Commentary on Vandervert's “from idiots savants to Albert Einstein”

Vandervert believes that his model, Neurological Positivism (NP), not only supports my position on the sources of the remarkable skills of certain calendar calculating idiots savants, but can be extended to the other end of the intellectual scale, to an Albert Einstein for example. In this paper I present further evidence in support of the concepts of NP. In addition, it is proposed that NP incorporate a concept of human variability in many different domains to take into account these extremes of ability. The evolutionary importance of many domains of ability and individual differences and interactions in these domains is discussed.     

Commentary on “The Family Crucible”

InThe Family Crucible, a recent book that is highly popular and widely praised among mental health professionals, Napier and Whitaker (1978) describe their treatment of a family. The therapy is well done; their therapeutic approach is certainly one which many family therapists will approve; and the book is well-written and exciting to read. Nevertheless, it seems to us that the widespread approval which the book has received raises many questions about the field of family therapy itself, which it is the purpose of this article to examine.     

Response to commentaries on “A neurobiological model for near-death experiences”

This work has received financial support from FONDECYT (Project 1111-88). The authors also acknowledge the helpful comments of Dr. Bruce Cassels.     

Personnel selection using INSIGHT — C: An application based on the analytic hierarchy process

The purpose of this paper is to explore the applicability of an extension of the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) for personnel selection and placement. In line with the AHP approach, personnel selection is viewed as a multiple criteria-decision making situation. A personnel package, based on the analytic hierarchy theory, is suggested. The paper concludes with an evaluation of the suitability of the package as an aid for personnel decision-making.     

“Expanding the Frame”: Reply to Commentary

In responding to a discussion by Susi Federici-Nebbiosi of “When the Frame Doesn't Fit the Picture,” I further consider the ways in which analysts and analysands together create the best conditions for their work. I emphasize that analytic work best fulfills its potential when it grows out of a collaborative search for ways of constructing the psychoanalytic situation that are most fully and subtly responsive to the unique qualities and circumstances of each patient and analyst. Implications for psychoanalytic training of an intersubjective model of frame construction are briefly considered.     

Commentary on “six domains of research ethics”

This commentary on K.D. Pimple’s “Six Domains of Research Ethics”, focuses on the area of institutional integrity and looks at “relationships between researchers, their sponsoring institutions, funding agencies, and the government,” considering the implications of institutional demands and support for research, and, in turn, demands and support on research priorities and public education.     

“It All Comes Down to Imagination”: Reply to Commentary

In her generous and full discussion of my paper, Doris Brothers writes about patient's efforts to restore themselves following trauma and how that runs into walls caused by their “systemically emergent certainties.” She beautifully writes, “Since our capacity to hope depends on being able to tolerate uncertainty we sometimes join our patients in their hopelessness” (p. 231). Brothers emphasizes how Murakami can help us tolerate uncertainty. My emphasis is on how writers like Murakami help us restore our imaginative and empathic capacities. Frozen landscapes, as evoked by Murakami in “UFO in Kushiro,” are depictions of shut-down psychic states. Animated imagery helps to melt the ice, creating living motion in thought and affect. Both Brothers and I are looking at the crucial movement from simplified to complex shared states of mind. We seem at first to differ in our understanding of the function of rage in treatment, though I believe we may be discussing different clinical situations.     

Commentary on “Life as a Pregnant Genetic Counselor”

The genetic counseling role is complex. There are frequently challenges raised for the genetic counselor both personally with the client and through factors external to the genetic counselor such as the clinical setting. The pregnant genetic counselor working in a prenantal diagnosis center may be confronted by her own countertransference towards the client or by the client’s tranference. The processes of transference and countrtransference need to be clearly understood, identified and dealt with in a sensitive self aware manner to facilitate the role of communicating empathically and giving genetic information to facilitate informed client decision making. Regular professional supervision and debriefing for the genetic counselor are essential to develop professional boundaries and to develop self awareness.     

Commentary on “Atypical Gender Development–A Review”

ABSTRACT

This commentary considers some of the limitations of the review paper spearheaded by the Gender Identity Research and Education Society (GIRES) that appears in this issue. Its most notable limitation is selectivity, i.e., the failure to cite papers that might challenge the general thrust of the argumentation that gender identity disorder (transsexualism) is caused primarily, if not exclusively, by biological factors. The covert idea that a biological etiology should somehow afford more human rights for trans people is likely a flawed one.     

Commentary on “Considering Gestational Life” by Thomas Cohen

Cohen’s paper (this issue) is discussed from a temporal persepective in order to query the place of psychic movement in nonsymbolic, “gestational” states and in treatment, and the relationship of these to personality development. The question of unconscious psychotic hostility to change is raised. The discussant queries the relevance of “merger” in “objectless intersubjectivity” in the context of the “systemic interchange” emphasized by the author, where it seems that the process of “interchange” is prior. Finally, the discussant raises the question of the role of primordial, “live” silence in gestation and in treatment.