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PubMed1999

Attachment-based classifications of children's family drawings: psychometric properties and relations with children's adjustment in kindergarten.

Investigated an attachment-based theoretical framework and classification system, introduced by Kaplan and Main (1986), for interpreting children's family drawings. This study concentrated on the psychometric properties of the system and the relation between drawings classified using this system and teacher ratings of classroom social-emotional and behavioral functioning, controlling for child age, ethnic status, intelligence, and fine motor skills. This nonclinical sample consisted of 200 kindergarten children of diverse racial and socioeconomic status (SES). Limited support for reliability of this classification system was obtained. Kappas for overall classifications of drawings (e.g., secure) exceeded .80 and mean kappa for discrete drawing features (e.g., figures with smiles) was .82. Coders' endorsement of the presence of certain discrete drawing features predicted their overall classification at 82.5% accuracy. Drawing classification was related to teacher ratings of classroom functioning independent of child age, sex, race, SES, intelligence, and fine motor skills (with p values for the multivariate effects ranging from .043-.001). Results are discussed in terms of the psychometric properties of this system for classifying children's representations of family and the limitations of family drawing techniques for young children.

Art↗
PubMed1981

Notes on the concepts of selfobject and preoedipal object.

Kohut's (1979) paper, "The two analyses of Mr. Z.," is used to highlight difficulties in the maintenance of an analytic attitude toward certain preoedipal conflicts. It is suggested that two separate and distinct issues are confused in the concept of selfobject: the subject's needs for the object and the status of the object as not separate and distinct from the subject. This obfuscates the subject's relation to the object, neglecting attitudes, representations, feelings, and valuations of the object. Distinctions between "need-satisfying object" and "specific object" are used to clarify the status and multiple functions required of the selfobject. The author disagrees that it is useful to differentiate selfobjects from a more general class of preoedipal objects. The motivational forces presumed for selfobject relationships are criticized as experience-distant, nonaffective, metapsychological constructs. The position is taken that etiology in selfobject pathology is more complex than deficits in parental empathy. Interrelations between developmental deficits and psychic conflict are examined; they indicate that insufficient attention has been paid to the role of defense in the concept of selfobject relationship.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Parental representations of depressed outpatients from a U.S.A. sample.

A case-control study of adult depressed outpatients derived from a U.S. sample confirmed previous Australian reports of a significantly greater likelihood for depressives to report an earlier lack of parental care as well as parental overprotection. Only 32% of the patients, as against 62% of the non-psychiatric controls, reported 'optimal bonding', as defined by the Parental Bonding Instrument (PBI), from one or both parents. By contrast 62% of the depressives and 27% of the controls reported exposure to PBI-defined 'affectionless control' from one or both parents. As in previous studies, a raw PBI care score of less than 10 was highly discriminating, being reported by 32% of the depressives and only 3% of the controls.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

Postlesional vestibular reorganization in frogs: evidence for a basic reaction pattern after nerve injury.

Nerve injury induces a reorganization of subcortical and cortical sensory or motor maps in mammals. A similar process, vestibular plasticity 2 mo after unilateral section of the ramus anterior of N. VIII was examined in this study in adult frogs. The brain was isolated with the branches of both N. VIII attached. Monosynaptic afferent responses were recorded in the vestibular nuclei on the operated side following ipsilateral electric stimulation either of the sectioned ramus anterior of N. VIII or of the intact posterior vertical canal nerve. Excitatory and inhibitory commissural responses were evoked by separate stimulation of each of the contralateral canal nerves in second-order vestibular neurons. The afferent and commissural responses of posterior vertical canal neurons recorded on the operated side were not altered. However, posterior canal-related afferent inputs had expanded onto part of the deprived ramus anterior neurons. Inhibitory commissural responses evoked from canal nerves on the intact side were detected in significantly fewer deprived ramus anterior neurons than in controls, but excitatory commissural inputs from the three contralateral canal nerves had expanded. This reactivation might facilitate the survival of deprived neurons and reduce the asymmetry in bilateral resting activities but implies a deterioration of the original spatial response tuning. Extensive similarities at the synaptic and network level were noted between this vestibular reorganization and the postlesional cortical and subcortical reorganization of sensory representations in mammals. We therefore suggest that nerve injury activates a fundamental neural reaction pattern that is common between sensory modalities and vertebrate species.

Animals↗
PubMed1993

The role of brachial muscle spindle signals in assignment of visual direction.

1. In the oculobrachial illusion, a target light attached to the unseen stationary hand is perceived as moving and changing spatial position when illusory motion of the forearm is elicited by brachial muscle vibration. Our goal was to see whether we could induce apparent motion and displacement of two retinally fixed targets in opposite directions by the use of oculobrachial illusions. 2. We vibrated both biceps brachii, generating illusory movements of the two forearms in opposite directions, and measured any associated changes in perceived distance between target lights on the unseen stationary hands. The stability of visual fixation of one of the targets was also measured. 3. The seen distance between the stationary targets increased significantly when vibration induced an illusory increase in felt distance between the hands, both with binocular and monocular viewing. 4. Subjects maintained fixation accuracy equally well during vibration-induced illusory increases in visual target separation and in a no-vibration control condition. Fixation errors were not correlated with the extent or direction of illusory visual separation. 5. These findings indicate that brachial muscle spindle signals can contribute to an independent representation of felt target location in head-centric coordinates that can be interrelated with a visual representation of target location generated by retinal and oculomotor signals. 6. A model of how these representations are interrelated is proposed, and its relation to other intersensory interactions is discussed.

Arm↗
PubMed1983

The cognitive arrest hypothesis of denial.

This paper has presented a microanalysis of the psychic actions and processes involved in the following four phases of the denial defence: (1) preconscious appraisal of danger, (2) painful affect, (3) cognitive arrest, and (4) screen behaviour. The subject's preconscious appraisal of some situation as actually or potentially dangerous or traumatic brings about the formation of some painful affect. The painful affect initiates a reaction in which the subject turns his focal attention from whatever disturbs him to something less threatening. This turning away or rejection of what is disturbing involves an arrest of the subject's perceiving and/or thinking about the painful object. In the cognitive arrest phase, the subject unconsciously in fantasy attacks the concrete representation of whatever he considers to be the cause of his psychic pain. These fantasy attempts to destroy the painful object arrest the subject's thinking at a primary process level. The fantasy attacks on the painful object and the consequent cognitive arrest is followed by screen behaviour. Screen behaviour is defined as the ideas, fantasies, affects, and overt behaviours motivated by the need to fill in the gaps created by the cognitive arrest, to substitute a different object relation for the one subjectively lost, and to support the defensive aims of the preceding phase. Auxiliary defences acting in conjunction with denial are frequently used in the screen behaviour phase.

Affect↗
PubMed1994

The invisible woman.

This paper explores the meaning of experiences of invisibility in women. It was inspired in the course of psychotherapy with a woman who felt invisible in her feminine identity and who hid her feminine desire within an imaginary paper bag. Her visual imagery traces a pattern of pathological feminine development through a faulty sensory connection between her body, the external world, and her unconscious symbolic self-representation. Questions about her invisibility have evoked an exploration of two developmental models of visual thinking--a cognitive and a psychoanalytic model. A study of the myth of Persephone contributes a literary prototype for the understanding of the transmission of invisibility across the generations of mothers and daughters. Furthermore, the analysis of several literary passages from the work of Angela Carter serves the purpose of drawing the reader into the experiential world of femininity as it moves from the invisible to the visible. The paper blends together ideas from various, often contending, theorists in a way which highlights how theories can complement one another in explaining clinical phenomena.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

High-resolution probing of local conformational changes in proteins by the use of multiple labeling: unfolding and self-assembly of human carbonic anhydrase II monitored by spin, fluorescent, and chemical reactivity probes.

Two different spin labels, N-(1-oxyl-2,2,5,5-tetramethyl-3-pyrrolidinyl)iodoacetamide (IPSL) and (1-oxyl-2,2,5,5-tetramethylpyrroline-3-methyl) methanethiosulfonate (MTSSL), and two different fluorescent labels 5-((((2-iodoacetyl)amino)-ethyl)amino)naphtalene-1-sulfonic acid (IAEDANS) and 6-bromoacetyl-2-dimetylaminonaphtalene (BADAN), were attached to the introduced C79 in human carbonic anhydrase (HCA II) to probe local structural changes upon unfolding and aggregation. HCA II unfolds in a multi-step manner with an intermediate state populated between the native and unfolded states. The spin label IPSL and the fluorescent label IAEDANS reported on a substantial change in mobility and polarity at both unfolding transitions at a distance of 7.4-11.2 A from the backbone of position 79. The shorter and less flexible labels BADAN and MTSSL revealed less pronounced spectroscopic changes in the native-to-intermediate transition, 6.6-9.0 A from the backbone. At intermediate guanidine (Gu)-HCl concentrations the occurrence of soluble but irreversibly aggregated oligomeric protein was identified from refolding experiments. At approximately 1 M Gu-HCl the aggregation was found to be essentially complete. The size and structure of the aggregates could be varied by changing the protein concentration. EPR measurements and line-shape simulations together with fluorescence lifetime and anisotropy measurements provided a picture of the self-assembled protein as a disordered protein structure with a representation of both compact as well as dynamic and polar environments at the site of the molecular labels. This suggests that a partially folded intermediate of HCA II self-assembles by both local unfolding and intermolecular docking of the intermediates vicinal to position 79. The aggregates were determined to be 40-90 A in diameter depending on the experimental conditions and spectroscopic technique used.

Amino Acid Substitution↗
PubMed1994

The uses of the past and the actualization of a family romance.

This paper elaborates an aspect of the therapeutic experience of analysis that pertains to the examination of the past as it influences a patient's view of his self-worth and relationship to the world. It is complementary to the usual view of psychoanalytic process that involves analysis of transference resistance, revelation of transference, and the discovery of its genetic roots. I propose an additional therapeutic aspect of the reexperience of the past in which the changed representation of patient as child is validated by a new object, the analyst, who is experienced as a benevolent witness to the past and as a benevolent presence in the past, thereby consolidating the change and influencing the patient's adult self-representation. This therapeutic effect is more likely to be of significance in patients who have experienced parental loss or significant deprivation in childhood. Segments of the analysis of a patient illustrate this point. The patient described "listening to himself with compassion for the child he had been" and being listened to by me in the same way. He became thereby "tolerant and empathetic with the child he had been." The more general implications of this as a vehicle for change in psychoanalysis are discussed. Of ancillary interest was the patient's research into his past and ultimately his actualization of a family romance fantasy with a particular ironic twist.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

Towards a clinically and empirically sound theory of motivation.

The author outlines a theory of motivation that attempts to integrate psychoanalytic theory with current psychological thinking and research. Emotions and other sensory feeling states are evolved mechanisms for channelling behaviour in directions that foster adaptation. The avoidance of unpleasant states and pursuit of pleasant ones leads to goal-directed mental and behavioural processes, including defences and compromise formations. Affects provide a flexible motivational mechanism in humans, as they become associated with representations of perceived, feared, wished-for, or otherwise valued states through the interaction of environmental events and highly specific naturally-selected biological proclivities. This reconceptualisation of motivation points towards a resolution of a contradiction in Freud's models of affect and motivation between a theory of drive-reduction and a theory of affect regulation, and of the apparent contradiction between motivational models that emphasise either sexual desire or relational needs. The model also has implications for the theory of transference, since it suggests that neutrality is not the feature of the analytic situation that evokes meaningful transferential processes.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed2006

A novel Z-groove index characterizing myocardial surface structure.

OBJECTIVE: The role of t-tubule structures in excitation-contraction coupling of ventricular myocytes has been investigated by disruption using prolonged culture, or osmotic shock with formamide. We have used a new method, the Scanning Ion Conductance Microscope (SICM), to investigate in more detail the changes in surface structure of live myocytes during these interventions and to relate them to contractile effects. METHODS: Freshly isolated ventricular myocytes from adult rat hearts were either incubated with formamide, then washed to produce osmotic shock, or put into culture for 2, 4 and 7 days. Contractile characteristics of single myocytes were then measured using the IonOptix system, and in parallel imaged using the SICM which produces a 3-dimensional topographical representation of the cell surface. Loss of t-tubules was quantitated with confocal microscopy after staining with the membrane dye di-8-ANNEPS, and sarcomere structure revealed by immunocytochemical detection of alpha-actinin. RESULTS: Detubulation was produced by either method, with formamide equivalent to 4 day culture in quantitative measures of ANNEPS t-tubule/membrane ratio. SICM images confirmed the loss of t-tubule indentations. Disruption of the Z-groove structure and flattening of the surface were also noted with formamide and, to a lesser extent, culture. A novel Z-groove index was introduced to describe this effect more quantitatively. Contraction and relaxation were impaired by the detubulation methods, but formamide had a markedly greater depressant effect on contraction amplitude than equivalent detubulation by culture. CONCLUSION: Changes in contraction amplitude after detubulation with formamide were more closely related to the alteration in Z-groove structure than loss of t-tubules alone. As well as disrupting t-tubule-induced excitation and calcium movements, formamide may alter the transmission of contraction in the myocyte by interference with sarcomere attachment at the Z-line.

Animals↗
PubMed1993

Parental representation in twins discordant for schizophrenia.

Parental representation was assessed with the Parental Bonding Instrument (PBI) in 12 monozygotic (MZ) and 19 dizygotic (DZ) same-sexed twin pairs discordant for DSM-III-R schizophrenia. The schizophrenic twins reported less care and more overprotection from both parents than the non-schizophrenic co-twins. Multiple regression analysis disclosed that the results were independent of sex and age. Furthermore, the analysis demonstrated that whether the twins were monozygotic or dizygotic had no impact on the results. A stepwise discriminant analysis showed that difference in perceived paternal protection was the most important variable distinguishing between schizophrenic probands and their non-schizophrenic co-twins.

Adult↗
PubMed2006

Rethinking culture and self-construal: China as a middle land.

Amid criticisms of current paper-and-pencil type questionnaires measuring self-construal across cultural groups, the authors used a graphic representation scale to examine whether Anglo Canadians (N = 220) were more independent than Mainland Chinese (N = 196) and Indians (N = 212) in construing their relationships with closest family member, family members, closest friend, friends, (other) relatives, colleagues, and neighbors. Data generated 5 intriguing findings: (a) Chinese were more interdependent than Canadians but less so than Indians, indicating that Chinese culture has become more individualistic. (b) Canadians were more independent than Chinese in 6 relationship dimensions but were as interdependent as Chinese in self-closest-friend connectedness, somewhat contradicting 1 assumption of theories of independent-interdependent self-construal and individualism-collectivism (I-C). (c) Canadians were more independent than Indians in all relationship dimensions, supporting theories of independent-interdependent self-construal and I-C. (d) Chinese were as interdependent as Indians in self-closest-family-member, self-close-family-members, and self-relatives connectedness but more independent than Indians in the other categories of self-other relationships. (e) Participants' age did not have strong correlations with variables measuring self-construal in any sample, indicating that a person's attachment style may not change greatly over a lifespan. The authors discussed theoretical and methodological implications.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

Gender roles, marital intimacy, and nomination of spouse as primary caregiver.

Using data from a sample of married men and women undergoing treatment for cancer, we tested two potential hypotheses for the unequal representation of husbands and wives as spousal caregivers, including societal gender role norms and emotional closeness in the marital relationship. Multivariate analyses support both hypotheses; wives are only one third as likely as husbands to select their spouses as caregivers, and spouses who name their mates as confidants are three times more likely than those who do not to also name them as caregivers. We conclude that although gender role norms are key to caregiver selection, the intimacy inherent in the caregiving role renders an emotionally close marriage an important criterion to the selection of spouse as caregiver.

Adult↗
PubMed1981

Object relations and differential treatment response to methadone maintenance.

The authors report results from a psychiatric study of narcotic addicts in which the relationship between specified aspects of object relations development and treatment response to methadone maintenance was examined. Two groups were defined as high and low drug users (in addition to the prescribed methadone dose) depending upon the frequency and intensity of additional drug use; a middle group was excluded. Thirty subjects participated. The dimensions of separation/individuation, narcissistic development, and self and object representations were measured by 12 scaled variables; scores of the high and low drug users were compared by t-test. In all cases, the high use group was found to be more impaired than the low use group. However, the dimensions differed greatly in their ability to differentiate the groups. The strongest group differences were found in the area of narcissistic development, with the high user group significantly more impaired than the low user group. The strength of these findings lends empirical support to the notion that an addict population can be differentiated on diagnostic and ego psychological measures. This has important implications for methadone maintenance treatment programs, and, possibly, for drug programs in general.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

Identification with the therapist's functions and ego-building in the treatment of schizophrenia.

People with schizophrenia lack the ability to develop--to differentiate and integrate--their self- and object-representations, and suffer from primitive 'object-relations' conflicts, which occur when they try to develop (to differentiate and integrate) their self- and object-world. When a therapist interacts beneficially with a schizophrenic patient and enables him/her to identify with the ego functions involved in this interaction, the patient's frail psychic structure receives nourishment that will strengthen it: this process is similar to human development, where a child attains psychic organisation by interacting with the one who nurtures him/her. The recommended approach in the psychoanalytic psychotherapy of schizophrenia is to 'allow' the natural evolution of the fusion-defusion and introjection-projection processes to appear in the experiences of transference and counter-transference.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

[The body and food as objects in anorexia and bulimia].

In this paper the function of food and of the own body in anorexia and bulimia is understood as representations of good and bad mother objects. In anorexia nervosa the body in the state of underweight is the good mother-object ("not-mother"), the too heavy body is the bad mother-object ("like mother"). In bulimia the wish for incorporation of a good object (food before binging) and the following panic of the fusion with a bad object (food after eating) is acted out. Body and food, substituting mother objects, are manageable, the illusion of controlling self-object-boundaries is maintained. Thus anorexia and bulimia are understood as an attempt to cope with fear of fusion as well as of separation, which is revived in adolescence.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1991

Parental representations of patients with panic disorder and generalised anxiety disorder.

Previous studies using the Parental Bonding Instrument have shown a general trend for neurotic subjects to score their parents as less caring and more protective. Such a finding was broadly replicated in a study of 80 clinically anxious subjects and age- and sex-matched controls. Although direct comparisons of PBI scores failed to reveal clear-cut differences between generalised anxiety (GA) and panic disorder (PD) subgroups, logistic regression analyses revealed higher odds ratios for parental assignment to aberrant categories in the GA group, with PD patients reporting a more limited pattern of overprotective parenting only. Our findings suggest that adverse parental behaviour may be relevant to the pathogenesis of GA, while parental 'affectionate constraint' may be a parental response to early manifestations of PD.

Adult↗