The two faces of alcohol myopia: attentional mediation of psychological stress

Two studies provided evidence that alcohol's relationship to psychological stress is indirect and is mediated by the allocation of attention. Study 1 found that, as the attentional demands of a distracting activity increased, so did alcohol's reduction of anxiety. Study 2 replicated this effect and found that a highly demanding activity could reduce anxiety even without alcohol. This study further implicated the role of attention in anxiety reduction by demonstrating a relationship between changes in anxiety and response latency to a secondary monitoring task. Finally, in both experiments, intoxicated subjects who did not perform any activity showed an increase in anxiety. From these data, we argue that alcohol affects psychological stress, to an important degree, through its ability, in conjunction with ongoing activity, to affect the amount of attention paid to stressful thoughts.     

Psychotherapie und Internet

Zusammenfassung  Die Außendarstellung im Internet ist wichtig und in der Zukunft unverzichtbar. Jedoch hat die Liberalisierung des Werberechts der freien Berufe keineswegs zur absoluten Schrankenlosigkeit geführt. Vielmehr sind die zu beachtenden Regeln auf verschiedene Gesetze und Rechtsgebiete verstreut, so dass ohne fachkundige Hilfe—etwa durch die Kammern oder durch juristische Beratung—die Selbstdarstellung im Internet schnell zu einem bösen Erwachen führen kann.

Victimization and PTSD in a Faroese youth total-population sample

Petersen, T., Elklit, A. & Olesen, J. G. (2010). Victimization and PTSD in a Faroese youth total-population sample. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology, 51, 56–62.
The prevalence of twenty traumatic events and negative life events in relation to posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) was studied in a Faroese total-population sample of 687 eighth-grade students with a mean age of 14.2 years. Ninety-four percent of the females and 89% of the males were directly exposed to or had witnessed at least one traumatic event or a negative life event. The odds ratios for PTSD after direct and indirect exposure to specific events are described. The lifetime prevalence of PTSD was 20%, whereas another 14% reached a subclinical level of PTSD. After exposure, females had PTSD more than twice as often as males. Being exposed to multiple traumatic events, living with a single parent, and having experienced a traumatic event or a negative life event within the last year were all associated with PTSD and its subscales.     

A Dialectical Approach to the Treatment of Sexual Disgust: Reply to Commentaries by Blechner,Nathans, and Willock

The reply to the commentaries discusses the challenges of treating sexual disgust from the perspective of comparative-integrative psychoanalysis. My paper tried to weave in the oedipal, the adaptationist perspective of research on disgust by evolutionary developmental psychologists, and the psychoeducational into more standard psychoanalytic ways of thinking about and working with sexual disgust that tend to neglect those viewpoints. How does one bring in a fresh perspective without throwing out the baby with the bathwater?     

Primal Fatherhood and Primal Rage

Fatherhood may unconsciously activate repudiated identifications with patriarchal primal fathers in men with progressive social values. These men may consciously cultivate an image of themselves as rebellious nonconformists. These men may wish to raise children who are fiercely independent just like them. Yet when these rambunctious children challenge paternal authority, these men may become enraged because their unconscious identification with the primal father has been threatened. These men may be referred to treatment for problems of anger management. They tend to unconsciously re-create and enact their conflicted and enraging relationship with the primal father in their relationship with the therapist.     

The Semiotic Regulation of Sexuality from a Microgenetic Perspective

On the level of collective culture, sexuality and sensuality are interpreted as zero signifiers, i.e., areas of human life, which gain their power through being purposefully kept invisible and unverbalized. Explicit transgressions (e.g., curse words) only refer to culturally "illegitimate" forms of sexuality, while the respective figure--in terms of the figure-ground principle--of "legitimate" meaning and feeling fields has to be constructively inferred by the person him- or herself. The present paper gives some examples of personal meaning making in the field of sexuality. For studying the semiotic regulation of sexuality and sensuality on the personal level, microgenetic investigations are proposed. Only they can offer an online access to the powerful process of culturally mediated sign construction and reconstruction.     

THE SEDUCTIVE SUPEREGO: THE TRAUMA OF SELF-BETRAYAL

The author describes a pathological manifestation of the approving superego that functions as a perversely seductive superego. In this process, the seductive superego rationalises and makes ego-syntonic a gratification of forbidden wishes that will result in unconscious punishment. The author argues that the seductive superego torments the self by teasing it with the presence of a tantalising but forbidden object of desire and then by inflicting shame on the self for its timidity, which prevents it from pursuing the object in spite of the dangers. He suggests that the seductive superego inflicts a betrayal trauma upon the self by unconsciously actualising a sado-masochistic fantasy of seduction, surrender and betrayal, along with a humiliating punishment for surrendering.     

The application of self psychology principles to long-term group therapy with schizophrenic inpatients

Concepts derived from a self psychology model are applied to an intensive long-term group therapy with hospitalized chronic schizophrenic patients. The clinical data suggest that initially patients' needs for safety and security predominate group process. Once an atmosphere of safety has been developed, patients begin to display needs for recognition and confirmation of themselves as unique, worthwhile individuals and for solace and consolation in regard to their traumatic life histories. A case study of the development of two group members reveals that these patients progressed from unshared, isolated, sometimes delusional visions of reality to the sharing of playful fantasies within the group and finally to an acknowledgement of painful life experiences. In their relationship with each other the patients moved from mutual isolation to a primitive relationship based on unconditional support, admiration and togetherness to a friendship in which they became increasingly able to confront each other with empathic failures and tolerate one another's separateness without withdrawal or decompensation.