Through the application of life course theory to the study of sexual orientation, this paper specifies a new paradigm for research on human sexual orientation that seeks to reconcile divisions among biological, social science, and humanistic paradigms. Recognizing the historical, social, and cultural relativity of human development, this paradigm…

This study tested the validity of scores on the Personal Growth Initiative Scale (PGIS; C. Robitschek, 1998, 1999) with a Mexican American college student sample. Results indicated that the PGIS scores appear to be culturally relevant for this population, with scores on the PGIS having many similar relations with other variables that have been…

Methodological implications of a person-oriented, holistic-interactionistic perspective in research on individual development are outlined, desirable properties of a mathematical model of a phenomenon are discussed, and selected methods for carrying out person-oriented research are briefly overviewed. These methods are: (1) the classificatory…

Remaining motivated requires that educators believe in the essential goodness of humankind and in each person's capacity for self-examination and change. They must also have faith that they can make a positive difference by challenging students, offering resources to support them, and approaching all of their interactions with them with care and…

The key importance of after-school and out-of-school time in a democratic society is the experience of activities and programs providing a common ground that extends the play of childhood into leadership opportunities for youthful learning and exploration of the world. The authors hypothesize that by focusing civic attention on the developmental…

In "The Corrosion of Character" Richard Sennett contends that the storied nature of human experience is stunted by "conditions of the new economy". He argues that individuals are unable to develop "coherent life narratives" in the absence of job security. Thus, continuous employment somehow provides coherence: at…

Knowing how teachers in China understand excellence in teaching is an important precursor to developing teaching standards. This study explores the conceptions of excellent teaching held by 20 middle school teachers in the north of China. A phenomenographic approach with grounded theory was used to interpret teachers' descriptions of a time when…

This study compared perceptions of mentoring relationships among early adolescents, middle adolescents, and emerging adults. In ten focus groups, 56 middle school, high school, and college students described relational experiences that were analyzed thematically. Differences in the characteristics of the mentors nominated by the youth across the…

Although it may be so subtle that it is not noticed or sudden and life altering, adult development occurs in a cycle of four inherent processes: transaction, transition, transformation, and transcendence. These processes exist in a cycle characterized by growth and development. The processes can be defined as follows: (1) transaction--personal,…

To understand the demands and restrictions of human consciousness will allow teachers and students alike to actually "be" listeners. It is speculated (by K. Wilber, E. Neumann, J. Gebser and others) that human consciousness, in the course of human existence, has gone through several changes, different modes or structures, so to speak,…

This book directs the individual reader to self-expression and discovery through writing techniques. The book presents a series of writing exercises that helps a person explore his or her past, present, and future. The exercises in the book are grouped into three stages of the self-discovery process: (1) "Remembering," tapping memories;…

One way in which theorists have attempted to understand the differences in identity and attitudes of minority groups, and more recently majority groups, has been through theories of racial identity development. In this study factor analysis was applied to J. E. Helms' models of racial identity development: the Black Racial Identity Attitude Scale,…

Since culture provides a direction for discovering a sense of coherence between stability and change, therapeutic change can be established when clients become aware of their cultural rules. This digest examines techniques developed for ethnographic research that can be applied directly to the career counseling interview. Ethnography assumes that…

There need be no quarrel between those who believe that writing comes primarily from an individual's discovery of selfhood and those who believe that writing is primarily the result of social interaction. Two theoretical perspectives are helpful in considering this issue. The first, presented by D. W. Winnicott, suggests that an infant learns…

This paper reflects on the motivations for doing photography and examines the therapeutic use of photography with various populations. The paper provides an account of how one person was trained as a teacher in the early 1970s but could not find work. He moved into and then out of social work with the elderly in Chicago. Having learned photography…