Lines of advance in psychoanalytic psychotherapy

Freud's 1919 paper is taken as a starting-point to review how far we have advanced towards fulfilment of his prophetic remarks about the need to develop psychoanalytic psychotherapy for the masses. A glance is taken back to some of the circumstances and characters involved in Budapest where the paper was given at the 1918 congress, where there was much talk about the need to do something about the war neuroses. Similar pressures led to the founding of the Tavistock Clinic and Cassel Hospital in the UK, long before the start of the NHS. The pressures of both world wars advanced the applications of psychoanalysis; the next wave of pressures may come from NHS changes and entry into Europe. The history of psychoanalytic psychotherapy in the UK is also considered via looking briefly at the history and development of psychoanalytic publications, of the Tavistock Clinic, of psychoanalytic training, of child psychotherapy and the emergence of adult (non-medical) psychotherapy. There have always been tensions between exponents of the pure gold of analysis and the needs of its wider applications. More flexible arrangements and boundaries are necessary if we are to spread psychoanalysis beyond London and to fulfil Freud's own hopes about the large-scale application of psychoanalytic therapy.     

RITALIN UPDATE: IMPLICATIONS FOR READING TEACHERS

Ritalin (methylphenidate hydrochloride) is a powerful stimulant drug frequently prescribed for children exhibiting hyperactive behavior, poor attention span, and/or distractibility. Reading teachers and other educators have a particular interest in Ritalin since they frequently have students in their classes taking this medication. The researchers in this study were interested in determining how Ritalin is prescribed for children in educational settings, what dosages seem appropriate, and specifically, what effect Ritalin has on reading achievement. Implications for reading teachers are discussed.     

Equality in Law and Philosophy

This article discusses various arguments for and against treating equality as a fundamental norm in law and political philosophy, combining prior arguments to the effect that equality is essentially an empty idea with arguments that treat it as a non‐empty but mistaken value that should be rejected. After concluding that most of the arguments for treating equality as a fundamental value fall victim to one or both of these arguments, it considers more closely arguments made by philosophers such as Ronald Dworkin and Thomas Nagel that base a duty of promoting equality on the fact that governments impose a legal order on persons without their consent. It concludes that these arguments are mistaken: if the legal order imposed by government is justified then imposing it is not wrongful and generates no duty of equal treatment, while if that order is not justified no requirement of equality of treatment would cure the lack of justification. It concludes that equality should not be a value in law or political theory, but in some cases other considerations (such as alleviating poverty and distress, promoting accuracy and substantive justice, avoiding arbitrariness, and other values) may justify particular rules that are sometimes mistakenly thought to be based on equality.     

Test-Retest Properties of the Least Preferred Co-worker (LPC) Score

The test-retest properties of the Least Preferred Co-Worker (LPC) scale and two subscales were examined under two conditions: (a) a naive condition, in which respondents were uninformed as to the meaning of the scale and (b) an informed condition, in which the scale was explained to respondents between administrations. The results support the hypothesis that the test-retest stability of the total LPC score would decrease significantly when respondents understood the scale. The stability of the interpersonal subscale exhibited a decrease similar to that of the total scale score, whereas the stability of the task subscale remained constant even when the scale was explained.     

The Consequences of Ignoring Variability in Measurement Occasions Within Data Collection Waves in Latent Growth Models

In longitudinal data collection, it is common that each wave of collection spans several months. However, researchers using latent growth models commonly ignore variability in data collection occasions within a wave. In this study, we investigated the consequences of ignoring within-wave variability in measurement occasions using a Monte Carlo simulation and an empirical study. The results of the simulation study showed that ignoring heterogeneity resulted in biased estimates for some parameters, especially when heterogeneity was large and assessment dates had a skewed distribution. Models constructed on person-specific time points yielded precise estimates and more adequate model fit. In the empirical study, we demonstrated different time coding strategies with a subsample taken from Early Childhood Longitudinal Study Kindergarten Cohort.     

Client Uncertainty and the Process of Change in Psychotherapy: The Impact of Individual Differences in Self-concept Clarity and Intolerance of Uncertainty

We describe a number of ways in which two major components of client uncertainty, namely, self-concept clarity and intolerance of uncertainty may either facilitate or impede change in psychotherapy. Clients with low self-concept clarity find it much more difficult to clearly identify and understand their problematic thoughts, emotions, and behaviors; thus slowing down their progress through the various stages identified in Prochaska’s model of psychotherapeutic change. To illustrate, they may engage in much more contemplation prior to action, as they struggle to increase their awareness and insight. Clients with high intolerance of uncertainty experience substantial discomfort when faced with uncertainty, causing them to be highly motivated to avoid or minimize any aspects of psychotherapy that focus on change. This may cause them to avoid confronting their problems during the action stage of therapy. We further suggest that it would be beneficial to assess these two components of client uncertainty very early on in the therapeutic process, in order to facilitate a given client’s progress. Finally, we indicate a need for much more research that explores the role of these two individual difference constructs during therapy. This might include, for example, studies that directly examine how self-concept clarity and intolerance of uncertainty may relate to progress through each stage of change, or the selective use of avoidance strategies. Authorship of this paper is equal. A special thanks to Joan Olinger for her many helpful comments on this paper. This paper won the 2007 Wilfred Quaytman Award for Innovations in Psychotherapy, jointly sponsored by the Long Island Consultation Center and International Scientific Comminucations, Inc. to commemorate the spirit and dedication of Dr. Wil Quaytman, psychologist, psychotherapist, and founding editor of the Journal of Contemporary Psychotherapy.     

THE DIVERSITY–VALIDITY DILEMMA: OVERVIEW AND LEGAL CONTEXT

Due to racioethnic and sex subgroup differences on predictor scores in many selection procedures, it is difficult for organizations to simultaneously maximize the validity of their selection procedures and hire a diverse workforce. One response to this diversity–validity dilemma is to revise the selection procedures, an approach developed by Ployhart and Holtz (this issue, 2008) . A second possible response is to use affirmative action to increase workforce diversity, an approach developed by Kravitz (this issue, 2008) . This paper briefly presents the legal context that motivates and constrains these approaches. We begin by defining key terms, describing adverse impact, and outlining the burden of proof in adverse impact cases. We then turn to the use of racioethnic minority and female preferences, summarizing some key court decisions and the conditions under which private and public employers may use preferences.