Quelques réflexions sur l'évaluation de l'intelligence générale : un retour à Binet ?

At this centennial of the Binet-Simon test (1905), the edition of the WISC-IV (Wechsler, 2005) raises some questions about general intelligence. After outlining the different approaches of its evaluation, especially global versus factorial approaches, and its evolution, the objective is to show how that contributes to understand the changes presented in the WISC-IV. The scale is built on four factorial homogeneous indices corresponding to dimensions which are the most studied today: fluid intelligence, crystallized intelligence, working memory and fast processing abilities. Nevertheless, this multidimensionality is accompanied by certain redundancies and the reduction of some aspects, especially knowledge, visual-spatial intelligence and social intelligence. In conclusion, some fundamental principles are noted, which were defined by Binet, yielding a “flash-back to the source”.     

Utilisation d'une analyse de discours dans l'étude d'un cas de dédoublement de personnalité

The object of this article is to study the contribution of a discourse analysis software in comprehension of a case of dissociate personality disorder. Results obtained inform about the psychopathology of this case and give certain elements useful for the diagnostic discussion.     

La fin de l'adolescence pour un état adulte : mythe ou réalité ?

Research in philosophy, sociology, psychiatry, psychology and psychoanalysis converge on the one hand to describe modernism as an approach to ignoring subjectivity, as a consequence of the power of the economy, and on the other hand the identification of the word as an instrument of the advent of subjective autonomy, the only real “maturity” which exists. By its words, the individual becomes autonomous from this economic matter as it does from its fantasies. There are many, of all ages, who never reach this position. Consequently, does the postulate of adolescence being limited to an age bracket have any sense? And doesn't all that has been said referring to this concept apply in fact to all social suffering?     

Éléments contextuels associés à l'émission de comportements d'agitation verbale présentés par des personnes âgées institutionnalisées atteintes de démence

This research examines the contexts in which verbal agitation (VA) behaviours occur. The study was conducted with 15 participants suffering from dementia who live in an institution and display agitated behaviours. Participants were subject to observation assisted by a hand-held computer. The frequency and duration of agitation episodes were calculated. The time of day, the location, and the activity engaged in, the presence of other persons and use of physical restraint were noted. A total of 180 observation hours were conducted, with each participant being observed for 12 hours, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. The results show that the participants are verbally agitated 10% of the time. VA is manifested when participants are in their rooms (94%), not engaged in a specific activity (81%), alone (80%) and physically restrained (78%). VA occurs mainly after 2 p.m. (73%). Certain contextual characteristics rather than others are associated with greater VA concentrations.     

Comme réponse à la précarité du lien mère–bébé, les « Petits Pas » : un réseau en périnatalité…

The “Baby Steps” network includes a multi-disciplinary team and aims to accompany parents-to-be and young parents as they meet their newborns. The exchange and development relationships that professionals develop among themselves help to support the notion of parenthood and circumscribe any potential risk. The professionals in the network hail from a variety of backgrounds but they are all involved in perinatal care and by grouping their skills can adapt and optimise the assistance and care they offer to parents. The “Parent Island” reception area and the mother-baby therapy group with a separate father oriented structure are the truly original aspects of the network. Prevention is vital, as is providing therapeutic care for disturbances related to early parent-child relationships. With a strong “group psychology focus” the network creates a sufficiently solid structure to receive any unconscious negative projections from momentarily or deeply distressed parents.     

Le clinicien face à la crise hystérique : enjeux théoricocliniques de l'épreuve du féminin

Hysterical crisis shows unexpected hallucinations and delirium happening into hysterical structure. Although subject of many psycho-analytical works, hysterical crisis is always matter of debate. That kind of crisis happens when hysterical women and their lover have fallen out. Analysing the case of madam M., we will propose a reflexion about the real raison of those love-affairs to reconsider hysteria in relation to feminity. We will propose a new conception of feminine climax in connection with hallucinations and delirium happening into hysteria. We will debate about position of psycho-clinician, precisely the transference-using face to hysterical subject in state of emergency. Finally, we will propose to think over singularity of subjective structure using the supply concept.     

Autorégulation et conduites d'observance thérapeutique : exemple de l'hypertension artérielle

In many pathologies, therapeutic non-observance leads to poor adaptation. Sociocognitive theories about psychological variables involved in behaviour change have allowed a part of intention of new behaviour to be explained, but have failed to predict the adoption of this behaviour. In the present study, we take into account behavioural self-regulation views to explain the adoption of therapeutic observance behaviours in the case of arterial hypertension. Results show that features of personal goals structure as well as motivational regulatory variables are relevant to study therapeutic observance among hypertensive patients. Results will be developed and discussed in this article.     

Vers une métrique absolue dans les épreuves d'évaluation subjective: La méthode fonctionnelle

The functional method is a new construction method of subjective evaluation tests such as personality, values or competences. Its approach differs from the usually used methods that are directly inherited from the works of Spearman that are tests of maximal performances. The latter tests were developed (almost one hundred years ago) for selection purposes in a differential perspective that suggests certain “underlying” aptitudes from which the level is simply obtained by a sum of the right answers. Thus, the subjective evaluation tests have no unique underlying aptitude and do not give a sum of correct answers, but it shows a global and multidimensional vision of oneself. The functional method points out this multidimensional specificity and offers a model of the subject's answers that reveals his or her strategy that is projected into a hyper-spherical measurement space defined by the characteristics of the items. This measurement space allows the calculation of scores that are the projections (scalar products) of vectors onto one another. The very interests of this method are a better reliability, a clinical intra-personal evaluation of the subjects (that are much more efficient than the simple differential approach that is also described in the article) and, finally, a more informative control upon the intake conditions (test biases, suitability of the test for a person, etc.).     

Pour une psychométrie spécifique des attitudes

In usual testing techniques, we can point out two totally different situations according to the objectives. The first situation is related to the origin of aptitude tests and aims at showing the best performance that somebody can reach in that test. The second situation (attitudes evaluation) lets the individuals express their feelings about themselves frankly and freely without any kind of judgment. Despite of this very difference, it turns out to be that both techniques used are the same. This similitude has never been investigated since the development of the aptitudes test techniques that took place in the early 1920's. In what follows, the authors point out the inconvenience of that situation and present interesting keysto treat in a differential perspective the answers given to a test according to the situation in which the test is taken.     

Les spécificités du débriefing psychologique en milieu professionnel

In this article we considered the situation of a victimologist intervening in the workplace. We pointed out certain specificities pertaining to post-immediate psychological care (psychological debriefing) at work. To back up our theory we used clinical examples based on our own experience as victimology consultants for various firms (Money transport, Retail stores, Banks, chemical industry, etc.). We put an emphasis on several issues: the refusal of hazard in exposed jobs; the specificities of firms as a work environment; the feeling of guilt and the idea of psychosocial crisis generated by the victim(s)' s distress. Our theories open up on prevention outlooks to suggest to the relevant managers.     

Usage légal du titre de « psychothérapeute » : stratégies des acteurs concernés

The law proposal of the deputy Bernard Accoyer adopted by the National Assembly the 13th of March 1999, after many debates, finally led to a law article on use of psychotherapist title. Several consultation meetings with professional organizations in the Health Ministry took place about its future application decree, nevertheless without a consensus because of the contradictory interests for people practising psychotherapy. Are concerned two regulated professions — psychologists and physicians — and two types of non-regulated activities, psychoanalysts and “psychotherapists” which are not physicians and not psychologists. These last ones defend in France, as it's the fact in some other european countries, the creation of the independant profession of “psychotherapist”; a minority part of psychoanalysts societies support them, leant upon the principle of practice liberty. The opinion differences are focused on the training criteria in psychopathology required by the law, some organizations disputing that this training be a university monopoly. Another ambiguity deals with the law gives a miss about the actual psychotherapy training, the Senate having chosen for the minimum requirement of a psychopathology training. The subject of this paper is to come back on the strategies and the identity stakes of actors mobilized during the different drafts of this law proposal and to prepare the ground about the ideological positions underlying by these strategies.     

La médiation des groupes face aux situations limites du travail thérapeutique en pédopsychiatrie

When we are confronted with children presenting of the behavioural problems in the consultations in child psychiatry, therapeutic work in-group becomes often an alternative. The device of group of psychodrama can allow conflicting the violence of the excitations for children latency. We must however pay attention to the range of the regressions, which it induces in the installation of the group, in the activation of the groups' processes and the reactions to our interventions. In order to preserve phenomena of influence being able to cause the failure of these orientations, it is necessary to think these approaches in reference to intersubjective dimensions and in a plurifocal step compared to the colleagues of the institution.     

Quelle place pour les médiations thérapeutiques dans la « psychothérapie par l'institution » ?

Therapeutic mediations are an essential part of the communautary treatment offered by our Clinic (Clinique Dupre de Sceaux). They contribute to the adaptation of our therapeutic program to the psychopathological characteristics of our adolescents and young adults patients. We see this therapeutic mediations as a tool to allow a bounding between the treating team and patients whose central psychopathological feature is the fear of bounding and relationship with significative others seen as potential threat of dependency and/or seduction. Through therapeutic mediations, the treating staff is able to deal with repetitive symptomatic situations, using the empathic capacity of each member of the team included in the “psychic enlarged space” of the patient. Therapeutic mediations are the contributing to regulate the bounding process in this type of patient. Through a clinical presentation this paper will present the use of therapeutic mediations in our Clinic. We will then discuss more widely the concept of “psychotherapy through the institution” we use in this type of therapeutic setting.     

Perception de la maladie et adhérence thérapeutique chez des enfants asthmatiques

This study had two objectives. The first one was to adapt and validate the Revised-Illness Perception Questionnaire (IPQ-R) for children and their parents. The second one was to assess the influence of parent's and children's asthma perception and parent's involvement in treatment on adherence among children suffering asthma. One hundred and forty-six asthmatic children (8–12 years old) and ninety-two parents completed the Revised-Illness Perception Questionnaire and a therapeutic adherence scale. Children who have a good understanding of their illness and who think that their treatment control their asthma, have a better therapeutic adherence. The originality of this research lies in the use of the Illness Perception Questionnaire among children; this could be used in other chronic pediatric diseases.     

Étude de la structure d'un test de jugement pratique par l'analyse géométrique des données

This paper reports the results of the multivariate analysis of a situational judgement test (problem-situations contextualized with multiple choice questions) used as a tool to recruit highway patrollers. The main goal was to study the structure of the test. To do so, we carried out a Multiple Correspondence Analysis (MCA) over 849 participants' answers to twelve questions. This analysis has highlighted three main dimensions in the test, which we named "hierarchy" (axis 1), "discernment" (axis 2) and "safety" (axis 3). The score, calculated according to expert criteria, yields an overall assessment of candidates, while the MCA allows a more varied diagnosis, that takes into account the dimensions underlying the test as well as individual differences.     

Les effets de la formation sur site auprès des soignants d'unités de psychiatrie générale : bilan d'une expérience

In the context of a hospital institution prone to many upheavals, which answers the psychologists propose with faintness growing looking after in psychiatry? From an experiment of psychologist in psychiatric sector, we wish to show that the formation on site, being pressed on the articulation of psychopathology to the private clinic and psychoanalytical listening, brings a redefinition and a re-dynamization of the practices. The psychologists have today an important place to organize, insufflate, this type of formation which opens prospects with the reflexion on the practice, while shifting the cleavage in/out where is taken the psychologist in his report at the institution.     

L'observance thérapeutique : déterminants et modèles théoriques

The aim of this paper is to examine a certain number of parameters which are classically implicated in the emergence of therapeutic observance behavior. This health behavior can be defined as the consequence of a process of a patient's conforming to medical instructions issued by the medical authority in the framework of treating his illness. However, the determinants of following these medical instructions are numerous and interdependent. Therefore, this paper will attempt to present the concept of observance by proposing certain definitions with a rather vague outline. We will then present three principal models specifically devoted to its study. A study of the determinants of observance versus non-observance will then be envisaged and will treat the characteristics peculiar to the sick, as well as the quality of the relation which is maintained between them and the medical staff–doctors. Far from being exhaustive in the presentation of the concept of observance, we will emphasize more the difficulty in truly understanding such behavior; a problematic which finds a new originality for psychology and the human sciences by its focus on the field of health and illness.     

Définition de la qualité de vie par des personnes âgées

Semi structured interviews about Quality of Life were conducted with 19 elder persons in France. After performing text analyses of these interviews, 10 dimensions of Quality of Life from the own elder people perspective were defined. Subsequently, from these dimensions, four profiles of quality of life were obtained using the cluster analyses. These profiles of quality of life were discussed in terms of style of adaptation.     

Les directives anticipées et la personne de confiance en gériatrie : de l'émergence de mouvements défensifs à une possibilité d'élaboration psychique sur le vieillissement et la mort proche pour le sujet âgé et sa famille

The object of this study is to identify old people's resistances and their family's, concerning advance directives and the personhood's nomination. Semi-structured interviews were realized by 20 hospital patients and 14 persons living in an old people's home. Families named as “personhood” by their parents were also interviewed. Writing advances directives spark off anguish and defence mechanisms among the elderly people and their families, curbing the law's application. But these protocols seem to be used as a tool of the trade by the psychologist in geriatrics. It allows indeed old people to enter in an grieving process and to prepare themselves for the end-of-life.     

La boulimie à l'épreuve du Rorschach : étude des représentations de soi et d'objet dans une analyse multivariée

The aim of this study was to examine self and objet representation disorders defined by bulimic women. 113 bulimics and 115 non-bulimics, aged 18 to 58, both outpatient women, where assessed by the Rorschach test according to the french method. 14 topics were selected from ther international psychopathological literature then translated into 14 Rorschach indices from the analysis of each protocol. Ten of the fourteen selected indices distinguish the two groups in a significant way. A multivariate analysis (AFCM) reveals in the bulimic group five dimensions corresponding to 63% of the inertia. If the first dimension appears to be related to general psychopathology, the four others are more specific to bulimic representation disorders.