Beziehung und Exposition

In the treatment of anxiety disorders both psychodynamic and behavioral therapeutic methods have proved successful. Linking the two methods in one treatment is usually avoided by therapists, although there is evidence for using such an approach. There is a lack of a regulatory framework for the integration of the various procedures. Taking anxiety treatment as an example, a contribution to such a regulatory framework is developed: the use of exposure (as a cognitive behavioral element) and the examination of the transference aspect of the therapeutic relationship by the therapist (as a psychodynamic element) are systematically placed in relation to each other, whereby the understanding of the therapeutic process is deepened.     

Placement of responsibility and moral reasoning in couple therapy

Within the past two decades there has been a growing awareness of the importance of moral and ethical judgements in family and couple therapy. In this article we provide a detailed analysis of placements of responsibility related to blame in one couple therapy session. We suggest that it is important to study therapeutic interaction in situ , when searching for an understanding of moral reasoning in couple therapy and an ethical evaluation of the practice. A detailed analysis of discursive tools used by clients and therapists makes it possible to look at moral reasoning in action as it unfolds within the flow of therapeutic conversation. The findings are discussed in relation to two discourses of moral justification: autonomy and relationality. The principle guiding the therapists' actions in the studied conversation could be called 'relational autonomy'.     

Identifying reading strategies using latent semantic analysis: comparing semantic benchmarks.

We explored methods of using latent semantic analysis (LSA) to identify reading strategies in students' self-explanations that are collected as part of a Web-based reading trainer. In this study, college students self-explained scientific texts, one sentence at a time. ISA was used to measure the similarity between the self-explanations and semantic benchmarks (groups of words and sentences that together represent reading strategies). Three types of semantic benchmarks were compared: content words, exemplars, and strategies. Discriminant analyses were used to classify global and specific reading strategies using the LSA cosines. All benchmarks contributed to the classification of general reading strategies, but the exemplars did the best in distinguishing subtle semantic differences between reading strategies. Pragmatic and theoretical concerns of using LSA are discussed.     

Automatic classification of dysfunctional thoughts: a feasibility test.

The identification of dysfunctional thoughts is a central effort in cognitive therapy. This paper describes the first version of a computer module that classifies dysfunctional thoughts automatically. It is part of COGNO, a system we are developing to give automatic feedback on dysfunctional thoughts. The system uses rules that were developed from language markers identified in a sample of 149 dysfunctional thoughts. The system was tested with an independent set of 112 example thoughts. The system detects the majority of dysfunctional thoughts, but works reliably only for some thought categories. Automatic thought classification may be a first step toward developing natural dialogue systems in cognitive therapy.     

Successful Development: Childhood Antecedents of Adaptive Psychosocial Functioning in Adulthood

The study was part of the Jyväskylä Longitudinal Study of Personality and Social Development. Data on developmental background for 131 women and 130 men consisted of variables for (1) emotion regulation at age 8, (2) cognitive–motivational orientation at age 14, and (3) family circumstances, and data on adult outcomes for variables concerning psychosocial functioning at age 36. Links between the childhood and adulthood variables were investigated using the LISREL model which consisted of two parts, the measurement model and the structural equation model. Two correlating latent factors emerged from adult outcomes for men and women: Social Functioning, consisting of external criteria for successful development (stability of career line, controlled drinking, socialization) and Psychological Functioning, consisting of internal criteria (self-esteem and psychological well-being). Only Social Functioning was explained by developmental background. High emotion regulation in childhood was a more robust antecedent of good social functioning in men than in women.     

Multiple causal pathways in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder – Do emerging executive and motivational deviations precede symptom development?

The multiple causal pathways model on the etiology of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is well established. However, developmental implications of the model are not yet sufficiently analyzed. The model implies that critical neural and neuropsychological deviations from normative development precede secondarily developing ADHD symptoms. Cognitive, “cool” inhibitory control (CIC) and reward-related, “hot” functions (RRF) are regarded as neuropsychological basic deficits that indicate independent causal pathways. Both functions involve top-down control networks that undergo major normative developmental changes in the preschool period. We formalized the following assumptions in a path model: (a) CIC and RRF predict change in ADHD symptoms in the preschool period, (b) the reverse is not true, and (c) CIC and RRF independently contribute to this prediction. A community-based sample of 125 (71 boys) preschoolers was assessed at at age 4 and 5 years. At each assessment wave, CIC and RRF were measured by a battery of age-appropriate valid tasks. ADHD symptoms were measured by a clinical parent interview. Evaluation of model fit using manifest maximum likelihood parameter estimation clearly supported the hypothesized path model while controlling for gender of child and maternal education level. Thus, regarding the basic deficits of CIC and RRF, the results add evidence on the developmental implications of the multiple causal pathways model. Our findings point to the potential significance of these early emerging characteristics as indicators of risk and as targets for preventive interventions.     

Psychological interventions for infertile patients: a review of existing research and A new comprehensive approach

The usefulness of psychological support for infertile patients has been highlighted in the literature over the past number of years. This article provides a review of existing research on psychological interventions for infertile patients, and presents the Fertility Group Intervention as an example of the application of existing research. There is clear empirical evidence of high levels of depressive symptoms, anxiety, and distress among infertile patients undergoing assisted reproductive treatment (ART). Infertile patients need and require increased psychological support. Various studies indicate the efficacy of psychological interventions for infertile patients with respect to their mental health and, in part, pregnancy rates. However, many such studies exhibit methodological problems. Therefore, in future research, additional studies of high‐quality design are needed to achieve more definitive answers on the efficacy and indication of psychological interventions for infertile patients. Currently, the Fertility Group Intervention represents a comprehensive therapeutic approach integrating established empirical and theoretical approaches with the aim of helping infertile patients – particularly those undergoing ART – cope with distress related to their infertility and medical treatment. This article further outlines the therapeutic background and structures, treatment goals, practical implications, and feasibility of the Fertility Group Intervention.     

How to test the threat-simulation theory

Malcolm-Smith, Solms, Turnbull and Tredoux [Malcolm-Smith, S., Solms, M.,Turnbull, O., & Tredoux, C. (2008). Threat in dreams: An adaptation? Consciousness and Cognition, 17, 1281-1291.] have made an attempt to test the Threat-Simulation Theory (TST), a theory offering an evolutionary psychological explanation for the function of dreaming [Revonsuo, A. (2000a). The reinterpretation of dreams: An evolutionary hypothesis of the function of dreaming. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 23(6), 877-901]. Malcolm-Smith et al. argue that empirical evidence from their own study as well as from some other studies in the literature does not support the main predictions of the TST: that threatening events are frequent and overrepresented in dreams, that exposure to real threats activates the threat-simulation system, and that dream threats contain realistic rehearsals of threat avoidance responses. Other studies, including our own, have come up with results and conclusions that are in conflict with those of Malcolm-Smith et al. In this commentary, we provide an analysis of the sources of these disagreements, and their implications to the TST. Much of the disagreement seems to stem from differing interpretations of the theory and, consequently, of differing methods to test it.