“Marital trap analysis”—incompetence,complementarity, and success traps: Identifying potential future dysfunctions based on a couple's current collusive agreements

This paper describes three types of traps or collusive marital agreements-incompetence traps, complementarity traps, and success traps-in which the mates renounce or forgo competent functioning in vital areas of marital roles and experience. It is suggested that responsible clinical work with the couple should include a careful evaluation of such traps and the potential breakdown or dysfunction inherent in each one, and a decision as to whether or not to attempt therapeutic penetration into such collusive agreements even before the couple complain directly about their arrangement.     

Are there human rights?

Conclusion In conclusion, I have tried to show that if there are any rights at all, legal, moral and political, there are at least the sorts of human rights cited in the Universal Declaration, rights which extend beyond the slender base provided by Hart's right to be free and which include the right to an adequate human life for everyone, rights shared by all, rights that, as rights, imply correlative duties. Even though the duties thus implied are admittedly imperfect, as rights, they confer upon right-holders, the authority to obligate others.I have argued for the most part against regarding any rights, even some human, rights (interchangable here with manifesto rights, welfare rights, rights of recipience, social and economic rights, programme rights, Fawcett calls them, positive in rem rights) as claims to rights or proposals for adoption as rights. I have argued that to have a right of any kind, including especially a human right, one shared by and held equally by all human beings,while not unconditional or unalterable, is fundamentally important, - to return once again to Feinberg's definition at the opening of this paper. A human right is fundamentally important, however, only if it, too, implies an obligation on the part of other people, one in which other people are obligated to use their power and resources to make things happen. To havea right is to be in a position to impose corresponding obligations on others. As Kant pointed out, a right of any kind gives a right holder a title to compel.

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Commentary on reviews of “outcome” studies of family and marital psychotherapy

Reviews of the outcome literature in family and marital therapy are critically evaluated. The literature is equivocal in regard to the effectiveness of family therapy, particularly in comparison to alternative forms of treatment, so that statements to the effect that family therapy has demonstrated its general efficacy would not appear to be justified. Problems are identified which require solution before the efficacy of family therapy can be demonstrated.Paper presented at the 45th annual conference of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy, Chicago, Illinois, October 31, 1987.     

Allgemeinpsychologische Untersuchungen zum Vigilanzverhalten

Zusammenfassung Mit Hilfe eines 2×2×2-Designs wurde die Wirkung der Anzahl der Signalflächen, Anzahl der irrelevanten Reize und Art der Motivation auf die Vigilanzleistung untersucht. Dabei zeigte sich, daß die Wahrscheinlichkeiten von verpaßten Signalen und falschen Alarmen mit der Anzahl der Signalquellen zunehmen. Die Menge der Nicht-Signale gleicher Modalität wie die Signalreize beeinflußt weder die Signalentdeckungen noch die falschen Alarme.Weiterhin wurde versucht, eine Systematisierung von Motivationswirkungen in Vigilanzaufgaben im Rahmen des detection-Modells vorzunehmen. Bei großen Gewinnen für richtige Signalentdeckungen und geringen Verlusten für falsche Alarme (Risiko-Motivation) ergab sich eine wesentlich höhere Entdeckungswahrscheinlichkeit und eine geringfügig höhere Rate von falschen Alarmen als bei geringen Gewinnen für richtige Signalentdeckungen und hohen Kosten für falsche Alarme (Vorsichts-Motivation). Weiterhin zeigte sich unter Risiko-Motivation ein Abfall der Entdeckungswahrscheinlichkeit und bei Vorsichts-Motivation ein Anstieg, während sich die entsprechenden Raten der falschen Alarme im Verlauf der Aufgabe nicht signifikant veränderten.

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Experimental application of detection theory to vigilance behaviour

Summary In a 2×2×2-design the effects of number of dials, number of irrelevant stimuli and kind of motivation were combined. It was found out, that probabilities of missed signals and false alarms increased with spatial uncertainty. The number of irrelevant stimuli, which were of equal sensory modality as the relevant stimuli, had no influence either on detection probability or on false alarms rate.Further attempt was made to systematize effects of motivation on vigilance performance in the detection model. With great values for hits and small costs for false alarms (risky motivation) there was an essentially higher detection pobability and a slightly higher false alarms rate than with small values for hits and high costs for false detections (cautious motivation). The probabilities of detections decreased under risky motivation and increased under cautious motivation as the watch prolonged, whereas the corresponding probabilities of false alarms showed no significant changes.

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Teil I der Dissertation, die im Januar 1969 der Philosophischen Fakultät der Freien Universität Berlin vorgelegt wurde.     

Playing with Dreams: The Introduction of a Third Party into the Transference Dynamic of the Couple

Dreams in couple therapy are expressions of the multiple discontinuous selves of partners and of interpersonal defenses. Two dreams offered during analytic couple therapy illustrate the use of transference and countertransference to observe disturbances in self-cohesion, communication of self-states, and attempts to affectively influence the partner. Dreams transferentially communicate the state of the realtionship, activate a third formation expressing shared pathology, and facilitate the growth of new aspects of the self seeking a more loving bond.     

Attitudinal and consequential expectancies in behavioral decision making

Two experiments were conducted to investigate the degree to which persons distinguish between what are termed attitudinal and distant consequence expectancies, the conditions under which consequential expectancies predict behavior, and the effects of conflicting attitudinal and consequential expectancies. Attitudinal expectancies are beliefs about the immediate hedonic outcomes of behaving; consequential expectancies are beliefs about distant, nonsocially mediated behavioral outcomes. A simulation experiment was conducted in which, in a 3×3 design, subjects either were or were not given attitudinal and consequential information about hypothetical behaviors that either favored or did not favor performing the behaviors. A second experiment extended the first by using a real rather than a hypothetical decision dilemma and by manipulating attitudinal (and social support) versus consequential expectancies in a 2×3 design. The results of the two studies were nearly identical in supporting the attitude-distant consequence distinction and in demonstrating that consequential considerations are an important antecedent of behavioral decisions. The implications of these findings and of the expectancy theory/decision-making approach to the development of a broad theory of action are discussed.     

Interaction of color and geometric cues in depth perception: When does “red” mean “near”?

Luminance and color are strong and self-sufficient cues to pictorial depth in visual scenes and images. The present study investigates the conditions under which luminance or color either strengthens or overrides geometric depth cues. We investigated how luminance contrast associated with the color red and color contrast interact with relative height in the visual field, partial occlusion, and interposition to determine the probability that a given figure presented in a pair is perceived as nearer than the other. Latencies of near responses were analyzed to test for effects of attentional selection. Figures in a pair were supported by luminance contrast (Experiment 1) or isoluminant color contrast (Experiment 2) and combined with one of the three geometric cues. The results of Experiment 1 show that the luminance contrast of a color (here red), when it does not interact with other colors, produces the same effects as achromatic luminance contrasts. The probability of near increases with the luminance contrast of the color stimulus, the latencies for near responses decrease with increasing luminance contrast. Partial occlusion is found to be a strong enough pictorial cue to support a weaker red luminance contrast. Interposition cues lose out against cues of spatial position and partial occlusion. The results of Experiment 2, with isoluminant displays of varying color contrast, reveal that red color contrast on a light background supported by any of the three geometric cues wins over green or white supported by any of the three geometric cues. On a dark background, red color contrast supported by the interposition cue loses out against green or white color contrast supported by partial occlusion. These findings reveal that color is not an independent depth cue, but is strongly influenced by luminance contrast and stimulus geometry. Systematically shorter response latencies for stronger near percepts demonstrate that selective visual attention reliably detects the most likely depth cue combination in a given configuration.     

Me and My Shadow: Therapy with Sexually Abused Pre-Adolescents

The purpose of this paper is to describe the use of solution focused techniques with preadolescent children who have been sexually abused and to present a therapeutic model that: 1) represents a blending of traditional psychological theoretical ideas with the more recent solution focused techniques; 2) presents a unique time-limited group format for assisting children to come to know and like their authentic selves; and 3) provides the therapist with the opportunity to expand his or her roles. In this model, the path from false self to authentic self is conceptualized as an interplay among abuse events, family relationships, and other life contexts.     

Multicultural Women's Experience of Household Labor, Conflicts, and Equity

This study examines a group of 419 multicultural women (64 African Americans, 136 Asian Americans, 171 Hispanic Americans, and 48 Middle Eastern Americans) from Southern California. It examines Chafetz's thesis that women with macrolevel power (high socioeconomic status, SES) will show higher levels of conflict with their spouses over household labor. Such conflict is expected to relate to dissatisfaction with the division of household labor as well as time or task differences with spouses over housework. The multicultural women in this study differed among themselves by SES (proportional income, job status, and education) as well as by the household time and tasks with their spouses, but such factors did not influence conflict. Results indicate that regardless of ethnicity or macrolevel power, multicultural women who perform more household tasks than other women are more dissatisfied with the division of labor. These variables alone influence the number of conflicts per week reported by racial and ethnic couples. When reasons for conflict are compared, the equity issue of unfair share is cited more frequently than any others. In general, comparisons with one's spouse on traditional woman's tasks and time on women's work are not salient to the experience of household labor conflicts among multicultural women even when macrolevel power is attained. The majority of our respondents earn 39% of the household income and work for pay 30 hr/week, yet perform the majority of necessary household labor. The proportional income and overall education levels of this sample are similar to Census Bureau statistics for their respective U.S. groups in 1995–1996.     

The Primacy of the “Shoulds”: Where Is the Evidence?

A central tenet of rational emotive behaviour therapy (REBT) has always been that irrational beliefs which express demands through absolutistic shoulds, musts or oughts are the basic cause of emotional disturbance. This premise is characteristic of Ellis' theory but is not always supported by other REBT writers or other writers within the cognitive therapy field. This paper reviews a range of research findings which appear to call into question Ellis' tenet of the primacy of the shoulds and which, in turn, raise theoretical and methodological difficulties in the measurement of beliefs. This along with the current theoretical debate regarding irrational belief processes may preclude the possibility of testing the proposition that demandingness is the primary irrational or dysfunctional belief.     

Cognitive marriage counseling with acutely disturbed in-patients

1980 edition ofThe Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders III suggests that there is a deleterious interaction between Axes I psychiatric disorders and Axes IV psychosocial stressors such as marital disharmony. With acutely disturbed in-patients, marital problems are often found associated with the psychiatric disorder, but they are usually not treated until after the patient has been discharged to out-patient status. Offering concurrent treatment for both the Axes I disorder and the Axes IV stressors would seem to be a move in the direction of a more efficient and a more comprehensive treatment plan. A ten-session course of marriage counseling based on cognitive theory is now being offered to hospitalized psychiatric patients in a rural Veterans Administration Medical Center. The model does not propose to resolve all marital problems in therapy. The goal is to teach the hospitalized patient and their spouse cognitive principles that will enable them to more effectively resolve their own problems after the patient is discharged. It is anticipated that the cognitive principles learned in marriage counseling will also apply to the resolution of some of the problems associated with the psychiatric disorder. Thus the treatment for the Axes IV stressor enhances the treatment for the Axes I psychiatric disorder. This approach might well shorten the patients' hospitalization and reduce the risk of relapse after discharge. Preliminary results suggest that this course shows promise for both individual and marital adjustment.He holds a Primary Certificate with The Institute for Rational-Emotive Therapy, and is working on his Doctorate in Social Work at The Catholic University of America, Washington, D.C.     

Rational-emotive therapy applied to relationship therapy

RET is a comprehensive mode of relationship therapy that takes a double-barreled psychotherapeutic approach of helping all the partners in a relationship to accept responsibility for their own disturbances and failings and to work at correcting these-while, at the same time, helping them to understand and work actively at changing the marital or family system in which they are relating and the conditions in this system that are contributing to their practical and emotional problems. Rational-emotive relationship therapy is a form of cognitive behavior therapy that includes the following features: (1) It importantly stresses the cognitive or philosophic causes of emotional disturbance and of family disruption. (2) It teaches partners that they largely disturb themselves and that they can effectively refuse to continue to do so. (3) It almost always employs a number of cognitive, emotive, and behavioral techniques but employs them not merely to achieve symptomatic change but to help couples achieve a profound philosophic reconstruction that will, hopefully, lead to elegant and permanent change. It clearly acknowledges the biological as well as the sociological bases of disturbance, and therefore stresses vigorous and forceful, active-directive methods that will impinge upon and help alter the strongly held disturbances that partners frequently experience. (5) It holds to a rigorously scientific and yet highly humanistic outlook in both its theory and its practice. (6) It stresses a phenomenological, intraindividual, and depth-centered approach to understanding and tackling human disturbance, but at the same time uses practical problem-solving and skill-straining methods of changing family situations and interactions.     

Perceptions of sexual violations: Denying a kiss,stealing a kiss

The purpose of this investigation was to compare female and male perceptions of interactants in scenes involving a minor sexual violation—one in which a male denies consent for a kiss and a woman kisses him regardless, and another in which a woman denies consent and a man kisses her regardless. Undergraduate students (n = 387—approximately 82.5% White, 11% Black, 4.7% Hispanic, 1% Native American, and .8% other) completed scenarios adapted from L. Margolin [(1990) Gender and the Stolen Kiss: The Social Support of Males and Females to Violate a Partner's Sexual Consenting Noncoercive Situation, Archives of Sexual Behavior, Vol. 19, pp. 281–291], and evaluated scenario interactants using two sets of semantic differential items and two open-ended questions. Results of several analyses indicated that, first and most importantly, violators' behaviors are considered less acceptable, more negatively aggressive, more complimenting, and less appropriate than deniers' behaviors. Second, violations of sex-role expectations (i.e., female aggressing and male denying consent) are seen as less predictable and more complimenting than interactions where sex role expectations are not violated. Finally, minor distinctions between female and male respondents also were found. In general, findings support Margolin's conclusion that women have more social support than men for determining their sexual behavior and extend his findings to private interactions where motivations are not explicit. Also, trust was found to be an important factor defining perceptions of minor sexual violations, which raises the possibility that an initiation of a kiss and a violation of consent are viewed as different actions.This article is based on Mr. Semonsky's honor's thesis, completed under the direction of Mr. Rosenfeld.     

Otto Rank's Conception of the Will

Rank is the only psychoanalyst to introduce the concept of will as central to an understanding of human psychology. The function of willing and the clear uniqueness of each individual challenge the causal, deterministic thinking of Freudian psychoanalysis and thereby the predictability of behavior. Thus, for the individual will means choice, and therefore moral responsibility for one's own acts. It also means the opportunity to create the new. The very formation of the individual self as it separates and differentiates itself from the maternal matrix is a creative act—one which inevitably precipitates a certain, but normally manageable, amount of guilt because of empathic feelings for the one who has been left—originally the mother. Beyond the creation of self, the will, through its creative role, helps to allay the inevitable human fear of the final separation, namely death by producing those manifestations of civilization—art, literature, music, and science—which in their generative capacity insure immortality.     

Utility theory with inexact preferences and degrees of preference

a–b* c–d is taken to mean that your degree of preference for a over b is less than your degree of preference for c over d. Various properties of the strength-of-preference comparison relation * are examined along with properties of simple preferences defined from *. The investigation recognizes an individual's limited ability to make precise judgments. Several utility theorems relating a–b * c–d to u(a)–u(b) are included.     

A Kripke Semantics for the Logic of Gelfand Quantales

Gelfand quantales are complete unital quantales with an involution, *, satisfying the property that for any element a, if a b a for all b, then a a* a = a. A Hilbert-style axiom system is given for a propositional logic, called Gelfand Logic, which is sound and complete with respect to Gelfand quantales. A Kripke semantics is presented for which the soundness and completeness of Gelfand logic is shown. The completeness theorem relies on a Stone style representation theorem for complete lattices. A Rasiowa/Sikorski style semantic tableau system is also presented with the property that if all branches of a tableau are closed, then the formula in question is a theorem of Gelfand Logic. An open branch in a completed tableaux guarantees the existence of an Kripke model in which the formula is not valid; hence it is not a theorem of Gelfand Logic.     

The brain a geometry engine

Summary According to Kant, spacetime is a form of the mind. If so, the brain must be a geometry engine. This idea is taken seriously, and consequently the implementation of space and time in terms of machines is considered. This enables one to conceive of spacetime as really embodied.     

Culture and gender in marital therapy with ethiopian immigrants: A conversation in metaphors

Israel is a country which has absorbed more than half of its population during its first 44 years of existence. Recently, the trend has been to move away from the melting-pot ideology and favor the philosophy of unity in diversity. The purpose of this paper is to shed some light on the issue of marital therapy in the context of immigration, family loss, and different cultural traditions in the Ethiopian community living in Israel. A story of marital therapy is recounted in which the continuity and expansion of customs is used. This provided a sense of familiarity in therapy to demonstrate culture and gender-sensitive therapy and illustrate possible guidelines for therapeutic collaboration.I would like to thank Yael Kitov, the therapist, for her wonderful job-Amith Ben-David.     

Yes,Virginia, Lemons are Yellow

This paper discusses a number of themes and arguments in The Quest for Reality: Stroud's distinction between philosophical and ordinary questions about reality; the similarity he finds between the view that coloris unreal and the view that it is subjective; his argument against thesecondary quality theory; his argument against the error theory; and the disappointing conclusion of the book.     

Cognitive and marital factors in depression

The current investigation examines three groups of wives: (1) a group of nondepressed, nondiscordant community wives; (2) a group of nondepressed, discordant clinic wives; and (3) a group of depressed, discordant clinic wives. Groups were formed on the basis of structured interview responses and responses to a self-report inventory of depressive symptomatology. To be classified as depressed, wives were required to meet DSM III criteria for depression according to interview data and to exceed a Beck Depression Inventory score of 14. Both clinic groups showed equal levels of marital discord. Both nondepressed groups showed equally few cognitive errors. Accordingly, comparisons of these three groups allow us to test current interpersonal and cognitive theories of depression. The level of closeness in the marriage differentiated the depressed, discordant from the nondepressed, discordant wives despite their equal levels of overall marital discord. The level of depressive symptomatology was greater for the nondepressed clinic wives than it was for the community wives despite their equal levels of cognitive errors. Both closeness in the marriage and cognitive errors accounted for the unique variance in level of depression. Implications for current interpersonal and cognitive accounts of depression are discussed.Support for this research came in part from NIMH Grant 38390-02. Portions of this paper were presented at the 25th Annual Convention of the American Association for the Advancement of Behavior Therapy.