The 'body–container': A new perspective on the 'body–ego'

Psychoanalytic theory and practice tend to focus on metaphorical and symbolic mental representations in a way that often pushes aside the importance of a bodily 'presence' possessing qualities that can not and should not be subordinated to the representational structure. By introducing the 'body – container' model, this paper reintroduces the concrete physical body into the psychoanalytic discourse in a more direct way. This clinical – theoretical model links the 'body-ego' ( Freud, 1923 ) to the container idea ( Bion, 1962 ) aiming to creates a new integrative psyche-soma scheme. The 'body – container' experience is available as a subjective realization through a priori psycho-physical forms structured as an envelope and a central vertical axis. These forms are the outcome of our given bodily structure experienced under the 'magnetic' force of object relation. The mental envelope is already discussed in psychoanalytic theory ( Anzieu, 1989, 1990 ; Bick, 1968 ) and I wish to introduce the characteristics of the vertical axis which I call 'the frontal spine', emphasizing its constitutional reciprocity with the skin envelope. The proposed model offers new insights into the psycho-physical organization in primitive mental states and may contribute to the understanding of the complementary structural relation between embodied and represented in human experience. Two clinical examples illustrate the therapeutic work relevant to disturbances in the primal psycho-physical space organization at different developmental levels.     

Mathematical psychology—A perspective

The highpoints of mathematical psychology between the first issue of the Journal of Mathematical Psychology in 1964 and the present are outlined, with an attempt to highlight its achievements, to understand its failures and to anticipate—and possibly influence—its fate.     

An evolutionary cybernetics perspective on language and coordination

Starting from the observation that many open issues in linguistics hinge on problems of semantics, we discuss three core semantic notions: categories, agency, and qualification or semiosis. We argue that the origin of these coincide with the emergence of self-regulatory systems, systems that control their own persistence as localizable dynamical systems. When such systems interact a metasystem transition can occur in which the regulatory capacity per system is increased through the mechanisms of extension and specialization. Newly arising mutual dependencies force the formerly independent systems to coordinate their behaviour which leads them to effectively become a single system – a novel agency at a higher level of organization – thus qualifying the emergence of a novel language or code. We go on to argue that natural languages are instances of such naturally occurring conventionalization processes, corroborating the view that language should primarily be characterized as coordination.     

Gaining perspective on spatial perspective taking

Spatial perspective taking is a term that encompasses a class of phenomena that assess the extent to which a perceiver can access spatial information relative to a viewpoint different from the perceiver’s egocentric viewpoint (e.g. something on my right is on the left of someone facing me). We investigated whether spatial perspective taking that involves judging how objects are oriented around an agent is susceptible to alterations in social motivations. In all experiments, participants saw a picture of two objects and asked to judge the relationship between the objects when there was, or was not, an agent between them. Results from Experiment 1 showed that participants spontaneously described the objects from the agent’s perspective when he was present. Experiments 2 and 3 explored whether this effect was altered by prior participant exposure to manipulations of social inclusion or social exclusion. Results from these two studies demonstrated that socially included participants and socially excluded participants did not differ in their tendencies to adopt the spatial perspective of another. These results are discussed in the context of the results of other studies showing that perspective taking can be influenced by social motivations.     

Car following from the driver’s perspective

In this commentary, it is argued that the car following models discussed in Brackstone, M., and McDonald, M. (Transportation Research – Part F (2000), pp. 181–196) ignore one or more of the following issues that characterize to observed driver behavior. These include: (i) car following is only one of many tasks that drivers perform simultaneously and receives therefore only intermittent attention and control (task scheduling/attention management), (ii) drivers are satisfied with a range of conditions that extend beyond the boundaries imposed by perceptual and control limitation (satisficing instead of optimal performance evaluation), and (iii) in each driving task drivers use a set of highly informative perceptual variables to guide decision making and control (perceptual rather than Newtonian input). To elucidate these issues, a general driver modeling framework is presented in which the car-following task is highlighted (Boer, E. R., & Hoedemaeker, M. (1998). In Proceedings of the XVIIth European Annual Conference on Human Decision making and Manual Control December 14–16. France: Valenciennes; Boer, E. R., Hildreth, E. C., & Goodrich, M. A. (1998). In Proceedings of the XVIIth European Annual Conference on Human Decision making and Manual Control December 14–16. France: Valenciennes).     

A multi‐level perspective on the synergies between work and family

In this paper we lay the conceptual foundation for work‐family facilitation. Work‐family facilitation is a process representing the synergies between the domains of work and family. We formally define facilitation as the extent to which an individual's engagement in one social system, such as work or family, contributes to growth in another social system. We develop the process through which facilitation occurs, provide a model and case studies of this process, and delineate additional theoretical and empirical research necessary to understand work‐family facilitation so that it can be managed and cultivated within organizations.     

Self-directed attention and taking the other's perspective

A series of experiments was conducted to assess the influence of self-directed attention on the ability to take another's perspective. In Experiment 1 subjects who listened to a recording of their own voice were better able to orient themselves to the perspective of another than were subjects in a control group. However, the presence of concern about a potentially negative aspect of the self eliminated the positive relationship between self-directed attention and other orientation. Experiment 2, with the same experimental conditions as in Experiment 1, investigated the relationship between self-focused attention and selfattribution for a group product. The results indicated that self-awareness lessened the tendency of subjects within a group to “overattribute” responsibility for the group product to oneself. Again, self-focused attention did not improve self-other differentiation when subjects were concerned about a potentially negative aspect of the self. A final experiment (3) was a conceptual replication of Experiment 1, using a different perspective-taking measure and a different method of inducing self-focus.     

A cross‐cultural review and perspective on status striving

A significant body of research on the motives and pathways to attaining status has accumulated in the last few decades. At the same time, many of the commonly held assumptions and established findings in the status literature are drawn from research conducted in industrialized Western cultures. In this article, we review several fundamental differences between two widely studied cultures—Eastern and Western cultures—and propose that the core premises in the status literature map far more neatly onto what is known about Western cultures and less well onto what is known of Eastern cultures. More specifically, we examine cross‐cultural differences with respect to the meaning of status, motives underlying status pursuits, and the pathways that lead to status. We note how the reasons behind status pursuits may diverge among people from these two cultures, and how the behaviors that people employ when striving for status in Western cultures may not be effective in Eastern cultures. We conclude by proposing several avenues for future research.     

Seeing the “forest” or the “trees” of organizational justice: Effects of temporal perspective on employee concerns about unfair treatment at work

What events do employees recall or anticipate when they think of past or future unfair treatment at work? We propose that an employee’s temporal perspective can change the salience of different types of injustice through its effect on cognitions about employment. Study 1 used a survey in which employee temporal focus was measured as an individual difference. Whereas greater levels of future focus related positively to concerns about distributive injustice, greater levels of present focus related positively to concerns about interactional injustice. In Study 2, an experimental design focused employee attention on timeframes that differed in temporal orientation and temporal distance. Whereas distributive injustice was more salient when future (versus past) orientation was induced, interactional injustice was more salient when past orientation was induced and at less temporal distance. Study 3 showed that the mechanism underlying the effect of employee temporal perspective is abstract versus concrete cognitions about employment.     

Effects of priming self‐construals on self‐evaluations: Cultural game player perspective

This study examined the validity of situational view on culture‐specific behaviours focusing on self‐evaluation. Two experiments with American students as samples were conducted to examine whether priming their self‐construals would affect individuals' self‐evaluation. In Experiment 1, the participants' self‐evaluation was compared across different conditions of primed self‐contruals. In Experiment 2, the participants were split into 2 groups based on their initial default self‐consturals and, the self‐evaluations were compared across the 2 groups after priming self‐contruals. The results demonstrated that although the participants' self‐evaluation was initially in accord with their default self‐construal, it changed into accord with the primed self‐construals. The findings supported the proposed cultural game player view. Implications on situational view of self‐evaluation are also discussed.     

Developing research‐informed practitioners – an organisational perspective

Background: Two current trends are making it increasingly important for counsellors and psychotherapists to be more engaged with research. Evidence of effectiveness is being increasingly demanded by those who fund our therapies and also by our clients. Meanwhile therapy research is offering practicable ways for therapists to improve their practice. Therapy organisations have an opportunity, perhaps even a duty, to meet the research needs of their members. Methods: This paper reports on a survey conducted by the UK Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP) to help it plan the activities of its Research Faculty. Findings: Key findings from the survey were that the most common ways of UKCP practitioners engaging with research were through reading, discussions with colleagues and doing research. Engaging with research collaboratively with other therapists, having more time, and access to user‐friendly web‐based research resources and updates, were the factors most commonly cited as supporting practitioner engagement with research. Conversely, lack of time, difficulties accessing resources and materials and feeling not competent were the major barriers to practitioner engagement with research. Discussion: Implications for therapists, for training, and for therapy organisations are considered.     

手势认知功能研究的新视角：“空间化”手势假设

人类在说话或思考的时候常常伴随着手势。手势是在认知加工或交流过程中自动产生的, 具有表征性, 同时, 手势能够影响人类的认知加工。尽管研究者对手势的概念界定各有侧重, 但普遍认为手势不同于直接行动, 具有认知功能。手势认知功能的代表性理论模型有词汇索引模型、信息打包假设、表象保持理论、语义特殊性假设和嵌入/延展观。根据手势认知功能研究中主要自变量的不同, 可以把手势认知功能分成三种不同的研究范式, 即允许-限制手势的研究范式、侧重手势模式改变的研究范式、侧重情境改变的研究范式。今后值得关注的研究方向除了深入探讨手势认知功能的神经机制、加强对手势认知功能的干预研究外, 提出了建立更具解释力的手势认知功能的理论模型——“空间化”手势假设。     

An ethical perspective on caregiving in the family

The emphasis on intra-family caregiving that prevailed from ancient until relatively recent times, in both philosophy and practice, was substantially displaced under the influence of the Eighteenth Century Enlightenment by an emphasis on individual independence. The ethics of familial relationships ceased to be at the center of philosophical interest. A consequence was growing inattention to the social conditions and practical arrangements needed to support family efforts to take care of the very young, the very old, the physically or mentally ill or disabled, and others in need of care. The myth of the self-sufficient family must be exploded to permit the development of a public policy that will make such support possible.     

An interpersonal perspective on the personality assessment process

Many aspects of therapeutic approaches to the personality assessment process derived from or are consistent with Sullivan's interpersonal approach to clinical practice, but the link between such approaches and contemporary interpersonal theory remains underdeveloped. In this article, I argue that contemporary interpersonal theory provides a valuable framework within which to conceptualize the personality assessment process. Specifically, I argue that interpersonal models can parsimoniously represent client behavior and can facilitate discussions of assessment data with assessees. Further, I show that hypotheses on the therapeutic mechanisms of personality assessment can be reframed in contemporary interpersonal metatheory so that they can be compared and tested directly.