Gj. Neimeyer et al., THE ROLE OF EPISTEMIC STYLE IN COUNSELING PREFERENCE AND ORIENTATION, Journal of counseling and development, 71(5), 1993, pp. 515-523
Recent work has suggested that philosophical commitments play apart in
directing preferences for different types of counseling, and in this
article the authors extend that work with a series of four studies. St
udy 1 provides partial support for the relationship between epistemic
commitments (rational, empirical, or metaphorical) and preferences for
particular types of counseling (behavioral, rational emotive, constru
ctivist). Studies 2 and 3 extend these findings by noting differences
in how individuals gather, process, and respond to self-relevant feedb
ack as a result of epistemic style. Finally, Study 4 provides tentativ
e support for the possibility that counselor trainees gravitate toward
preferring counseling theories that are consistent with their own epi
stemic orientations. Implications and limitations of these findings ar
e discussed.