Rupillary response/semantic differential scale relationships

Subjects of both sexes were shown a series of pictures consisting of three affective themes: Benign, Disease, and Nudes. Both the pupillary response and the two relevant dimensions yielded by the semantic differential scale (SDS), attention-interest (AI) and pleasantness-evaluation (PE), were significantly different to the three themes. Across themes, the pupil was most closely related to PE. Within themes there was a significant correspondence between pupil and the SDS indexes only to the Disease theme. The evidence supports the following conclusions: men and women respond similarly to sexually evocative materials, psychopupillary constriction can be reliably induced, and both the pupil and SDS indexes can serve to discriminate between affective themes.     

Death and the “life review” in Halakhah

Coping with old age involves resolving the task of integrity versus despair, which demands a nondefensive confrontation with the inevitability of death. Halakhah (Jewish ethics) also considered this task critical in later years of life, spoke of death's inevitability, and attempted to discourage denial of death. The Jewish approach seems compatible with Butler's concept of life review as a reconciliation with death and a reintegration of one's identity that occurs throughout later years. While the Eriksonian goal is confronting old age with a certain capacity for wisdom, the rabbis maintained that such wisdom must culminate in the creative act of repentance.     

An optoelectronic motion-sensing eye blink detector

A noninvasive eye blink detector can be built at low cost from a Sprague optoelectronic motion detection module, a voltage level detector, and a tone burst generator. The blink detector triggers reliably when used to detect motion appearing on the video monitor of a videotape recorder.     

Spirituality and mental health status among Northern Plain tribes

Spirituality measures often show positive associations with preferred mental health outcomes in the general population; however, research among American Indians (AIs) is limited. We examined the relationships of mental health status and two measures of spirituality – the Midlife Development Inventory (MIDI) and a tribal cultural spirituality measure – in Northern Plains AIs, aged 15–54 (n?=?1636). While the MIDI was unassociated with mental health status, the tribal cultural spirituality measure showed a significant relationship with better mental health status. Mental health conditions disproportionately affect AIs. Understanding protective factors such as cultural spirituality that can mitigate mental health disorders is critical to reducing these health disparities.     

ON BEING ABLE TO PAINT: THE REVIVAL OF AESTHETIC IMAGINATION THROUGH THE ‘DYADIC PSYCHOANALYTIC ARTIST’

The American Journal of Psychoanalysis - Vera, a middle-aged, bright and skillful mental health professional, consistently maintained throughout the first years of her analysis that she had no...