Changes In Self-image Research Articles

콜라주 패션일러스트레이션 프로그램이 자아상 향상에 미치는 효과

In this study, we ran a collage fashion illustration program. We used in depth personal interviews to find if there are any change in self-image by psychologically analyzing the features of self-images expressed in the pieces of fashion illustration. The total number of objects were five females students majoring in fashion design in Busan. They were hoping to have a psychology consultation to resolve their concerns about the future, family affairs, appearance, and careers. Collage fashion illustration program was used as a experimental tool to find the psychological features shown in the formats and content of collage fashion illustration. We then figure out how pre and post diagnosis were different from each other in terms of ego-identity and DAP. As a result, the formats in collage fashion illustration are related to the self images such as psychological energy, incompetency, suppression, and tendency of self-centered. Also, the contents of the fashion expression are related to the self-images such as dependency, avoidance, wariness, and self-regard. All of the participants have improved self-regard and active action due to improvements in subjectivity, initiative, and goal orientation. Therefore, they could change from pessimistic self-images to optimistic ones.

The perception of authorship in schizophrenia - the analysis of activity patterns in autonarrations

The paper presents the study of narrations of schizophrenic patients focused on the description of activities characteristics. The aim is to answer the question of how experiencing of psychotic crisis influences the perception of their authorship. Do the inherent characteristics of the activity differ with reference to the period of life which they relate to: the time before getting sick, or after falling ill with schizophrenia? The material consisted of narrations of 26 people with schizophrenia about their life prior to the illness and after the psychotic crisis. Linguistic categories that make up the patterns of activity have been distinguished. The frequency of the occurrence was compared in both narrations. Self-descriptions after falling ill are more saturated with patterns of avoidance, motivation internally localized connected with attempts of coping with the disease and externally localized action control connected with a decreased sense of authorship in relation to experiencing symptoms and reduction of social competence. The change of self-image after psychotic experience concerns the deeper planes of narrative, i.e. the patterns of activity hidden in connection between the content and narrative form. The research showed the decrease of the sense of agency associated with the disease experience.

Major depressive disorder symptoms in male and female young adults

This research aimed to compare the prevalence rates of major depressive disorder (MDD) and to differentiate the presence and severity of depressive symptoms between women and men aged 18–24 years. In this population-based, cross-sectional study (n = 1560), young adults were screened with the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview for MDD (n = 137). Participants then completed a self-report questionnaire to gather sociodemographic data, and the presence of each symptom of depression was assessed with the Beck Depression Inventory. The proportion of women (12.2%) with MDD was higher than that of men (5.3%). The symptoms of depression found to be significantly more prevalent in women were sadness, crying, difficulty making decisions, and lack of energy, as well as self-criticism, irritability, changes in self-image, work difficulty, and loss of interest in sex. Sadness and self-criticism were significantly more severe in women than in men. The presentation of depressive symptoms in young adults with MDD differed between men and women.

After the flood: Resilience among tsunami-afflicted adolescents

Background: About 7000 Swedish citizens were on Christmas holiday in the disaster area at the time of the South-east Asian tsunami in 2004, in many cases with children and adolescents in their families. Aims: To investigate how adolescents experience a traumatic exposure to a natural disaster. Method: Twenty adolescents aged 16–19 years, who had experienced the 2004 tsunami and participated in a follow-up study 19 months post-disaster, were randomly selected and interviewed about their reactions, their life afterwards and their families. The study combines the face-to-face, semi-structured interviews with questionnaire data on mental health for 4910 Swedish adolescents and adults. Results: The themes that emerged inductively during the analysis of the interviews were psychological reactions during the catastrophe, the coping after, changes in self-image, worldview, role in the family, risk interpretation and altruism. The disaster had profound impact on family relations, social networks and plans for the future. Many felt strengthened by the experience and by their ability to cope in comparison with other family members, but also perceived isolation and lack of understanding. The general mental health status among the adolescents did not differ significantly from those of older age at the 19-month follow-up. Conclusions: According to the adolescents’, they experienced the tsunami-disaster differently than others around them. Their subjective interpretation of the event and its aftermath indicates resilience, especially among the young men. Future follow-up studies in larger samples of both symptoms and psychological functioning are warranted.

Generation Changes of Polish Adolescents Self-Image (cohorts 1987 versus 2001)

Aim of the studyTo compare the self-image of adolescents over fifteen years in Poland (1987 versus 2001).Subject or material and methodsParticipants were 1872 school students aged 16 to 17 years randomly selected from high school in Kraków (university town). Self-image was measured by the Offer Self-Image Questionnaire. MANOVA, ANOVAs and CFA were applied as statistical methods.ResultsBetween 1987 and 2001 self-image changes toward a more positive self perceptions in 2001. Boys described themselves better on most scales. Girls score better on vocational and educational goals and superior adjustment.DiscussionBased on the results of population studies on adolescents’ self-image, it can be claimed that within nearly 15 years, 17-year-olds’ self-image improved. Thus, the hypothesis was confirmed that adolescents’ self-image in subsequent birth cohorts had changed. A similar conclusion had been drawn by Offer in studies quoted earlier.ConclusionsSelf-image changes over time. It is influenced by macrosocial conditions. The research confirm 5-factor model of self-image structure of the questionnaire and its inter-generational and inter-cultural stability.

Earthquake in Haiti: Relationship with the Sacred in Times of Trauma

The devastating earthquake in Haiti on January 12, 2010 killed over 230,000 people and injured many more. One year later, 1.2 million people were still living in tents. Haiti is only one of many places around the globe that have been struck by community-wide disaster in recent years, including the United States' own devastating tornadoes in Joplin, Missouri and Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Although several studies have demonstrated strong links between spirituality and resilience, the field is only just beginning to break ground on the role of spirituality in large-scale disaster situations (Koenig, 2006). In this article we briefly review the literature on spirituality and trauma, followed by a description of the current study within a relational framework. The study aimed to investigate the impact of the Haitian people's relationship with the divine on their psycho-spiritual transformation following the earthquake. Results are considered from a cross-cultural perspective. Growth Following Trauma A growing body of research suggests that many traumatic life events, including natural disasters, precipitate positive psychological changes, such as a broadened view of life, an increased sense of meaning and purpose for existence, and an increase in spirituality (Sigmund, 2003). Posttraumatic growth occurs when individuals are faced with a traumatic event such as a natural disaster, and consequently positive psychological effects take place (Tedeschi & Calhoun, 1996). Although traumatic life events may produce precarious health outcomes for some individuals and devastating consequences for communities, research indicates that posttraumatic growth is possible when appropriate factors are in place (Richards, Smith, Berrett, O'Grady, & Bartz, 2009; Tedeschi & Calhoun, 2004). The extent to which trauma develops into posttraumatic growth or decline is in part mediated by the meaning an individual assigns to the stressful life event (Cole, Hopkins, Tisak, Steel, & Carr, 2008; Feder et al., 2008). According to cognitive adaption theory, positive reinterpretation of a traumatic event serves an adaptive role for experiencing stress-related growth (Karanci & Erkam, 2007; Taylor, Collins, Skokan, & Aspinwall,1989). individuals are able to create positive meaning out of tragedy, they are often able to activate critical recovery attributes such as a sense of self-efficacy and a sense of purpose in life. The study of posttraumatic growth is not only the consideration of factors that contribute to growth following trauma, but it is also the examination of the nature of growth outcomes. Previous research has, for instance, reported positive correlations between the experience of trauma and improved social relationships, positive changes in beliefs, renewed faith, cohesiveness in the community, identification of new possibilities, newfound talents and strengths, changes in self-image, and transformed comprehension of way of life (Affleck & Tennen, 1996; Linley & Joseph, 2004; Tedeschi & Calhoun, 1996, 2004). Many individuals who have felt stuck in their lives or who have been unwilling to make important life transitions feel an increased desire and strength to do so following a traumatic life event. From this understanding, community disaster may be the impetus towards a psychologically healthier and more satisfying lifestyle for some people. Trauma impacts most people, not only physically, socially, and psychologically, but also spiritually. For those who are engaged in a spiritual life, trauma that threatens this aspect of their experience can generate a great deal of internal distress. When issues of the soul may be at stake many are driven to reconsider their belief systems including their views about God or a higher power (Pargament, Murray-Swank, Magyar, & Ano, 2005, p. 247). As individuals reevaluate their beliefs and values, they are likely to undergo a form of spiritual transformation. …

Poor Women with Sexually Transmitted Infections: Providers’ Perspectives on Diagnoses

This article presents results from a study of health care providers, mainly nurses and nurse practitioners, who routinely diagnose sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) in rural low-income populations in West Virginia (WV). A qualitative analysis of eighteen semi-structured interviews reveals that providers who consistently work with low-income populations believe patients undergo a negative change in self-image in response to a chronic STD diagnosis. Providers express concerns about a number of issues related to low-income, rural women’s access to sexual health care and see the need for more sexuality education, more funding for free and reduced cost clinics, and more available health insurance. Additionally, despite problems working in publicly funded clinic environments, providers attempt to eliminate stigma attached to diagnoses of sexually transmitted disease.

Experience of Iranian persons receiving hemodialysis: A descriptive, exploratory study

Patients living with end-stage renal disease experience different levels of physical and psychological disability that can impact on the type and level of social interaction in which they engage with others. The researchers concurrently collected and thematically analyzed the interview data that were generated from 21 participants who were undergoing hemodialysis in Iran. Four major themes were constructed from the analysis of the transcripts: living with fatigue; changes in self-image; patients' dependency on the device, place, and time of hemodialysis; and hiding the disease. The results from this study showed that the patients who were living with hemodialysis in Iran experienced altered social interactions with others. The culture of Iran resulted in the participants trying to hide their disease from others, which led to social avoidance, thus reducing the participants' social interactions with others. It is recommended that nurses include a comprehensive assessment of the social interactions of persons who are receiving hemodialysis in their overall nursing assessment and that this is reviewed on a regular basis.

Use of a novel autologous cell-harvesting device to promote epithelialization and enhance appropriate pigmentation in scar reconstruction

Epidermal replacement is an important step in the management of patients with post-traumatic and iatrogenic scars. Skin-colour variation from disease or trauma causes significant changes in self-image and appearance. The aim of our study was to analyse the results obtained with a novel autologous cell-harvesting system (ReCell) for epidermal replacement in patients with post-traumatic scars that had not improved with any other surgical procedure. We recruited 30 patients with post-traumatic or iatrogenic scars admitted to our department over 2 years. The primary endpoints of the study were: (i) time for complete epithelialization (both treated area and biopsy site) and (ii) aesthetic and functional quality of the epitheliaization (colour, joint contractures). Infections, inflammations or any adverse effects of the procedure were also reported. In total, 30 patients were analysed. The aesthetic and functional outcomes were rated by both patient and surgeon. Pigmentation was rated by the Vancouver Scar Scale. Most (80%) of the patients had an excellent or good outcome, with pigmentation rated as normal in 60% of the group. The procedure is a feasible, simple and safe technique. It gives similar results to skin grafting but because it harvests from much smaller areas, can open possible future applications in the management of patients with large scars.

Facing Physical Limitations—A Challenge to Self-Esteem

This article explores the personal challenges inherent in accepting limitations and a change in self-image. Nurses can assist their clients in moving toward a new vision of self that can better support health and wellness and perhaps a more realistic level of functioning as they age.

Constructing a Conceptual Framework of Patient-Reported Outcomes for Metastatic Hormone-Refractory Prostate Cancer

Objective A conceptual framework for patient-reported outcomes (PROs) is a structured representation of outcome concepts and issues. Our aim was to develop a conceptual framework of PROs for hormone-refractory prostate cancer (HRPC) to support measurement clarity. Methods Relevant outcome issues were identified from review of recent clinical trials. This provided content for an interview with 15 metastatic HRPC patients and a survey of 10 practitioners. All participants were asked about the relevance and importance of 26 outcomes and were allowed to nominate new outcomes. Practitioners were also asked to determine which outcomes endorsed by patients were attributable to the disease (symptoms) versus treatment (side effects). Analyses of archived clinical trial data were used to verify and augment the interview and survey results. Results Patients endorsed 11 concerns as relevant and important to HRPC including general pain, bone pain, urinary problems, fatigue, appetite loss, constipation, erectile dysfunction, peripheral neuropathy, diarrhea, PSA anxiety, and changes in self image. Practitioner judgments helped classify each concern into one of four categories, disease symptom, treatment side effect, both symptom and side effect, or psychological concern. Additionally, patients endorsed (and practitioners confirmed) the relevance and importance of several general domains of quality of life. Analyses of archived data confirmed the importance of these issues and suggested two additional concerns. Conclusion Findings were used to propose a conceptual framework of PROs for metastatic HRPC. Such frameworks can be used to help specify targets for assessment in clinical studies such as treatment trials.

Is pregnancy a teachable moment for smoking cessation among US Latino expectant fathers? A pilot study

Objective. Pregnancy may be a time when US Latino expectant fathers consider quitting smoking. A ‘teachable moment’ is theorized to increase motivation to change a behavior through increased risk perceptions, emotional responses, and changes in self-image. Design. We recruited 30 Spanish-speaking expectant fathers through their pregnant partners. We assessed expectant fathers' diet, exercise, and smoking and teachable moment constructs (risk perceptions, emotional responses, and self-image). We also tested correlations between teachable moment constructs and motivation to change behaviors. Results. Latino expectant fathers had high-risk perceptions that their smoking harmed the pregnancy (M=4.4, SD=0.5 on five-point scale) and strong emotional responses about their smoking during pregnancy (M=3.9, SD=1.1). They also felt it was their role to make the pregnancy healthy (M=4.4, SD=0.8). They felt less strongly that their diet and exercise affected the pregnancy. The teachable moment constructs for smoking were strongly correlated with motivation to quit smoking; the same was not true for diet and exercise. Conclusions. Latino expectant fathers seem aware that their smoking could harm the pregnancy but seem less concerned about the effect of their diet and exercise on the pregnancy. Pregnancy may be a time to help Latino expectant fathers quit smoking.

Changes in self-image as seen in tree paintings

The aim of this study was to investigate whether changes in self-image were reflected in the tree paintings of the participants in an art therapy programme, and, if so, how. A self-rating scale, Structural Analysis of Social Behaviour (SASB), was used in the assessment of changes in self-image, and content analysis was used to analyse the tree paintings. This particular combination of quantitative and qualitative measures and analysis has not been reported before in relation to the assessment of change in self-image. The SASB questionnaire and the instruction to paint a tree were presented to six women in an art therapy group programme. Data were collected in the first and final group session. The SASB results and noted changes in the tree paintings were then analysed and compared. All the participants showed changes in self-image according to SASB, but only two participants experienced positive changes that were possible to verify statistically. Certain features of all the participants’ second tree painting showed changes in comparison with the first tree painting. The findings indicated that it was not possible to arrive at a general conclusion concerning how changes in self-image could be related to the tree theme and to the results of the SASB. Further research with a more comprehensive collection of data would be desirable in order to examine whether a hypothesis about unconventional trees, the meaning of the colour, the marked outline, and the reduction/extension in the tree paintings could be of any relevance.

Changes in Self-Image in a Psychotherapy Supervisor Training Program

In this study, the Structural Analysis of Social Behavior (SASB) was used to assess the self-image of psychotherapists enrolled in a psychotherapy supervisor training program in the initial and final phases of their training, as well as four months after the completion of their training. Their self-image was compared to that of experienced supervisors. The results show that the self-image of the supervisor trainees changed over the course of the training. By the end of the training, their self-image was as autonomous as that of experienced supervisors. Positive self-acceptance also developed. The relation between the outcome of psychotherapy, the style of trainees' supervisor, and changes in the self-image of the trainees is also discussed.

The Place of Ordained Local Ministry in the Church of England

Research into the change in self-image of Ordained Local Ministers during ministerial training revealed a reluctance to change in ways that would threaten relationships with the local congregation. Comparison with theological, psychological and sociological theories of identity formation indicates that Ordained Local Ministers need to forge an identity that is distinct from that of other clergy.This identity needs to be encouraged and supported during training and the particular contribution of Ordained Local Ministers affirmed at diocesan and national level. As mission becomes the highest priority of the Church of England, Ordained Local Ministers have a distinctive and crucial role.

Self-Image as a Moderator of Change in Psychotherapy1

This study used the Structural Analysis of Social Behavior (SASB) introject model to investigate the relationship between patients’ self-image at pretreatment and change during psychotherapy. Data were obtained from the Norwegian Multisite Study of Process and Outcome in Psychotherapy, including 233 completed therapies. The patients were classified into four self-image profile groups (i.e., self-attack, self-control, intermediate attack–control, and self-love) based on their initial SASB pattern coefficients. Overall, the results indicated that response to treatment was contingent on self-image at pretreatment. Patients with a self-attacking self-image showed larger reductions in symptoms and sum criteria on Axis II during psychotherapy than those with less pathological self-images. As expected, the primary change in self-image was along the affiliation dimension, although patients with elevated pretreatment levels of self-control revealed substantial changes along the interdependence dimension as well.

The reliability of self-image change scores in psychotherapy research: An application of generalizability theory.

The aim of this study was to estimate the reliability of the pre- to posttreatment change scores for 3 different self-image aspects, Attack, Love, and Control. To measure self-image, we used the Norwegian version of the introject surface of Benjamin's (1974) structural analysis of social behavior. The article introduces Generalizability (G-) theory, combined with the recent concept of tolerance for error, as a framework for estimating the reliability and precision of change scores in 1- and 2-facet designs. Data were obtained from the Norwegian Multi-Site Study of Process and Outcome in Psychotherapy, including 291 outpatients. The mean number of treatment sessions was 47. The results show that change scores may be highly reliable. Generalizability coefficients resting on the relative and absolute score interpretations, respectively, for both the Love and Attack change scores reached acceptable levels. The reliability of the Control change score was, however, poor. G-theory combined with the error-tolerance concept proved to be a helpful framework for assessing the dependability of change scores in a psychotherapy research setting. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved).

Denial and Avoidance in an Unusual Case of Death from Breast Cancer

Dear Editor: We recently encountered the case of a woman who died in an atypical way as a result of coping with a breast mass by denial and avoidance. The patient, aged 48 years and white, lived at home with her husband and 2 young children. For 4 to 6 weeks preceding her death, she isolated herself from her family in the basement, explaining that she had personal issues that she was handling alone. She continued to work at her job, where her coworkers noted that she had become withdrawn. She was later found dead in the basement, surrounded by blood-soaked, foulsmelling clothing and gauze. There was a penetrating injury of the right breast and chest wall. An autopsy revealed that the injury was from a large ulcerated breast carcinoma, which eroded the chest wall and opened a large artery. There was no evidence of metastasis, which is the most common cause of death from breast cancer (1,2). Death owing to hemorrhage occurs in only approximately 9% of breast cancer patients (1,2) and is usually a complication of progressive disease. Death from a localized and usually curable primary tumor such as this one is most unusual. We believe the patient's denial and avoidance of her disease were psychosocial factors leading to this atypical mechanism of death from breast cancer. Denial can impede a woman's willingness to undergo screening examination (3). A substantial number of women may not recognize a breast abnormality on their own, before it is found by screening (4,5). They may use avoidant coping mechanisms that prevent them from checking for potential disease (4). Women who experience denial prior to disease identification are also more likely to maintain that denial later in the course of disease (5). After a diagnosis of breast cancer, a woman may experience denial based on fear of changes in self-image or sexuality or on concerns about the effect of the disease on her relationships with her partner or children (6). Coping strategies after diagnosis tend to assume a proactive character (3,7,8), however, and may include such activities as acceptance, positive reframing, use of religion, expressing emotion, adopting a fighting spirit, seeking support, asserting self-control, or diverting energy to other matters (7-9). While proactive coping strategies may seem to caregivers to be more productive in dealing with a serious disease, denial is not inherently a poor coping strategy. It can provide relief of psychological distress during difficult periods of treatment (3,7) and may be associated with remaining recurrence-free or experiencing prolonged duration of survival in women with local disease (3,10,11). …

Insight, working through, and practice: the role of procedural knowledge.

A conception of insight is proposed, based on a systems and information-processing framework and using current neuroscience concepts, as an integration of information that results in a new symbolization of experience with a significant change in self-image and a transformation of non-declarative procedural knowledge into declarative knowledge. Since procedural memory and knowledge, seen to include emotional and relationship issues, is slow to change, durable emotional and behavioral change often requires repeated practice, a need not explicitly addressed in standard psychoanalytic technique. Working through is thus seen as also encompassing nondynamic factors. The application of these ideas to therapeutic technique suggests possible therapeutic interventions beyond interpretation. An illustrative clinical vignette is presented.

Cooperação e autonomia: desafios das cooperativas populares

A possible alternative to the exclusion from the formal work market, cooperative working in the working classes, rapidly stops at the social hierarchies (empployer-empployee relationships), but it insists on the disposition of citizenship and in the emerging solidarity through a culture that is installed. The legitimacy of a new psycho-social place is made present in the talk of members of cooperatives, in accordance with research data, in an institutional coverage, carried out in popular urban cooperatives in the city of Rio de Janeiro. The results, from interviews and observations made, point to the perception of the efficiency of collective actions, of the fruits of solidarity and of cooperation in the generation of earnings, and of the possibility of other forms of working links that do not pass necessarily through relations instituted by dependency. The change in self image, the consciousness of unknown potentialities, reposition the worker vis a vis his social group. On the other hand, being formally employed, a title of citizenship in our social organization, highlights the one element that, because of its absence in the cooperative universe, interferes with the investment that the workers make in the cooperative institution beyond the governmental bureaucratic obstacles.