In study 1 (N = 257 undergraduates) the relations among self-concealment, attitudes toward seeking psychological help, and intentions to seek counseling were explored. Results revealed that even though self-concealment was associated with less favorable attitudes toward seeking help, it was also associated with greater intentions to seek counseling. In Study 2, high and low self-concealers (N = 83) read a description of counseling that either (a) indicated that counseling involves revealing highly personal information or (b) made no mention of such disclosure. Results revealed that in the former condition, high self-concealers were less favorable toward counseling than were low self-concealers, whereas in the latter condition, there was no significant difference between the two groups. Implications of these findings for future research are discussed.

Dawis, 1991) and C. P. Snow's (1959) conceptualization of two cultures as theoretical frameworks to analyze the incremental validity of above-level preference assessment (relative to abilities) in predicting humanities, math-science, and other college majors completed 10 years later by intellectually gifted adolescents. Scholastic Aptitude Tests and Study of Values assessments of 432 intellectually gifted adolescents (age 13) provided unique and valuable information for predicting the type of college major completed 10 years after initial assessment. These positive findings add to growing support for the applied utility of teaming preference assessments among the gifted with above-level assessments of ability. For intellectually gifted adolescents, these assessments could facilitate educational planning (and counseling).An accurate assessment of specific abilities is seen as imperative for working with intellectually gifted people, who by definition are distinguished by their precocious intellectual manifestations. Throughout the 20th century, early detection of intellectual giftedness has been seen as important for facilitating optimal development of talents (cf.

The theory of work adjustment was used as a conceptual framework in evaluating the concept of multipotentiality, taken from the psychological literature on counseling intellectually gifted individuals (viz., those with high-fiat ability and preference profiles that may lead to career indecision and distress). An examination of over 1,000 intellectually gifted students (top 1%) in 4 separate cohorts, assessed with the Scholastic Aptitude Test, the Study of Values, and J. L. Holland's (1985) six interest themes, revealed little empirical support for the prevalence of multipotentiality within intellectually talented adolescents (<5%). Rather, it appears that the idea of an overabundance of high-flat ability and preference profiles among gifted students stems from the use of age-calibrated and, hence, developmentally inappropriate assessment tools having insufficient ceilings. The results have important implications for the use of traditional vocational assessment measures in counseling gifted students.

Client tendencies to disclose versus conceal personally distressing information (termed distress disclosure) were hypothesized to relate to measures of social support, personality, perceived stress, and symptomatology at intake, as well as improvement over the course of counseling. Seventy-nine college counseling center clients completed questionnaires at intake; 45 of these clients also completed measures at termination. Distress disclosure was related to social support, trait positive affectivity, and trait negative affectivity at intake; and distress disclosure was associated with a decrease in client-rated stress and symptomatology over the course of counseling. These findings point to the importance of attending to client differences in tendencies to disclose versus conceal personally distressing information both at intake and as it relates to change in counseling.

This paper critically reviews the concept of multipotentiality as it has been defined and encountered in the scientific literature on gifted children. Until recently, it has not been adequately subjected to empirical evaluation. Despite its ubiquitous presence in the literature, several pieces of evidence are presented suggesting that multipotentiality has been erroneously interpreted and falsely assumed to apply to a majority of intellectually gifted individuals.Findings are summarized from a recent report (Achter, Lubinski, & Benbow, 1996) on the ability, interest, and value profiles of over 1000 students from the Study of Mathematically Precocious Youth (SMPY), as well as evidence compiled from other empirical studies, indicating that above-level assessment of abilities and preferences among gifted adolescents reveal markedly differentiated profiles for the vast majority (over 95% when all factors were consulted). Thus, the concept of multipotentiality requires rethinking. Traditional assessment tools found in vocational psychology (i.e., questionnaires and tests measuring abilities, interests, and values), when offered in an above-level format, are useful in serving the educational and career counseling needs of intellectually gifted young adolescents. Further, such tools are helpful for gaining an appreciation of the diversity of individual differences among the intellectually talented.