Suicidal tendencies and ego identity in adolescence

Studies distinguishing between adolescent suicide attempters and others usually deal with demographic, physiological, or familial contributing factors. The objective of this study was to investigate the relationship between ego identity development and suicidal inclinations at adolescence. The main hypothesis was that ego identity formation at adolescence may serve as a "buffering" force by providing stability, continuity, meaningfulness, social recognition, commitment, and inner strength against suicidal attempts. Two groups of adolescents, a suicidal group (n = 10) recruited from mental health clinics and a normative group (n = 30), were matched for intelligence, demographic variables, and socioeconomic status. The Adolescent Ego Identity Scale (AEIS; Tzuriel, 1984) and the Israeli Index of Potential Suicide (IIPS) based on Zung's (1974) scale were administered to both groups. The results indicated that the normative group scored significantly higher than did the suicidal group on all but one of the AEIS factors and lower on the IIPS. A MANOVA carried out on ego identity factors revealed a significant overall difference between the two groups. Univariate analyses indicated that most of the ego identity factors differentiated between the two groups. Negative correlations between AEIS and IIPS were found in both groups, especially between total AEIS score and IIPS in the normative group (r = -.89, p less than .001). The findings in general confirm the "buffering" force hypothesis. These preliminary results are discussed in regard to theoretical and preventive aspects.     

Suicidal tendencies in schizophrenic patients hospitalized for the first time

180 (15%) patients from 1208 first-hospitalized schizophrenic patients had suicidal tendencies. Our findings show that the suicidal tendencies of schizophrenic patients have their own features. These conclusions can be supported by the differences between the determinants of the suicidal tendencies of schizophrenic and non-schizophrenic population; such different determinants are: sex, age, family and suicidal method. Suicidal tendencies are more frequent among patients without formal thought disturbances. We explain this fact with an "incoherence of decision processes". The features of the suicidal tendencies of schizophrenic patients are based on the grounds of psychosis own dynamic.     

Alcohol-related motivational tendencies in hazardous drinkers: assessing implicit response tendencies using the modified-IAT

This study examined the utility of an implicit measure of cognitive associations, the Implicit Association Test (IAT; ), to assess alcohol-related approach dispositions. Forty-seven hazardous drinkers completed a modified IAT procedure that assessed the relation between alcohol and behavioral categories (i.e., approach and avoid). Participants completed a series of individual difference measures before an alcohol cue exposure task in which they anticipated alcohol consumption. Results indicate that the modified IAT is associated with binge drinking episodes, perceived difficulty controlling alcohol use, and appetitive responses to alcohol cues. Findings are discussed in terms of the potential value of this measure to assess alcohol-related memory associations among those whose alcohol use puts them at risk for harm.     

Neoplatonic tendencies in Russian philosophy

The Absolute is a basic and fundamental issue for philosophy as such. I present different concepts of the Absolute (substantialism, energetism, escapism, methodologism). We can say that contemporary European philosophy “orphaned” the neo-Platonic tradition. Thereafter Russian philosophy developed in an intensive and turbulent as well as relatively uniform fashion, in view of the well-established Neo-Platonist context. This makes Russian philosophy not only part of a lasting universally acknowledged tradition; not only has Russian philosophy continued to develop currents of thought abandoned by modern European philosophiers, but it is also heir to a philosophical tradition of particular quality and value in the universal history of thought.     

Racial differences in narcissistic tendencies

Black individuals have been found to report the highest levels of self-esteem of any racial group in the United States. The purpose of the present research was to examine whether Black individuals also report higher levels of narcissism than White individuals. Study 1 (N = 367) found that Black individuals reported higher levels of narcissism than White individuals even when controlling for gender, self-esteem level, and socially desirable response tendencies. Study 2 (N = 967) and Study 3 (N = 315) found similar results such that Black individuals reported higher levels of narcissism than White individuals on the narcissism measures that captured less pathological facets of this construct. Study 3 also included indicators of psychological adjustment and found that the pathological aspects of narcissism were more strongly associated with maladjustment for Black individuals than for White individuals. The implications of these results for understanding the Black self-esteem advantage are discussed.     

Vicissitudes of the Suicidal Impulse in Dreams

ABSTRACT: The author presents several dreams reported by psychosomatic patients which contain an overt or disguised act of suicide. In the latter instances various transformations of the act of suicide had been brought about by the defensive functions of the dreaming ego. Paradoxically, in several of these instances it was the very efforts of the dreaming ego to defend itself which allowed the suicidal impulse to reach its consummation.     

Consultation and the Suicidal Patient

This paper presents an argument for a paradigm shift in the way that mental health professionals approach their work with psychiatric patients in the midst of a suicidal crisis and suggests that the time has come to discuss a standard of care based on integration of detected risk factors, effective education and training in suicidology, and most importantly, the routine use of consultation and teamwork. Also proposed is a workable model for the use of consultation that has a number of major components: quality education in suicidology, the training and availability of appropriate consultants, clinical teamwork, and the recognition by training programs and clinical institutions that it is necessary to routinely consider a consultative risk management approach for work with suicidal patients.     

Hostile attributional tendencies in maltreated children

The hostile attributional tendencies of maltreated children in elementary school across key relationship figures (i.e., parents, teachers, and peers), the relation between children's hostile attributional tendencies and the frequency and severity of maltreatment, and the role of children's hostile attributions of their parents in mediating the relation between maltreatment and children's hostile attributions of unfamiliar peers were examined. The sample consisted of 44 maltreated and 56 nonmaltreated children (females = 51) of mixed ethnicity. Subjects were administered a 20-item measure of attributional processes. The results indicated that relative to nonmaltreated children, physically abused boys were more likely to attribute hostile intentions to a variety of relationship figures, including their parents, an unfamiliar teacher, their best friend, and unfamiliar peers. A positive relation was also found between the frequency of physical abuse and hostile attributional tendencies among males. Finally, support was found for the role of children's hostile attributions of their mothers in mediating the relation between physical abuse and children's hostile attributions of unfamiliar peers. The results support a link between physical abuse and hostile attributional tendencies in children in early elementary school.     

Mindfulness in the Treatment of Suicidal Individuals

Suicidal behavior is exhibited by a diverse population of individuals and spans many diagnostic categories. In order to develop effective prevention and treatment programs, it is important to identify transdiagnostic processes that impact the many pathways to suicidality, are amenable to intervention, and affect clinical outcomes when modified. A growing body of data suggests that experiential avoidance, or the tendency to escape or avoid unwanted psychological experiences, even when such efforts cause harm, may represent one such universal process. This article reviews theory and evidence that support mindfulness and psychological acceptance as a means to target experiential avoidance in suicidal clients and thereby reduce the risk of suicide. The article also provides two case examples of the application of mindfulness to suicidality and discusses how mindfulness may help clinicians in managing the stress associated with treating suicidal clients.     

Suicidal Behaviors in the African American Community

This article reviews the risk and protective factors associated with suicidal thoughts and behaviors in the African American community. The authors provide a brief review of the history of suicide research in African American communities and critique some of the paradigms and underlying assumptions that have made it difficult to address the problem of suicidal behaviors in the African American community. The article also summarizes the articles that are presented in this special edition of the Journal of Black Psychology on suicidality in the African American community.     

Self-destructiveness and manic-depressive tendencies

In a sample of 72 undergraduates, scores on Thalbourne, et al.'s measure of manic and depressive tendencies were associated with those on one of general self-destructive tendencies.     

Suicidal behavior in hospitalized schizophrenics

A group of 131 hospitalized schizophrenics who had attempted suicide within the past year was compared with another group of 70 hospitalized schizophrenics who had not attempted suicide, using the Present State Examination (PSE) depressive symptoms. The former had a significantly higher number of symptoms indicative of a depressive disorder.