The Map of Relational-Cultural Theory

SUMMARY

Psychological theory-building has long been dominated by White, European-male perspectives, perspectives that fail to account for the multifaceted experiences of diverse and marginalized populations. Feminist theory seeks to explore, encompass, and understand the wide range of human experience, a territory that is viewed as broad and complex and dynamic. Relational-Cultural Theory as it addresses the critical importance of relational exchange related to development and health provides an elaboration of some of the most basic feminist principles. Perhaps not surprisingly, this evolving theoretical model has emerged out of the relational work of five women and continues now within an ever-expanding and diverse network of women. This paper will present several elements of this work, its relevance to the larger work of feminist theory, and some of the major contributions of the founding “Monday Night Group.”     

‘Pluralistic accountability’ for the psychological therapies? Holding the tension between diversity's virtues and the need for accountability

ABSTRACT

This paper argues that the field of counselling and psychotherapy needs to find values-congruent ways of managing, and creatively engaging with, the challenging tension between accountability and diversity in therapy work. The authors strongly support the preservation of pluralism and diversity in therapy practice, in the face of the increasingly urgent, anxiety-driven demands for audit, regulation and accountability typifying Late Modernity. It is argued that if accountability itself is to be ‘evidence-based’, then incorporating a relational dimension is essential; for if relationship factors are central to successful therapy, then accountability frameworks must themselves be founded on/in ‘relationship’. The arguments against formal institutional regulation of the psychological therapies in relation to the ineffectiveness of systems are rehearsed, and alternative, more values-congruent approaches considered. In making a case for ‘pluralistic accountability’, a detailed case-study of Bristol's developing local directory of therapists is offered, illustrating how local initiative can deliver good-enough accountability, avoiding the many negative side-effects of more didactic, centralised systems. The paper concludes that innovation and diversity in the field are more likely to be preserved if approaches can be found that hold and embrace the tensions between accountability and diversity, rather than seeking ‘solutions’ that prematurely and inappropriately resolve them.     

Psychological Help‐Seeking Intention Among College Students Across Three Problem Areas

The theory of planned behavior (TPB) was used to understand psychological help‐seeking intention for 3 common concerns: anxiety or depression, career choice concerns, and alcohol or drug use. Eight hundred eighty‐nine university students completed surveys for the TPB variables plus belief in personal efficacy and control to solve the problems. Path analysis demonstrated path invariance, indicating that the importance of TPB variables do not vary based on concern in the decision‐making process.     

Polarization or bridging? Responses of Muslim and non-Muslim organizations to criticism of Islam in the Netherlands

Since the beginning of the twenty-first century, Islam has been a target of harsh criticism in the Netherlands, as in many other European countries. This article examines and analyses the way leaders of 10 Muslim and 11 non-Muslim organizations responded to criticism of Islam in the Netherlands in the period 2004–10. The focus is on the response to five episodes: the film Submission (2004), the Danish Cartoon Affair (2005–2006), the film Fitna (2008), the Internet film An interview with Mohammed (2008) and the Swiss ban on the building of minarets (2009). Several specific patterns of response are noted. The responses of Muslim organizations vary from resignation to defensive to offensive, and those of non-Muslim organizations from supportive to critical. These patterns are strongly linked to the organizations' leaders' framing of the situation, including the incidents themselves and other organizations, and their own mission and strategy, as well as, in the case of Fitna, to the policy of the Dutch government. All the organizations researched reject extreme forms of polarization and the mainstream Christian, Islamic and Jewish organizations in particular have strengthened their mutual ties in response to expressions of criticism of Islam.     

人文关怀在消除IVF—ET患者心理压力中的作用

近年我国不少生殖医学中心在如何提高体外受精一胚胎移植（IVF—ET）治疗成功率问题上,都将注意力集中在临床用药的研究、控制性超促排卵方案的改进以及实验室条件的改善上,大多忽视IVF—ET患者心理方面的治疗。有研究表明：IVF—ET治疗的成功,不仅与患者自身的病理及生理状况有关,更与患者在治疗过程中产生的心理压力有关。因此,建议医护人员在给不孕症患者实施IVF-ET助孕治疗的全过程中,应给予患者更多人文关怀,这样不仅能够减少IVF—ET患者心理健康问题的发生,而且可以改善患者的身心状态和应对治疗能力,从而提高IVF—ET治疗成功率。     

fMRI responses to Jung's Word Association Test: implications for theory,treatment and research

Jung's Word Association Test was performed under fMRI conditions by 12 normal subjects. Pooled complexed responses were contrasted against pooled neutral ones. The fMRI activation pattern of this generic ‘complexed response’ was very strong (corrected Z scores ranging from 4.90 to 5.69). The activation pattern in each hemisphere includes mirror neurone areas that track ‘otherness’ (perspectival empathy), anterior insula (both self‐awareness and emotional empathy), and cingulated gyrus (self‐awareness and conflict‐monitoring). These are the sites described by Siegel and colleagues as the ‘resonance circuitry’ in the brain which is central to mindfulness (awareness of self) and empathy (sense of the other), negotiations between self awareness and the ‘internal other’. But there is also an interhemispheric dialogue. Within 3 seconds, the left hemisphere over‐rides the right (at least in our normal subjects). Mindfulness and empathy are central to good psychotherapy, and complexes can be windows of opportunity if left‐brain hegemony is resisted. This study sets foundations for further research: (i) QEEG studies (with their finer temporal resolution) of complexed responses in normal subjects (ii) QEEG and fMRI studies of complexed responses in other conditions, like schizophrenia, PTSD, disorders of self organization.     

Rejection of Darwinian Evolution Among Churchgoers in England: The Effects of Psychological Type

Rejection of Darwinian evolution (implying rejection of the common origin of all species, including humans) was assessed among 1,100 churchgoers from a range of Christian denominations in England. The main predictors of rejecting evolution were denominational affiliation and attendance. Individuals from Pentecostal or evangelical denominations were twice as likely to reject evolution compared with those from Anglican or Methodist churches. In all denominations, higher attendance was associated with greater rejection of evolution. Education in general, and theological education in particular, had some effect on reducing rejection, but this was not dependent on having specifically scientific or biological educational qualifications. Psychological type preferences for sensing over intuition and for thinking over feeling also predicted greater rejection, after allowing for the association of type preferences and general religiosity. Reasons for the association between psychological type and rejection of evolution are discussed in the light of the known characteristics of different function preferences.     

Individual and parental factors related to meaning in life among Hungarian minority adolescents from Romania

Understanding how adolescents achieve meaning in life has important implications for their psychological development. A social cognitive model of meaning development was tested by assessing psychological (self‐efficacy, self‐regulation and social comparison) and parental (parental responsiveness, demandingness, and social support) variables in a sample of 1944 adolescents (aged 15–19 years; 47.8% males) from secondary schools of the Middle Transylvanian Region, Romania. Both psychological and parental factors were significantly related to meaning in life. For both boys and girls, self‐efficacy, self‐regulation, and maternal responsiveness related positively with meaning in life, and paternal demandingness related inversely to meaning in life. However, social comparison related positively to meaning only among boys, and paternal responsiveness related positively to meaning only among girls. Results point to a possible meaning‐supporting role played by social cognitive variables, as well as parental autonomy support. The gender differences observed here suggest that existing theories of meaning development may need to be elaborated to include family of origin and gender.     

Beyond community analysis: A response to Dr Borg

Abstract

Medicine, psychology, and psychiatry are not only modes of scientific knowledge or professional practice, but also means of social control that participate in regulating behavior. The “re-pathologizing” of psychiatry during the past 25 years bears witness to an anthropological mutation that reduces the human being to the sum of his or her conduct. In order to get to this “medico-economic” civilization of the subject, postmodern psychiatry has needed to deconstruct and reconstruct its normative landscape for the benefit of “fickle” notions and “behavioral disorders,” at the expense of the concept of “psychological suffering.”     

Exploring the transitional process from receiving a diagnosis to living with motor neurone disease

Motor neurone disease (MND) is a rapidly progressing neurodegenerative condition that results in a marked reduction in life expectancy. Currently, little is known about the experiences of people after they have received this diagnosis and the effect of this on their sense of self and identity. In this study, interpretative phenomenological analysis was used to explore both the personal and lived experiences of people with MND. Seven people diagnosed with MND within the previous six months were recruited. The three themes constructed from the participants’ accounts were ‘Then they dropped the bomb shell’; Receiving a diagnosis of MND; ‘Getting on with it’; Learning to live with MND; and ‘A lot of normal life is lost’; Experiencing progressive loss. Participants described receiving a diagnosis as a devastating experience but most participants were able to accept their diagnosis and employ adaptive strategies to cope with increasing levels of functional decline. However, in spite of this, the participants experienced functional changes that affected their identity, social status and social relationships.