Befprechungen

Ohne Zusammenfassung     

Das Problem der Willensmessung und das Grundgesetz der Assoziation. II

Ohne Zusammenfassung Um Mi?verst?ndnissen vorzubeugen, sei zu den Ausführungen Teil I S. 195 folgendes bemerkt: Es sollte keineswegs die Existenz unanschaulicher psychischer Gegebenheiten geleugnet werden, vielmehr spielen m. E.unanschauliche Erlebnisse mannigfachster Art eine überragende Rolle und sind selbst bei den eigentlichen Auffassungsprozessen sinnlicher Gegebenheiten sehr wesentlich. (Da ein flie?ender übergang zwischen anschaulichen und unanschaulichen Erlebnissen besteht, scheint mir die Frage, ob im konkreten Falle keinerlei Spuren von Anschaulichem vorhanden sind oder nicht, nicht sehr wichtig.) Nur soll in dieser Arbeit nicht die Frage der psychologischen Systematik nach der Existenz unanschaulicher Erlebnisse er?rtert werden, sondern die Assoziationspsychologie, sofern sie die Gültigkeit ganzbestimmter Gesetze (also auch nicht die Gesetzlichkeit des Psychischen überhaupt) behauptet, untersucht werden. Endlich sollte die Trennung des “sensualistischen” Momentes von der Behauptung der Gültigkeit des speziellen “Assoziationsgesetzes” keine Bemerkung zur Historie, sondern eine sachliche Unterscheidung zur gegenw?rtigen Assoziationspsychologie darstellen.     

Building Capacity Among Laity: A Faith-Based Health Ministry Initiative

A systematic review of topic-specific faith-based health programs determined that health outcomes can be improved though faith-based health interventions. A university research team, in partnership with the Kansas United Methodist Church and a United Methodist philanthropy, facilitated planning and development of a statewide initiative to increase the capacity of laity-led health ministry teams. The purpose of this paper is to describe the processes utilized to design and implement an initiative to increase capacity for laity-led comprehensive health ministry among Kansas United Methodist Church congregations and to share the key elements of the initiative.     

Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome in Prader-Willi Syndrome: An Unrecognized and Untreated Cause of Cognitive and Behavioral Deficits?

Prader-Willi Syndrome (PWS) is a rare genetic disorder characterized by a range of physical, psychological, and physiological abnormalities. It is also distinguished by the high prevalence of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS), i.e., repetitive upper airway collapse during sleep resulting in hypoxia and sleep fragmentation. In non-PWS populations, OSAS is associated with a range of neurocognitive and psychosocial deficits. Importantly, these deficits are at least partly reversible following treatment. Given the findings in non-PWS populations, it is possible that OSAS may contribute to neurocognitive and psychosocial deficits in PWS. The present review examines this possibility. While acknowledging a primary contribution from the primary genetic abnormality to central neural dysfunction in PWS, we conclude that OSAS may be an important secondary contributing factor to reduced neurocognitive and psychosocial performance. Treatment of OSAS may have potential benefits in improving neurocognitive performance and behavior in PWS, but this awaits confirmatory investigation.     

Neurorobiology and evidence-based biological treatments for substance abuse disorders

Behavioral patterns of addiction include compulsive drug-seeking, persistent abuse of substances despite the often dire consequences on social functioning and physical health, and the high probability of relapse even after prolonged drug-free periods. The recent focus on the biological basis of addiction has provided evidence to support the hypothesis that behavioral manifestations for addiction are influenced by biological factors, and biological factors often produce behavioral changes that can further increase risk. The current understanding of the role of the dopaminergic, glutamatergic, Upsilon-aminobutyric acidergic, and opioid receptor systems in the pathophysiology of addiction as well as the clinical implications of these systems for new and emerging treatments will be discussed. This article will also review the pharmacologic agents used in the treatment of substance abuse disorders and presents evidence-based data for their safety, efficacy, and feasibility of use in different patient populations.     

Therapeutic reactance in a depressed client sample: a comparison of two measures

The impact of client variables on psychotherapy is of both theoretical and practical importance. Reactance--the premise that individuals seek to maintain control over personal freedoms when threatened by a perceived loss thereof--has been shown to have an impact on the effectiveness of therapeutic interventions. Developing an effective means of quantitatively assessing this characteristic prior to treatment could facilitate treatment planning and maximize treatment outcome. The present study compared two paper-and-pencil measures of reactance: the Therapeutic Reactance Scale (TRS) and Resistance Potential (RP). Ninety-eight men and women diagnosed with depression completed both measures. The TRS and RP failed to correlate despite their presumed ability to measure the same construct. The RP exhibited extremely poor internal consistency, calling into question results that have been based on this measure. The TRS results provided evidence of convergent, divergent, and construct validity for this instrument.