THE REMAINS OF THE DAY: TRANSSEXUALITY,PSYCHODYNAMICS AND THE MODERN NHS

This paper describes a psychodynamic understanding of transsexualism and some related implications for NHS services. Following a brief literature review the author describes a series of clinical vignettes that tease out psychically important transsexual dilemmas. Specifically, themes of conflict with authority, idealization of destructive solutions and learning to live with regret are explored. Finally a psychological differentiation of transsexual issues is suggested as potentially helpful for future service development.     

The Effects of Combining PETTLEP Imagery and Action Observation on Bicep Strength: A Single-Case Design

We investigated the effects of PETTLEP imagery combined with action observation on bicep curl performance. Using a single-case design, four participants completed a baseline phase followed by PETTLEP imagery with and without an observational aid. Results indicated that using an observational aid in conjunction with PETTLEP imagery can improve bicep curl performance, but not to a greater degree than PETTLEP imagery alone. This indicates that observational aids may not be an essential addition to imagery interventions. The study highlights further the benefit of using PETTLEP imagery for enhancing strength performance, which should be considered by practitioners delivering resistance training programs.     

Reconceptualizing the Transitive Inference Ability: A Framework for Existing and Future Research

It has often been claimed that to demonstrate transitive inference is to demonstrate a logical ability, and by implication that transitivity as a property is generally a logical entity. Both claims are considered using a theoretically driven analysis together with consideration of relevant existing experimental research and some newly reported findings. This approach suggests an account of transitivity and transitive inferential reasoning that differs not only from the classic Piagetian account, but also from the information processing account so dominant today. We begin by considering one important issue, that the “logical” definitional criterion can only be approached if individuals are required to demonstrate a capacity for transitive inference that is discriminative in nature. This, together with interpretation of findings from existing transitive tasks, leads to the postulate of a three-component psychological system, with the components relying on perceptual, linguistic, and conceptual subprocesses and sensitivity to simple cues. The framework is testable and accommodates important aspects of classic and modern accounts of “transitive development” that until now have been taken to be mutually exclusive. It also readily accommodates both human and nonhuman research, yet neither a formal logical structure nor memory in any general sense need be assigned the primary role.     

Implicit associations between anxiety-related symptoms and catastrophic consequences in high anxiety sensitive individuals

Anxiety sensitivity refers to the fear of anxiety-related physical sensations arising from beliefs that these sensations have harmful consequences (Reiss & McNally, 1985). The present study examined whether individuals with high (vs. low) anxiety sensitivity show stronger implicit associations in memory between anxiety-related symptoms, as opposed to neutral body parts, and harmful, as compared to harmless, consequences. A total of 22 undergraduate students (14 F, 8 M) completed the Extrinsic Affective Simon Task (EAST; De Houwer, 2003). Results indicated that high anxiety sensitive individuals (n = 10) tended to implicitly associate harmful consequences with anxiety-related symptoms. Their performance was significantly faster on trials where target words related to anxiety symptoms were mapped on to the same response key as harmful consequences. No significant difference in performance was found for low anxiety sensitive individuals (n = 12) or when target words were body parts unlikely related to diseases. Between-group differences persisted after controlling for trait anxiety and history of panic attacks, but not when illness-related beliefs were introduced as a covariate. Identifying this implicit association bias provides additional empirical support for the concept of anxiety sensitivity.