Discussion: Putting our Heads Together; Mentalizing Systems

This discussion reviews the psychoanalytic and developmental psychological theories that utilize nonlinear dynamic systems theory to situate Sperry's paper in its theoretical and historical context. The power of such nonlinear models for clinical work and theories of mind is argued. The essay then argues that the shift in theory entails a shift in ways of clinical writing and that the clinical discussion in the paper does not always feel consonant with the theory. Moving to a model of nonlinearity, intersubjectivity, and uncertainty is likely to entail shifts in conceptualizing and conveying clinical material.     

Some Relationships between Group Process and Mental Health Phenomena in Theory and Practice

Though the focus on interpersonal interaction is a powerful therapeutic factor in group therapy, traditional chemical dependency therapy groups generally fail to employ the interactional group orientation. An interactional approach can be effectively applied to alcoholics if the following guidelines are observed: (1) recovery is always accorded priority, (2) the patient accepts identification as an alcoholic, (3) anxiety is carefully modulated, (4) the proper distinction is made between what the alcoholic is and is not responsible for, (5) the therapist is thoroughly familiar with Alcoholics Anonymous language, steps, and traditions. It is important that therapists not permit misperceptions of A.A. to be used as therapy resistance and that they be able to harness the wisdom of A.A. for psychotherapeutic ends. Group therapists must also be prepared to deal with common themes arising in the treatment of the alcoholic patient: idealization, devaluation, externalization, defiance, grandiosity, conning, and avoidance.     

Problems of Developing a Group-Centered Mental Hospital

All relationships could be described in terms of the coordinations and conflicts between competing needs for attention and the mechanisms utilized to seek this goal. In this article, I introduce the initialism AGM (Attention-getting Mechanism) to refer to an interpersonal style or particular behavior or constellation of behaviors that one adopts and displays publicly that is unhealthy, repetitively counterproductive and ultimately harmful to self and/or others. Delineated from socially- and personally- productive modes of seeking attention, self-defeating AGMs categorize across varied spectra, from subtle and seemingly inhibited, to blatant, excessive, or frankly pathological. They arise in response to trauma and psychological disturbance and, as such, are the outcome of enduring deficits in getting appropriate and sufficient attention. I record the evolution of my thinking and doing, over the course of leading two group sessions, spaced several months apart, regarding dilemmas in getting attention. The first drew me to the topic, and, unexpectedly, stimulated personal associations and remembrances, which centered on a cumulative childhood trauma organized around the term, “AGM.” I approached the second session better equipped to understand the proceedings, and to connect my ideas to current diagnostic criteria, technical considerations, clinical research, and metapsychological theory.     

The Influence of Maternal Child-Rearing Attitudes and Teaching Behaviors on Preschoolers' Delay of Gratification

This study was an exploratory examination of the influence of mothers' teaching behaviors, strategies, and child-rearing attitudes on their children's ability to delay gratification. In an externally imposed delay of gratification situation, 30 mothers from a rural university community taught their children strategies that could help them refrain from touching a brightly wrapped present when the mothers left the room. Results showed that mothers of children who did not delay gratification exhibited teaching behaviors and child-rearing attitudes consistent with a permissive parenting style, whereas mothers of children who did delay gratification exhibited teaching behaviors and child-rearing attitudes consistent with an authoritative parenting style. The results of this study are discussed with respect to the development of children's self-control and self-regulatory abilities.     

Group Premarital Counseling Using a Premarital Assessment Questionnaire: Evaluation from Group Leaders

No research to date addresses premarital assessment questionnaire (PAQ) use within group settings. The current study evaluated the benefits and drawbacks of group use of one PAQ (the RELATE Inventory). Results were obtained via semi-structured interviews of group leaders and indicate overall leader agreement on the perceived desirability, benefits, and drawbacks of using PAQs in group premarital efforts. Recommended principles/guidelines for effective group PAQ use are organized into four categories: PAQ Considerations, Group Leader Considerations, Couple Considerations, and Group Content/Process Considerations.     

Breaking Up Is Hard to Do: Dismissing Students From MFT Training Programs

Dismissing a student from an MFT training program can be challenging from an ethical and professional perspective. A thorough review of the literature regarding dismissal procedures in MFT training programs was conducted in order to increase discussion around circumstances under which dismissal is warranted and necessary for the protection of the public, the student, and the profession with specific attention to the dismissal process. The authors present the current state of the literature, include a case scenario for facilitating a conversation about this topic, and provide guiding principles for faculty and supervisors who might engage in a dismissal process.     

Person–Job Fit and Work-Related Attitudes Among Chinese Employees: Need for Cognitive Closure as Moderator

The current research examined the moderating role of employees' need for cognitive closure in the relationship between their perceived person–job fit and their work-related attitudes. In Study 1, a survey was conducted among 176 Chinese employees from various organizations, and the results confirmed that both demand–ability fit and need–supply fit were positively related to employees' job satisfaction; moreover, these relations were stronger among people with higher need for closure than those scoring lower in need for closure. In Study 2, a survey was conducted among 242 employees from a Chinese city government, and the results replicated the findings of Study 1, but also found that need for closure moderated the relation between demand–ability fit and turnover intention. These results have important implications for research in organizational psychology and human resource management.     

Discrepant Data and Improbable Results: An Examination of Vohs,Mead, and Goode (2006)

A highly cited article by Vohs, Mead, and Goode (2006) reported several experiments in which an incidental reminder of money produced large effects on subsequent behaviors unrelated to money. We attempted 2 high-powered direct replications of the first experiment, which found that money-primed subjects worked on a puzzle nearly twice as long as controls before quitting. The replication studies showed no evidence of money priming. Moreover, 25% of the subjects in our studies solved the puzzle correctly or incorrectly, whereas none reportedly did so in the original study. We also list anomalies in the reported results of the original study.