The Contribution of Internal and External Resources to Emotional Adjustment: A Comparison of At-Risk and Normative Adolescents

The article discusses the differences between normative and at-risk adolescents with regard to the contribution of background variables (gender and age), internal resources (mastery and emotional maturity), and external resources (parental support and peer support) to their emotional adjustment. The results indicate lower levels of mastery, emotional maturity, parental, and peer support among the at-risk adolescents, than the normative adolescents, and the former display more emotional symptoms. The findings also show that gender does not contribute to emotional adjustment in either research group. In the normative group, the age of the adolescent was found to have a small contribution. With regard to internal resources, while both mastery and emotional maturity were found to contribute significantly in the at-risk group, only the emotional maturity of the adolescent was found to contribute in the normative group. Of the external resources, contrary to the research hypotheses, the contribution of peer support was not found to be higher in the normative group. In both groups, and particularly the normative one, parental support contributed to emotional adjustment. The discussion suggests explanations for the research findings and their implications, as well as recommendations for further research.     

Supervision of Therapy with Patients Diagnosed as Psychotic

Psychodynamic therapy with psychotics has been reviewed and studied by different analysts such as Searles (1965), Rosenfeld (1988), and others. Nevertheless, there are almost no updated articles on supervision of this therapy. The article addresses this issue and the different aspects of supervision of psychodynamic therapy of psychotics. Therapy-related issues, such as holding, communications and interpretations, differentiation, boundaries, psychotic transference, and countertransference are discussed extensively. We also explore some of the difficulties involved in these processes and the implications for the supervision process.     

The Take Over of Parent-Child Dynamics in a Supervisory Relationship: Identifying the Role Transformation

The literature on supervision discusses processes occurring in the supervisor-supervisee relationship that are similar to, and have parallels in, a parent-child relationship. This slipping from the one type of relationship into the other can interfere with the process of supervision. This shift to the supervisee feeling like a child and the supervisor like a parent is liable to be the natural outcome of transference and counter-transference. The aim of this paper is to examine the pseudo-parental role of the supervisor, in order to make supervisors more aware of, and alert to, the possibility that their supervision of young workers may slip into a parent-child mode, to identify critical points where parental feelings may intrude on supervision, and to suggest a useful support model that can help prevent this intrusion.     

The Contribution of Macro-intervention Social Workers to the Success of Volunteer Community Activists

The study examined the contribution of macro-intervention social workers to volunteer activists from the ultra-Orthodox Jewish community. Volunteer activists who were supervised by macro-intervention social workers were compared with those who were not supervised. The comparisons related to internal variables (leadership competence and client participation), as well as to external variables (community activity, and representation), and to support from rabbis for community activity. The sample consisted of 62 activists who were supervised by macro-intervention social workers, and 101 activists who were not. The findings revealed differences between the supervised and non-supervised activists with regard to levels of community activity and representation. With regard to leadership competence and client participation, no significant differences were found. Analysis of the study findings aimed to provide new perspectives on the contribution of professional supervision, as reflected in the differences found between the activists who were supervised versus those who were not.     

Mate Selection and Marriage Decision in Bicultural Society: Modern Orthodox Society in Israel

This article addresses courtship and mate selection patterns of young adults who belong to two parallel cultures: traditional and modern. In-depth interviews with 36 Modern-Orthodox Jewish men and women during their first year of marriage reveal unique considerations for mate selection and the dynamic flow between cultural systems. The findings show that dating is marriage-oriented but within a modern context. Although the study participants used modern tools and concepts, the marriage decision itself was bound to strict social norms and traditional expectations. The decision was based largely on rational reasoning, whereas love and personal needs were rarely discussed. The findings highlight the challenges faced by couples with bicultural identity in their transition to matrimony and can support professionals in addressing these conflicts.     

Community Intervention with Jewish Israeli Mothers in Times of Terror

The article examines the effectiveness of a community programmedesigned for Jewish Israeli mothers who have been exposed toterrorism. The aim of the intervention was to empower the womenand increase their sense of belonging to the community, andto reduce stress symptoms, mainly by encouraging and facilitatingtheir participation in community activities. Thirty-eight women,all residents of the same terror-ridden community, participatedin intensive workshops over a six month period designed to helpthem to become active in the community. The workshops providedthe women with the information and skills required for activityin the community projects in which they were interested. A qualitativeevaluation reveals that, at the end of the programme, most ofthe women reported that they felt better and more secure, andall of the women were participating in at least one activityin the community. The quantitative evaluation revealed lowerlevels of distress, higher levels of empowerment and no changein the feelings of belonging to the community. The implicationsof these findings are discussed in light of the persistenceof terror and theories of community intervention.     

“It’s a Horrible Sin. If They Find Out,I Will Not be Able to Stay”: Orthodox Jewish Gay Men’s Experiences Living in Secrecy

This qualitative study examined the intersection of sexual orientation and religion in the Jewish Orthodox community by exploring 22 Orthodox Jewish gay men’s experiences living in secrecy. Analysis of in-depth interviews conducted with these men revealed four primary themes: emotional turmoil, ways of coping, impact on family relationships, and importance of the context. Findings from this study describe the daily struggles these men experienced keeping their homosexuality a secret. The findings suggest that in order to design effective interventions with this population, it is crucial to consider the larger community and religious context.     

Positive and Negative Effects of Long-Term Bombardment Among Israeli Adolescents: The Role of Gender and Social Environment

The effects of living under long-term bombardment were studied among 1,004 adolescent students in Israel. The study was based on the theoretical framework of the conservation of resources and examined differences between boys and girls who live in high and low socioeconomic environments. The findings revealed that students from a low socioeconomic status (SES) and girls present more negative symptoms than high SES students and boys, while concomitantly exhibiting greater posttraumatic growth. The contribution of social resources for coping and the relationship between positive and negative symptoms as result of exposure to terrorism are discussed.     

The ‘Building Blocks’ of Professional Identity among Social Work Graduates

Based on systems theory, the current study aimed to examine the relationships between the following sets of variables: input variables—satisfaction with supervision, self-differentiation, and sense of coherence; throughput variables—values and empathy; and the output variable—professional identity of BSW students. Questionnaires were completed by 160 social work students who were about to graduate the social work program. Path analysis (The AMOS 5 program) was used to analyze the research model. Satisfaction with supervision was the only input variable that was directly related to professional identity. Of the throughput variables, empathy and personal values were directly related to professional identity, whereas sense of coherence was indirectly related to empathic concern, with social values as a mediator. Practical recommendations are discussed.     

The Contribution of Role Characteristics and Supervisory Functions to Supervision Effectiveness

This study examined the factors that contribute to the perceived effectiveness of supervision for child welfare workers. Specifically, we examined role characteristics such as: exposure to child abuse cases, years of work experience, and role stress, as well as the supervisory functions of administration, education, and emotional support to effectiveness of supervision. The findings revealed that the supervisory function of administration, as well as social workers’ high exposure to child abuse cases and role stress, correlated negatively with perceived supervision effectiveness. In contrast, the use of the supervisory functions of education and support correlated positively with perceived supervision effectiveness. The findings suggest that high exposure to child abuse cases and role stress can impair social workers’ ability to benefit from effective supervision. In addition, the study highlights the importance of the supervisory functions of support and education and their positive impact on this population of social workers in Israel.