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Self research in educational psychology: a cautionary tale of positive psychology in action.

Recent calls for a positive psychology that would deemphasize human pathology and dysfunction in favor of building an understanding of positive features of human life and human flourishing make two assumptions that the author questions in this article. First, he challenges the assumption that disciplinary psychology has been fixated on pathology and dysfunction by considering work in educational psychology that, both historically and currently, espouses the characteristics of positive psychology as articulated by its major advocates. Second, through a brief, critical consideration of research on the self in educational psychology, he contests the assumption that psychology has sufficient resources to develop into the positive psychology envisioned by its promoters. He argues that psychology's emphasis on the individual, whose core self resides in a deep, internal psyche, radically strips psychology of the historical and sociocultural resources that enable self-development, constrain self-understanding, and constitute the self.

Culture↗

The psychology of thinking, animal psychology, and the young Karl Popper.

In the 1920s, Karl Popper wrote two large manuscripts on psychology that he never published. In his autobiography, Unended Quest, he attempts to reduce the importance of his work in psychology as much as possible, and in his philosophical work he is an antipsychologist. However, in this article, it is argued that Popper's early psychology has been pivotally important for the development of his philosophy. In particular, it is shown that Popper's views on psychology underwent a radical shift, one that paved the way for his characteristic deductive stance in philosophy. Popper's views shifted from an inductive and associationistic psychology toward a noninductive psychology of problem solving. Tracing the historical background of Popper's early work reveals how he integrated various parts of the psychology of Karl Groos into his analysis of the childish phenomenon of dogmatic thinking and how he shortly after appropriated various elements of the animal psychology of Hans Volkelt and Herbert Jennings in his biological approach to (dogmatic) thinking. In the monumental works of Otto Selz, however, Popper finally found the roots of a noninductive and biological approach to the growth of individual and scientific knowledge.

Animals↗

Guarded self-disclosure predicts psychological distress and willingness to use psychological services among East Asian immigrants in the United States.

This study examined the relationship between guarded self-disclosure, psychological distress, and willingness to use psychological services if distressed among 170 (88 male, 82 female) East Asian immigrants in the United States. Participants were administered a battery of psychometrically established measures. Participants who endorsed overall guarded self-disclosure, self-concealment (i.e., unwillingness to reveal affect to others), or conflict avoidance (i.e., maintenance of harmony via suppression of feelings) were significantly more likely to report psychological distress and were significantly less likely to report willingness to use psychological services. While conflict avoidance was a significant independent predictor of psychological distress, self-concealment was a significant independent predictor of willingness to use psychological services. These findings point to the importance of assessing multiple facets of guarded self-disclosure, which appear to be differentially associated with psychological distress and willingness to use psychological services.

Adult↗

[A case of atopic dermatitis which showed correlation of psychological state and lesions--changes of value of psychological test, skin lesion and NK cell activity].

The relationship between psychological state and skin lesions of atopic dermatitis were investigated with a 31-year-old male patient. He had severe atopic dermatitis which became worse with psychological stress. A psychological test, profile of mood states (POMS), was performed on him every 2 weeks. Peripheral lymphocytes and natural killer (NK) cell activity were investigated at some points. When the psychological state showed more depressive, anxiety, anger, fatigue and confusion, the skin lesions became worse and recovered after the psychological states turned well. Correlation was shown between itch and stress or fatigue by a visual analogue scale (VAS) (p < 0.001). NK cell activity decreased during the worse psychological state and recovered during the near normal psychological state, although, the lymphocyte count and CD4/8 ratio in peripheral blood did not change during the study. These results suggest that some patients with atopic dermatitis should be treated psychologically in addition to standard dermatological treatment.

Adult↗

The window on psychology's literature: a history of Psychological Abstracts.

With the rapid expansion of scientific information at the end of the 19th century, disciplines sought ways to keep their members abreast of the relevant research. Those pressures were felt in the science of psychology in the United States, where psychologists developed a bibliographic aid, The Psychological Index, in 1895 only a little more than a decade after G. Stanley Hall opened America's first psychology laboratory. The Index was useful but was only a listing of titles. More information was needed, which led to the development of a journal of abstracts, first published in 1927. This article traces the history of Psychological Abstracts from its origins in the Index to the evolution of the American Psychological Association's electronic information system known as PsycINFO, of which Psychological Abstracts has become an outmoded part. Nevertheless, for most of its 80 years, Psychological Abstracts was psychology's window on the world of research.

Abstracting and Indexing↗

[Transpersonal psychology -- psychology of consciousness: chances and problems].

Transpersonal psychology represents a perspective which has gained importance in psychological research and clinical practice over the last years. This paper offers an overview on the history and the sources of transpersonal psychology. Additionally, important themes and topics of transpersonal psychology will be discussed such as a) the importance of spirituality in psychotherapy and counselling, b) spirituality as a resource for maintaining and regaining health, c) spiritual experiences as an avenue to consciousness, d) the delimination of extraordinary states of consciousness and "spiritual crises". In the next paragraph specific problems and critical points of transpersonal psychology are presented. Among them are the discussion of the question whether experience free of language is at all possible as well as the question how notions coming from eastern traditions can be translated into western psychology. Finally, some positive aspects of transpersonal psychology will be presented, and we submit that transpersonal psychology should be taken seriously in a scientific way.

Consciousness↗

Animal research in psychology. More than meets the eye of the general psychology student.

The general psychology course provides a unique opportunity to present the science of psychology to a wide audience. Informing the general public about the importance of animal research in psychology is especially important given contemporary concerns about animal rights and animal welfare. A study of 8 leading introductory psychology textbooks indicated that with the exception of principles of conditioning and learning, the contributions of animal research to psychology were often not explicitly acknowledged. In addition, major findings from animal research were frequently presented as if they had been obtained with humans. In obscuring the contributions of animal research, introductory psychology textbooks miss the opportunity to ensure that public policy be based on accurate information about the significance of this research to many areas of psychological science.

Animals↗

Building academic partnerships in psychology: the Psychology Partnerships Project.

The increased number and mobility of psychology students, the need for a more coordinated curriculum and a more diverse student population in psychology programs, and the need to prepare students for a changing marketplace pose serious challenges for psychology educators. Partnerships among psychology teachers in high schools, community colleges, 4-year colleges and universities, and graduate programs in research universities can help teachers address these challenges effectively. This article outlines how academic partnerships across educational levels can help psychology teachers address educational challenges, examines factors that facilitate the formation and maintenance of these partnerships, and presents the American Psychological Association's successful Psychology Partnerships Project: Academic Partnerships to Meet the Teaching and Learning Needs of the 21st Century, describing the organizational features that enhanced its success.

Awards and Prizes↗

International school psychology: psychology's worldwide portal to children and youth.

International school psychology is discussed in reference to scholarly and professional development within psychology, the emergence of an international association of school psychology, its efforts to promote school psychology, prevailing characteristics of school psychologists, and additional efforts needed to further enhance its development. Nine issues that will help shape the future of international school psychology are also identified. The importance of psychology, including school psychology, in promoting children's needs and rights is underscored.

Adolescent↗

Psychology in the human sciences in France, 1920-1940: Ignace Meyerson's historical psychology.

Between World War I and World War II, psychology adopted a direction open to human sciences; I. Meyerson was the main organizer of this choice. Leading the Societe de Psychologie and the Journal de Psychologie Normale et Pathologique, he tried to construct an individual and collective psychology that reflected not only the scientific preoccupations of his masters and friends but also their political choices: They had been the founders of the Human Rights League at the end of the 19th century. Behind Durkheim and Seignobos, with Mauss, Levy-Bruhl, and Blondel, Meyerson answered the new historians' call for a unified science of "mentalities," a historical psychology of collective representations. Meyerson offered to sociologists, anthropologists, linguists, and historians several forums to debate in which psychology was the unifying science. But at the end of the World War II, his psychology was marginalized, and a postivistic and behavioristic way was preferred. Meyerson's historical psychology disappeared from academic psychology, but historians have preserved its legacy.

France↗

War-related psychological stressors and risk of psychological disorders in Australian veterans of the 1991 Gulf War.

BACKGROUND: Questions remain about the long-term health impacts of the 1991 Gulf War on its veterans. AIMS: To measure psychological disorders in Australian Gulf War veterans and a military comparison group and to explore any association with exposure to Gulf War-related psychological stressors. METHOD: Prevalences of DSM-IV psychological disorders were measured using the Composite International Diagnostic Interview. Gulf War-related psychological stressors were measured using a service experience questionnaire. RESULTS: A total of 31% of male Gulf War veterans and 21% of the comparison group met criteria for a DSM-IV disorder first present in the post-Gulf War period. The veterans were at greater risk of developing post-Gulf War anxiety disorders including post-traumatic stress disorder, affective disorders and substance use disorders. The prevalence of such disorders remained elevated a decade after deployment. The findings can be explained partly as a 'war-deployment effect'. There was a strong dose-response relationship between psychological disorders and number of reported Gulf War-related psychological stressors. CONCLUSIONS: Service in the 1991 Gulf War is associated with increased risk of psychological disorders and these are related to stressful experiences.

Adult↗

Contributions of object relations theory and self psychology to relational psychology and group psychotherapy.

Object relations theory and self psychology are psychoanalytic perspectives that are especially concerned with interpersonal relations and their mental representations. Object relations theory began as an intrapsychic "singleton" psychology with the work of Freud and Melanie Klein. It subsequently evolved into a multi-person psychology with the work of Bion on groups, as well as the clinical and theoretical contributions of Winnicott and Fairbairn. Kohutian self psychology, which emerged later, has been interested in the relations between the self and significant others as mirroring and idealizing "self-objects." Stolorow's "inter-subjective perspective" emerged from self psychology as a full-fledged multi-person point of view. This article considers the significance of contemporary object relations theory and self psychology as relational, multi-person perspectives in terms of their application to group psychotherapy, focusing upon the group-as-a-whole, projective identification, transitional space and object, and self/self-object relations as particularly useful constructs. A clinical vignette is provided.

Humans↗

Novice and expert perceptions of psychological care and the development of psychological caregiving abilities.

Despite the wealth of research pointing to the centrality of psychological care in illness, there appears to be a lack of consensus concerning its nature and the means by which psychological caregiving abilities are acquired. This has an impact on nurse educators, who must identify and harness the perceptions which students hold, and identify the processes which might contribute to their skill development, as they progress from 'novice' to 'expert'. The aims of this small qualitative study were to compare novice and expert perceptions of the nature of psychological care, and to identify those processes that may contribute to nurses' ability to apply psychological understanding in practice. Data collection methods comprised interactive interviews with qualified and novice student nurses, which were analysed thematically using an adaptation of Colaizzi's (1978) reductive procedure. Results suggest that, whilst there is considerable overlap in themes identified between the two groups, novices consider a broader range of themes to be central to psychological caregiving than do experts; similarly, novices identify more contributory factors than do experts in explaining the process of acquiring skill in psychological caregiving. Possible reasons for these differences are considered. Whilst this study is limited in size and scope, the ultimate goal is to utilize central themes within a model of psychological caregiving, which might inform nurse education. In this way, educational programmes might be appropriately focused upon students' needs within the context of real clinical experience.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗

Psychological sequelae following the Gulf War. Factors associated with subsequent morbidity and the effectiveness of psychological debriefing.

BACKGROUND: The aim was to study the effect of brief counselling and psychological debriefing following a trauma on subsequent morbidity. METHOD: We investigated psychological morbidity in 62 British soldiers whose duties included the handling and identification of dead bodies of allied and enemy soldiers during the Gulf War. Of these soldiers, 69% received a psychological debriefing on completion of their duties. The subjects completed by post a demographic questionnaire, the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28) and the Impact of Events Scale. RESULTS: After nine months 50% had evidence of some psychological disturbance suggestive of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD); 18% had sought professional help; 26% reported relationship difficulties. Neither prior training nor the psychological intervention appeared to make any difference to subsequent psychiatric morbidity. Morbidity at nine months was more likely in those with a history of psychological problems and those who believed their lives had been in danger in the Gulf. CONCLUSIONS: These findings show that a psychological debriefing following a series of traumatic events or experiences does not appear to reduce subsequent psychiatric morbidity and highlights the need for further research in military and civilian settings.

Adult↗

Association of psychological distress with psychological factors in rescue workers within two months after a major earthquake.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Studies of the health of rescue workers after a major disaster have frequently focused on posttraumatic stress disorder. This study aimed to determine the characteristics of psychological distress and its psychosocial predictors in rescue workers within a 2-month period after an earthquake that struck central Taiwan on September 21, 1999. METHODS: A total of 1,104 rescue workers serving in the earthquake were enrolled in the study. Psychological distress was measured using the Brief Symptom Rating Scale (BSRS), personality traits using the Maudsley Personality Inventory (MPI), and family function using APGAR (adaptability, partnership, growth, affection, and resolve) indexes. These measurements were performed within 2 months of the earthquake. Univariate and multivariate analyses were applied to examine the association between psychological distress and various psychosocial factors. RESULTS: BSRS assessment revealed severe psychological distress in 137 (16.4%) subjects. The most common symptom dimension was phobic-anxiety (18.7%), followed by hostility (17.6%), obsessive-compulsive symptoms (16.2%), depression (14.9%), paranoid ideation (14.2%), interpersonal sensitivity (13.3%), psychoticism (11.9%), anxiety (10.8%), additional symptoms (8.5%), and somatization (6.2%). Pre-disaster major life events (R2 = 0.03) and most of the factor scores of the MPI (including moodiness, anxiety-prone, outgoing, conscientiousness, activity, and sociability factors; R2 = 0.25) predicted the severity of psychological distress. Time of arrival at the scene, previous exposure, age, and family function had no or trivial predictive power. CONCLUSION: The results of this study indicated that prevalence of general psychological distress is high among rescue workers in the first 2 months after a major earthquake. Personality traits and pre-disaster life adjustment had a dominant predictive power for psychological distress. Immediate psychosocial intervention should be considered to ameliorate the distress related to disaster rescue work.

Adult↗

Psychological treatments for epilepsy.

BACKGROUND: Psychological interventions such as relaxation therapy, cognitive behaviour therapy, EEG bio-feedback and educational interventions have been used alone or in combination in the treatment of epilepsy, to reduce the seizure frequency and improve the quality of life. OBJECTIVES: To assess whether the treatment of epilepsy with psychological methods is effective in reducing seizure frequency and/or leads to a better quality of life. SEARCH STRATEGY: We searched the Cochrane Epilepsy Group trial register, the Cochrane Controlled Trials Register (Cochrane Library Issue 2, 2001), MEDLINE using OVID (1966 - May 2001) and cross references from identified publications. SELECTION CRITERIA: Randomized or quasi-randomized studies assessing one or more types of psychological or behaviour modification techniques for patients with epilepsy. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Two reviewers independently assessed the trials for inclusion and extracted data. Primary analyses were by intention to treat. Outcomes included reduction in seizure frequency, and quality of life. MAIN RESULTS: We found three small trials (50 patients) of relaxation therapy. They were of poor methodological quality and a meta-analysis was therefore not undertaken. No study found a significant effect of relaxation therapy on seizure frequency. One trial found cognitive behavioural therapy to be effective in reducing depression, among people with epilepsy with a depressed affect, whilst another did not. One trial of group cognitive therapy found no significant effect on seizure frequency. Two trials of combined relaxation and behaviour therapy and one of EEG bio-feedback and two of educational interventions did not provide sufficient information to assess their effect on seizure frequency. Combined use of relaxation and behaviour modification was found beneficial for anxiety and adjustment in one study. In one study EEG bio-feedback was found to improve the cognitive and motor functions in subjects with greatest seizure reduction. Educational interventions were found to be beneficial in improving the knowledge and understanding of epilepsy, improving compliance to medication and improving social competencies. REVIEWER'S CONCLUSIONS: In view of methodological deficiencies and limited number of patients studied, we have found no reliable evidence to support the use of these treatments and further trials are needed.

Biofeedback, Psychology↗