The centrality of the system Ucs in the theory of psychoanalysis: The nonrepressed unconscious.

After Freud discovered an unconscious system (Ucs) between 1894 and 1896, a window opened for him to formulate a comprehensive theory of the human psyche, which he called psychoanalysis. The Ucs was its foundation. The object relations theories, ego psychology, self-psychology, and their offshoots managed to erode that concept from the theory in different ways and tried to replace psychoanalysis. The reason is that Freud, for a long time, associated the unconscious with the repressed. It was possible by reviewing his work in the field of repression, defense, and the unconscious to uncover the nature of the system Ucs. It is not possible for a school of psychology within psychoanalysis to ignore the systemic unconscious and replace it with a dynamic unconscious and still claim that it is psychoanalytic. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Theodor Reik: On psychoanalysis and the unconscious compulsion to confess.

In 1924, Theodor Reik presented a series of lectures in Vienna, which resulted in the publication of the book, The Compulsion to Confess (1925/1959). It was Reik's claim that his conceptualization of the unconscious compulsion to confess was a "discovery" and suggested that it be incorporated in the theory and lexicon of classical psychoanalytic theory. It is from the socialization experiences of the child (the modification of instinctual impulses) that repression is experienced and thus the process of confession is an attempt to quell (unconsciously) feelings of guilt and need for self-punishment. The power of a hostile superego plays the pivotal role, according to Reik, in the development of the neurosis, and it is within the framework and dynamics of the Oedipal complex that unconscious confessions result. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Toward a theory of consciousness.

Posits that an adequate explanation of psychological phenomena that have a conscious aspect implies a theory of awareness that is now lacking. On psychological, physical, and philosophical grounds, a preliminary model is presented, postulating awareness as a field effect with 2 primary modes: detector and effector. Any adequate field theory of awareness seems to entail a set of field equations; an outline of preconditions for their eventual derivation is presented, partially based on C. T. Tart's (1975) paradigm for the experimental investigation of consciousness. It is argued that the field paradigm of physics provides a fruitful precedent for dealing with an unobservable event having observable consequences. (French abstract) (36 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

An analysis of the course of psychoanalysis: The case for a unitary theory.

Psychoanalysis started out as a unitary theory to encompass disparate observable phenomena. Symptoms, dreams, character traits, psychopathology, and normal psychology all rested on the same explanatory intrapsychic base. Since then, theory has grown by accretion and by the creation of alternative theoretical systems. Various fallacies and flaws in logic have played a part in this development. The current state of pluralism, in my view, has resulted in a theoretical fragmentation that reduced the power and inspiration intrinsic to a unified, coherent psychoanalytic theory. I describe a total composite unitary theory, cumulative over the century, in which all valid and enduring elements of competitive psychoanalytic theories are included. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Toward a theory of episodic memory: The frontal lobes and autonoetic consciousness.

Adult humans are capable of remembering prior events by mentally traveling back in time to reexperience those events. In this review, the authors discuss this and other related capabilities. considering evidence from such diverse sources as brain imaging, neuropsychological experiments, clinical observations, and developmental psychology. The evidence supports a preliminary theory of episodic remembering, which holds that the prefrontal cortex plays a critical, supervisory role in empowering healthy adults with autonoetic consciousness—the capacity to mentally represent and become aware of subjective experiences in the past, present, and future. When a rememberer mentally travels back in subjective time to reexperience his or her personal past, the result is an act of retrieval from episodic memory. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

An interdisciplinary approach towards a theory of consciousness

Instead of attacking the difficult problem of consciousness or self-consciousness directly, the theory is based on the more basic concept of reflection. A concept of reflection is suggested on four levels (recursion, reflective thinking, self-reflection, intersubjective reflection). We propose the glial-neuronal interaction as a neurobiological substrate for reflection processes. It is assumed that glia have a boundary-setting function (scaffolding, compartmentalization) in the spatio-temporal interaction with the neurons. This function could be a possible mechanism of 'dividing' the brain into different self-systems each with their own capacity of self-organization. Although the brain's different self-systems are normally integrated, they may disintegrate and show themselves in special states of the brain (e.g. multiple personality disorder). A tree of reflection consisting of a number of places (ontological loci) on which reflection processes of varying complexity take place, is suggested as the formal model. Finally, the problem of self-conscious qualitative experience (Qualia) is discussed in terms of the reflection model.     

Experimental study of unconscious influences: Ultrasound as a stimulus.

Used ultrasound as a stimulus to study its effects on behavior without S awareness. In Exp I evoked responses were elicited in 7 of 24 undergraduates by ultrasonic tones when Ss were reporting the presence of no stimulus. In Exp II with 20 male Ss, galvanic skin response conditioning to a compound stimulus made up of ultrasound and a red light resulted in shorter latencies to the compound stimulus than to the red light alone, during extinction. The differences did not appear among control Ss, supporting the occurrence of conditioning without awareness. In Exp III with 16 Ss, reaction-time performance was disrupted by providing ultrasound as an anticipatory cue for 1 of 2 lights over 150 trials and then reversing the ultrasound-light pairing. The ultrasound did not facilitate reaction time to the paired light during the 1st 150 trials, however. Results support learning without awareness, and the method is discussed as it might be extended to the study of unconscious influences and to clinical applications. (75 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Entering the sacred: Prologue to a theory of transcendent consciousness.

The thesis of this paper is that the established profane knowledge of psychology is proving inadequate to contemporary human experience (Grof, 1985), and that psychology now has no choice but to "enter the sacred" by acknowledging and investigating integrative experiences associated with states of transcendent consciousness. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The organizing forces of contemporary psychoanalysis: Reflections on nonlinear dynamic systems theory.

Nonlinear dynamic systems theory, as elaborated by E. Thelen and L. Smith (1994), is applied to contemporary psychoanalysis. Infant research, attachment theory, and the notions of paradigm shift and Cartesian Anxiety represent a few of the interacting, self-organizing components that comprise the field today. These components interact in the context of the psychoanalytic field that is conceptualized as a system in it own right. The author reflects on the impact of nonlinear dynamic systems theory on his own subjectivity from the standpoint of theory and clinical application. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Pain as a biological phenomenon of consciousness

Pain has not to be considered a false step of nature. On the contrary, it is an extremely effective warning mechanism through which the individual becomes aware of a danger to its own physical integrity from inside the body or from the environment. Pain therefore belongs to the biological devices for evading bodily danger. The conscious experience of pain is the most sophisticated stage of evolution of warning systems, whose simplest form is represented by an unicellular organism which moves away if it anticipates danger from an environmental state. Similar to all qualia, conscious experience of pain cannot be fully explained in terms of neurophysiological events. Conscious pain is a complex perceptual and affective experience influenced not by the amount of the bodily lesion alone, but also by the whole personality of the sufferer. This often makes surgical, medical and psychological treatment of pain difficult and disappointing.     

Selected implications from a dynamic regulatory theory of consciousness.

"I should like… to… (a) sketch a functional, 3-level, phylogenetically oriented theory of consciousness; (b) point out an implied resolution of dualism; (c) suggest a revised perspective for the Freudian conscious-unconscious dichotomy; (d) indicate a different basic approach to methodology; and (e) point to a derivable basic value in human relationships. Basic assumptions in the conceptualization are that consciousness is a product of living protoplasm; the principle of continuity in animal evolution means that human beings have no monopoly on the basic general characteristics of consciousness; the living organism may be conceptualized as an open system of energy with many subsystems in the total pattern; the organization of subsystems tends to be hierarchical with some at functional dominance and others with roles of relative subordination." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Significance of the unconscious plan for psychoanalytic theory.

Compares the assertions of J. Weiss et al (1986) regarding the role of the patient's unconscious plan in analytic treatment with other contemporary theories. According to Weiss et al, the analyst listens, albeit unconsciously, to the patient with respect for the patient's capacity to spell out his or her goals, the blocks to achieving these goals, and what the analyst needs to do and avoid doing for these goals to be accomplished. Differences and similarities of the plan model are discussed in reference to the ideas of R. Emde (see record 1991-13225-001), R. Schafer (1983), R. Stolorow et al (1987), and J. Bowlby (1988) concerning developmental psychoanalysis and the active patient; action language, excessive claiming, and beliefs; self psychology; and attachment models. The plan is offered as one solution to the theoretical, cultural, and clinical problems that currently afflict psychoanalysis. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Discussion of articles on relational theory in psychoanalysis.

Comments on differences between classical and relational theories in psychoanalysis, focusing on discussions by A. Wilson, J. F. Murray, F. Busch, and J. L. Bachant et al (see PA, Vol 82:33124, 33115, 34118, and 33102). Modell contends that a relational theory is a necessary added dimension to Freudian psychoanalysis and that differences of opinion should not lead to separate psychoanalytic schools of thought. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Newman's theory of health as expanding consciousness: research on family caregiving in mental illness in Japan

The purpose of this study was to apply Newman's theory in family caregiving situations in mental illness in Japan. The researcher chose the methodology of Newman's theory of health as expanding consciousness because of the good fit between Newman's model and the Japanese mindset. The study has provided support for the propositions the researcher had entertained prior to embarking on the field study. Newman's theory of health as praxis proved to be a viable methodology for this population in Japan. The findings support the premise of Newman's theory of the person-environment interaction patterns. As a result of pattern viewing, the majority of the participants in the study saw possibilities for action and decided to act themselves or on behalf of their sick relatives.     

New theoretical vistas in psychoanalysis: Louis Sander's theory of early development.

Discusses the development of L. Sander's theory of early development based on his research over the past 30 yrs. The theory considers the infant, its caretaking environment, and the exchange between them to be a living system. Coherence within the system is maintained through an endless ongoing exchange between the infant and its context of life support (caretaking environment). Sanders proposed an epigenetic sequence of 7 adaptive tasks describing a process whereby interactions originate in the management of basic physiologic states. The stages are as follows: initial regulation (1–3 mo), reciprocal exchange (4–6 mo), initiative (7–9 mo), focalization (10–23 mo), self-assertion (14–28 mo), recognition (18–36 mo), and reversal (18–36 mo). From this sequence, Sanders formulated 5 propositions relating recurrent infant states to the continuity of inner experience and to the achievement of a sense of agony in self regulation. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The paradox of HIV/AIDS as expanding consciousness

A heuristic approach employing Newman's method for pattern identification was used to examine the theory of health as expanding consciousness in persons with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). Themes derived from the interview of nine gay men portrayed a pattern of alienation during childhood, followed by a breaking away from family, and progressing to cycles of aloneness and searching. Recognition of HIV/AIDS in their lives brought them to a turning point of more meaningful connectedness. This pattern is viewed as expanding consciousness and possibly a phenomenon of cultural evolution.     

A perspective on child psychoanalysis 1994: The recognition of relational theory and technique in child treatment.

The central assertion of this article is that child psychoanalysts have been moving toward relational theory and practice in recent years. However, the lingering influence of drive theory and associated analytic technique is evident in a common tendency to ignore the impact on the patient of what the analyst does and says in the analytic interaction. Clinical examples illustrating this point are taken from the published work of Freudian, Kleinian, and Winnicottian analysts. Discussion of the cases focuses on explicating the points at which the analytic work presented does or does not focus on the here-and-now interaction. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

"The psychological unconscious: A necessary assumption for all psychological theory?" Comments.

Comments that difficulties in H. Shevrin and S. Dickman's (see record 1980-10863-001) thesis result from a failure to address 2 issues: what is to count as a theory and what is the role of theoretical concepts in a theory. Perhaps what Shevrin and Dickman intended to say is that no complete theory can avoid a psychological unconscious; however, no science possesses a complete theory. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The current status of psychoanalysis

When a perturbation displaces the human hand from equilibrium, arm muscles respond by producing restoring forces. When a set of displacements are given at various directions from the same equilibrium position, the resulting restoring forces form a "postural force field." It is not known whether these postural forces are related to those generated when a reaching movement is executed. However, if a movement is a consequence of a shift of the equilibrium position of the hand toward the target, then, from the postural force field, predictions can be made regarding the nature of the elastic forces acting on the hand during the movement. We have taken the first steps in testing this hypothesis by measuring the postural force field of a subject's arm over relatively large distances, and comparing these forces with the static forces generated at the hand while the subject attempted a reaching movement. Using a robot manipulandum, the hand was displaced at various directions from an equilibrium position. The measured restoring forces were fitted to a nonlinear model to define a postural force field for that equilibrium position. This field was used to predict elastic forces generated when the subject attempted to move the manipulandum from a point on the circumference of a circle to a target at its center--the center corresponded to the equilibrium position at which the postural field was measured. In some of the movement trials, the manipulandum was locked during approximately the first 120 msec of the program for motion and the resulting static "evoked" forces measured. We found that (1) the evoked forces did not point to the target, but were a function of the configuration of the arm and rotated with the shoulder joint, and (2) the magnitude of the evoked forces varied systematically, even though the movements were of the same magnitude. These patterns were remarkably similar to those observed in the postural forces. Our results provide experimental evidence linking maintenance of posture in a multijoint system to that of generating a movement. The evidence is consistent with the hypothesis that the CNS programs a reaching movement by shifting the equilibrium position of the hand toward the target.