Narrative of “Here-and-Now”: Cancer Survivors in a Group Psychotherapy Using SCT® (Systems-Centered Therapy)1,2

This study focused on “here-and-now” narrative and examined the process of group psychotherapy for cancer survivors using systems-centered therapy (SCT). In contemporary society, cancer survivors have a vital need for psychological support, and group psychotherapy and peer support are used as part of this need. In most of these interventions, participants are encouraged to speak freely and share their experience of cancer. This generally means speaking about “there-and-then” experience. It has been argued that one reason that narrative therapy produces a psychological effect is that the meaning of an experience changes when the experience is spoken about. SCT differs significantly from other group interventions in that it requires participants to talk about their here-and-now experience through the format of SCT's “functional subgrouping.” Functional subgrouping requires participants to listen, reflect, and build on similarities in their experience. In this study, we qualitatively examined how participants' experiences unfolded in the SCT group by directly addressing the group process. The study findings revealed that even though the participants did not directly share their cancer experiences in the group, they experienced an inexplicable sense of connectedness that had a positive psychological effect on them. They also experienced deep emotions through talking while using the SCT narrative style. In the process, the effects of the SCT narrative were discussed.     

Scapegoating in group psychotherapy

The purpose of this paper is to describe and illuminate the phenomenon of scapegoating in group psychotherapy. Specifically, the role of projective identification - on both individual and group-wide bases - in the evolution of the deviant is delineated. Individual, interpersonal, and whole-group interventions are presented along with the technique of functional subgrouping, a relatively new and particularly potent group intervention. Several case vignettes are detailed for illustration.     

Opening up the circle: next steps in process group work in Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE)

This article applies systems-centered theory (SCT) to the small process group experience in Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) by exploring six key questions: 1) What is the purpose of the small process group in CPE? 2) Is there an alternative to getting stuck in the "hot seat" dynamic? 3) Do we (clergy) always have to be nice? 4) Is there life beyond personal story telling? 5) Does the authority issue ever go away? 6) How much difference is too much difference? The article includes vignettes to illustrate theory.     

Discussions on the large group

At the heart of this article are dialogues with three distinguished large group leaders: Patrick de Mare, Earl Hopper and Lionel Kreeger. They address, with Yvonne Agazarian, some of the major issues in leading large groups: terror and chaos, projective identification, annihilation anxiety, and the impact of size, structure, and boundary management on the potential for change and transformation in the large group. Also discussed are the twin heritage of both psychodynamic and sociological theory and the influence of psychoanalysis, basic assumption theory, information theory, general systems theory, and field theory on the current understanding of large group as the context for therapeutic change. The authors also introduce a theory of living human systems, which views the large group as one system in a hierarchy of isomorphic systems and identifies the subgroup as the fulcrum for change. From this systems-centered perspective, changing the structure and function of communication within subgroups simultaneously changes both the large group and the individual subgroup members.FAGPA is a consulting affiliate of Friends Hospital and maintains a private practice in Philadelphia. Dr. Agazarian has spent the last 30 years developing the theory of living human systems and systems-centered group and individual therapy.Frances B. Carter, M.S.S., is a consulting affiliate of Friends Hospital and maintains a private practice in Philadelphia.     

Systems-centered® group psychotherapy: putting theory into practice

Systems-centered therapy (SCT) is derived from a theory of living human systems and practiced in individual and group therapy. Excerpts from an inpatient group illustrate how SCT norms, particularly functional subgrouping and the hierarchy of defense modification, are introduced within the first few minutes of an SCT group. The importance of modifying roles is also discussed, as is the significance of system hierarchy, isomorphy, and energy as applied in the practice of SCT.     

The Rediscovery of the Human Mind: The Discursive Approach

The demise of behaviorism was followed by a period of cognitive model building, on Cartesian lines, invoking unobservable cognitive processes, then "mind behind the mind". This has been followed by a second cognitive revolution which emphasizes the idea that mind is a flow of private and public symbolic patterns, created according to local norms. Basing psychology on this insight requires the preservation of the psychological concepts of ordinary languages as part of the basis for scientific psychology. The concept of 'skill' can be used to link individuals with the matrix of interpersonal symbolic and practical interactions. The second revolution can be illustrated by recent work on emotion displays as discursive acts, and by studies on the role of pronouns in the expression of a sense of personal identity.     

The 1996 Mount Everest tragedy: contemplation on group process and group dynamics

In May 1996, one of the most tragic Mt. Everest climbing seasons was about to unfold, and five climbers would perish in the "Death Zone" miles above the earth's surface. This article considers the events from a group dynamic and group process perspective in an attempt to understand what might have been happening to the group members. We summarize the events through the writings of two chroniclers. We then discuss creating the group, leadership, diversity and subgrouping, scapegoating, and multiple interpretations through an interpersonalist/psychodynamic framework.     

Social Cognition and Interpersonal Impairments in Trauma Survivors with PTSD

Trauma survivors with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) often experience psychosocial problems. This article reviews interpersonal factors such as social support, social acknowledgment, and interpersonal impairment that are relevant to the development and maintenance of PTSD. Furthermore, it considers the possible impact of social cognition on PTSD. The capacity to empathize (empathy) and the existence of an individual “theory of mind” are fundamental to human social interaction. We raise the question of whether traumatic experiences may lead to changes in the social cognition of traumatized individuals. The possible effects of perceived social exclusion as a maintenance factor for PTSD are also discussed.     

Systems-centered supervision

The systems-centered (SCT) approach to supervision frames the dynamics of both groups and individuals as isomorphic systems. In this chapter, the SCT supervisory experience, its goals, and its approach to transference and countertransference are addressed; the orientation of the seven questions that structure the SCT supervisory process are identified; and the thinking that is required to answer them is discussed. SCT supervisees locate their supervision issues in the context of the phases of system development; consider interventions as hypotheses that can be tested in the therapeutic context; and provide feedback to all parties about the validity of the theory of living human systems, the reliability of its systems-centered practice, and the accuracy of the therapist's hypotheses about the isomorphic dynamics of the systems of member, subgroup and group as a whole. Illustrations are taken from tape recordings of supervisory sessions.     

Self psychology and its relationship to the practice of group psychotherapy

This article discusses self psychology as a theory of personality development and conceptual framework for diagnosing psychopathology. It seeks to show how specific components of this theory, including selfobjects, bipolar self, mirroring, tension arc, and nuclear self, can be compared with the "curative factors" of group psychotherapy, as presented by Yalom (1975). These include altruism, group cohesiveness, universality, interpersonal learning, guidance, and family reenactment. Existing literature is used to explain both theories and develop their synthesis.     

Qualitative Grids,the Relationality Corollary and the Levels of Interpersonal Construing

Qualitative grids are powerful tools for mapping interpersonal construing and provide a new method of interviewing, research and intervention into social situations. This article introduces some of their forms after discussing the theoretical framework from which they are derived. Although they are based within personal and relational construct psychology, they can be used within any theoretical approach interested in the study of and intervention in human relationships. Kelly's sociality corollary is a deeply heuristic formulation that presages many similar concepts in contemporary use, such as theory of mind and mentalization. But the corollary is open to critique and further elaboration. As originally stated, it is restricted to the construing of one other person or position in a relationship. This enables us to elaborate the relationality corollary that includes a person's construing of relationships and interactions with two or more others, giving us a deeper understanding of group situations. This involves developing a conception of different levels of interpersonal construing. These can be nicely captured using qualitative grids, and an understanding of this helps the interviewer in designing the grid form suitable for the task in hand.     

Group therapy as psychic containing

This article will examine how the psychoanalytic idea of containing can be used in group therapy to form a conceptual bridge such that the group dynamics are not simplistically reduced to individual dynamics, nor that the individual is lost in the "group-as-a-whole" concept. I take the concept of "containing" as versatile in the sense that Bion (1970) meant it to be-that is, the psychological phenomenon of containment is manifest at various system levels: intrapsychic, interpersonal, group, and societal. This article will explore how far this "bridging concept" can be pursued to understand groups theoretically. The article will review various forms of containing, following Bion's ideas, and in particular a therapeutic, or flexible, form in contrast to rigid and fragile forms.     

Measuring How Systems-Centered® Members Connect with Group Dynamics: FSQ-2 Construct Validity

Understanding and intervening at the connection between group dynamics and member behavior has been a long-standing challenge. Functional subgrouping (FS) is the core Systems-centered training and therapy (SCT) method and is hypothesized to solve vexing member/group dynamic problems such as scapegoating. The self-report Functional Subgrouping Questionnaire-2 (FSQ-2) was developed to measure the amount of functional subgrouping in a group. The current FSQ-2 construct validity study aims to determine whether: 1) FSQ-2 scores change across sessions; 2) level of SCT experience is related to scores; and 3) SCT experience moderates change in FSQ-2 scores over SCT training. Results from groups at various SCT training events showed higher FSQ-2 responses for those with greater SCT experience, and increased scores over time. However, change over time on most FSQ-2 items did not depend on SCT experience level. Findings provide further support for the construct validity of the FSQ-2, and thus also for the SCT model. Suggestions for future SCT/FSQ-2 research are made.     

Subgroup conflicts? Try the psychodramatic "double triad method"

The present article suggests the application of a psychodramatic action method for tackling subgroup conflicts in which the direct dialogue between representatives of two opposing subgroups is prepared step by step through an indirect dialogue strategy within two triads, a strategy known as the Double Triad Method (DTM). In order to achieve integration in the group as a whole, it is important that all the members of both subgroups participate actively during the entire process. The first part of the article briefly explores the theoretical background, with a special emphasis on the Phenomenological-Dialectical Personality Model (Phe-Di PModel). In the second part, the DTM procedure is systematically described through its five action stages, each accompanied with 1) a spatial representation of the consecutive actions, 2) some illustrative statements for each stage, and 3) a theoretical interpretation of the dialectically involved personality dimensions in both protagonists. The article concludes with a discussion and suggestions for more extensive applications of the DTM method, including the question of its relationships to Agazarian's functional subgrouping, psychodrama, and sociodrama.     

For love or money? What motivates people to know the minds of others?

Mood affects social cognition and "theory of mind", such that people in a persistent negative mood (i.e., dysphoria) have enhanced abilities at making subtle judgements about others' mental states. Theorists have argued that this hypersensitivity to subtle social cues may have adaptive significance in terms of solving interpersonal problems and/or minimising social risk. We tested whether increasing the social salience of a theory of mind task would preferentially increase dyspshoric individuals' performance on the task. Forty-four dysphoric and 51 non-dysphoric undergraduate women participated in a theory of mind decoding task following one of three motivational manipulations: (i) social motivation (ii) monetary motivation, or (iii) no motivation. Social motivation was associated with the greatest accuracy of mental state decoding for the dysphoric group, whereas the non-dysphoric group showed the highest accuracy in the monetary motivation condition. These results suggest that dysphoric individuals may be especially, and preferentially, motivated to understand the mental states of others.     

Psychotherapeutische Behandlung von depressiven Kindern und Jugendlichen

Background

Depression is a psychiatric disorder with debilitating symptoms (e.g. suicidal behavior) with a high prevalence rate even in children and adolescents and the disorder shows a chronic course in many cases. According to psychiatric guidelines, cognitive behavioral therapy and interpersonal therapy are the psychotherapeutic methods of choice.

Aim

This article gives an overview of the current studies on cognitive behavioral and interpersonal group therapy programs for the treatment of depression in children and adolescents as well as a short illustration of the most prevalent therapy programs.

Material and methods

A literature research (PsycInfo, Psyndex, Pubmed) revealed 280 hits. After a review of all titles and abstracts 25 studies were included in this study.

Results

Efficacy studies mainly exist for cognitive behavioral group therapy programs (effect sizes ranged from 0.02 to 1.34) from English-speaking countries. There are only a few German programs available. With respect to interpersonal group therapies there are only few articles published in English and to the best of our knowledge none in German.

Conclusion

There is a great need for further studies that investigate the efficacy of group therapies for the treatment of depression in children and adolescents especially in German-speaking countries.     

Errors in Planning and Decision-making and the Nature of Human Information Processing

Cet article aborde la question de la régulation de l'action humaine dans le contrôle des systémes hautement complexes. La "régulation de l'action" recouvre l'intéraction de la fixation des objectifs, des activités de prévision, de l'élaboration des hypothèses, du planning, de la prise de décision et de la réflexion. Des erreurs et des fautes caractéristiques relevant du planning et de la prise de décision sont décrites et rapportées à divers aspects du système humain de traitement de l'information. Beaucoup de fautes et d'erreurs renvoient à un nombre restreint de caractéristiques de l'esprit humain. On montre en outre qu'il n'est en rien facile d'échapper à ces fautes puisque ces processus de traitement de l'information que détient l'esprit humain sont parfaitement fonctionnels dans d'autres contextes.
This article deals with human action regulation when controlling very complex systems. "Action regulation" means the interaction of goal elaboration, forecasting activities, hypothesis formation, planning, decision making, and self reflection. Typical errors and mistakes in human planning and decision making are reported and related to characteristics of the human information processing system. It is demonstrated that a lot of very different errors and mistakes are based on a few characteristies of the human mind. Additionally we demonstrate that it is in no way simple to avoid these mistakes, as these information processing characteristies of the human mind are otherwise quite functional in a number of contexts.     

人格特质及脑功能连接对社交网络的影响

采用网络分析的方法, 本研究从个体受欢迎程度和个体间亲密程度两方面探究了人格特质对社交网络的影响, 并在此基础上进一步探究了个体间大脑静息态功能连接相似性和社交网络的关系。结果发现：(1)高尽责性的个体在需要“值得信任”特质的社交网络中更受欢迎, 高宜人性的个体在需要“共享时光”的社交网络中更受欢迎; (2)在需要“相同兴趣”特质的社交网络中, 个体间人格相似性和社会距离呈显著负相关关系; (3)同样在需要“相同兴趣”特质的社交网络中, 个体间部分功能连接相似性与社会距离呈显著负相关关系, 这些功能连接主要集中在额顶控制网络以及背侧注意网络; 同时, 部分节点功能连接相似性与社会距离呈显著正相关关系, 这些功能连接主要集中在默认网络。研究结果揭示了人格特质对不同社交网络结构的影响, 以及个体间人格特质相似性和静息态脑网络相似性与社会距离的关系。本研究对理解社交网络的结构, 形成规律以及其中的信息传播规律有着重要启示意义。     

Parenting From the Outside‐in: Reflections on Parent Training During a Potential Paradigm Shift

This article proposes that a paradigm shift that has implications for practitioners of parenting interventions is emerging. This shift represents a challenge to the dominant model of parent training. The Triple P Parenting Program is discussed as an example of parent training programme to highlight the relevant issues for practitioners, including common practitioner objections encountered in dissemination as identified, in part, by Mazzucchelli and Sanders. It is argued that apart from these objections, there are more essential concerns in relation to the adoption of parent training programmes by practitioners. Rather, the article argues that parent training is “mind‐blind” and that approaches emerging from the field of interpersonal neurobiology represent developmentally sophisticated alternatives for intervention. The Circle of Security programme is discussed as one example of this emerging paradigm shift that integrates attachment, social neuroscience, and psychodynamic theory. Contrasts are highlighted between the models, and considerations for future issues in parent intervention conclude the article.     

Systems-centered training groups' process and outcome: a comparison with AGPA institute groups

In this quasi-experimental study we compared the process and outcome of six experiential Systems-Centered Training (SCT) groups to those of American Group Psychotherapy Association (AGPA) Institute groups from two prior studies (MacKenzie, Dies, Coche, Rutan, & Stone, 1987; Tschuschke & Greene, 2002). The SCT training compared well overall and the results provided preliminary, indirect support for the usefulness of "functional subgrouping" - SCT's conceptual and methodological bridge between the group-as-a-whole and the individual member. However, quasi-experimental design limitations make other interpretations equally plausible. Within-group change in the process variables for the SCT groups was also explored, as well as the relative contributions of these variables to post-training learning outcomes and anxious and depressive experience. The results partly corroborated prior studies, but also suggested that SCT may alter training group dynamics, learning, and emotional experience in ways consistent with SCT theory.