Kathleen M. May

Social and emotional adjustment themes across gifted children

This article presents common patterns or means of coping that gifted children used to respond to stressors in their lives. Patterns which applied to all seven gifted children in this study are described as themes in the article and illustrate the social and emotional adjustment of these children in their families, schools, and communities.

Family Interaction Patterns and College Student Career Development

We examined whether and how family interaction patterns relate to role salience and vocational identity in a predominantly Anglo-American college student sample (107 women, 65 men). Results indicated significant links between perceived emotional closeness and structural flexibility in the family-of-origin and higher levels of participation in, commitment to, and value expectations for home and family roles. Levels of work-role salience and vocational identity were not significantly related to family-of-origin interaction patterns. Appraising and attending to family-of-origin dynamics may be useful in career assessment and counseling that involves helping clients understand and fit family into their life-careers. Ultimately, determining with more certainty the precise degree of transportability of the family circumplex model to the vocational domain will require continued research in this vein.

Coping and Self-Concept: Adjustment Patterns in Gifted Adolescents

This study examines the relationship between self-concept and coping strategies of 457 academically gifted adolescents, aged 10 to 16 years. Frequently used strategies indicated that adolescents assumed responsibility for dealing with stressors and took action-focused approaches rather than ignoring problems. As predicted by the model of social and emotional adjustment (Sowa & May, 1996), six scales of the Adolescent Coping Scale (Frydenberg & Lewis, 1990)—focus on the positive, work hard and achieve, focus on solving the problem, seek social support, keep to self, and seek to belong—predicted a significant proportion of the variance in general (27%) and nonacademic (25%) self-concept scales of the Self-Description Questionnaire II (Marsh, 1992).

Counseling Gay and Lesbian Families: Theoretical Considerations

There are an estimated 2 to 10 million gay and lesbian parents raising from 6 to 14 million children in the United States. Research has revealed few measurable differences between gay and lesbian families and heterosexual families. However, as a result of living in a homophobic and heterosexist society, gay and lesbian families face unique concerns. In this column, family counselors and therapists are challenged to consider whether the theoretical model that influences their work considers the broader social context and the impact that marginalization and discrimination may have on gay and lesbian families.

A Developmental View of a Gifted Child's Social and Emotional Adjustment.

This case study provides an in‐depth exploration of a familys experiences in raising a gifted child and their concern with his social and emotional adjustment. The intent of this article is to demonstrate this childs early difficulties in adjustment and to describe the changes that occurred which enhanced his self‐ esteem and made his adjustment less compromising. Although social and emotional difficulties have not disappeared magically, the severity has decreased. The family, the child, and school personnel are optimistic regarding further gains in the childs social and emotional adjustment.

Gifted Children and Their Families.

Gifted children and their families may be considered a population with unique needs. In this column, the characteristics of gifted children and the impact of giftedness on the family are presented. Family therapists are encouraged to examine their own attitudes toward giftedness and to enhance their sensitivity in working with gifted families.

Current and Preferred Clinical Supervision Experiences of Home-Based Treatment Providers

Abstract Home-based service providers often work in high pressure and independent practice. The supervision needs and practices of this group need to be investigated to better understand the unique circumstances of this sub-specialty and the relationship to supervision. A sample of home-based service providers was surveyed to determine their current and preferred supervision practices. Results from a descriptive statistical analysis of responses indicated that most of the home-based service providers were currently receiving the type of supervision that they preferred with a few exceptions. Withingroup analyses revealed minimal differences in preferred supervision based on the educational discipline of the respondent (counseling, social work, psychology).

Family Counseling: Cultural Sensitivity, Relativism, and the Cultural Defense:

Cultural sensitivity, cultural relativism, and the cultural defense are defined and described. Each concept is addressed in terms of its relationship to couple andfamily counseling.

HONESTY TESTS IN ACADEMIA AND BUSINESS: A COMPARATIVE STUDY

This study was designed to extend our understanding of trustworthiness and attitude measures as they relate to academia and business. The basic research question was whether students modify their responses to such inventories based on the purpose of the test. Students were randomly assigned to one of two conditions: respond as honestly and openly as possible or respond as if applying to graduate school or as if applying for a job. Results indicate that students modified their responses to an honor system survey if the results would be used as part of the admission criteria to graduate school; students did not modify their responses to an employment trustworthiness survey when the results would be used as part of the hiring decision. Implications for schools and businesses are discussed.

How Do We Teach Family Therapy Theory

A rich variety of ideas and strategies are found in the literature that addresses how family therapy theories should be taught. Differences in teaching strategies and practices are influenced by differences in the theories of family therapy. However, even within specific theoretical schools, there is more agreement among educators about what skills should be taught than there is on how to teach such skills. This column addresses the multiplicity of ideas on how to teach family therapy theories.