Testing a Relational Model of Psychopathology With the MMPI-2

The purpose of this study is to validate a relational, contextual selfhood model of psychopathology with the MMPI-2. Positive and negative attributions of importance to self and intimate others were hypothesized as producing four personality propensities: a functional one, self-fullness, and three dysfunctional ones or extreme deviations, selfishness or externalization, selflessness or internalization, and no-self and psychopathology. These propensities have meaning specifically in intimate (committed, prolonged, and close) relationships and may not generalize to public, short-lived, or superficial, ones. Four algorithms, composed from validity and clinical scales of the MMPI-2, evaluated whether the four personality propensities of the model can be validated with the MMPI-2. An early study using undergraduates gave some support for the reliability of classifications obtained from the four algorithms. However, the use of nonclinical cases and the lack of an external criterion to evaluate level and type of psychopathology required a larger sample of clinical cases and the use of an external criterion. Both criteria were met with a much larger clinical sample with one external criterion about type and extent of psychopathology, the Multiaxial Diagnostic Inventories (MDI) using ratings by respondents themselves and diagnoses by psychologists evaluating them. The results of the MDI tended to support possible links between the relational model and an empirical test like the MMPI-2.     

The Role of Interruptions and Contextual Associations in Delayed‐Execute Prospective Memory

We conducted three experiments to examine the dynamics of a delayed‐execute prospective memory task involving task interruptions. In the delayed‐execute paradigm, participants must delay a response until some future condition is met. After an intention was formed to a salient cue, an interruption reduced prospective memory relative to a no‐interruption condition. Prospective memory for cues encountered during an interrupting task was worse than for cues occurring before an interruption, but the location of the cue in either the ongoing task or the interruption did not affect prospective memory. Importantly, reinstating the prevailing context after the interruption alleviated the negative influence of the interruption. Providing participants with information about the future context for making the delayed‐execute response also alleviated some of these deficits presumably because participants could encode more specific features of the performance context. These results highlight the potential importance of contextual associations and reminders in completing everyday intentions successfully. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Co-Authoring “We-ness” and Stories of Intimacy

Drawing from narrative ideas and practices, we consider how individuals, couples, and couples with therapists co-author and co-edit stories of “we-ness,” a kind of relational consciousness, and intimacy in the context of research interviews. Adapting the “small story” narrative approach of Michael Bamberg, and recognizing researcher reflexivity, we present details from two separate studies into: (1) how cohabitating couples co-authored stories of “we-ness” in and beyond a research interview; and (2) how young married couples co-authored stories of “we-ness” by describing how they made significant decisions together through difficult yet successful conversations. Inviting such stories of “we-ness” can talk this intimacy into being. We relate the processes and outcomes of these studies to using a narrative approach to help individuals and couples with concerns about intimacy within the context of therapy.     

Mechanisms of inferential order judgments in humans (Homo sapiens) and rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta)

If A > B, and B > C, it follows logically that A > C. The process of reaching that conclusion is called transitive inference (TI). Several mechanisms have been offered to explain transitive performance. Scanning models claim that the list is scanned from the ends of the list inward until a match is found. Positional discrimination models claim that positional uncertainty accounts for accuracy and reaction time patterns. In Experiment 1, we trained rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta) and humans (Homo sapiens) on adjacent pairs (e.g., AB, BC, CD, DE, EF) and tested them with previously untrained nonadjacent pairs (e.g., BD). In Experiment 2, we trained a second list and tested with nonadjacent pairs selected between lists (e.g., B from List 1, D from List 2). We then introduced associative competition between adjacent items in Experiment 3 by training 2 items per position (e.g., B?C?, B?C?) before testing with untrained nonadjacent items. In all 3 experiments, humans and monkeys showed distance effects in which accuracy increased, and reaction time decreased, as the distance between items in each pair increased (e.g., BD vs. BE). In Experiment 4, we trained adjacent pairs with separate 9- and 5-item lists. We then tested with nonadjacent pairs selected between lists to determine whether list items were chosen according to their absolute position (e.g., D, 5-item list > E, 9-item list), or their relative position (e.g., D, 5-item list < E, 9-item list). Both monkeys' and humans' choices were most consistent with a relative positional organization.     

Le processus placebo : amorcer le sujet par une « hypothèse suffisamment bonne »

If placebo cure is self-cure, a fundamental question, as proposed by N. Humphrey, is why this capacity remains blocked until primed by a symbolic event such as the injection of an inert substance. In our view, this event induces a rearrangement of the ongoing predictions by which the brain generates expectancies of what is likely to happen next. These predictions are akin to anticipations simulating an increased comfort in the case of the administration of an antalgic treatment. In some cases, this anticipation promotes the reinforcement… of its prediction, mediated by a dopamine surge, together with a release of endogenous opiates. This priming of a circular causal chain might represent the basis of a placebo effect… normally followed by the action of the pharmacological event itself. Somehow, the placebo effect is akin to a risky bet.     

Application of signature strengths at work: A dual-level analysis

ABSTRACT

Each individual possesses character strengths, the most significant of which are classified as signature strengths. With a sample of 164 individuals who were employed at least part-time in a variety of industries, we examined application of signature strengths and well-being both between-persons (global) and within-persons (daily). Global application of signature strengths was associated with global job satisfaction and strain; however, no significant mediation effects on intent to turnover were found. We also found that daily variations in application of signature strengths were related to daily job satisfaction and strain. Common method bias associated with trait positive and negative affect differed by level of analysis: At the between-person (global) level, trait affect produced substantial inflation of estimates, but at the within-person (daily) level, inflation was negligible. The results suggest the importance of daily opportunities to apply signature strengths and of accounting for variance attributable to trait affect in between-person analyses.     

Acting Theory Applied to Counseling: Stanislavski Continues to Contribute to Psychic Healing

ABSTRACT

This article explores a specific aspect of Stanislavski’s methods of training actors to examine the potential benefits for helping clients in the cultivation of new perceptions through empathy, which may, in turn, help toward psychic healing. Stanislavski’s methods of training actors, which is rooted in understanding the human condition, are the underpinnings for most modern acting theories. This discussion builds an additional bridge between acting theory and counseling theory to investigate additional therapeutic benefits of acting in a clinical setting. This article adds to the conversation of the possibility of expanding applications of drama therapy based on specific aspects of acting theories.