ATTACHMENT THEORY AND RESEARCH APPLIED TO THE CONCEPTUALIZATION AND TREATMENT OF PATHOLOGICAL NARCISSISM

This article focuses on the relevance of attachment theory and research in the conceptualization and treatment of pathological narcissism. It is proposed that the relational context of individual development and the interpersonal interpretative capacities that emerge as part of the attachment system may be salient factors in the etiology and treatment of narcissism. Included is an overview of research on attachment models and their correlation to adult psychopathology and to narcissistic personality disorders. It is suggested that internalization and maintenance of a “secure base” and improvement in self-reflective functioning informs and enriches the clinical treatment of adults with narcissistic features.     

WHERE RELATIONAL THEORY AND ATTACHMENT THEORY INTERSECT: A REAL RELATIONSHIP AND A REAL ATTACHMENT

This paper demonstrates the importance of understanding the client’s early attachment patterns and of promoting a real attachment in the therapeutic dyad. A review of relational theory reinforces current acceptance of therapist self-disclosure as a tool for engaging difficult clients. Additionally, therapists can identify clients’ early attachment experiences and promote growth in fragile clients by allowing them judicious access to their inner world, thereby encouraging the formation of a real attachment. Case examples illustrate how to identify early attachment patterns and one therapist’s creative use of self in developing real, therapeutic attachments with her clients.     

THE SUPERVISORY RELATIONSHIP: AN IDENTIFICATION OF THE PRIMARY ELEMENTS IN THE RELATIONSHIP AND AN APPLICATION OF TWO THEORIES OF ETHICAL RELATIONSHIPS

Many authors on the subject of marriage and family therapy supervision point to the fact that the quality of relationship between supervisor and supervisee is crucial to the process. However, little has been written about the nature of this relationship. This article identifies key elements in the relationship and introduces a theoretical framework for understanding those elements based on the principles of ethical relationships proposed by Ivan Boszormenyi-Nagy and Nell Noddings.     

FIELD EDUCATION AS THE SIGNATURE PEDAGOGY OF SOCIAL WORK EDUCATION

In its EPAS, CSWE (2008) identifies field education as the signature pedagogy (Shulman, 2005b) of social work education. This article analyzes the field education– signature pedagogy fit. It finds congruence in selected organizational arrangements that are pervasive and routine, and disparities with respect to expectations about public student performance, peer accountability, the view of adaptive anxiety, and accountable talk. This article asserts that practicum effectiveness could be enhanced by a broader application of Shulman's criteria through a greater emphasis on group structures for learning/teaching in the field.     

A STUDY OF BACCALAUREATE SOCIAL WORK STUDENTS' BELIEFS ABOUT THE INCLUSION OF RELIGIOUS AND SPIRITUAL CONTENT IN SOCIAL WORK

This exploratory quantitative study employs a 4-page Religion/Spirituality and Social Work Questionnaire that focuses on the beliefs and perceptions of 324 undergraduate social work students in 7 Council on Social Work Education–accredited schools of social work in the state of Texas about the role of religion and spirituality in social work practice and education. The vast majority of students in this sample (80.6%) are practicing Christians who have strong personal religious/spiritual beliefs and are relatively open to incorporating at least some religious/spiritual content into their practice with clients. More than 82% indicate that they want their social work courses to include content on religious/spiritual diversity, and 87.6% indicate interest in content on how to effectively deal with religious/spiritual issues in practice.     

RESPONDING TO PLAGIARISM IN SCHOOLS OF SOCIAL WORK: CONSIDERATIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Recognizing the challenges of addressing plagiarism within schools of social work and diverse faculty opinion on the issue, our school of social work engaged in several efforts to clarify issues and establish consensus among the faculty. Issues that required clarification included: definitions of plagiarism, steps to take when confronted with suspected plagiarism, the role of the administrative disciplinary committee, and the range of consequences. At a minimum, consensus was needed regarding faculty steps in confronting suspected plagiarism to ensure equitable treatment of students and to fulfill the school's role as a gatekeeper to the profession. This article describes the concerns, steps, and outcomes of the work that was conducted. We offer recommendations and invite further professional discussion about this educational issue.     

TEACHING NOTES: SOCIAL WORK AND PUBLIC HEALTH: COMPARING GRADUATES FROM A DUAL-DEGREE PROGRAM

This study compared dual-degree master of social work/master of public health (MSW/MPH) and MSW-only graduates with 3 or more years of postgraduate experience. Thirty graduates from an MSW/MPH program were matched with 30 MSW-only graduates. All subjects were randomly selected from the alumni directory and interviewed via telephone. Results showed few differences between the groups, including no significant salary differences. Both groups enjoyed high career satisfaction and were similar on measures of social work professionalism. More research is needed to study the experiences of MSW/MPH professionals and their impact on the field of social work.     

TOWARD A THEORY OF FRAMES AND REFRAMING: THE SOCIAL NATURE OF FRAMES*

The therapeutic use of reframing is fundamental to strategic therapy, yet we lack an adequate conceptual scheme for understanding the critical elements of effective reframings. Some background for the concepts of frame and reframing are provided, along with clinical examples. Much of the existing literature links reframing to what has been termed “radical constructivisim,” a theory that knowledge is a personal construction, a creation, rather than a discovery. Both the contribution and the limitations of radical constructivism are noted. It is criticized for minimizing the extent to which individuals' construction of their predicaments are social in nature and an adaptation to influences that are independent of individual cognitive activity. Clinical imlications of this perspective are explored.     

REPUTATIONS,RANKINGS, AND REALITIES OF SOCIAL WORK SCHOOLS: CHALLENGES FOR FUTURE RESEARCH

This study examines the publications in refereed professional journals that ranked American schools of social work for a 13-year period. The trends are contrasted with those reported in the most widely disseminated rankings of social work schools, namely, U.S. News and World Report. Substantial differences emerge when findings from the 2 data sources are contrasted. The analysis indicates major limitations in extant research that ranks social work schools and ultimately shapes their respective reputations. It is suggested that a wide array of approaches be used to measure the ways schools can be ranked differentially and, perhaps, be regarded as "best" in one way or another.     

TEACHING NOTES: AN EXPLORATORY STUDY ON MULTIPLE INTELLIGENCES AND SOCIAL WORK EDUCATION

This study surveyed social work educators about the importance of multiple intelligences for social work practice and social work education. The sample consisted of 91 faculty members who responded to an online survey that asked them to rate the importance of 7 intelligences (linguistic, logical-mathematical, musical, bodily-kinesthetic, spatial, interpersonal, and intrapersonal) for overall social work practice, culturally competent practice, and social work education content areas. Interpersonal, intrapersonal, and linguistic intelligences were endorsed as the most important intelligences for social work practice and education; bodily-kinesthetic, musical and spatial intelligences for culturally competent social work practice. Implications for social work education and future work in this new area are recommended.     

ADJUSTMENT TO PRODUCTION UNCERTAINTY AND THE THEORY OF THE FIRM: A COMMENT

This paper reconsiders the model presented by Flacco and Kroetch [1986]. It shows that with additive technological uncertainty the firm will produce and contract to sell the same output as under certainty. When the Flacco/Kroetch model is generalized to allow the firm to select contract commitments and planned output ex ante, no simple comparisons with certainty are possible. These results are broadly consistent with those obtained by Mills [1959; 1962] for demand uncertainty.     

NOTES TOWARDS A THEORY OF THE DEMOCRATIC LIMIT

A meaningful discussion about the democratic limit or boundary is only now beginning. Martha Nussbaum's call for a world citizenship in response to the terrorist bombings of 9/11 has animated this conversation in the USA. In South Africa, the political transition from apartheid to democracy keeps running-up against the substance of the ‘people’. In the absence of any ‘traditional’ unifying principles (of language, culture, religion, race and so on), the identity of South Africans is elusive. We might note too that much of the cosmopolitan literature on democracy appeals to a shift in scale, from the territorial state to the world or globe or even planet. One of the key gaps in democratic theory, however, has been its failure to conceptualize such a limit. How can democrats discriminate between citizen and non-citizen without being discriminatory? This is the question that this article seeks to address. It does so by following a major development in the work of Ernesto Laclau – from his collaboration with Chantal Mouffe in their groundbreaking work Hegemony and Socialist Strategy to his most recent book On Populist Reason.     

CAREER DECISIONS AND EXPERIENCES OF SOCIAL WORK FACULTY: A GENDER COMPARISON

This study uses quantitative and qualitative findings from a mail and online questionnaire to examine the experiences and perspectives of 76 doctoral-degreed social work faculty about the factors that affected their career decisions. The authors discuss similarities and differences between women and men in job-related decision making. Respondent perceptions of gender-related barriers and organizational supports when working toward career goals are presented and implications for social work education programs are explored.     

EXPLORING THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN TYPES OF FAMILY WORK AND MARITAL WELL-BEING

We use an expanded definition of family work and test its association with marital well-being. Using a gender perspective, we examine the role of the respondent's and partner's performance of family work for both husbands and wives. Data are taken from a sample of couples with dependent children under age 18 (N = 96), and separate regression equations are estimated by gender. Though housework is cited as one of the most contentious issues reported by couples, it is not significant in our analysis of marital well-being. In our analysis, other forms of family work are considered, and childcare, emotion work, and formal volunteering are significantly associated with marital well-being. The role of partner's provision of emotion work is particularly salient. Discussion of the gendered nature of our findings follows.     

COMBINING HUMAN DIVERSITY AND SOCIAL JUSTICE EDUCATION: A CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK

Social work education has not yet formulated an explicit educational framework that combines diversity and oppression, but academicians are examining new approaches (Van Soest, Canon, & Grant, 2000). This article presents a conceptual framework for culturally relevant practice that integrates a human diversity and social justice focus within the context of our program's Human Behavior and Social Environment, or HBSE, courses. We believe this framework effectively synthesizes the ideas of scholars who have preceded us in a manner that consistently supports students as it challenges them to actively engage with topics that can initially make them feel uncomfortable. The overall purpose of our framework is to teach students how to work for social justice goals using a continuum of phased actions.     

AN ANALYSIS OF THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN WORK SATISFACTION AND ORGANIZATIONAL COMMITMENT

This article investigates the interrelationship between individual characteristics, work rewards, work satisfaction, and organizational commitment. Data obtained from 1,385 workers representing a variety of occupational groups are analyzed. Generally, the data suggest that individual characteristics have very little impact on either satisfaction or commitment, while work rewards are found to be better predictors of satisfaction than commitment. More important, the data further indicate that satisfaction and commitment have reciprocal effects; however, it appears that satisfaction has a significantly greater effect on commitment than the reverse. The implications of these findings are discussed.     

ADJUSTMENT TO PRODUCTION UNCERTAINTY AND THE THEORY OF THE FIRM: REPLY

This reply responds to two comments on our 1986 article in this journal under the same title. The comments discuss a special case of the model which gives a certainty result, and also propose several alternative formulations of the model. The reply argues that the special certainty result is not an interesting or reasonable case, and discusses the relationship between the proposed alternative formulations and the original model. The influence of risk preferences on optimal output is analyzed through comparative statics for changes in risk in the context of the original model.