Depression as the search for the lost self.

Explores depression as a narcissistic disturbance in which the self is unconsciously expected to accomplish grandiose expectations and is regarded as a failure when it does not. These omnipotent fantasies include the prevention of object loss and triumph over death. In the later years, difficulties in maintaining self-esteem can predispose a person to depression since aging unavoidably involves dwindling opportunities, failing health, and loss of loved ones. A psychotherapeutic approach is outlined, focusing on the treatment of depression as a search for the lost self in which the development of healthy narcissism is seen as activating arrested or inhibited ego functions. The development of a positive cathexis of the self is seen as a safeguard against the self-destruction implicit in deep depression. This psychotherapeutic approach is demonstrated in a clinical vignette of a suicidally depressed woman in her 60's. (18 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The search for life on Mars

Mars appears to have no life on its surface today. However, the presence of fluvial features provides evidence that liquid water was once present on the martian surface. By analogy with Earth, life may have originated on Mars early in its history, possibly during the end of the late heavy bombardment. Analysis of the one meteorite from Mars which dates to this early time appears to contain evidence of this early environment and possibly life. As the climate cooled and liquid water became unavailable, life would have eventually died out. The cold deserts of Antarctica provide a glimpse of what martian ecosystems might have been like as conditions worsened. The search for fossil evidence of past life on Mars may provide the first direct indication of life beyond Earth.     

The search for the engram.

Reviews literature aimed at studying the nature of the "engram," the set of physical processes and changes in the brain which forms the basis of learning. The general research strategies currently employed are (a) model biological systems and (b) more or less intact behaving animals. Use of the model systems approach has supported the view that habituation reflects some form of synaptic depression while sensitization reflects some form of superimposed or heterosynaptic facilitation. Advances have also been made in the analysis of neural control of behavioral responses and response sequences in invertebrates. Study in the hindlimb flexion response of vertebrates has contributed to the formation of a simplified neuronal model of classical conditioning. Although simplified models of learning provide information about the nature of the basic synaptic processes involved, study of the mammalian CNS is necessary to understand the neural processes in human learning and memory. Neuronal activity in the hippocampus, a brain structure believed to be involved in learning, has suggested that the first process in the formation of the engram may occur in the hippocampus. Because the hippocampal response develops early in training and is large and reliable, localization of the initial formation of this learning-dependent brain response is feasible. Given the parallel processing in the brain, there are brain systems yet to be studied which may be involved in the formation of the engram. (4 p ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The quality of life of people with mental retardation: in search of an adequate approach

There is a lack of instruments that measure the quality of life of people with mental retardation. These types of instruments could be used in order to give an indication of the quality of care they receive. At the moment we are developing an instrument that measures quality of life. Our first task is to find an adequate definition of 'quality of life'. In this article an attempt is made to define this term as it relates to people with mental retardation. Starting from literature in the field of disabilities, reflections in the social sciences and philosophical analysis, a combined approach is adopted, according to which quality of life consists of specific objective and subjective factors.     

Outcome studies in mental hospitals: A search for criteria.

Considers issues raised by H. H. Strupp and A. E. Bergin in their review of individual treatment. It is argued that the task of determining whether therapy has been successful is conceptually more complicated for hospital programs. Individual therapy is presented as a 2-party contract between the patient and therapist while hospital programs are seen as a 6-party contract including the patient, state, local community, family, hospital staff, and therapist. The goals of each of the 6 parties are presented and some incompatabilities noted. Given the multiplicity of incompatible goals, it is suggested that various treatment programs may be designed for optimal success on the terms set by 1 of the 6 parties and evaluation of outcome may involve selecting whose outcome to assess. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The development of representations: The origins of mental life.

Discusses the notion of representation and its role in cognitive theory. The representational theory of mind takes for granted the existence of such representational states and processes as symbol use, belief, meaning, and intention. A sequence of developments is proposed that would have the effect of reworking the elementary sensory-motor schemata present at birth into the propositional representational states that develop in 2–4 yr olds and that operate on the basis of meaning, significance, and intentionality. The theory is used to explain a series of intellectual achievements of young children. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The search for orally active medications through combinatorial chemistry

The literature of combinatorial chemistry is reviewed with particular attention paid to considerations of absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion in the design and evaluation of libraries containing drug-like molecules. Published libraries are evaluated in particular for the likelihood that the products would possess oral bioavailability.     

Looking for truth in all the wrong places? Asymmetric search of individuating information about stereotyped group members.

Two experiments examined how category-based expectancies (CBEs) influence individuating information sought when trying to make accurate judgments about the attitudes of targets who were members of social categories that strongly or weakly implied the judged attitude. CBEs produced marked asymmetries in the number and content of participants' questions. Specifically, participants addressed fewer questions to stereotyped targets (STs) than to nonstereotyped targets (NSTs), thus acquiring relatively little individuating information about STs prior to judgment. Questions asked STs were diagnostically asymmetric—a response could better confirm than disconfirm the expected attitude, but questions to NSTs were diagnostically symmetric—a response could equally confirm or disconfirm the attitude. The authors discuss asymmetric search as a mechanism that may protect CBEs against disconfirmation independent of biased processing of acquired information. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Metamemory through the adult life span.

Metamemory is accurate if it returns correct information about the contents in store. It is efficient if it appropriately controls search durations so that more time is allocated to seeking information actually present, and less to information actually absent. 36 adults in 3 age groups (19–22, 44–53, and 65–74 yrs) answered questions on heterogeneous topics, and their responses were timed. Next, metamemorial judgments were made for each S's set of unanswered questions. The same items were then attempted in multiple-choice format, and confidence ratings in the answers were taken. All age groups showed comparable ability to retrieve answers from memory. All showed accurate and efficient metamemory, with no age differences in either. A signal detection analysis raised the possibility that metamemorial sensitivity increases with age. The data also suggest caution among the elderly in suppressing available but low-confidence answers. (18 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The crisis of experimentalism in the 1920s: E. G. Boring and his uses of history.

Comments that proponents of the cyclical view of history will find in the 1920s poignant parallels with contemporary controversies between "pure" and "applied" psychologists. E. G. Boring, an advocate of the ideal of pure research, was embroiled in the bitter debates. At the same time, he was at work on his prodigious History of Experimental Psychology. This article examines the extent to which Boring's professional concerns affected his historical vision. (20 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Getting lost in the search for large coefficients: Reply to Conley (1984).

J. Conley (see record 1985-04041-001) asserted that the present authors' (see record 1983-05642-001) research was confounded and that it underestimated the cross-situational consistency of behavior (relative to its temporal stability) by not considering the possible systematic effects of time in the cross-situational analyses. In fact, when possible temporal effects are taken into account fully, the previously reported results and conclusions are unaffected. Conley's "corrections" of the results are shown to be incorrect both conceptually and empirically. (8 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Cultural response to mental illness in Senegal: reflections through patient companions--Part II. Statistical correlates

Patient records from the Thiaroye Psychiatric Hospital in Senegal were studied to see if analysis of patterns of persons accompanying patients to the hospital could help to portray the community's response to mental illness. A systematic sample of 935 records of initial out-patients visits were examined. Patterns of patient companionship were found to strongly correlate with specific patient sociodemographic and clinical characteristics. Interpretation of these findings helped to clarify both prevailing attitudes toward the mentally ill and the social response and management of mental illness. The first article in this series presented the study setting, methods, sociodemographic and clinical characteristics of the patients, and characteristics of patient companions. The current article examines the statistical associations of companion number, gender and kinship relationship with patient sociodemographic and clinical characteristics.     

The search for worthy leadership.

This paper presents a model of leadership called "worthy leadership," defined as "the ability to guide, direct, or influence people in a way that has great merit, character, and value." The model, which derived from the authors' experiences consulting with and assessing senior leaders combined with existing research findings, encompasses three major constructs. These are labeled: The Capacity to Lead, The Commitment to Lead, and The Character to Lead. The factors that make up each major construct are described along with implications of the model for research and practice. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

On looking into the black box: Prospects and limits in the search for mental models.

Discusses the ways in which different domains define mental models, characterize the purposes of such models, and attempt to identify their forms, structures, and parameters. The resulting distinctions among domains are described in terms of the nature of model manipulation and the level of behavioral discretion. A variety of salient issues emerge, including accessibility of mental models, forms and content of representation, nature of expertise, cue utilization, and, most importantly, instructional issues. Prospects for dealing with these issues are considered, as well as fundamental limits to identifying or capturing humans' "true" mental models. It is suggested that the search for mental models is most likely to be successful if a more pragmatic perspective is adopted that emphasizes the utility of the mental model construct for understanding and improving instruction, system design, and other applied ends. (105 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The quest for meaning: Religious affiliation differences in the correlates of religious quest and search for meaning in life.

Religious traditions are considered to provide their members with a way to integrate their experiences into a coherent, comprehensible whole; functioning as a meaning system. Given that religious traditions vary in certain ways, the meaning systems they provide to their members might also differ from one another. The present study was concerned with whether seeking existential meaning in religion and life is compatible with other expressions of religiousness across denominations. Using a multigroups application of path analysis, we investigated whether the relations of two forms of existential seeking, secular (search for meaning in life) and sacred (religious quest), with several religious and psychological well-being measures differed as a function of denomination in a sample of Catholic and Protestant young adults (Study 1; N = 284) and a sample of Catholic, Evangelical, and Non-Evangelical Protestant young adults (Study 2; N = 454). Although comparisons across studies are difficult because the “Protestant” category in Study 1 could have included both Evangelical and non-Evangelical Protestants, one consistent pattern did emerge: there were no denomination-based differences in any of the relations of search for meaning with any of the religiousness variables in either study. Also, in both studies, Catholics demonstrated a positive relation of search for meaning with religious quest and negative relations of search for meaning with presence of meaning in life and overall religiousness. Results for religious quest appeared unstable across studies, raising possible questions about its measurement qualities. Implications for the study of cultural and existential factors and religion are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Iron absorption in the rat: the search for possible intestinal mucosal carriers

The biological relevance of four iron-containing fractions previously detected in rat intestinal mucosal cells has been studied. The distribution of iron in these fractions obtained by chromatography on Sepharose 6B has been examined after in vivo and in vitro incubation of mucosal cells with 59Ce. In addition, the effects of phenobarbitone, cycloheximide, iron-deficiency and iron-loading on the uptake and distrubution of iron within the four mucosal cell fractions was studied. The iron in fraction I was mostly bound to intracellular membrane particles. Fraction II was shown to be ferritin. Fraction III contained some transferrin and also a protein of molecular weight similar to transferrin but which was not precipitable by antitransferrin antiserum. Quantited with the results of 'chaser' experiments suggested that, in addition to ferritin, at least two of the fractions (I and III) were involved in the process of iron absorption by the mucosal cell.     

Self-concept of the married psychiatric patient and his mate's perception of him.

26 married psychiatric patients and their spouses were administered a 50-item questionnnaire to assess their concepts of themselves and of each other 1 wk. after acute hospitalization and then again 7 wk. later. Ss' initial self-images and their mates' perception of them were both more negative than their own and their spouses' images of the average person. Ss and their mates viewed the S as the most disturbed family member with both seeing the spouse in a more positive light than the S. Ss' self-images improved during hospitalization. The spouses' images of the Ss also tended to become more positive, but the spouses still viewed the Ss more negatively than themselves. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)