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Results for “Reality Testing”

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At least 973 records · Page 54Linked to original sources
PubMed1990

Normal--abnormal--emotional health--emotional illness.

The concept of normality is examined from several frames of reference. Some of these suggest it should be broadened, others that it should be abandoned. However, several frames of reference are proposed to enable one to differentiate normal from abnormal, emotional health from emotional illness. For the individual, these are: 1) impinging social and cultural factors; 2) the ego's position vis-a-vis the external and internal environment; 3) the extent to which an individual is reasonably fulfilling his functional capacity; 4) the physical and emotional subjective well-being; 5) the level of habitual responses to stress and modes of mastery; 6) the capacity to permit, as well as to reverse regression and dedifferentiation; and, 7) the capacity of the organizing function of the ego to preserve a harmonious balance between, and among, the various psychic operations.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1990

Just-world reasoning in children's immanent justice judgements.

The present study investigated the belief by Piaget that immanent justice responses occur when fairness judgments override conceptions of physical causality in young (6-8 years) children's understanding of a certain type of story. The structure of Piaget's stimulus stories was analyzed, and they were found to involve 3 narrative elements: motive valence, outcome valence, and causal connection. These 3 factors were crossed to create 8 types of stories, one of which (e.g., a character with a bad motive receives a negative outcome which is noncausally related to the previous motive) was the type used by Piaget. It was predicted that 2 types of stories would yield immanent justice responses: good motive/positive outcome/noncausal and bad motive/negative outcome/noncausal. Subjects received 4 stories and answered the Piagetian immanent justice questions and rated outcome fairness. Subjects were 48 each of children in grades 1, 3, and 5 and 38 college students. Results supported the prediction that children use the belief in a just world in immanent justice judgements.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

Inferring false beliefs from actions and reactions.

Current evidence suggests that young children have little understanding of false belief. Standard false belief tasks, however, may underestimate children's ability for 2 reasons. First, the only cue to belief in these tasks is a protagonist's lack of perceptual access to some critical event, and this may not be a very salient cue for young children. Second, the standard tasks require children to make forward-looking predictions from the causes of a belief (e.g., from what a protagonist has or has not perceived) to either the protagonist's belief or the protagonist's action, and children may not be very skilled at making such predictions. In 2 experiments we investigated whether 3-year-olds would do better on tasks in which the belief cues were stronger, and in which they could reason backward to the belief from its effects (e.g., from a protagonist's actions and reactions). Even on these easy tasks, however, they did not perform well. These findings provide strong support for the view that children of this age do not fully understand the representational nature of belief.

Attention↗
PubMed1990

Young children's understanding of realities, nonrealities, and appearances.

In 2 studies we uncover some of children's earliest conceptions of various realities, nonrealities, and appearances. In the first study, we investigated children's early understanding by examining their use of the words real and really in spontaneous speech. These natural language data consisted of longitudinal samples of 6 children's speech between the ages of 1 and 6 from the Childes database. Analyses of these samples showed that by age 3 children clearly distinguished between reality and a variety of nonreal contrasts in their everyday speech. For example, young children distinguished between toys, pictures, and pretend actions versus their real natures. We claim that, in making these distinctions, children often are considering appearances, broadly construed. To confirm this, we conducted a second experimental study with 3-year-olds, in which we questioned children about the reality and appearance of a variety of items. Results from this study confirm and clarify our findings from the natural language data. We discuss the implications of these studies for current descriptions of young children's understanding of realities and nonrealities, including their understanding of the distinction between reality and appearance.

Attention↗
PubMed1990

Visual and verbal metaphors: developmental interactions.

This study investigated developmental changes in children's abilities to comprehend visual metaphors as measured by their use of verbal metaphor. The visual metaphors were compound objects, e.g., a top with features of a ballerina (head and skirt). 30 participants at each of 4 ages--5, 7, 10, and adult--described objects ordered in pairs; half described standard objects and the other half corresponding compound objects (half stationary, and half moving, e.g., spinning). Total metaphoric descriptions reached the adult frequency by age 7 for compound objects, but increased from 5 to 10 to adult for standard objects. For all but the youngest children, moving objects were more likely to be described using action vehicles. These results indicate that from 5 to 7 children improve in the ability to understand visual metaphors, which display topic-vehicle interaction; from 5 through 10 to adulthood they improve in the ability to comprehend metaphoric similarity.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

As-if: the phenomenon of not learning.

In this paper I discuss a clinical problem presented by those patients who, instead of using analysis as an emotional learning experience, invest all their energies in keeping it in a static condition. Using the material of four patients, I illustrate how they have an underlying state of disintegration which is contained in a precarious enclosure. The patients experience great difficulty in facing this situation and preventing further disintegration. I describe a particular type of splitting, which I call 'slicing', by which they achieve an arrest of further disintegrative processes, and for which they need the continuous existence of a useless analysis. I link this situation with Bion's concept of 'minus K'.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

["Archaic matrix of the oedipus complex"].

The clinical implication of Janine Chasseguet-Smirgel's concept of the "archaic matrix of the Oedipus complex" is examined, the resulting deeper understanding of the Oedipus myth is considered. A discussion follows of Chasseguet-Smirgel's way of using this concept in her historical evaluation of German Romantism with regard to the Nazi times and nowadays politics of the Westgerman Green Party.

Germany↗
PubMed1990

[Derealization and repetition].

The psycho-technique of "derealization" helped the majority of the German population that had been loyal to the Hitler regime to escape from their historical responsibility in 1945. The derealization of an historical era of collective history and of the corresponding phases of their individual histories saved these people the work of self transformation and opened the way to an unwitting repetition. In the unending debates around Nazi war criminal and their accomplices, the paramount issue is to refuse the "normality" of this derealization.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1990

Sexual decision making in young black adolescent females.

Participant observation and a questionnaire guide were used to conduct in-depth interviews with five 14-year-old, black, pregnant or recently delivered girls to obtain a broad and detailed view of perceptions and interpretations of the factors that led to the initiation of sexual activity and the decision to maintain the pregnancy that resulted. Four key and several supporting factors that influenced the girls' sexual decisions emerged from the data. The key factors centered around the girls' attempt to establish a relationship based on trust, a belief in their lack of vulnerability to become pregnant, family structure, and their beliefs about the alternatives available once a pregnancy was confirmed. Some of the findings were consistent with those reported in the literature, while others were not. Further research is needed on the father of the infant as well as the mother of the adolescent girl to assess their perceptions of the factors they believe influence teenagers' sexual decisions.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1990

[Regression in the artistic creations of psychiatric patients].

In the technical literature we often found the theory, that the ability of drawings of psychiatric patients would regress to the level of children. In our experiment we examined the question, whether testpersons would be able to distinguish between drawings of children and drawings of psychiatric patients. We formed 16 pairs of illustrations, each pair consisting of a drawing of a child and a psychiatric patient. The drawings of each pair had equal characteristics. These pairs was shown three groups of testpersons, one had experience with children, an other with art and the third one neither with children nor with art. The correct distinctions were more frequent than we could expect on the supposition, that drawings of psychiatric patients are equal to drawings of children. Also there was no significant difference between the judging-groups. Based on this results, we reject the theory of regression.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

Cues: the perceptual edge of the transference.

In spite of Freud's recommendation in his postscript to Dora, analysts may neglect, as Schwaber has pointed out, the patient's perception of the analyst's participation in the analytic context. Examination of the patient's experience of the 'external', by attending to the patient's search for and use of perceptual cues, can lead to essential aspects of the patient's intrapsychic life. Beginning with the description of a particular analytic intervention, the author discusses the nature of cues, their origins developmentally, their role in the development of transference and in the generation of a particular form of resistance, and their place in the ongoing clarification of the transference, countertransference and the analyst's technique. The author then contrasts the approach described with positions taken by Langs, Gill and Sandler, and discusses why Freud's recommendations may have been neglected.

Countertransference↗
PubMed1990

[Correspondence theory: an empirical scientific position in relation to mind-body relations in psychosomatic medicine].

This paper presents a proposal regarding a concept of mind-body relationships which can be employed in clinical psychosomatics. Taking into account advances in the empirical sciences, it is termed nominalistic or constructivistic correspondence theory. Arguments are developed on the basis of several assertions: a) The "problem" has shifted from an ontologic to an epistemologic one; b) Psychical and somatic spheres are ways of dealing with experiences of an observer-agent which constitute "theories" to account for them; c) Both domains exhibit causal regularities, albeit of a different nature, and their elements show a "semiotic correspondence", not a material interaction. Their bonds stem from relational constructs developed in action, interaction and reflection. The discourses so created can be integrated into theories dealing with clinical phenomena. Differences between the outlined approach and others are pointed out, along with some of its advantages, shortcomings, and applications.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1985

[Scientific nature, dialogic aspects and psychosis].

This paper tries to point out the analogy of development of science which is also attributed to the psychosis. Belonging to this are the loss regarding relation to reality and to the whole of reality, development of subcultures, role-establishment, double messages, exaggerated defence mechanisms towards views outside its own system, repeating and stereotype tendencies and finally segregation of affect and misconstruction of reality. In conclusion the author names a few tendencies which he deems necessary to counteract such a development.

Defense Mechanisms↗
PubMed1986

[Symbol and metaphor].

Taking Jones' work--A Theory of Symbolism as a Basis--it is attempted to elaborate on the basic underlying hypotheses of his symbol concept and to show the partiality of his metaphor concept. Prominence is given the concepts of similarity, identification and structure of experience. The insufficient definition of the metaphor complicates, the understanding of the connection between symbol, symptom and language. The metaphor phenomenon is explained and its organization principles pointed out; principles which are also found in the organisation of experience formation. Freunds theses of primitive language and the use of language as a bridge to symbolism is clarified. The connection between metaphor and symbol is represented as a circular process.

Affect↗