Self-conscious emotions and depression: rumination explains why shame but not guilt is maladaptive

Feelings of shame and guilt are factors associated with depression. However, studies simultaneously investigating shame and guilt suggest that only shame has a strong unique effect, although it is not yet clear which psychological processes cause shame and not shame-free guilt to be related to depression. The authors hypothesized that shame, in contrast to guilt, elicits rumination, which then leads to depression. Therefore, in this study we investigated event-related shame and guilt, event-related rumination, and depression among 149 mothers and fathers following family breakup due to marital separation. Data were analyzed using latent variable modeling. The results confirm that shame but not guilt has a strong unique effect on depression. Moreover, the results show that the effect of shame is substantially mediated by rumination. The results are discussed against the background of self-discrepancies and self-esteem.     

Prim?r- und Sekund?rprozess bei Angst und Depressivit?t im psychoanalytischen Erstinterview Eine quantitativ-inhaltsanalytische Ost-West-Untersuchung mit dem ?Regressive Imagery Dictionary“

Vorgestellt wird eine quantitative inhaltsanalytische Untersuchung an 46 psychoanalytischen Erstinterviews, die mit Angstpatienten und depressiven Patienten in Düsseldorf und Magdeburg geführt wurden. Im Mittelpunkt der Methodik steht das Regressive Imagery Dictionary (RID), ein computergestütztes Verfahren mit 43 Einzelkategorien, die zu den drei Indikatoren primärprozesshafter Inhalt, sekundärprozesshafter Inhalt und Emotionalität zusammengefasst werden. Die durchgeführten Subgruppenvergleiche beziehen sich auf Unterschiede zwischen Angstpatienten und depressiven Patienten sowie ostdeutschen (Magdeburg) und westdeutschen (Düsseldorf) Patienten. Die Ergebnisse zeigen in den Texten der ostdeutschen Patienten ein höheres Maß an primärprozesshaften Inhalten, insbesondere in den Kategorien Passivität und regressive Kognition. Bezüglich der Diagnosegruppen zeigen die Angstpatienten gegenüber den depressiven Patienten ein höheres Maß an primärprozesshaften Inhalten in der Subkategorie Oralität. Es zeigt sich, dass in psychoanalytischen Interviews nicht nur diagnosespezifische Inhalte thematisiert werden, sondern auch kultureller Hintergrund, Geschlecht und Bildung von Bedeutung sind. Die Studie leistet einen Beitrag zur Identifizierung automatisch erfassbarer Textmerkmale, die charakteristisch für die in einer qualitativen Studie gefundenen idealtypischen nosologischen Konstrukte der neurotischen Depression und der phobisch-angstneurotischen Erkrankung sind. Hierbei ist der depressive Idealtypus durch eine Überidentifikation mit Werten, durch das Gefühl der Abhängigkeit von einer schädigenden Person, durch Selbstwertprobleme, Hemmung und den unerfüllten Wunsch, geliebt zu werden, gekennzeichnet. Der Angsttypus zeichnet sich durch ein klischeehaft positives Bild der eigenen Persönlichkeit aus sowie durch die Gefühle, falsch verstanden, ausgenutzt, nicht ernst genommen und zum Außenseiter gemacht zu werden, sodass er bei nachlassenden Kräften im Kampf um Leistung nicht mehr mithalten kann.     

Primär- und Sekundärprozess bei Angst und Depressivität im psychoanalytischen Erstinterview

Zusammenfassung Vorgestellt wird eine quantitative inhaltsanalytische Untersuchung an 46 psychoanalytischen Erstinterviews, die mit Angstpatienten und depressiven Patienten in Düsseldorf und Magdeburg geführt wurden. Im Mittelpunkt der Methodik steht das Regressive Imagery Dictionary (RID), ein computergestütztes Verfahren mit 43 Einzelkategorien, die zu den drei Indikatoren primärprozesshafter Inhalt, sekundärprozesshafter Inhalt und Emotionalität zusammengefasst werden. Die durchgeführten Subgruppenvergleiche beziehen sich auf Unterschiede zwischen Angstpatienten und depressiven Patienten sowie ostdeutschen (Magdeburg) und westdeutschen (Düsseldorf) Patienten. Die Ergebnisse zeigen in den Texten der ostdeutschen Patienten ein höheres Maß an primärprozesshaften Inhalten, insbesondere in den Kategorien Passivität und regressive Kognition. Bezüglich der Diagnosegruppen zeigen die Angstpatienten gegenüber den depressiven Patienten ein höheres Maß an primärprozesshaften Inhalten in der Subkategorie Oralität. Es zeigt sich, dass in psychoanalytischen Interviews nicht nur diagnosespezifische Inhalte thematisiert werden, sondern auch kultureller Hintergrund, Geschlecht und Bildung von Bedeutung sind. Die Studie leistet einen Beitrag zur Identifizierung automatisch erfassbarer Textmerkmale, die charakteristisch für die in einer qualitativen Studie gefundenen idealtypischen nosologischen Konstrukte der neurotischen Depression und der phobisch-angstneurotischen Erkrankung sind. Hierbei ist der depressive Idealtypus durch eine Überidentifikation mit Werten, durch das Gefühl der Abhängigkeit von einer schädigenden Person, durch Selbstwertprobleme, Hemmung und den unerfüllten Wunsch, geliebt zu werden, gekennzeichnet. Der Angsttypus zeichnet sich durch ein klischeehaft positives Bild der eigenen Persönlichkeit aus sowie durch die Gefühle, falsch verstanden, ausgenutzt, nicht ernst genommen und zum Außenseiter gemacht zu werden, sodass er bei nachlassenden Kräften im Kampf um Leistung nicht mehr mithalten kann.

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Primary and secondary processes in psychoanalytic first interviews with patients suffering from anxiety and depressionA regressive imagery dictionary content analysis study in West and East German patients

The present paper describes a study on the intake interview narratives of psychotherapy patients with computer assisted content analysis methods. 46 psychoanalytic first interviews of patients suffering from depression or anxiety disorders were analysed with the Regressive Imagery Dictionary (RID), a computer assisted content analysis method with 43 subcategories, which were sumed up to three main categories: Primary Process, Secondary Process, and Emotion. Comparisons between different subgroups of this sample were made: Anxiety vs. depressive patients, and East Germans (Magdeburg) vs. West Germans (Düsseldorf). Significant correlations were found between the Primary Process subcategories Passivity and Regressive Cognition, and East German patients, as well as correlations between the Primary Process subcategory Orality, and anxiety patients. The results confirm our hypothesis, that the psychotherapist-patient-interaction sequences, which are the basis of diagnostic categorization, enclose as well elements which are specific for the disorders under study as elements which are specific for sex and culture (east vs. west). The study contributes to the identification of specific text markers, which can be found in the narratives of patients suffering from neurotic depression vs. patients with phobia and panic disorders. The results of the study are compared with a previous qualitative study. Using the ideal-type concept, our qualitative content analysis study showed as characteristic features of depressed patients overidentification with social roles and norms, feeling of being dependent and injured by another person, problems of self-esteem, shyness, and unfulfilled wishes to be loved and accepted. In contrast, phobic patients characterized the own personality as normal and without any problems in a stereotype way, at the same time feeling misunderstood and exploited by other persons, feeling as an outsider and left alone, and being no more able to compete with others.

     

Historical change of suicide seasonality in the canton of zurich, Switzerland

Current research is yielding an increasingly heterogeneous picture of suicide seasonalities: They seem to depend on methods and, moreover, they seem to have smoothed in recent decades. This work examines the latter issue by comparing suicide seasonalities in the canton of Zurich, Switzerland, in the 16 th -18 th centuries, 1901-1920 and 1969-94. The results indicate shifts of peaks and lows on suicide seasonalities over the centuries, with a smoothing of seasonalities toward the 21 th century. The recent period does not show any suicide seasonality at all. The canton of Zurich seems to be ahead of the general trend found in other regions of Switzerland.     

Right Hemisphere Activation during Indirect Semantic Priming: Evidence from Event-Related Potentials

Healthy subjects performed a lexical decision task in a semantic priming paradigm while event-related potentials (ERPs) were recorded from 64 channels. Semantic distance between prime and target was varied by including directly, indirectly, and nonrelated word pairs. At centro-parietal electrodes an N400 to nonrelated pairs was elicited bilaterally which was sensitive only to direct, but not to indirect semantic priming. These N400 priming effects were mirrored by the RT data. At inferior fronto-temporal sites directly related words showed ERP priming effects over both hemispheres. However, indirectly related words only elicited ERP priming effects over the right hemisphere. These results support the hypothesis that the right hemisphere semantic system is involved in processing of remote semantic information.     

Beyond Pleasure: Exploring the Eudaimonic Entertainment Experience

We examine the notion of eudaimonic entertainment during exposure to a sad but meaningful movie, using a new measure consisting of 5 dimensions derived from research on positive psychology. We, thereby, transfer the conception of eudaimonic well‐being to the conception of entertainment. Results of a confirmatory factor analysis show that the 5 dimensions can be further condensed into 2 second‐order factors. We applied these new measures in a study in which the ending of a movie was manipulated (sad vs. happy). The results provide both discriminant and convergent validity and show that hedonic entertainment measures were affected by the manipulation, but that eudaimonic entertainment measures were unaffected. A second study provided further evidence for the validity of the construct.     

Positive effects of subclinical depression in prospective memory and ongoing tasks in young and old adults

Results reported in the literature show that depression can have either negative or neutral effects on prospective memory (PM). The goal of the present study was to broaden the analysis of depression-related effects on PM, with regard to the possibility that subclinical depression may have positive influence on PM. A total of 120 participants from four groups (young/old, subclinically depressed/non-depressed) completed event- and time-based PM tasks embedded in the linear orders task or stories task, respectively. In the event-based PM task no effects of depression were found, whereas depressed participants were more accurate in the time-based PM task, where higher monitoring during the last minute of the task was observed. It was also found that depressed participants built a mental model in the linear orders task more accurately than controls. Results of the present study are discussed with reference to the analytical rumination hypothesis.     

Self-motion perception influences number processing: evidence from a parity task

We investigated the role of horizontal body motion on the processing of numbers. We hypothesized that leftward self-motion leads to shifts in spatial attention and therefore facilitates the processing of small numbers, and vice versa, we expected that rightward self-motion facilitates the processing of large numbers. Participants were displaced by means of a motion platform during a parity judgment task. We found a systematic influence of self-motion direction on number processing, suggesting that the processing of numbers is intertwined with the processing of self-motion perception. The results differed from known spatial numerical compatibility effects in that self-motion exerted a differential influence on inner and outer numbers of the given interval. The results highlight the involvement of sensory body motion information in higher-order spatial cognition.     

On the Validity of Idiographic and Generic Self‐Concept Implicit Association Tests: A Core‐Concept Model

We present a core‐concept model (CCM) suggesting that stimulus centrality is an important factor in category representations in implicit measures. We tested the hypothesis that idiographic stimuli (first name, birthday) are more central and therefore assess self‐concept in Implicit Association Tests (IATs) more validly than generic and nonspecific stimuli (me, you). Superior validity of the idiographic variant emerged across three different domains of self‐concept. First, an idiographic self‐esteem IAT displayed higher correlations than a generic IAT with self‐assessments and observer‐assessments of self‐esteem. Second, an idiographic body scheme‐IAT predicted subjective ratings of body image and objective body‐mass index. Third, an idiographic aggressiveness‐IAT had higher incremental validity for unprovoked aggression when interacting with explicit measures of aggressiveness. We conclude that idiographic stimuli focus participants' attention on the core features of the self, hence, tapping into self‐related associations to a stronger degree than generic stimuli. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.