Levels Of Self-focus Research Articles

Self-Entropic Broadening Theory: Toward a New Understanding of Self and Behavior Change Informed by Psychedelics and Psychosis.

The extremes of human experiences, such as those occasioned by classic psychedelics and psychosis, provide a rich contrast for understanding how components of these experiences impact well-being. In recent years, research has suggested that classic psychedelics display the potential to promote positive enduring psychologic and behavioral changes in clinical and nonclinical populations. Paradoxically, classic psychedelics have been described as psychotomimetics. This review offers a putative solution to this paradox by providing a theory of how classic psychedelics often facilitate persistent increases in well-being, whereas psychosis leads down a "darker" path. This will be done by providing an overview of the overlap between the states (i.e., entropic processing) and their core differences (i.e., self-focus). In brief, entropic processing can be defined as an enhanced overall attentional scope and decreased predictability in processing stimuli facilitating a hyperassociative style of thinking. However, the outcomes of entropic states vary depending on level of self-focus, or the degree to which the associations and information being processed are evaluated in a self-referential manner. We also describe potential points of overlap with less extreme experiences, such as creative thinking and positive emotion-induction. Self-entropic broadening theory offers a heuristically valuable perspective on classic psychedelics and their lasting effects and relation to other states by creating a novel synthesis of contemporary theories in psychology. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT: Self-entropic broadening theory provides a novel theory examining the psychedelic-psychotomimetic paradox, or how classic psychedelics can be therapeutic, yet mimic symptoms of psychosis. It also posits a framework for understanding the transdiagnostic applicability of classic psychedelics. We hope this model invigorates the field to provide more rigorous comparisons between classic psychedelic-induced states and psychosis and further examinations of how classic psychedelics facilitate long-term change. As a more psychedelic future of psychiatry appears imminent, a model that addresses these long-standing questions is crucial.

Maternal depressive symptoms, self-focus, and caregiving behavior

BackgroundParent–child interactions set the stage for child mental health and development. Given that maternal depressive symptoms are associated with poorer observed caregiving behaviors, examining potential cognitive mediators is important for identifying mechanisms underlying the intergenerational transmission of risk and possible targets for intervention. MethodsWe assessed depressive symptoms and levels of self-focus and psychological distancing from infant-centered verbal narratives obtained from 54 mothers, and examined caregiving behaviors in a structured interaction with their six-month-old infants. ResultsHigher depressive symptoms were associated with pronoun use in narratives (i.e., greater “I” and reduced “we” use), reflecting increased self-focus and psychological distancing. Further, increased self-focus was associated with lower levels of caregiver warmth, and mediated the association between depressive symptoms and caregiving warmth. LimitationsThis observational study does not allow for causal interpretations. ConclusionThese findings suggest that the cognitive styles associated with depression interfere with the caregiving relationship, affecting behavior in parent–child interactions that may increase the risk for the intergenerational transmission of depression.

Self-focused attention in panic disorder

Self-focused attention refers to attention consciously directed toward the self. Although cognitive models of panic posit the importance of attending to internal sensations and the role of this self-focus in the experience and maintenance of panic, limited empirical work has examined self-focus in the anxiety disorders. The current investigation examines two parameters of self-focus in subjects with diagnoses of panic disorder: baseline levels of self-focus when the individual is not experiencing panic, and levels of self-focus when the individual is placed under mild stress. Nineteen subjects with panic disorder and 20 normal controls completed a physiological task of baseline, relaxation, and mild stress. Pulse, skin temperature, and epidermal activity were assessed and cognitions were sampled. Cognitions were coded into content categories of self (physiological and cognitive), task, or other. Results support the existence of heightened levels of self-focused attention in panic subjects with differential types of self-focus during structured and unstructured tasks. The implications of these results are discussed in terms of cognitive models of panic and conceptualizations of self-focus.