CHEMISTRY AND CONTAINING: THE ANALYST'S USE OF UNAVOIDABLE FAILURES

Certain patients overwhelm the analyst's capacity to contain both the patient and the analyst's own unbearable feelings. Though some such failures of containing may lead fairly quickly to self‐correction and others to clinical impasse, our focus is on an in‐between state in which the analyst's ability to tolerate his inevitable failures and gradually to (re)establish his containing capacities through difficult self‐analytic work can lead to significant change that might not otherwise be possible. The authors argue that this internal psychological work on the analyst's part, which may require considerable time, effort, and suffering, is an important aspect of “good enough” containing. The unique chemistry generated between patient and analyst plays an important role in both establishing and maintaining this kind of productive analytic process.     

RESPONSE‐DEPENDENCE THEORY AND EMPIRICAL CLAIMS FOR THE SOCIAL SCIENCES

Abstract: The analysis here is an attempt to show how the current epistemological theory of response‐dependence (R‐D) may be relevant to understanding putative ontological claims of the empirical social sciences. To this end I argue that the constitutive features of human response, central to R‐D theory, can be made explicit for social science. I conclude that for the empirical social sciences the implication of combining R‐D and certain forms of statistical analyses leads to the possibility of an events‐based ontology.     

THE EVALUATION OF AN INTEGRATED APPROACH TO MEASURING ORGANIZATIONAL PRODUCTIVITY

This research describes a new approach to the measurement and enhancement of organizational productivity entitled the Productivity Measurement and Enhancement System (ProMES). Various conceptual issues regarding productivity are briefly reviewed and the system is described. Research is reported in which productivity measures using this approach were developed and evaluated in five organizational units. The measures from the system were then used to give group-level feedback, followed by group goal setting and group incentives. Results indicated that unit personnel were cooperative in developing and using the system and that the system had good psychometric characteristics. Feedback increased productivity 50%, and feedback with the addition of goal setting and incentives increased productivity 75% and 76%, respectively. The approach to measuring productivity has several unique features. For example, it combines all the functions of a unit into a single index of productivity that reflects     

STATE COURT DISPARITY ON EMPLOYMENT AT-WILL

State courts have produced three major exceptions to the employment at-will doctrine: (1) violation of public policy, (2) breach of an implied contract (including written policies, oral promises, and implied covenants of good faith and fair dealing), and (3) commitment of a tort of emotional distress, defamation, or third-party interference with a contractual relationship. We analyzed state appellate court decisions to identify judicial philosophies and to determine which states have accepted or rejected the various exceptions to employment at-will. Our results show that the states vary considerably. The most commonly accepted arguments against employment at-will are violations of public policy, breaches of implied contracts in employee handbooks, and torts of outrageous emotional distress. Overall, this research highlights the need for statewide consistency with regard to the at-will issue.     

Individual Multimodal Therapy for Weight Loss: A Case Example

Individual multimodal therapy provides a comprehensive approach to the treatment of overeating. The multimodal treatment plan helps to target social and emotional issues related to eating disorders as well as the eating behaviors themselves. The authors present a case study highlighting a treatment model based on a multimodal conceptualization.     

Using Hope in the Counseling Process

This article presents a framework for the development of hope in the counseling relationship. Although hope has often been viewed as an impediment to growth, the authors believe that realistic hope is an effective tool in a counseling relationship. The authors also examine the role of the counselor in the formulation of hope.