Pamela F. Foley

Ethical issues in multicultural student–faculty mentoring relationships in higher education

In this article, we explore the ethical issues pertaining to student–faculty mentoring relationships in graduate training programs, with a specific focus on understanding these concerns within a multicultural context. Multiculturalism, although broadly defined, is limited herein to race and ethnicity, gender and sexuality, age, religion, and ability status. Specific ethical codes are cited in which quandaries may arise vis‐à‐vis cultural factors in student–faculty mentorships, and examples are provided related to the aforementioned aspects of multiculturalism. We close with some recommendations regarding the intersection of culture and mentoring relationships. We encourage those involved in student–faculty mentorships to explore both these and other ethical dilemmas that arise in cross‐cultural mentorships.

Hearing the Call: A Phenomenological Study of Religion in Career Choice.

While traditional forms of career counseling are effective for many individuals, some clients may perceive a strong religious or spiritual call to a career and may therefore require a different understanding of career counseling. This qualitative study sought to describe the process through which individuals perceive and follow a religious or spiritual call to a career, for a small sample of Roman Catholic participants. Themes emerging from the study included a sense of career choice arising from a mutual relationship with God, and struggles both with faith and with being called. Participants described various sources of support as well as challenges in following their calling. The results of the study can assist psychologists and career counselors when working with religious clients who want to incorporate religion and spirituality into the career decision-making process.

Counseling Psychologists Who View Their Careers as a Calling: A Qualitative Study.

Interviews were completed with eight counseling psychologists who viewed their careers as a calling. Using the Consensual Qualitative Research guidelines, six domains emerged: definition, process of discerning, content of the calling, professional impact, personal impact, and maintenance. Generally, interviewees viewed the discernment of their calling as the result of an indirect route that included self-reflection, support from others, and an identified calling source. Interviewees generally viewed their calling as what one is meant to do, as something that evolved over time, as synonymous with one’s purpose in life, and as tied to helping or serving others. Generally, interviewees were satisfied with their personal and professional lives and noted that the calling positively impacted their daily work tasks and interpersonal relationships. Interviewees generally viewed their calling as an ongoing process, and they identified role models and supportive work environments that aided in maintaining their calling.

The Utility of the State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory with Offenders

Self-report instruments can provide useful information as part of a thorough clinical assessment. However, their use in forensic settings can be problematic. The State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory (STAXI) has recently been proposed as an effective instrument for screening and outcome measurement in anger management programs. This study evaluated the effectiveness of this instrument in a sample of both voluntary and court-ordered anger-management clients, all of whom were determined through diagnostic interviews to have significant anger problems. Contrary to findings in nonforensic samples, the STAXI Trait Anger scale identified only about half of the participants as having anger-management problems severe enough to require intervention. Supplemental analysis with two additional scales did not significantly improve sensitivity. In addition to thorough diagnostic interviewing, forensic use of the STAXI (like similar assessment methods) may require additional validity scales to detect denial or socially desirable response patterns.

Current Trends in Retirement: Implications for Career Counseling and Vocational Psychology.

This article provides an overview of emerging trends in retirement, examines demographic trends in the labor force, and provides practical recommendations for working with older workers across cultures (e.g., women and racial/ethnic minorities, and among others). Increasingly, older workers in the United States remain in the workforce for reasons related to financial security, health care, and personal fulfillment. Although retirement trends have become more complex, there is limited empirical literature addressing this issue and the research available does not attend to the needs of a diverse workforce. Therefore, implications for training, practice, advocacy, and research with regard to working with older workers across cultures (e.g., women and racial/ethnic minorities, among others) are provided.

Career and Retirement Theories: Relevance for Older Workers Across Cultures

This article reviews selected career development theories and theories specifically focused on retirement, with an emphasis on their application to retirement decisions and vocational behavior in multicultural populations. Theories are evaluated based on whether (a) retirement was considered a stage of working life, (b) work satisfaction, motivation, and other work variables at retirement age were addressed, (c) work choices at retirement age were included, and (d) cultural and other minority status issues were either directly considered in the work–retirement decision or if the model could be reasonably applied to retirement across cultures. We provide specific recommendations for research and practice with the aim of helping practitioners and scholars conceptualize the current concerns older adults face in their working lives and during retirement planning.

A Model Psychoeducational Group for Survivors of Organizational Downsizing.

Abstract This article describes a 1-day psychoeducational group for survivors of a recent organizational downsizing. When normal emotional responses are not addressed, survivors are at risk of developing a chronic and debilitating response that has been described asLayoff Survivor Syndrome. The principal goal of this group is the primary prevention of this syndrome through instruction and group exercises designed to normalize common responses and increase awareness of positive coping strategies. Descriptions are provided of group structure, exercises, information to be presented. common reactions of group members, and suggestions for dealing with potential issues that may arise.

Adult Children of Gay and Lesbian Parents Religion and the Parent-Child Relationship

Previous scholars have explored various challenges facing children of gay and lesbian individuals, and some have explored the impact of a parent’s sexual orientation on the parent-child relationship. However, the impact of religion on the parent-child relationships of adult children with a gay or lesbian parent has been overlooked. In this study, 10 adult children with both a gay or lesbian parent and a heterosexual parent were interviewed and asked to retrospectively explore how religion impacted their parent-child relationships. The following themes emerged from phenomenological analysis of the interviews: (a) family break-up more difficult than the parents’ coming out; (b) discovery that parent was gay or lesbian; (c) initial shame over having a gay or lesbian parent; (d) positive aspects of having a gay or lesbian parent; (e) redefined relationship with religion; and (f) impact of culture on how gay and lesbian individuals are viewed.

Social Cognitive Career Theory, the Theory of Work Adjustment, and Work Satisfaction of Retirement-Age Adults

Despite an increase in the number of adults working past traditional retirement age, existing theories of vocational behavior are not yet adequately supported in this population. In a sample of 1,858 adults aged 60–87, we evaluated the relationship between theorized predictors of work satisfaction proposed by social cognitive career theory (SCCT), including life satisfaction, self-efficacy, and the personality traits of extraversion, conscientiousness, and neuroticism; work satisfaction as a predictor of continued work, as proposed by the theory of work adjustment (TWA); and the influence of work discrimination, chronic discrimination, and lifetime discrimination on these relationships. While the results supported most predicted relationships, chronic work discrimination negatively affected self-efficacy and predicted both work satisfaction and intention to continue working somewhat more strongly than did the other variables proposed by either SCCT or TWA in this sample.