The delicate balance of work and illusion in psychoanalysis

One might say that the analyst counts on the patient's unconscious work, while conscious work is, to some extent, just one more thing to be deconstructed (analyzed). Analyst and patient, however, cannot avoid thinking that they are working on a common project, partly because the image of a mutual work distracts from the painfully uncertain illusion that the analyst is really offering a lasting, familial sort of bond, and partly because the sense of being involved in a joint project actually fosters the specific unconscious psychoanalytic work, provided that it is delicately balanced against the necessary illusion of the relationship. If, however, we choose to tilt the balance one way or the other, we must be prepared to make some sacrifices.     

Interview anxiety across the sexes: Support for the sex-linked anxiety coping theory

The sex-linked anxiety coping theory states that females’ anxiety levels may be less detrimental to their selection test performance because they have more available coping resources and engage in more constructive coping strategies prior to and during selection tests. This research project sought to investigate whether gender moderates the link between interview anxiety and interview performance. Co-op students (N = 125) participated in a mock interview as part of a course requirement. The results indicated that gender moderated the relation between self-rated interview anxiety and interview performance. Males were no more anxious than were females, but experienced significantly greater impairments to performance in the job interview as a result of interview anxiety. Of interest, interviewer-rated interview anxiety did not interact with gender to predict interview performance, which supports preliminary research evidence that perceptions and the experience of interview anxiety are not necessarily congruent.     

Protecting and Enhancing Eyewitness Memory: The Impact of an Initial Recall Attempt on Performance in an Investigative Interview

Evidence‐gathering begins at the scene of an incident. Available witnesses may be asked to provide an account of what happened, either in response to an open request for information or, in some regions, by completing a Self‐Administered Interview (SAI©). In both cases, an investigative interview may be conducted at some later date. This study sought to determine the impact of an initial retrieval attempt on a subsequent interview. After exposure to a mock crime, participants completed an SAI© or a free recall (FR), or did not engage in an initial retrieval (Control). One week later, participants were interviewed with a Cognitive Interview. SAI© participants reported more correct information and maintained higher accuracy than FR and Control participants. Consistency analyses revealed that the SAI© was effective because it preserved more of the originally recalled items (Time 1) than did an initial FR, and not because it yielded new recollections at Time 2. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Developmental Career Assessment and Counseling: The C-DAC Model

The C-DAC model seeks to implement current development theory and to use innovative assessment measures together with improved counseling methods to improve vocational and life career counseling. At this stage, the project pays more attention to assessment, partly because if one is to counsel with career maturity in mind, one must understand the developmental status of the counselee. In career counseling, facts as well as feelings are important. Therefore, in this article the authors deal with the assessment of career development in detail, treating interests (measured by the Strong) and expressed preferences as basic status data to be viewed in the light of career maturity, the salience of life roles, and the values sought in life as moderator variables. The instruments are described and their use shown in a sample profile for assessment and checking by the reader in another readily available published source.     

Those Easily Forgotten: The Impact of Emigration on Those Left Behind

Much has been written about the experiences and stresses of those who emigrate. By contrast, little attention has been paid to the experiences of those who stay behind—family members and friends who for various reasons do not to join their loved ones in the destination country. In this article, I describe the experiences of some South Africans whose families and friends have emigrated. This study forms part of a larger research project focusing on the impact of emigration on South African family life. Twenty‐one participants were interviewed by means of a semistructured interview at least 6 months after one or more family member(s) and/or friend(s) left South Africa, to explore participants’ experiences around their loved ones’ emigration. A thematic analysis of the data reveals that those left behind experience various emotions, ranging from emotional ambivalence to anger and distress. Emigration is mostly experienced as a vast loss, almost akin to a “death,” bringing about significant changes in social networks and relationships. The therapeutic significance of the findings for those working with emigrant families is also explored.     

The Validity of the Employment Interview: A Meta-Analysis

The interview is the most widely used personnel selection method, but has revealed low reliability and validity compared with other selection methods (Mayfield 1964; Ulrich and Trumbo 1965; Schmitt 1976; Arvey 1979). Thirty-one studies on the validity of the interview were meta-analyzed. The result was an average validity coefficient of .27. The estimated true validity of the interview was calculated to be .38. These values indicated that the interview has moderate validity as a personnel selection device. Six characteristics of the interview were also examined in relation to the validity of the interview: structure of the interview; number of interviewers; length of the interview; gender of the applicant pool; blue-collar/white-collar jobs; and use of college students versus job applicants. The six study characteristics accounted for 30.9% of the variance in the validity of the interview. Structure of the interview appeared to be the only characteristic that moderated the validity of the interview. The relationship of this study to other meta-analyses of the employment interview is discussed.     

The efficacy of mnemonic components of the cognitive interview: towards a shortened variant for time‐critical investigations

The cognitive interview utilizes mnemonic instructions and social facilitative techniques to increase correct recall from eyewitnesses without concomitant increases in errors. Recent studies however have suggested that police may neglect this technique in time‐critical situations. The present study investigated mnemonic components to determine whether a shorter, but still effective, technique was possible. Forty‐five participants viewed a film of a simulated crime and were interviewed with one of three techniques: the cognitive interview; a modified version that replaced the change order and change perspectives techniques with additional free recall attempts; or a structured interview. It was hypothesized that the modified technique would be as effective as the cognitive interview, while both would be superior to the structured interview. Results supported these hypotheses. Further analysis suggested that a shortened version, with the two mnemonics removed, may substantially reduce interviewing time while still offering an effective interview strategy in time‐critical situations. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Accommodation fatigue and dark focus: The effects of accommodation-free visual work as assessed by two psychophysical methods

Past studies of accommodation fatigue have yielded inconsistent results, partly because they have not used direct measures of accommodation, and partly because they may have been based on a misleading conception of the nature of accommodation. The dual-innervation theory of accommodation suggests that the resting position of accommodation may be neuromuscular rather than just muscular, and that it lies not at optical infinity, as assumed by older conceptions, but at some intermediate position (dark focus). Among the predictions that may be deduced from this theory is that long-term visual work not requiring active accommodation will not induce fatigue. The present study involved continuous measurements of dark focus for 10 young adults over a 3-h period, using the laser optometer with two psychophysical procedures Ibracketing and staircase. Consistent with the prediction, no changes in dark focus were found, in spite of the demanding visual task. Furthermore, it was found that both psychophysical methods yielded essentially identical results. The practical and theoretical implications of these results are discussed, and recommendations are given regarding situations in which each of the psychophysical methods is likely to be most useful.     

The suggestibility of child witnesses: A review

The idea that child witnesses are unreliable because of their high suggestibility is a common one. However, it is questionable if suggestibility can be attributed to individuals without considering the situational determinants of the phenomenon. This paper reviews studies of suggestibility in adults and children with particular reference to its determinants. The possibility that interview techniques might be developed which could enhance the reliability of child witnesses is considered.     

The camera perspective bias: a case study

In this case study, we examined how variations of the camera perspective affect adults' assessment of veracity in a real‐life high‐stake situation; a masked male confessing to a very serious crime. The interview, conducted by one of Sweden's most awarded journalists, lasted 30 minutes and consisted of over 100 detailed questions about the crime. The interview was videotaped simultaneously by three cameras positioned at different locations, each taking a unique visual perspective. One camera focused on the suspect only, one on the interviewer only, and one equally on the suspect and the interviewer. Each videotape was shown to 32 adult observers (N = 96) who were asked to assess the suspect's veracity and to report subjective cues justifying their veracity assessment. The results confirmed the camera perspective bias, by showing that the observers in the ‘suspect only’ condition assessed the confession as significantly more reliable than did the observers in the ‘interviewer only’ condition. The observers reported that they relied heavily on verbal cues when assessing the confession, and particularly regarding confidence and consistency. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The Shifting Subtypes of ADHD: Classification Depends on How Symptom Reports are Combined

Research on the correlates of ADHD subtypes has yielded inconsistent findings, perhaps because the procedures used to define subtypes vary across studies. We examined this possibility by investigating whether the ADHD subtype distribution in a community sample was sensitive to different methods for combining informant data. We conducted a study to screen all children in grades 1-5 (N = 7847) in a North Carolina County for ADHD. Teachers completed a DSM-IV behavior rating scale and parents completed a structured telephone interview. We found substantial differences in the distribution of ADHD subtypes depending on whether one or both sources were used to define the subtypes. When parent and teacher data were combined, the procedures used substantially influenced subtype distribution. We conclude the ADHD subtype distribution is sensitive to how symptom information is combined and that standardization of the subtyping process is required to advance our understanding of the correlates of different ADHD subtypes.     

Can Nonverbal Cues be Used to Make Meaningful Personality Attributions in Employment Interviews?

Purpose  This study examines the role of personality attributions in understanding the relationships between nonverbal cues and interview performance ratings. Design/methodology/approach  A structured behavioral interview was developed for identifying management potential in a large, national company. Using a concurrent design to validate the interview, managers were interviewed and the interviews were videotaped (n = 110). These videotapes were used as stimuli for raters in this study. Findings  Results indicate that raters can make personality attributions using only one channel of information and these attributions partly explain the relationships between nonverbal cues and performance measures. Furthermore, conscientiousness attributions explain the relationship between visual cues and interview ratings, extraversion attributions mediate the relationship between vocal cues and interview ratings. Neuroticism attributions had a suppressing effect for both visual and vocal cues. Implications   No matter how much an interview is structured, nonverbal cues cause interviewers to make attributions about candidates. If we face this fact, rather than consider information from cues as bias that should be ignored, interviewers can do a better job of focusing on job-related behavior and information in the interview, while realizing that the cues are providing information that must be attended to. Originality/value  This study isolated the sources of information provided to raters to either the vocal or the visual channel to examine their impact individually. A Brunswik lens model shows the potential impact of personality attributions predicting both job and interview performance ratings when both channels of information are used.     

Inside Criminal Minds: Offenders' Strategies when Lying

This study aimed at extending the deception literature by examining lie‐telling strategies given by persons with criminal experience. In interviews taking place in prisons, offenders (n = 35) provided lie‐telling strategies in a free narrative style. In an inductive content analysis, we coded both all strategies provided as well as one principal strategy for each participant. In total, 13 strategies were identified, which were grouped into three broader category groups: general verbal, general nonverbal, and specific interview strategies. The most often stated strategies were Close to truth, Eye contact, and No strategy. The most often stated principal strategies were Close to truth, Not giving away information, and No strategy. Some participants provided strategies, such as not giving away information at all in interviews/interrogations, which showed a sophisticated understanding of the police interview situation and the task of the police and prosecutor. Overall, the participants showed great diversity in preferred lie‐telling strategy. The results are partly in line with previous research from student samples and provide new insights into the criminally experienced individuals' lie‐telling strategies. The results are discussed with regard to impression and information management and police interrogation practice. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

儿童早期到中期社交退缩行为的发展

本研究考察儿童早期到中期社交退缩行为的发展特点.采用实验室观察法,评价149名儿童4岁和7岁时的三种社交退缩行为——抑制行为、安静退缩、活跃退缩.结果表明,(1)儿童早期到中期,三种退缩行为明显减少,同伴互动显著增加.(2)儿童早期到中期,抑制行为和安静退缩有一定程度的稳定性,活跃退缩不稳定.(3)儿童早期某种社交退缩行为越多,该行为减少的幅度越大,三种社交退缩行为的发展都有趋近平均水平的倾向.(4)儿童中期,抑制行为可能存在向安静退缩转化的趋势.     

The law and lawyers: Through psychodynamic eyes

Abstract

This article looks at some of the unconscious processes that operate among solicitors in general practice. In particular it considers various defences against the anxiety felt by solicitors partly because of the nature of their work and partly because of what is projected onto them by their clients. It argues that these defences have become embodied in the legal system itself as ‘socially structured defence mechanisms’ (Menzies Lyth 1989).     

Think fast: The role of thin slices of behavior in employee selection decisions

This study integrates past research addressing decision‐making, employee selection, and influence processes in an attempt to provide both a theoretical and empirical foundation for future research addressing initial impressions throughout the interview process. Using data from a simulated hiring situation comprised of 28 recruiters and 229 applicants, the results suggest that initial impressions formed at the beginning of the interview make a substantive impact on final impressions. However, impressions formed at the career fair do not appear to impact final impressions without considering the interactive effects of decision confidence. Hypotheses proposing that decision confidence would moderate linkages between initial impressions formed at the beginning of the interview and both interview scores and final impressions were not supported. We discuss the theoretical and practical implications of these findings for selection.     

Majority Support for Minority Out-Groups: The Roles of Compassion and Guilt

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of compassion and guilt on support for and avoidance of an out-group program. Participants were 98 heterosexuals who were given 3 different sets of perspective-taking instructions: other-focused, self-focused, and detachment. Next, they watched a video of a bogus interview with a gay university student who described being physically assaulted because of his sexuality. It was hypothesized that other-focused instructions would elicit stronger support for a gay and lesbian anti-violence program than the other 2 conditions. This hypothesis was supported for willingness to volunteer for the program, but not for funds allocated to the program. Self-focused instructions were associated with program avoidance. Implications of the results are discussed.     

Gross overactivity: A study by direct observation

A group of children who were rated as grossly overactive by a clinician was compared with a matched control group on various measurements of their behavior in a clinical interview situation and in a psychological test situation. An observational schedule was developed to discern those behaviors related to the concept of overactivity. These behaviors were operationally defined to enable reliable replication. The experimental group showed an excess in quantity of mechanically recorded movement as well as an increase in a cluster of behaviors including distractibility and disinhibition. Situational effects on those symptoms were noted. The symptoms were best observed in a semistructured clinical interview situation.This project was carried out while S. L. Luk was a research worker at the Institute of Psychiatry, London, supported by the University of Hong Kong. The authors express sincere thanks to Dr. S. Sandberg for her help in the reliability study, to Dr. J. Bacon-Soong for his statistical advice, and to Miss Ivy Wong for secretarial help.The coding scheme is available from the author.     

Counselling with a profoundly deaf client and the impact of a therapist's dream: A case study

This case study explores the experience of one client participating in a project evaluating the use of dreams in short‐term counselling within the National Health Service. The client received 24 sessions of counselling and completed a post‐counselling semi‐structured questionnaire. This was followed by a semi‐structured interview, which confirmed the internal coherence within the participant's narrative and allowed a more detailed exploration of her experiences, supported by process notes. Supervision challenged the therapist's preconceptions and held her in her uncertainty until the work was aided by a dream that the therapist had of the client.     

Cross‐examination: The Testimony of Children With and Without Intellectual Disabilities

The present study assessed how children with a range of cognitive abilities fared during a mock cross‐examination. Ninety children (aged 4 to 11 years; 18 with intellectual disabilities, 13 with borderline intellectual disabilities and 59 who were typically developing) witnessed a staged event, participated in an initial forensic interview (a few days later) and were cross‐examined by a barrister‐in‐training (10 months later). During cross‐examination, 98% of all children changed at least one response from their initial interview when challenged. However, group differences in performance (total number of changed responses, ‘resistance’ to challenges), controlling for age and memory for event details, were not significant or did not prove reliable at the level of individual group contrasts. Overall, little robust evidence for group differences in performance on cross‐examination could be identified, and memory for event details was the most reliable predictor of performance. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.