Helms (1990) proposed a four-stage model of womanist identity in which she hypothesized that development of healthy identity in women involves movement from external standards of gender identity to internal standards. Attitudes derived from her model were used to predict undergraduate women's self-esteem and perceptions of sex bias in the campus environment. Female undergraduates (N=659), freshmen through seniors, were surveyed in classes at a large eastern university. Results indicated that Encounter (characterized by questioning of previously held stereotypical views about gender and dawning awareness of alternative perspectives) and Immersion-Emersion (characterized by an active rejection of male supremacist values and beliefs and the search for a positive self-affirming definition of womanhood) attitudes were inversely related to perceptions of environmental gender bias and positively related to self-esteem. Implications for counseling and future research are discussed.Electronic Journal: To print this article select pages 34-40. TOC

All couples desire companionship, intimacy, and love. Same-sex couples and heterosexual couples deal with similar issues, including balancing autonomy and intimacy, handling money decisions, dealing with in-laws, and balancing relationship and career responsibilities. However, there are several important differences between heterosexual couples and same-sex couples. Gender role socialization has a unique influence in relationships between two people of the same gender. In addition, the dominant culture is rejecting of same-sex relationships. As a result, the various overt and covert manifestations of homophobia and heterosexism figure prominently in the lives and relationships of gay men and lesbians. Nonetheless, in spite of numerous obstacles, lesbian women and gay men appear to have relationships that are as satisfying as those of their heterosexual counterparts (Kurdek, 1988, 199513;Peplau & Cochran, 1990).This chapter explores various dimensions of same-sex relationships, including commonalities with heterosexual relationships as well as unique Candace Galen and Laurie B. Mintz provided invaluable assistance throughout the preparation of rhis chapter. I would also like to thank Mandy Manderino for helpful comments on a draft.

Self-efficacy, attitudes, knowledge, planfulness, job commitment, and social support were studied as predictors of anxiety and depression about retirement. Atchley's (1976) theory of near and remote phases of preretirement was also examined. The results indicate that the best predictors of preretirement worry were a low sense of self-efficacy and low degree of planfulness, both significant factors in addition to concerns about money or health. Analyses comparing those who were currently eligible for retirement with those who were 2-3 years away from retirement yielded no significant differences. Implications for the timing and content of preretirement counseling interventions are discussed.

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