Current Approaches to Phenomenology

Tennessen and Naess both assume that we can make meaningful judgments about the value of life but disagree with one another about whether it is obvious, as Tennessen believes, that the more men know the less reason they have to affirm life. It is their common assumption which Nietzsche would question and these notes try to bring out why.     

How parapsychology could become a science

An important methodological argument is outlined in support of general theoretical challenges to the dominant materialist paradigm. The idea is that the empirical inadequacies of a dominant theory can be hidden from view by various factors, and will emerge from the shadows only when viewed from the perspective of a systematic conceptual alternative. The question then posed is whether parapsychology provides a conceptual alternative adequate to this task. The provisional conclusion drawn is that it does not. Some further consequences are drawn from this concerning the experimental side of the parapsychological tradition.     

II. Introduction to a reappraisal of fear and trembling 1

The idea of a knighthood of faith which involves a ‘teleological suspension of the ethical‘ is the most arresting feature of Kierkegaard's Fear and Trembling. It amounts to a theological shock treatment. It is therefore understandable that critics and commentators who have discussed Fear and Trembling have focused their attention almost exclusively on this extreme notion of faith. Their preoccupation has been unfortunate, however.     

Differential Reactions of Patients Receiving Group Psychotherapy with Concomitant Somatic and Drug Therapies

The embeddedness of combat aggression, violence, survival, and antiauthority dynamics in the psychic organization of Vietnam veterans in groups shape the treatment enterprise. Inherent in treatment interactions and dynamic processes of the Vietnam therapy group are the reactivations of Vietnam-historical reenactments. These involve strong affective reactions toward superiors and toward fellow combatants (“grunts”), with an attendant sense of group danger, unconsciously reminiscent of Vietnam's guerrilla war terrain. This paper notes that because of the tendency of the group to repeat actual events (as opposed to fantasied events), these groups require divergent conceptualizations and technical management. An innovative model comprising a series of developmental phases is presented. This model, called “the curvilinear regressive-progressive model” of treatment with Vietnam veterans, focuses on both peer- and leader-centered dynamics in working through guilt-driven defenses in members. The leader plays a pivotal function in monitoring levels of affect tolerance in the group, and is expected to manage countertransference reactions, and to have sensitivity to the effects of combat stress on self structure. As the Vietnam therapy group members relive the history of the Vietnam conflict in the group, the leader utilizes a flexible, phase-sensitive system of interventions to reactivate arrested development by creating a healing climate where developmental tasks can be mastered and integrated by group members.     

Scrutinizing science scrutinized

This essay argues that Laudan et al.’s (1986,1988) project of empirically testing philosophical models of scientific change was ill‐conceived, thus the data brought to light by the historians had little bearing upon the original problem: testing philosophical models of scientific change. The project is internally inconsistent and the procedure relating the theses under scrutiny to the models of change is so undefined that the corroboration or falsification of the theses teaches us nothing about the models. Serious anomalies in Laudan et al.’s (1988) report of experimental results are then shown to be related to already noticed methodological difficulties. I conclude that the project fails, contrary to its authors’ claim, to use historical evidence in a probative, rather than a simply illustrative, way.     

Books Received

Abstract

Social identity theory was applied in group therapy for adults with mild mental retardation. Social identity theory suggests that social group membership, also called collective identity, has an impact on self-esteem. Individuals will try to maintain self-esteem by viewing their social groups positively. This may not be possible for individuals who are members of a stigmatized group. However, it may be possible to enhance self-esteem by broadening one’s awareness of collective identity. Furthermore, being able to positively view other individuals who are co-members of one’s own stigmatized group can also have positive consequences for self-esteem. A clinical vignette demonstrates this process in group therapy. Results are discussed as being applicable to members of various stigmatized groups.     

The Person in Distress: On the Biosocial Dynamics of Adaptation

Abstract

The application of Motivational Interviewing (MI) principles in Modified Interpersonal Group Therapy (MIGT) addresses two gaps in the literature. First, it explicitly extends MIGT to non-abstinent, addicted patients who are in the precontemplative and contemplative stages of change in contrast to most MIGT models where abstinence is usually required. Second, it provides a novel, process-oriented group intervention for MI, in contrast to current applications of group-based MI which are more structured in their format. The main modification in technique was to prioritize the horizontal exploration of substance use disclosures with a focus on the here-and-now experience of disclosure and the interpersonal impact on the group, in order to: 1) encourage members to openly discuss their ambivalence and shifting motivational states, 2) harness the evocative impact of substance use disclosures between members to elicit change talk (self-motivational statements), and 3) selectively reinforce change talk when it emerges from these exchanges. The authors illustrate these concepts with a case report of an open-ended MIGT group with comorbid mental illness and addiction.     

Memory for Frequency of Bizarre and Common Stimuli: Limitations of the Automaticity Hypothesis

In 2 experiments, the influence of intention to process frequency on accuracy of memory for frequency of bizarre and common sentences was investigated. The results from multiple regression analyses indicated that intentional processing increased the accuracy of frequency judgments when memory for frequency was tested after a 2-min (Experiment 1) and after a 48-hr (Experiment 2) retention interval. Furthermore, the results of Experiment 2 indicated that unintentional processors tended to overestimate frequencies of bizarre relative to common items after a delay. The implications of the results are discussed with regard to L. Hasher and R. T. Zacks's (1984) automaticity hypothesis, human performance, and the accuracy of judgments of frequency of occurrence of unusual events.