An alarmingly large number of adults are dealing with two significant problems: illit eracy and emotional maladjustment. The interactive nature of these two difficulties is discussed. Specific emphasis is placed on describing a series of psychological barriers to learning: (1) ambivalence about success, (2) fear of risk taking, (3) overdependence on authority figures, (4) tension, (5) defensive dominance, and (6) intrusive memories of poor learning experiences. A group counseling approach, designed to assist illiter ate adults in identifying and resolving these obstacles to learning, is presented.
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