Diana: Her True Story: Post-modern transgressions in identity

Anorexia nervosa and eating disorders in general have become familiar concepts during the last thirty years. Called the female malady of our time, the pervasiveness of anorexia has made it the focu...

The foremost implication of the Freudian theories of adolescence has been that the analyst enters into an alliance with the patient's developmental process. During sessions, stock is routinely taken of the adolescent patient's defenses and drive fixations. The interpersonal and object relations theories of adolescents' character formation varied with each other and also with the assumptions of classical Freudian metapsychology. Yet, Sullivan, Fairbairn, and Winnicott all stressed relatedness in character formation. They each urged that the attitudes of the actual person in significant relationships, as well as the internal representations of the self and the object, shaped the character tendencies of the child or adolescent. Sullivan was very outspoken about his belief that there could be no uniformly valid theory of character, because people are unique. However, for Sullivan, the needs for the validation of self-worth, and for freedom from anxiety, were universal stimuli for the increasing organization of character trends. In both interpersonal theory and object relations theories, dissociative processes were of paramount importance as defensive operations. Dissociation by the adolescent resulted in further instances of ego splitting (for Fairbairn), of the bad me (for Sullivan), and of the false self (for Winnicott). Fairbairn, and to some extent Winnicott, used the language of classical Freudian theory in order to shape an object relations theory of adolescent development. In spite of their theoretical differences, Sullivan, Fairbairn, and Winnicott spoke with a singular voice in dismissing the exclusive significance of libidinal fixations in character consolidation. I now wish to review Freud's case of Dora as an addendum to this short critical appraisal. The analysis of Dora readily lends itself to a discussion of the confluence of the psychoanalytical models' clinical theories. Dora's unfortunate experience in treatment offered a compelling example of the precariousness of adolescents' adjustment in the midst of developmental and family turmoil.

본 논문의 목적은 심리치료를 위해 널리 사용되고 있는 명상에 대해 정신분석학적 관점과 행동주의적 관점에서 살펴보고, 이를 통해 명상의 주요 유형인 마음챙김 명상과 자비 명상의 심리치료적 작용 기제에 대해 이론적으로 밝히는 것이다. 본 연구의 목적을 성취하기 위해 우선 명상과 심리학의 융합에 있어 시작점이라 할 수 있는 정신분석학적 관점에서 명상의 작용 기제에 대해 살펴보았으며, 치료 프로그램에서 가장 널리 사용되는 행동주의적 관점에서 명상의 작용 기제에 대해 탐구했다. 더 나아가 마음챙김 명상과 자비 명상의 치료적 작용 기제를 알아보기 위해 과학적 연구를 살펴보고 메커니즘을 분석했다. 결과적으로, 마음챙김 명상은 주의 집중과 자기 조절, 가치 명료화, 인지적, 정서적, 행동적 유연성, 노출효과 등을 통해 내적, 외적 경험에 대해 새로운 자각을 심어주고 일정한 공간을 제공해 관점 전환을 일으키는 것으로 밝혀졌으며, 자비 명상은 신경망의 변화와 더불어 정서조절, 신체와 정신의 안정, 긍정정서를 높여 만족감과 행복감을 증대해 심리치료적 효과를 보이는 것으로 나타났다. 본 연구를 통해 명상의 심리 치료적 작용 기제를 증명하는 과학적이고 실용적인 연구가 더욱 활발히 진행되어야 할 것으로 보인다.The purpose of this study is to view the meditation (mindfulness and compassion) generally used in psychological therapy from the perspectives of psychoanalytic and behavioral theories in order to explore the theoretical mechanism of meditation. To achieve this purpose, we first explored the theoretical mechanism of meditation from psychoanalytic theory, which is considered the first integration of meditation with psychological therapy. Then, we discussed the theoretical mechanism of meditation from behavioral theory, which has been integrated with meditation for cognitive and behavioral therapy programs. Finally, we reviewed scientific research to identify the scientific mechanism of mindfulness and compassion meditation. According to our results, mindfulness meditation effectively promotes one’s awareness of inner and outer experiences by cultivating focused attention; self-regulation; value clarification; exposure; and cognitive, emotional, and behavioral flexibility. Meanwhile, compassion meditation is effective for psychological therapy because it gives people time to regulate and stabilize their body and mind and develop positive emotions in order to cultivate well-being and happiness. Further scientific research on the mechanisms of mindfulness and compassion meditation should be conducted on the basis of these mechanisms of meditation.

In Chapter 5 we drew on a study of leadership development to show that ‘Great Man’ and charismatic theories of leadership still inform organisational practices. We concluded that leadership therefore presents a norm which is so difficult to achieve that it can only have negative consequences for leaders, while it simultaneously creates categories of people who are ‘abnormal’ and who are thus second class, inferior and denigrated. In Chapter 6 we demonstrated that the people we call ‘leaders’ or ‘managers’ must simultaneously be both leaders and managers. As this calls on them to behave both in masculine and feminine ways, they do not know which way to turn and the result is anxiety. The theoretical perspectives we used in those chapters, queer theory and post-structuralist gender theories, draw on psychoanalytical theory to assist the development of understanding of what it is to be a person living in the West in the twenty-first century. In this chapter we turn explicitly to psychoanalytical theory itself and apply some of its insights to leadership.

STEPHEN A. MITCHELL AND MARGARET BLACK. Freud and Beyond. A History of Modern Psychoanalytic Thought. Basic Books, New York, 1995, 293 pp., $27.50, ISBN 0-231 100221. Stephen A. Mitchell and Margaret Black, both well-known psychoanalytic educators, show us in Freud and Beyond how psychoanalytic theory, which started in an age of rationality and objective truth-while also challenging these very valueshas gradually been turning toward a postmodern perspective. The authors choose to introduce each School from the perspective of their foremost spokespersons, leaving all the hotly debated controversies to the last chapters. This approach has the advantage of keeping the integrity of each theory and allowing readers to make up their own minds, and the disadvantage of a somewhat bland neutrality. This is especially striking in the first chapter on Freud's original theory in which the Freudian legend on how it all happened-for example, the much disputed Anna O. story, or why Freud gave up the seduction theory-is rigorously preserved. The reader is then introduced to the Schools of Ego Psychology-with Hartmann, Spitz, Mahler, and Jacobson as leading theorists-emphasizing the gradual transformation of Freud's instinct theories toward a more interpersonal bent. Generally, all along, the concepts of each new School are compared to Freud's original body of theories-to a fault. In chapter 5, we meet the British Objects Relations School represented by Fairbairn, Winnicott, Guntrip, and Balint where the importance of instincts are replaced by the equally fateful nature of the early maternal environment. Mitchell's co-authored 1983 book, Object Relations in Psychoanalytic Theory, showed his expertise in that area, and here again, the clarity and succinctness of the exposition of various scholars' theoretical perspectives is outstanding. I do wonder why John Bowlby, whose attachment theory had such a decisive influence on our current thinking about human development, is only discussed in one page, while Melanie Klein is allocated the entire chapter 4. Erik Erikson and Heinz Kohut find themselves in the same chapter 6, both dealing with Identity and/or the Self. Here again, I found myself wishing that the authors had mentioned the recent discovery that the famous patient Mr. Z., who changed the course of his thinking, was Kohut himself. This reviewer was pleased, for her students' sake, to encounter an entire chapter on Harry Stack Sullivan-along with other Neo-Freudians-even though he is usually not viewed as having worked within the psychoanalytic fold. But Mitchell, known as a leading relational theorist himself, introduces Sullivan as the founder of interpersonal psychoanalysis. …

Working in forensic mental health requires attention to our responses to the ‘ raw material ’ of our patients, as well as working on the raw material itself (Hinshelwood, 2008 : xix). A psychodynamic perspective tries to illuminate what is going on at a systemic level and its contribution to our understanding is invaluable. This neces-sitates an understanding of both organizational and psychoanalytic theory in order to make sense of the insights it provides. Consequently, this approach is neither universally accessible nor easily understood by the multidisciplinary team (MDT) or wider nursing team in many services. It is unusual for professionals within this environment, in particular nursing staff, to access the available literature in order to assist them in making sense of their experiences. It is therefore necessary to consider how existing knowledge and resources within the workforce can be used effectively to increase their refl ective capacities. The clinicians ’ framework for understanding organizational and interpersonal dynamics will always be heavily infl uenced by the theoretical perspective of the service. The Personality Disorder Service (PDS) may differ from other services through the relative dominance of Schema Focused Therapy (SFT) (Young, 1990 )

Linguistic creat1v1ty has been celebrated by a number of recent feminist theorists, who extol the virtues of creative play in the texts of literature and society. In this chapter I want to look at the way in which feminists have utilized the insights of poststructuralist theory in order to bolster such a position. But the absorption of poststructuralist claims into feminist theory is problematic. What seems to be at issue is a fundamental conflict between the emancipatory impulses of feminism and the deterministic ethos that ostensibly underlies the poststructuralist theories to which many contemporary feminists are attracted. In much recent feminist theory we find an uneasy merging of conceptions of the (female) subject as a political agent and as a decentred social construct. In some cases, poststructuralist theories of decentred subjectivity are harnessed to drive forward the liberationist claims of feminism. The reasons for this perhaps unlikely alliance, and the problems which arise from it, are instructive.

As educational scholars continue to use approaches in qualitative research that are rooted in values of social justice and equity, it is imperative that their study designs reflect the same kind of ethos from beginning to end. In particular, educators that teach qualitative research courses must provide guidance to students to ensure that their studies display congruence when they utilize critical and poststructural theories in their scholarship. This lesson utilizes a “Pyramid of Congruence” activity that teaches students how they should carry their critical or poststructural epistemological foundations throughout their research. Specifically, the activity showcases the need to start with a strong understanding of critical and poststructural theories in order to interweave them throughout a qualitative project.

As we approach the 40th anniversary of the HIV pandemic, it is important to critically examine how social and behaviour health theories have impacted public health approaches to HIV testing, prevention, and management. This commentary article explores the relationship between health promotion theory and PrEP use by contrasting two theoretical perspectives: individual behaviour change theories, specifically the Health Belief Model (HBM); and post-structural theory, drawing on Foucauldian biopolitics. This article finds that individual behaviour change theories have been more commonly used to increase PrEP use and adherence, while post-structural theory has been used more critically to explore the impact of PrEP use on systems of surveillance and disciplinary power. Ultimately, an integrated theoretical perspective is called for to better understand the factors the influence PrEP use, and the broader social impact of increased biomedical HIV prevention.

Bullying has over the years been examined and explained in individual as well as in contextual terms, and from a wide range of different theories and methods. A growing number of bullying researchers approach bullying as a socially complex phenomenon and from social psychological and sociological perspectives. There is today a tension between theoretical perspectives on bullying, but also a need for investigating the social and contextual aspects of bullying further. In this article, I will argue for the necessity of dialogue between different theoretical perspectives and the inclusive potential of the social-ecological framework to create a meeting point of theories in order to develop a more comprehensive understanding of school bullying.

Communication research and theory can increase the impact of campaigns in the field of injury prevention Dozens of communication campaigns have been designed and implemented on local, state, and federal...

Clinicians and researchers have long recognized the existence of eating disorders in very young children, including infants whose mothers have eating disorders. This paper combines reviews of the literature relevant to the study of eating disorders from the perspectives of both research and psychoanalytic theory in order to explore the psychodynamics of the intergenerational transmission of eating-disordered pathology from mother to child. A developmental pathway as well as several mechanisms that illuminate the pathogenesis of the intergenerational transmission of eating disorders are proposed and described. Clinical-observational data from a therapeutic play nursery for mothers with eating disorders and their children are presented, and this material is examined in relation to the proposed psychodynamic pathways of transmission.

This article discusses the implementation of a new creative life story work project within a statutory children’s services department of a UK Local Authority. The project looks to strengthen the use of life story work within statutory children’s social work teams, involving the introduction of a model developed by Professor Richard Rose. Staff training is provided, and creative life story groups with care experienced young people are led jointly by professional artists and children’s social care staff. As a social worker, I support the implementation of the project and offer any additional therapeutic support children attending the groups might need, including more in-depth individual therapeutic life story work. I explore here the dynamic nature of life story work in children’s social work, including a critical analysis of the use of self, and consider theoretical application and wider critiques of the model. I discuss some of the (often contested) literature in relation to trauma, before employing a psychosocial approach that draws on systemic and psychoanalytic theory in order to understand how creative life story work supports individuals and organisations in recovery from trauma and provides the potential to invite bigger questions in relation to how to reignite creativity and social pedagogy in social work practice.

This essay addresses Julia Kristeva’s concept of semanalysis in view of the legacy of Emile Benveniste. Both scholars shared a critical approach to semiotics. Kristeva followed Benveniste’s footsteps in looking for support in psychoanalytic theory in order to better understand the genealogy of the signifying process as well as the heterogeneity of texts. Benveniste’s notion of the speaking subject becomes crucial for Kristeva’s semiotics. While making the concept of signifiance central to her scholarship, after 1969 Kristeva continued to rework this and other notions of Benveniste, such as histoire (narrative) in relation to discourse. The chapter by and large follows a historical trajectory and traces the theoretical development of semiotics in the works of Kristeva and Benveniste up to date. The concluding section of the chapter addresses the role of Kristeva in inspiring some recent developments in edusemiotics. Her conceptualizations of semanalysis, subject in process, jouissance , revolt, and others—especially when positioned in the context of philosophy of education and not philosophy of language—surpass their purely theoretical significance and demonstrate a number of significant implications at the level of cultural practices. Notably, the latest Kristeva herself expanded the field of theoretical semiotics to incorporate socio-cultural and political dimensions of human experience that are proving to be of immense value for educational theory.

This thesis examines the theme of isolation in contemporary world by using the literary analysis of the book the Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka. The paper explores how the transformation of Gregor Samsa and his alienation by Kafka are indicative of the overall human state of the post-modern era of modernity, industrialization, and the loss of human bonding. The study uses both existentialist as well as psychoanalytic theories in order to interpret how the social structures, expectations of the family, and financial pressures of capitalism lead to the decay in identity and belonging. The paper also relates the symbolic confinement of Gregor with the modern-day forms of isolation; psychological and social forms experienced in an ever-mechanized and individualistic world. The study, based on a close analysis of the text, demonstrates that the story by Kafka is a timeless reflection of the contemporary human conflict of seeking meaning, communicating, and acceptance in the world that is divided. Still, in the end, the thesis presents the idea that it is not just The Metamorphosis that sums up the isolation of its main character, but also criticizes the alienating nature of the modern world.