Aussagen ??ber traumatische Erlebnisse

The manner in which traumatic events are processed and recalled remains highly controversial. A central issue in the debate is whether traumatic experiences affect memory differently than other events. In this paper, two lines of research are reviewed: (a) comparisons of characteristics of traumatic and other memories and (b) comparisons of characteristics of traumatic memories of trauma survivors with and without posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). While PTSD groups reported more intrusive memories than non-PTSD groups, there is no consistent evidence for memory fragmentation neither for traumatic events in general nor for PTSD patients. Implications for credibility assessments are discussed.     

Entlassene Problemf?lle in der ambulanten Nachsorge von langzeitinhaftierten und langzeituntergebrachten Patienten

The reintegration of patients into society after long-term inmate or long-term forensic hospital treatment is as difficult as it is important. At present only a few specialized forensic outpatient departments can be found in Germany. In the following article essential pillars for successful outpatient care by taking all participants in the reintegration process into account will be presented.     

Long-term follow-up of internet-delivered exposure and mindfulness based treatment for irritable bowel syndrome

We conducted a follow-up of a previously reported study of internet-delivered cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) for IBS, based on exposure and mindfulness exercises (Ljótsson et al. (2010). Internet-delivered exposure and mindfulness based therapy for irritable bowel syndrome – a randomized controlled trial. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 48, 531–539). Seventy-five participants from the original sample of 85 (88%) reported follow-up data at 15–18 months (mean 16.4 months) after completing treatment. The follow-up sample included participants from both the original study’s treatment group and waiting list after it had been crossed over to treatment. Intention-to-treat analysis showed that treatment gains were maintained on all outcome measures, including IBS symptoms, quality of life, and anxiety related to gastrointestinal symptoms, with mainly large effect sizes (within-group Cohen’s d = 0.78–1.11). A total of fifty participants (59% of the total original sample; 52% of the original treatment group participants and 65% of the original waiting list participants) reported adequate relief of symptoms. Improvements at follow-up were more pronounced for the participants that had completed the full treatment and maintenance of improvement did not seem to be dependent on further treatment seeking. This study suggests that internet-delivered CBT based on exposure and mindfulness has long-term beneficial effects for IBS-patients.     

Internet-based treatment of social phobia: a randomized controlled trial comparing unguided with two types of guided self-help

Internet-based self-help for social phobia with minimal therapist support via email have shown efficacy in several controlled trials by independent research teams. The role and necessity of therapist guidance is, however, still largely unclear. The present study compared the benefits of a 10-week web-based unguided self-help treatment for social phobia with the same intervention complemented with minimal, although weekly, therapist support via email. Further, a third treatment arm was included, in which the level of support was flexibly stepped up, from no support to email or telephone contact, on demand of the participants. Eighty-one individuals meeting diagnostic criteria for social phobia were randomly assigned to one of the three conditions. Primary outcome measures were self-report measures of symptoms of social phobia. Secondary outcome measures included symptoms of depression, interpersonal problems, and general symptomatology. Measures were taken at baseline, post-treatment, and at 6-month follow-up. Data from a telephone-administered diagnostic interview conducted at post-treatment were also included. Results showed significant symptom reductions in all three treatment groups with large effect sizes for primary social phobia measures (Cohen’s d = 1.47) and for secondary outcome measures (d = 1.16). No substantial and significant between-groups effects were found on any of the measures (Cohen’s d = 00–.36). Moreover, no difference between the three conditions was found regarding diagnosis-free status, clinically significant change, dropout rates, or adherence measures such as lessons or exercises completed. These findings indicate that Internet-delivered treatment for social phobia is a promising treatment option, whether no support is provided or with two different types of therapist guidance.     

We Are the World—and They Are Not: Prototypicality for the World Community,Legitimacy, and Responses to Global Inequality

The relation between developed and developing countries is characterized by inequalities that sometimes hinder actions against worldwide problems. The current research presents an intergroup approach, based on the ingroup projection model, towards an analysis of psychological processes that perpetuate global inequality on a social group level. Precisely, we argue that people from developed countries perceive their group as more prototypical for the world population than they perceive people from developing countries. These perceptions of ingroup prototypicality should in turn relate to legitimacy beliefs and predict unfavorable behavioral intentions towards developing countries. We present two studies that corroborate our hypotheses: In Study 1, participants from a developed country perceived their ingroup as more prototypical for the superordinate group (i.e., world population) than the outgroup (i.e., developing countries), which in turn was related to beliefs that global inequality is legitimate. This finding was replicated in Study 2, and the predicted effect of ingroup prototypicality on behavioral intentions was mediated by legitimacy beliefs. These findings demonstrate that intergroup processes can contribute to perpetuating global inequality.     

Opfer-überzeugungen

The public interest in ??new?? clinical symptoms is described exemplified by burnout, mobbing and trauma. In the background self-explanations by patients as well as interests of therapists can be recognized. Both can be understood as an expression of subconsciously reflected contemporary convictions. Post-traumatic stress syndrome and the sequelae of abuse, which are probably diagnosed too often in guideline correct psychotherapy, throw up questions on the appropriate therapy and possible injurious side effects. The social background to the psychotherapeutic fascination with trauma will be discussed.     

Psychoanalytische Psychotherapie mit niedriger Sitzungsfrequenz

Compared to Freud??s use of six sessions a week, the frequency of therapy has now decreased to a maximum of three or four sessions. The current field of applied psychoanalysis using only one or two sessions a week is of much higher relevance for the worldwide supply of the population with psychotherapy. Not only frequency and duration have decreased over the years but also the sum of applied sessions per patient. This is especially the case in psychodynamic short term psychotherapy. With the change in frequency a change in therapy technique took place resulting in a more active and attentive therapist, an interactive pattern with more dialogue and an avoidance of regressive movements of the patient. The crucial role concerning the work with transference and resistance was maintained in tendency but the specific techniques also underwent modifications. The empirical state of psychodynamic psychotherapy is better than it used to be but further studies are urgently needed.     

Einige Gedanken über Rationalisierung und Intellektualisierung

Within the framework of Freud??s defence concept the question is examined whether rationalization and intellectualization should be regarded as separate mechanisms of defence. It is argued that both of them represent a specific handling of substitutive formations produced by other mechanisms of defence. Rationalization refers to the usage of substitutive formations as the reason for action. In the guise of these ego-syntonic and socially approved substitutive motives the original motives are hidden and appear encrypted in consciousness. Intellectualization names the handling of the outcome of a process in which instinctual wishes are isolated from their accompanying feelings and by virtue of further mechanisms of defence, these wishes are transferred in highly abstract substitutive formations where they also represent themselves in a mystified manner.     

Effects of monetary incentives on task switching

In two experiments, effects of incentives on task switching were investigated. Incentives were provided as a monetary bonus. In both experiments, the availability of a bonus varied on a trial-to-trial basis. The main difference between the experiments relates to the association of incentives to individual tasks. In Experiment 1, the association of incentives to individual tasks was fixed. Under these conditions, the effect of incentives was largely due to reward expectancy. Switch costs were reduced to statistical insignificance. This was true even with the task that was not associated with a bonus. In Experiment 2, there was a variable association of incentives to individual tasks. Under these conditions, the reward expectancy effect was bound to conditions with a well-established bonus-task association. In conditions in which the bonus-task association was not established in advance, enhanced performance of the bonus task was accompanied by performance decrements with the task that was not associated with a bonus. Reward expectancy affected mainly the general level of performance. The outcome of this study may also inform recently suggested neurobiological accounts about the temporal dynamics of reward processing.