The interface of family disturbance and individual patienthood

Abstract

This paper addresses the need to approach understanding the individual patient's psychopathology from the vantage point of two etiologic systems: psychoanalytic object relations theory and family systems theory. The complementarity of these approaches is emphasized. It is suggested that the processes of internalization and projection are bridging concepts and that marital relationships provide a unique research context.     

The measurement of Human Life History strategy

This retrospective essay appraises J. Philippe Rushton’s application of life history to understanding the covariation among human traits in light of subsequent developments in the measurement and latent structure of Human Life History, covitality, and personality. We conclude that Rushton should be recognized for having initiated a theoretically and empirically highly fertile paradigm in human individual differences research.     

Psychological wellbeing and the diathesis-stress hypothesis model: The role of psychological functioning and quality of relations in promoting subjective well-being in a life events study

Negative life events are associated with poor wellbeing and mental health outcomes. Following a diathesis-stress model, we tested whether psychological functioning and quality of interpersonal relationships moderated the effect of life events on subjective wellbeing. This study comprised data from a young and middle-aged adult sample (n = 364) drawn from an Australian university-student population. Results indicated that life events were associated with negative but not positive wellbeing outcomes. Perceived impact of life events was a stronger predictor of wellbeing than was the number of life events. Psychological functioning and quality of interpersonal relationships were associated with both wellbeing dimensions but only quality of interpersonal relationships moderated the effect of life events on wellbeing. In conclusion, perceived impact of life events was more strongly related to wellbeing than number of life events. Interpersonal relationships moderate the effect of life events with those reporting higher levels of quality of interpersonal relationships reporting less decrement in negative affect following stressful life events.     

Commentary on Stirling Moorey's and Janet Feigenbaum's papers

Our notions of what constitutes a good therapeutic relationship come from models developed for people with high levels of personal resources who actively choose therapy in preference to other ways of addressing their problems. The context is quite different for those with more severe and enduring mental health problems, when therapy can be one of many interventions being provided. Some of the dilemmas that arise within the therapeutic relationship in such cases can be understood in terms of the therapeutic relationship being conceived of within the dynamics of a dyad, when the actual situation is more akin to a triadic relationship comprising the client, the therapist and others involved in the client's care. Examples of threats to the therapeutic alliance, which I encounter quite frequently in my work, are explored from the perspective of the therapeutic couple within three-person space, as well as from the perspective of the differing, and sometimes conflicting, functions of mental health care. The implications of this for the provision of psychological therapy for people with severe mental health problems within the NHS are then considered.     

"SUBJECTIVE APPROACH TO VOCABULARY” ACQUISITION (OR “... I THINK MY BROTHER IS ARBOREAL!")

This article presents a method and rationale for enhancing verbal learning in a typical reading‐language arts lesson through personal and group generated images and associations.     

Contextualizing experience

This paper extends the discussion of Luke and Banerjee published in an earlier issue of this Journal by suggesting that psychologists studying the effects of stressful experiences on a later outcome do not always acknowledge the possibility that the experience might be correlated with conditions that are necessary for the outcome. This essay argues that the victims of a stressful event are not a random sample of the population and often belong to gender, class, or ethnic groups during particular historical eras that contribute to the outcome. The properties of these groups represent causal patterns that should replace the usual practice of examining the relation between a single independent and dependent variable.     

All of the above: When multiple correct response options enhance the testing effect

Previous research has shown that multiple choice tests often improve memory retention. However, the presence of incorrect lures often attenuates this memory benefit. The current research examined the effects of “all of the above” (AOTA) options. When such options are correct, no incorrect lures are present. In the first three experiments, a correct AOTA option on an initial test led to a larger memory benefit than no test and standard multiple choice test conditions. The benefits of a correct AOTA option occurred even without feedback on the initial test; for both 5-minute and 48-hour retention delays; and for both cued recall and multiple choice final test formats. In the final experiment, an AOTA question led to better memory retention than did a control condition that had identical timing and exposure to response options. However, the benefits relative to this control condition were similar regardless of the type of multiple choice test (AOTA or not). Results suggest that retrieval contributes to multiple choice testing effects. However, the extra testing effect from a correct AOTA option, rather than being due to more retrieval, might be due simply to more exposure to correct information.     

The use of imagery in cognitive therapy for psychosis: A case example

There has been a long tradition of studying imagery in relation to psychotic symptoms. Recent studies have suggested that imagery may be involved in the development and maintenance of psychotic symptoms (hallucinations and delusions in particular). Following a review of this literature, including work conducted by the author and colleagues, a case study is used to illustrate the clinical applications of this work. Working with images that were associated with persecutory delusions appeared to contribute to a reduction in distress, preoccupation, and conviction in relation to these beliefs, which were assessed using a standardised measure (PSYRATS). The implications for theory, practice, and future research are considered.     

Psychosocial Implications of Foreign Accent Syndrome: Two Case Examples

Research on foreign accent syndrome (FAS), a rare form of speech disorder that typically follows some form of neurological insult, has concentrated almost exclusively on its neurogenic origins and motoric features, to the virtual neglect of its psychosocial implications for the patients who experience it. In this article we draw on the concepts and methods of personal construct theory to analyze two cases of FAS, demonstrating the significant and sometimes sweeping reconstruction of these persons’ sense of identity in the social world.