Psychotherapy cults: An iatrogenic perversion.

Conducted clinical observations of 5 teachers of psychotherapy and 26 of their patients, who themselves were practicing psychotherapists, which showed that psychotherapy may be misused to produce cults. It is suggested that these psychotherapists produced cults by failing to maintain professional boundaries with their patients. They treated their friends, students, lovers, relatives, employees, and colleagues and brought them together to form cohesive, psychologically incestuous groups of which they were the leader. They did not consider their patients' idealization of them to be a transference, to be understood as part of the treatment, but used it to encourage submission, obedience, and adoration, as in religious cults. Patients became "true believers," as described by E. Hoffer (1951), with totalistic patterns of thought, increased dependence, and paranoia. Both therapist and patients became trapped in a closed system that encouraged mutual exploitation and corruption. (48 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Measuring the outcomes of psychotherapy: Findings of the Penn Psychotherapy Project.

Reports analyses of outcome measures obtained from patients, therapists, and clinical observers in the Penn Psychotherapy Project, a 5-yr study of factors that predict outcome in outpatient psychotherapy. The data from the "method factors" study by D. S. Cartwright et al (see record 1963-06833-001) were also reanalyzed. Results in both studies were very similar. Substantial agreement was found among viewpoints about broadly defined treatment outcomes, although distinct viewpoints did clearly exist. Contrary to a common opinion, consensus measures of psychotherapy outcome could be meaningfully defined. Relationships among posttreatment ratings of benefits from therapy and measures of adjustment obtained before and after treatment were explored. A strong relationship was found between the residual gain score and ratings of benefits, suggesting that posttreatment ratings of outcome take account of the fact that the amount of change to be expected depends on the initial level of functioning. (31 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The generations of psychotherapy research: An overview.

Psychoanalytic therapy research can be divided into 4 generations, marked by increasing conceptual sophistication and technological enhancement. The 1st generation (1917–1968) comprised simple retrospective counts of improved outcomes by unspecified criteria. The 2nd generation (1959–1985) consisted of 2 kinds: (1) prospective group-aggregated studies of psychoanalytic treatments, with specified definitions, operationalized criteria, and predictions to expected outcomes, and (2) individually studied outcomes in a sequence of patients. The 3rd generation (1954–1986) combined both kinds of 2nd-generation studies with the added feature of separating outcomes at termination from the more enduring effects at subsequent follow-up. The 4th, current generation (1970s–) adds in microanalytic process studies made possible by recent technological advances-audiotapes, combined with computer searches. Programs are currently being fashioned to combine these ongoing process studies with the best outcome measures in order to realize the principle of Patient-Treatment-Outcome Congruence, the representation of the patient's illness, the treatment process, and assessed outcome in comparable terms. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Subliminal stimulation: An overview.

"Seldom has anything in psychology caused such an immediate and widespread stir as the recent claim that the presentation of certain stimuli below the level of conscious awareness can influence people's behavior in a significant way." Recent history relating to the technique is discussed under the topics of Recent Advertising Demonstrations, Research on Behavior without Awareness, and Effects of Inner States upon Thresholds. Unanswered Methodological Questions and The Ethics of Subliminal Influence are the other major topic areas. "The indiscriminate and uncontrolled application of psychological principles is increasing at a fearsome rate in the form of motivation research, propaganda, public relations, and a host of other useful practices based on the work of psychologists." Psychologists have a responsibility for assisting society to use its findings wisely. 132 references. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Psychotherapy: The powerful placebo.

Contends that research designs in which psychotherapy treatments are compared to placebo conditions were derived from analogies with chemotherapy research. However, chemotherapy and psychotherapy research efforts are complementary rather than analogous. Chemotherapy placebos are delivered to eliminate the psychological variables that psychotherapy researchers attempt to explain. Psychotherapy treatments are analogous to chemotherapy placebos, rather than to chemotherapy treatments. It is suggested that chemotherapy artifacts, such as client outcome expectancies, cannot be viewed as de facto artifacts of psychotherapy research. It is further suggested that placebo groups should be eliminated from psychotherapy research. (49 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Psychotherapy: The unknown versus the untold.

Discusses the article by N. L. Mintz (see PA, Vol. 45: Issue 5) on the role of fees and fee-charging practices in psychotherapy. Texts by K. Menninger and L. R. Wolberg and the American Psychological Association survey on fee schedules are cited for commentary on fee attitudes of psychiatrists and psychologists. It is concluded that shame over the sale of friendship may indeed play a crucial part in the reticence of therapists to discuss fees. The role which growing comprehensive health insurance may play in removing this element of secrecy is noted. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The Journal of Psychotherapy Integration at 20: An introduction to the special section.

Discusses the contents of this special issue. With this issue, the Journal of Psychotherapy Integration closes its 20th volume and therefore its 20th year of publication. The editor provides a history of some of the most memorable moments of the journal. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Psychotherapy and Alcoholics Anonymous: An integrated approach.

This article provides a rationale for, and a method of, combining a nonprofessional self-help addiction recovery program, Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), and a professional treatment approach, psychotherapy. The two approaches share a common goal, target similar issues, and work toward similar outcomes. A psychotherapy approach that integrates the two approaches can be quite powerful. Treating a patient in psychotherapy who is also working in the AA program without a good understanding of AA can result in the two approaches working at cross-purposes, diminishing the effectiveness of both interventions. After a brief discussion of psychotherapy integration, the AA program is examined in detail, focusing on the philosophy and change strategies that are compatible with psychodynamic and cognitive–behavioral models of psychotherapy. A method for integrating these techniques into a psychotherapy directed at treating addiction is presented. Guidelines are provided to manage the implementation of this integrated approach throughout the process of recovery. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Psychotherapy and friendship: An analysis of the communications of friends.

Conducted 2 studies to investigate communications that occur between friends, since it is often stated that psychotherapy is a type of friendship. In the 1st study, 14 pairs of friends (undergraduates) discussed personal problems. Empathic responses were infrequent in the repertoire of friends trying to be helpful, though such responses constituted a majority of the statements of model Rogerian therapists. In the 2nd study, 160 undergraduates responded to different forms of a questionnaire that presented a friend communicating with empathic, interrogative, expository, and mixed forms of response. Again, Ss indicated that empathic responses were infrequent in their friends' communications. Moreover, Ss indicated that they did not wish friends or therapists to communicate empathically but rather with expository statements. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Outcomes of time-limited psychotherapy in applied settings: Replicating the Second Sheffield Psychotherapy Project.

In a replication and extension of the Second Sheffield Psychotherapy Project (SPP2), a collaborative psychotherapy project (CPP) was carried out at 3 sites within the National Health Service of the United Kingdom. Clients (N?=?36) stratified at 3 levels of severity of depression were randomly assigned to one of 2 treatment approaches (psychodynamic-interpersonal or cognitive-behavioral) of 2 time-limited durations (8 or 16 sessions). Gains in both treatment approaches were approximately equivalent and were similar for CPP and SPP2 clients when measured at the end of treatment. However, CPP clients did not maintain their gains to the extent that the SPP2 clients did at 3-month and 1-year follow-up assessments. In the CPP, clients given 16 sessions showed a statistically significant advantage over clients given 8 sessions on some measures at some assessments; in the SPP2, similar effects were noted only among some subgroups of clients. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The role of parents in the socialization of children: An historical overview.

The history of research on childhood socialization in the context of the family is traced through the present century. The 2 major early theories (behaviorism and psychoanalytic theory) are described. These theories declined in mid-century, under the impact of failures to find empirical support. Simple reinforcement theory was seriously weakened by work on developmental psycholinguistics, attachment, modeling, and altruism. The field turned to more domain-specific mini-theories. The advent of microanalytic analyses of parent–child interaction focused attention on bidirectional processes. Views about the nature of identification and its role in socialization underwent profound change. The role of "parent as teacher" was reconceptualized (with strong influence from Vygotskian thinking). There has been increasing emphasis on the role of emotions and mutual cognitions in establishing the meaning of parent–child exchanges. The enormous asymmetry in power and competence between adults and children implies that the parent–child relationship must have a unique role in childhood socialization. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The Vanderbilt Psychotherapy Studies: Synopsis.

The psychotherapy studies completed at Vanderbilt University had their antecedents in research begun by H. H. Strupp in the 1950s. Initially focused on the empirical study of therapeutic techniques, the work soon drew attention to therapists' attitudes toward the patient and the manner in which these attitudes were intertwined with therapists' clinical judgments and their communications to the patient. Negative complementarity, in particular, emerged as fateful for progress and outcome, and it became the leitmotif of that work. Vanderbilt I focused on the relative contribution of specific and nonspecific factors in therapy, whereas Vanderbilt II sought to study the effects of training in time-limited dynamic pschotherapy on process and outcome. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The Intuitive Process: The Case of Psychotherapy.

Intuition may be considered a common factor in psychotherapy, characterizing both psychotherapist and client functioning. After reviewing existing models for intuition, the author proposes a 5-phase model to explain intuition on the basis of the cognitive functions of pattern discovery and recognition. It is argued that intuition should not be viewed as a single phenomenon; rather, the phenomena labeled as intuition can be understood as belonging to different phases of a single process. These phases consist of early knowledge representations that demonstrate the creative role that intuition may play in the construction of knowledge. The author illustrates this model by presenting examples from the practice of psychotherapy. Finally, the author discusses the possibilities of promoting intuitive insight, the fallibility of intuition, and the role intuition may play in integrative decision making. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The acute abdomen. An overview and algorithms

The diagnosis and management of the patient with an acute abdomen remains one of the most difficult challenges for the surgeon. A thorough understanding of the anatomy and physiology of the abdomen are essential to properly generate a differential diagnosis and to formulate a treatment plan. While recent advances in technology can be extremely helpful in certain situations, they cannot replace a physician's clinical judgment based upon a good history and physical examination. This article provides a general overview of the evaluation of the patient with an acute abdomen. It will also suggest algorithms to consider in the diagnosis and treatment of these patients.     

Psychotherapy with depressed elderly patients: Research considerations.

There is general agreement that depression is the most common functional psychiatric disorder among the elderly, affecting 7–21% of the population. Since so many of the elderly, especially the depressed elderly, suffer from physical disorders that complicate or contraindicate drug therapy, psychotherapy is potentially a highly desirable treatment modality for many depressed persons in the upper age groups. And yet, elderly people are generally excluded from psychotherapy studies for a variety of methodologial, practical, and ethical reasons. As psychotherapy researchers begin to turn their attention to the treatment of the elderly patient, a number of ethical issues and problems of design and implementation of research with this population must be addressed. The present article explores the issues of patient homogeneity, external validity, internal validity, choosing and implementing specific treatment modalities, therapist experience and attitudes, therapist age, reliability and validity of measures, and problems obtaining follow-up information when studying treatment of depressed elderly patients. (35 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The psychosocial impact of skin disease. An overview

When the skin is disfigured by disease, it has an impact on the afflicted person. The intensity of the effect depends on many variables including the natural history of the disease, the characteristics of the individual patients and their life situation, as well as the attitudes and assumptions of the culture at large about the meaning of skin disease. Fantasies about skin disease, shared by patients and onlookers alike, relate to guilt, control of bodily boundaries, and perfectionist yearnings. Some issues involved in these fantasies include distortions about contagion, dirt, and sexuality. Ways of helping patients to manage the impact of their skin disease include an empathic doctor-patient alliance, education of patients and the community, and if indicated, referral for psychiatric consultation.     

Induced movement in the visual modality: An overview.

Induced movement, illusory movement in a stationary stimulus resulting from adjoining movement, has received steady experimental investigation over the last 70 years or so. It is observed under different viewing conditions in a wide variety of displays that differ considerably in overall size and in form of inducing and induced stimuli. Explanations have been diverse, some being based on relations within the display and others invoking mediation by other aspects of the observer's perception. Probably, no one explanation can account for all forms of induced movement. Current knowledge about induced movement may have important implications for visual perception of object motion. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Homosexuality and psychopolitics: An historical overview.

Traces various sources of attitudes toward homosexuality (HMSX) throughout history and explores the scientific and political forces that contributed to the depathologization of HMSX in the psychological community via the American Psychological Association. Advances in the understanding of lesbian and gay issues within psychology since the early 1970s are considered, as well as an analysis of the current state of attitudes toward HMSX within professional psychology. Attitudes toward HMSX within psychology have changed from viewing HMSX as a form of mental illness to considering gay males and lesbians to be an oppressed group in need of special considerations. However, more attention needs to be paid to the diversity within the lesbian and gay male populations in terms of race and ethnicity, religious diversity, class issues, and physical, emotional, and cognitive disability. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)