Family therapists and family business: A view of the future

The family business is a unique entity that has recently come to the attention of business consultants and family therapists. The unique processes of family business are amendable to the applications of family systems theory, organizational development theory, and various theories that focus on individual growth and development. In this paper we review some of the basic concepts relative to understanding family businesses and briefly outline our approach to consultation with family businesses.     

Couple therapy and the developmental phase of couple relations with students

The aim of this research project has been, in terms of couple evaluation and therapy, to study structural couplings between individual development and the epigenesis of couple relationships. The epigenesis of couple relations was studied according to the model developed by Wynne in which the epigenetic stages are attachment/ caregiving, communicating, joint problem-solving, mutuality, and intimacy. Attachment/caregiving is crucial for the success of couple therapy. The research on 57 couples makes possible a new paradigm for theoretically understanding interconnections between individual development and development of the couple relation; valuable information for planning integrated and need-specific treatment of the couple relation; and evaluation of the course and prognosis of couple relationship with student.This study was carried out at the Health Care Center for Students, in Turku, Finland, and was financially supported by the Pro Sanitate Studiosorum Institute, Helsinki, Finland. We have been in cooperation with and received invaluable constructive criticism from Lyman C. Wynne, MD, PhD, whose theoretical model we applied in this study. Ms. Birgitta Nolvi's secretarial work was greatly appreciated.     

The medical research council’s approach to allegations of scientific misconduct

The UK’s Medical Research Council (MRC) introduced a specific policy and procedure for inquiring into allegations of scientific misconduct in December 1997; previously cases had been considered under normal disciplinary procedures. The policy formally covers staff employed in MRC units, but those in receipt of MRC grants in universities and elsewhere are expected to operate under similar policies. The MRC’s approach is stepwise: preliminary action; assessment to establish prima facie evidence of misconduct; formal investigation; sanctions; and appeal. Strict time limits apply at all stages. The procedure will be evaluated after two years. The indications so far are that the procedure is robust, and its clarity and transparency have been an asset to all parties. The MRC is also convinced that it is equally important to achieve a working culture that fosters integrity. Thus education and training in good research practices are fundamental to the prevention of research misconduct. This paper was presented at a symposium, Scientific Misconduct: An International Perspective, organized by The Medical University of Warsaw, 16 November, 1998.     

The Cultural Factor in Lay Perception of Jealousy as a Motive for Wife Battery1

Cultural psychology is concerned with the comparative study of the way culture and psyche shape each other: This process is particularly well illustrated in the social construction of some feelings. Although sexual jealousy seems to be universal, people differ in the intensity of their reactions and in the type of stimuli perceived as threatening. Replicating previous research in Britain by Delgado and Bond (1993), a questionnaire research survey was conducted in Spain to determine if lay perception considers jealousy a justification for wife battery. The comparison of results shows striking differences: The harmdoer was seen as more guilty in Britain and the victim was seen as more guilty in Spain. Results demonstrate cultural differences in the perception of jealousy; when jealousy is a motive for assault, there are also cultural differences in judgments of responsibility. Emotions function differently in different cultures regarding perceived causes and justification for conduct.     

Extension of the Job Demands-Resources model in the prediction of burnout and engagement among teachers over time

Our purpose was to extend the Job Demand-Resources Model (Schaufeli & Bakker, 2004) by including personal resources, job demands and job resources to predict burnout (exhaustion, cynicism, depersonalization) and work engagement (vigour and dedication). The sample comprised 274 teachers from 23 secondary schools of the Valencian Community (Spain). Hierarchical multiple regression analyses have revealed: (1) the predictor effect of quantitative overload on exhaustion and dedication at T2, (2) role conflict on cynicism and (3) role ambiguity on dedication. Lastly, the mediating role of burnout and engagement at T2. Practical implications and directions of future research are discussed.     

Flexibility competencies: emotional organization management

The aim of this article is to analyse the transferral of flexibility from contemporary organizations to workers. Through the approach of management by competencies, organizations try to develop in their workers behaviours that are related to efficient job performance. In order to appraise the importance of this approach, we used a critical-rational perspective to discuss the productivity demands that are characteristic of advanced industrial societies. The article shows how the link between workers' flexibility management and their emotional competencies affects their lives, which, like the organizations, should be versatile and adaptable to change.     

Psychological Follow-up of Presymptomatic Genetic Testing for Spinocerebellar Ataxia Type 2 (SCA2) in Cuba

Presymptomatic testing for spinocerebellar ataxia type 2 (SCA2) in Cuba started five years ago. We have now investigated the psychological impact of test results on 150 individuals at 50% risk for SCA2. In a prospective study, psychological instruments were used to evaluate depression, anxiety and family functioning (1) before testing and (2) one year after disclosure of the test result. One year after, anxiety and depression levels decreased both in carriers and non-carriers, but anxiety decreased significantly more in carriers. Pathological levels of anxiety were seen mostly in members of dysfunctional families, but decreased more in them than in other consultands. Presymptomatic testing thus seems to have been especially beneficial for these testees, possibly due to a greater gain from the psychosocial support received. It would be pertinent to evaluate now the impact of other psychosocial variables and perform longer-term longitudinal studies.     

HOW PSYCHIATRIC TREATMENTS CAN ENHANCE PSYCHOLOGICAL DEFENSE MECHANISMS

Psychological defense mechanisms are a powerful and often unappreciated force safeguarding mental health. Although rarely directed in this way, the most common forms of psychiatric treatment—psychotherapy and antidepressants—can enhance psychological defense mechanisms. Psychotherapy, through both specific and nonspecific factors, induces positive perspective shifts favoring positive cognitive distortions, including adaptive classical defense mechanisms and healthy attribution biases. Antidepressants, by altering very basic emotional information processing, such as facial expression recognition and emotional memories, also foster positive cognitive distortions. By shifting perceptions and thoughts in a positive direction, psychotherapy and antidepressants improve the capacity to dissociate from negative emotional stimuli.Brad Bowins, M.D., FRCP(C), is a staff psychiatrist at the University of Toronto Health Service and he is in private practice.     

Effects of acute, repeated and chronic variable stress on in vivo tyrosine hydroxylase activity and on alpha(2)-adrenoceptor sensitivity in the rat brain

We assessed the effects of a single tail pinch and two chronic stress regimes, repeated and variable, on in vivo tyrosine hydroxylase activity and on alpha2-adrenoceptor sensitivity in two brain regions. After administering a 3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (DOPA) decarboxylase inhibitor, tyrosine hydroxylase activity, measured as the accumulation of DOPA, and noradrenaline (NA) content were determined by using high-performance liquid chromatography. A single tail pinch for 5 min induced an enhancement of DOPA content in hippocampus (28%) and hypothalamus (67%) which was still present 24 h later. This increase could account for the lack of changes in NA content in both regions after the application of this stressor. However, tyrosine hydroxylase activity was unmodified 24 h after exposure to both repeated (5 min of tail pinch, twice daily, for 14 days) and chronic variable stress (one of 5 different stressors, once daily, for 14 days) although there was an enhancement of NA levels in hippocampus (45 and 54%, respectively) and hypothalamus (24.5 and 36%, respectively). The sensitivity of the alpha2-adrenoceptors which regulate [3H]-NA release in hippocampal and hypothalamic synaptosomes was not modified by the acute or chronic stress protocols assayed. The results show that both paradigms of chronic stress had similar effects on the noradrenergic indices evaluated.     

Authors and publication practices

Although authors are usually considered to be the main perpetrators of research and publication misconduct, any person involved in the process has the potential to offend. Editors may breach ethical standards particularly with respect to conflicts of interest. In the same way that authors are now required to declare competing interests, notably commercial affiliations, financial interests and personal connections, so must editors. Editors can influence the chances of acceptance or rejection of a paper by reviewer selection. Reviewers should also be ready to disclose conflicts of interest. They must ensure that their reviews are evidence based and free from destructive criticism driven by self interest. It seems likely that ultimately we will progressively move towards 'open' peer review in which both the authors and the reviewers are known to each other. There is an urgent need for increased transparency of the relationship between editors and owners. The events of the last few years indicate that unless this interface is fully understood by all parties, conflicts may arise. There is also a need for a radical overhaul in the relationship between journals, journal editors and the biomedical industry. It is now increasingly accepted that all clinical trials should be registered in a centrally held database and that protocols should include the primary and secondary outcome measures and the intended approach to data analysis thereby avoiding opportunistic post hoc analyses. However, the even more radical proposal that journals should cease to publish clinical trials sponsored by industry deserves wider debate.