This study utilized a pre-, post-, follow-up design for comparison between treatment and control groups to determine the impact of differential treatments upon assertive behavior and locus of control in adult women. The treatments were designed to separate the following assertion training procedures: assertion training, rational-emotive techniques, and rational-emotive techniques paired with assertion training. A one-way ANOVA performed at pre-test time showed no significant differences between groups prior to treatment. Repeated measures ANOVA were computed for all times of testing across all treatments. Significant (p<.05) movement towards an internal locus of control, as measured by the Rotter Internal-External Scale, was found for the assertion/rational-emotive group and the assertion group across pre- to post-test time. No significance was found for the treatment or time/treatment interaction effects with the Rotter. No significance was found for increases in reported assertive behavior, as measured by the Rathus Assertiveness Schedule, across all times and treatments. Significance (p<.05) was found for observed assertive behavior, as measured by the Behavioral Observation Checklist, for the assertion and assertion/rational-emotive group for time/treatment interaction. The Behavioral Observation Checklist was an instrument developed by ~he researcher of this study. Spearman-Brown split-half reliability testing demonstrated the Checklist to be a reliable instrument. Inter-rater reliability was also demonstrated. / Doctor of Education

The objectives of this investigation were to develop, implement, and determine the effects of rational behavior therapy for residents in a retirement community. The question addressed was, "Will rational behavior therapy, relative to a discussion group and control group, exhibit significant changes in level of rational thinking and depression?" Drawing upon a cognitive theory of depression relevant to the aged population and upon rational behavior therapy literature, it was hypothesized that short-term rational behavior therapy intervention would be significantly related to a modification of belief systems and a decrease in depression. The participants were residents of two retirement communities. There were 25 subjects who completed the study through posttest assessment. These subjects were randomly assigned to three groups and assessed at pretest, posttest, and follow-up. The experimental group did not experience the hypothesized significant increase in level of rational thinking and decrease in level of depression. Possible explanations are given for lack of expected effects. Overall, the discussion group had more significant increases in rational thinking than the experimental and control groups.

Thesis (M. Ed.)--University of Hong Kong, 1998. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 100-111).

Thesis (M.S.W.) - Carleton University, 2007. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 133-146). Also available in electronic format on the Internet.

Thesis (M.Ed.)--University of Hong Kong, 1998. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 100-111). Also available in print.

There is a scarcity of objective criteria upon which to select among the available therapies for those most likely to benefit specific patients. Comparative research has suggested that the outcomes of alternative and competitive therapies are equivalent. There are few facts available concerning which patients benefit most from even the more popular therapies. The purpose of this study was to find a type of patient for which differential improvement could be predicted. Neither therapy decreased checklist scores or increased speaking time significantly more than the other. Repressors and sensitizers responded equally to therapy. When dropout rates were analyzed there were also no significant differences between the therapies or between repressors and sensitizers. When posttherapy scores from both therapies were compared to pretherapy scores, no significant changes were found. The latter finding was important for understanding the absence of support for the hypotheses. Since the subjects did not improve as a result of either desensitization or rational-emotive therapy, there was no opportunity to observe the hypothesized differential changes. Given this hindsight, it was concluded that speech anxiety may not be a desirable disorder with which to study the prediction that repression-sensitization is related to the outcome of rational-emotive therapy and desensitization. It was recommended that future research of this relationship utilize a disorder for which therapeutic effectiveness is more firmly established.

The assertive training literature has documented the effectiveness of both behavioral and cognitive methods to increase individual's assertiveness. However, the ability for such methods to enhance the generalization of treatment effects to untrained assertive response classes and the natural environment has been poor. In addition, little notice has been paid to the durability of these changes. Although the past several years have witnessed more intensive efforts by investigators to program generalization as part of their interventions, results have continued to be disappointing. A specific generalization-enhancing treatment strategy, self-directed practice, has been utilized with much success in phobic populations. This strategy, and the theoretical orientation it reflects, has been proposed for use in assertive training. The present study sought to examine the effectiveness of this method as compared to the traditional assertive training procedures and investigate the role of self-efficacy expectations in mediating initial behavior change and its subsequent generalization.

Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) continues to be the most accepted approach for the treatment of addictions in the United States. However, due to recent evidence questioning the effectiveness of AA, the need for alternative approaches to the treatment of addictions has become clear. The following research addresses the efficacy of one such alternative, Rational Recovery (RR). Node-Link Mapping (NLM), a graphic communication technique which uses links and nodes as building blocs to facilitate and enhance communication of information as well as awareness in a counseling environment, was implemented to enhance the recovery process. Three groups of ten (10), chemically dependent, adjudicated subjects were exposed to three different treatment approaches at an outpatient counseling center. The Experimental group received RR with NLM, the Comparison group was exposed only to RR, and the Control group continued in treatment according to the protocol of the counseling agency. All subjects were given the Substance Abuse Subtle Screening Inventory-2 (SASSI-2) as a measurement of symptoms associated with chemical dependency. The subjects were also administered the Rotter Internal-External Locus of Control Scale (Rotter I-E Scale) to determine locus of control prior to treatment and any change after treatment.

University of Macau / Faculty of Education