; what mentors do and how they think about their work; and what novices learn from their interactions with them. This case study describes how one support teacher, Pete Frazer, a 30-year veteran, defines and enacts his role with…

This paper describes a mental health clinic program designed specifically for men, and reviews historical antecedents which led to its creation. A literature search is presented which reveals a lack of research relating specific male needs to mental health programs. The program description discusses the workshop/seminar format adopted by the men's…

Social scientists have been studying marriage for several decades and have identified many factors related to the quality of marriage. A longitudinal study of 57 engaged couples was conducted while they were college students and after they were married to test parts of Lewis and Spainer's recently proposed theory of marital quality. It was…

This paper introduces a structural model of multigenerational relationships including the adolescent-parent relationship. The model, which perceives generational role relationships as falling within a five dimensional span includes the following: (1) intra (within the same generation); (2) direct (one generation distant); (3) bi (two generations…

Research indicates substantial evidence that, compared with competition, cooperation increases mutual friendliness and contact between individuals. The effects of cooperative and competitive experiences on the structure of student cliques in the classroom were examined. Seven classrooms of fourth-, fifth-, and sixth-grade students (N=117) were…

In a review of instruments measuring gender-related constructs, a number of shortcomings were found in existing scales. A new scale to measure sex-role attitudes was developed and tested by first proposing the construct of sex-role egalitarianism and then initiating the process of construct validation by developing a reliable measure of the…

E. Husserl's concept of intentionality provides a conceptual perspective of interpersonal communication that suggests a notion of face-to-face communication called "interaction involvement." Structured along dimensions of awareness and responsiveness, interaction involvement explains interpersonal communication as a transactional relationship…

This study examines the effects of sex upon the perception, evaluation and reciprocation of self-disclosing behavior. Subjects were 68 Rutgers University undergraduates who responded to a written statement attributed to either a male or female. The statements varied according to level of intimacy; some disclosed intimate information, while others…

The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between responsivity to non-linguistic cues and accuracy in perception of others. The variables of sex of the perceiver and judgment of the same or opposite sex were also investigated. Using Shapiro's test of responsivity to linguistic or non-linguistic cues, 56 judges were selected who…

This study investigates the assumption that the communication patterns between coaches and athletes are related to the manner in which athletes perceive the role of coach. The investigation focuses specifically upon the authority role of the coach. A modified semantic differential was used to assess the competence, potency, and supportiveness of…

Examined the rules used by 16-year-olds to guide behavior during a sexual encounter. A variety of rules were endorsed, and young people found it easier to encourage than to discourage sex. Few differences emerged between boys and girls, but the relationships among acceptability, usefulness, and actual use of a strategy varied according to gender.…

This paper presents a critique of current conceptualizations of interpersonal competence, reveals their underlying cultural prescriptions, and proposes a transcultural model of interpersonal communication competence designed to guide the teaching of interpersonal communication as well as research in that area. (FL)

This study sought to identify factors which facilitate or deter leadership expression in rural extension specialists. Questionnaires were sent to specialists in ten states who devoted 50% or more of their time to extension work in production, management, and resource use, and to those working in marketing. Evaluations were secured from…

Included in a current genre of studies on dyadic interaction (i.e., communication involving only two people), the study reported herein focuses on dyadic verbal, nonverbal, and proxemic behaviors and their meanings. The study is inductive in nature and is, by intent, descriptive and analytic rather than predictive. The subjects for the study were…