Medicating Patients in Psychoanalytic Therapy: Implications for Introjection,Transference, and Countertransference

If a patient comes for psychotherapy or psychoanalysis, why medicate him with psychotropic drugs? The answers to this question are explored and addressed from several points of view. The central hypothesis of this paper suggests that most of the reasons for medicating patients have to do with therapist's unresolved countertransference issues. Furthermore, medicating a patient may have deleterious effects on his introjected sense of self, and impacts the transference relationship in a significant way. The issues surrounding medication as adjunctive therapy are elucidated and clarified in terms of rationale, efficacy, and the impact on the psychotherapeutic relationship. Psychoanalytic solutions are offered and discussed.     

The Psychological Processes of Discerning the Vocation to the Catholic Priesthood: A Qualitative Study

This study explores the psychological process of discerning the vocation to the Catholic priesthood. Grounded theory, a qualitative research methodology, was used to uncover the meaning and essence of the psychological processes of discerning the vocation to the Catholic priesthood. Five themes emerged from the data paralleling other developmental theories. Presently, assessment work follows similar patterns used in vocational testing in relation to any career. Based on the findings of this research, another facet of psychological assessment in regards to developing a sense of self may be beneficial in understanding a man’s readiness to serve the Catholic Church as a priest.     

The portrayal of women in prime time, 1953–1977

A content analysis of 1314 television programs and 2444 starring characters appearing on prime-time television from 1953–1977 revealed that the number of females in starring roles has remained relatively constant over the last 25 years and that most women are still found in situation comedies. While the number of women shown as housewives or housekeepers has declined from the 1950s to the present, the makeup of the television labor force has consistently shown no relationship to the real-life employment patterns of women. The data seem to support the findings announced in a recent study by the United States Commission on Civil Rights, which concluded that women were underrepresented on television and were frequently seen in stereotyped roles.     

Goals as identities: Boosting perceptions of healthy-eater identity for easier goal pursuit

People who think of their personal goals as identities are more likely to engage in goal-consistent behavior. However, no research has explored whether learning to frame goals as identities can be an effective strategy for pursuing goals in daily life. Across a series of studies, we assessed how incorporating a goal as part of one’s identity impacts goal-consistent choices. In a pilot study, we established a positive correlational relationship between natural goal identification and goal-consistent decision-making. Individuals with stronger healthy-eater identities made healthier food choices in a behavioral choice task. In Studies 1 and 2, we employed longitudinal interventions to teach people to frame their healthy eating goals as identities. We found that people who learned to frame their goals as identities made healthier choices, felt their goals were easier to pursue, reported greater success at managing goals, and made food choices that they both perceived to be healthier and that were rated as healthier by independent evaluators. Across studies, our findings suggest that thinking of goals as identities makes it easier to engage in goal-consistent choices.