Digital power: exploring the effects of social media on children’s spirituality

Digital culture is a prominent factor in the formation of children’s identity and relational experiences, with high percentages of children in many countries participating in gaming and social networking activities. Yet little scholarly work has addressed the ways in which various patterns of engagement in digital culture call into question current assumptions about childhood identity formation and relationality and the repercussions of formational and relational shifts on children’s spirituality. This essay explores ways in which digital culture functions as a spiritually enriching force in children’s lives, paying particular attention to the potential value of social networking for children’s spiritual well-being and the ways in which the internet’s positive aspects may mask other, more corrosive, elements.     

Political and clinical developments in analytical psychology, 1972‐2014: subjectivity,equality and diversity—inside and outside the consulting room

Utilizing Jung's idea of theory as a ‘personal confession’, the author charts his own development as a theorist, establishing links between his personal history and his ideas. Such links include his relationship with both parents, his sexuality, his cultural heritage, and his fascination with Tricksters and with Hermes. There follows a substantial critical interrogation of what the author discerns as the two main lines of clinical theorizing in contemporary analytical psychotherapy: interpretation of transference‐countertransference, and the relational approach. His conclusion is that neither is superior to the other and neither is in fact adequate as a basis for clinical work. The focus then shifts to explore a range of political and social aspects of the clinical project of analytical psychology: economic inequality, diversity within the professional field, and Jung's controversial ideas about Jews and Africans. The author calls for an apology from the ‘Jungian community’ for remarks about Africans analogous to the apology already issued for remarks about Jews. The paper is dedicated to the author's friend Fred Plaut (1913‐2009).     

Cell phone usage relational regulation strategies of older South Africans

This study explored older South Africans’ relational regulation strategies in using their cell phones to address their social goals and psychosocial needs. Nineteen older South Africans (17 female; 2 male), aged 60 and older, who had access to a cell phone and represented different socio-economic levels based on the Living Standard Measurement (LSM) scale, participated in the Mmogo-method®, a visual data-collection method. Thematic and visual analysis revealed that the subjective assessment of cell phone users’ competence determined the type of relational regulation strategy they apply. Findings revealed older persons to adopt three relational regulation strategies in their cell phone use: (i) postponement of need satisfaction; (ii) asking directly; or (iii) negotiating for needs satisfaction. The findings might facilitate programmes that promote cell phone use in older persons to address their social needs and promote healthy intergenerational interactions.     

Moment-to-moment changes in feeling moved match changes in closeness,tears, goosebumps,and warmth: time series analyses

Feeling moved or touched can be accompanied by tears, goosebumps, and sensations of warmth in the centre of the chest. The experience has been described frequently, but psychological science knows little about it. We propose that labelling one’s feeling as being moved or touched is a component of a social-relational emotion that we term kama muta (its Sanskrit label). We hypothesise that it is caused by appraising an intensification of communal sharing relations. Here, we test this by investigating people’s moment-to-moment reports of feeling moved and touched while watching six short videos. We compare these to six other sets of participants’ moment-to-moment responses watching the same videos: respectively, judgements of closeness (indexing communal sharing), reports of weeping, goosebumps, warmth in the centre of the chest, happiness, and sadness. Our eighth time series is expert ratings of communal sharing. Time series analyses show strong and consistent cross-correlations of feeling moved and touched and closeness with each other and with each of the three physiological variables and expert-rated communal sharing – but distinctiveness from happiness and sadness. These results support our model.     

I,Me, You & Us: can a psychodynamic model provide a relational perspective on psychosis?

The concept of psychosis existed long before the current diagnostic definitions we have today. However, current opinion and treatment of psychosis is often dominated by a narrow psychiatric discourse. As a result of this conceptualisation, a diagnosis of psychosis can often feel limiting and disempowering for the individual, especially if he or she holds an alternative perspective. A psychodynamic model may therefore provide a method to examine psychosis from a relational perspective; this may, in turn, broaden one’s understanding and experience of a psychotic episode. In this article, two case examples from different cultural perspectives are used to highlight and explore the potential benefit of psychodynamic theory in the formulation and treatment of psychosis. A psychodynamic model using object relations theory is used for the exploration of both internal and external relational experiences. Both psychodynamic and psychiatric rationales are thus challenged to reflect on the impact of rigid perspectives and how they may limit treatment efficacy. Current research and literature around the use of psychodynamic theory in the treatment of psychosis is reviewed in light of this perspective.     

Reframing the ordinary: Imagining time as scarce increases well-being

We explored a counterintuitive approach to increasing happiness: Imagining time as scarce. Participants were randomly assigned to try to live this month (LTM) like it was their last in their current city (time scarcity intervention; n = 69) or to keep track of their daily activities (neutral control; n = 70). Each group reported their activities and their psychological need satisfaction (connectedness, competence, and autonomy) weekly for 4 weeks. At baseline, post-intervention, and 2-week follow-up, participants reported their well-being – a composite of life satisfaction, positive emotions, and negative emotions. Participants in the LTM condition increased in well-being over time compared to the control group. Furthermore, mediation analyses indicated that these differences in well-being were explained by greater connectedness, competence, and autonomy. Thus, imagining time as scarce prompted people to seize the moment and extract greater well-being from their lives.     

Revisiting a meta-analysis of helpful aspects of therapy in a community counselling service

This small scale mixed methods study examines helpful events in a community counselling setting, categorising impacts of events according to Timulak’s [(2007). Identifying core categories of client-identified impact of helpful events in psychotherapy: A qualitative meta-analysis. Psychotherapy Research, 17, 305–314] meta-synthesis of significant events research. Comparisons were made between the types of impacts reported as helpful by clients receiving cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) or relational integrative counselling. Seventy-five clients identified 291 significant events on 216 Helpful Aspects of Therapy (HAT) forms. The findings broadly reflect all nine impacts identified by Timulak (2007). The study also suggests that a potential new category, ‘voicing’ may exist. Differences between the types of impacts reported as helpful by clients in CBT and integrative therapy showed a higher percentage of CBT clients reporting ‘behavioural change/problem solution’, ‘reassurance’ and ‘client involvement’ as helpful. Differences in other categories were not statistically significant.     

社会分享型提取诱发遗忘的性别差异：来自关系动机的影响作用

社会互动提取任务中,说者的选择性提取会造成听者对相关内容的遗忘,这被称为社会分享型提取诱发遗忘。本研究基于关系动机的视角,分别考察女性组合和男性组合条件下,听者社会分享型提取诱发遗忘的表现特点。结果表明,女性组合中的听者在同性别说者在场的条件下,出现了社会分享型提取诱发遗忘;而男性组合中的听者在同性别说者在场的条件下,无该现象出现。以上结果为关系动机影响社会分享型提取诱发遗忘提供了实证证据。