The application of prospective strategies to family therapy

Among the most frequently used theoretical orientations for administering family therapy are the systems, interactional, structuralist, problem-centered, and attachment approaches. Each of these methods proposes a theory concerning the etiology and resolution of conflict, a protocol of assessment, and a view on the therapist's role in advocating intervention techniques. Despite the success of these methods, however, families often leave treatment lacking the interpersonal skills for predicting potential conflict and for overcoming episodes of transition. This paper explores how the prospective approach may rectify this problem by enhancing the family members' use of intuition for experiencing transition and predicting upcoming change. As such, the application of the prospective technique may be beneficial for strengthening family relationships.     

Projective identification: Pros and cons. An essay review of Samuel Slipp,the technique and practice of Object Relations Family Therapy

This paper is a critical appraisal of Samuel Slipp's book on Object Relations Family Therapy (ORFT), which uses the concept of projective identification as a central thesis in explaining interpersonal influence. Slipp's book is praised for its excellent review of the literature of object relations theory and the major schools of family therapy, classification of families according to complementary projections, and revealing case material. Interpersonal-Systemic (I-S) theory and methodology with its use of the concepts of empathy, interpersonal influences, search for intimacy, maintenance of self-esteem, selective inattention, and reflected appraisals is offered as an alternative view to projective identification.     

Looking for reconciliations between anecdotes and causalities: The stoical model

Our bias in establishing causality ties which attribute to one consequence a unique cause make circular causality difficult as a way of thinking. Philosophy shows many theories about causality which all are ways to reduce anxiety. Our experiences sometimes require us to go farther than the instrumental (causal) level and to discover a place where disorder may be reestablished in the movement and contradiction. The Stoical model of expressive causality gives a different meaning to our work. In practice the anecdote becomes the essential element in a chair of expressive causalities. A clinical example shows how the anecdote can be the intersection between the family and therapist, offering a new dimension to circular causality and helps the therapist to understand and create another way of thinking about disorder and confusion.     

Observing groups as seen from both sides of the looking glass

Conclusion This paper attempts to make a contribution to an area of the literature on group therapy about which very little has been published—the effects of the therapy group upon the observing group and the dynamics of the observing group as an entity in itself. Although work on which this paper is based took place in training institutions where education is the primary function, it is important to emphasize that education and personal change are interrelated. Psychotherapeutic activity takes place spontaneously with the observers and needs to be constructively utilized. This wealth of process and reaction is an untapped training opportunity for the observing group. The challenge of method, personal reactions, and group process responses are all opportunities for its members to both learn more as therapists and mature as individuals. At this juncture, we are trying to establish ways of     

Does family therapy produce change? an overview of outcome studies

Summary Families were randomly assigned to one of two forms of conjoint marital therapy: an insight-oriented treatment (n=10) or a problem-solving intervention (n=10.). The results on self-report measures of family functioning indicate that the problem-solving intervention produced more favorable changes after three months. However on long-term follow-up after a year, this more positive effect did not apparently persist, since the insight treatment group reported better results. Experienced therapists did better than inexperienced therapists in the insight treatment condition, but level of experience did not make a difference in the problem-solving intervention. A group of eight families who dropped out of the insight treatment group provided data on correlates of premature termination. Several of the practical obstacles to implementing an experimental design in a clinic setting are illustrated by the research.As we develop more sophisticated methodology, we hope that is the near future family therapy researchers will be better able to state which type of approach is more effective for whom and under what circumstances. A review of current studies of family therapy outcome research indicates that family therapy seems to be as effective as individual psychological treatment.     

Protection of animal research subjects

The use of experimental animals, mostly rodents, in biomedical research and especially in oncology and immunology should be acknowledged with respect, recognizing the contribution of animal experimentation in the fascinating scientific progress in these disciplines of research. It is an obligation of the investigator to justify the scientific and ethical aspects of each study requiring the use of animals. The international guiding principles for using animals in biomedical research are well defined and have been distributed worldwide by the International Council for Laboratory Animal Science (ICLAS) since 1956, when this Organization was founded. In Poland the ICLAS philosophy and principles are highly respected and were implemented firstly by the members of the Commission on Biology of Experimental Animals appointed in 1962 by the Department of Medical Science of the Polish Academy of Science in Warsaw. Animal Protection Acts, first proclaimed in 1928 were gradually modified and improved. Actual legislation (enacted in 1997, 2003 and 2005) is consistent with EU Directives (86/609/EEC) and follows the internationally recommended principles that include ICLAS guidelines concerning animal welfare and care condition in biomedical research. The problem of “alternative methods” is briefly discussed. Dr. Donald Boisvert, CCAC — Canadian Council on Animal Care A lecture on the subject of this paper was presented at the 6th International Bioethics Conference entitled ‘The Responsible Conduct of Basic and Clinical Research’, held in Warsaw, Poland, 3–4 June 2005. The author is the National Representative of Polish Academy of Science to the International Council for Laboratory Animal Science (ICLAS) and a Member of the ICLAS Governing Board.     

Postural fluctuations during pointing from a unilateral or bilateral stance

An experiment was conducted to compare the effects of bilateral and unilateral stance on postural fluctuations and intralimb coordination during active balance control. Fifteen participants stood bilaterally and unilaterally while conducting a pointing task with an outstretched arm. Excursion of center of foot pressure (CoP) and limb movements were recorded with a force plate and eight dual-axis accelerometers, respectively. Compared to bilateral stance, unilateral stance resulted in wider CoP trajectories and greater postural fluctuations, especially in the lower limbs. The limb-dependent postural fluctuations during unilateral stance were associated with an increased coupling between the upper limb segments and a decreased coupling between the segments of the stance leg. Unilateral stance further resulted in greater regularity and spectral changes in postural fluctuations of the trunk and lower limb due to increased central oscillations (8-15 Hz). The observed structural differences in postural fluctuations between unilateral and bilateral stance strongly suggested that the postural control system modulates joint stiffness in a stance-dependent manner. Probably, in unilateral stance, attentive control was shifted to the stance leg at the expense of increasing arm stiffness to reduce movement redundancy.     

Is peer victimization related to body esteem in 10-year-old girls and boys?

Several studies show that a history of exposure to appearance-related teasing is linked to body dissatisfaction. This study extends those findings by examining the impact of bullying, and other forms of peer victimization, on different aspects of 10-year-old girls’ and boys’ body esteem. Participants were 960 Swedish 10-year-olds, 515 girls and 445 boys. Principal results show that social exclusion is related to 10-year-olds’ evaluations of their general appearance, to evaluations of their weight, and to beliefs about how others perceive their appearance. Furthermore, bullied girls have poorer body esteem in terms of beliefs of how others perceive their appearance than do bullied boys. Appearance teasing was associated with girls’ poorer body esteem in terms of general appearance and beliefs of others views of their appearance. For boys, teasing was associated with poorer body esteem on all dimensions. Thus, this study implies that a wider range of peer victimization relates to children's negative self-perceptions than was former known.