Property Dualism,Epistemic Normativity and the Limits of Naturalism*

This paper examines some consequences of the (quasi‐)epiphenomenalism implied by a property dualistic view of phenomenal consciousness. The focus is upon the variation of phenomenal content over time. A thought‐experiment is constructed to support two claims. The weaker claim exhibits an incompatibility which arises in certain logically possible situations between a conscious subject’s epistemic norms and the requirement that one be aware of one’s conscious experience. This could be interpreted as providing some epistemic grounds for the postulation of bridging laws between the physical/functional and phenomenal domains. The stronger claim has it that the ontology of property dualism is not properly able to account for the certainty I have of being phenomenally conscious. The problem is viewed as resulting from the neglect of the intensional context involved in a proper representation of the argument for property dualism. It is argued that only a transcendental move can do justice to this certainty I have.     

Still living in a war zone: Perceived health and wellbeing of partners of Vietnam veterans attending partners' support groups in New South Wales,Australia

Post‐traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in veterans is well documented, less so the long‐term impact on the health of their partners and families. The perceived health and wellbeing of women partners of Australian Vietnam veterans who were members of partners of veterans support groups is reported. This qualitative study used data from 76 participants in 10 focus groups in metropolitan, regional, and rural and remote areas of New South Wales (NSW). The data were tape‐recorded, transcribed and thematically analysed using constant comparison methods. The impact of living with a partner with war‐related PTSD appears to be significant and ongoing with women drawing parallels to living in a war zone. The biggest negative impact was on their mental health. They felt burdened as carers and struggled to find explanations for their husbands' problems. Support groups were very helpful. There are implications for partners of veterans who have returned from active military duty and from peacekeeping in current conflicts.     

The Structure of Instrumental Practical Reasoning

Standard views of instrumental practical reasoning often appeal just to an end-directed desire and a means-end belief. I argue that such accounts are insufficient when it comes to the practical lives of agents. Instead I offer a novel view of such reasoning, the heart of which is the addition of a normative belief concerning the desirability of the agent's end.     

Fiction Unlimited

We offer an original argument for the existence of universal fictions—that is, fictions within which every possible proposition is (fictionally) true. Specifically, we detail a trio of such fictions, along with an easy‐to‐follow recipe for generating more. After exploring several consequences and dismissing some objections, we conclude that fiction, unlike reality, is unlimited when it comes to truth.     

Reflections on Bion's 'elements of psychoanalysis' Experience, thought and growth

This paper aims to follow, in Bion's conception of analytic work, an axis of refl ection organized around three preoccupations: favoring emergence of emotional experience, symbolic elaboration of that experience and resuming growth through symbolic thought. The overarching issue and condition of all three is the capacity to contain the largest possible range of transferential and countertransferential facts in analytic sessions. This range is likely to be reduced if the analyst listens to the experience of a session with too great a number of theoretical elements in mind. Hence the dictum 'To listen without memory and desire', which will be commented upon here in parallel with the process of abstraction, a process serving in Bion's writings the purpose of dealing both with the epistemological problem of communication among analysts and with the clinical problem of receptiveness to the unknown.     

A transitory homosexual passion in the course of an analytic treatment1

Do homosexualities express a sexual confl ict originating in bisexuality or must we look for their deep determinism in the narcissistic confl ict and its vicissitudes? Two clinical sequences from the treatment of a borderline patient, which occurred during years seven and eight of treatment, a period characterised by intense drive turbulence and the unexpected occurrence of a transitory homosexual passion, will enable the reader to follow the psychical movements and evolution of the work of representation. The fi rst sequence throws light on the links between her sudden involvement in this homosexual passion and the traumatic dangers of a breakdown of her ego's capacity for representation, linked to a reactivation in the transference of early and later traumatic traces whose reverberation in the transfero/countertransference dynamic was the source of a painful transference that was responsible for this lateral transference movement. The second sequence shows the links between the strengthening of her capacity for representation, thanks to the working through of the oedipal confl ict in its two aspects, and her renunciation of this passion. The roots of this transitory homosexual passion in the deep fl aws of her psychical functioning raise metapsychological questions concerning, in particular, the dynamic of the ‘double’(‘twin’) and narcissism.     

Psychometric properties of the revised Norwegian dispositional resilience (hardiness) scale

Hystad, S. W., Eid, J., Johnsen, B. H., Laberg, J. C. & Bartone, P. T. (2010) Psychometric properties of the revised Norwegian dispositional resilience (hardiness) scale. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology, 51, 237–245. In the 30 years that have elapsed since it was first introduced, the concept of hardiness has continued to attract the attention and interest of researchers from all over the world. The purpose of this study was to examine the reliability and factor structure of a revised Norwegian hardiness scale (Dispositional Resilience Scale 15; DRS‐15). Using exploratory and confirmatory factor analytic strategies with a large sample of working adults (N = 7,280), support was found for a hierarchical structure comprising a general hardiness dimension and three sub‐dimensions (commitment, control, and challenge). Overall, the results support the reliability and validity of the revised DRS‐15 and underscore the importance of examining the psychometric properties and cultural appropriateness of translated scales.