Training Analysis: Oxymoron or Viable Compromise? Training Analysis,Power, and the Therapeutic Alliance

Balint was among the first to express concern about the “hidden power dynamics” that underlie training analyses. In this paper, I identify some of the problems with this form of treatment, which simultaneously tries to educate the candidate about analytic treatment and ensures that the candidate satisfies certain requirements before he or she is permitted to practice analysis. I argue that the candidate's trying to complete the training analysis—a prerequisite to becoming a full-fledged psychoanalyst—may prevent the full manifestation of the breadth and extent of the candidate's neurosis. Paying attention to the therapeutic alliance assists the analytic dyad in navigating the complex work of a training analysis.     

Type D personality,physical symptoms and subjective stress: The mediating effects of coping and social support

Coping style and social support may represent mechanisms to explain the relationship between Type D personality and ill-health. This study investigated whether Type D is associated with physical symptoms and perceived stress in a non-cardiac population, and if these relationships are mediated by coping and social support. In a cross-sectional study, 304 participants (110 males, mean age 22.1 years) completed measures of Type D, physical symptoms, coping, perceived stress and social support. Results showed that Type D, the interaction of negative affectivity and social inhibition (NA?×?SI), was positively correlated with physical symptoms, perceived stress, and avoidant coping, and negatively correlated with social support, problem-focused coping and emotion-focused coping. A series of bootstrapped multiple mediator tests showed that social support and avoidant coping fully mediated the relationship between Type D and physical symptoms. Furthermore, social support and emotion-focused coping partially mediated the relationship between Type D and perceived stress. These findings demonstrate for the first time that Type D personality is associated with physical symptoms in a non-cardiac population. Social support and coping style represent mechanisms that can, in part, explain the relationship between Type D and physical symptoms, and Type D and perceived stress.     

Book review of The psychology of eating. J. Ogden. Oxford: Blackwell publishing, 2003. i–xii + 302 pages ISBN 0-631-23373-3 (hbk) 0-631-23374-1 (pbk)

Abstract

This study examined the importance of the nature of the relationship between sexual partners in predicting types of sexual practices for 293 gay and bisexual men. Demographics, personal beliefs, substance use, and variables from the health belief model, theory of self-efficacy, and theory of reasoned action were used to predict sexual behaviors. Sexual practices varied by type of partner relationship and duration, with a higher probability of risky behaviors occurring with primary partners than with non-primary partners; relationship status also moderated the effects of safer sex partner norms and denial on sexual risk-taking. In addition, men who were younger, had less education, and used alcohol or drugs prior to sex engaged in higher risk behaviors. This study indicates that a more comprehensive assessment of dimensions of partner relationship will lead to greater understanding of sexual risk-taking.     

‘It's like there are two people in my head’: A phenomenological exploration of anorexia nervosa and its relationship to the self

This study explores the lived experience of anorexia nervosa from the perspective of those who use pro-recovery websites for eating disorders. Fourteen people participated in an online focus group or an e-interview. Data were analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis. Participants described their disorder as a functional tool for avoiding and coping with negative emotions, changing their identity and obtaining control. A central theme was the experience of an ‘anorexic voice’ with both demonic and friendly qualities. This voice felt like an external entity that criticised individuals and sometimes dominated their sense of self, particularly as anorexia nervosa got worse. Applying dialogical theory suggests a new model of anorexia nervosa, where the anorexic voice is a self-critical position, which disagrees with and attempts to dominate the more rational self. It is suggested that to move on from anorexia nervosa, the individual needs to address his/her anorexic voice and develop a new dominant position that accepts and values his/her sense of self.     

The Relationship Between Deployment and Turnover in Australian Navy Personnel

Increases in the frequency of operations tempo have focused attention on the relationship between deployment and separation from military service. This retrospective study explored the association between deployment and turnover over a 10-year period in Royal Australian Navy (RAN) personnel. Participants were 2355 males who served in the RAN during the period of the 1991 Gulf War (August 1990–September 1991); approximately half had been deployed to that conflict. Data were collected 10 years later as part of the Australian Gulf War Veterans' Health Study. During that 10-year period, 61% of participants left the RAN. The likelihood of separation decreased as number of deployments increased even when controlling for age, rank, and length of service. Personnel deployed to the 1991 Gulf conflict did not have a significantly higher risk of separation. The results provide evidence that deployment is not necessarily a risk factor for separation.     

Neurobiological Correlates of Autism: A Review of Recent Research

This review paper integrates recent structural and functional imaging, postmortem, animal lesion, and neurochemical research about the pathophysiology of autism. An understanding of the neurobiological correlates of autism is becoming increasingly important as more children are diagnosed with the condition and funding for well-targeted interventions increases. Converging evidence suggests that autism involves abnormalities in brain volume, neurotransmitter systems, and neuronal growth. In addition, evidence firmly links autism with abnormalities in the cerebellum, the medial temporal lobe, and the frontal lobe. Potential implications of these findings and suggestions for future research are reviewed.     

Choosing an mft internship: Ingredients of a successful experience

Abstract

Although internships are now required for MFT doctoral students, little has been written about internships. This article outlines key factors doctoral students need to consider when selecting an internship site.     

Strategies for Dealing with Clients We Dislike

Therapists frequently encounter clients they dislike. Surprisingly, however, there is little in the literature on this topic. The literature that does exist offers little guidance on how to deal with this problem when it arises. The purpose of this article is to explore possible reasons a therapist may dislike a client, as well as strategies that a therapist can use when the problem is encountered. Implications for clinical training are also briefly discussed.     

The Emotionality Activity Sociability Temperament Survey: Factor analysis and temporal stability in a longitudinal cohort

We investigated Buss and Plomin’s Emotionality Activity Sociability (EAS) Temperament Survey for Children, used to assess temperament. Temperament is believed to comprise stable traits that change little over time. We examined stability of EAS temperament in the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children, in which 7429 mothers completed the EAS when their children were 3, 5 and 6 years old. Factor analysis was conducted at each time point, and stability over time was assessed using correlation and mixed effects regression modelling, accounting for differences within and between individuals. A four-factor model provided the best fit, with 19–20 of the 20 items loading onto the dimensions predicted by Buss and Plomin. Test–retest correlations ranged from 0.52–0.64 (3–5 years), 0.59–0.74 (5–6 years) and 0.46–0.58 (3–6 years). Mixed effects regression modelling suggested good stability over time: differences between, rather than within, individuals accounted for between 69% and 82% of the variance. This study demonstrates the stability of temperament over time, a vital pre-requisite to investigating childhood temperament as a predictor of outcomes.