THE ROLE OF EPISTEMIC STYLE IN COUNSELING PREFERENCE AND ORIENTATION

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.