Sacred Circle: Symbol of Wholeness in Traditional Persian Art and Architecture

Jung wrote extensively about the archetypal mandala symbol as an expression in many cultures of the centrality and nature of the interplay between human consciousness and divine consciousness. This article investigates—how in Persia, for millennia—the archetypal symbol of the mandala has been widespread in many expressions of the sacred arts. My research outlines the importance of the archetypal mandala symbol in Persian religio-aesthetic history from the first unearthed stone carvings of Persia's ancient foundations until the more recent, breathtakingly marvellous ceilings of traditional Persian architecture today. From the artistic expressions of first religious beliefs of ancient Persia—Mithraism—and through the development of the Zoroastrian faith until the subsequent rise of Christianity and then Islam, Persian sacred art illustrates the Jungian idea that wholeness sought in the journey of individuation is often expressed through archetypal symbols of circles that articulate basic truths about the divine interplay with humanity.     

The psychometric qualities of a short version of the Experiences in Close Relationships Scale – Revised Child version

The Experiences in Close Relationships Scale – Revised Child version (ECR-RC; Brenning, Soenens, Braet, & Bosmans, 2011a) is a valuable tool for measuring anxious and avoidant attachment to parents in middle childhood and adolescence. However, given its substantial length, the present study aimed to develop an abridged ECR-RC. Four separate samples were used to attain this goal. First (Sample 1, N = 1880; M = 12 years), item selection resulted in a 12-item version, comprising six items for attachment anxiety and six items for attachment avoidance. Next, psychometric properties of this brief ECR-RC were investigated in Sample 1 and cross-validated in an older sample (Sample 2, N = 310; M = 16 years) and in a clinical sample (Sample 3, N = 99; M = 14 years). In all three samples, comparison of the full and reduced ECR-RC revealed similar psychometric properties. In a final sample (Sample 4, N = 110; M = 18 years), we assessed reliability, factor structure and validity when administering the 12-item ECR-RC as a stand-alone instrument. In conclusion, the brief ECR-RC showed excellent reliability and validity.     

The supervisory alliance: Comparison of measures and implications for a supervision toolkit

Background Clinical supervision lies at the core of the professional development of clinicians providing services within a range of service settings. The supervisory alliance is regarded as the most important construct in effective supervision which underlies the importance of metrics to assess this construct. Aims materials and Method A cross‐sectional self‐report questionnaire design was used to examine clinical supervision constructs. The study used two scales measuring the supervisory alliance (SRQ and SWAI‐T), a scale measuring supervision satisfaction (SSQ) and a scale measuring disclosure (TDS). The questionnaires were administered to 127 clinical psychology trainees who were undertaking a practicum placement. Results Both scales measuring the alliance were positively correlated with satisfaction with supervision and disclosure, with similar sizes of correlation for each alliance scale. There was also a large, positive correlation between the two scales of measuring the alliance. Discussion Both scales were designed for use in supervision and are related to supervision outcome measures in the expected directions. Conclusion The SRQ has some distinct advantages over the SWAI‐T that lend the SRQ to be potentially more useful in clinical and research settings.     

Mental Hygiene Counseling as a Part of Teacher Education

A test of productive thinking was taken by 265 university freshmen by mail during the summer prior to their matriculation and by 89 other freshmen, members of a subject pool, during the academic year. Although no time limits were made explicit in either case, the subject pool group reported significantly less time spent on the questionnaire. Apparently implicit time constraints differed for the two groups. Nevertheless, the relationship between ability and productive thinking was not different in the two groups.     

Examination of the Japanese version of the Fear of COVID-19 Scale among Adults Using Classical Test Theory and Item Response Theory1, 2

Globally, the COVID-19 pandemic has impaired every aspect of life, especially causing much psychological damage—for instance, increasing the risk of suicide. Intense fear and anxiety are considered to play a central role in mental health problems. This study examined the psychological properties of the Japanese version of the Fear of COVID-19 Scale (FCV-19S) using classical test theory (CTT) and item response theory (IRT). Five hundred fifty participants aged 18–69 years and from across Japan completed questionnaires, including the Japanese FCV-19S, the Japanese Depression Anxiety Stress Scales-15 (DASS-15), and the Japanese version of the Kessler 6 (K6). CTT showed that each item of the Japanese FCV-19S had no ceiling and floor effect and was close to the normal distribution, and IRT revealed that each item had an appropriate parameter of discrimination and difficulty. Finally, the Japanese FCV-19S was shown to have an acceptable reliability and moderate good concurrent validity. Consequently, the Japanese FCV-19S has robust psychometric properties and can be useful for early detection of adults impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.     

今、帛、竹书《周易》卦爻辞补释

出土简帛易学文献,为今人探索卦爻辞之本义提供了宝贵的资料.本文即以马王堆帛书《周易》、上海博物馆藏战国楚竹书《周易》与今本《周易》相对比,选取坤、蒙、比、履等十五卦中的诸本差异较大的辞句予以训释疏证,辨析其异同,间亦涉及帛本流传等学术问题.