Dissociative states in eating disorders: An empirical Rorschach study.

The study explores the DSM-IV-TR classification of eating disorders that is constituted of four subtypes, two of them defined as anorexia (restricting and binge eating/purging) and two as bulimia (purging and non-purging). This classification is based on body weight as the distinguishing criterion. However, psychoanalytic thinking substantially distinguishes between restricting anorexia and the other three subtypes, all of them involving binge eating. Accordingly, binge eating patients are assumed to present different personality characteristics and different dynamics including dissociation proneness as a core component of the disturbance. The dissociative component of binge eating is examined by using the Rorschach Reality-Fantasy Scale (RFS; Tibon, Handelzalts, & Weinberger, 2005) and other Rorschach measures in a sample of 61 female adolescent inpatients diagnosed with eating disorders. This sample was divided into two groups by using the criterion of whether or not the symptoms involve binge eating behavior. The results support the view that dissociation between reality and fantasy is an important facet of binge eating disorders. A case study that demonstrates the utility of the RFS is presented. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Psychologists in the medical-surgical setting: Some reflections.

Reflects on the early entry of clinical and counseling psychology into the general medical hospital setting in the 1950s and 1960s. Drawing largely from 3.5 decades as a Department of Veterans Affairs psychologist (mainly in the areas of tuberculosis and endstage renal disease), the author describes problems and contributions associated with psychology's entry into this new arena. These involved not only providing of direct patient services at the bedside; just as much, they involved clarifying psychological health concepts, the training of patients and their families in taking the most active roles in their own treatment, and the professional relationships between psychologists and their new colleagues in the medical and surgical wards. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Rorschach revisited: A new look at an old test.

Two control samples (21 and 27 college students) and a sample of 21 short-term psychiatric patients (aged 21-26 yrs) scaled all pairs of Rorschach inkblots for perceived similarity. Data were analyzed using J. D. Carroll and C. C. Chang's individual scaling (INDSCAL) model, which resulted in a good fit in 2 dimensions. These 2 dimensions were interpreted as a dimension of color and 1 of form ("twoness"), and empirically validated in a 2nd study, using 2 groups of controls (20 and 33 college students) and 6 short-term schizophrenic patients. It was also found that the saliences estimated by INDSCAL for each S formed 3 virtually nonoverlapping distributions. This implies a possible use of the method within a diagnostic context. (42 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Some reflections on the meaning of psychodiagnosis.

Although psychodiagnosis is rejected by many psychologists, a rational case can be made for its preservation. Diagnosis may be viewed as a special instance of the general logical problem of causation. The history and systematics of diagnosis suggest that its practice requires special aptitudes including the ability to think inductively. There are levels of diagnosis, proceeding from symptom to pathology to etiology. Psychological aids to diagnosis, such as tests, are of greatest value when addressed to the 2nd and 3rd levels those of pathology and etiological context. Automated and computerized programs of diagnosis and interpretation can help clarify the infrastructure of a diagnostic problem, but by themselves cannot maintain the tradition of diagnostic thinking to which psychology can and should contribute. (27 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Some observations on the validity of the Rorschach Inkblot Method.

Current literature reflects a persistent inclination in some quarters to denigrate the Rorschach Inkblot Method as an invalid and useless instrument for assessing personality functioning. Although perhaps warranted to some extent in years past, such harsh criticism of the Rorschach runs counter to abundant contemporary data demonstrating its psychometric soundness and practical utility. This article offers some observations concerning the kinds of information that are necessary to validate assessment instruments and provides examples of lines of research that document Rorschach validity and utility for various purposes. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Some predictions revisited.

The author discusses his attempts at predicting trends in psychology, and focuses on the use of dynamic methods in psychotherapy. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Comments on Renner: Some reflections from an administrator.

Professor Renner's paper (see record 2007-09069-001) on the current crisis in Canadian universities posits an internal solution in response to a plethora of problems with a multitude of causes. There are many points in this analysis that prompt an administrator to nod encouragingly, but the breadth of the context of his argument leads to a final assessment of his proposal as inadequately developed and overly one-sided. It is, nevertheless, provocative and timely. While I am unable to comment upon the psychological elements of the proposal with any theoretical or disciplinary expertise, I can comment on the fact that Renner's paper evokes areas of concern that are daily on the administrative agenda. But it is not just the psychology of change that university administrators are trying to plumb; it is also the psychology of choice with which we are trying to contend successfully. And it is not just governments that are a source of concern; faculty, staff, and the public and private sectors all inform our analysis and planning. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Zeddies's relational unconscious: Some further reflections.

T. J. Zeddies's (2000) excellent article highlights the contributions relational psychoanalysis has made to rethinking psychoanalytic notions of the unconscious. His views are largely consistent with those developed from the study of intersubjective systems, in which experiential worlds are seen as variably organized according to emotional inferences (organizing principles) operating automatically and often outside awareness. One dimension of this emotional organization is consciousness and unconsciousness, understood as horizonal properties of experiential worlds within their intersubjective contexts. The concept of consciousness cannot be reduced to linguistic expression of what is inside. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Some reflections on imagery and psychotherapy implications.

This commentary elaborates on K. D. Arbuthnott, D. W. Arbuthnott, and L. Rossiter's (2001; see record 2001-00732-001) recommendations regarding the use of imagery in psychotherapy. The reflections focus primarily on occasions when imagery may be used to help clients reprocess and work through painful or traumatic memories. Highlighted are the values of (a) developing competence before using imagery, (b) attending to issues related to informed consent and ethics, (c) integrating the use of imagery within a comprehensive assessment, (d) establishing appropriate client expectations, (e) building on information derived from less directive methods, (f) being well versed with a variety of therapeutic tools, (g) paying attention to individual differences in clients' reactions to and use of imagery, and (h) responding appropriately if clients experience spontaneous memories of unknown origin. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Education and distributive justice: Some reflections on grading systems.

Begins with the unusual assumption that it may be possible to allocate merit, and then raises the question of how merit shall be distributed (i.e., Who merits an increase in merit?). This question is the basis for a discussion of distributive justice in education which focuses on the distribution of symbols of educational merit—grades. The article discusses the social function of the artificially created shortage of high marks and considers different characteristics of grading systems. The effects of cooperative and competitive distributive systems are summarized. The article concludes with the question: If the competitive-hierarchical atmosphere (induced by the competitive distribution system used wih respect to grades in the classroom) is not good for our children, is it good for us? (20 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Some reflections on the NSF Summer Institute in the history of psychology.

The first National Science Foundation sponsored Summer Institute in the History of Psychology was held this past summer at the University of New Hampshire. The activities of the Institute are described by a participant and related to the history of psychology as a field of study. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The recent status report on accreditation: Some suggestions and reflections.

Responds to A. Boneau and W. Simmons's (1970) status report on accreditation in clinical training and urges innovative programs within the framework of the established psychological specialties. This goal may be achieved by outlining the direction within a specialty and developing core courses. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Some physiological correlates of Rorschach body image productions.

"The relationship between surface characteristics of Rorschach responses and physiological measures was investigated in order to test the hypothesis that the projected perception of one's body is related to the patterning of physiological responses… . Physiological indices related to bodily exterior (muscle potential, skin resistance, cardiovascular peripheral resistance) and bodily interior (pulse rate, stroke volume, cardiac output) physiological responsivity were abstracted… . The results indicate that the tendency to give impermeable or protective characteristics to Rorschach percepts is related to heightened physiological reactivity at an exterior body site and that the absence… is related to the heightened physiological response on interior indices… under stress." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Reliability in ethics reviews: Some initial empirical findings.

Assessed the reliability of peer judgments about the ethical acceptability of research proposals by examining independent review of 111 submissions to a psychology department ethical review committee during a 10-mo period. With a 3-category rating protocol, independent reviewers agreed exactly on 67.7% of submissions. However, this level of observed agreement accounts for only 8% of the possible beyond-chance agreement. Lack of success in obtaining reliability is attributed to insufficient attention to reliability issues, and suggestions are discussed for improving interjudge agreement. (French abstract) (8 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Narcissism: Theory and measurement.

Factor analysis of Raskin and Hall's (1979) Narcissistic Personality Inventory (NPI) replicated the 4-factor solution found by Emmons (1984): Leadership/Authority, Self-Absorption/Self-Admiration, Superiority/Arrogance, and Exploitiveness/Entitlement. The Exploitiveness/Entitlement subscale was found to correlate with measures of pathological narcissism and affective intensity and variability. The relevance of Linville's (1982) theory of self-complexity-affect intensity for understanding aspects of narcissism is outlined. Implications of the study of narcissism for attribution theory and research are discussed. (54 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Retention of raw data: A problem revisited.

Requested raw data from a sample of authors in 1 issue of 4 psychological journals which vary from "hard" to "soft" scientific methodology in the articles published. Despite differences between the authors in the "hard" and "soft" journals, replies indicate that at present there is a greater tendency toward sharing data than has been reported previously. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Kaplan's view of DSM-III: The data revisited.

Comments on M. Kaplan's (see record 1984-06847-001) assertions of sexist biases in DSM-III, arguing that her reasoning is fallacious but persuasive because of its evocative appeal. It is further argued that Kaplan misinterpreted data reported by I. Broverman et al (see record 1970-06951-001), which she acknowledged as the only source of empirical support for her arguments. It is contended that Kaplan's claim that there is sexism because more women than men receive certain diagnoses (e.g., histrionic, dependent) indicates her confusion of the etiology of a possible sex-related disorder with the issue of sexism in the diagnostic criteria. (7 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Analysis of Likert-scale data revisited.

In practice, analysts must deal with the limitations of Likert-scale scores, one of which is nonreversibility. These practical limitations should not obscure the fact that the parameters of the underlying population distributions are the essential objects of interest. These were the foci of the investigation by Gregoire and Driver (1987), because the pertinent issue concerns the extent to which transformed data are informative of actual, albeit unknowable and unmeasurable, population structures. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Narcissism, affect, and gender: An empirical examination of Kernberg's and Kohut's theories of narcissism.

The activation of narcissistically affirming and disaffirming early memories were used to assess Kernberg's and Kohut's propositions regarding the roles of hostile, depressive, and positive affect in narcissistic character structures. After completing the Narcissistic Personality Inventory participants wrote either an early memory of pride, an early memory of shame, an unspecified memory, or no memory before completing the Projective Affect Scale and Multiple Affect Adjective Checklist. ANOVAs were conducted on participants ratings of hostile, depressive, and positive affect. The results indicated that for high relative to low narcissists, prideful and nonspecific memories resulted in less hostility, less pride, and more positive affect. Shameful memories resulted in higher projected hostility for high narcissists. Shame was negatively related to narcissism for males and positively related for females. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)