False‐self sensitivity to countertransference: Anatomy of a single session

This paper describes how a patient's sensitivity to the counter‐transference sparked a transference regression that generated insight about her core conflict: False‐Self compliance at the expense of her needs for love, emotional support, and nurturance.

My patient's regression was important, first, because it produced symptoms that dramatically illustrated to her how much self‐denial she was willing to exercise to feel needed by others. Previously, such insight had not been effective because of the extraordinary secondary gains of her behavior. This time was more successful because of the ego‐dystonic symptoms that developed, with intense shame and embarrassment. Second, the regression resulted in a transference dream that provided her with new insights into the anxiety she was warding off through False‐Self compliance to the narcissistic requirements of her parents.     

The Meaning of Childbearing Among IVF Service Users Assessed via Laddering Technique

The psychosocial issues related to infertility have been widely researched. However, the meaning a couple gives to childbearing remains a relatively unexplored area. This study explores the meaning making of Hong Kong Chinese couples who had received in-vitro fertilization (IVF). Eleven IVF-successful and seven IVF-unsuccessful informants were assessed using two complementary constructivist methods: laddering technique and constructivist-grounded theory analysis of in-depth interviews. Findings revealed four aspects of symbolic meaning of childbearing focused on the informant's sense of self, cultural values, existential purpose, and relations with others. The results also depicted infertility as a form of disenfranchised grief, following ambiguous loss, underscoring the need for counselors to explore the meaning of childbearing among IVF service users and the impact on their self-narratives as a function of treatment outcome.     

Modular Organization of Exploratory Force Development Under Isometric Conditions in the Human Arm

Muscle coordination of isometric force production can be explained by a smaller number of modules. Variability in force output, however, is higher during exploratory/transient force development phases than force maintenance phase, and it is not clear whether the same modular structure underlies both phases. In this study, eight neurologically-intact adults isometrically performed target force matches in 54 directions at hands, and electromyographic (EMG) data from eight muscles were parsed into four sequential phases. Despite the varying degree of motor complexity across phases (significant between-phase differences in EMG-force correlation, angular errors, and between-force correlations), the number/composition of motor modules were found equivalent across phases, suggesting that the CNS systematically modulated activation of the same set of motor modules throughout sequential force development.     

Dental anxiety,oral health‐related quality of life,and general well‐being: A self‐determination theory perspective

The aim of this study was to test a structural equation model (SEM) with the following hypotheses: (1) patients’ perceptions of oral health care professionals’ (i.e., dentists and dental hygienists) controlling interpersonal styles would positively predict patients’ dental anxiety through their basic psychological need frustration in treatment; (2) in turn, high dental anxiety would positively predict dysregulation of dental anxiety, which through a feedback loop contributes to perception of oral health care professionals’ controlling styles; and, (3) in addition, both dental anxiety and dysregulation of dental anxiety would predict poor Oral Health‐Related Quality of Life (OHRQoL) and subsequently poor general well‐being. A cross‐sectional study was conducted among 322 students at the University of Oslo. Participants responded to a survey with validated questionnaires. All variables in the model tested were acceptably normally distributed. The SEM did fit the data well and all hypotheses were supported. A bootstrapping procedure indicated that all indirect links in the model were supported. Analysis indicated that common method variance (CMV) did not seriously distort the results in this setting. Although the majority of oral health care professionals are perceived as being noncontrolling by their patients (51%), the proportion perceived as moderately (38%) or highly (11%) controlling represent a challenge for oral health care education and practice. It would be useful for oral health care professionals to be trained in avoiding a controlling treatment style.     

Development of temporal patterning and vocal hesitations in spontaneous narratives

Narratives were told aloud by 12 boys and 12 girls at each of seven age levels in response to nine cartoon pictures. Speech rate increased with age, due to corresponding decreases in both legnth and frequency of unfilled pauses (UPs), although the two measures were themselves uncorrelated. Parenthetical remarks (PRs) increased with age, while repeats (Rs) decreased. Location of UPs (81% before function words) was stable over age levels. Comparisons with other experiments are made. Interrelationships of speaking and thinking are discussed in terms of the cognitive and linguistic functions of length and frequency of UPs, respectively. Theories that neglect multiple psychological determinants of speech behavior and/or concentrate on only one level or unit of encoding are rejected as inadequate.