The developmental roots of narrative expression in therapy: Contributions from attachment theory and research.

A central element in many forms of psychotherapy is the narrative articulation of client experience. From both theory, training, and practice, clinicians learn that structural aspects of client narratives may reveal important information about the client, but there is still limited research-based knowledge on this topic. This article explores and discusses the relevance of attachment theory and research to understanding structural and stylistic aspects of client narration in adult psychotherapy. Research into patterns of narrative expression identified by the Adult Attachment Interview (AAI) suggests that the emotional tone and structural organization of narratives are related to patterns of information processing and affect regulation originating in experiences in attachment relationships. Attachment research thus holds the potential of linking client in-session narration to findings in developmental psychology. Clinical implications of the AAI-related research are discussed in terms of the therapeutic significance of narrative coherence and the possible meaning of different kinds of narrative incoherence. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

New perspectives on autobiographical memory: The integration of narrative processing and autobiographical reasoning.

Researchers from diverse psychological subdisciplines have increasingly turned their attention to the storied aspect of human thought. Narrative processing and autobiographical reasoning are 2 forms of this conscious thought. Narrative processing is the tendency to create thought units that use vivid imagery, sequential plots, characters, and salient goals. Autobiographical reasoning consists of interpreting and evaluating remembered experiences. Both forms of thought are discussed in D. P. McAdams's (see record 2001-06545-002) personality theory and D. B. Pillemer's (see record 2001-06545-003) cognitive research. S. Bluck and T. Habermas (see record 2001-06545-004) highlight developmental aspects of narrative processing and autobiographical reasoning, particularly in adolescent identity formation. U. M. Staudinger (see record 2001-06545-005) illustrates how autobiographical reasoning about memories and life stories serves as a springboard for wisdom at different stages of the life cycle. Implications for integrating subdisciplines of psychology are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Toward a theory of followership.

Unlike most of the leadership literature, which focuses on the leaders themselves, the point of departure in this paper is that the psychology of the followers is the key to understanding the leaders' influence. Followers' attraction to leaders is analyzed from three theoretical perspectives: (a) psychodynamic, according to which the leader represents a protective parental figure; (b) psycho-cognitive, in which the leader serves as a convenient explanation for a complex reality; and (c) social-psychological, in which the leader becomes a kind of narrative that grants meaning and strengthens social identity. The article illustrates how these perspectives can help in the choice of concepts and models of leadership and in examining their validity in predicting and explaining leaders' influence in various contexts. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Development of structure and strategy in two-dimensional pictures.

The development of 2 structural principles, hierarchical complexity and interruption, was examined in a new domain, 2-dimensional pictures. Using felt pieces, 20 children in each of 3 age groups (4–4.5, 4.5–5, and 5–5.5 yrs) were asked to reproduce felt pictures of flower arrangements constituting tree structures of different levels of hierarchical complexity. For each model, task difficulty was varied by requiring Ss to construct pictures either with whole flowers or with component pieces. The ability to reproduce the models formed a Guttman scale according to tree structure complexity, and older Ss scored higher on the scale than younger Ss. Thus, hierarchical complexity has a developmental role in the pictorial domain, as in language and 3-dimensional construction. The construction process was analyzed in terms of uninterrupted and interrupted strategies. Unlike earlier results with abstract (nonfigural) 3-dimensional construction tasks, the present Ss did not avoid interrupted strategies. The lack of strategy preference with whole flowers and the development of a preference for interrupted strategies with components may stem from the fact that the strong figural and thematic aspects of the models reduced the cognitive complexity of an interrupted strategy. (25 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Victor Anthony Battistich (1952–2008).

Presents an obituary for Victor Anthony Battistich (1952–2008). Victor Anthony Battistich spent his entire career as an applied social psychologist concerned with the impact of school culture on student socio-moral development. He was unique in integrating social-psychological research expertise, sociological school climate theory, developmental psychological research and theory, and statistics. This integration provided the scholarly and practical worlds of education with novel, powerful tools and knowledge to promote healthy schools. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A reinterpretation of research on aggression.

The concept of aggression is examined and found to be an inadequate way to describe or classify human behaviors. An alternative way of classifying harm-doing behaviors is presented in terms of coercive power. A reinterpretation of the distinctions made by various theories of aggression is offered and applied to research findings. The social-psychological perspective offered suggests specific research questions and generates a series of new hypotheses for investigation. The conditions that lead observers to label actors as aggressive are proposed, and the implications of this label on the subsequent behaviors of observers and actors are explored. (98 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Hypnosis, surgery, and mind–body interaction: An historical evaluation.

Maintains that hypnosis is one of the many means for understanding mind–body interactions. Hypnosis has been shown to be effective in the treatment of asthma, dermatological conditions, burns, clinical pain, and perhaps some forms of cancer. The less researched area of surgical pain is the focus of the present study, with particular emphasis on surgeries performed in the 19th century, both before and after safe and effective chemical anesthetics were developed. Some of the modern scepticism toward such reports, which attempt to dismiss them in terms of social-psychological variables is discussed, as are the mechanisms underlying hypnotic responsivity as indicated by both current theorizing and research. It is concluded that the mechanisms underlying high hypnotic responsivity involve imagination in which a person becomes deeply involved to the extent that critical judgment is superseded. While these observations may have profound implications for the understanding of some of the processes underlying health and illness, the mechanisms by which semantic messages are converted to somatic ones are still not at all understood. (French abstract) (45 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The obese child as a social being and developing self.

The social and emotional concomitants of childhood obesity are discussed. The extant empirical literature is reviewed and placed in the context of relevant social-psychological and developmental theory. Implications for treatment are also outlined. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The Emergence of Autobiographical Memory: A Social Cultural Developmental Theory.

The authors present a multicomponent dynamic developmental theory of human autobiographical memory that emerges gradually across the preschool years. The components that contribute to the process of emergence include basic memory abilities, language and narrative, adult memory talk, temporal understanding, and understanding of self and others. The authors review the empirical developmental evidence within each of these components to show how each contributes to the timing, quantity, and quality of personal memories from the early years of life. The authors then consider the relevance of the theory to explanations of childhood amnesia and how the theory accounts for and predicts the complex findings on adults' earliest memories, including individual, gender, and cultural differences. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Sensitive periods in development: Structural characteristics and causal interpretations.

The presence or absence of a particular experience at a particular time in the life cycle may exert an extraordinary and dramatic influence over structure or function well beyond that point in development. Such sensitive periods are thought to be widespread in animal and in human neurobiology and psychology. A comprehensive treatment of the sensitive period needs minimally to include information about its structural characteristics as well as an interpretation of its causes, including why the sensitive period arises in terms of the natural history of the species and how the sensitive period is regulated in terms of physical, physiological, and psychological processes. This article provides a framework for research and theory concerning specific sensitive periods and the sensitive period generally conceived. The framework delimits four sets of parameters, which encompass 14 structural characteristics that define sensitive periods, and two levels of causal interpretation that guide research and theory into sensitive periods however they may be manifested. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The dentin substrate: structure and properties related to bonding

OBJECTIVES: Dentin is a vital, hydrated composite material with structural components and properties that vary with location. These variations are reviewed along with alterations by physiological and pathological changes that allow classification into various forms of dentin. Structural characteristics and mechanical properties are reviewed and the limitations of our understanding of structure-property relationships for normal and modified forms of dentin are discussed with respect to their impact on dentin bonding. Recent progress in methods available to study dentin and its demineralization are emphasized with their promise to increase our understanding of dentin properties and structure. DATA SOURCES: Recent microstructural studies, focusing on scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy and X-ray tomographic microscopy are included. A review of fundamental studies with emphasis on microstructurally sensitive methods, and prior reviews of basic mechanical properties are included with discussion of their correlation to composition and structure. STUDY SELECTION AND CONCLUSIONS: Emphasis in this work was placed on the major structural components of the tissue, including the collagen based organic matrix and its mineral reinforcement, the distribution of these components and their microstructural organization as related to mechanical properties and response to demineralization. Little information is included on biochemical and developmental studies or on non-collagenous proteins and other organic components for which limited understanding is available with respect to their role in structure-property relations and influence on bonding. In spite of the fact that the complexity of dentin precluded a comprehensive review, it is clear that local structural variations influence properties and impact nearly all preventive and restorative dental treatments. Much more work is needed in order to understand differences between vital and non-vital dentin, and dentin from extracted teeth. Although our knowledge is rudimentary in certain areas, increasingly sophisticated methods of studying dentin should provide the necessary information to model structure-property relations, optimize dentin bonding, and improve many aspects of preventive and restorative dentistry.     

The potential role of theory in the training of applied social psychologists.

There are a number of deficiencies in contemporary social-psychological theory as both a knowledge base and a guide for research and practice in applied social psychology. In principle, theory should be integrated with research and practice and should serve both a knowledge building and a guiding function for the discipline. In practice, much contemporary theory, based on laboratory experiments on intra- and interpersonal processes, is limited in its capacity to explain complex, real-world social behaviour. This paper discusses the actual and potential role of social-psychological theory in applied social psychology in relation to graduate training. A graduate programme offering the M.A. and Ph.D. is described in terms of objectives, requirements, and job placements. A survey of graduates is also reported. The role of theory in training M.A. students is problematic: theses are often atheoretical with an emphasis on research methodology, particularly programme evaluation. The Ph.D. programme requires the integration of theory with research and consultation activities and is attempting to increase the use of theory in the development of social programmes, the amelioration of social problems, and the formation of social policy. It is proposed that social-psychological theories covering several levels of analysis are necessary to understand social behaviour and to provide an adequate base for applied training. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Placebo problems in psychotherapy research: Social-psychological alternatives to chemotherapy concepts.

Discusses recent controversies on the adequacy of a placebo construct in psychotherapy research that reflect a fundamental concern about the adequacy of the chemotherapy paradigm to guide psychotherapy research and theory. Advantages of using a social-psychological construct for addressing psychotherapy issues are discussed in terms of the status of psychological variables, the terminology employed, and the research practices derived from the chemotherapy setting. Several problems associated with the use of the chemotherapy paradigm in a psychotherapeutic milieu, including denotative and connotative problems, terminological changes, and the fusion of mechanism and efficacy research purposes, are examined. It is suggested that the social-psychological paradigm, in which psychological events are treated as legitimate causes, provides a valuable alternative to the chemotherapy paradigm, in which psychological factors are excluded as artifacts, in the psychotherapeutic setting. (72 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Creating Space: The Fourfold Dynamics of Potential Space.

Winnicott conceived of potential space primarily in terms of the vicissitudes of illusion and reality. Loosened from its ties to illusion and reality, potential space is depicted in terms of 4 interrelated, dialectical processes (surrender-generation, recognition-negation, care-quiescence, and disruption-repair), which can be found, in part, in Winnicott's formulations. Reformulating potential space in terms of these fourfold pairs captures the complexity and paradox of the presence and absence of self-states in successful and failed developmental and psychoanalytic interactions. In addition, these 4 interpersonal dynamics more adequately extend the concept of potential space to all phases of human life. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Attachment theory and research and the psychoanalytic process.

Attachment theory, along with relevant research, is reviewed in terms of its usefulness as a developmental theory for conceptualizing aspects of the psychoanalytic process. Because of its emphasis on the development of relationships through the process of dyadic interaction, attachment theory offers an alternative conceptualization for understanding the relationship aspects of the clinical psychoanalytic process. Manifestations of early attachment behavior can be understood as being recreated in the course of psychoanalysis and can contribute to a developmental understanding of the process. Because many psychiatric problems can be attributed to difficulties in the development of an attachment relationship, it is also possible that attachment theory may be helpful in providing further understanding of the etiology of deviations in development. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Reconsidering Jung's psychology.

Reconsiders Jung's (1939 [1959]) psychology within an interactionist and interpersonal framework, emphasizing the use of his 2 major concepts (complex and archetype) for understanding nonrational communications between persons. The concepts of complex and archetype provide an exemplary model of the unification of affect and cognition in symbolic imagery and gestural communications. Archetype is compared to J. Bowlby's (1969) concept of human instinct as patterned action and thought in social communications between persons. Contributions of Jung's psychology are highlighted within a historical, conceptual framework: (1) reconstruction of the client's current attitude within the therapeutic domain; (2) individuation as a developmental model for practicing therapy with couples and individuals; and (3) interpretation of the archaic, symbolic aspects of communication, differentiating these from the rational, narrative aspects. The case of a married couple in therapy illustrates this framework. (30 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Building a meaning bridge: Therapeutic progress from problem formulation to understanding.

Qualitative analyses of 2 clients' psychotherapies (client centered and process-experiential) investigated the developmental progression from formulating a problem to achieving an understanding of it. The results elaborated one segment in the 8-stage Assimilation of Problematic Experiences Sequence (APES), through which problematic parts of a person (described as voices to emphasize their active, agentic qualities) are thought to pass during successful psychotherapy, as they become assimilated into the self (described as a community of voices). The transition between APES Stage 3 (problem statement/clarification) and APES Stage 4 (understanding/insight) was described as a series of substages. The results highlighted the construction of meaning bridges-semiotic links by which the problematic voice could understand and be understood by voices of the community. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

William James and the art of human understanding.

Proposes (1) that William James (1842–1910), one of the founders of philosophical pragmatism as well as psychological science, developed a distinctive theory of human understanding, according to which all knowledge, including scientific knowledge, is ultimately based on "the finding of analogy"; (2) that this theory of human understanding underlay both his psychological and philosophical thought; and (3) that this theory depended on his artistic sensibility and experience. James's native artistic ability and interests are discussed, and his period as an artist's apprentice in the early 1860s is depicted as particularly salient to the development of his system of thought. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Thought-induced attitude change: The effects of schema structure and commitment.

Conducted 4 studies with 218 undergraduates in an attempt to integrate hypotheses about the effects of thought and schema complexity on attitude polarization proposed by P. W. Linville (see record 1982-25791-001) and the 2nd author and C. Leone (see record 1978-09847-001). Linville's work showed that more extreme attitudes were associated with simpler cognitive schemas for construing the attitude object. The 2nd author and Leone demonstrated that thought with a complex schema resulted in greater attitude polarization than thought with a simple schema. Study 1 validated the present author's schema complexity manipulation. Study 2 tested and found support for the hypothesis that 1 moderating variable was motivational: The 2nd author and Leone's effect was obtained in the presence of commitment to an initial evaluation, and there was a tendency toward the Linville effect in the absence of commitment to an initial evaluation. Study 3 tested and found support for the hypothesis that another moderating variable was structural: The Linville effect was obtained when there was little correlation among the dimensions of the cognitive schema, and the 2nd author and Leone's effect was obtained when there was substantial correlation among the dimensions; thought tended to increase the correlation among dimensions. Study 4 tested and found support for the hypothesis that commitment affects cognitive structures in a way that could account for its moderating effect on attitude polarization. (23 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

"The behavior of nonpsychologists on research review committee": Reply.

Responds to criticisms by T. H. Murray (1984) of an earlier discussion by the present author (1983) of social-psychological variables in the functioning of institutional review boards on the use of human Ss. The existence of such bodies implies societal acceptance of psychological research with human Ss and the need for external review and control to avoid immoral or unethical research. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)