Truth as a way of developing and preserving the space for thinking in the minds of the patient and the analyst

Clinical material from the analysis of a young patient diagnosed with borderline personality disorder and heavily dependent on drugs was examined to identify changes in setting that may be necessary to enable the psychoanalytical treatment of this type of patient. The article describes a lack of truth in the patient's life and the absence of a good enough space for thinking in her mind. In order to enhance the development of the capacity for symbolization in the patient's mind, the analyst had to become an object the patient needed. In order to do this the analyst had to manage setting alteration. Theoretical frameworks proposed by Ferenczi, Winnicott and Bion were used to guide the psychoanalyst's approach to this patient. The survival of the capacity for thinking psychoanalytically inside the analyst's mind when the setting has been significantly distorted by the disruptive behavior of the patient is guaranteed by the trueness of their link. It is suggested that maybe this is decisive for a successful psychoanalytical treatment of this type of patient.     

Reducing disruptive behavior in an urban school cafeteria: An extension of the Good Behavior Game

Non-classroom settings are often the most violence-prone areas within a school. This study investigated the impact of an interdependent group contingency on the disruptive behaviors of students in grades K-6 in an urban school cafeteria. Nine female noontime aides and National School and Community Corps staff members implemented the Lunchroom Behavior Game (LBG), a modification of the Good Behavior Game (Barrish, Saunders, & Wolf, 1969), within a multiple-baseline design across three lunch periods. Results showed a decrease in the level of disruptive behaviors following the implementation of the LBG in each lunch period and a decreasing trend for two of the three lunch periods. Discussion focuses on the use of the LBG in preventing antisocial behavior and role expansion for school psychologists interested in promoting school-based prevention strategies.     

团队多样性与组织支持对团队创造力的影响

采用实验法在专业异质性与群体断层两个水平上操纵团队多样性, 通过两个实验考察团队多样性与组织支持的交互作用对团队创造力的影响。研究结果表明：(1)在独创性维度上, 专业异质团队在工具支持条件下的独创性显著高于专业同质团队, 情感和物质支持条件下二者差异不显著。当团队出现群体断层时, 情感支持与工具支持具有同样的促进作用, 即在这两种组织支持下, 强断层团队的独创性显著高于弱断层团队; 物质支持条件下二者差异不显著。(2)在适宜性维度上, 组织支持的主效应显著, 两个实验一致地发现物质支持条件下的适宜性显著高于情感支持和工具支持。本研究从团队多样性与组织支持交互作用的角度考察不同复杂程度、不同组织目标的多样性团队所需要的组织支持条件, 对促进团队创造力具有一定的理论与实践价值。     

Raiding the inarticulate: The internal analytic setting and listening beyond countertransference

The analytic setting exists not only externally but also internally as a structure in the mind of the analyst. The internal analytic setting constitutes an area of the analyst's mind where reality is defined by unconscious symbolic meaning. Clinical examples illustrate how a secure internal setting allows flexibility in the external setting without sacrifice of its analytic quality. The internal setting can help analysts listen inwardly to themselves in a way that is free-floating with regard to their internal processes. This points beyond usual ideas of countertransference. An analytic encounter may stir up elements that belong to the analyst's psyche which, rather than impeding the analysis, can actively enrich it. Seamus Heaney's writings evoke comparisons between listening to poems and listening to patients, and a week in a patient's analysis is described in relation to these themes.     

The effects of goal types on psychological outcomes in active and insufficiently active adults in a walking task: Further evidence for open goals

ObjectivesThis study aimed to extend recent work on the effects of goal types in physical activity (PA; Swann, Hooper et al., 2020) by comparing the effects of SMART, open, and do-your-best (DYB) goals on performance and psychological responses in active and insufficiently active adults in a walking task.Design4 (goal condition) x 3 (attempt) x 2 (group) mixed design.MethodsActive (n = 18) and insufficiently active (n = 18) participants completed baseline and two experimental attempts of a 6-minute walking test in four conditions: SMART goal; open goal; DYB goal; and control. A range of measures were taken during and following each attempt, and after each session. A series of mixed ANOVA’s were conducted for all measures assessed between groups.ResultsInsufficiently active participants achieved greater distances in the open condition compared to the SMART condition (p < .001), whereas active participants achieved greater distances in the SMART condition compared to the open condition (p < .001). Additionally, exploratory analyses revealed that insufficiently active participants reported greater pleasure and enjoyment (p < .05) in the open condition compared to active participants, who conversely reported more pleasure and enjoyment (p < .05) in the SMART condition than insufficiently active participants.ConclusionsFindings provide initial evidence that PA and psychological responses differ between active and insufficiently active individuals depending on goal type. This work has potential implications for goal setting strategies in PA promotion and raises further questions about current practices of setting SMART goals for insufficiently active participants.     

Do mindful people set better goals? Investigating the relation between trait mindfulness,self-concordance,and goal progress

The present research examined the relation between trait mindfulness, self-concordance, and goal progress. We hypothesized that mindfulness would be positively associated with setting self-concordant goals (Studies 1–3), which would in turn predict greater goal progress (Studies 2 and 3). An internal mini meta-analysis (N = 1522) indicates that mindfulness had a small, positive association with self-concordant goal setting, r = 0.14, p < .001. Two longitudinal studies (Studies 2 and 3) found a small indirect effect of mindfulness on goal progress through self-concordance, although this was marginal in Study 2. In addition, Studies 2 and 3 found that mindfulness predicted increases in goal self-concordance over time. These findings provide support for the proposition that mindful people set “better” goals.     

Behavioral and endocrine aspects of dominance and submission in male rabbits

Small all-male groups of rabbits were studied for periods of 15–20 days in a seminatural setting, giving the animals the possibility of initiating and pacing their social interactions. Behavioral observations included: intermale activity recorded daily and the reactions to the occasional introduction of an intruder female. Hormones were measured in blood samples taken at the beginning and at the end of the experimental period. A combination of behavioral and endocrine parameters, rather than single measures, was used to assign each individual its social rank within each group. Tables of concordance between behavioral and endocrine parameters were compiled to evaluate the dominance and the subordination hierarchy. Different behavioral categories and elements characterized dominance and subordination, indicating the two as district rather than simply reciprocal traits. Their endocrine basis is also different, final levels of testosterone and estradiol being associated with dominance, and corticosterone, ACTH, and androstenedione with subordination. The same hormones in the initial samples were unrelated to the subsequent social status, indicating that hormones are not prerequisites of status. The relevance of specific behavioral and endocrine parameters is discussed.     

The effectiveness of computerized cognitive training on working memory in a school setting

Working memory (WM) is a significant predictor of academic performance. Emerging empirical evidence has shown that WM can be improved via computerized cognitive training (CCT). Though studies have shown that CCT can improve WM in typical and atypical populations, little is known regarding the efficacy of implementing CCT within a school setting. To address this, the current study examines whether CCT can be efficaciously implemented to remediate WM deficits in students during the school day. Among 17 participants from a school for students with learning differences, nine engaged in a CCT program for a total of 20 hr, whereas the remaining eight students engaged in an out-of-class reading activity. Pretest to posttest differences showed that auditory WM abilities significantly improved only for those who received the training program. These results provide initial support for the efficacy of implementing CCT training within the school setting to improve WM.