Meta-dialogue

On the basis of recent developments in constructivism and social constructionism, the authors propose an approach that takes self-recursiveness seriously: Meta-dialogue, an extension of reflecting teams and reflecting positions. The authors see therapists as experts in interviewing (questioning, asking, and reflecting) and clients as experts for their different domains (their lives). Thus, the authors see it as crucial to express basic respect to the people who come to consult them in a cooperative way in order to enlarge the options of all the people taking part in the interview. The structure of meta-dialogue is described in detail and illustrated with a case example.We would like to thank Amanda Gorman (Kiel) for her sensitive help with the translation.     

Book reviews

God, Reason, and Religions: new essays in the philosophy of religion. Eugene Thomas Long (Ed.), 1995. Dordrecht Kluwer Academic. 228 pp., hb. £67.50, ISBN 07 923333 810 3

Christians and Muslims: from double standards to mutual understanding. Hugh Goddard, 1995. London, Curzon Press. 200 pp., pb. £14.99, ISBN 0 7007 0364 0

Al‐Bayanat al‐Masihiyya al‐Islamiyya al‐Mushtaraka. Juliette Haddad (Ed.), 1995. Beirut, Dar al‐Mashriq. 207 pp., pb. n.p., ISBN 2 7214 5005 0

Muslim Writers on Judaism and the Hebrew Bible, from Ibn Rabban to Ibn Hazm. Camilla Adang, 1996. Leiden, E. J. Brill. 321 pp., hb. NLG140, ISBN 90 04 10034 2

Abū Ya qūb al‐Sijistani: intellectual missionary. Paul E. Walker, 1996. London, I. B. Tauris. 132 pp., rib. £35, ISBN 1 85043 921 4

The Cambridge Survey of World Migration. Robin Cohen (Ed.), 1995. Cambridge, Cambridge University Press. 570 pp., hb. n.p. ISBN 0 521 44405 5

Musulmans en Europe occidentals bibliographic commentée. Muslims in Western Europe: an annotated bibliography. Felice Dassetto & Yves Conrad (Eds), 1996. Paris, Editions L'Harmattan. 202 pp., pb., n.p., ISBN 2 7384 4126 2

Muslim Politics. Dale F. Eickelman & James Piscatori, 1996. Princeton, NJ, Princeton University Press. 235 pp., pb. n.p., ISBN 0 691 00870 1

Islam and the Myth of Confrontation: religion and politics in the Middle East. Fred Halliday, 1996. London, I. B. Tauris. 255 pp., £12.95, ISBN 1 85043 959 1

Nine Parts of Desire: the hidden world of Islamic women. Geraldine Brooks, 1995. New York, Doubleday. 255 pp. hb. £22.95, ISBN 0 385 47576 4

Aunt Safiyya and the Monastery. Bahaa’ Taher, 1996. Translated from the Arabic by Barbara Romaine. Berkeley, University of California Press. 124 pp., pb. n.p., ISBN 0 520 20075 6

Dreams of Trespass: tales of a harem girlhood. Fatima Mernissi, 1994. Reading, MA, Addison‐Wesley. 242 pp. pb., ISBN 0 201 62649 7

Lettres et message d'Algérie. P. Claverie, 1996. Paris, Karthala. 222 pp., pb. 120FF, ISBN 2 86537 657 5

Islamic Resurgence and Islamization in Malaysia. S. Batumalai, 1996. Perak, Malaysia. 279 pp., pb. RM 25/‐, no ISBN

Christian‐Muslim Relations: a case study of Sarawak, East Malaysia. Theodore Gabriel, 1996. Aldershot, Avebury. xiv, 133 pp., n.p., ISBN 1 85972 325 X

Muslim Communities in the New Europe. Gerd Nonneman, T. Niblock & B. Sjajkowski (Eds), 1996. Reading, Ithaca Press. 356 pp., hb. £35.00, ISBN 0 86372 192 3

Al‐Mughtaribun: American law and the transformation of Muslim life in the United States. Kathleen M. Moore, 1995. Albany, State University of New York Press. 211 pp., pb. $16.95, ISBN 0 7914 2580 0

The Landscape of Belief: encountering the Holy Land in nineteenth‐century American art and culture. [The Princeton Series in Nineteenth‐Century Art, Culture, and Society]. John Davis, 1996. Princeton, Princeton University Press. 264 pp., hb. $65.00, ISBN 0 691 04373 6     

Catathymic image experience as a psychotherapeutic imagination procedure--principles and practical approach

The catathyme image experience conceived by Leuner is introduced as a psychotherapeutic imagination method structured into many standard motives. The general basic principles, the so-called direction principles as well as the special therapeutic techniques of the day dream technique mainly recommended as a short time therapy are explained. Further information on the use of the symbol drama in groups and the indication finding is given. Modification and combination opportunities with other psycho therapeutic methods is referred to.     

Rating scale analysis with latent class models

A general approach for analyzing rating data with latent class models is described, which parallels rating models in the framework of latent trait theory. A general rating model as well as a two-parameter model with location and dispersion parameters, analogous to Andrich's Dislocmodel are derived, including parameter estimation via the EM-algorithm. Two examples illustrate the application of the models and their statisticalcontrol. Model restrictions through equality constrains are discussed and multiparameter generalizations are outlined.     

Wearing uniforms and aggression–A field experiment

Zimbardo's de-individuation concept was tested in a field experiment using games of fieldball. The results support the assumption that higher degrees of anonymity lead to more aggressive acts.     

The Spirit of Truth

This article reflects on the theme of the “spirit of truth” in a post-truth era – a time in which objective truth seems to no longer exist, any given claim can be substantiated, and it is no longer possible to tell falsehood and truth apart. Focusing on the objectivity of science, the humanity of truth, and the spirit of truth revealed by divinity, the article argues for the adoption of a humane and ecological wisdom, seeing it as a way to deal with humanity’s immense knowledge in a way that is conducive to life, to avoid optimizing humans in a “trans-human” way and making the earth uninhabitable.     

Life satisfaction shows terminal decline in old age: longitudinal evidence from the German Socio-Economic Panel Study (SOEP)

Longitudinal data spanning 22 years, obtained from deceased participants of the German Socio-Economic Panel Study (SOEP; N = 1,637; 70- to 100-year-olds), were used to examine if and how life satisfaction exhibits terminal decline at the end of life. Changes in life satisfaction were more strongly associated with distance to death than with distance from birth (chronological age). Multiphase growth models were used to identify a transition point about 4 years prior to death where the prototypical rate of decline in life satisfaction tripled from -0.64 to -1.94 T-score units per year. Further individual-level analyses suggest that individuals dying at older ages spend more years in the terminal periods of life satisfaction decline than individuals dying at earlier ages. Overall, the evidence suggests that late-life changes in aspects of well-being are driven by mortality-related mechanisms and characterized by terminal decline.     

General or specific? The memory–experience gap for individuals diagnosed with a major depressive disorder or a social phobia diagnosis,and individuals without such diagnoses

ABSTRACT

Psychological treatment and assessment necessarily rely on patients’ recall. Yet several empirical studies have documented a gap between memory and real-life experience (i.e., memory–experience gap; MeG). We investigated and compared the MeG of sadness, social anxiety, happiness, and physical activity for participants diagnosed with a major depressive disorder (MDD), a social phobia (SP), and participants without such diagnoses (CG). The study included 118 participants diagnosed with a MDD, 47 with a SP, and 119 CG. Using event-sampling methods (ESM), participants were asked via smartphone to report their experiences throughout a week and then to recall those again retrospectively at the end of the study week. Results indicate significant differences in the MeG with respect to the experience that was salient to them (e.g., MDD group – sadness; SP group – social anxiety; CG group – happiness). Furthermore, all groups showed a MeG for physical activity and, the results indicate significant group differences in the magnitude of the MeGs.

This study demonstrated the presence of a MeG in individuals in a MDD, SP, and CG group and in positive and negative affective experiences. Differential patterns across the samples contribute to a better understanding of this gap and its implications.