The role of the analyst in the analytic cure during times of chronic crises

The role of the analyst in psychoanalytic treatment during periods of chronic crises is illustrated with material from two case studies. The first clinical vignette shows an analyst able to stay with fears evoked in the patient by the traumatic external reality, even as the analyst tried to explore with the patient an inner universe that handled this reality in unique ways. The second case study focuses on how the analyst's countertransference during this period of chronic crises, which she was experiencing along with the patient, made it difficult for her to contain the patient's fears and anxieties, because of the threat to her own existence, as well as to her identity as an analyst. In this second case the analyst, out of denial of the external situation, focused blindly on the patient's internal reality in order to counteract her own sense of passivity and helplessness in the confrontation with death and destruction. She clung to "classical" analysis by trying to analyze the patient's defenses, work them through, etc., thus making so-called analytic interpretations rather than staying with the patient's fear, as well as her own, and helping the patient more directly. A turning point came with the birth of the analyst's granddaughter; fear for the new arrival's safety made the analyst sharply aware that it is impossible to ignore external reality, that it must be given a place both in everyday life and in analysis. This awareness enabled the analyst to contain the patients' fears, which helped him feel more supported and facilitated change.     

The Role of Christianity and Islam in Explaining Prejudice against Asylum Seekers: Evidence from Malaysia

ABSTRACT

Prejudicial attitudes toward asylum seekers are prevalent, and an emerging body of literature has revealed that this is partly driven by religious affiliation. The population of Malaysia is multireligious, making it a fruitful location for testing religion-based prejudice hypotheses. Thus, across 2 studies we tested the roles of Christianity and Islam in explicit and implicit prejudices against asylum seekers in the Malaysian context. In Study 1 (n = 97), we present evidence that there are religion-based differences in prejudice against asylum seekers; specifically, Muslims reported higher levels of (classical) explicit prejudice toward asylum seekers than Christians (there were no differences in conditional or implicit prejudices). In Study 2 (n = 117), we tested the hypothesis that these religion-based differences are qualified by the religion of the asylum seeker. In this study, we used a framing paradigm to experimentally manipulate the religion of the asylum-seeking targets. The results revealed an out-group exacerbation effect; that is, participants reported higher levels of prejudice toward asylum seekers who had a different religion from their own. For classical explicit prejudice, the effect was strongest from Muslims toward Christian asylum seekers. Conversely, for implicit prejudice, the reverse was true: The effect was strongest from Christians toward Muslim asylum seekers. These findings are discussed in terms of the political and social circumstances in Malaysia, but we interpret these findings as evidence that explicit and implicit attitudes toward asylum seekers are driven by a complex pattern of religion-based intergroup biases.     

The emerging fragile X premutation phenotype: evidence from the domain of social cognition

Fragile X syndrome is a neurodevelopmental disorder that is caused by large methylated expansions of a CGG repeat (>200) region upstream of the FMR1 gene that results in the lack of expression of the fragile X mental retardation protein (FMRP). Affected individuals display a neurobehavioral phenotype that includes a significant impairment in social cognition alongside deficits in attentional control, inhibition and working memory. In contrast, relatively little is known about the trajectory and specificity of any cognitive impairment associated with the fragile X premutation ("carrier-status") (approximately 55-200 repeats). Here, we focus on one aspect of cognition that has been well documented in the fragile X full mutation, namely social cognition. The results suggest that premutation males display a pattern of deficit similar in profile, albeit milder in presentation, to that of the full mutation. However, little evidence emerged for a correlation between CGG repeat length and severity of phenotypic outcomes. The findings are discussed in the context of functional neuroimaging and brain-behaviour-molecular correlates. We speculate that the deficiencies in social cognition are attributable to impairment of neural pathways modulated by the cerebellum.     

Satisfaction with Body Image and Peer Relationships for Males and Females in a College Environment

The purpose of this study was to examine body image and relationship satisfaction in male and female college students. A total of 101 males and 187 females, primarily Caucasian and middle class, completed a questionnaire designed to measure satisfaction with specific body parts, overall body characteristics, and relationship status. These variables were examined in light of gender and body size differences. Results indicated that women, especially those under or above average weight, were more dissatisfied with their appearance than were men, whereas men were more dissatisfied with their relationships and sex lives than were women. In addition, those body parts with which each gender was most dissatisfied were consistent with the body parts emphasized through ideal images. These results are discussed in relation to gender role dynamics and societal pressures.     

Rose-colored glasses gone too far? Mania symptoms predict biased emotion experience and perception in couples

The present study investigated how symptoms of mania—associated with heightened and persistent positive emotion—influence emotion experience and perception during distressing social interactions, whereby the experience of heightened positive emotion may not be socially adaptive. Specifically, mania symptoms were assessed via a validated self-report measure, and used to predict emotion experience and perception during a naturalistic conversation between romantic couples about a time of distress and suffering (N = 68 dyads). Results indicated that mania symptoms were associated with increased positive and decreased negative emotion experience and perception between couples, as well as decreased empathic accuracy for partners’ negative but not positive emotions. These findings suggest that mania symptoms may be associated with “rose-colored” glasses characterized by a positively biased emotional experience and outward perception even during perhaps the most intimate and distressing social situations.     

Selective spatial processing deficits in an at-risk subgroup of the fragile X premutation

Until a decade ago, it was assumed that males with the fragile X premutation were unaffected by any cognitive phenotype. Here we examined the extent to which CGG repeat toxicity extends to visuospatial functioning in male fragile X premutation carriers who are asymptomatic for a late-onset neurodegenerative disorder, fragile X-associated tremor/ataxia syndrome (FXTAS). Thirty-three premutation males aged 20-68 years [divided into two groups: 16 low-repeat carriers (CGG ≥ 55 ≤ 100) and 17 high-repeat carriers (CGG>100)] with a family history of fragile X syndrome and 62 non-affected adult males with normal FMR1 alleles were recruited. Subjects underwent neuropsychological tests of visuospatial and visual working memory functioning and visuoperceptual processing. On measures of visuospatial processing, the high-repeat carriers performed significantly worse than the normal allele group when age and IQ were covaried out. With increasing age and only in carriers of a larger (>100 repeats) premutation allele was there a greater decrement in visuospatial working memory functioning. Performance on spatial and perceptual judgement tasks failed to show similar specificity in males within the upper premutation range. We conclude that identification of selective visuospatial impairments in carriers of a larger premutation allele indicates greater CGG repeat toxicity in specific neural regions. Longitudinal follow-up studies will be needed to determine whether subtle decline in visuospatial functioning is associated with the later onset of motor symptoms of FXTAS.