Manipulating power can affect memory conformity

Memory is malleable and open to influence between encoding and retrieval. Information about a past event given to us by, for example, a co‐witness can be incorporated into our own memory reports. Pairs of participants were shown 50 photographs of faces, given a power task where one had to be a designer (low‐power) and one a judge (high‐power), and then given a recognition test where one partner had to answer before the other. The individuals in the low‐power group were more influenced by their partner's responses than those in the high‐power group. This has important forensic, educational and organisational applications and shows that memory conformity can be manipulated by power. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Nonsuicidal Self‐Injury among Adolescents: A Training Priority for Primary Care Providers

Primary care providers were surveyed to determine how prepared they feel to address nonsuicidal self‐injury (NSSI) among adolescents, their interest in training on NSSI, and factors associated with routinely asking about NSSI when providing health supervision. Participants included family medicine physicians (n = 260), pediatricians (n = 127), family nurse practitioners (n = 96), and pediatric nurse practitioners (n = 54). Almost 50% felt unprepared to address NSSI, and over 70% wanted training in this area. Overall, relative to other areas of mental health care, clinicians felt least prepared to address and wanted more training on NSSI. Just 27% reported they routinely inquired about NSSI during health supervision. Factors associated with routinely asking about NSSI were identifying as female (OR = 2.37; 95% CI = 1.25–4.49), feeling better prepared to address NSSI (OR = 1.51; 95% CI = 1.04–2.20), and more frequently using a psychosocial interview to identify adolescents in distress (OR = 1.23; 95% CI = 1.02–1.48). Teaching clinicians to assess NSSI within a psychosocial interview may increase screening for and identification of the behavior among adolescents in primary care.     

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.