Das psychische Erbe der Menschheit

The historical development and importance in theory and practice of the term archetype, the core concept of Analytical Psychology, is extensively presented. Beginning with C.G. Jung’s definition of archetype through to the current state of the discussion, various conceptualizations of biological, developmental psychological and cultural theoretical basis are presented. The results show that there is empirical evidence for psychological archetypes, for instance in the neurosciences, developmental psychological and anthropological research and that the classical conception of inheritance of complex symbolic patterns cannot be substantiated by more recent results in human genetics and particularly in epigenetics. The prominent attempts at solving this problem from the contempory Analytical Psychology will be discussed, in particular emergence and system theoretical argumentation. Finally, various empirical, partially experimental studies from Analytical Psychology, among others from the authors themselves, will be presented which confirm the hypothesis of the existence of archetypes and of a collective (unconscious) memory. The article gives a total overview of the state of specialist discussions on the archetype concept for the readership above and beyond the narrow field of Analytical Psychology.     

„Rocken statt Ritzen“

Background

Non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) starts in adolescence and decreases during young adulthood. Despite a high prevalence among adolescents only a few therapeutic interventions directly addressing adolescents exist.

Aim

By connecting music therapy with elements from behavioral therapy an attempt was made to create a therapeutic program which is attractive to adolescents.

Material and methods

A pilot trial of the program “Stop cutting - rock!” was conducted with 12 adolescent females with a mean age of 15.15 years (standard deviation SD ±1.34). The study aimed to compare the frequency of NSSI throughout the treatment phase as well as a pre-post comparison of depression scores.

Results

The results showed a trend towards a decreasing frequency of NSSI. Depression scores decreased significantly between the assessment before therapy and at a 3-month follow-up after the end of the therapy.

Conclusion

The positive feedback concerning music therapeutic elements points to the attractiveness of the approach. By integrating multimodal therapeutic strategies it seems possible to create an individually tailored intervention for adolescents with NSSI.     

Psychodynamische Kurzzeittherapie bei dependenter und vermeidender Persönlichkeitsstörung

Although dependent and avoidant personality disorders are frequent in patient populations, there are only few studies in which the efficacy of psychotherapeutic interventions for these two personality disorders was reviewed. The purpose of this study was to examine whether psychodynamic short-term therapy based on the model of the cyclic maladaptive pattern (CMP) is effective for reducing the mental impairment of patients diagnosed with a dependent or an avoidant personality disorder. Data were collected via a self-report scale (Symptom-Checklist, SCL) and expert ratings by therapists [Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF) Scale and Severity of Impairment-Score (Beeinträchtigungsschwere-Score, BSS)]. In the study 20 patients received 25 sessions of outpatient therapy. Mental impairment decreased significantly from the beginning to the end of the therapy; moreover this decrease remained stable over a 2-year period following completion of the therapy. The findings show that psychodynamic short-term therapy can lead to an enduring improvement in the mental health of patients with a dependent or an avoidant personality disorder.     

Die Abschaffung der somatoformen Störungen durch DSM-5 – ein akademischer Schildbürgerstreich?

The new fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) has introduced “somatic symptom disorder” as a diagnosis which is no longer differentiated into medically unexplained and explained physical symptoms. As a consequence, the status of somatoform disorders as an independent clinical group is called into question. Against all original intentions, the semantic, conceptual and practical problems of the previous classification have not been solved. The validity of the new diagnosis is doubtful because of its over-inclusive character. Further points of criticism are the less than optimal selection of psychological features, the abandonment of hypochondriasis as a homogeneous concept and imprecise workmanship of the diagnostic criteria where exclusion criteria needed for differential diagnosis are missing.     

Direktausbildung Psychotherapie an der medizinischen Fakultät

Background

There is ongoing political discussion at the Federal Ministry of Health that a university entrance diploma should allow psychotherapy to be studied directly: Graduation leads to a licensure that qualifies for further specialization, e.g. in cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) or psychodynamic psychotherapy analog to medical specialization. As psychotherapy has its roots in both psychology and in medicine, the question is raised which faculty should be the future home of direct psychotherapy schools.

Material and methods

A theoretical model curriculum of psychosomatic psychotherapy is proposed. Its structure which is oriented to the established structure of medical training and its contents are described. It is argued that the proposed model in the tradition of psychosomatic medicine is suitable to meet ongoing changes in the structure of psychotherapeutic care due to new challenges in the field of public health.

Conclusion

The study of psychotherapy should be associated with chairs in clinical psychology and psychosomatic medicine in order to maintain and further develop the variety and quality which psychotherapy has gained in Germany.     

Gekränkte Eitelkeiten

The aim of terror is not (only) damage to individual people but the uncertainty and threat to society that also suffers considerable damage. This secondary damage is usually substantially greater than the primary damage. This objective of terror is not only pursued by extremist organizations and groups but also by lone terrorist fighters. In the last 100 years 4 people were known internationally as lone wolf terrorists in the western hemisphere: the highschool teacher Ernst August Wagner, the American “unabomber” Theodore John Kaczynski, the Austrian letter bomber Franz Fuchs and the Norwegian mass murderer Anders Behring Breivik. Franz Fuchs was examined by the author and the background to his actions can be taken from own professional experience. Information available about the other perpetrators also reveals similarities to the personality traits and developmental steps which seem to have been important for the terrorist actsand include long periods of a lack of social resonance, rejection and mortification, social withdrawal and autistic demarcation and development of a pseudopolitical ideas (of grandiosity). Each of these lone wolf terrorists tried to pursue their ideals through terror, threats and intimidation of the public, and their own importance grew by the wide public attention which was fueled by the insecurity of the public. The interest should not only be directed to those individual lone wolf terrorists of this caliber or to the terrorism of states, organizations and groups or to their structure and dynamics but also to the media and public reactions, and finally to the response of society, as they mutually reinforce actions of the terrorists and help the offenders to achieve their goals.