"Without being in psychoanalysis I would never have dared to become pregnant": psychoanalytical observations in a multidisciplinary study concerning a woman undergoing prenatal diagnostics

As is well known, Freud described the clinical practice of psychoanalysis as the 'loam' of his cultural-theoretical work, an assessment which is shared by many psychoanalysts up to the present, including the authors of this paper. The complex interplay between unconscious phantasies on the one hand, and the real experiences arising from the new possibilities opened up by prenatal diagnostics on the other, is described with reference to a report of an intensive, long psychoanalysis with an analysand from a family burdened with a genetically transmitted illness (haemophilia). The holding and containing function of the analyst enabled this analysand, despite traumatic experiences with the miscarriage of a healthy child triggered by a prenatal diagnosis and the later abortion of a haemophiliac baby, nevertheless to have the courage to go through another pregnancy and give birth to a healthy girl. The intensive clinical investigation of the unconscious phantasies, conflicts and traumas around the prenatal diagnostics proved to be not only therapeutically fruitful for the analysand, Ms F. It also facilitated insights into those individual chances and risks which appear to be an integral part of the opportunities presented by todays prenatal diagnostics and, through them, it lead to a cultural-critical look at the ambivalence of medical-technical progress. These insights, which are only attainable through psychoanalysis, can represent a distinctive contribution of psychoanalysis to a multi-disciplinary dialogue with medical practitioners, geneticists, ethicists and health policy-makers. By referring to a large EU study on 'Ethical Dilemmas due to Prenatal and Genetic Diagnostics', this paper gives a practical example of such a discussion. Ms F. was psychoanalytically interviewed as part of this study, 16 years after the conclusion of her analysis. The summary of these interviews, which is set against the account of the treatment, offers an impressive insight not only into the long-term effects of a psychoanalysis under very particular personal circumstances, but also into the lasting consequences of decisions made in the context of prenatal diagnostics. Finally, the results of the individual case study are brought together with the clinical outcomes of the EU study, and some considerations are formulated concerning the protective and risk factors facing women during and after prenatal diagnostics. The paper is an appeal to psychoanalysts, with their specific competence in dealing with unconscious phantasies and conflicts and their high level of professionalism in dealing with traumatised patients, to get involved in fresh dialogue with prenatal diagnosticians and their patients.     

Preaching to the Converted. Why Argue When Everyone Agrees?

This paper discusses the definition of argumentation as a means for persuading an audience on the acceptability of a thesis. It is argued that persuasion is a goal that relates more to the communicative situation, the type of interaction or the type of discourse, rather than to the argumentative nature of it. Departing from the analysis of a short conversational sequence between people who agree on an issue and nevertheless argue, I suggest that a definition of argumentation in terms of persuasion fails to account for what people are actually doing in these situations. I propose instead that several functions may be assigned to argumentation when considering the context in which it is produced: a cognitive function (which helps participants to elaborate a position on the discussed issue), and an identifying function (which enables them to portray themselves through the expression and the justification of their opinion). In the case analyzed here, a third function to which the argumentative activity contributes can also be identified, namely the enhancing of the emotional tonality of the relationship between the participants. While it becomes clear from the discussion of this argumentative sequence that the participants do not seek to persuade each other or some third party, it is not suggested that argumentation never aims at persuading an audience, but rather that persuasion cannot be considered as a defining feature of argumentation.     

Body image satisfaction among Norwegian adolescents and young adults: a longitudinal study of the influence of interpersonal relationships and BMI

This study used a latent growth curve modeling approach to examine body image satisfaction in 1132 Norwegian adolescent and adult males and females measured at six times between ages 13 and 30. An additional model examined the long term influence of parent-child relationship, peer relationship (both relationships assessed at age 13), and BMI (measured at each interval) to the patterns of change. The results showed a linear growth in body image satisfaction through adolescence followed by a stabilizing of the latent curve in adulthood for both genders. There were gender and developmental variations in the relative contributions of parents and peers for the slope and quadratic growth and in the contribution of BMI to body image satisfaction. When controlling for BMI, initial parent-child relationships and peer relationship predicted the variance in slope growth for males. Parent-child relationship predicted quadratic growth for males. Among females, only initial peer relationships predicted linear growth. No effect was found for quadratic growth. BMI had an additional negative effect on body image satisfaction during adulthood.     

Trauma in the Lives of Older Men: Findings from the Normative Aging Study

Research on the prevalence of traumatic exposure has tended to focus on younger populations, limiting our knowledge about trauma and its effects in older adults. In this study, lifetime trauma exposure was assessed in a sample of 436 male military veterans of World War II and the Korean Conflict (age 59–92). A clinician-administered screening measure, the Brief Trauma Interview, was developed to assess lifetime exposure to 10 categories of trauma using DSM-IV criteria. PTSD was assessed in interview and questionnaires. Despite a high prevalence of trauma exposure, symptom levels were relatively low. Few men met criteria for current or lifetime PTSD. Secondary analyses found that lifetime symptom severity was higher in men who met the DSM-IV A.2 criterion, in contrast with men who did not meet A.2. Findings indicate that trauma is highly prevalent among older men, although many may be asymptomatic.     

Organizational Support for Strengths Use,Work Engagement,and Contextual Performance: The Moderating Role of Age

Applied Research in Quality of Life - Personal strengths are those characteristics that allow us to be at our best, that is, to deliver high performance while feeling happy and energized. Research...     

Exploring the Influence of Culture on Career Through the Career‐in‐Culture Interview

This study sought to understand how culture in general affects career development. Using an adapted version of the Career‐in‐Culture Interview (Ponterotto, Rivera, & Sueyoshi, 2000 ), the authors interviewed 14 adults from a variety of cultural backgrounds. Through a qualitative analysis of the interviews, themes were identified based on 4 of the interview questions and were reported based on occupations the participants were aware of while growing up, their cultural and ethnic backgrounds, religious/spiritual backgrounds, and family influence. These themes promote a developmental consideration of career‐related issues in counseling. The findings can help counselors better work with clients by focusing not just on the individual but also on cultural influences on career development.