The forest and the trees: Examining the association of self-compassion and its positive and negative components with psychological functioning

ABSTRACT

This paper presents two studies focusing on the link between psychological functioning and self-compassion as measured by the Self-Compassion Scale (SCS), especially in terms of SCS components that represent increased compassionate and reduced uncompassionate behavior. Study One examined this association in seven domains – psychopathology, positive psychological health, emotional intelligence, self-concept, body image, motivation, and interpersonal functioning – and found that while reduced negative self-responding had a stronger link to negative emotionality and self-evaluation than positive self-responding, they were roughly equivalent predictors in other domains. Study Two examined the association of compassionate and reduced uncompassionate behavior with sympathetic nervous system and inflammatory activity after stress, and found they equally predicted salivary alpha amylase and interleukin-6 levels in individuals after a stressful situation. Overall, results suggest that both compassionate and reduced uncompassionate self-responding are central to self-compassion and that both help to explain its link to healthy psychological functioning.     

Producing Parsons' reputation: Early critiques of Talcott Parsons' social theory and the making of a caricature

This article examines the critical responses to Talcott Parsons' first major work, The Structure of Social Action (1937), and his two subsequent books, Toward a General Theory of Action and The Social System (both 1951). Because Parsons' work was the subject of such virulent debate, we cannot fully understand Parsons' impact on the discipline of sociology without understanding the source and nature of those early criticisms. I trace the responses to Parsons, first through book reviews and private letters and then in the more substantial statements of C. Wright Mills, George Homans, and Alvin Gouldner, from the largely positive but superficial reception of Structure to the polemics that followed Parsons' 1951 works. In the late 1930s and 1940s, Parsons' reputation grew steadily but there remained no careful reception of Structure, fostering resentment toward Parsons in some quarters while precluding a sophisticated understanding of his work. After 1951, a few critics capitalized on that tension, writing sweeping rejections of Parsons' work that spoke to a much broader audience of sociologists. That dynamic, coupled with Parsons' own indifference toward his harshest critics, produced a situation in which many sociologists simply chose not to read Parsons in the 1950s and 1960s, reinforcing a caricature and distorting perceptions of Parsons' place in mid‐twentieth‐century American sociology. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Fast Mapping in Healthy Young Adults: The Influence of Metamemory

Several research studies suggest the significant role played by metamemory in lexical abilities of both adults and children. To our knowledge, there have been no studies to date that have explored the role of metamemory (Judgments of Learning) in fast mapping of novel words by adults. One hundred and twelve undergraduate students were given tasks of fast mapping and judgments of learning. A one-way Multivariate Analysis of Variance revealed that participants who performed well on fast mapping had superior global and item-by-item absolute prediction scores compared to poor performers. However, the good and poor performers did not significantly differ in their item-by-item relative predictive accuracy (Goodman–Kruskal gamma correlations) in the immediate as well as the delayed judgments of learning conditions. The possible reasons for inferior gamma correlations, the methodological issues for future research and the clinical implications for the assessment and treatment of adults with lexical deficits are discussed.     

Building bridges for disengagement: The transition process for individuals and teams

Abstract

A general dircwion for understanding the process and impact of disengagement and uansition on individual athletes and teams is presented. Disengagement is presented as a process within athlete and team development. The disengagement of athletes from a team and the impact on the team ue examined. Two models of change are described as is a model of group development. Examples of a team in transition are provided and suggestions for sports psychologists' work with athletes and teams in transition an offered. The focus of these suggestions is on work with teams.     

Occupational Therapy Student Experiences and Transformations During Fieldwork in Mental Health Settings

The purpose of this study is to better understand the transformative experiences of occupational therapy students during fieldwork. In occupational therapy education, fieldwork provides students with an in-depth experience in the field. Thirty-one students submitted narratives following completion of Level II fieldwork in a mental health setting. Concepts from transformative learning theory guided the analysis. The themes that emerged were: (1) understanding clients with mental illness; (2) understanding occupation and occupational therapy; (3) feeling like a professional; and (4) changing as a person. The results highlight the importance of understanding the transformative process and fieldwork in mental health settings.     

Domain-specificity in perfectionism: Variations across domains of life

Perfectionism has been assessed in relation to salient or narrow domains within specific populations, yet little is understood across broader domains of life. The aim was to assess positive perfectionism (PP) and negative perfectionism (NP) in five broad domains; university/work, relationships, physical activity, domestic environment and appearance and to determine any gender differences within domains. One hundred and forty four university students (females n = 101; males n = 43) completed a modified perfectionism measure for each domain. Correlations within and between domains for PP and NP ranged from low to moderate with differential patterns by gender, supporting more domain specificity and less of a universal trait. Repeated measures ANOVAs revealed that, overall, PP and NP in the university/work domain was significantly higher than all other domains. Females reported greater PP in the university domain compared to other domains, and more PP in the relationship, domestic environment and appearance domains as compared to the physical activity domain. In contrast, males reported significantly higher PP in the physical activity domain. Females reported significantly higher NP in the university and appearance domains, while males had similar NP across all domains. These findings present a more complex picture of perfectionism with implications for domain-specificity in perfectionistic behavior.     

The Relationship Between Childhood Trauma,Combat Exposure,and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in Male Veterans

The current study investigated the effects of combat exposure, childhood trauma, and depression on posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) severity. Participants were 299 male veterans from the Korean War, World War II, Vietnam, and the first Gulf War who were being screened for admission to the PTSD unit. Participants were assessed with the Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS), Combat Exposure Scale (CES), Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD), Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ), and Mississippi Scale for PTSD (MPTSD). Results of multiple regression analyses indicated that, as expected, combat exposure and depression were significant predictors of PTSD severity. When examined with combat exposure, childhood trauma has a complex relationship to PTSD severity. Examination of the interaction between the CES and CTQ suggests that when levels of combat are low and childhood trauma levels are high, the CTQ is related to higher levels of PTSD severity on the CAPS, regardless of depression. Treatment implications are discussed.     

Moved to tears: Technical considerations and dilemmas encountered in working with a 13-year-old boy with acquired quadriplegia 1

This paper is about therapeutic work with David, a 13-year-old boy who, at the age of 5, was the victim of a hit-and-run road traffic accident resulting in quadriplegia. The circumstances leading to the accident and its sequelae reveal a particularly complex picture, which combines early emotional deprivation and trauma. Although cognitively intact and able to speak, David could not move. Yet he created movement in others through a desperate necessity, by communicating via the employment of extreme projective forces. The highly complex presentation of emotional, psychic and bodily damage in the child, and in particular, David's physical paralysis, has had a profound impact upon what I have come to think of as the ‘mindbody’ of the therapist. Winnicott has talked of the infant's ‘psyche/soma’. Here I want to extend the notion and consider the bodily impact of projections in particular and how these have a powerful emotional and physical resonance on the ‘mindbody’ of the therapist, especially in therapy with a young person whose body is damaged. In this paper, I consider technical challenges and dilemmas encountered in the work, including the complex interplay of transference/countertransference phenomena. This unusual presentation of a boy in extraordinary circumstances led to considerations of psychoanalytic method and interpretative activity, which may be viewed as being inspired by ‘emotional truthfulness’.2 2 Alex Dubinskey (Chair ACP conference 2004) commenting on aspects of this work used the term ‘emotional truthfulness’.

Dans cet article, l'auteur raconte son travail thérapeutique auprès de David, âgé de 13 ans, qui à l'âge de 5 ans fut victime d'un accident de la circulation avec délit de fuite, accident qui le laissa tétraplégique. Les circonstances qui aboutirent à l'accident et à ses séquelles forment un tableau particulièrement complexe mettant en jeu des carences affectives précoces et des traumatismes. Bien que ses capacités cognitives ne fussent nullement atteintes et qu'il fut capable de parler, David ne pouvait pas bouger. Par l'urgence désespérée de son discours, transmise grâce à des projections extrêmement puissantes, il réussissait à susciter du mouvement chez ses interlocuteurs. La présence conjointe et extrêmement complexe de dommages affectifs, psychiques et corporels chez cet enfant – et notamment sa paralysie physique – eut un impact profond sur ce que l'auteur en vient à appeler l'“ esprit-corps ” du psychothérapeute. D. W. Winnicott a parlé du “ psyché-soma ” du jeune enfant. Dans son texte, l'auteur élargit cette notion, notamment pour prendre en considération l'impact corporel des projections, ainsi que leur résonance émotionnelle et physique massive sur l'“ esprit-corps ” du thérapeute, surtout lorsque son patient est une personne jeune dont le corps est endommagé. L'auteur explore les défis et dilemmes techniques rencontrés au cours de son travail, y compris le jeu complexe de phénomènes transférentiels et contre-transférentiels. Ce traitement, inhabituel, avec un garçon dans des circonstances sortant de l'extraordinaire soulève des questions concernant la méthodologie psychanalytique et l'activité interprétative, questions qui peuvent être considérées comme étant inspirées par la “ véracité émotionnelle ”.

Dieser Artikel ist über die therapeutische Arbeit mit David, einem 13-jährigen Jungen, der im Alter von 5 Jahren das Opfer eines Unfalls mit Fahrerflucht war, der zu einer Querschnittslähmung führte. Die Umstände, die zu dem Unfall führten und seine Folgen legen ein besonders komplexes Bild dar, das frühe Vernachlässigung und Trauma kombiniert. Obwohl David kognitiv intakt war und sprechen konnte, konnte er sich nicht bewegen. Doch schaffte er Bewegung aus verzweifelter Notwendigkeit in anderen, indem er mit mithilfe der Benutzung von extremen projektiven Kräften kommunizierte. Die höchst komplexe Präsentation von emotionalem, psychischem und körpelichem Schaden in dem Kind und insbesondere Davids körperliche Lähmung, hatte eine tiefe Auswirkung auf das, was ich nun den ‘mindbody’ (Gemütskörper) des Therapeuten nenne. Winnicott sprach vom Psyche/Soma des Babies. Hier möchte ich diesen Begriff ausweiten und besonders die köperliche Auswirkung der Projektionen betrachten und wie diese eine starke emotionale und physische Resonanz auf den ‘mindbody’ des Therapeutens haben, insbesondere in der Therapie mit einer jungen Person, deren Körper beschädigt ist. In diesem Artikel betrachte ich technische Herausforderungen und Dilemmas, denen man in dieser Arbeit begegnet, einschliesslich der komplexen Wechselwirkung von Übertragungs/ Gegenübertragungsphänomenen. Diese ungewöhnliche Behandlung mit einem Jungen in aussergewöhnlichen Umständen führten zu Überlegungen zur psychoanalytischen Methode undzur Deutungsaktivität, die von ‘emotionaler Wahrheit’ inspiriert wird

Riassunto: In questo articolo si parla del lavoro terapeutico con David, un bambino di 13 anni che, all'età di 5 anni, fu vittima di un incidente stradale che portò alla quadriplegia. Le circostanze che portarono all'incidente e la sua sequela rivelano un quadro particolarmente complesso, nel quale emerge un misto di deprivazione emotiva precoce e trauma. Sebbene David fosse abile cognitivamente e potesse parlare, egli non poteva muoversi. Eppure il bambino generava movimento negli altri attraverso una disperata necessità, comunicando con l'uso di estreme forze proiettive. Il presentarsi di un danno nel bambino altamente complesso nella sua dimensione emotiva, psichica e corporea, ed in particolare, la paralisi fisica di David, hanno avuto un profondo impatto su ciò che ho iniziato a pensare come il ‘corpomente’ del terapeuta. Winnicott ha parlato dello ‘psiche/soma’ del neonato. L'autrice vuole nell'articolo estendere la nozione e considerare l'impatto corporeo delle proiezioni e come queste abbiano una risonanza emotiva e fisica molto forte sul ‘corpomente’ del terapeuta, soprattutto nella terapia con un ragazzo giovane il cui corpo è stato danneggiato. Nell'articolo considero le sfide tecniche e i dilemmi incontrati nel lavoro, compreso il gioco complesso dei fenomeni transferali e controtransferali. Il trattamento insolito con questo bambino in circostanze molto particolari ha portato a considerazioni riguardo al metodo psicoanalitico e all'attività interpretativa, che si possono considerare come ispirati da ‘verità emotiva'¹     

THE THEOLOGICAL ETHICS OF HERBERT McCABE, OP: A REVIEW ESSAY

Herbert Mc Cabe, OP (d. 2001), was a significant theological figure in England in the last century. A scholar of Aquinas, he was also influenced by Wittgenstein and Marx, his reading of whom helped him articulate a distinctive Thomistic account of human embodiment that serves as a critique of other dominant approaches in ethics. This article shows McCabe's contribution to moral theology by placing his work in conversation with other important approaches, namely, situation ethics, proportionalism, and the New Natural Law Theory.