Personal characteristics of college volunteers in mental hospitals

Values and volunteers: axiology of altruism in a crisis center

The present study examined the values of volunteers for a crisis center “hotline” telephone service. The volunteers (19 males, 23 females) were compared to an aggregately sex-matched control group of 42 evening college students at a major urban regional university. Both groups completed a Rokeach Value Survey. A total of 12 values discriminated between the volunteer and control groups. Results suggest that, in contrast to control subjects, volunteers for crisis-intervention centers are demonstrably more altruistic, with more highly developed interests in social activity and an increased need for inner-direction. A subsequent value comparison of the 23 volunteers who remained for at least 2 mo. beyond the training period with 19 who dropped out disclosed only 2 minor differences. Value differences appear to be critical in volunteer selection but are generally unrelated to retention.

Locus of control in prediction of counselor effectiveness within a therapeutic camp setting

This study investigated the utility of two locus of control scales to predict the judged effectiveness of undergraduate counselors in two summer camps for emotionally disturbed children. In general, internal control was correlated positively with overall effectiveness as rated by directors and fellow counselors. When content of the control scales reflected perceptions of interpersonal situations, the relationships to counselor effectiveness tended to be slightly higher. The implications for future, research on personality predictors of clinical competence among paraprofessionals were discussed.

Review of the internal-external control construct as a personality variable

This review of recent research concerning Rotter's concept of internal-external control of reinforcement is divided into 12 areas: the Internal-External (I-E) Control Scale, personality, attempts to control the environment, achievement, reactions to threat, ethnic group and social class differences, parent-child relationships, risk-taking, reactions to social stimuli, and the relation of the internal-external control measure to anxiety, adjustment, and learning. Evidence generally supports the validity of Rotter's concept. Implications and limitations of the research are presented, and suggestions for further work in specific problem areas are made.