Using psychoanalytic approaches in organizational consulting.

Explores the utility of applying psychoanalytic concepts and techniques to organizational issues. Similarities and differences between one-on-one therapy and individual-to-system consultation are examined in the light of the debate between positivist and interpretive models. From an interpretive perspective, 3 critical problems influencing the application of psychoanalytic theory to organizational consultation are explored, including how consultants can cope with the complexity of the organization as a multilayered human system, by what means organizational consultants can substantiate psychodynamic hypotheses, and how consultants can differentiate between valid systems data and countertransferential reactions to individuals or groups in the client organization. Suggestions for dealing with these issues are offered. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Relationship between response to interferon therapy and detection of hepatitis C virus RNA by differential flotation centrifugation

Problem-based learning (PBL) is a method of instruction gaining increased attention and implementation in medical education. In PBL there is increased emphasis on the development of problem-solving skills, small group dynamics, and self-directed methods of education. A weekly PBL conference was started by a university consultation psychiatry team. One active consultation service problem was identified each week for study. Multiple computerized and library resources provided access to additional information for problem solving. After 1 year of the PBL conference, an evaluation was performed to determine the effectiveness of this approach. We reviewed the content of problems identified, and conducted a survey of conference participants. The most common types of problem categories identified for the conference were pharmacology of psychiatric and medical drugs (28%), mental status effects of medical illnesses (28%), consultation psychiatry process issues (20%), and diagnostic issues (13%). Computerized literature searches provided significant assistance for some problems and less for other problems. The PBL conference was ranked the highest of all the psychiatry resident educational formats. PBL appears to be a successful method for assisting in patient management and in resident and medical student psychiatry education.     

Participational agency.

Participational agency is presented as a conceptual account of human action, volition, and possibility. Rooted in hermeneutic and narrative traditions, this view differs from other theorizing about agency (and most psychological theorizing in general) in that it makes no effort to explain human action by virtue of reified constructs. As an alternative to traditional theorizing in this area, participational agency is defined as meaningful engagement in the world and treats the experienced meaningfulness of practical human activity as its central feature. The concept of meaningful engagement is clarified through the presentation of four related themes—situated participation, existential concern, dispositional action, and narrative orientation. Finally, the author offers several implications of this view of agency for theory and research. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Multiple functions for psychologists in community consultation.

"Psychologists are assuming a wider range of responsibilities in community program administration and community consultation: in mental health, corrections, education, and anti-poverty." A program for training consultants was developed in New Mexico during a 4-yr demonstration project. Selection criteria include: (1) sound graduate training including the PhD for psychologists, (2) substantial clinical skills in diagnosis and therapy, (3) experience in consultation and administration, and (4) experience in community work. A 2-mo., full-time orientation program was conducted for the consultants hired. The project stimulated development of various new resources in local communities including, among others, a day school for retarded children, a family casework agency, a day center for emotionally disturbed children, a training and consultation service to an orphanage, and an alcoholism treatment and rehabilitation program. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Community Consultation.

Reviews the book, Community Consultation by Patrick O'Neill and Edison J. Trickett (1982). Community Consultation is organized around the theme of linkages. First, the consultant is linked to the client not just those with whom they work directly. Clients can include a single person, a group, a complex organization, or the community at large. In Part One, issues surrounding this linkage are examined, including consultant/setting fit and the contract, implicit or explicit, that defines the formal relationship between consultant and client. Part Two concentrates on the linkages among members of a particular client group or organization. Community Consultation is an extremely ambitious book. It defines consultation broadly as including not only the relatively conservative intervention described by Gerald Caplan and others but also elements of more radical interventions traditionally called community development and social action. In summary, Community Consultation is a provocative book that significantly advances our theoretical understanding of consultation. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Human agency in social cognitive theory.

The present article examines the nature and function of human agency within the conceptual model of triadic reciprocal causation. In analyzing the operation of human agency in this interactional causal structure, social cognitive theory accords a central role to cognitive, vicarious, self-reflective, and self-regulatory processes. The issues addressed concern the psychological mechanisms through which personal agency is exercised, the hierarchical structure of self-regulatory systems, eschewal of the dichotomous construal of self as agent and self as object, and the properties of a nondualistic but nonreductional conception of human agency. The relation of agent causality to the fundamental issues of freedom and determinism is also analyzed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

APA visiting psychologist program: 1981-1982.

The Visiting Psychologist to Field Settings Program, under the sponsorship of the National Institute of Mental Health, has completed its 15th year of operation. The program continues to function as a mechanism for the dissemination of up-to-date knowledge generated in recent research findings and to provide for the demonstration of innovations in psychological procedures to mental health professionals in service settings by psychologists who are significantly involved in research, training, and the delivery of services. The number of agencies visited by the program since its inception totals over 500. During the past year, 22 agencies were visited. Since several of the agencies reviewed by the Advisory Committee requested similar areas of consultation and were in close geographical proximity to one another, the committee felt it desirable to arrange some combined agency visits in order to include as many agencies as possible in the program. Agencies that received visits are listed with their Visiting Psychologists. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Action learning in practice: How do participants learn?

Action learning and peer consultation are ways of learning with fellow professionals that are gaining in popularity. In small groups, professionals submit work-related issues for systematic discussion with colleagues. This study examined whether the promise of action learning is indeed realized. The study involved a written questionnaire containing 31 closed questions answered by 126 participants in action-learning groups. In response to the question "How do participants learn?" a picture emerged of a learning group that learns more during than after the action-learning sessions and learns primarily by exploring issues in depth and receiving personal feedback. Divergent or reflective learning seems to reign. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

No middle voice.

Discusses the Whorf-Sapir hypothesis, which maintains that nature be dissected along the lines laid down by native language. One characteristic of most modern languages is that subject–verb relationships can be expressed only in active (AVs) and passive voices (PVs). Modern languages might force people into dichotomous thinking patterns, since human action is couched primarily in one voice or the other. Throughout history, several languages have possessed middle voices (MVs) which allow for a more complex relationship between a subject and verb than can be expressed by either the AV or PV alone. English does not have a commonly used MV. This deficit might condition human thinking to possess bipolar (either-or) characteristics. Modern psychological theories of human agency help scientists, legal scholars, and philosophers to adapt thinking to better reflect the continuous characteristics of the world of human action. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Federal granting agencies policies and practices: An introductory note.

Briefly introduces four papers that describe the current policies and practices of the three Government of Canada research granting councils: the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC); the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC); and the Medical Research Council (MRC); plus Health and Welfare Canada's National Health Research Development Program (NHRDP). The author of each article was chosen, in consultation with the agency concerned, as the psychologist currently most knowledgeable about the practices of that particular agency. The premise of this set of papers is that the members of the research community need to be kept informed of the changing practices of these agencies. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Differences between African Americans and Whites in reactions to affirmative action programs in hiring, promotion, training, and layoffs.

This study examines the reactions of African Americans and Whites to affirmative action programs (AAPs) applied to 4 human resource activities: hiring, promotion, training, and layoffs. The results of a scenario-based experimental study conducted on a large sample (N > 800) of advanced undergraduate and MBA business school participants generally supported the hypothesis that human resource activity elicited systematic differences in reaction to AAPs between African Americans and Whites. The authors also replicated previous research on the effect of AAP strength and prior discrimination by the organization on reactions to AAPs. Results indicated that AAP strength levels moderated racial differences in reaction to AAPs, while the moderating role of prior discrimination by the organization was not supported. Implications for future research are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Shadow consultation: A reflective approach for preventing practice disasters.

Shadow consultation is widely practiced in the field of organization development. However, the empirical, conceptual, and practice literature is scanty at best. This article provides a conceptual framework from which shadow consultation can be conducted and describes and discusses some typical goals, areas of expertise, the process of shadow sessions, methods that can be used, and some of the similarities and differences between shadow consultation and management and supervision. Two case studies are presented as a way of describing and illustrating the shadowing process. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Organizational controls and leadership.

Organizations are complex systems that, like all other systems, require internal control mechanisms for self-regulation and balance. Such controls also have direct and hidden financial and human costs. Designing control systems in professional service organizations can be especially challenging due to the need for case-by-case flexibility and the values of professionals for autonomy and other prerogatives. Leaderships must continuously assess the benefits to be gained by certain controls against their financial and human costs. The mix of control mechanisms and the way they are used over time will be contingent on the turbulence and complexity of the agency's environment. The ability of the agency to influence its environment will rest on the skills of its leadership. The conflict between flexibility and control will be particularly troublesome for human service organizations in the future, as the greater diversity of human problems and professional solutions meets the limitations of social values and governmental involvement. (20 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Social constructionism and the ethics of hedonism.

Examines the assumption of hedonism that lies at the core of many social constructionist accounts of human interaction, and illustrates how it precludes an adequate understanding of agency, morality, and intimacy. The implications of such a hedonism are discussed, and a possible alternative to this hedonism which would allow for a more adequate account of agency, morality, and intimacy is briefly explored. It is argued that if social constructionism is going to come to grips with morality and agency it must abandon explanations that invoke the necessary causation of metaphysical abstractions such as hedonism. In order to successfully accomplish this task, social constructionist accounts of human motivation and action must take into account the moral obligation to others that is intimately associated with becoming a person. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Pediatric oncology consultations: A generalizable model for medical settings.

The traditional medical or disease model of emotional disorders is often counterproductive to the establishment of an effective psychological consultation service in a medical setting. The reasons for this problem are discussed in relation to the differences between psychological and medical consultants. The development of an effective psychological consultation service in a complex pediatric oncology setting is described in relation to staff and patient needs. The evolution of the consultation service suggests several generalizable principles that can be adapted for application in other medical settings. (6 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Trial consultation: A new direction in applied psychology.

Increasingly, professional psychologists are faced with the challenge of the changing marketplace, and some choose to meet that challenge by forging new career paths. In this article, the field of trial consultation is reviewed with special emphasis on common tasks trial consultants undertake. It is argued that because of the large number of civil and criminal trials conducted annually and the comparatively small proportion of consultants, the field remains an untapped source of career options for psychologists who have many of the skills necessary to be successful trial consultants. Controversies concerning the effectiveness of trial consultation, ethical issues surrounding its use, and suggestions for appropriate training in the field are explored. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Consultation as a moral process.

This article identifies several common elements of different consulting processes and reviews 5 moral principles that might be used in evaluating relationships and action. An analysis of the moral implications of the common elements of the consulting process is provided. The conclusion drawn is that consultation not only has important moral impact in human systems, but that consultation is, in fact, an essentially moral process. A recommendation is made that consultation increasingly provide for critical moral discourse within our client systems and the consulting process. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Agency-wide implementation of problem solving consultation: Foundations, current implementation, and future directions.

Describes steps taken and the support needed for large scale implementation of a consultative service delivery model. The foundation of a problem solving consultation model used at Heartland Area Educational Agency 11 (HAEA-11) in Iowa is presented. Case examples are used to illustrate various components within problem solving consultation. Efforts to evaluate perceptions of problem solving consultation, and to guide further implementation of consultation at the systems level, are summarized. Areas in which additional resources would enhance problem solving consultation are discussed. Shifts in the philosophy of service delivery that are fundamental for successful implementation of problem solving consultation are described. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)