This study compares the impact of group counseling with that of outdoor group experience upon institutionalized adolescents. Limited to subjects between twelve and sixteen years old, the study evaluates behavior, self-esteem, social and personal adjustment, and sociometric choosing. The object of these evaluations is to test the effectiveness of these two approaches to treating disturbed adolescents who had failed to function in a community setting and who might otherwise have lapsed into delinquency. Significant change following group counseling and following outdoor group experience as measured by accrual of points for behavior suggests that both approaches are effective, with group counseling having the greater impact. Also, younger subjects appear to profit more from both group counseling and outdoor group experience. The absence of significant change reflected by standardized instruments creates two questions. Are available instruments normed on basically normal groups appropriate for use with such a unique group of subjects as those in this study? Also, does the intense resistance these subjects demonstrated toward all pencil-and-paper activities negatively affect the accuracy of results from these standardized instruments?
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:unt.edu/info:ark/67531/metadc500497 |
| Date | 08 1900 |
| Creators | Westmoreland, Stephen C. |
| Contributors | Landreth, Garry L., Hayes, Jack A., Cooper, Jed Arthur |
| Publisher | North Texas State University |
| Source Sets | University of North Texas |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis or Dissertation |
| Format | vi, 194 leaves : ill., Text |
| Rights | Public, Westmoreland, Stephen C., Copyright, Copyright is held by the author, unless otherwise noted. All rights reserved. |
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