Relational competence—the set of traits that allow people to interact with each other effectively—enjoys a long history of being recorded, studied, and analyzed. Accordingly, Relational Competence Theory (RCT) complements theories that treat individuals’ personality and functioning individually by placing the individual into full family and social context. The ambitious volume Relational Competence Theory: Research and Mental Health Applications opens out the RCT literature with emphasis on its applicability to interventions, and updates the state of research on RCT, examining what is robust and verifiable both in the lab and the clinic. The authors begin with the conceptual and empirical bases for the theory, and sixteen models demonstrate the range of RCT concerns and their clinical relevance, including: - Socialization settings for relational competence. - The ability to control and regulate the self. - Relationship styles. - Intimacy and negotiation. - The use of practice exercises in prevention and treatment of pathology. - Appendices featuring the Relational Answers Questionnaire and other helpful tools. Relational Competence Theory both challenges and confirms much of what we know about the range of human relationships, and is important reading for researchers, scholars, and students in personality and social psychology, psychotherapy, and couple and family counseling.

Core Competencies of Relational Psychoanalysis provides a concise and clearly presented handbook for those who wish to study, practice, and teach the core competencies of Relational Psychoanalysis, offering primary skills in a straightforward and useable format. Roy E. Barsness offers his own research on technique and grounds these methods with superb contributions from several master clinicians, expanding the seven primary competencies: therapeutic intent, therapeutic stance/attitude; analytic listening/attunement; working within the relational dynamic, the use of patterning and linking; the importance of working through the inevitable enactments and ruptures inherent in the work; and the use of courageous speech through disciplined spontaneity. In addition, this book presents a history of Relational Psychoanalysis, offers a study on the efficacy of Relational Psychoanalysis, proposes a new relational ethic and attends to the the importance of self-care in working within the intensity of such a model. A critique of the model is offered, issues of race and culture and gender and sexuality are addressed, as well as current research on neurobiology and its impact in the development of the model. The reader will find the writings easy to understand and accessible, and immediately applicable within the therapeutic setting. The practical emphasis of this text will also offer non-analytic clinicians a window into the mind of the analyst, while increasing the settings and populations in which this model can be applied and facilitate integration with other therapeutic orientations. Core Competencies of Relational Psychoanalysis is inspired by Barsness’ students; he was motivated to create a primary text that could assist them in understanding the often complex and abstract models of Relational Psychoanalysis. Relevant for graduate students and novice therapists as well as experienced clinicians, supervisors, and professors, this textbook offers a foundational curriculum for the study of Relational Psychoanalysis, presents analytic technique with as clear a frame and purpose as evidenced based models, and serves as a gateway into further study in Relational Psychoanalyses.

This book updates and expands on Relational Competence Theory developed originally by Dr. Luciano L'Abate since 1976. Over the years, this theory has received various updates and expansions, especially after being produced according to a hierarchical flowchart, as common in most complex human organisations. The present book concentrates particularly on a condition called Alexithymia, similar but not the same as the Asperger Syndrome, the inability to experience feelings and to express them as emotions. Most chapters in this book expand on the first model of RCT about how feelings are experienced and expressed using an expanded revision of the Relational Answers Questionnaire. Self-presentation was evaluated with a new scale, and Selfhood was expanded with a widely revised and expanded Self-Other Profile Chart.

This volume summarizes and organizes a growing body of research supporting the role of motivation in adaptive and rewarding interpersonal interactions with others. The field of human motivation is rapidly growing but most studies have focused on the effects of motivation on individuals' personal happiness and task engagement. Only recently have theorists and empiricists begun to recognize that dispositional and state motivations impact the ways individuals approach interpersonal interactions. In addition, researchers are now recognizing that the quality of interpersonal interactions influences consequent happiness and task engagement, thus helping to explain previous findings to this end. Similarly social psychology and relationships researchers have focused on the impact of cognitions, emotions, and behaviors on people's relationships. In their work, relationships researchers demonstrate that both contextual characteristics and individual differences influence the quality of interactions. Many of these studies seek to understand which characteristics strengthen the bonds between people, encourage empathy and trust and create a sense of well-being after a close interaction. This work seeks to integrate the field of human motivation and interpersonal relationships. Both fields have seen extensive growth in the past decade and each can contribute to the other. However, no single compiled work is available that targets both fields. This is the case, in part because only now is there enough work to make a strong and compelling case for their integration. In the previous years, research has been conducted to show that motivation is relevant and important for interactions among strangers and in close relationships. In addition developmental mechanisms for these relations are identified and mechanisms by which motivation strengthens people's relationships. Finally recent work has demonstrated the many implications for interpersonal relationships, showing that motivation impacts a range of interpersonal processes from prejudice regulation and objectification of others to empathy and care. This book seeks to summarize and organize all these findings and present them in a way that is relevant to both motivation researchers and social and relationship researchers.

About this Book: Conflicts, grueling power struggles with difficult children, and destructive behavior daily challenge both teachers and parents. The main cause for disobedience and lack of discipline is a deeper-seated relational conflict between adults and children. Children want to learn; and they want to cooperate - provided their personal integrity and individuality are acknowledged and maintained in a respectful manner. This requires truly true dialogues with children. Juul and Jensen emphasize the significance of relational competence as the core concept, changing the very nature of how we see education. They offer relevant alternatives to conventional education and solutions for difficult situations. They seek valid alternatives and give teachers the support that is so urgently needed.

Most Americans agree on the necessity of education reform, but there is little consensus about how this goal might be achieved. The rhetoric of standards and vouchers has occupied center stage, polarizing public opinion and affording little room for reflection on the intangible conditions that make for good schools. Trust in Schools engages this debate with a compelling examination of the importance of social relationships in the successful implementation of school reform. Over the course of three years, Bryk and Schneider, together with a diverse team of other researchers and school practitioners, studied reform in twelve Chicago elementary schools. Each school was undergoing extensive reorganization in response to the Chicago School Reform Act of 1988, which called for greater involvement of parents and local community leaders in their neighborhood schools. Drawing on years longitudinal survey and achievement data, as well as in-depth interviews with principals, teachers, parents, and local community leaders, the authors develop a thorough account of how effective social relationships—which they term relational trust—can serve as a prime resource for school improvement. Using case studies of the network of relationships that make up the school community, Bryk and Schneider examine how the myriad social exchanges that make up daily life in a school community generate, or fail to generate, a successful educational environment. The personal dynamics among teachers, students, and their parents, for example, influence whether students regularly attend school and sustain their efforts in the difficult task of learning. In schools characterized by high relational trust, educators were more likely to experiment with new practices and work together with parents to advance improvements. As a result, these schools were also more likely to demonstrate marked gains in student learning. In contrast, schools with weak trust relations saw virtually no improvement in their reading or mathematics scores. Trust in Schools demonstrates convincingly that the quality of social relationships operating in and around schools is central to their functioning, and strongly predicts positive student outcomes. This book offer insights into how trust can be built and sustained in school communities, and identifies some features of public school systems that can impede such development. Bryk and Schneider show how a broad base of trust across a school community can provide a critical resource as education professional and parents embark on major school reforms. A Volume in the American Sociological Association's Rose Series in Sociology

This book summarizes the important and promising emerging theories of human communication that go beyond received traditions. It includes essays on emerging theories of communication and culture; relational communicative competence; conflict communication; communication and peace; agenda setting and the role of mass media in democratic political processes; new rhetoric and new social movements; and communication and management of public-sector competitiveness. Contributors to this volume include Deborah Blood, Dudley D. Cahn, Donal Carbaugh, Ron B. Cullen, Donald P. Cushman, William A. Donohue, Timothy Gibson, Gerard A. Hauser, Trudy Milburn, Hiroshi Ota, Jiro Takai, Susan Whalen, John M. Wiemann, Mary O. Weimann, and Jian H. Zhu.

Now more than ever, race has become a morphing relational dynamic that has less to do with the demographic census box we check and more with how we make sense of our lives--who we are and who we can become in relationships with others. Using anecdotes from her practice as a licensed psychologist and as an African American growing up in the South, Walker provides a way for educators and social service professionals to enter into cross-racial discussions about race and race relations. She identifies three essential relational skills for personal transformation and cultural healing that are the foundations for repairing the damage wrought by racism. While Walker does not sugarcoat the destructive history of racism that we all inherit in the United States, the book's vision is ultimately affirming, empowering, hopeful, and inclusive about the individual and collective power to heal our divisions and disconnections. Book Features: Presents a new way of understanding race as a relational dynamic and racism as a symptom of disconnection. Synthesizes, for the first time, two important systems of thought: relational-cultural theory and race/social identity theory. Includes "Pause to Reflect" exercises designed to stimulate group conversations in book clubs, social justice groups, staff development, classrooms, and workplace training. Offers practical, everyday solutions for people of different races to better understand and accept one another.

"This handbook is remarkable in that it provides a comprehensive and finely nuanced account of the diverse approaches that researchers, theorists,and practitioners have taken to mentoring by incorporating insights of someof the most widely known and respected researchers in careers and in mentoring...This handbook is poised to become a classic in career and mentoring literature with its potential long-term heuristic usefulness in generating new intersections among theory, research, and practice." —Rebecca L. Weiler, Suzy D′Enbeau, Patrice M. Buzzanell, Purdue University "This handbook is poised to become a classic in career and mentoring literature with its potential long-term heuristic usefulness in generating new intersections among theory,research, and practice...it is encouraging that so much of the handbook establishes grounds for future communication research and relates directly to current trends in organizational and managerial communication." —MANAGEMENT COMMUNICATION QUARTERLY "Ragins and Kram—both scholars whose work ignited the field of mentoring some 20 years ago and has guided it ever since—have teamed up to produce this lucid and accessible compendium of research and theory on mentoring relationships at work. Bringing together an impressive group of scholars, this volume offers a comprehensive assessment of the current state of knowledge about mentoring, as well as an ambitious, theory-driven, practice-oriented agenda for future research. This book is an essential resource and could not be more timely as organizational scholars and practitioners alike grapple with the challenges of developing an ever more diverse workforce to meet the needs of an ever more global and technologically sophisticated organizational world." —Robin Ely, Harvard Business School "The most complete [reference] in mentoring. The most seminal thinkers and the most significant collection of essays in print. A must read for everyone concerned with growth and learning." —Warren Bennis, University of Southern California "This book is extremely timely. After two decades of research and debate, it provides a definitive guide to the study and practice of mentoring. In a world of looming talent shortages, it will prove an invaluable resource to reflective practitioners and organizational scholars alike. The authors should be congratulated for offering this tour de force of cutting-edge research and practice on mentoring while also charting new territories for future investigation." —Herminia Ibarra, INSEAD "From two of the leading theorists in the field of mentoring comes an extraordinary volume. Ragins and Kram have guided a stellar group of authors toward new heights in theory and practice. The book covers all the bases and provides multiple perspectives–some entirely new—that promise to be generative of innovative research and practice. No one interested in mentoring, neither scholar nor practitioner, can afford to ignore this remarkable book." —Lotte Bailyn, MIT Sloan School of Management "The explosion of interest in workplace mentoring today cries out for more robust research frameworks as well as new and better practical applications. This superb Handbook closes that gap by bringing together leading scholars and practitioners for a comprehensive overview of this fast-growing phenomenon. Researchers, students, human resources professionals and practicing managers alike–indeed, anyone who has been a mentor or mentee–will find this groundbreaking volume an indispensable companion." —John Alexander, Former President and Senior Advisor, Center for Creative Leadership The Handbook of Mentoring at Work: Theory, Research, and Practice brings together the leading scholars in the field in order to craft the definitive reference book on workplace mentoring. This state-of-the-art guide connects existing knowledge to cutting-edge theory, research directions, and practice strategies to generate the "must-have" resource for mentoring theorists, researchers, and practitioners. Editors Belle Rose Ragins and Kathy E. Kram address key debates and issues and provide a theory-driven road map to guide future research and practice in the field of mentoring. Key Features Takes a three-pronged approach: Organized into three parts—Research, Theory, and Practice. Breaks new theoretical ground in a time of change: The theory section extends the theoretical horizon by providing perspectives across related disciplines in order to enrich, enliven, and build new mentorship theory. Makes sense of research and planning new directions: The research part brings together leading scholars for the dual purpose of chronicling the current state of research in the field of mentoring and identifying important new areas of research. Builds bridges between research and practice: The practice part brings together leading mentoring practitioners to connect theory and research to practice, specifically, addressing how mentoring has changed over the past 20 years. Offers coherence within and across each section: At the beginning of each part, the editors provide a roadmap of the main themes—how they relate to one another, as well as to other parts of the book. Examines the impact of the changing landscape of careers: Framed within the new career landscape, the book incorporates changes in diversity, organizational structure, and technology. Intended Audience This complete and comprehensive volume defines the current state of the field, making it the ultimate resource for scholars, students, and practitioners pursuing research on mentoring and related phenomena. It can also be used as a core or supplementary text in graduate courses on mentoring in the fields of business & management, industrial & organizational psychology, education, social work, health care, nursing, communication, sociology, and criminal justice.