scholarly journals Moral Dilemmas and Existential Issues Encountered Both in Psychotherapy and Philosophical Counseling Practices

2015 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 509-521 ◽  
Author(s):  
Beatrice A. Popescu
Keyword(s):  
Moral Dilemmas ◽  
Face Validity ◽  
Integrative Model ◽  
Sentence Completion ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Systematic Research ◽  
Completion Test ◽  
Therapy Room ◽  
Axis I ◽  
Existential Issues

This paper stems from clinical observations and empirical data collected in the therapy room over six years. It investigates the relationship between psychotherapy and philosophical counseling, proposing an integrative model of counseling. During cognitive behavior therapy sessions with clients who turn to therapy in order to solve their clinical issues, the author noticed that behind most of the invalidating symptoms classified by the DSM-5 as depression, anxiety, hypochondriac and phobic complaints, usually lies a lack of existential meaning or existential scope and clients are also tormented by moral dilemmas. Following the anamnestic interview and the psychological evaluation, rarely the depression or anxiety diagnosed on Axis I is purely just a sum of invalidating symptoms, which may disappear if treated symptomatically. When applying the Sentence Completion Test, an 80 items test of psychodynamic origin and high-face validity, most of the clients report an entire plethora of conscious or unconscious motivations, distorted cognitions or irrational thinking but also grave existential themes such as scope or meaning of life, professional identity, fear of death, solitude and loneliness, freedom of choice and liberty. Same issues are approached in the philosophical counseling practice, but no systematic research has been done yet in the field. Future research and investigation is needed in order to assess the importance of moral dilemmas and existential issues in both practices.

Adolescent Ego Development within the Family: Family Styles and Family Sequences

1991 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 165-193 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stuart T. Hauser ◽  
John Houlihan ◽  
Sally I. Powers ◽  
Alan M. Jacobson ◽  
Gil G. Noam ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Family Member ◽  
Ego Development ◽  
Moral Dilemmas ◽  
Sentence Completion ◽  
Family Interactions ◽  
Coding System ◽  
Patient Status ◽  
The Family ◽  
Family Style ◽  
Completion Test

We describe a series of analyses that were carried out using the Constraining and Enabling Coding System (CECS). This scheme was specially constructed to identify family interactions conceptually relevant to adolescent ego development. We present results based on the application of these scales to observations of 80 families, consisting of two parents and an adolescent drawn from closely matched high school and psychiatric populations. The families are predominantly upper middle and middle class. Each family member completed the Loevinger Sentence Completion Test and then participated in a revealed-differences task, using responses to Kohlberg Moral Dilemmas as discussion stimuli. Transcripts of these audiorecorded discussions form the database for our family analyses. The family analyses were of two general types. First, we examined relations between family style and the ego development of each family member. The style analyses were based on aggregate scores for each of the enabling or constraining behaviours. After controlling for patient status, adolescent age, and family social class, adolescent and parent ego development scores contributed to explained variance in these family style behaviours. Parental style behaviours, especially of mothers, were also significantly associated with parent ego development as well as adolescent ego development. We then examined family sequences in terms of their links with adolescent ego development. Through these process-oriented analyses, we discovered that the intensity of turn taking and reciprocal enabling (mutual enabling) interactions between mothers and adolescents were significantly enhanced by the ego development of the mother. Such associations between reciprocal interactions and parental ego development were not present for mutual enabling pairings between fathers and adolescents. In our discussion we consider the importance of adding these sequence analyses to our studies, as one more way of exploring relations between family factors and adolescent development.

Overcontrolled Hostility, Empathy, and Egocentric Balance in Violent and Nonviolent Psychiatric Offenders

1976 ◽  
Vol 39 (3_suppl) ◽  
pp. 1303-1308 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christiane M. Hoppe ◽  
Robert D. Singer
Keyword(s):  
Aggressive Behavior ◽  
Canonical Correlation ◽  
Sentence Completion ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Research Strategies ◽  
Deadly Weapon ◽  
Completion Test ◽  
Criminal Charges ◽  
Hostility Scale ◽  
Property Offenses

Psychiatric offenders, divided into five groups on the basis of their criminal charges (murder, assault with a deadly weapon, rape, pedophilia, nonviolent property offenses), were administered the overcontrolled hostility scale, a measure of emotional empathy as well as a self-focus sentence-completion test. Data were also obtained regarding aggressive behavior of the 115 subjects during the course of hospitalization. Contrary to predictions, none of the paper-and-pencil measures discriminated significantly between offender groups and the canonical correlation between criminal charges and scores on the personality measures was only of low moderate value. Implications of results regarding suitable measures and future research strategies are discussed.

Ego Development in Fundamentalist and Nonfundamentalist Protestants

1994 ◽  
Vol 22 (3) ◽  
pp. 215-225
Author(s):  
Andrew J. Weaver ◽  
Jack W. Berry ◽  
Stephen M. Pittel
Keyword(s):  
Religious Orientation ◽  
Ego Development ◽  
Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory ◽  
Religious Fundamentalism ◽  
Sentence Completion ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Methodist Church ◽  
Completion Test ◽  
Religious Orientation Scale ◽  
Orientation Scale

This study was designed to investigate the comparative ego development, religious orientation, and doctrinal beliefs of three Protestant groups: life-long fundamentalists (n=25), fundamentalist converts (n=25), and nonfundamentalist converts (n=25). Subjects from the Southern Baptist Church (fundamentalists) and United Methodist Church (nonfundamentalists) were used. Three instruments were employed: the Wiggins Content Scale of Religious Fundamentalism from the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory, Loevinger's Washington University Sentence Completion Test of Ego Development, and Allport's Religious Orientation Scale. The fundamentalist and nonfundamentalist groups were doctrinally different; however, the groups did not differ in levels of ego development. The two fundamentalist groups scored higher on Allport's measure of intrinsic religious orientation. Methodological suggestions were made for future research of fundamentalists.

Coping and Marathon Sensitivity Training

1971 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
pp. 379-385 ◽  
Author(s):  
Donald Pollack ◽  
Gerald Stanley
Keyword(s):  
College Students ◽  
Sentence Completion ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Test Results ◽  
Sensitivity Training ◽  
Control Activity ◽  
Activity Group ◽  
Completion Test

Marathon sensitivity training was examined in terms of changes in coping. Ss were 28 college students, and a control activity group was utilized. Pre- and posttest scores were obtained on a Sentence Completion Test. Results indicated a significant increase in coping scores after the marathon experience; no change was observed in control Ss. Sex of Ss was not related to change. An explanation in terms of a tension-increment model of personality is offered. Suggestions for future research are made.

Political psychology in the digital (mis)information age: A model of news belief and sharing

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jay Joseph Van Bavel ◽  
Elizabeth Ann Harris ◽  
Philip Pärnamets ◽  
Steve Rathje ◽  
Kimberly Doell ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Cognitive Psychology ◽  
Information Age ◽  
Policy Research ◽  
Integrative Model ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Fake News ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Conspiracy Theories ◽  
The Social

The spread of misinformation, including “fake news,” propaganda, and conspiracy theories, represents a serious threat to society, as it has the potential to alter beliefs, behavior, and policy. Research is beginning to disentangle how and why misinformation is spread and identify processes that contribute to this social problem. We propose an integrative model to understand the social, political, and cognitive psychology risk factors that underlie the spread of misinformation and highlight strategies that might be effective in mitigating this problem. However, the spread of misinformation is a rapidly growing and evolving problem; thus scholars need to identify and test novel solutions, and work with policy makers to evaluate and deploy these solutions. Hence, we provide a roadmap for future research to identify where scholars should invest their energy in order to have the greatest overall impact.

scholarly journals Can neuroscience help to understand narcissism? A systematic review of an emerging field

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emanuel Jauk ◽  
Philipp Kanske
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Stress Responses ◽  
Interpersonal Functioning ◽  
Integrative Model ◽  
Experimental Investigations ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Pathological Narcissism ◽  
Ego Threat ◽  
Self Reports ◽  
And Behavior

Abstract Narcissism is a Janusian personality construct, associated with both grandiose self-assuredness and dominance, as well as vulnerable insecurity and reactivity. Central questions of intra- and interpersonal functioning in narcissism are still a matter of debate. Neuroscience could help to understand the paradoxical patterns of experience and behavior beyond the limitations of self-reports. We provide a systematic review of 34 neuroscience studies on grandiose, vulnerable, pathological narcissism, and Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD), spanning experimental investigations of intra- and interpersonal mechanisms, research on neurophysiological and neuroendocrine aspects of baseline function, and brain structural correlates. While neuroscience has scarcely directly studied vulnerable narcissism, grandiose narcissism is associated with heightened vigilance to ego threat and stress responses following ego threat, as well as heightened stress indicators in baseline measures. Such responses are not commonly observed in self-reports, highlighting the potential of neuroscience to augment our understanding of self-regulatory dynamics in narcissism. Interpersonal functioning is characterized by deficits in social–affective processes. Both involve altered activity within the salience network, pointing to a double dissociation regarding the expression of narcissism and self/other oriented situational focus. Findings are summarized in an integrative model providing testable hypotheses for future research along with methodological recommendations.

A Taxonomy for Psycho-Oncological Intervention Techniques in an Acute Care Hospital in Germany

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-7
Author(s):  
Martina Madl ◽  
Marietta Lieb ◽  
Katharina Schieber ◽  
Tobias Hepp ◽  
Yesim Erim
Keyword(s):  
Acute Care ◽  
Interrater Reliability ◽  
Acute Care Hospital ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Systematic Research ◽  
Care Hospital ◽  
Certification System ◽  
Stepwise Procedure ◽  
Further Development

<b><i>Background:</i></b> Due to the establishment of a nationwide certification system for cancer centers in Germany, the availability of psycho-oncological services for cancer patients has increased substantially. However, little is known about the specific intervention techniques that are applied during sessions in an acute care hospital, since a standardized taxonomy is lacking. With this study, we aimed at the investigation of psycho-oncological intervention techniques and the development of a comprehensive and structured taxonomy thereof. <b><i>Methods:</i></b> In a stepwise procedure, a team of psycho-oncologists generated a data pool of interventions and definitions that were tested in clinical practice during a pilot phase. After an adaptation of intervention techniques, interrater reliability (IRR) was attained by rating 10 previously recorded psycho-oncological sessions. A classification of interventions into superordinate categories was performed, supported by cluster analysis. <b><i>Results:</i></b> Between April and June 2017, 980 psycho-oncological sessions took place. The experts agreed on a total number of 22 intervention techniques. An IRR of 89% for 2 independent psycho-oncological raters was reached. The 22 techniques were classified into 5 superordinate categories. <b><i>Discussion/Conclusion:</i></b> We developed a comprehensive and structured taxonomy of psycho-oncological intervention techniques in an acute care hospital that provides a standardized basis for systematic research and applied care. We expect our work to be continuously subjected to further development: future research should evaluate and expand our taxonomy to other contexts and care settings.

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