Return of fear: The role of inhibition

In a previous study investigating the relationship between subjective, physiological and behavioural changes during treatment of specific phobias, a marked between-session increase was found in subjective fear after high, but not after low intensity phobic stimulation although the groups showed similar fear ratings and heart rates immediately after treatment (Grey et al, 1979). It was hypothesized that the high intensity stimulation led to ‘treatment fatigue’; a state of deactivation, the recovery from which led to a return of fear.In this study high intensity in vivo stimulation was used for the treatment of phobic subjects under conditions of distributed and massed practice. No differences emerged between treatment conditions. A small group of Ss with a conspicuously high heart rate (mean level 120 bpm) when rating zero fear, showed a significant increase in fear after one week's interval, although they had shown similar improvement to the Ss during treatment. Subjects in both treatment conditions showed lower heart rate at all post-treatment assessments than pre-treatment. The high initial heart rate Ss continued to have higher heart rate than other Ss throughout the experiment, although they showed a decrease after treatment. It was only these Ss with desynchronously high heart rate, i.e. high heart rate with zero fear ratings, who suffered a return of fear, whereas high heart rate during high fear did not predict either response to treatment or return of fear. A further finding was a lack of correlation between the behavioural and physiological indices of fear, namely, between distance and heart rate at high levels of fear.     

Spiral aftereffect duration as a correlate of impulsiveness

In a correlational analysis impulsiveness (Imp), assessed by means of a questionnaire concerned with speed of judgment and decision making, was found to be negatively related to spiral aftereffect (SAE) duration. However, this relationship was present only in a sample of subjects with high neuroticism scores. In this group SAE duration was also positively related to debilitating anxiety. A parallel was seen between Imp and Heymans' “Secondary function,” a personality dimension which was similarly operationalized in a visual aftereffect experiment. Some other SAE correlates are also discussed.     

Evaluating ecological,behavioral, and process consultation interventions

The present study evaluated the differential effectiveness of conceptually distinct consultation programs (ecological, behavioral, and process) in inner-city elementary schools. Program children, evidencing acting-out problems, were monitored through baseline, treatment, and follow-up phases, using an observational format incorporating behavioral, process, and ecological dimensions. Significant reductions in observed and rated behavioral problems occurred only in classes provided behavioral consultation. Significant increases in achievement scores were noted for children provided process consultation. Few consistent changes were noted for those in the ecological and control classes. The teachers rated the behavioral and process consultation approaches as most beneficial and helpful.     

Psychoticism and response to treatment in neurotic patients

A study is reported of neurotic patients at St. Bartholomew's Hospital, London, who were given the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire and who were rated by their doctors for prognosis and final assessment after treatment. The results indicated that those patients who had elevated psychoticism scores took longer to improve and that doctors rated them harder to treat at final assessment. It is suggested that early knowledge of patients with a poor prognosis, in the form of their Psychoticism score, might prove helpful to psychiatrists and psychologists, both for diagnosis and (primarily) for choice of appropriate treatment.     

Increased susceptibility of aphasics to a distractor task in the recall of verbal commands

The ability of 15 control, 15 nonaphasic brain-damaged, and 15 aphasic patients to carry out three-word commands on the Token Test was studied under three conditions: no delay, 20-sec unfilled delay, and 20-sec delay filled with a counting task. Only aphasics with mild to moderate comprehension deficit participated in the experiment and their scores in the no-delay condition were not inferior to those of the other two groups. The 20-sec unfilled delay did not bring about a decrement of the performance in any group, while all of them were impaired with 20-sec filled delay. The rate of forgetting was, however, significantly greater in aphasics than in patients without language disorders, even when the scores of the no-delay condition were introduced as covariates in the analysis of the filled-delay condition. The same result was obtained when, in a second experiment, 4 sec elapsed between the end of the command and the beginning of the counting activity. The increased susceptibility of aphasics to the disruptive effect of the distractor task is viewed as following a failure in organizing verbal information, a deficit that may contribute to lowering their comprehension level.     

On complicity theory

The received account of whistleblowing, developed over the last quarter century, is identified with the work of Norman Bowie and Richard DeGeorge. Michael Davis has detailed three anomalies for the received view: the paradoxes of burden, missing harm and failure. In addition, he has proposed an alternative account of whistleblowing, viz., the Complicity Theory. This paper examines the Complicity Theory. The supposed anomalies rest on misunderstandings of the received view or misreadings of model cases of whistleblowing, for example, the Challenger disaster and the Ford Pinto. Nevertheless, the Complicity Theory is important for as in science the contrast with alternative competing accounts often helps us better understand the received view. Several aspects of the received view are reviewed and strengthened through comparison with Complicity Theory, including why whistleblowing needs moral justification. Complicity Theory is also critiqued. The fundamental failure of Complicity Theory is its failure to explain why government and the public encourage and protect whistleblowers despite the possibility of considerable harm to the relevant company in reputation, lost jobs, and lost shareholder value. An earlier version of this paper was presented at the 2005 conference, Ethics and Social Responsibility in Engineering and Technology, Linking Workplace Ethics and Education, co-hosted by Gonzaga University and Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles, CA, USA, 9–10 June 2005.     

Maternal Psychological Absence and Toddlers' Social‐Emotional Development: Interpretations From the Perspective of Boundary Ambiguity Theory

The current study tests a novel latent construct reflecting psychological absence and examines its relations with maternal depression, mother–toddler interactions, and toddlers' social‐emotional outcomes in a low‐income sample (N = 2,632). Structural equation modeling confirmed a psychological absence construct and revealed that psychological absence, measured at the child's 36‐month birthday‐related assessment, is a significant predictor of children's social‐emotional development at 36 months, mediated by mother–child interaction. Results are interpreted within a boundary ambiguity framework.     

Walking in the lost child's tracks: revisiting the therapeutic nature of reclaiming

This paper outlines the research methodology used as part of a professional doctorate in psychoanalytic psychotherapy. The project researched the maternal state of mind following the loss of an infant or small child and the birth of the next baby. Three mothers were seen for psychoanalytic psychotherapy on a weekly basis as part of this research. They were encouraged to bring their new baby to sessions. The author describes how an interest in this area of research developed as a result of working as a child psychotherapist with 'replacement children' (Cain and Cain, 1964). An argument is made to show that the psychoanalytic method is unique and that the psychoanalytic setting may be considered an 'ideal laboratory' (Fonagy and Moran, 1993) for psychoanalytic psychotherapeutic research. Clinical material is used from one case study to show how material can be analysed and demonstrates the research methodology used within the project. The material explores the developing therapeutic relationship and focuses on the way one mother in the research group experienced the loss of a small child prior to the birth of her next baby. Cet article décrit brièvement la méthodologie de recherche employée dans le cadre d'un doctorat professionnel en psychothérapie psychanalytique. Le projet de recherche porte sur l'état psychique maternel à la suite de la perte d'un nourrisson ou d'un enfant en bas âge lorsque un nouveau bébé vient à naître. Dans le cadre de cette recherche, trois mères ont bénéficié d'une psychothérapie psychanalytique à raison d'une séance hebdomadaire. Il leur était proposé d'amener leur bébé aux séances. L'auteur décrit comment son intérêt pour ce champ de recherche s'est développé à partir de son travail de psychothérapeute d'enfants auprès d'"enfants de remplacement" [A. Cain & B. Cain 1964]. Elle affirme que la méthode psychanalytique à sa propre valeur et que le cadre psychanalytique peut être considéré comme un "laboratoire idéal" [P. Fonagy & G. Moran 1993] pour la recherche en psychothérapie psychanalytique. Le matériel clinique d'une étude de cas montre comment l'analyser et illustre la méthodologie de la recherche employée dans ce projet. Ce matériel explore l'évolution de la relation thérapeutique et traite en détail de la façon dont une des mères de l'échantillon a vécu la perte d'un enfant en bas âge avant la naissance de son bébé actuel. Questo articolo mette in rilievo la metodologia di ricerca utilizzata come parte di un dottorato professionale in psicoterapia psicoanalitica. Il progetto di ricerca studiava lo stato mentale materno conseguente la perdita di un neonato o bambino piccolo e la nascita del bambino successivo. Come parte della ricerca tre madri furono seguite una volta alla settimana in psicoterapia psicoanalitica, ed incoraggiate a portare alle sedute i loro nuovi bebe'. L'autore descrive come il suo interesse in questa area si e' sviluppato conseguentemente al suo lavoro come psicoterapeuta infantile con 'bambini sostituti' (Cain e Cain, 1964. Si cerca di mostrare l'unicita' del metodo psicoanalitico e come esso possa essere considerato un 'laboratorio ideale' (Fonagy e Moran, 1993) per la ricerca in psicoterapia psicoanalitica. Viene usato il materiale clinico di un caso per mostrare come esso possa essere analizzato e illustrare il metodo di ricerca usato nel progetto. Il materiale esplora la relazione terapeutica nel suo evolversi e si concentra sul modo in cui una madre nel gruppo di ricerca visse la perdita di un bambino piccolo precedente la nascita dell'altro bebe'. Dieser Artikel umreisst die Forschungsmethodik, die als Teil einer Doktorarbeit in psychoanalytischer Psychotherapie verwendet wurde. Das Projekt erforschte den müterlichen Gemütszustand nach dem Verlust eines Babys oder kleinen Kindes und der Geburt des nächsten Babys. Als Teil dieser Forschung wurden drei Mütter einmal wöchentlich in Psychotherapie gesehen. Sie wurden ermuntert, ihr Neugeborenes zu den Stunden mitzubringen. Die Autorin beschreibt, wie das Interesse in diesem Forschungsbereich sich als Folge ihrer Arbeit als Kinderpsychotherapeutin mit 'Ersatzkindern' entwickelt hatte. (Cain und Cain 1964). Es wird argumentiert, dass die psychoanalytische Methode einzigartig ist und das psychoanalytische Setting als ein 'ideales Labor' (Fonagy und Moran,1993) für psychoanalytische psychotherapeutische Forschung angesehen werden kann. Es wird klinisches Material einer Fallstudie benutzt, um zu zeigen, wie das Material analysiert werden kann und es demonstriert die Forschungsmethodik, die im Projekt benutzt wird. Das Material erforscht die sich entwickelnde therapeutische Beziehung und legt den Schwerpunkt auf die Art und Weise, wie eine Mutter in der Forschungsgruppe den Verlust eines kleinen Kindes vor der Geburt ihres nächsten Babys erlebte.     

The transferential chimera II: some theoretical considerations

The author develops here a theoretical model to account for the different levels of organization and functioning of the transference chimera of which he gave a clinical presentation in an earlier article. From his reading of Jung's 'Psychology of the transference' he derives a dynamic model of the chimera and links it to quantum mechanics and chaos theory not so much to describe the reality of the phenomenon, but to offer a model of representation as a conceptual and meditative tool for analysts to use in their practice. The main hypothesis of this work is that the chimera arises from the intimate interplay of the respective de-integrates of the analyst and of the patient, thus constituting a genuine self in the transference. The author concludes with some implications for the analyst's own internal position.