The hierarchical structure of the Dimensional Assessment of Personality Pathology (DAPP-BQ)

Hierarchical personality models have the potential to identify common and specific components of DSM-IV personality disorders (PDs), and may offer a solution for the re-tooling of personality pathology in future versions of the DSM. In this paper, we examined the hierarchical structure of the Dimensional Assessment of Personality Pathology-Basic Questionnaire (DAPP-BQ; Livesley & Jackson, 2009) and the capacity of various trait components at different levels to predict DSM-IV PD symptoms. Participants were 275 psychiatric outpatients and 365 undergraduate students. Goldberg's (2006) bass-ackwards method was used to investigate the hierarchical structure of the DAPP-BQ. The predictive capacity of hierarchy components was assessed. We found that Level 5 of the hierarchy enhanced the capacity of the DAPP-BQ for predicting DSM PD symptoms beyond a four-factor structure, particularly for borderline PD.     

Michel Foucault and the “care of the self” approach to the Buddhist dharma

In line with a particular form of analysis as developed by Michel Foucault, this article proposes to elucidate a particular way of understanding Buddhist monastic culture as detailed in the rules concerning behaviour (the Vinaya), which may be called the “care of the self approach”. To develop this argument, the article first describes the nature of the Vinaya as a “training scheme” rather than a system of prohibitions or rules. Second, it examines the nature of confession or what is called “truth telling”. Third, it examines the nature of transgression of the Vinaya rules. Fourth, I examine the Vinaya and the role of ethics. Lastly, it is shown how these approaches to monastic Buddhism deal with the nature of the transformation of desire to construct what may be seen as a form of “ethical technology” or alternatively as a “transgressive technology”.     

Social Buffering by God: Prayer and Measures of Stress

Social buffering is characterized by attenuation of stress in the presence of others, with supportive individuals providing superior buffering. We were interested in learning if the implied presence of a supportive entity, God, would reduce acute stress. Participants were randomly assigned to one of three conditions: prayer, encouraging self-talk, and control. They were subsequently placed in a stressful situation. Self ratings of stress were lower among the prayer and self-talk conditions relative to controls. Systolic and diastolic blood pressures only among those who prayed were lower than controls; however, prayer and self-talk did not differ. Prayer alone did not significantly reduce stress, perhaps because the majority of students in the prayer condition did not consider reading a prayer to constitute praying.     

Teaching and Learning Forgiveness: A Multidimensional Approach

Abstract. This essay seeks to illumine the teaching and learning of the practice of forgiveness by relating a range of theoretical perspectives (theological, psychological, and socio‐cultural) to the process of cultivating the practical wisdom needed for forgiveness. We discuss how a Trinitarian “epistemology of the cross” might lead one to a new way of perceiving life’s constraints and possibilities and relate this theological epistemology to three psychological approaches for understanding forgiveness – a narrative approach, object‐relations theory, and consciousness development theory. Our discussion of these theoretical perspectives is explicitly related to the practice of teaching and learning forgiveness, outlining learning activities we have used in a course we taught (which ranged from case studies and film to lectures and discussions based on close readings of biblical and theological texts) and reporting highlights in our students’ work.     

Quality of Life in Gulf War Veterans: the Influence of Recency and Persistence of Psychiatric Morbidity

Important contributors to quality of life (QOL), such as psychosocial factors, have received limited exploration in veteran populations, in contrast to a significant amount of research focused on health-related quality of life (HRQL). This study investigated QOL and HRQL amongst Gulf War veterans compared with an era-military comparison group 20 years after the 1990/91 Gulf War, and whether psychiatric status over time and psychiatric comorbidities predicted QOL and HRQL. We then investigated which of a range of psychological health, physical health and social factors contribute greatest to QOL. Psychological interviews and postal questionnaires were administered to a cohort of Gulf War veterans and a military-era comparison group in 2000–02 and 2011–12. Gulf War veterans had poorer QOL and HRQL compared with a military comparison group, but the pattern of factors that influenced QOL was the same for both groups. Poorer QOL and HRQL were significantly associated with more recent and persistent psychiatric morbidity over time. Further analyses showed that affective disorders, followed by anxiety disorders had the largest impact on QOL and HRQL, and that QOL and HRQL were negatively affected by each additional psychiatric diagnosis. The importance of these findings was highlighted in a structural equation model that revealed psychological health contributed most to QOL, social support contributed a moderate amount, but physical health contributed only a very small amount. QOL in veterans is an important issue even many years after deployment and psychological health plays a predominant role in QOL.

     

Retrieval Inhibition and Memory Distortion: Negative Consequences of an Adaptive Process

ABSTRACT— Despite the fact that misinformation effects have long been studied by both applied researchers and modelers of human memory, there is little consensus as to the value of such endeavors. We argue that this may be due to a failure to identify the underlying mechanism responsible for such memory distortions. We consider novel evidence for a relationship between retrieval-induced forgetting and the reporting of misinformation. We also explore the extent to which retrieval inhibition underpins this relationship and the implications this has for the modeling of memory and finding potential solutions to real-world problems.     

Does the covert nature of caring prohibit the development of effective services for young carers?

Almost 3 million children in the UK live in households where at least one family member is affected by chronic illness or disability. A proportion of these children will be young carers. This paper begins with a brief review of the literature relating to young carers. Particular attention is paid to the adoption of a caring role, the'hidden' nature of caring including young people'sreluctance to discuss their caring, the impact of caring on education, and the location and type of services provided.The findings of a small-scale study carried out in Scotland are presented in order to highlight some of the issues raised in the literature. Discussion focuses on the implications for the field of guidance and counselling.     

Toward a refined view of aggressive fantasy as a risk factor for aggression: interaction effects involving cognitive and situational variables

Over three decades of research have established a positive connection between fantasizing about aggression and enacting aggression. Such findings have provided strong evidence against the catharsis view of aggressive fantasy. However, little attention has been paid to the potentially nuanced nature of the link between fantasy aggression and actual aggression. In the present article, we examined the influence of four variables in the aggressive fantasy–aggressive behavior link: gender, exposure to violence, fantasy absorption, and level of fantasy about harm befalling loved ones and the self (dysphoric fantasy). Using data from a diverse, community‐based sample of 7–14‐year olds and their mothers, we replicated the general finding that aggressive fantasy is positively associated with real‐world aggressive behavior. However, we also found that the interaction of aggressive fantasy and exposure to violence related significantly to aggression, as did the relation between aggressive fantasy and dysphoric fantasy. When exposure to violence was low, even high levels of aggressive fantasizing did not predict aggressive behavior, and, when aggressive fantasizing was low, even high levels of exposure to violence did not predict aggressive behavior. Similarly, when dysphoric fantasy was high, the connection between fantasy aggression and real aggression was markedly attenuated. The implications of these findings for intervention efforts and future research are considered. Aggr. Behav. 35:313–323, 2009. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.