No Work for a Theory of Grounding

It has recently been suggested that a distinctive metaphysical relation— ‘Grounding’—is ultimately at issue in contexts in which some goings-on are said to hold ‘in virtue of’’, be (constitutively) ‘metaphysically dependent on’, or be ‘nothing over and above’ some others. Grounding is supposed to do good work (better than merely modal notions, in particular) in illuminating metaphysical dependence. I argue that Grounding is also unsuited to do this work. To start, Grounding alone cannot do this work, for bare claims of Grounding leave open such basic questions as whether Grounded goings-on exist, whether they are reducible to or rather distinct from Grounding goings-on, whether they are efficacious, and so on; but in the absence of answers to such basic questions, we are not in position to assess the associated claim or theses concerning metaphysical dependence. There is no avoiding appeal to the specific metaphysical relations typically at issue in investigations into dependence—for example, type or token identity, functional realization, classical mereological parthood, the set membership relation, the proper subset relation, the determinable/determinate relation, and so on—which are capable of answering these questions. But, I argue, once the specific relations are on the scene, there is no need for Grounding.     

AIDS Group Psychotherapy

Abstract

Clinical data are presented from a day spent at a New Jersey high school severely impacted by the World Trade Center disaster. Dissociation, a sense of numbness, anger, and guilt about feelings induced by the tragedy are all common dynamics in adolescents responding to trauma. The developmental issues that adolescents are confronting are described and discussed in terms of the challenges they present to the healing process. An argument is made that using groups to aid in the long recovery process with our young people should be a top public health priority.     

The Effect of Group Psychotherapy in Reducing Resistance to Individual Psychotherapy: A Case Study

Abstract

Cohesion in group treatment of spouse abusers plays an important and often overlooked role. Involuntary abuser groups can benefit from cohesion, but due to their unique structure, cohesion may develop differently than in voluntary psychotherapy groups. Initially, abuser groups may develop premature levels of cohesion that can make group members unwilling to express conflict, develop intimacy, and take responsibility for their actions. Understanding the abuser personality and the unique characteristics of involuntary abuser groups can shed light on why cohesion develops the way it does and the importance it plays in abuser groups. Developing effective interventions that target premature cohesion can help the group members express conflict, develop intimacy, and take responsibility for their actions, thus bringing about therapeutic levels of cohesion.     

Commonsense about Psychoanalysis by Rudolph Wittenberg

Obstacles are described that constrain or block the full implementation of Yalom's model of inpatient group psychotherapy. These obstacles include situational constraints that are imposed by the temporal, spatial, and organizational structures of many treatment settings, and attitudinal constraints that consist of therapist and patient resistances to the implications and demands of the model. Recommendations are provided that have proven useful for overcoming these obstacles. They address such issues as: (1) patient confusion with here-and-now focus, (2) tendencies toward therapist-centered interaction, (3) the apparent irrelevance of interactional groups for many patient presenting problems, (4) insufficient time to accomplish interactional goals, and (5) the inability of patients to engage in group processing.     

Properties of intention: component structure and consequences for behavior,information processing,and resistance

Three studies tested the impact of properties of behavioral intention on intention–behavior consistency, information processing, and resistance. Principal components analysis showed that properties of intention formed distinct factors. Study 1 demonstrated that temporal stability, but not the other intention attributes, moderated intention–behavior consistency. Study 2 found that greater stability of intention was associated with improved memory performance. In Study 3, participants were confronted with a rating scale manipulation designed to alter their intention scores. Findings showed that stable intentions were able to withstand attack. Overall, the present research findings suggest that different properties of intention are not simply manifestations of a single underlying construct (“intention strength”), and that temporal stability exhibits superior resistance and impact compared to other intention attributes.     

What to wear? The influence of attire on the perceived professionalism of dentists and lawyers

Using a sample of 201 participants and a between‐subjects design, the perceived professionalism—suitability, capability, ease to talk to and friendliness—of male and female dentists and lawyers in various attires was examined. Results showed an absolute preference for male dentists and lawyers in professional and formal attire, respectively. Male dentists and lawyers in professional and formal attire were further rated as more suitable, capable, easier to talk to, and friendlier than female professionals, and than those dressed in smart or casual attire. Results are discussed in terms of positive dental outcomes and legal representation. Limitations are considered.     

Avoidance of Nervous Strain in Experimental Extinction of the Conditioned Motor Reflex

A picture-redundancy task was introduced for measuring stimulus encoding strategies used by illiterate subjects during redundant-stimulus PA learning. A prototype experiment was executed with black preschool children serving as the illiterate subject population. The results of the prototypic experiment suggested that the young illiterate children employed both two-cue and single-cue processing strategies. It was concluded that the picture-redundancy task should prove useful for further investigations of stimulus encoding among illiterate subject populations.