Clients' Experiences of Obstructive Silence: Integrating Conscious Reports and Analytic Theories

The psychodynamic literature has associated clients' silences in psychotherapy sessions with a variety of processes. These processes include wishes to merge with the therapist, to gain control in session, to communicate the unsayable, to express helplessness and, most frequently, the intertwined processes of resistance and regression. Experiences of obstructive silence—that is, moments in which clients detached from the process of therapeutic inquiry—were examined in this study. A grounded theory analysis was used to explore clients' experiences of silences in psychotherapy across psychotherapeutic modalities. Two types of obstructive pausing processes, Disengaged pauses and Interactional pauses, were identified. The implications of delineating conscious aspects of these complex experiences are stressed and techniques are suggested for therapeutic intervention in moments of experienced threat.     

失语：医患交往中的沉默现象反思

本文从医生和患者交往的失语现象入手,采取案例分析的方法,分析了沉默的不同类型及特点,指出沉默的原因是对医患沟通的忽视,医生的无暇,受传统父权思想的影响,其根源在于人文精神的失落,并有针对性地提出了沉默的唤醒的途径和治疗失语的方法。     

An upside to bicultural identity conflict: Resisting groupthink in cultural ingroups

Bicultural individuals differ in the degree to which their cultural identities are integrated versus conflicting—Bicultural Identity Integration (BII). Studies of judgment find that biculturals with less integrated identities (low BIIs) tend to defy salient cultural norms, whereas those with highly integrated identities (high BIIs) conform. This study examined biculturals' judgment in a group decision-making context, focusing on individuals' reactions to consensus in cultural ingroups. Results showed that low (vs. high) BIIs are more likely to resist the group consensus when it is incorrect, but not when it is correct. These findings suggest that contrarian impulses of low BIIs can be channeled towards facilitating constructive conflict—resisting groupthink that results from cultural homogeneity. Implications for bicultural identity, motives, and organizational behavior are discussed.     

The American South: Explorations on southern attachments and personal values

ABSTRACT

Group membership is central to understanding political behavior and political psychology. However, regional group membership is rarely examined, despite its relevance to political psychology and personal values. To address this, we investigated the relationships among southern identity, southern nationalism, southern pride, and southern constructive patriotism for the U.S. South, as well as the connections between personal values and southern attachments. Results from the structural equation modeling (N = 268) revealed that stronger southern identity predicted more southern nationalism, southern pride, and southern constructive patriotism. Additionally, greater endorsement of conservation values predicted stronger southern identity and southern pride; those favoring self-transcendence values exhibited less southern nationalism and more southern constructive patriotism; and those with higher self-enhancement values expressed more southern nationalism. This study confirms the predictive role of southern identity on other southern attachments and provides support for how different southern attachments are related to but distinctive from each other.     

The Silent Treatment? Changes in patient emotional expression after silence

Psychotherapy can be an emotionally laden conversation, where both verbal and nonverbal interventions may impact the therapeutic process. Prior research has postulated mixed results regarding how clients emotionally react following a silence after the therapist is finished talking, potentially due to studying a limited range of silences with primarily qualitative and self-report methodologies. A quantitative exploration may illuminate new findings. Utilising research and automatic data processing from the field of linguistics, we analysed the full range of silence lengths (0.2–24.01 s), and measures of emotional expression—vocally encoded arousal and emotional valence from the works spoken—of 84 audio recordings of Motivational Interviewing sessions. We hypothesised that both the level and the variance of client emotional expression would change as a function of silence length; however, due to the mixed results in the literature, the direction of emotional change was unclear. We conducted a multilevel linear regression to examine how the level of client emotional expression changed across silence length, and an ANOVA to examine the variability of client emotional expression across silence lengths. Results of both analyses indicated that as silence length increased, emotional expression largely remained the same. Broadly, we demonstrated a weak connection between silence length and emotional expression, indicating no persuasive evidence that silence leads to client emotional processing and expression.     

How Do Groups Work? Age Differences in Performance and the Social Outcomes of Peer Collaboration

Do children derive different benefits from group collaboration at different ages? In the present study, 183 children from two age groups (8.8  and 13.4 years) took part in a class quiz as members of a group, or individually. In some groups, cohesiveness was made salient by awarding prizes to the top performing groups. In other groups, prizes were awarded to the best performing individuals. Findings, both in terms of social outcomes and performance in the quiz, indicated that the 8‐year olds viewed the benefits of group membership in terms of the opportunities to receive information from other members. The 13‐year olds, in contrast, viewed group collaboration as a constructive process where success was connected with group cohesiveness.     

Group Cognitive Behavior Therapy Program with Troubled Adolescents: A Learning Experience

ABSTRACT

Group CBT programs are widely used for assisting teenagers with anxiety, depression and other psychological problems. The majority of reported programs have targeted school or clinical populations, however, few have specifically targeted adolescents from highly troubled and disadvantaged backgrounds. This paper describes a group CBT program that was developed for teenagers who have not responded well to the formal structures of school and traditional models of classroom management. Problems such as low levels of motivation, poor attention span, learning difficulties, poor impulse control, substance abuse, and other mental health problems are common within this population. A number of challenges arose in running the program and several modifications were made in order to make it more relevant to participants. These changes resulted in more rapid engagement with the program, improved cooperation within the group, fewer interruptions, and improved rapport. The clinical outcomes associated with the program could not be measured due to difficulties with completing administering self-report questionnaires.     

The positive effect of negative emotions in protracted conflict: The case of anger

Extant research has demonstrated the destructive role that anger plays in the context of intergroup conflict. Among other findings, it has been established that anger elevates public support for aggressive and violent actions towards the outgroup. This finding has been explained by the unique cognitive appraisals, emotional goal, and response tendencies associated with anger, typified by appraised relative strength and high control, motivation to correct perceived wrongdoings, and willingness to engage in risky behavior. In the current work we examine an innovative assumption, according to which the apparent destructive implications of anger are a result of situational range restriction—namely, that anger as a group emotion has been examined almost solely at the escalation stage of conflict. Instead, we propose that the same unique characteristics of anger can bring about constructive political attitudes and support for non-violent policies in the context of systematic efforts to de-escalate a protracted conflict.To test this hypothesis we conducted two studies in which we examined the relationship between anger and the willingness to engage in positive risk-taking and support non-violent policies in the context of political negotiations between adversaries. Results indicate a significant positive relationship, supporting the hypothesis that anger is not an exclusively militant emotion, and its effects are situationally dependent.     

Preventive work in a toddler group and nursery

This paper is about the sort of preventive work which can be carried out in early child care settings where incipient disturbance can be picked up and worked with promptly and effectively. It shows how toddler groups and nurseries can offer relationships and experiences which encourage mutuality and progressive development, while at the same time addressing difficulties before they have become fully internalized. It gives a detailed account of work with a single mother and her son who attended first a toddler group run by a child psychotherapist and her trainee assistant, and then a nursery where staff were in regular consultation with the child psychotherapist who also worked individually with the mother. It argues that the effectiveness of such early interventions can be conceptualized in terms of supplying maternal and paternal functioning at a time when children and parents alike are particularly needful of and responsive to this sort of help.     

Constructive and unconstructive repetitive thought

The author reviews research showing that repetitive thought (RT) can have constructive or unconstructive consequences. The main unconstructive consequences of RT are (a) depression, (b) anxiety, and (c) difficulties in physical health. The main constructive consequences of RT are (a) recovery from upsetting and traumatic events, (b) adaptive preparation and anticipatory planning, (c) recovery from depression, and (d) uptake of health-promoting behaviors. Several potential principles accounting for these distinct consequences of RT are identified within this review: (a) the valence of thought content, (b) the intrapersonal and situational context in which RT occurs, and (c) the level of construal (abstract vs. concrete processing) adopted during RT. Of the existing models of RT, it is proposed that an elaborated version of the control theory account provides the best theoretical framework to account for its distinct consequences.     

Antecedents and Consequences of Awkward Silence A Replication Using Revised Lag Sequential Analysis

McLaughlin and Cody's (1982) study of antecedents and consequences of awkward silence is replicated in this study. McLaughlin and Cody concluded that behavioral sequences before silence in dyads with multiple silences were characterized by a pattern of minimal response by one participant. They also concluded that posts/fence sequences were characterized by the presence of question-answer adjacency pairs. Advances made in our understanding of lag sequential analysis (Allison & Liker, 1982; Morley, in press; Sackett, in press) since their study was conducted indicate that statistics other than those employed in their study are more appropriate. A study of the antecedents and consequences of silence for dyads with multiple silences is reported and analyzed using reuised lag sequential analysis. This study found that silences were preceded by minimal responses at lag 1 and followed by questions at lag 1. However, silences were not followed by answers at lag 2. Additionally, the significant dependencies between minimal responses and silence, and silence and questions accounted for only a very small amount of the variance. Thus, although statistically significant, these dependencies are not theoretically meaningful.     

Group Work with Aggressive Men: Group Within a Group Within a Group

Psychodynamic group therapy offers many opportunities for members to identify, understand, and change the underlying problems, which lead to their aggressive behavior. In addition, group therapy can help to improve the members’ interpersonal relationships. The “Coping with Aggression” is comprised of three groups. A psychodynamic group of assaultive men made up the first group. The second group consisted of two leaders and a consultant whom the group members knew about but never actually met. The observers who sat outside the group made up the third group. Therapy contracts, boundaries, and leadership, and group process are discussed.     

Language comprehension in old age

Three experiments examined the effects of aging on comprehension of spoken language. Integrative and constructive aspects of comprehension showed much more marked age-related deficits than registration of surface meaning. Experiment 1 showed that old subjects had difficulty in making inferences based on presented facts. Experiment 2 revealed a similar deficit in old people's ability to detect anomalies in newly presented information by reference to prior everyday knowledge. And Experiment 3, which tested story recall, showed that old subjects were less well able to extract and retain gist information than younger subjects. These difficulties are interpreted as reflecting a limitation in processing capacity such that the demands of concurrently registering surface meaning and simultaneously carrying out integrative and constructive processes exceed capacity in old age.     

组织中的建设性偏差:概念界定、形成机制及影响

组织中的建设性偏差是组织成员为了提升组织或组织利益相关者的福祉,有意采取的违背组织重要规范的行为。文章介绍了组织中建设性偏差的概念、与相关概念的关系及测量方法;从多个层面系统梳理了建设性偏差的影响因素和形成机制,并且分析了建设性偏差对组织和个体的影响结果。文章最后提出未来研究应构建建设性偏差的本土化结构与测量工具,探索多层次多视角的行为产生机制,重视对员工建设性偏差频率和强度的"度"的拿捏,以及关注中国背景下的建设性偏差研究。。     

Christian ethics and empirical research

What significance might empirical research have for a constructive theory of Christian ethics? This article discusses this question by bringing results from a concrete empirical study of aspects of Christian ethics into conversation with two theories of the same phenomenon: those of William Schweiker and Stanley Hauerwas/Samuel Wells. After mapping the results of the empirical study to the views offered by the two constructive accounts, I discuss more generally whether empirical studies of this kind can have significance for constructive ethical theory. I discuss three possible objections against such a position: that introducing empirical research to constructive theory of Christian ethics undermines normativity, that it blocks criticism, and that its contributions are likely to be divergent, incoherent and unsystematic, thus adding little of significance to constructive theory. I argue that none of these objections can definitively exclude empirical research from constructive theory. But they certainly have implications concerning not only how empirical research might have significance, but also regarding criteria it must meet in order to legitimately claim constructive relevance. Some concrete suggestions to this effect are launched in a final argumentative move.     

Essential theory, processes, and procedures for successful group psychotherapy: Group cohesion as exemplar

With few exceptions or at the very least cautions (cf. Burlingame, MacKenzie & Strauss, 2003) group psychotherapy has proven to be an effective and efficient treatment for a number of psychological disorders (Burlingame, Kapetanovic, & Ross, 2005). This article will briefly describe a theory that underlies successful group therapies. In addition, certain group processes—those elements that occur during the group itself that appear to be necessary conditions for improved patient outcomes—will also be addressed, although unfortunately, the sufficient conditions tying moment-to-moment process to actual outcome (improved patient functioning by the end of therapy, and at 6-month follow-up, for instance) are not quite as easily delineated. A closer study of the group therapeutic factor cohesion will be utilized as an example of these practice and research dilemmas. Finally, suggestions for future directions, which might more clearly uncover important connections between process and outcome, are addressed.     

Critical incident debriefing in groups: a group analytic perspective

This paper looks at providing critical incident debriefing in groups. It outlines key group analytic concepts that are relevant to debriefing, including mirroring, group dynamics and supervision. It details how these concepts, along with the facilitator's and supervisor's free-floating attention, can help in thinking about the group and the organizational impact on the individual and the group. Using examples of debriefing, suggestions are made about how to use these concepts within the debriefing session and the impact of the dynamics of the organization on the debriefing.

The paper emphasizes the importance of supervision for debriefers and how the dynamics of the debriefing and the organizational context can be mirrored in the supervision. It illustrates the interplay between the individual, the group and the organization through commentary on vignettes, which include a debriefing session and the subsequent supervision session for debriefers.     

Group cognition,membership change,and performance: Investigating the benefits and detriments of collective knowledge

This study analyzes the effects of group membership change on group cognition and performance to determine how groups can simultaneously leverage oldtimers’ collective knowledge and a newcomer’s expertise. Our analysis focuses specifically on the interrelated effects of the two components of a transactive memory system (TMS)—TMS structure and TMS processes—to explain the cognitive mechanisms through which membership change affects group performance. Results from a laboratory study show that groups that experience partial membership change tend to rely on the TMS structure that oldtimers developed in their original group, and that doing so is ultimately detrimental to performance because it creates inefficient TMS processes. Results from a supplemental study indicate that these TMS process inefficiencies can be avoided when oldtimers are instructed to reflect upon their collective knowledge prior to task execution. We discuss the implications for managing group cognition in organizations where membership change is prevalent.