Facing the Pariah of Science: The Frankenstein Myth as a Social and Ethical Reference for Scientists

Science and Engineering Ethics - Since its first publication in 1818, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus has transcended genres and cultures to become a foundational myth...     

Occupational factors and 5-year weight change among men in a danish national cohort.

This study explored whether factors related to the work environment could predict changes in body mass index (BMI) and whether the effect of psychosocial factors was dependent on baseline BMI. The sample consisted of 1,980 male employees from the Danish National Work Environment Cohort Study. Changes in BMI between 1995 and 2000 were analyzed, by multiple regression, as a function of background variables and a series of occupational variables obtained in 1995. Age, baseline BMI, job insecurity, and psychological demands predicted changes in BMI. Job insecurity and high or low psychological demands increased the likelihood of weight gain among obese employees, whereas they increased the likelihood of weight loss among employees with a low BMI.     

Cognitive Complexity and Dissociative Identity Disorder

Thirteen patients with dissociative identity disorder (DID), 13 with other mental disorders, and 10 nondiagnosed comparison participants were given individual grids. Results showed that displaying alternate personalities did not portend a more multidimensional level of thinking. Instead, the nonclinical comparison group had the greater degree of complexity in comparison to both clinical groups. A notable clinical observation was that DID patients, as compared to non-DID participants, had a greater understanding and speed in completing the grid. Findings are discussed in terms of the advantages of personal construct theory for conceptualizing the construct of dissociation.     

The Many Faces of Empathy in Experiential,Person-Centered,Collaborative Assessment

Paul Lerner was an amazing clinician and teacher, and he wrote that empathy was the “heart” of his particular approach to psychological assessment. In this article, I discuss 3 meanings of empathy: (a) as an information-gathering tool, (b) as an interpersonal process, and (c) as a healing element in human interactions. I then demonstrate how each of these meanings of empathy is exemplified in Lerner's written work and in collaborative and therapeutic assessment.     

Therapeutic Assessment in Personality Disorders: Toward the Restoration of Epistemic Trust

Abstract

Research evidence suggests Therapeutic Assessment positively affects clients with problems in living, including clients with personality disorders, who are typically quite resistant to change. Importantly, this change takes place quickly, in relatively few sessions. This article draws on a relatively new evolutionary-based theory of epistemic trust (ET) and epistemic hypervigilance (EH) as a lens to plausibly explain the efficacy of TA, and especially its influence on PD clients' alliance and motivation for subsequent psychotherapy (Fonagy, Luyten, &; Alison, 2015 Fonagy, P., Luyten, P., &; Allison, E. (2015). Epistemic petrification and the restoration of epistemic trust: A new conceptualization of borderline personality disorder and its psychosocial treatment. Journal of Personality Disorders, 29, 575–609.[Crossref], [PubMed], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]). ET is the willingness to take in relevant interpersonally transmited information and it is essential to the immediate success of psychotherapy and its long-term impact. The collaborative, intersubjective framework of TA and many of its specific techniques might be understood as highly relevant to restoring ET in clients, especially those with PD. We close by discussing implications for psychological assessment, psychotherapy, and research.     

The MMPI–2–RF Personality Psychopathology Five (PSY–5–RF) Scales: Development and Validity Research

This article describes the development, internal psychometric, and external validation studies on scales designed to measure the Personality Psychopathology Five (PSY–5) from MMPI–2 Restructured Form (MMPI–2–RF) items. Diverse and comprehensive data sets, representing various clinical and nonclinical populations, were classified into development and validation research samples. Item selection, retention, and exclusion procedures are detailed. The final set of PSY–5–RF scales contain 104 items, with no item overlap between scales (same as the original MMPI–2 PSY–5 scales), and no item overlap with the Demoralization scale. Internal consistency estimates are comparable to the longer MMPI–2 PSY–5 scales. Appropriate convergent and discriminant validity findings utilizing various self-report, collateral rating, and record review data are reported and discussed. A particular emphasis is offered for the unique aspects of the PSY–5 model: psychoticism and disconstraint. The findings are connected to the broader PSY–5 literature and the recommended review of systems (Harkness, Reynolds, & Lilienfeld, this issue) presented in this series of articles.     

The MMPI–2 Restructured Form Personality Psychopathology Five Scales: Bridging DSM–5 Section 2 Personality Disorders and DSM–5 Section 3 Personality Trait Dimensions

This study examined in a college sample and a sample of non-treatment-seeking, trauma-exposed veterans the association between the MMPI–2 Restructured Form (MMPI–2–RF) Personality Psychopathology Five (PSY–5) Scales and DSM–5 Section 2 personality disorder (PD) criteria, the same system used in DSM–IV–TR, and the proposed broad personality trait dimensions contained in Section 3 of DSM–5. DSM–5 Section 2 PD symptoms were assessed using the SCID–II–PQ, and applying a replicated rational selection procedure to the SCID–II–PQ item pool, proxies for the DSM–5 Section 3 dimensions and select facets were constructed. The MMPI–2–RF PSY–5 scales demonstrated appropriate convergent and discriminant associations with both Section 2 PDs and Section 3 dimensions in both samples. These findings suggest the MMPI–2–RF PSY–5 scales can serve both conceptually and practically as a bridge between the DSM–5 Section 2 PD criteria and the DSM–5 Section 3 personality features.     

Recent Decreases in Specific Interpretation Biases Predict Decreases in Neuroticism: Evidence From a Longitudinal Study With Young Adult Couples

Engaging in a romantic relationship represents one important life experience in young adulthood that has been shown to catalyze age‐related decrease in neuroticism (Neyer & Lehnart, 2007). The current research builds directly on this finding by investigating one process that underlies the partnership effect. We focused on the relationship‐specific interpretation bias (RIB; Finn, Mitte, & Neyer, 2013), which is the tendency to interpret ambiguous partner and relationship scenarios in a negative way. It was expected that the RIB decreases within relationships in young adulthood and that this decrease in turn predicts long‐term declines in neuroticism. A sample of 245 young adult romantic couples was assessed four times across 9 months. Actor and partner effects of changes in the RIB on changes in neuroticism were analyzed using a dyadic dual change model. Recent time‐to‐time decreases in the RIB predicted one's own (actor effect) decline in neuroticism across 9 months. Similarly, there was a trend for a partner effect. We conclude that changes in biased relationship‐specific interpretations reflect one unique process that contributes to the understanding of romantic relationship effects on personality development.     

The Happy Farmer: Self-Employment and Subjective Well-Being in Rural Vietnam

Using a unique survey data set this paper documents a positive effect of self-employment in farming on subjective well-being. This direct effect is only partly offset by negative, indirect effects working through income and other variables. These findings are interpreted as effects of self-employment in farming on perceived autonomy, competence and relatedness. The results suggest that economic transformation is associated with a psychological cost, which may contribute to explaining earnings gaps between sectors and types of employment. We also investigate other determinants of happiness, and for example find strong positive effects of own income and strong negative effects of neighbors’ income, suggesting the importance of relative rather than absolute levels of income.