A Breast Cancer Experience Re-narrated: The Undying: Pain,Vulnerability, Mortality,Medicine, Art,Time, Dreams,Data, Exhaustion,Cancer, and Care by Anne Boyer,New York: Farrar,Straus and Giroux, 2019

Journal of Medical Humanities -     

A psychotherapeutic technique for mother-child intervention: A case study of a japanese down syndrome child

The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate our approach to the activation of mother-child interaction, by presenting a case study. We describe a Japanese mother's adaptation process (consisting of five stages) to her child's handicap through 6 years of continuous therapeutic support for both the mother and her child. In this particular case, the mother suffers from a mild form of cerebral palsy; therefore, the problem involves two generations, because both the mother and her child are handicapped. By analyzing the processes of this case, we also describe our method of intervention for problems in the development of multidimensional relationships. We discuss the mother's psychological maturation and the role of the therapist within the Japanese social and cultural context, under the following headings: (1) Sharing in the Mother's Ambivalence; (2) Natural Melting of the Mother's Frozen Emotional Availability; (3) Sharing in the Mother's Illusion and Disillusion; (4) Transformation of Relationships Between Family Members and Their Relationship to Society.     

The Concept of Yuko-Datotsu in Kendo: Interpreted from the Aesthetics of Zanshin

As kendo continues to gain in international popularity, there are hopes for its adoption in the Olympic Games as an international competitive event, even while moves to further this aim have not necessarily occurred in Japan or elsewhere. One reason for the efforts to achieve a form of globalization of kendo different from Judo is the attempt to adhere to and preserve the unique concepts kendo, the sport embodies by remaining true to the forms of traditional Japanese culture. This is epitomized by the importance given to zanshin (the combination of posture and fighting spirit after striking), one of the key concepts that constitute yuko-datotsu in kendo. Our purpose in this study is to discuss the intersubjective nature of the decisions regarding the conditions for point-scoring in competitive sports. In particular, we will focus on the aesthetics required for zanshin in kendo, focusing on the theory behind yuko-datotsu (point score), which will also considerably influence its international dissemination. Kendo is characterized from the perspective of western rationalism as an appreciation of form and rules of behavior referred to as formalism and, in this respect, it has unique characteristics differing from those of modern sports that are disseminated internationally. In martial arts, besides refinement and proficiency in the rules of behavior by rigidly adhering to form and rules of behavior and repetition, the aim is to transcend said form and the rules of behavior and embody the spiritual nature dwelling in the background. Kendo should remain traditional path and keep zanshin in the value of point (yuko-datotsu) for its virtue. Kendo has not yet developed into an international competitive sport, but it is in the process of traversing that Geido path as a Do for the purpose of character building through it. Throughout life, one should try to devote oneself to kendo with thought for the value of transcending form and the rules of behaviour, and embodying the spiritual nature of the sport that inheres in its background. That is why one may perceive an evident hesitation or indeed negativity regarding the possible internationalization or development as an Olympic event.     

Private self-consciousness, canned laughter, and responses to humorous stimuli

Sefl-focused attention is hypothesized to (a) intensify emotional responses; (b) diminish susceptibility to suggestion; and (c) increase the consistency of self-report and behavior. These hypotheses were tested by having 82 undergraduates varying in private self-consciousness (PrSC) listen to humorous stimuli presented either with (laugh track group) or without (no laugh track group) canned laughter. Subjects' funniness ratings and overt laughter served as dependent measures. Regression analyses revealed that PrSC and funniness ratings were negatively correlated in the laugh track group, but uncorrelated in the no laugh track group. In contrast, PrSC and overt laughter were positively correlated in both groups. The association between funniness and laughter appeared stronger in high than in low PrSC subjects. Interpreted in light of research indicating that funniness ratings represent affect-free evaluations of humor stimuli, whereas laughter represents amusement, these results suggest that self-focus (a) intensified subjects' amusement; (b) decreased the extent to which their evaluations of the stimuli were biased by canned laughter; and (c) increased the consistency between their (self-reported) cognitive and (overt behavioral) affective responses (although this finding was equivocal).     

The adaptation process of mothers to the birth of children with Down Syndrome and its psychotherapeutic assistance: A retrospective approach

The findings of Niwa/Tanaka's studies on mothers' adaptation process to Down Syndrome infants through prospective and long-term intervention were reeaxmined through mothers' retrospective accounts of their past experiences. Fifteen mothers volunteered to participate in clinical interviews prepared for this purpose. The following results were obtained from the interviews: (1) The adaptation of mothers of Down Syndrome children involved a process enduring far beyond the initial shock, so that long-term longitudinal support and intervention, both developmental and psychotherapeutic, were necessary; (2) The subjects experienced intense psychological shock twice before their children reached school age, as we had predicted through our clinical experiences. An adaptation process consisting of five stages was observed; (3) Although the maternal affects experienced by the Japanese mothers in their process of adaptation generally looked similar to those of American and British mothers, some affective reactions were discovered that seemed to reflect existing Japanese social conditions and cultural peculiarities by which these mothers were deeply influenced; (4) A tentative model for intervention to support mothers' adaptatipn process is proposed based on the findings of the present study.     

Linguistic intergroup bias in Japan

This study examined linguistic intergroup bias in Japan. Linguistic intergroup bias is the tendency to describe positive in‐group and negative out‐group behaviors more abstractly than negative in‐group and positive out‐group behaviors. Participants were 26 Japanese high school students. Fans of the participants' favorite professional baseball team were employed as in‐groups and those of their least‐favorite professional baseball team as out‐groups. The students described the negative behaviors of out‐groups more abstractly than the negative behaviors of in‐groups, but there was no intergroup bias with regard to positive behaviors. It is suggested that linguistic intergroup bias contributes to the formation and maintenance of negative out‐group stereotypes in Japan.     

A randomized controlled trial on the long-term effects of a 1-month behavioral weight control program assisted by computer tailored advice

OBJECTIVES: To examine the long-term effects of a new behavioral weight control program (Kenkou-tatsujin, KT program). The program consisted of twice-interactive letter communications including computer-tailored personal advice on treatment needs and behavioral modification. DESIGN: A randomized controlled trial comparing Group KM: KT program with 6-month weight and targeted behavior's self-monitoring, Group K: KT program only, Group BM: an untailored self-help booklet with 7-month self-monitoring of weight and walking, and Group B: the self-help booklet only. PARTICIPANTS: Two hundreds and five overweight Japanese females were recruited via a local newspaper. MEASUREMENTS: Weight loss (body weight, BMI, reduction quotient, etc.) and behavioral changes (daily eating, exercise and sleeping habits). FINDINGS: A significant weight loss was observed in all groups. At 1 month, Groups KM and K were superior, but at 7 months, the mean weight loss was significantly more in Group KM than the other 3 groups. At 7 months, 8 dietary habits and 4 physical activities were improved in all subjects. Habitual improvement was related to the weight loss in Groups KM and K at 1 month.     

Women's Psychological Experiences in a Narrative Therapy-Based Group: An Analysis of Participants' Writings and Beck Depression Inventory–Second Edition

The purpose of this study was to explore women's experiences in a narrative therapy-based group conducted to help participants re-author their stories. Seven women who were either patients or individuals enrolled in Transition Support for Employment at a psychiatric clinic participated in the meetings, one every fortnight. Each session explored a theme based on narrative therapy techniques such as externalization. The participants wrote their reflections during each session, and completed the Beck Depression Inventory-Second Edition (BDI-II) during the initial and final sessions. An affinity diagram was developed to classify their written reflections into 22 lower categories (e.g., new understanding of self, forward-looking-understanding of life) and 4 upper categories (“Insight,” “Sharing with others,” “Changes with understanding of lives,” “Higher motivation”). The relationship among five lower categories comprising “Insight” was explored, and it became apparent that clarification of participants' own thoughts about social problems functioned as a mediator promoting the process. The largest portion of depressed feelings emerged during the initial session, and four participants had lower scores for BDI-II items such as self-criticism in the final session. The results suggest that the group's purpose was realized. However, future studies should examine participants' feelings more closely, especially during the initial session.     

Effect of group means on the probability of consensus

In this study, groups who could not reach a consensus were investigated using the group polarization paradigm. The purpose was to explore the conditions leading to intragroup disagreement and attitude change following disagreement among 269 participants. Analysis indicated that the probability of consensus was low when the group means differed from the grand mean of the entire sample. When small differences among group members were found, depolarization (reverse direction of polarization) followed disagreement. These results suggested the groups which deviated most from the population tendency were the most likely to cause within-group disagreement, while within-group variances determined the direction of attitude change following disagreement within the group.     

Structure of a phase induced with Xe-ion irradiation-implantation in γ-TiAl

A phase transformation in γ-TiAl intermetallic alloy was found to be induced with 50keV Xe-ion irradiation-implantation at doses larger than 2.2 x 10¹⁸ ions m^-2 at room temperature. The structure and the chemical composition of the induced phase were investigated with high-resolution transmission electron microscopy and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. The zones of the induced phase have sizes up to about several tens of nanometres. The phase has a hexagonal structure with a = 0.286 nm and c = 0.462nm. The crystallographic orientation relationship between the phase (P) and the gamma-TiAl matrix is (001)_P//(111)_γ and \[100]_P//[011]_γ. The \[Al]/[Ti] atomic composition ratio in the phase is analysed to be 56/44, slightly different from that of the matrix, 51/49. These results suggest that the induced phase is an Al solid solution of α-Ti alloy phase, which has different structural parameters and chemical composition from those of the reported phase. It is suggested that the size of the ions is important in the phase transformation.