Nach Möglichkeit leistungs- und genussfähig machen

“To make him [the patient] as efficient and as capable of enjoyment as is possible” (1923a, S.E. 18, p. 251) was, for Freud, a satisfactory definition of the treatment aims of psychoanalysis. The present paper connects this definition with the mythologically formulated antagonism between the drives in which Eros appears as the adversary of Thanatos, and elaborates this by drawing upon Plato’s notions about love as proposed in his “Symposion”. In doing this, the theory of Sublimation becomes the focus of attention quite naturally. It is the author’s thesis that this concept is more useful than that of a neutralized or even a primarily neutral ego-energy. This is more than a question of different opinions. It is the question of the usefulness of the genetic point of view and of the idea of the unity of the libido. Within the range of these concepts it is possible to elaborate in an adequate manner how we are capable to find satisfaction and fulfillment in achievements and enjoyment.     

Psychologist as Mentor and Detective in the Mirror of the Soul

A case study is presented of a client, involved in business dealings and personal relationships with members of organized crime, who upon looking into his mirror one morning recognized for the first time that his life was quickly slipping away. Unless he broke free, he decided, by doing something bold and outrageous—in the style of his free-spirited and violent youth—he was doomed to a depressive existence for the remainder of his days. He stalked women by night. Disturbed by a series of frightening dreams of his involvement in the murder of a stalked and raped woman, he approached the author for psychological help. During the course of treatment it became apparent that the client lacked a sense of personal goodness. An exploration of the problematic nature of virtue and constructive behavior in psychotherapeutic theory is presented here, together with a rationale for the role of the therapist as mentor as well as therapist for people who lack early and present experiences with constructive role models.     

Assessment of stress-buffering effects of social networks on psychological symptoms in an inner-city elderly population

Social network researchers have been divided into two camps: those who propose that social networks have a direct effect on subsequent psychological symptoms and those who posit a stress-buffering effect as well. Previous research has been limited by rudimentary measures of social interaction and the absence of longitudinal data as well as by different approaches to the assessment of possible buffering effects. In the present study, using 19 social network variables, the authors followed 133 elderly residents of mid-Manhattan SRO hotels for 1 year. Three different methods of determining buffering effects were examined: Dividing the sample into high- and low-stress groups and contrasting differences in percentage variance accounted for by social networks between the two groups; Examining the group as a whole to assess if any Network Variable X Stress interactional terms are significant; Examining the group as a whole to assess whether there is a reduction in the beta value of stress with respect to psychological symptoms when network variables are added to the analysis. Method 1 indicated a direct network effect, but none of the methods indicated a buffering effect. Of clinical relevance was the nonlinearity of the network effects, that is, depending upon a person's stressor level, different network dimensions must be emphasized and strengthened.     

Linking empirically based theory and evaluation: The family bereavement program

Conclusion We have illustrated how our small theory (Lipsey, 1990) of bereavement guided the development and evaluation of a preventive intervention for bereaved children. Our small theory, based on prior empirical research, enabled us to identify family processes that appeared to mediate the effects of parental death on child mental health. Our intervention was designed to attempt to change these processes. The evaluation of our experimental trial of the intervention assessed changes on these processes as well as the more distal mental health outcomes. The experimental trial showed some-what encouraging results, in terms of the program's ability to modify the warmth of the parent–child relationship and to decrease symptomatology in the adolescent children. We also obtained further empirical support for our underlying theoretical model. Finally, implications for redesign of the program were derived from assessing the adequacy of the program components to change each of the mediators in the theoretical model.Support for this research was provided by NIMH grant P5OMH39246 which is gratefully acknowledged. David R. Pillow is now at Western Psychiatric Institute, Pittsburgh; Fred Rogosch is at the University of Rochester; Janette Beals is now at University of Colorado Health Sciences Center; Kim D. Reynolds is now at the University of Alabama, Birmingham; Carl Kallgren is now at the Pennsylvania State University, at Erie; and Rafael Ramirez is now at the University of Puerto Rico.