Waving the Flag: National Symbolism,Social Identity,and Political Engagement*

This research examined the psychological underpinnings of concern for national symbols and ritualistic‐ceremonial activities or “symbolic involvement.” We propose and test a distinction between symbolic and “instrumental” involvement or concern for the functionality of national institutions and their capability to provide instrumental benefits to citizens. Items comprising the two constructs were found to be empirically distinct, evidenced by statistically reliable and orthogonal dimensions in exploratory factor analysis. Moreover, evidence based on divergent patterns of relations with various forms of national membership indicates that symbolic and instrumental involvement are rooted in distinct motivational concerns related to identity expression and object appraisal, respectively. These findings suggest that national symbolism evokes a psychological attachment to the nation as an abstracted social entity, but not as a concrete functional system.     

A time-limited dynamic approach to adolescent inpatient group psychotherapy

In response to sharply curtailed lengths of stay of adolescents in an inpatient psychiatric program, new therapeutic modalities need to be implemented. A time-limited dynamic approach to adolescent inpatient group psychotherapy is presented. The model integrates psychoanalytic and crisis theory into a group format. The primary focus in this model is upon resolution of problematic interpersonal interactions as they are related to the current crisis state. The group process, as related to the adolescent, involves three phases. These include an initial intake phase, which incorporates an ego-functioning assessment; a second or middle phase which focuses on making actions ego-alien; and the termination phase, which incorporates the learning experience and how it relates to the resolution of precipitators of the admission.