The mutating preconscious archetype in present-day ecological conditions

Competition is an important force behind evolution in present-day ecological conditions, its intensity varying according to the organisms' expectations vis-à-vis resources available. On the other hand, the role of mutation in the evolutionary process can hardly be underestimated: Leading to the change of the preconsciously functioning archetype, mutation makes it impossible for the ego to realize its image. This is a consequence of the clash between the mutated, preconsciously functioning archetype and the system of ethical and moral norms functioning in the collective superego of a given population group. The type of mutation that results from the accelerated pace of evolution can be viewed as a continuity in the development of an organism's behavior. The preconsciously functioning archetype, resulting from these mutations, contains impulses and predispositions that differ markedly from the impulses and predispositions functioning in the genetically determined "pattern of behavior." In a situation where anxiety results from the inhibition of impulses and dispositions, hostility reactions are likely to occur. In its turn, reactive hostility can induce anxiety, thus creating a reaction cycle. Underlying this mechanism is the mutated, preconsciously functioning archetype, which itself is a result of the development of civilization in our contemporary world.     

The collective past,group psychology and personal narrative: Shaping Jewish identity by memoirs of the Holocaust

Through honing its collective memory, especially after the Holocaust, the Jewish community has attempted to sustain its culture, bolster the Jewish identity of its members, and regain a resolute sense that its narrative is again proceeding. To some degree, all these aims are realized by instilling in its members the Jewish modal character structure: a psychological configuration with two contrastable entities. One chronically discomposed self-structure, defining itself as polluted and helpless, trembles with the appalling imagery of historical and imminent community disasters. The other entity believes in its unmatched capacity for reparative, socially beneficial actions. The paradigm of this psychological organization is found in many children of survivors. The memory of a tragic history abides alongside the community's hopes in the Jewish modal personality. The need to set forth and accommodate these two motifs imprints upon the Jewish "national" character many of its distinctive qualities. The designs of the Jewish community for this particularly Jewish twofold personality formation are augmented by the personal revelations of survivors. Therefore, Holocaustic testimonies are invested with a sacred aura. In measure, these recitals of the disaster with their stark images, plus the clashing affects aroused in the reader toward main characters of the narrative, dictate the way Jews define themselves in the world and the way they live. A confluence of being covertly commissioned by the Jewish community joins with the narrators' more idiosyncratic longings. Together they generate a steady stream of Holocaustic accounts. Complementary vectors drive the reader to peruse these records. The results therefrom, intimate knowledge of the disaster, plus the twofold personality motifs stamp many Jews as scions of the Holocaust.     

The effect of social support on adolescent mothers' styles of parent-child interaction as measured on three separate occasions

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of social support on parent-child interaction in a group of 19 adolescent mothers. The subjects participated in a 20-week model demonstration program in which they worked in a preschool classroom with skilled caregivers who modeled facilitative styles of interacting with young children. Each subject was videotaped while interacting with a 1- to 2-year-old child upon entering the program, midway through the program, and at the end. Results showed that girls who were 16 years or older significantly increased their frequency of using responsive, engaging, and elaborative styles of behavior. Those under age 16 did not show significant changes in these three behaviors. Overall, subjects significantly increased the duration of time they spent observing the child's play behavior.     

Identification of letters in the predesignated target paradigm: a word superiority effect for the common word the

The size of the perceptual unit used in reading was addressed using the predesignated target paradigm. Sixteen subjects viewed the following stimuli in random order: the words tee, the, tie, and toe; the nonwords eet, eht, eit, and eot; and the letters e, h, i, and o. Subjects fixated on the location of the center letter and identified the letter as e, h, i, or o, alternatives which were known to them at the onset. A word superiority effect was obtained for the common word the but not for the less common words tee, tie, and toe. The word superiority effect was attributable to bias rather than discriminability: Subjects exhibited a bias to perceive the words in this experiment as the (i.e., there was a bias to perceive h in the t e stimulus presentations). These results suggest that the common word the is processed in reading units that are larger than the letter, and that the system is biased to perceive common rather than uncommon words in data-limited conditions.     

Anxiety sensitivity and panic attacks in a nonclinical population

In the present study, we administered the Anxiety Sensitivity Index (ASI) and a modified version of the Panic Attack Questionnaire (PAQ) to 425 college students to determine whether high anxiety sensitivity ('fear of fear') occurs in the absence of a history of unpredictable ('spontaneous') panic attacks, or whether such attacks are a necessary precursor to high anxiety sensitivity. Based on their ASI scores, subjects were assigned to either the high, medium, or low anxiety sensitivity groups. High anxiety sensitivity subjects more frequently reported both a personal and family history of panic than did subjects in the other groups. Nevertheless, two-thirds of the high anxiety sensitivity subjects had never experienced an unpredictable panic attack. This suggests that the fear of anxiety can be acquired in ways other than through personal experience with panic.     

On the putative uniqueness of cancer pain: do psychological principles apply?

A large volume of evidence has supported the important role of psychological principles and variables related to the perception of, and response to, nociceptive stimulation. On the basis of this research, a number of psychological interventions have been developed and used successfully with pain patients. Despite the evidence, there has been a tendency for practitioners to neglect the contributing role of cognitive, affective, and behavioral factors in reports of pain by cancer patients. Cancer seems to hold a unique status in medicine and society at large. In this paper, the cancer pain literature is briefly reviewed and evidence is presented for various psychological determinants of the pain report and response that may be extended to pain associated with cancer. The implications of these data for understanding and treatment of cancer patients are described.     

Is agoraphobia harder to treat? A comparison of agoraphobics' and simple phobics' response to treatment

Agoraphobia is reputed to be more difficult to treat than simple phobia. In a test of this supposition, 38 agoraphobics and 19 simple phobics were each given 10 sessions of graduated in vivo exposure. They were assessed before and after therapy using a behavioral avoidance test, behavioral diaries, and self-report measures. Analysis of covariance revealed unequivocal posttest differences only on self-assessed disability level; agoraphobics had changed less in their report of global disability immediately following treatment but not at follow-up. Sixty-eight percent of the simple phobics showed clinically significant improvement on avoidance of the Main Phobia, compared with 34% of the agoraphobics. On three other outcome measures, including more precise behavioral measures of phobia, agoraphobics and simple phobics responded equivalently to treatment. Given clinicians' impression about the comparative difficulty in treating agoraphobic clients, fewer differences in treatment response were obtained than were expected. Several possible explanations for this discrepancy are discussed.     

Early interactions between animal psychologists and animal activists and the founding of the APA Committee on Precautions in Animal Experimentation

The current conflict between animal psychologists and animal rights activists often is presented as a recent and unique phenomenon. Although its scope may be unprecedented, the fundamental issues are longstanding. Early criticisms of animal psychologists are viewed in the context of the broader Victorian antivivisectionist movement and are seen as similar to those of the present time. Various attitudes toward animals and research were expressed by individuals such as Charles Darwin, George John Romanes, William James, and John Dewey. Media attacks on animal research were directed at psychologists such as G. Stanley Hall, John B. Watson, Ivan P. Pavlov, and Edward L. Thorndike. The American Psychological Association Committee on Precautions in Animal Experimentation was founded in 1925 at the instigation of Walter B. Cannon, with Robert M. Yerkes as the first chair.