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Biomedical subjects

P L Wachtel

Publications and source records attributed to P L Wachtel.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1994

Cyclical processes in personality and psychopathology.

Both the understanding of psychopathology and the ability to intervene therapeutically are enhanced by an appreciation of the central role of vicious circles in the development and maintenance of psychological disorder. It is usually possible to discern a structure to people's difficulties in which internal states and external events continually re-create the conditions for the re-occurrence of each other in all too real psychological version of the mythical perpetual motion machine. The present article illustrates how such circular processes work in a number of representative types of psychological difficulty and discusses the implications of this conception for understanding psychopathology and for therapeutic intervention.

Family Therapy↗
PubMed1983

Integration misunderstood.

Yates's (1983) criticisms of the possibility of integrating psychodynamic and behavioural perspectives are critically examined. Some of Yates's arguments hold only for integration with a classical intrapsychic version of psychoanalysis, not for an interpersonal psychodynamic perspective. Yates confuses a demonstration of differences between psychodynamic and behavioural views with an argument that they cannot be put together as part of a higher order synthesis. Issue is taken with Yates's contention that beliefs held 'tenaciously' and 'in spite of the empirical evidence available' are the best path to scientific progress.

Behavior Therapy↗
PubMed1978

On some complexities in the application of conflict theory to psychotherapy.

The present paper discusses several complications which arise in applying Dollard and Miller's analysis of conflict to the study of psychotherapy. Discussed are problems associated with recent theorizing on the nonunitary nature of fear; considerations relevant to the question of why individuals exposed to partial cues for anxiety do not show extinction of the anxiety, generalization of extinction, and increased approach behavior; the role of interpersonal feedback in maintaining neurotic behavior; and the issue of changing golas as therapy proceeds.

Anxiety↗