True and false self in the development of the psychotherapist.

Explored the psychotherapist's struggle to achieve a position of security, using interviews with 15 doctoral students in clinical psychology who described their experiences of learning to do psychotherapy and the development of their identities as psychotherapists. Areas of experience within the psychotherapy training context and also in Ss' personal lives were considered. During the course of their training, Ss were seen to develop self-protective competencies, which are conceptualized in terms of the theory of the true self and the false self developed by D. W. Winnicott (1965). The psychotherapist false self is linked to commonly used terms such as professional identity and identity as a psychotherapist. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

How Many Selves in Emotion Experience? Reply to Dalgleish and Power (2004).

T. Dalgleish and M. J. Power (see record 2004-15929-012) suggest that J. A. Lambie and A. J. Marcel's (2002) article implicitly presents a unitary view of self in emotion experience and propose that certain clinical phenomena require multiple selves. This reply summarizes Lambie and Marcel's usages of the term self and examines both Dalgleish and Power's gloss of these and their own usages. This indicates that their own central usage of the term misrepresents Lambie and Marcel and is itself an improper usage. More important, examination of the phenomena claimed to require multiple selves suggests that they do not and that Dalgleish and Power may have misread the relevant clinical literature. Finally, Lambie and Marcel's own conception of dissociative phenomena and multiple selves are outlined, and alternative approaches are sketched. In discussing the usages of the term self and interpretation of cognitive and affective disorders, this reply attempts to clarify certain confusions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A call for change of emphasis in psychodynamic supervision.

Supervisors are called on to maintain an ambience of acceptance which fosters growth and enables the supervisees to search for the true meaning of their professional self. This article uses self psychology as a model for structuring the supervisory relationship and suggests that supervisors' "empathic failures" in identifying and fulfilling their supervisees' needs disturb and even undermine this necessary ambience. When the process of supervision is disturbed by empathic failure, the interpersonal events within the supervision should be carefully examined to reorganize and rework the supervisory experience and to restore the participants' emotional balance and ability to work well within the supervision. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Shame and the self.

Reviews the book, Shame and the self by Francis J. Broucek (see record 1991-97963-000). Broucek's Shame and the Self synthesizes ideas from psychoanalysis, neo-Darwinian affect theory, developmental psychology, existential phenomenology, and cultural theory in explaining the connections among shame, the self, and narcissism. In this review, Auerbach details Broucek's revision of the problem of narcissism and the self. Narcissism, whether normal or pathological, is a relational concept that refers to a propensity to treat others primarily as objects (i.e., as narcissistic extensions of oneself) and not as subjects (i.e., not as selves with their own desires and needs). It is additionally, in Broucek's formulation, a representational concept that entails reflexive self-awareness. Broucek similarly overreaches himself in discussing the narcissistic elements of the psychotherapeutic process and of modern culture. Nevertheless, his discussion of these issues is always intriguing. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The idealized self and the situated self as predictors of employee work behaviors.

This article presents a model integrating research on idealized and situated selves. Our key premise is that identity-relevant behaviors are most likely to occur in the workplace when identities are psychologically central and activating forces make those identities salient. Analysis of matched data from 278 employees, supervisors, and organizational records generally supported our model. Helping identity and industrious work identity were positively associated with related role behaviors only when time-based occupancy in the role of organization member was high. Industrious work identity was positively associated with role behaviors only when reflected appraisals from coworkers were consistent with that identity. In contrast, reflected appraisal of helping identity had an independent relationship with identity-relevant role behaviors. Results demonstrate the importance of theory linking the idealized self and the situated self to understanding identity relations with work performances. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Cultural and linguistic competence: Welcome challenges from successful diversification.

The increasing numbers of ethnically diverse professionals is filling a need for service provision in agencies that provide mental health services for a diverse clientele. However, the rapid shift in professional demographics provides a sharp generational contrast; these emerging psychologists are placed in potentially ethically charged positions before their careers truly begin as a result of the gap between institutional resources (materials and supervisors) and trainees' specialized needs. The lead article reviews a broad array of points to consider when a supervisee is providing services in the native language of the client and does not know that language. The three invited commentaries highlight (a) the role of language in emotion and subsequent implications for treatment and supervision, (b) the slow institutional development to meet the training needs of emerging therapists that will treat ethnically diverse clients, and (c) the importance of following decision-making models to inform ethical supervisory practice when there is a language mismatch. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The supervision genogram: A tool for preparing supervisors-in-training.

The purpose of this article is to introduce the supervision genogram as a training tool that can be implemented in supervisor training. The supervision genogram is a unique training tool that may be used to enhance supervisors'-in-training self-awareness and understanding of the supervisory process. Psychological trainers who are responsible for training supervisors may also find that the supervision genogram can aid them in assessing the needs of supervisors-in-training and in creating corresponding supervisory environments and experiences. A detailed account of how to develop and process the supervision genogram is given. An overview of supervision genogram symbols and a completed supervision genogram are also provided. Implications for training, such as flexibility of application, ethical and professional issues, and developmental considerations for using this tool are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Exploring Training Needs and Development of Construction Language Courses for American Supervisors and Hispanic Craft Workers

This study explores the training needs of American supervisors and Hispanic construction craft workers and describes the development, delivery, and evaluation of construction-focused training courses intended to facilitate accommodation for American supervisors and assimilation of Hispanic craft workers to the United States (U.S.) industry. A survey was conducted to better understand the adaptation issues between American supervisors and their Hispanic craft workers. As a result of the survey, two unique construction language courses were developed: English as a second language (ESL) and Spanish as a second language (SSL) for construction. Evaluation feedback from initial course offerings suggest that they were useful in terms of increased confidence and improved ability to communicate. It is anticipated that the courses developed and the training provided will improve the communication channels between American supervisors and Hispanic workers, as well as strengthen the supervisor-worker relationship as the American supervisor grows aware of the existent communication differences. A model for transferring these research findings to other cultural groups and a technology-based approach for delivering these courses to the construction site are also discussed.     

Motivational attributes of occupational possible selves for low-income rural women.

To explore the influence of theorized motivational properties of possible selves on participants' perceived likelihood of achieving their most hoped-for self and avoiding their most feared self, the authors surveyed 198 low-income rural women attending either adult basic education classes (DHS, n=95) or community college developmental classes (DEV, n=103), who provided demographic information and completed questionnaires about occupational possible selves and personal efficacy. Affect, knowing someone in a hoped-for occupation, self-initiated actions, and personal efficacy each accounted for significant variance in predicting the participants' perceptions of achieving their most hoped-for self. None of the variables was predictive of participants' perceptions of avoiding their most feared self. Information about this population, implications for research, and career counseling are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Self-perception and psychological well-being: The benefits of foreseeing a worse future.

This study examined whether having a negative expectation of the future may protect well-being in old age. Participants were 200 adults age 60 years or older who rated their current and future selves in the physical and social domains at 2 time points over a 12-month period. Structural equation modeling revealed that future self was positively related to well-being concurrently; yet, it was negatively related to well-being 12 months later, after the authors had controlled for symptoms and current self. Moreover, individuals who underestimated their future selves had higher well-being 12 months later than did those who overestimated their future selves. Findings are interpreted in a framework of discounting: Older adults may actively construct representations of the future that are consistent with the normative age-related declines and losses, so that the effects of these declines and losses are lessened when they actually occur. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Residential mobility, self-concept, and positive affect in social interactions.

The present research examined (a) the link between personal history of residential mobility and the self-concept and (b) the implications of such a link for positive affect in social interactions. Study 1 showed that the personal self was more central to the self-definition of frequent movers than to that of nonmovers, whereas the collective self was more central to the self-definition of nonmovers than to that of frequent movers. Results from a laboratory and a 2-week event sampling study (Studies 2 and 3) demonstrated that frequent movers felt happier when an interaction partner accurately perceived their personal selves, whereas nonmovers felt happier when a partner accurately perceived their collective selves. These findings present the first direct evidence on how personal history of residential mobility is linked to important individual differences in the self and positive affect in social interactions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Therapists' psychological adaptation to client suicide.

Explores psychotherapists' complex reactions to client suicide, focusing on therapists' psychological adaptation (i.e., emotional, cognitive, and behavioral responses) and therapists' life experiences. Based on a literature review and research findings, implications are identified for therapists, supervisors, and researchers. Suggestions to therapists include using personal and professional supports and participating in a postsuicide review in response to a client suicide. The primary task for supervisors is to create experiences that will positively impact therapists' beliefs about their professional role. Researchers are encouraged to increase the quality of their research designs, attend to findings in related fields, and investigate neglected areas identified by the author. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The relational self: An interpersonal social-cognitive theory.

The authors propose an interpersonal social-cognitive theory of the self and personality, the relational self, in which knowledge about the self is linked with knowledge about significant others, and each linkage embodies a self-other relationship. Mental representations of significant others are activated and used in interpersonal encounters in the social-cognitive phenomenon of transference (S. M. Andersen & N. S. Glassman, 1996), and this evokes the relational self. Variability in relational selves depends on interpersonal contextual cues, whereas stability derives from the chronic accessibility of significant-other representations. Relational selves function in if-then terms (W. Mischel & Y. Shoda, 1995), in which ifs are situations triggering transference, and thens are relational selves. An individual's repertoire of relational selves is a source of interpersonal patterns involving affect, motivation, self-evaluation, and self-regulation. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Family therapy training: Quo vadis?

Family therapy training programs have proliferated in recent times, without guidelines or much research. The clinical skills and personal characteristics that supervisors look for in trainees are a strong sense of the self, the ability to form systemic concepts at complex levels, and responsible clinical judgment. Personal training and experience outweighs the importance of professional background. A prior foundation in the social sciences and consolidation of basic professional training are emphasized. Concerns about superficial training at brief workshops are discussed. Defining competency and ensuring minimum standards are essential to protect the public and the credibility of family therapy. (French abstract) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Narratives and Culture: "Thickening" the Self for Cultural Psychotherapy.

The dominant framework for understanding selfhood in contemporary psychology has been one that privileges a highly individualistic conception of self. This is reflected in both the language and approaches of psychotherapy where the influence of contextual factors (factors outside of the individual) are given marginal consideration in order to maintain some type of 'objectivity' or 'neutrality' in counseling. We argue that an understanding of selfhood which does not take into account the 'relational' nature of selfhood as well as the cultural or historical context of the client, will likely alienate clients who do not view their self through the individualized lenses of (North American) psychology. In order to deal with this problem, we adopt an approach to cultural (and cross-cultural) psychology that views the self as a relational narrative. Such a narrative does not imply an unrestricted freedom to construct our self, but understands the limits to selfhood implied in the web of meanings constitutive of our culture and the web of relations from which our self emerges. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The relational self revealed: Integrative conceptualization and implications for interpersonal life.

The authors offer a new, integrative conceptualization of the relational self based on a synthesis of recent approaches to the self and significant others. This conceptualization provides a sharper and fuller definition of the relational self than does any existing approach alone and a common framework to interpret findings from separate literatures. The authors then present 5 propositions and evidence to support the thesis that relational selves exert a pervasive influence on interpersonal life. Specifically, relational selves (a) shape a wide range of psychological processes and outcomes, (b) exert their influence automatically, (c) serve basic orientation and meaning functions, (d) provide continuity and context-specific variability in personality, and (e) carry implications for psychological well-being. Discussion focuses on remaining issues and implications for future research. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)