Thursday, October 30, 2014

Genogram

History of the Genogram 

        The genogram was first introduced by Dr. Murray Bowen in 1978 as a replacement for the term "family diagram."  Bowen used the genogram  in the late 1960's and by the 1970's its use by Bowen Systems Therapists increased.  Monica McGoldrick and her colleagues at the Multicultural Family Institute of New Jersey officially created the genogram as a diagnostic tool and as a method to help families recognize patterns in their lives-- past and present.  McGoldrick and Randy Gerson published their first book, "Genograms in Family Assessment," in 1985 which made the use of genograms especially popular.  The North American Primary Care Research Group worked in collaboration with leading family therapists to make symbols and a standardized format.  Not only do genograms show who is related to who, but it goes on to include family relationships, emotional relationships, social relationships, medical history, and various other information to help therapists and counselors get to know a family in depth.


Common Genograms 

        - Family Genogram
        - Cultural Genogram
        - Socio-economic Genogram
        - Ethical Genogram
        - Career/Work Genogram
        - Educational/Academic Genogram
        - Professional Genogram
        - Spiritual Genogram
        - Sexual Genogram
     

Reliability and Validity Factors 

       According to Rogers and Holloway (1990), there is a high degree of test-retest reliability with assessments completed two times, 3 months apart.  The fact that the format and symbols are standardized does increase its validity because of the consistency in making a genogram generally the same each time its being used.  Overall, though, it's really quite difficult to determine the reliability and validity of the genogram because of the nature of this assessment tool.


Where to Obtain and Cost 

       Creating a genogram is extremely easy because the few materials you need are a paper and pencil and a list of genogram symbols.  There are online tools that will create an organized genogram for you, including programs such as the Genogram Analytics 6.0, Genogram-Maker Millennium Version 3.0, Geno-Pro 1.70, Relativity, and SmartDraw.  Geno-Pro 1.70 is available for download at this website <http://genopro.software.informer.com/1.7/>, and is free.


Administration and Interpretation 

        A genogram can be created by anyone-- self-administered, with a family, or by a counselor or therapist.  In my opinion, it would be beneficial to have a counselor mediate and facilitate the making of a genogram so that it can be interpreted throughout the process and the client(s) can explore things in depth as they come up or as they draw it out on paper (or online).  Having a counselor facilitating the process will allow the counselor to recognize patterns and help the client(s) also understand what might be going on in the family system.  


Article 

         There has been much research that supports how genograms have been beneficial in career counseling with adults, but there is not much data on how it works with children.  This article shows that comprehensive developmental guidance programs in public schools do allow school counselors to use genograms with students of all levels, and it gives students the opportunity to learn how to self-assess and examine family career themes that affect career decision-making.  Having this assessment available to children is important because understanding the child's background--parent's career history and such-- and how it has influenced them gives the student an opportunity to increase their life career development.  Career family trees and genograms are a part of the school counseling program standards and competencies and can be used to impact children positively in their career development.  

Gibson, D. M. (2005). The use of genograms in career counseling with elementary, middle, and high school students. The Career Development Quarterly, 53(4), 353-362. Retrieved from https://login.ezproxy.etsu.edu:3443/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/219545165?accountid=10771



Image 



Sample Genogram


References 

Hays, D. G. (2013). Assessment in counseling: A guide to the use of psychological assessment procedures (5th ed.). Alexandria, VA: American Counseling Association.

Kennedy, V. (2010). Genograms. MAI Review, 3. Retrieved from http://www.review.mai.ac.nz/index.php/MR/article/viewFile/370/528

McGoldrick, M., Gerson, R., & Petry, S. S. (2008). Genograms in family assessment (3rd ed.). New York, NY: W. W. Norton & Company, Inc.


Wednesday, October 29, 2014

Assessments of Interpersonal Relationships

History of Interpersonal Relationship Assessments 

        The Taylor-Johnson Temperament Analysis (TJTA) actually started at the JTA in 1941 when Dr. Roswell H. Johnson published this test to determine compatibilitly, personality traits, attitudes, and behavior tendencies which influence various relationships in a person's life.  35,000 couples took the analysis as a part of Johnson's research between 1941 and 1962.  Then in 1963, there were revisions made to the JTA and it was re-published as the TJTA in 1966.
        The Marital Satisfaction Inventory, Revised is a complete revision and restandardization of the Marital Satisfaction Inventory developed by Snyder in 1981.  This assessment is frequently used with couples who are experiencing relationship distress.  The revision includes a larger and more representative standardization sample, less inventory items, and a scale assessing the individual's concerns about aggression in the relationship.


Common Interpersonal Relationship Assessments 

        - Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI)
        - Taylor-Johnson Temperament Analysis (TJTA)
        - Marital Satisfaction Inventory-Revised (MSI-R)
        - Derogatis Sexual Functioning Inventory (DSFI)
        - Couples PreCounseling Inventory (CPCI)
        - Family Environment Scale (FES, 3rd ed.)
        - Family Assessment Measure-III (FAM-III)
        - Sternberg's Triangular Love Scale (STLS)
        - Dyadic Adjustment Scale
        - Assessments of Intimate Partner Violence
        - Assessments of Child Abuse
        - Checklist of Interpersonal Transactions (CLOIT)
        - Checklist of Psychotherapy Transactions
        - Interpersonal Compass
        - Impact Message Inventory
        - Interpersonal Adjective Scales (IAS)
        - Thomas-Kilman Conflict Mode Instrument 
     

Reliability and Validity Factors 

       The MSI-R has been considered to be a valid test because it generally shows reasonable correlations with other measures of relationship satisfaction.  In addition, there is an internal consistency coefficent and test-retest reliability coefficient in the .90-.95 range.
        Studies of the TJTA show that there is a high correlation and marked relationship, indicating high validity.  Its reliability was .83, computed by analysis of variance.


Where to Obtain and Cost 

       The MSI-R is available online at this website: <http://www.wpspublish.com/store/p/2870/marital-satisfaction-inventory-revised-msi-r>.  The entire kit costs $135.50, although various components can be purchased individually for a smaller price.


Administration and Interpretation 

        This test must be administered by a psychologist with a Master's degree in psychology or related field.  If the administrator has a bachelors in the related field listed above, they must also be licensed or certified from an agency or organization that requires training and experience in assessment. It is a self-report assessment that takes approximately 20-25 minutes.  Concerning interpretation, there is computer scoring software available (Scoring/Interpretation CD).




Article 

        This article studies the validity of the MSI-R test for non-traditional couples using 31 gay male couples and 28 lesbian couples in comparison to 36 cohabiting heterosexual couples.  Results showed that the scales' internal consistency and factor structure supported the construct validity of this assessment with non-traditional couples.  Cohabiting opposite-gender and same-gender couples were more alike than different, and were more similar to non-distressed samples of married heterosexual couples from the general community than to couples in therapy.  


Means-Christensen, A., Snyder, D. K., & Negy, C. (2003). Assessing nontraditional couples: Validity of the marital satisfaction inventory--revised with gay, lesbian, and cohabiting heterosexual couples. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 29(1), 69-83. Retrieved from https://login.ezproxy.etsu.edu:3443/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/220968947?accountid=10771



Image 
Marital Satisfaction Inventory™, Revised (MSI™-R) - Main
MSI-R


References 


Hays, D. G. (2013). Assessment in counseling: A guide to the use of psychological assessment procedures (5th ed.). Alexandria, VA: American Counseling Association.

Taylor, R. M. & Morrison, L. P. (2014). About the T-JTA. Psychological Publications, Inc. Retrieved from http://www.tjta.com/abouttjta.htm 

Watkins, A. (2014). Taylor-Johnson temperament analysis (T-JTA). Retrieved from http://prezi.com/wlpr8ai9c1m5/taylor-johnson-temperament-analysis-t-jta/

WPS: Unlocking Potential. (2014). Marital satisfaction inventory, revised (MSI-R). Retreived from http://www.wpspublish.com/store/p/2870/marital-satisfaction-inventory-revised-msi-r  





Wednesday, October 15, 2014

Assessments of Personality

History of Personality Assessments 

        Sigmund Freud, Alfred Adler, and Carl Jung were three major influences on the development of personality assessments.  Freud published the book The Interpretation of Dreams in 1900, and Jung devised one of the earliest personality instruments: the automated word association test (which influenced the development of the Myers Briggs Type Indicator).  These early personality assessments were less empirical and modern assessments emerged around World War I when Robert Woodworth was commissioned by the US Army to develop an instrument to assess army recruits' emotional stability.  The Personal Data Sheet, created in 1919, consisted of 116 yes or no questions.  There was the issue of credibility because recruits could easily lie in their answers, thus Louis Leon Thurstone developed the Thurstone Personality Schedule in 1930 to assess neurotic symptoms in civilian and military populations. 
        One of the most common personality assessments is the Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), as mentioned earlier.  It was first published in 1943 by Katharine Cook Briggs and her daughter Isabel Briggs Myers.  Briggs was inspired to research personality type theory when she first met her daughter's future husband because of how differently he saw the world in compared to her and her family.  After Jung's publication of Psychological Types, Briggs saw the similarities between her theory and Jung's, which influenced her to create the MBTI questionnaire.


Common Personality Assessments 

        - Five Factor Model of Personality (FFM)
        - Neo Personality Inventory, Revised (NEO PI-R)
        - Sixteen Personality Factor (16 PF)
        - Personality Assessment Inventory (PAI)
        - Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI)
        - Rorschach Inkblot Test
        - PA Preference Inventory (PAPI)
        - RIASEC Holland Codes (Realistic, Investigative, Artistic, Social, Enterprising, Conventional)
        - DISC Assessment (Dominance, Influence, Steadiness, Compliance)
        - Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI)


Reliability and Validity Factors 

        There are a lot of contradicting literature on the reliability of the Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI).  Some online articles say that it is as reliable as any other personality test and the test-retest reliability shows that people usually get the same or close to the same type 75%-90% of the time.  on the other hand, there are articles that state that as many as 50% of the people who take this test the second time will be classified into a different type than the first time.  The MBTI has been revised numerous time, and Form Q, published in 2001, has the median internal consistency of .77, according to a nationally representative sample of 1,378 people.  
        There seems to be little support for the validity of the MBTI, as one article states that "the MBTI does not conform to many of the basic standards expected of psychological tests" (Pittenger, 1993, pg. 6). Despite this fact, the MBTI has been translated into 21 different languages and is used by people all around the world for various personal and interpersonal reasons. 
       

Where to Obtain and Cost 

        The MBTI can be taken in several ways, and all the information is available at this website: <http://www.myersbriggs.org/my-mbti-personality-type/take-the-mbti-instrument/>.  People interested in taking this assessment can have it administered to them by a professional either online or with paper and pencil.  The cost will vary according to the professional.  To take it in the comfort of one's home, the test is available online where a certified professional interprets the results and follows up the test with an hour-long phone consultation.  This option costs $150 in the US and Canada, and $175 for all other countries.  There are other reports available for a small fee, including the MBTI Career Report ($15) and the KGI Team and Leadership Assessment ($25 per team member, minimum of three; or $30 for individuals).  Finally, there is the MBTI Complete which involves taking the MBTI assessment online, learning about your type, and receiving a comprehensive description of your type.  This opportunity costs $49.95 without the one-on-one interpretation session.


Administration and Interpretation 

        As mentioned above, the assessment can be taken either online or with paper and pencil.  Either way, this multiple choice questionnaire is administered by a certified professional.  The results are given either in person or by phone, although with the MBTI Complete, the self-guided feedback system is designed to verify the accuracy of your results and provides information on your type.  Scored results come in the form of an MBTI Profile Report either delivered through the web or in printed form.  Everything is completely confidential.  A qualified MBTI professional is needed to interpret the results of the assessment. 


Article 

         Personality type differences among high school band, string orchestra, and choir students were examined in this study.  The 335 participants who were involved had been in their school's band, orchestra, or choir for at least one year.  Each student was given the MBTI to determine their personality type, and these were compared among the three ensembles as well as with published MBTI high school norms.  The results showed that there were differences among the three ensembles, as well as significant differences in comparison to the MBTI norms.  Orchestra and choir students were especially different in their Extroversion-Introversion dichotomy, with the indication that choir students were likely more extroverted than the orchestra students.  The other dichotomies did not differ as much among the ensembles, but compared to high school norms the students were significantly more likely to be Intuitive and Feeling.  Band students were likely more Perceiving, while Choir student (again) were significantly more likely to be Extroverted.

MacLellan, C. R. (2011). Differences in Myers-Briggs Personality Types among high school band, orchestra, and choir members. Journal of Research in Music Education, 59(1), 85-101. 


Image 

http://www.bridgitsmith.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/myersBriggs_gfx_1a.jpg
MBTI Indicator Chart


References 
CPP. (2009). History, reliability, and validity of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) instrument. Retrieved from https://www.cpp.com/Products/mbti/mbti_info.aspx

OPP. (2014). The history of the MBTI assessment. Retrieved from http://www.opp.com/en/tools/MBTI/Myers-Briggs-history#

The Myers & Briggs Foundation. (2014). Retrieved from http://www.myersbriggs.org/

Personality test free. (2014). Personality tests: The main personality tests. Retrieved from http://www.personalitytestfree.net/personality-tests.php

Pittenger, D. J. (1993). Measuring the MBTI... and coming up short.  Journal of Career Planning & Placement. Retrieved from http://www.indiana.edu/~jobtalk/Articles/develop/mbti.pdf