Growth Groups and the Personal Orientation Inventory

Abstract

The Personal Orientation Inventory (POI) is frequently used to measure changes that have occurred in participants as a result of an encounter- or growth-group experience. The positive results from many studies led this author to attempt to explain possible reasons why some of the groups she has facilitated have failed to demonstrate significant gains as reflected on the POI. The nine groups discussed were held at three different edu cational institutions; the participants were students in master's degree programs in counseling. The pseudo-self-actualizing tendency of counsel ing students is explored, and rationale is presented as to why the POI should be used with other instruments-if it is used at all-to measure group change in this population.