The Sense of Agency and the Search for a Narrative in Acute Psychosis

The search for a narrative in acute psychosis exists but the result of this search can be insufficient because the stories available do not sufficiently capture the pre-narrative quality of personal experience, and hence the sense of agency may be diminished. The context of reflexivity is lost when a subjugating story blocks an individual off from making a choice from among a multiplicity of stories. Psychosis can also be an escape in order to maintain a sense of agency. When the patient has trouble in creating meaning through narrative action, the aim of therapy and treatment is to open a channel through which the pre-narrative quality of life can become narrated, to create a multiplicity of stories, and so offer the possibility of choice in the construction of a narrative identity.     

The Influence of Posttreatment Mutual Help Group Participation on the Friendship Networks of Substance Abuse Patients

The effect of 12-step mutual help groups (e.g., Narcotics Anonymous) on members' friendship networks has received little attention. This 1-year longitudinal study examined such effects in a sample of 2,337 male substance abuse inpatients, 57.7% of whom became significantly involved in 12-step activities (e.g., reading program literature, attending meetings) after treatment. An a priori model of the interplay of 12-step involvement and friendship networks was tested using structural equation modeling, and found to have excellent fit to the data. Twelve-step group involvement after treatment predicted better general friendship characteristics (e.g., number of close friends) and substance abuse-specific friendship characteristics (e.g., proportion of friends who abstain from drugs and alcohol) at follow-up. Results are discussed in terms of how mutual help group involvement benefits patients and how the self-help group evaluation paradigm should be broadened.     

Political Psychology as a Lens for Viewing Traumatic Events

A burgeoning area of scientific inquiry uses psychological perspectives to understand traumatic events. This research has led to the identification of psychological symptoms and disorders frequently experienced in response to traumatic events. Many of the events having traumatic effects on large numbers of persons are of interest to political psychologists. Such events include the Holocaust, war, terrorism, captivity, torture, political migration, living as a political refugee, and assassination. Some interpersonal forms of trauma, such as rape and incest, also may be viewed with a political perspective. Although a number of studies have examined psychological consequences of political events, this area of inquiry is rarely explicitly considered within the domain of political psychology. Adopting an explicitly political psychology perspective on traumatic events may enrich our interdisciplinary understanding of these events and inform the design and evaluation of intervention programs to reduce psychological distress resulting from these events.     

The Role of Problem Construction in Creative Production

This paper provides an overview of theory and research regarding problem construction and identification. Specifically, the paper reviews a theoretical model of processes associated with problem construction and empirical evidence in relation to the model. Finally, the paper reviews the literature on team problem construction.     

Re‐Operationalizing Established Groups in Brainstorming: Validating Osborn's Claims

Since the introduction of brainstorming as an idea‐generation technique to address organizational problems, researchers have struggled to replicate some of the claims around the technique. One major concern has been the differences in the number of ideas generated between established groups as found in industry versus the non‐established groups used in the laboratory. The impact of group establishment on idea quality has also been an area of interest. This study addresses these issues by using a more in‐depth induction to establish groups and testing some discrepancies in the relationship between idea quality and idea quantity using 42 three‐person brainstorming groups. Results indicate that brainstorming groups, given an adequate amount of time (10 weeks) to become established, did generate more ideas and higher quality ideas than non‐established groups. Also, a relationship between idea quality and idea quantity was found. Further discussion of results and implications follows.     

Effects of cohabitation with another female on aggressive behaviour in pregnant mice

Pregnant, nonpregnant (but mated) and virgin females were individually housed or lived with a pregnant or nonpregnant cagemate. They were subjected to a series of successive daily encounters with a male intruder, the cagemate being excluded. The most aggressive subjects were pregnant females living with a pregnant cagemate. Isolated pregnant females were as aggressive as pregnant females with a nonpregnant cagemate. Nonpregnant and virgin females were the least aggressive. Nevertheless nonpregnant subjects living with a pregnant cagemate generated higher aggressive scores than nonpregnant females living alone. The way in which a pregnant cagemate influences the aggressive behaviour of another pregnant or nonpregnant female is discussed.     

平等之后:一些关于医疗保健筹资的批判性反思

一系列复杂的思想意识、财政、社会和道德的危机正威胁着西欧和美国医疗保健筹资的可持续性。本文致力于罗尔斯原初境况的解释策略,以期论证一个根本上不同与约翰.罗尔斯的道德观,以及不同于驱动当代西方社会福利国家包含医疗保健提供在内的道德和政治承诺的道德观。     

Psychological Abuse Experienced in Groups Scale: Psychometric Properties of the Japanese Version

The purpose of this study was to adapt the Psychological Abuse Experienced in Groups Scale (PAEGS) for use in the Japanese population. This scale evaluates the frequency with which an individual has experienced psychologically abusive behaviors within a group. A questionnaire was administered to 130 former members of abusive groups and to a comparison sample composed of 124 former members of non‐abusive groups. The main results showed a one‐dimensional factor structure and an adequate reliability score. Significant correlations were found between the PAEGS and a group abusiveness measure, providing evidence of convergent validity. In addition, high discriminatory power was found, determining an optimal cut‐off point to distinguish between abusive experiences and non‐abusive experiences within groups. The Japanese version of the PAEGS is able to overcome limitations of previous instruments intended to assess the phenomenon, as sufficient empirical evidence is found for its use in research. In addition, it can be useful in clinical and legal contexts to assess the degree of psychological abuse experienced by Japanese people during their involvement in certain groups.     

Blurring boundaries and advancing interreligious understanding by engaging textual ‘others’ in a women’s interfaith book group

This article casts analytical light on how Jewish, Christian and Muslim women develop understanding of religious identities by engaging with multidimensional textual ‘others’ in the Daughters of Abraham interfaith book groups. It focuses on a group discussion of a rabbi’s memoir about her religious journey. Drawing on ethnographic material and Talal Asad’s analysis of the relationship between text and reader, I examine how narratives outside primary religious texts influence ideas about Jewish, Christian and Muslim identities. I argue that the Daughters members’ appropriation of literary voices advances their engagement with religious diversity by developing understanding of religious self and others. Moreover, members’ navigation of inter- and intra-religious relations during discussions of texts blur boundaries for inclusion into this interfaith encounter. This examination raises questions about issues of identity, power dynamics and interfaith relations. Importantly, it provides novel insight into the understudied areas of women’s interreligious encounter and shared reading practices.     

急性创伤青年患者的心理健康水平与小组干预

为了探讨急性创伤青年患者的心理健康水平及小组干预对策,采用三种国际通用量表（SCL-90、HAMA、HAMD）对160例急性创伤青年患者进行测评,在给予传统心理护理的同时,进行小组干预,然后比较患者干预前后心理健康水平;并以既往同种病例为对照,比较治疗效果。结果显示,86．25％的急性创伤青年患者存在有不同程度的心理障碍。通过小组干预后,患者心理健康水平明显提高;患者的临床疗效明显改善。因此小组干预可显著改善急性创伤青年患者的心理应激水平,提高临床疗效。