Sensitization and subjective health complaints

Why is it that some of us have more pain, more fatigue, and more gastrointestinal trouble than others? Is it possible that there are brain mechanisms and psychological mechanisms that make some people sensitized to specific complaints? In this concluding paper we review the historical and theoretical background, discuss the evidence and theoretical positions in the contributions, and draw some conclusions. Traditional psychosomatic models had less predictive value and less therapeutic importance than what was hoped for. The main problem with these models was the lack of a pathophysiological explanation for why psychological problems could be related to somatic disease. Sustained arousal or "allostatic load" offers more plausible and acceptable mechanisms for pathology, and, to some extent, for sensitization and illness. The combination of cognitive psychology and neurophysiology offers a model for somatic pathology, and, perhaps more important, also for the understanding of subjective complaints and illness.     

On the relations between Heinrich Scholz and Jan Łukasiewicz

The aim of the present study is (1) to show, on the basis of a number of unpublished documents, how Heinrich Scholz supported his Warsaw colleague Jan ?ukasiewicz, the Polish logician, during World War II, and (2) to discuss the efforts he made in order to enable Jan ?ukasiewicz and his wife Regina to move from Warsaw to Münster under life-threatening circumstances. In the first section, we explain how Scholz provided financial help to ?ukasiewicz, and we also adduce evidence of the risks incurred by German scholars who offered assistance to their Polish colleagues. In the second section, we discuss the dramatic circumstances surrounding the ?ukasiewiczes' move to Münster in the summer of 1944.     

Transference in Psychological Testing

Transference as a theoretical construct within the conceptual framework of psychoanalysis is examined, pointing out the limitations this imposes on its use. After discussing why the term transference cannot be applied to psychological testing, the ways in which it has been misused are presented. The concept of externalization is introduced as an important means of understanding the structural dynamics of patients being tested, and its relevance to transference is stressed.     

Deductive Reasoning in the Structuralist Approach

The distinction between the syntactic and the semantic approach to scientific theories emerged in formal philosophy of science. The semantic approach is commonly considered more advanced and more successful than the syntactic one, but the transition from the one approach to the other was not brought about without any loss. In essence, it is the formal analysis of atomic propositions and the analysis of deductive reasoning that dropped out of consideration in at least some of the elaborated versions of the semantic approach. In structuralist theory of science, as founded by Sneed and Stegmüller, the focus is on global propositions concerning the question of whether or not certain empirical systems satisfy a set-theoretic predicate that encodes the axioms of a scientific theory. Hence, an analysis of deductive reasoning from atomic premisses with the help of a given theory is missing. The objective of the present paper is to develop a deductive system on the basis of the structuralist framework. This system comes with a novel formulation of empirical propositions in structuralism.     

Apostolos in the new testament

This article examines the intersection between the therapeutic and the Christian cultures, and the common conviction among scholars of the therapeutic, such as Philip Rieff, that the subjective turn eventually will overthrow organized Christianity. The culture clash between secularism and religion is engaged through the Protestant Church of Norway's liturgical reform of the Sunday high mass 2004–2011, which aims to make the liturgical service more relevant. The analysis of both institutional and theological attempts at finding a balance between the old and the new suggests that the authority of the emotive self strongly challenges the truth of God. Still, there are signs of a cultural merger that suggest the Church of Norway will prevail. The outcome, however, will not satisfy conservative theologians and critics of the therapeutic culture, as God, in order to survive, must accept a more subordinate supportive role as an optional remedy for well-being.     

Recalled Positive Influences within Life-Story Interviews and Self-Reported Generative Concern in German Older Adults: The Moderating Role of Extraversion

Journal of Adult Development - Previous research has shown that recalling positive influences in one’s life story correlates with generative concern. Given findings that not everyone benefits...     

Satisfying one's needs for competence and relatedness: consequent domain-specific well-being depends on strength of implicit motives

Considering the effect of implicit motives, the current study examined the link between well-being in important life domains, that is, job and relationship, and the satisfaction of needs as proposed by self-determination theory. Data on domain-specific well-being, satisfaction of needs for competence and relatedness, and the implicit achievement and affiliation motives were assessed from 259 German and Cameroonian participants. The achievement motive moderated the relation between competence and job satisfaction. Furthermore, the affiliation motive moderated the association between relatedness and relationship satisfaction. Satisfaction of the needs for competence and relatedness is linked to higher levels of job and relationship satisfaction, respectively, among individuals with strong implicit motives. Effects were found regardless of participants' culture of origin. Findings indicate that implicit motives can be understood as weighting dispositions that affect how far experiences of competence and relatedness are linked with satisfaction in relevant life domains.