Freud's relevance for contemporary psychoanalytic technique.

It is argued that Freud's influence on contemporary technique is best seen by separating Freud as a hermeneuticist from Freud as a natural scientist. Freud's hermeneutic work is elucidated by a depiction of his earliest model of technique and its application in The Interpretation of Dreams. The division of the latter work into the first 6 chapters as a hermeneutic and the last chapter as a metapsychology is used to show not only the split but the conflict in Freud between his hermeneutic of the mind and his attempt to found psychoanalysis as a natural science. It is shown that the shift in analytic thinking from the primacy of drives to the growth and transformation of the self has maintained interpretation as a necessary, although insufficient, condition for the therapeutic action of psychoanalysis and that interpretation continues to bear the stamp of Freud's hermeneutic of the mind. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Anxiety, conflict, and resistance in learning an integrative perspective on psychotherapy.

Learning to do psychotherapy is emotionally difficult as well as cognitively challenging. This article addresses some of the intrapsychic conflicts with which beginning therapists are faced and points out some of the ways that novices cope by identifying with psychotherapeutic schools and "heroes." The added emotional burdens of learning an integrated approach are discussed, as are some solutions to these conflicts. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Freud's concept of the superego: Review and assessment.

Freud's concept of the superego was reviewed, and its meaningfulness and heuristic value were assessed. Because of conceptual problems, the recommendation is made to no longer use the term the superego and refer rather to the processes involved. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The relevance of Freud's psychoanalysis in the 21st century: Its science and its research.

The relevance of psychoanalysis and its place within its intellectual and cultural surround has been a major issue over the whole of its now more than a century-long history. A very significant aspect of that concern has been the status of psychoanalysis as a theory of the mind, and as a basis for the application of that theory in the conduct of a therapy for the disorders of the mind. This article reviews in depth the long-standing debate about psychoanalysis as a scientific theory, the kind of science that psychoanalysis is--or can be--and the place of research, empirical as well as conceptual (with particular focus upon research into the nature of the therapeutic change process and its desired outcomes), in the incremental growth of that theory and its therapeutic applications in an ever expanding and increasingly secure knowledge base. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The role of the transitional realm as an organizer of analytic process: Transitional organizing experience.

[Correction Notice: An erratum for this article was reported in Vol 26(2) of Psychoanalytic Psychology (see record 2009-04869-002). The author’s name was incorrectly printed in the toc and in the author byline. The author’s name should read Joseph A. Cancelmo, PsyD, FIPA, Institute for Psychoanalytic Training and Research (IPTAR)] D. W. Winnicott's construct of the transitional realm of human experience has been widely applied and creatively extended since its introduction more than half a century ago. The author describes the extension of this construct beyond its roots in the phase-specific need for the transitional object to a paradigm for psychic structuralization. He then considers a larger implication of this construct as an organizer and vehicle of transformation in analytic process via the transference. In this more elastic use of Winnicott's construct, the analytic process becomes organized along the lines of the earliest transitional experiences: the developmental progression from a nascent to a separate self, the organization of drive experience via the other, and the sorting out of one's own mind in terms of subjectivity and objectivity. Transitional organizing experience is used as shorthand for these far-reaching structural and dynamic transformations that take place within and between patient and analyst in the dyadic interplay of the analytic process. Via familiar dynamic constellations that emerge within the analytic process, the analytic dyad comes to reexperience (as a 2-person psychology) and reorganize (as a 1-person psychology) toward less "pathological" transitional forms of experience, allowing for a resumption in development of creative transitional space. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Massage therapy: Significance and relevance to professional practice.

While many individuals utilize massage therapy, there is a relative paucity of research on its effectiveness. In addition to a lack of familiarity with documented massage therapy effects, practicing psychologists may not be aware of the training, experience, and credentials required for massage therapy and thus may be reluctant to make referrals, or may risk making inappropriate referrals. The present article aims to define and describe massage therapy, and to survey the clinical conditions and populations for which evidence supports the utilization of massage therapy. Existing research supports the effectiveness of massage therapy for pain reduction, anxiety, and depression, and for a range of clinical conditions, from premature infants to the agitated elderly, and from various autoimmune and immune conditions to various sleep disorders, spinal cord injuries, and strokes. Furthermore, the current status of massage therapy training, certification, and licensure will be described and the relevance and significance of massage therapy for psychology will be discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The quest for an internship: Four students' perspective.

What are students' experiences in applying for internships? Although the preponderance of recent internship literature addresses marketplace issues and competitive strategies, narratives of the applicants' experiences have been largely absent. Using an interpretive approach, 4 recent internship applicants reflect on the process of applying for internships as it contributes to the development of becoming a psychologist. The authors highlight 3 values of professional practice—community, respect, and authenticity—that can inform the dialogue of internship reform and suggest practical implications for student applicants, internship training directors, directors of clinical training, and the Association of Psychology Postdoctoral and Internship Centers. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Rethinking intractable conflict: The perspective of dynamical systems.

Intractable conflicts are demoralizing. Beyond destabilizing the families, communities, or international regions in which they occur, they tend to perpetuate the very conditions of misery and hate that contributed to them in the first place. Although the common factors and processes associated with intractable conflicts have been identified through research, they represent an embarrassment of riches for theory construction. Thus, the current task in this area is integrating these diverse factors into an account that provides a coherent perspective yet allows for prediction and a basis for conflict resolution in specific conflict settings. We suggest that the perspective of dynamical systems provides such an account. This article outlines the key concepts and hypotheses associated with this approach. It is organized around a set of basic questions concerning intractable conflict for which the dynamical perspective offers fresh insight and testable propositions. The questions and answers are intended to provide readers with basic concepts and principles of complexity and dynamical systems that are useful for rethinking the nature of intractable conflict and the means by which such conflict can be transformed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The evolution of psychotherapy and the concept of manualization: An integrative perspective.

In this article, the author examines some historical perspectives that may help psychologists who have recently been reading more about manualized treatments decide how to incorporate such information into contemporary practice. Even before the "age of manualization," each of the major schools of psychotherapy—psychodynamic, cognitive-behavioral, and family systems therapy—suffered from their own respective limitations in being unable to be exhaustive or definitive about the complexities that routinely take place in clinical practice. Perspectives on the role of manualized psychotherapy, the role of nonspecific factors and the therapeutic alliance, and the respective roles of professionalism and behavioral technology are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The relevance of a psychoanalytic perspective in exploring religious and spiritual identity in psychotherapy.

The attempt to make meaning of the soul is inherent to psychoanalytic inquiry, despite its historical diminution of religion and spirituality. Feminist ideology and multicultural psychology have played a critical role in challenging traditional psychoanalytic conceptions of the practice of religion and spirituality as pathological and/or regressive. Contemporary psychoanalysis that emphasizes two-person psychology, and the intersubjective aspects of the analytic space has also allowed for more open inquiry into the spiritual lives of clients and therapists. Both psychoanalysis and spirituality share the goal of a search for particular aspects of one's identity. This search for one's real or true self becomes particularly poignant for both the therapist and the client, as it is highly reliant on the therapist's and the client's specific religious and spiritual contexts. This paper examines the development of identity as influenced by religious and spiritual beliefs. The author discusses a clinical case to illustrate the complex interaction between religious traditions and individual experiences of religion and spirituality, and related implications of a contemporary psychoanalytic approach to psychotherapy. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Freud's models of the mind.

Review of book: Joseph Sandler, Alex Holder, Christopher Dare, Anna Ursula Dreher. Freud's Models of the Mind. Madison, CT: International Universities Press, 1997, xvi + 203 pp. Reviewed by Martin A. Schulman. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Relational and Intersubjective Perspectives in Psychoanalysis: A Critique.

Reviews the book, Relational and Intersubjective Perspectives in Psychoanalysis: A Critique edited by Jon Mills (2005). This text contains many well reasoned arguments but the first part is so heavily theoretical and so removed from the consulting room that many clinicians will be unwilling to wade through it to get to the clinical sections. The authors' comments range from reasoned suggestions about areas where further work on the relational and intersubjective approaches is needed to rejecting these approaches as legitimate innovative bodies of work. I have mixed feelings about the book regarding its variable readability, its lack of balance, and its limited direct relevance to clinicians. However, it contains much thoughtful and provocative writing. This book will be of interest to mental health professionals who want detailed explanations of the theoretical, particularly philosophical basis for contemporary psychoanalysis, and to academic psychotherapists and philosophers with a direct interest in the subject. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Crisis in social psychology: The relevance of relevance.

Considers that external influences on social psychology for socially relevant research are misguided and potentially destructive to the progress of the discipline. Social psychologists have studied socially relevant topics for years and if their findings are not generalizable to community problems it is because they are not relevant to the constructs to which they pertain. Once conceptual relevance is obtained by reevaluation of existent research methods, social relevance will inevitably follow. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A concept of the primary fantasy bond: A developmental perspective.

Hypothesizes that deprived infants form a primary fantasy bond (a delusion of being connected to the mother) that persists as a defense through childhood and into adult life and that deprivation variables are conducive to the formation of subsequent damage, ranging from mildly neurotic behavior to schizophrenic regression. The primary fantasy leads to a posture of pseudo-independence, relieves fears, and allays the anxiety of feeling separate and alone. In adult life, individuals who defend with the primary fantasy cannot tolerate moving in and out of closeness; they avoid real sexuality, physical intimacy, and honest communication. A letter written to her therapy group by a woman who idealized her family and built a defense of self-hatred illustrates the concept. It is suggested that the hypothesis of a primary fantasy bond explains the underlying dynamics of resistance to change. (13 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The Bender Gestalt: A review and a perspective.

The 1950-61 literature is covered and is organized around the test designs, the various scoring systems, and the diagnostic interpretations. When scored objectively its validity in determining mental ages for children, and as an additional tool in a test battery aimed at differential diagnoses, is acceptable. Symbolic interpretation remains highly subjective. The lack of standardization mitigates against utilizing the test as a norm against which to judge other variables. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The Intolerance of Uncertainty Scale for Children: A psychometric evaluation.

Intolerance of uncertainty (IU) has contributed to our understanding of excessive worry and adult anxiety disorders, but there is a paucity of research on IU in child samples. This gap is due to the absence of a psychometrically sound measure of IU in youth. The present study adapted parallel child- and parent-report forms of the Intolerance of Uncertainty Scale (IUS) and examined the internal consistency, convergent validity, and classification properties of these forms in youth aged 7–17 (M = 11.6 years, SD = 2.6). Participating youth (N = 197; 100 girls, 97 boys) either met diagnostic criteria for an anxiety disorder (n = 73) or were nonreferred community participants (n = 124). The child-report form (i.e., IUS for Children, or IUSC), and to a lesser extent the parent-report form, demonstrated strong internal consistency and convergent validity, evidenced by significant associations with anxiety and worry (and reassurance-seeking in the case of the child-report form). Children diagnosed with anxiety disorders scored higher than nonreferred community youth on both forms. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis demonstrated acceptable overall utility in distinguishing the 2 groups of youth. Findings provide preliminary support for use of the IUSC for continuous measurement of children’s ability to tolerate uncertainty. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The selfobject function of Freud's Specimen (or Irma) Dream.

Post-Kohutian self psychological literature has suggested that all dreams, not just self-state dreams, are influenced by the selfobject needs of the dreamer and can contribute to the restoration or enhancement of the dreamer's overall functioning. Freud's Specimen Dream was analyzed from a self psychological perspective with the aim of demonstrating how the disruption of Freud's selfobject attachment to Fliess precedes and fuels the dreamwork described by Freud. The article concludes with a discussion of the genetic origins of the Specimen Dream, focusing on Freud's struggle with feelings about his Oedipal victory at a time when he was anticipating the death of his father. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The effects of an "anxiety-reducing" medication on group behavior under threat.

Three member teams worked on a group task under three experimental conditions: a threat condition in which Ss received an anxiety reducing medication, a threat condition with Ss receiving no medication, and a control nonthreat condition. Threat was imposed by structuring the sessions as evaluative tests whose results would become part of the Ss ROTC records. The Bales category system was used to obtain behavioral indices and the S's perception of their group and motivational state were obtained from an adjective check list. The results indicate that medication produces changes in the emotional and motivational state of the Ss along three dimensions, anxiety, elation, and assertion. "Medicated groups may be characterized as having an active, non-aggressive 'good time' with no especial concern for effective performance on the task." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)