A tale and its tale

Once upon a time there was a little girl who had woken from a sleep so deep that it had lasted many moons”. Drawing on first generation post-war experiences in Germany, I construct a fairy tale in which I begin to trouble silences surrounding familial and national historiographical lacunae. With such tales positioned on the threshold of conscious experiences and embodied unconscious knowledge, I reflectively draw on psychoanalytic theory to consider silences as reminders of uncanny returns of what has been suppressed.     

Ms. and the manager: A tale of two stereotypes

Recent research on the Ms. stereotype suggests a potentially important exception to the strong link between gender and managerial stereotypes observed in the 1970s. Specifically, we hypothesized that a woman who prefers “Ms.” as her title of address would be seen by perceivers of both sexes as more similar in the “requisite” traits of a successful, middle manager than would a woman who prefers a traditional title of address for herself. These hypotheses were tested by having respondents rate a “successful, middle manager” or other stimulus persons varying in titles of address, sex, and marital status. Correlational analyses of respondents' ratings of stimulus persons yielded strong support for the hypotheses. That is, a woman preferring Ms. as her title of address was seen by adult perceivers of both sexes as possessing the “requisite” personality characteristics of a successful, middle manager; whereas a traditionally titled woman was not. Implications of these findings are discussed.     

A Christmas fairy tale

The paper takes its title from Freud's early paper on the neuroses of defence. Using approaches based on the psychoanalytic study of mythology, the author reviews the emotional and symbolic significance of Santa Claus as embodying forms of meaning at Christmas. Historical data and mythic images are considered, using as a means of interpretation ideas from Freud, Jung, Klein and Winnicott. The suggestion emerges that Santa Claus personifies a restitution of the primal scene that has been destroyed in primal phantasy. Some applications of these ideas are considered in relation to psychoanalytic approaches to work organization.     

The visual detection of threat: A cautionary tale

The fear response hypothesis and the associated claim that humans have an evolutionary propensity to detect threats automatically in their immediate visual environment are critically appraised. This review focuses on reports of visual search experiments in which participants were tested with speeded oddball tasks in which the search displays contained photographic images of naturally occurring entities. In such tasks, participants have to judge whether all the images are from one category or whether the display contains a distinctive image. The evidence, which has been used to support the fear response hypothesis, is assessed against a series of concerns that relate to stimulus factors and stimulus selection. It is shown that when careful consideration is given to such methodological details, it becomes very difficult to defend the fear response hypothesis. It is concluded that, at present, the fear response hypothesis has no convincing empirical support, and it is urged that, in the future, researchers who wish to study visual threat detection take stimulus selection much more seriously.     

A tale of two simples

A material simple is a material object that has no proper parts. Some philosophers have argued for the possibility of extended simples. Some have even argued for the possibility of heterogeneous simples or simples that have intrinsic variations across their surfaces. There is a puzzle, though, that is meant to show that extended, heterogeneous simples are impossible. Although several plausible responses have been given to this puzzle, I wish to reopen the case against extended, heterogeneous simples. In this paper, I briefly canvass responses to this puzzle which may be made in defense of extended, heterogeneous simples. I then present a new version of this puzzle which targets simples that occupy atomic yet extended regions of space. It seems that none of the traditional responses can be used to successfully save this particular kind of extended simple from the new puzzle. I also consider some non-traditional defenses of heterogeneous extended simples and argue that they too are unsuccessful. Finally, I will argue that a substantial case can be made against the possibility of extended heterogeneous simples of any kind.     

A tale of two methods

Simulations (both digital and analog) and experiments share many features. But what essential features distinguish them? I discuss two proposals in the literature. On one proposal, experiments investigate nature directly, while simulations merely investigate models. On another proposal, simulations differ from experiments in that simulationists manipulate objects that bear only a formal (rather than material) similarity to the targets of their investigations. Both of these proposals are rejected. I argue that simulations fundamentally differ from experiments with regard to the background knowledge that is invoked to argue for the “external validity” of the investigation.     

Guidance in scottish secondary schools: A client evaluation

Formal provision for pupil guidance in Scottish secondary schools has been a controversial innovation. This paper provides some ofthe first evidence of its impact based on the evaluation of its clients and using data collected as part of a major national survey of Scottish school-leavers. It indicates that guidance teachers have been having some influence on the curricular and vocational decisions of more-able leavers and also provides evidence of progress over time. It suggests, however, that in terms of distributing and focussing their efforts such teachers have yet to make much impact on the vocational problems facing less-able leavers. Progress in the area ofpersonal guidance for ail leavers has also been restricted. Some reasons underlying these developments are discussed.     

Psychodynamic counselling for the borderline personality disordered client: A case study

Psychodynamic counselling for clients with borderline personality disorder is difficult and challenging because there are problems with the validity of the concept, diagnosing the disorder, managing disturbed behaviour and maintaining the treatment to successful completion. Nevertheless, counsellors are frequently called upon to provide assessment, management and treatment for this group. This article explores the application of psychodynamic principles of counselling to clients with borderline personality disorder, examines the history of the concept, the diagnostic process, and employs a case presentation to help describe aspects of character structure and treatment.     

Hitler's theology: A cautionary tale for today's peril

In this article the author updates and renews his thesis from 2013 about the Weimarization of American political culture. He argues that fascism is an endemic modern possibility that has a theological dimension that becomes visible when the left‐right ideological binary descending from the French Revolution is set aside. Reviewing the evidence from Hitler's Table Talks, he shows how Hitler both understood himself as a progressive change agent and envisioned writing a new theology for triumphant Nazism in retirement. The article concludes by drawing upon Giorgio Agamben's analysis of Nazi biopolitics in Homo Sacer to point towards a messianic alternative.     

Cockpit-cabin communication: I. A tale of two cultures

Several dramatic accidents have emphasized certain deficiencies in cockpit-cabin coordination and communication. There are historical, organizational, environmental, psychosocial, and regulatory factors that have led to misunderstandings, problematic attitudes, and suboptimal interactions between the cockpit and cabin crews. Our research indicates the basic problem is that these two crews represent two distinct and separate cultures and that this separation serves to inhibit satisfactory teamwork. A survey was conducted at two airlines to measure attitudes of cockpit and cabin crews concerning the effectiveness of their communications. This article includes recommendations for the improvement of communications across the two cultures.     

促进当事人的改变：基于治疗性最近发展区的视角

作为心理治疗的有效区域,治疗性最近发展区是指当事人当前适应问题经验的能力和通过治疗师的协助能够达成的潜在能力之间的距离。早期的同化模型理论更注重对心理治疗改变过程的描述,治疗性最近发展区理论则能够进一步解释治疗师在不同阶段的帮助策略。在研究上,治疗性最近发展区理论建立在非传统的方法论基础上,通过不断累积个案的质性研究,帮助治疗师理解和解释不同咨询效果的互动过程,并使理论得到持续发展;在临床上,治疗性最近发展区为理解心理治疗过程中倒退现象提供了新视角,并能够有效指导在治疗过程中采取挑战性还是支持性策略。未来研究可从临床上探索经验丰富的治疗师的实践智慧,也可选取较大跨度的治疗对话序列,对不同流派的特点,从不同参与者的视角出发进行研究,进而深化对心理治疗过程机制的理解。     

Examining the role of feedback in TMS-induced visual suppression: A cautionary tale

Visual suppression by single-pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation (sTMS) has been attributed to interruptions of either feedforward or feedback activity in the visual stream. The relative timing of the C1 event related potential (ERP) and of the TMS suppression, taken from separate studies, supports an interruption of feedback. Here we probe the validity of such cross-study comparisons, both by conducting a literature survey and by measuring each time window within participants for the same stimuli. Cortical transmission time was estimated using the C1. We then suppressed the same stimuli that elicited the C1 using sTMS of variable post-stimulus lags. Results do not conclusively discriminate between interruption of feedback or feedforward mechanisms as the source of the visual suppression. We suggest that more evidence is needed to distinguish between feedback and feedforward interference in TMS suppression effects and we advise caution in making inferences derived from separate literatures, using different stimuli.     

A counseling/pastoral approach to the homosexual client

This article focuses on a practical approach to dealing with homosexual concerns within a pastoral context. The manner in which a church worker and a mental health professional can practice co-therapy is detailed with some of the limitations and advantages associated with such a team outlined.     

Reference groups: A missing link in career studies

Careers unfold within and are bound by multiple social contexts. Newer career concepts have postulated a growing need for personal agency in overcoming structural constraints, especially organizational and occupational boundaries. As a consequence, research has focused more on the individual than on contextual factors. In order to answer recent criticism of this unbalanced view we argue that the impact of reference groups needs to be better understood, both as social drivers of agentic behavior and as social constraints that, for instance, reduce the permeability of boundaries. Drawing on identity theories and social network literature we suggest a classification of reference groups in which social domains (e.g., organization, occupation, family, friends), types of groups (known people, abstract social categories), and functions (normative, comparative, supportive) are distinguished. The reference group classification is employed to discuss extant career research and to propose three directions for future research: a) Fuller consideration of different social domains beyond the employing organization for a more complete understanding of social influences in contemporary careers; b) exploration of the possibly growing relevance of abstract social categories as referents, especially for subjective career success; and c) systematic analysis of the interaction between normative, comparative, and supportive functions of individuals' social networks. Across these themes, possible negative influences of reference groups and effects of imposed rather than chosen referents are also to be considered. Implications of the suggested research for better understanding the interaction between structure and agency in shaping careers and career identity are discussed.