The association of religiosity,spirituality, and ethnic background with ego-pathology in acute schizophrenia

Studies have highlighted the impact of ego-consciousness, religiosity and spirituality on psychotic symptoms, although so far no study has investigated if and how these factors may be interrelated. In this exploratory cross-sectional study, involving 42 patients with a diagnosis of acute paranoid schizophrenia (DSM-IV), we assessed religiosity (Religious Orientation Test) spirituality (Spiritual Transcendence Scale) and ego-pathology (Ego Pathology Inventory) and analysed any relationship with these and psychopathological symptoms (Positive and Negative Symptom Scale). The subjects were divided into four ethnic groups (Caucasian, Afro-Caribbean, African, and Asian) and a structured, qualitative interview on religious needs and self-concepts was also conducted. Using a multivariate analysis, we found statistically significant negative associations between the scores on ego and common pathology and religiosity and spirituality as covariates. This was seen across all ethnic groups. The findings are discussed in respect of the potential clinical importance of ethnic, religious and spiritual factors for assessment and management of patients with schizophrenia.     

不合规任务与工作拖延行为的关系：自我损耗和主动性人格的作用

工作拖延行为是当今职场人士面临的普遍困扰之一。基于资源保存理论,本研究从不合规任务视角探究工作拖延行为的成因。对196位员工的两时点调查数据进行层次回归分析,结果表明：不合规任务正向预测员工工作拖延行为,自我损耗在不合规任务与工作拖延行为之间起着中介作用,主动性人格负向调节不合规任务与自我损耗的正向关系以及自我损耗的中介效应。以上结果对预防或降低工作拖延行为具有启发意义。     

Narcissism, hypochondria and the problem of alternative theories

This paper is an experiment in conceptual integration and clinical theory testing. Its argument is that narcissism and sexual object love develop from a single source and continue to interact during childhood development and adult life (Freud) and that drives in their oedipal and other formations are not merely disintegration products of narcissism (Kohut). Material from two analyses, supplemented by material from two others, indicate that narcissistic injury was a significant factor in the neuroses of these patients but that aggressive and libidinal conflicts were also decisive such that their hypochondriac symptoms were compositions of their interacting causality. As a result these neuroses are negative instances of Kohut's theory of narcissism. The hypochondriac symptoms as they emerged could not have had the structure and dynamics they actually had nor could the analytic process these patients underwent have achieved the far-reaching and durable amelioration of these symptoms that occurred. On the positive side, these analyses are but two inductive instances that support Freud's theory. However, one major difficulty of the faddishness of psychoanalytic theorizing is that much of worth is lost from general theories that turn out not to be supportable. The clinical material from these two cases which disprove basic elements of self-psychology metapsychology also require adjustments to classical theory that integrate the contributions of self-psychology to psychoanalytic clinical theory.     

Limitations to the capacity to love

This paper is a meditation on the potential and problems of establishing and maintaining loving and passionate relationships, drawn from a lifetime of struggling with these issues in the course of doing analysis. It describes interferences with the capacity for mature sexual love as reflecting various psychopathological conditions. These limitations include a variety of psychological restrictions determined most frequently by masochistic, narcissistic and paranoid personality features. Clinical case material illustrates both mature and disturbed capability for love relations.     

Can't get over me: Ego depletion attenuates prosocial effects of perspective taking

Many studies attest to the beneficial and prosocial effects of perspective taking. The present research tests the notion that such perspective taking is a process involving active self‐regulation and, hence, that effects of perspective taking on prosocial behaviour are more pronounced when self‐control resources are high, rather than low. Results confirmed this hypothesis. Across two experiments using acts of compliance as a specific form of prosocial behaviour, perspective‐taking participants were more willing to comply with a request for help by the experimenter (experiment 1) and donated more time to a charitable cause (experiment 2) than participants who did not engage in perspective taking, but only when self‐regulatory resources were in sufficient supply. Under conditions of ego depletion, the impact of perspective taking on compliance was attenuated. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Networks of self-defining memories as a contributing factor to emotional openness

Emotional openness is characterised by a capacity to tolerate threatening self-relevant material and an interest towards new emotional situations. We investigated how specific networks of memories could be an important contributing factor to emotional openness. At Phase 1, participants completed measures of personality traits and emotional intelligence, described a self-defining memory, provided other memories associated with it, and rated the valence of each of their memories. A score assessing the complexity of this memory network, comprising the number of memories reported and their valence diversity, was created. Two weeks later, in laboratory, participants watched an anxiety-inducing film and took part in an interview assessing their emotional openness to the film. They completed a cognitive task before and after the film to measure ego depletion. Controlling for traits and emotional intelligence, memory network complexity was positively associated with emotional openness and negatively with ego depletion. The mental organisation of self-defining memories thus appears to be a critical factor contributing to emotional openness.     

Identity Problems,Ego Strengths,Perceived Stress,and Adjustment During Contextual Changes at University

We present a 2-year time-lag study in which Canadian and Spanish students’ perceptions of stress, identity problems, and psychosocial maturity (ego strengths) were examined in relation to academic, social, and personal-emotional adjustment to university under different conditions of macro-environmental disruption (i.e., academic and economic) and no disruption (stability). In the academic disturbance context, students reported increased stress and the economic disruption situation was associated with greater identity problems. The expected relationships were found among the variables in the study. Students reported greater social maladjustment at university related to economic disruption in comparison with the academic and no disruption contexts. Ego strengths moderated the relationship between perceived stress with academic and social adjustment, respectively. In other words, delayed psychosocial development in conjunction with high perceived stress was associated with deficient academic and social functioning at university. The findings are considered in terms of psychosocial development and the role of proximal and distal perception of stressors in the functional well-being of university students.     

Vaginoplasty in Male to Female Transsexuals Using Penile Skin and Urethral Flap

ABSTRACT.

Objectives: Vaginoplasty presents the main problem in male to female surgery. There are many operative techniques that can be used, but none is ideal. We present our one stage vaginoplasty in male to female sex reassignment surgery.

Patients and Methods: The principle of our technique is based on penile disassembly and usage of all penile entities for vaginoplasty except corpora cavernosa. We developed our disassembly technique on a very large number of severe hypospadias reconstruction and adrenogenital “conversions.” Penile skin flaps and urethral work are used in each of these. Our new vagina consists of two parts: a long vascularized urethral flap and a pedicled island tube skin flap created from the penile skin. The urethral flap is embedded into the skin tube. The tube, consisting of skin and urethral flap, is inverted, thus forming the new vagina. The new vagina is inserted into the previously prepared perineal cavity between the urethra, bladder, and rectum. The new vagina is fixed to the sacrospinous ligament. The labia minora and majora are formed from the remaining penile and scrotal skin.

Results: The follow-up ranged from 3 months to 6 years (mean 4.6 years). Good cosmetic and functional results were obtained in 77 out of 89 patients (87%).

Conclusions: The technique provides results that have the most normal anatomical and physiological characteristics, in comparison to other methods, since all penile entities are used (except corpora cavernosa) to form almost normal external female genitalia. Vaginoplasty using pedicled penile skin with a urethral flap could be a very good alternative to other methods of vaginoplasty.     

A portable biofeedback device for autonomic responses

The design of a versatile and programmable transducer amplifier device with analogue display for self-monitoring of autonomic responses is described. The design features low cost, portability, and flexibility across direct-current transducer options (e.g., photoplethysmograph or thermistor). The device can be used for the visual or auditory display of continuous blood volume pulse or temperature measures where the relative amplitude or pulse rate is of concern. Auditory or visual biofeedback may be provided via the choice of a stacked bar-graph display or piezoelectric buzzer. A common circuit design to allow programming options for the estimation of heart rate, inter-beat interval, or pulse duration is provided.     

Comment on “The Angry Patient”

This article formulates the main problem of the angry patient treated by Dr. Curtis as one of poor ego functioning. This is possibly of neuropsychological origin. Treatment would be training to strengthen ego functions and the patient–therapist relationship would be task oriented. The anger is not dealt with directly except as it interferes with the training. It is predicted that as the ego becomes stronger, the anger will become more controllable. There is some question of whether this patient would be able to cooperate with such a program.