A Discussion of “Disorders of Temporality and The Subjective Experience of Time: Unresponsive Objects and the Vacuity of the Future” by Stephen Seligman

In this review of Stephen Seligman’s contribution to the literature on disorders of temporality, the patient’s ordinary and extraordinary experiences of time in the clinical situation, the reviewer provides both theoretical confirmation and clinical illustration in support of the author’s arguments. Infant research, nonlinear dynamic systems theory, and especially a brain-based psychoanalytic perspective taken from the work of Gerald Edelman are introduced to facilitate understanding of memory in general and the second of Seligman’s disorders of temporality in particular. Edelman’s formulation on the biological evolution of consciousness affords a means to comprehend how the phenomenon of dissociation emerges spontaneously in the clinical situation that matches and offers an explanation Seligman’s own understanding.     

School connection through engagement associated with grade scores and emotions of adolescents: four factors to build engagement in schools

Social Psychology of Education - This study investigated school connectedness, student engagement, academic grades, and student affect. Factor analyses of 331 adolescent students (Years 7, 9, and...     

Aberrant neural processing of moral violations in criminal psychopaths

A defining characteristic of psychopathy is the willingness to intentionally commit moral transgressions against others without guilt or remorse. Despite this "moral insensitivity," the behavioral and neural correlates of moral decision-making in psychopathy have not been well studied. To address this issue, the authors used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to record hemodynamic activity in 72 incarcerated male adults, stratified into psychopathic (n = 16) and nonpsychopathic (n = 16) groups based on scores from the Hare Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (R. D. Hare, 2003), while they made decisions regarding the severity of moral violations of pictures that did or did not depict moral situations. Consistent with hypotheses, an analysis of brain activity during the evaluation of pictures depicting moral violations in psychopaths versus nonpsychopaths showed atypical activity in several regions involved in moral decision-making. This included reduced moral/nonmoral picture distinctions in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex and anterior temporal cortex in psychopaths relative to nonpsychopaths. In a separate analysis, the association between severity of moral violation ratings and brain activity across participants was compared in psychopaths versus nonpsychopaths. Results revealed a positive association between amygdala activity and severity ratings that was greater in nonpsychopaths than psychopaths, and a negative association between posterior temporal activity and severity ratings that was greater in psychopaths than nonpsychopaths. These results reveal potential neural underpinnings of moral insensitivity in psychopathy and are discussed with reference to neurobiological models of morality and psychopathy.     

The development of moral beliefs: A retrospective study

The present study tested a model of moral belief development based on Erikson’s (1963) and McAdams’ (1989) theories of personality development. The sequence of moral belief development is beliefs about outcomes, outcome certainty, beliefs about humanity, and social concern. The developmental antecedents of these beliefs were measured using 13 rationally constructed scales based on background data items. The belief and developmental scales were given to a sample of 246 undergraduates. Using a series of hierarchical blocked regressions, we found a pattern among the beliefs that supported a stage or contingent sequence model of belief development. The results suggest that a supportive, conventional and consistent family environment is a major antecedent of beliefs about outcomes and outcome certainty. Adjustment to the demands of adult culture rather than peer culture is the major antecedent of belief about humanity and social concern. Parts of this research were supported by a grant from the U.S. Office of Naval Research (Contract No. N00014-91-J-4167), Michael D. Mumford and Theodore L. Gessner, Principal Investigators.