Mangelnde Eignung bei angehenden Psychotherapeuten

Background

Psychotherapy research has shown that some therapists have systematically more negative outcomes than their colleagues. Many attempts have been made to answer the question of whether these unsuccessful therapists have specific features but as yet no consensus has been reached. Particularly in the field of psychotherapy training this issue has rarely been discussed.

Aims

This study focused on the following questions: how many trainees are incompetent, what characteristics do they have and how to deal with them? How are trainees selected?

Material and methods

In a research expertise on psychotherapy training for the German Ministry of Health, directors of training institutions were interviewed and 129 responses were analyzed using, for example content analysis.

Results

A total of 4–5?% of trainees were judged as being not sufficiently competent to become a psychotherapist. Relevant criteria were mainly the lack of personal and interpersonal competencies.

Conclusions

Future psychotherapy training should focus more and earlier on recognizing and intervening regarding incompetence in the given areas.     

A qualitative inquiry of Latino immigrants' work experiences in the Midwest

Latino immigrants are the largest source of immigrant workers in the United States. In this study, 11 first-generation Latino immigrants (8 men, 3 women) living in the Midwest were interviewed about their work experiences. Interview data were analyzed using consensual qualitative research methods (Hill, Thompson, & Williams, 1997). Five domains associated with the data included work for survival and power, work for social connections, work as self-determination, work barriers in the Midwest, and access to work in the Midwest. We identify ways in which vocational psychologists can intervene to work effectively with Latino newcomers seeking employment in the United States and to support their transition into new settlement communities. Suggestions for future research with immigrant workers are discussed.     

Large-sample confidence intervals for validity and reliability coefficients

Large-sample confidence intervals (CI) for reliability, validity, and unattenuated validity are presented. The CI for unattenuated validity is based on the Bonferroni inequality, which relies on one CI for test-retest reliability and one for validity. Covered are four reliability-validity situations: (a) both estimates were from random samples; (b) reliability was from a random sample but validity was from a selected sample; (c) validity was from a random sample but reliability was from a selected sample; and (d) both estimates were from selected samples. All CIs were evaluated by using a simulation. CIs on reliability, validity, or unattenuated validity are accurate as long as selection ratio is at least 20% and selected sample size is 100 or larger. When selection ratio is less than 20%, estimators tend to underestimate their parameters.     

Differences between Saimiri sciureus and Callicebus moloch in physiological responsiveness: implications for behavior

The New World primates Callicebus moloch and Saimiri sciureus differ markedly in life modes. Physiological responsiveness (heart rate, cortisol) of these related taxa was compared in two situations that differed in the presumed degree of stress imposed, exposure to a novel environment and physical restraint. In both situations, Saimiri exhibited higher initial levels of heart rate and corticosteroids. In addition, the species differed in their patterns of response to both situations. Saimiri maintained initial heart rate levels across a 1-hour exposure period, whereas Callicebus showed a marked and continuous decline in heart rate. Adrenocortical activity increased in both species in response to test situations, but the elevations in plasma corticosteroids were substantially greater for Saimiri than for Callicebus. The results indicate that the species differ with respect to organization of physiological regulatory systems in a manner consistent with behavioral contrasts between them.     

Concepts as Tools Not Rules: a Commentary on (Re-) Defining Racism

In (Re-) Defining Racism, Alberto Urquidez argues that conflicting philosophical accounts over the definition of racism are at bottom linguistic confusions that would benefit from a Wittgensteinian-inspired approach. In this essay, I argue that such an approach would be helpful in disputes over the definition of metaphysically contested concepts, such as “race,” or semantically contested concepts, such as “racialization.” I disagree, however, that such insights would prove helpful or do very little for disputes concerning normatively contested concepts, such as “racism.”

     

Extraversion is accurately perceived after a 50-ms exposure to a face

Twenty-four perceivers saw portraits of unacquainted persons for either 150 ms, 100 ms, or 50 ms, and rated their personality on adjective scales. Moreover, stimulus persons described themselves on these scales and the NEO Five-Factor Inventory. Consensus among perceivers and self-other agreement were not systematically related to exposure time, but self-other agreement differed strongly between traits, being highest for extraversion. Even ratings of extraversion by single perceivers were related to the stimulus persons’ self-reports. Particularly strong were correlations between perceived extraversion and self-reports on items measuring the extraversion facets excitement seeking and positive emotions. Self-other agreement for extraversion was mostly mediated by cheerfulness of facial expressions that was related to self-reports of extraversion but not of the other personality traits.     

Within- and between-nervous-system inhibition of return: Observation is as good as performance

Inhibition of return (IOR) has been shown to occur when an individual returns to a target location (within-person IOR) and when an individual moves to a location just engaged by another individual (between-person IOR). Although within- and between-person IOR likely result from the same inhibitory mechanisms, different processes must activate these mechanisms following the performance and observation of action. Consistent with the suggestion that the mirror neuron system may be responsible for activating the inhibitory mechanisms behind IOR on observation trials, between-person IOR was only detected under restricted viewing conditions known to activate mirror neurons. These results indicate that mirror neuron system may be involved in both higher-order and automatic cognitive behavior.