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PubMed1985

[Exhibitionism--a criticism of only biologically oriented interpretations of this sexual disorder].

Attempts at explaining exhibitionism as being a mere relic of an instinct which--characteristic of the earliest phylogenetic stages--reappears in a limited number of males, fail to recognize the nature of this sexual disorder which is so frequent in our civilization. Such an explanation not only remains vague and speculative but deserves criticism also for being incomplete. The organisation of exhibitionism is more complex than that. There is a striking resemblance to certain rituals of negative tropism. The motives of the delinquents originate in a deeply rooted disbelief in ever being recognized in their masculinity. Thus there are episodes when the genitals are practically utilized: After an humiliation for instance, the exposure of the genitals is employed to alleviate conflicts in connection with strong feelings of inferiority. By means of the phallic demonstration the person concerned attempts to regain his self-respect and to establish for himself the prestige of a normal of even superior male.

Arousal↗

PubMed1985

Identification in the theory and technique of psychoanalysis. Some thoughts on its farther reaches and functions.

A re-valuation of the concept of identification appears pertinent as it has come to embrace a multitude of psychoanalytic notions. Historically Freud has already differentiated meaning and function of identification. The original choice of object in the infant is coupled with his narcissism; identification is unconscious, partial and ambivalent; both determine the outcome if object loss occurs. Through identification the individual is being constituted. This notion culminated in Klein's concept of projective identification, among her other metapsychological extensions. By projecting not only phantasies and impulses but also part of its self the infant becomes capable of understanding and using symbols. Klein's notions on thought processes are commented upon here, with the inclusion of some language research, and it is argued that they are in line with Freud's paper 'Negation'. The traditional notion of identification is then extended to an 'autoplastic' one which discusses autochthonic intrapersonal processes and hereditary factors. Autoplastic identification is primary, it becomes modified by the traditionally accepted mechanism of (alloplastic) identification. A vignette from an analysis is given for illustration. The paper concludes with a discussion of the death-instinct in so far as it touches upon identification.

Cognition↗

PubMed1983

The current status of the psychoanalytic theory of instinctual drives. I: Drive concept, classification, and development.

The evolution of Freud's theory of instinctual drives, with the accompanying models of a mental apparatus, is remarkable for its tenacious adherence to addressing the fundamental problems of human psychology, here phrased as the problems of body-mind-environment relationships. The concept of instinctual drives continues to be one of the most pervasive concepts of psychoanalysis, weathering considerable attack over the last several decades, although losing some clarity in the process. I have cited and discussed as basic issues of the concept of instinctual drives: the relationship of observational data and theoretical constructs in psychology; whether our construct of drives is or should be or can be purely psychological; the problem of conceptualizing the ontogenetic origin of mind; the issues of the "force-meaning conjunction" and the problem of psychic energy in psychoanalytic constructs; and the relation of our concept of instinctual drives to the concept of instincts in general. It seems that progress with these fundamental issues might be made by utilizing models that are more homologous with present knowledge in related fields than is Freud's reflex arc model of the nervous system, in order to build a better drive construct within the framework of psychoanalysis. The classification of instinctual drives remains a problem. Clinically, aggression seems to be a factor in conflict, very much like sexuality. Despite widespread acceptance of the idea of aggression as simply parallel to sexuality in all respects, there are major discrepancies. Perhaps aggression cannot be viewed as a drive after all; perhaps our drive construct needs to be modified to accommodate aggression. Certainly, controversy in this area has interfered with the production of good clinical studies which could begin to increase our understanding of aggression and its place in the human personality. The psychoanalytic theory of drive development has probably undergone less change in the last forty years than other aspects of drive theory, although careful observational work has led to alterations of our views of the age of onset of genital awareness, of female sexual development and function, and of the latency period. This is the conclusion of the first of two papers examining the post-Freud development of the theory of instinctual drives in psychoanalysis. The companion paper follows on p. 402 of this issue of The Psychoanalytic Quarterly.

Aggression↗

PubMed1983

The mechanisms of permanence time: support for a psychodynamic hypothesis of psychological aging.

We often observe in advanced age a degree of obsessionalization in behavior, attitudes, and interests. This phenomenon, seemingly the expression of unconscious defense mechanisms, may be explained in various ways: as a consequence of losses related to aging; as regression in the service of the self; as an expression of the "death instinct." Another level of reflection is concerned with the influence of the perception of time. Confronted by the curtailing of one's expectation of life, the aged person may unconsciously yearn for some kind of permanence, designed to conjure away the effect of passing time. We find such a process underlying rigidity, collecting, or hypochondria, which may be regarded as "mechanisms of permanence." These strategies, although constituting for the aged person a defense intended, in fantasy, to preserve life, in reality constitute a trap that excludes life.

Adaptation, Psychological↗

PubMed1978

Some questions related to mechanisms of slave-raids in Amazon-ant Polyergus rufescens Latr.

A new hypothesis concerning the mechanism of the P. rufescens' slave-raids, is proposed. (i) The so-called pseudo-scouting does not contribute to the slave-raids. (ii) The direction of the raid is determined by the random movement of the most easily aroused individuals - the so-called activists. (iii) Once the direction has been set the army marches straight ahead and returns by the same road orienting itself by visual stimuli; single individuals who lag behind can however follow the scent-trial which had been left by the army. (iv) The slave-capturing instinct of the amazons is not directed at the abduction of pupae alone but also and even perhaps primarily at the abduction of mature individuals belonging to the slave-species; that the amazons bring almost only pupae is caused by the fact that the mature individuals offer resistance and are consequently a more troublesome prey.

Animal Communication↗

PubMed1993

Truth and reality in psychoanalytic discourse.

In this paper, I examine the influences of two philosophical theories of truth--coherence and correspondence--on the current debate on the search for 'common ground' and on specific aspects of clinical practice. Results from a previous empirical study of analysts' approaches to transference interpretation are described in order to illustrate the way in which a network of clinical concepts is held together by explicit and implicit beliefs concerning the nature of subjectivity, truth and reality. Excerpts from interviews of psychoanalysts of varying orientations practising in different geographical locations indicate the complex interrelationships between concepts of analytic neutrality, extra-transference, the real relationship, countertransference, the death instinct and the therapeutic alliance. These findings suggest that the coherence versus correspondence theories of truth may constrain rather than enhance the investigation of the differences and commonality between varying analytic theories, schools and clinical practices.

Attitude to Death↗

PubMed2000

Dead Ends and Detours En Route to Total Syntheses of the 1990s A list of abbreviations can be found at the end of the article.

From the very beginning organic chemistry and total synthesis have been intimately joined. In fact, one of the first things that freshmen in organic chemistry learn is how to join two molecules together to obtain a more complex one. Of course they still have a long way to go to become fully mature synthetic chemists, but they must have the primary instinct to build molecules, as synthesis is the essence of organic chemistry. With the different points of view that actually coexist in the chemical community about the maturity of the science (art, or both) of organic synthesis, it is clear that nowadays we know how to make almost all of the most complex molecules ever isolated. The primary question is how easy is it to accomplish? For the readers of papers describing the total synthesis of either simple or complex molecules, it appears that the routes followed are, most of the time, smooth and free of troubles. The synthetic scheme written on paper is, apparently, done in the laboratory with few, if any, modifications and these, essentially, seem to be based on finding the optimal experimental conditions to effect the desired reaction. Failures in the planned synthetic scheme to achieve the goal, detours imposed by unexpected reactivity, or the absence of reactivity are almost never discussed, since they may diminish the value of the work reported. This review attempts to look at total synthesis from a different side; it will focus on troubles found during the synthetic work that cause detours from the original synthetic plan, or on the dead ends that eventually may force redesign. From there, the evolution from the original route to the final successful one that achieves the synthetic target will be presented. The syntheses discussed in this paper have been selected because they contain explicit information about the failures of the original synthetic plan, together with the evolution of the final route to the target molecule. Therefore, they contain a lot of useful negative information that may otherwise be lost.

Journal Article↗

PubMed1976

Lactation education: the learning of the 'obvious'.

As far as the human mother is concerned, breast-feeding is hardly an instinctive act. Its success is based on the transmittal of accumulated experience in how to tackle breast-feeding problems. In rural societies where this experience is still intact and the mothers are well supported in the period just after the birth of the child, the best policy is non-interference. In transitional and urban societies, however, the traditional know-how and support is often lost, and failure to breast-feed usually results; here, lactation education is in its place. The knowledge of health personnel about how to teach mothers to breast-feed is often scanty. Medical text-books are weak on this point--more often than not, the information given is a mere extrapolation of bottle-feeding techniques to breast-feeding. Re-education is necessary, so that the advice given to mothers is simple, uniform and based on experience and insight. 'Moralizing' is unnecessary and should be avoided. There are several channels for the spreading of information about breast-feeding: mothers' groups, health services in general, mass media and schools. The importance of the policy makers should not be overlooked: at least in urban areas, several of their decisions will finally affect the method of infant feeding.

Breast Feeding↗

PubMedDate not supplied

The second to fourth digit ratio in elite and non-elite female athletes.

Contests in the animal world to determine social status almost exclusively involve males, which points out that androgens may be indispensable in the development of competitive instincts. In animal studies, it has been shown that prenatal exposure to androgens may produce permanent changes toward more aggressive behavior in adulthood. Thus, there is a strong suspicion that women involved in competitive activities, such as sports, may have been exposed to high androgen levels in utero. There is strong evidence that the ratio between the second to fourth digits ratio (2D:4D ratio) correlates negatively with intrauterine androgen concentrations and could potentially be used as a marker for prenatal androgen exposure. Therefore, the purpose of our study was to test the hypothesis that women engaged in sports have lower 2D:4D ratio-a marker of high prenatal androgen exposure. We measured the 2D:4D ratios in elite and non-elite female athletes and compared them with female individuals not engaged in any sport activities. Our results showed that elite female athletes have significantly lower left hand 2D:4D ratios compared to the control group (P < 0.05). Therefore, we can speculate that low 2D:4D ratio may be a positive correlate of sports potential in females.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1993

Cognitive skills in achondroplasia.

Increased intracranial pressure and ventricular and subarachnoidal dilatation are common manifestations in achondroplasia. They rarely lead to major neurologic and/or psychomotor deficits and neurosurgical intervention is seldom needed. The present study was undertaken to detect signs of minor cerebral dysfunction and discuss possibilities of their prevention. Thirty children with achondroplasia were compared to 3 control groups: their next-born sibs, 30 children with other forms of dwarfism, and 30 children with normal height. Early development was assessed by means of questionnaires. Cognitive skills were evaluated with the German version of the Cognitive Abilities Test and the Lorge-Thorndike Intelligence Test. Personality data were tested using standardized neuroticism, extraversion, and anxiety scales. Children with achondroplasia had more frequent histories of delayed motor development, retarded speech development, and lower school grades in language-related specialties. Psychometric testing disclosed total and subtest scores in the population-based normal range. In comparison with their sibs and matched controls children with achondroplasia had significantly lower total scores mainly caused by low scores in the subtest "verbal comprehension." We conclude that verbal comprehension is significantly impaired in children with achondroplasia. This partial deficiency is probably related to frequent middle ear infections and resulting conductive hearing loss. Hypotonia with delayed oropharyngeal muscle coordination and parental response to an altered, more infantile instinctive releasing pattern may be contributing factors.

Achondroplasia↗

PubMed1990

Toward applied behavior analysis of life aloft.

This article deals with systems at multiple levels, at least from cell to organization. It also deals with learning, decision making, and other behavior at multiple levels. Technological development of a human behavioral ecosystem appropriate to space environments requires an analytic and synthetic orientation, explicitly experimental in nature, dictated by scientific and pragmatic considerations, and closely approximating procedures of established effectiveness in other areas of natural science. The conceptual basis of such an approach has its roots in environmentalism which has two main features: (1) knowledge comes from experience rather than from innate ideas, divine revelation, or other obscure sources; and (2) action is governed by consequences rather than by instinct, reason, will, beliefs, attitudes or even the currently fashionable cognitions. Without an experimentally derived data base founded upon such a functional analysis of human behavior, the overgenerality of "ecological systems" approaches render them incapable of ensuring the successful establishment of enduring space habitats. Without an experimentally derived function account of individual behavioral variability, a natural science of behavior cannot exist. And without a natural science of behavior, the social sciences will necessarily remain in their current status as disciplines of less than optimal precision or utility. Such a functional analysis of human performance should provide an operational account of behavior change in a manner similar to the way in which Darwin's approach to natural selection accounted for the evolution of phylogenetic lines (i.e., in descriptive, nonteleological terms). Similarly, as Darwin's account has subsequently been shown to be consonant with information obtained at the cellular level, so too should behavior principles ultimately prove to be in accord with an account of ontogenetic adaptation at a biochemical level. It would thus seem obvious that the most productive conceptual and methodological approaches to long-term research investments focused upon human behavior in space environments will require multidisciplinary inputs from such wide-ranging fields as molecular biology, environmental physiology, behavioral biology, architecture, sociology, and political science, among others.

Behavior↗

PubMed2004

Neuroanatomical distribution of Huntingtin-associated protein 1-mRNA in the male mouse brain.

Huntingtin-associated protein 1 (HAP1) was identified as an interactor of the gene product (Huntingtin) responsible for Huntington's disease and found to be a core component of the stigmoid body. Even though HAP1 is highly expressed in the brain, detailed information on HAP1 distribution has not been fully described. Focusing on the neuroanatomical analysis of HAP1-mRNA expression using in situ hybridization histochemistry, the present study clarified its detailed regional distribution in the entire mouse brain. Mouse HAP1 (Hap1)-mRNAs were abundantly expressed in the limbic-related forebrain regions and midline/periventricular brainstem regions including the olfactory bulb, limbic-associated cortices, hippocampus, septum, amygdala, bed nucleus of the stria terminalis, preoptico-hypothalamic regions, central gray, raphe nuclei, locus coeruleus, parabrachial nuclei, nucleus of the solitary tract, and area postrema. In contrast, little expression was detected in the striatum and thalamus, implying that Hap1 is associated with neurodegeneration-sparing regions rather than target lesions in Huntington's disease. The distribution pattern, resembling that of the stigmoid body, suggests that HAP1 and the stigmoid body are implicated in protection from neuronal death rather than induction of neurodegeneration in Huntington's disease, and that they play an important role in integrating instinct behaviors and underlying autonomic, visceral, arousal, drive, memory, and neuroendocrinergic functions, particularly during extensive homeostatic or emotional processes. These data will provide an important morphological base for a future understanding of functions of HAP1 and the stigmoid body in the brain.

Animals↗

PubMed2024

Causal effects of sedentary behaviours on the risk of migraine: A univariable and multivariable Mendelian randomization study.

BACKGROUND: Migraine is a common and burdensome neurological disorder. The causal relationship between sedentary behaviours (SBs) and migraine remains instinct. We aimed to evaluate the roles of SBs including watching TV, using computer and driving in the risk of migraine. METHODS: We conducted a univariable and multivariable Mendelian randomization (MR) study based on summary datasets of large genome-wide association studies. The inverse variance weighted method was utilized as the primary analytical tool. Cochran's Q, MR-Egger intercept test, MR pleiotropy residual sum and outlier and leave-one-out were conducted as sensitivity analysis. Additionally, we performed a meta-analysis to combine the causal estimates. RESULTS: In the discovery analysis, we identified causal associations between time spent watching TV and an increased risk of migraine (p = 0.015) and migraine without aura (MO) (p = 0.002). Such causalities with increasing risk of migraine (p = 0.005), and MO (p = 0.006) were further verified using summary datasets from another study in the replication analysis. There was no significant causal association found between time spent using computer, driving and migraine or its two subtypes. The meta-analysis and multivariable MR analysis also strongly supported the causal relationships between time spent watching TV and an increased risk of migraine (p = 0.0003 and p = 0.034), as well as MO (p < 0.0001 and p = 0.0004), respectively. These findings were robust under all sensitivity analysis. CONCLUSIONS: Our study suggested that time spent watching TV may be causally associated with an increased risk of migraine, particularly MO. Large-scale and well-designed cohort studies may be warranted for further validation. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT: This study represents the first attempt to investigate whether a causal relationship exists between SBs and migraine. Utilizing MR analysis helps mitigate reverse causation bias and confounding factors commonly encountered in observational cohorts, thereby enhancing the robustness of derived causal associations. Our MR analysis revealed that time spent watching TV may serve as a potential risk factor for migraine, particularly MO.

Humans↗

PubMed2003

Catalyzing the dialogue between the body and the mind in a psychotic analysand.

The author presents the analysis of a 23-year-old, obese, psychotic man who was dominated by sensations and unable to work through the different levels of psychic elaboration. He could not discriminate between words and concrete objects or between the perceptual functions of sense organs and the oral-cannibalistic level of instinct. Following the working through of these inabilities, it became possible to understand the patient's use of sensation and to make him aware of his emotions and conflicts. The author's discussion of this material emphasizes the role of the body-mind conflict and how this can be confronted in the analytic relationship. Possible links with neuroscience are also indicated.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Precautions for proactive surveillance.

Four barriers confront the architects and users of surveillance systems. Bonferroni's Bind blunts our ability to act on real safety signals when the surveillance scheme is capable of producing realistic but wrong signals just by chance. The paradox of definitive data is that the results of a truly comprehensive scheme become untestable because there is no further relevant information to be had. Flexible priors augment the first two barriers by intensifying our instinctive cautions, and by giving almost any claim the appearance of empiric proof. The poverty of tabular summaries is that they presuppose the existence of relevant categories for tabulation, and that they fail to persuade. The resolution for proactive surveillance is sen/cen: high sensitivity to signals and vigorous censoring to filter out the noise.

Humans↗

PubMed1999

Neural oxytocinergic systems as genomic targets for hormones and as modulators of hormone-dependent behaviors.

At the molecular level, estradiol turns on the gene for oxytocin in a subset of paraventricular hypothalamic neurons and turns on the gene for the oxytocin receptor in other limbic and hypothalamic cell groups. As a result, oxytocin deposition, whose signal is transduced both through G alpha (q/11) and Gi to stimulate phosphatidylinositol turnover, facilitates electrical activity in certain hypothalamic neurons. Consequently, affiliative behaviors including those closely associated with reproduction--mating behaviors and parental behaviors--are promoted. One important aspect of this effect is the preservation of instinctive behaviors associated with reproduction, in the face of disturbances due to mild stress.

Animals↗

PubMed1989

[Biomechanical and morphologic reconstruction of a questionable case of child abuse].

A 3-month-old baby died 8 days after admission to the hospital as a result of injuries received under unknown circumstances. The forensic autopsy revealed a fracture of the scull and a severe blunt injury to the head and brain. Histological investigation of the reactive changes at and around the edges of the fracture showed that the trauma could not possibly have been congenital. According to the defendant, the baby boy had been lying on the table used for changing his nappy and almost fell off it. The defendant moved "instinctively" to catch him, and this "reflex movement" caused the injuries observed. The event was then reconstructed by the criminal investigators and this reconstruction, coupled with the authors' biomechanical experiments using stroboscopic recording, revealed that the defendant's statement could not be true, as the force necessary to inflict the injuries was much greater than could be explained by an attempt to catch the baby.

Biomechanical Phenomena↗

PubMed1993

The surgeon's technical skill in suturing: an analysis of the actual suture tracks.

Ideal suturing was defined as advancing a needle along its curvature (needle circle) to minimize tissue trauma, while placing the suture with its intended span and tissue bite in the expected place. Actual suture tracks were analyzed to find the keys to produce such suturing. Correspondence of those tracks to the ideal track was then determined by the span, the initial needle angle (IA) into the tissue, and the center of the needle circle. Eight surgeons with 4-7 years of experience produced 22 ideal sutures in two types of tissue simulants: The entrance and exit points of the needle were level in flat suturing, while the entrance point was slanted 45 degrees for slant saturing. The correspondence was better with slant suturing than flat suturing (P < 0.01). The IA in flat suturing was 49.0 +/- 2.0 (mean +/- SE) degrees versus 33.0 for ideal suturing (P < 0.01), while that in slant suturing was 35.5 +/- 1.9 (P: ns). In conclusion, the IA was the key to good results, and was optimized in slant suturing, which was instinctively utilized in practice by using forceps. The forceps avoided a derangement of suturing stemming from the configuration of the needle employed and from the range of motion of the surgeon's arm (human engineering), while satisfying the surgeons inclination to take a large IA.

Clinical Competence↗