Assessment of Differences in the Balanced Emotional Empathy among Beginning, Practicum and Graduating Students in a Counselor Education Program

This study was a quantitative analysis that investigated balanced emotional empathy differences among master\u27s degree counseling students as they progressed through and graduated from a CACREP approved counselor education program. The data was gathered through the assessment of the balanced emotional empathy levels of (a) students entering the counselor education program, (b) students participating in the practicum field experience aspect of their training and (c) students graduating from the counseling program. The assessment instrument that was utilized in collecting the data is Albert Mehrabian\u27s Balanced Emotional Empathy Scale (BEES). The results indicate there is no significant difference among beginning, practicum and graduating counselor education students in their levels of emotional empathy. The results also indicated that there was a significant interaction of gender and emotional empathy among beginning, practicum and graduating counselor education students. The females demonstrated a significantly higher level of emotional empathy upon graduation than the males. The males demonstrated a significantly lower level of emotional empathy at graduation than those male students at the beginning of the program. This study provided implications to include empathy training. These significant findings provide a basis for further investigation and inquiry. Specifically, in terms of systematic inquiry, the relationship between reported levels of emotional empathy among beginning male students and graduating male students, should be examined in relationship. The question which must be raised is; Do counselor education programs address male issues as they relate to expressed emotional empathy in terms of curriculum, training and education

Referendum in Bolivien: mehr Bürgerbeteiligung zur Stabilisierung einer prekären Demokratie

"Große Hoffnungen begleiteten Carlos Mesa, als dieser im Oktober 2003 das Amt des bolivianischen Präsidenten übernahm. War sein Amtsvorgänger Gonzalo Sánchez de Lozada an den Konflikten gescheitert, die von den Plänen zur Privatisierung des Gasexports ausgelöst wurden, erhob Carlos Mesa eben diesen Punkt zum Prüfstein für seinen Neuanfang: am 18. Juli ließ er die Bürger des Andenstaates in einem landesweiten Referendum darüber abstimmen, wie das Land die Nutzung seiner großen Erdgasvorkommen gestalten solle. Erdgas ist der inzwischen wichtigste Rohstoff Boliviens, und es ist von entscheidender Bedeutung für das hochverschuldete Land, inwieweit aus seiner Ausbeutung auch eine wirtschaftliche und soziale Entwicklung in Gang gesetzt werden kann. Aber auch politisch hat das Referendum enorme Bedeutung bei dem Versuch der Regierung Mesa, nach der tiefen Krise des politischen Systems wieder Vertrauen in demokratische Institutionen und Verfahrensweisen zurückzugewinnen." (Brennpkt. Lat.am/DÜI

Explanatory Style as a Risk Factor for Traumatic Mishaps

Six studies investigated a possible link between hopeless explanatory style—that is, the habitual explanation of bad events with stable and global causes—and risk for traumatic injuries. In samples of college students, dancers, athletes, and trauma patients (total n = 2274), stable and global explanations for bad events correlated with the occurrence of mishaps. The link appeared to be mediated in part by a preference for potentially hazardous settings and activities in response to negative moods associated with hopelessness. Taken together, these findings suggest that catastrophizing individuals may be motivated to escape negative moods by preferring exciting but risky courses of action.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/44339/1/10608_2004_Article_363208.pd

Reduced angiotensinogen expression attenuates renal interstitial fibrosis in obstructive nephropathy in mice

A novel approach was employed to assess the contribution of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) to obstructive nephropathy in neonatal mice having zero to four functional copies of the angiotensinogen gene (Agt). Two-day-old mice underwent unilateral ureteral obstruction (UUO) or sham operation; 28 days later, renal interstitial fibrosis and tubular atrophy were quantitated. In all Agt genotypes, UUO reduced ipsilateral renal mass and increased that of the opposite kidney. Renal interstitial collagen increased after UUO linearly with Agt expression, from a fractional area of 25% in zero-copy mice to 54% in two-copy mice. Renal expression of transforming growth factor-β1 was increased by ipsilateral UUO in mice expressing Agt, but not in zero-copy mice. However, the prevalence of atrophic tubules due to UUO did not vary with Agt expression. Blood pressure was not different in all groups, except for a reduction in sham zero-copy mice. We conclude that a functional RAS is not necessary for compensatory renal growth. This study demonstrates conclusively that angiotensin regulates at least 50% of the renal interstitial fibrotic response in obstructive nephropathy, an effect independent of systemic hemodynamic changes. Angiotensin-induced fibrosis likely is a mechanism common to the progression of many forms of renal disease

Fun activities: learning the sounds of North American English

While teaching phoneme acquisition to 10 and 11 year old children in Pachuca, Mexico, I engaged their phonological wisdom by playing games. The children loved participating in these activities and you will find them to be equally challenging as adults whether you are a native speaker or second language learner

Bolivien - eine Demokratie vor dem Zerfall?

Nach den gewaltsamen Auseinandersetzungen im Februar 2003 hat Bolivien nach 21 Jahren den Modellcharakter eines politisch stabilen Gemeinwesens verloren. Auch wirtschaftlich steckt das Land im fuenften Jahr einer tiefen Krise niedrigen Wachstums und anhaltender Armut breiter Bevoelkerungsschichten. Diese Bestandsaufnahme wird vom Autor naeher erlaeutert, wobei sich die Ausfuehrungen als Grenzen der Demokratisierung lesen lassen und in die folgenden Aspekte gliedern: (1) politische Reaktionen der Regierung auf die Unruhen, (2) strukturelle Loesungsansaetze bei der Armutsbekaempfung, Dezentralisierung und Steuerreform und ihre Grenzen, (3) Krisensituation der Demokratie, (4) Muster sozio-oekonomischer, kulturell-ethnischer und geografischer Konfliktlinien, (5) politische Kultur und institutionelle Reformen, (6) Entwicklungszusammenarbeit mit Bolivien, (7) derzeitige Wirtschaftslage und Arbeitsmarkt, (8) Gas- oder Energieexport sowie (9) Produktion von Textilien als Exportartikel. In einem abschliessenden Kapitel formuliert der Autor eine Reihe von politischen, wirtschaftlichen und sozialen Perspektiven, welche die Situation Boliviens in unmittelbarer Zukunft praegen koennen. (ICG2)SIGLEAvailable from Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung e.V. Stabsabteilung, Bonn (DE) / FIZ - Fachinformationszzentrum Karlsruhe / TIB - Technische InformationsbibliothekDEGerman