Positive Imagery Research Articles

The Role of Intrusive Imagery in Hoarding Disorder

Despite the incidence of trauma in the histories of people with Hoarding Disorder (HD), reexperiencing symptoms, namely intrusive images, have not been investigated in the condition. To address this, 27 individuals who met DSM-5 criteria for HD and 28 community controls (CCs) were interviewed about (a) their everyday experiences of intrusive imagery, and (b) the unexpected images they experience when discarding high- and low-value possessions. Compared to CCs, everyday images described by the HD group were more frequent, had a greater negative valence, and were associated with greater interference in everyday life and attempts to avoid the imagery. With regard to discard-related imagery, a MANOVA followed up with mixed ANOVAs showed that HD participants reported more negative experiences of intrusive imagery in comparison with CCs during recent episodes of discarding objects of low subjective value. However, HD and CC participants both experienced positive imagery when discarding high-value objects. CC participants reported greater avoidance of imagery in the high-value object condition, but imagery-avoidance did not change between conditions for HD participants. The findings are discussed, particularly in relation to the potential of imagery-based interventions for HD.

It Takes an E-Village: Supporting African American Mothers in Sustaining Breastfeeding Through Facebook Communities.

Lack of breastfeeding support is a common barrier reported by African American mothers, whose breastfeeding rates remain significantly below the national average. Despite mothers' reported use of social network sites to access support on topics relating to child rearing, few studies have examined their use to exchange breastfeeding support. To describe (1) the experiences of African American mothers who participate in breastfeeding support groups on Facebook and (2) the breastfeeding beliefs, practices, and outcomes for this population of mothers. This was a prospective, cross-sectional qualitative study with an online focus group design. The study was guided by Black Feminist Thought and an integrated model of behavior prediction. Four online focus groups (N = 22) were conducted using video conferencing during September 2017 with African American mothers who were participating in breastfeeding support groups on Facebook. Thematic analysis was used to develop four themes and two subthemes, including creating a community for Black mothers, online interactions and levels of engagement, advantages of participating in online support groups, critiques of online support groups, empowerment of self and others, and shifts in breastfeeding perceptions and decisions. Among participants in this study, positive imagery of African American breastfeeding mothers and ongoing support from women with shared experiences improved confidence with public breastfeeding and prolonged goals for breastfeeding duration. Receiving peer support within Facebook communities may positively influence breastfeeding norms and confidence in breastfeeding, help mothers to overcome breastfeeding challenges, and ultimately extend intended breastfeeding duration.

#bodypositivity: A content analysis of body positive accounts on Instagram

In the last decade, the body image literature has begun to extend beyond a primary focus on body image disturbances and examine the construct of positive body image. Similarly, “Body positivity” is a growing social media trend that seeks to challenge dominant societal appearance ideals and promote acceptance and appreciation of all bodies and appearances. The present study provides a content analysis of body positive posts on Instagram. A set of 640 Instagram posts sampled from popular body positive accounts were coded for physical appearance-related attributes and central themes featured. Results showed that body positive imagery typically depicted a broad range of body sizes and appearances. Additionally, while a proportion of posts were appearance-focused, the majority of posts conveyed messages aligned with theoretical definitions of positive body image. This study clarifies body positive content on Instagram, as well as highlights points of overlap and distinction from academic principles of positive body image and other appearance-focused social media content. Accordingly, the results offer theoretical and practical implications for future research and prevention efforts.

ГАСТРОНОМИЧЕСКАЯ МЕТАФОРА В РЕКЛАМНОМ ТЕКСТЕ СФЕРЫ ТУРИЗМА

The article considers peculiar features of gastronomic metaphors in advertising texts of American tourist companies. Semantic classification of gastronomic metaphors was designed on the basis of their primary meanings. Several thematic groups of metaphors associated with names of food, its properties and actions relating to food were identified. The study was based on 200 advertisements posted by 30 American tour agencies where 160 gastronomic metaphors were found. They were distributed into 4 thematic groups: 1) actions relating to food, 2) food properties, 3) national cuisine, 4) food. The first group turned out the largest and included 71 metaphors further distributed into subgroups denoting food consumption process, (25), enjoying taste / smell of food (42), cooking (4). The analysis showed that all examples of gastronomic metaphors are characterized by positive connotation, expressiveness and imagery. Due to this, they implement the functions of attracting attention and emotional impact in advertising texts.

Environmental advertising: the effect of imagery on pro-environmental attitudes and pro-environmental behaviour / Publicidad medioambiental: el efecto de las imágenes sobre las actitudes proambientales y el comportamiento proambiental

Conservation psychology is an emerging field, with few studies examining the role of advertising imagery on environmental attitudes and behaviours. This study aimed to expand the knowledge in this field, by examining how different types of imagery affect pro-environmental attitudes and behaviours. Undergraduate psychology students from Macquarie University (N = 124) were assigned to one of three brochure groups. These brochure groups consisted of a hard copy brochure which contained either positive, negative or no images which participants read at the start of the study. Participants’ pro-environmental attitudes were then assessed using the New Ecological Paradigm, and behaviour through a hypothetical scenario in which respondents were asked to proportion $100 across three charity options or retain the money. It was found that positive imagery increased pro-environmental attitudes, over and above both the control (neutral) and negative images. In contrast, imagery did not affect pro-environmental behaviours. These findings suggest that positive images are most likely to elicit positive change in pro-environmental attitudes. However, these findings suggest that imagery in advertising does not impact pro-environmental behaviours.

The Snow Leopard and Cultural Landscape in Contemporary Kazakhstan

Abstract The snow leopard (Panthera uncia) is commonly seen in the cultural landscape within the Republic of Kazakhstan. This contrasts rather starkly with the endangered species’ presence on the natural landscape there. Three contemporary cultural landscape sightings of the snow leopard in Kazakhstan—the Almaty zoological park, the Kazakhstan 2030 strategy initiative, and the 2011 Asian Winter Games—are explored here. The positive imagery and symbolism linking the snow leopard to the Republic of Kazakhstan cements the non-human animal’s status as an unofficial state symbol. The borderlands of snow leopard landscapes, those spaces of cultural and natural environmental overlap, are vital for conservation efforts. Reincorporating non-human animals into social science research offers the opportunity for cultural landscape investigations. For the snow leopard, cultural landscape research may prove as important as traditional natural landscape research in Kazakhstan and throughout this majestic non-human animal’s territorial range.

Positive imagery training increases positive self-referent cognition in depression

Depressed adults often show a bias towards negative self-referent processing at the expense of positive self-referent processing. The current study assessed whether a mental imagery intervention (Positive Self Reference Training—PSRT) delivered via the Internet could improve self-referent processing and depressive symptomatology among adults with moderate or greater depression symptoms. Participants were recruited via online methods and randomly assigned to one of two computerized interventions: active PSRT (n=44) or control training (NTC; n=43). The PSRT involved visualizing the self in response to different positive cues (e.g., an achievement) every other day for two weeks. The NTC provided neutral cues about objects. Self-referential processing of positive and negative adjectives and depression symptoms were measured at baseline, one week, and two weeks after initiating training. Over those two weeks, PSRT participants showed a greater increase in positive self-referent processing than did NTC participants. Negative self-referent processing and symptoms of depression declined comparably in both groups. Similarly, for both groups, increase in positive and decrease in negative self-referent processing was associated with a greater reduction in depression. These results indicate that mental imagery has the potential to improve self-referential processing, especially for positive stimuli, which may, in turn, help reduce depressive symptomatology.

Stigmatizing images in the media - a cross-national survey.

Images accompanying articles on obesity in the media may contribute to a stigmatizing narrative of personal blame for the condition. We report a pilot study of online newspapers in 15 countries to determine the use of positive and negative imagery used to accompany articles on obesity. We undertook a visual content analysis of images accompanying articles on obesity from the top five newspapers of each country. We then ranked countries according to the ratio of positive to negative imagery used. A total of 195 images were analysed. The majority of images scored negatively (i.e. were likely to be stigmatizing). Media in Hong Kong, South Africa, Italy and Morocco had the highest prevalence of stigmatizing imagery, whereas Japan and New Zealand displayed the lowest. Public media in all the countries surveyed show stigmatizing imagery associated with obesity, but there was variability between countries. As the global prevalence of obesity rises and advocacy groups raise awareness of stigma, we hope for an improvement in the images used in the media.

When Neglect Isn’t Working Anymore: The Unlikely Success of the Tuxedo Party

Abstract In 2012, Tuxedo Stan, a domestic long-hair cat, “ran for mayor” of Halifax, Nova Scotia, and a year later Stan’s brother, Earl Grey, “ran for premier” of Nova Scotia. What separated Stan and Earl Grey (who ran under the banner of the Tuxedo Party) from other politically minded felines was that the Tuxedo Party campaigns were not stunt or joke campaigns. While the cats could obviously not take office, the two campaigns were nonetheless political advocacy campaigns, with a clearly articulated message to make life better for feral and stray cats. This paper argues that the Tuxedo Party successfully elevated the issue onto the political agenda through their savvy mix of social media, and the use of positive imagery of cats in their campaigns.

Computerized positive mental imagery training versus cognitive control training versus treatment as usual in inpatient mental health settings: study protocol for a randomized controlled feasibility trial

BackgroundEnhancing the capacity to experience positive affect could help improve recovery across a range of areas of mental health. Experimental psychopathology research indicates that a computerized cognitive training paradigm involving generation of positive mental imagery can increase state positive affect, and more recent clinical studies have suggested that this training could be used as an adjunct treatment module to target symptoms related to positive affect deficits, specifically anhedonia. The current study investigates the feasibility of adding a positive mental imagery computerized training module to treatment for patients in inpatient mental health settings, with a focus on increasing positive affect and reducing anhedonia. The positive mental imagery training (PMIT) is added to treatment as usual (TAU) in the inpatient setting, and compared to TAU alone, or TAU plus an alternative cognitive training module not hypothesized to increase positive affect, cognitive control training (CCT).MethodsThe study is a feasibility randomized controlled trial with three parallel arms. Up to 90 patients admitted to inpatient mental health treatment clinics in Germany will be randomized to PMIT + TAU, CCT + TAU, or TAU on a 1:1:1 ratio. PMIT or CCT consist of an introductory session followed by up to 8 full training sessions over 2 weeks. All three arms (including TAU) include regular completion of mood measures over the 2-week period. Outcome measures are completed pre and post this 2-week training/monitoring period, and at 2-week follow-up. Data will be presented in the form of both raw means and standardized effect sizes, with 95% confidence intervals, for both intention-to-treat and per-protocol samples.DiscussionThe study will inform feasibility of conducting a fully powered randomized controlled trial investigating the addition of the positive mental imagery training as a treatment adjunct to inpatient treatments for mental health, including potential refinement of study procedures, inclusion/exclusion criteria, and preliminary indications of the likely range of effect sizes.Trial registrationclinicaltrials.gov, NCT02958228 (date registered: 4 November 2016)

Hypothetical future orientated positive imagery reduces feelings of social anxiety in a healthy population

Negative mental imagery has been shown to be involved in the onset and maintenance of numerous clinical disorders and as a result there has been growing scientific study of the therapeutic role of positive mental imagery, with studies reporting favourable results. However, with regard to social anxiety (SA) disorder the conventional approach to induce positive mental imagery has been suggested to be too demanding due to impairment in the retrieval of such episodes. Therefore, researchers have called for controlled studies to explore alternative inducement techniques with specific focus upon future orientated methods (a method more suitable for patients with SA). In the current study, we compare the conventional inducement technique (past) to a future orientated inducement technique (future) and a control condition (no imagery) and measure the impact upon self-reported levels of anxiety in a non-clinical population. Seventy-Eight younger students were randomly allocated to one of the two imagery inducement techniques or the control condition (and completed anxiety scales before and after imagery inducement or control task). To capture situational anxiety, phobia and broader short and long term (state versus trait) dysfunction the Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale and State-Trait Anxiety Inventory were the chosen measures. Results confirmed that positive mental imagery reduces feelings of anxiety and demonstrated, for the first time, the effectiveness of a hypothetical future orientated technique to induce positive mental imagery. These data will provide the groundwork for intervention development in clinical populations with known difficulties capitalising on past based mental imagery.

Choosing the perfect shot - The loaded narrative of imagery in online news coverage of vaccines.

Images in health communication have been shown to affect perspectives and attitudes towards health issues including vaccination. We seek to quantify the frequency of images used in online news coverage of vaccines that may convey varying sentiments about vaccination. To capture a breadth of vaccine-related news coverage, including international sources, we searched the following terms in Google News Archives: “autism and vaccine”, “flu and vaccine”, and “measles and Disneyland”. We developed a coding tool that classified images as negative (eg, screaming child), positive (eg, happy child), neutral (eg, vaccine vial), or irrelevant (eg, picture of journalist). All images were coded independently by two researchers and discussed for consensus. We analyzed 734 images. Of the images which featured vaccines and/or a medical encounter (322), 28% had negative features and 30% had positive features. The remaining 137 images (43%) were neutral. There was no statistically significant difference between proportions of negative and positive imagery for each pair of search terms, which may be a reflection of random image selection. Ultimately, nearly one in eight images included in vaccine-related news coverage contains negative features which may be selected without careful consideration of the potential negative impact on public health initiatives regarding vaccination.

Looking forward to the future: Impoverished vividness for positive prospective events characterises low mood in adolescence

BackgroundEnhancing positive future imagery offers promise for treatment innovation in adult depression but has been neglected in adolescence. While negative life events are linked with depression-onset in adolescence, mechanisms underlying this association are poorly understood. We investigate whether difficulties in generating vivid positive future imagery characterise depression, compared to anxiety, and examine potential moderation of the relationship between negative life events and depressive symptoms in adolescence. MethodThree hundred and seventy-five young people (11–16 years) completed the Prospective Imagery Task, and self-reported on symptoms of anxiety and depression. They were also asked to describe a past negative life event they had been thinking about or imagining over the last seven days, which was subsequently coded by a clinician over whether it was no, low, moderate or high impact. ResultsSymptoms of depression were associated with less vivid positive imagery and more vivid negative imagery whether past or future, whilst symptoms of anxiety were associated with increased vividness for past negative events only. The relationship between life event severity and depression was increased for those with poorer vividness for positive future events. LimitationsThese data were collected at a single time-point only, limiting conclusions on temporal relationships. All measures were also self-reported, increasing shared method variance. ConclusionsThese findings suggest that the relationship between negative life events and prospective positive imagery are specific to depressive symptoms in adolescence and provide foundations for novel approaches to strengthen psychological interventions.

REVISITING THE SAFE PLACE:Method and Regulatory Aspects in Psychotherapy when Easing Allostatic Overload in Traumatized Patients

Safe-place inductions are considered important altered states of consciousness (ASC) to be (re)installed during trauma-informed psychotherapy. Coregulation aimed at changing implicit relational knowing and increasing integration and coherence through relational work and hypnotic techniques is crucial, as clients’ abilities to self-soothe and regulate have become seriously impaired. Thus, resource-oriented metaphors as inner strength imagery is advocated. Also, methods such as creative-arts therapy and neurofeedback will induce ASCs, as most methods used with complex traumatized clients, due to their high hypnotizability. When positive or soothing imagery or relationally held suggestions for changed attentional focus are added to both psychodynamic psychotherapy and CBT, a hetero-hypnosis will be induced—a prerequisite for phase-specific trauma therapy aimed at changing inner schemas and scripts.

Prospective mental imagery and its link with anxiety and depression in prisoners.

Mental imagery is known to play a key role in the development and maintenance of depression and anxiety. Prisoners commonly experience psychological distress, but interventions to address this are currently lacking. We aimed to examine the link between prospective mental imagery and anxiety and depression among prisoners. One hundred twenty-three male prisoners from a Category C prison in southwest England participated in the study. They completed the Centre for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) and the General Anxiety Disorder Scale (GAD-7) to measure whether they experience depression and/or anxiety symptoms. Furthermore, they completed additional questionnaires to evaluate their prospective mental imagery. Results showed that 67.5% of prisoners presented with more depression symptoms and 27.7% with more anxiety symptoms. Supporting earlier findings, our data revealed that some dimensions of prospective mental imagery were significantly related with increased anxiety and depression symptoms in prisoners. Namely, intrusive negative personally relevant imagery was a positive predictor and likelihood of positive events a negative predictor of both anxiety and depression symptoms. The perceived likelihood of negative events was a positive predictor of depression. Intrusive verbal thought was a positive predictor of anxiety. The obtained results suggest the need to develop interventions not only targeting the reduction of prospective negative imagery but also the enhancement of positive mental imagery.

Modulation of corticospinal excitability during positive and negative motor imageries

We investigated corticospinal excitability during positive (execution) and negative (suppression) imageries for the right and left upper and lower limbs. In the Positive Imagery tasks, sixteen subjects were instructed to repeatedly imagine rotation of the index finger of the right or left hand, or the ankle of the right or left foot. In the Negative Imagery tasks, they were asked to imagine the suppression of movements for the index finger of the right or left hand, or the ankle of the right or left foot. A single-pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation was delivered over the left hand primary motor cortex, and motor evoked potentials (MEPs) were recorded from the right first dorsal interosseous (FDI) muscle under all conditions. The MEP amplitudes of the FDI were significantly larger in the Positive and Negative Imagery tasks than in the resting control task during motor imagery of the right hand, left hand, and left foot, but not during that of right foot. Our results indicate that imageries of suppressing hand and foot movements enhanced corticospinal excitability.

Self-guided Positive Imagery Training: Effects beyond the Emotions-A Loreta Study.

Previously we demonstrated that a 12-week lasting self-guided positive imagery training had a positive effect on the psycho-emotional state of healthy subjects and was associated with an increase in functional connectivity in the brain. Here we repeated the previous project, but expanded the study, testing the hypothesis that training can also affect cognitive functions. Twenty subjects (half of them with subthreshold depression according CES-D) participated in the program of positive imagery training for 12 weeks. The schedule began with group training for 2 days, followed by training at home. Evaluations of cognitive functions and electroencephalographic (EEG) activity were conducted during three examinations as follows: E0-baseline (1 month before the training); E1-pre-training and E2-post-training. CNS Vital Signs battery was used to test the following cognitive domains: verbal and visual memory, executive functions, cognitive flexibility, social acuity, non-verbal reasoning. EEGs (19-channel) were recorded at rest with closed eyes and analyzed with Low-resolution electromagnetic tomography software. One-way repeated measures ANOVA, followed by pairwise comparison showed a significant increase after training (E2 vs. E1; E2 vs. E0) in the number of correct hits for positive emotions received during perception of emotions test (POET); after the sample was split according to the initial presence of depressive symptoms, the effect was present only in the subgroup with subthreshold depressive symptomatology. Post-training (E2 vs. E1; E2 vs. E0) the number of correct answers on non-verbal reasoning test increased; this effect was observed only in the subgroup that does have any depressive symptoms. Comparison of EEG post-training vs. pre-training demonstrated a significant reduction in current source density (CSD) after the training in the left hemisphere (insular cortex, frontal and temporal lobes in delta, theta and alpha1 bands). The observed changes were presented only in the subgroup with initial subthreshold depressive symptomatology. A negative correlation was found between POET and CSD in the left insular cortex for theta band. No significant differences were observed when data from EEG and cognitive tests obtained during pre-training were compared with baseline values. Potential use of training for the rehabilitation of various disturbances with cognitive and emotional deficits is discussed.

Confidence Interventions: Do They Work?

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effectiveness of different confidence enhancing techniques (Positive Self-Talk, Imagery, and Confidence Profiling) in amateur track and field athletes. Fifteen participants volunteered to take part in the study, five in each intervention group. A baseline measure using TSCI and SSCI has administrated prior to the intervention. Each athlete then completed a four-week intervention, completing the TSCI and SSCI again post-intervention. Results from a mixed model ANOVA yielded a significant difference in pre scores to post in each intervention, p < 0.05. Although no significant difference was found between groups, p > 0.05, meaning all groups were of equal effect. Despite not being statistically different, imagery improved scores the most. These results provide a protocol structure for psychologists and coaches to follow.

Exploratory study of imagery rescripting without focusing on early traumatic memories for major depressive disorder.

BackgroundMental imagery has a more powerful impact on our emotions than thinking in words about the same material. Treating intrusive images with imagery rescripting (IR) has been reported for various disorders, including post‐traumatic stress disorder, social anxiety disorder, and bipolar disorder. There has been less research about IR as a major depressive disorder (MDD).AimsWe examined whether IR without focusing on early traumatic memories is effective in MDD.MethodsWe enrolled 19 participants with MDD, who received 15 weekly sessions of full CBT, including two sessions for IR of intrusive images and, separately, for memory rescripting. Before and after the IR intervention, participants were asked to rate the intrusive images they experienced against, an intrusion index that included difficulty (interference with daily life), uncontrollability, distress caused by the negative image, and vividness. We recorded the contents of each participant's negative and positive imagery to classify these.ResultsThe intrusion index scores decreased after the IR sessions. Negative images experienced by the participants while in a depressive mood were categorized into three different types: blame, social exclusion, and loneliness. The rescripted positive images were categorized into good relations and worthy self (competent self).ConclusionsThese results suggest that IR of intrusive images without focusing on early traumatic memories may usefully be incorporated into routine CBT sessions for MDD.

Investigating the mediating role of positive and negative mastery imagery ability

ObjectivesThis study investigated whether positive and negative mastery imagery ability mediated the relationship between confidence and stress appraisals and responses. To determine whether these results were specific to mastery imagery ability, this study also investigated whether another type of imagery ability (affect) mediated these relationships. DesignCross-sectional, multi-phase study. Method321 athletes (M age = 20.80 years) completed measures of mastery and affect imagery ability, challenge and threat appraisals, confidence, and anxiety intensity and direction. Using structural equation modeling, structural (i.e., mastery) and alternative (i.e., affect) models were tested for indirect effects. ResultsIn Phase 1, positive and negative mastery imagery ability mediated the relationship between confidence and challenge (B = 0.15, p = 0.025) and threat appraisals (B = −0.26, p = 0.003) respectively. Positive affect imagery ability mediated between confidence and challenge appraisals (B = 0.11, p = 0.001), and negative affect mediated between confidence and challenge (B = 0.03, p = 0.038) and threat appraisals (B = −0.06, p = 0.029). In Phase 2, positive (B = −0.09, p = 0.021) and negative (B = −0.10, p = 0.001) mastery imagery ability mediated between confidence and cognitive anxiety intensity, whereas neither positive nor negative affect imagery ability mediated this relationship. ConclusionsTraining athletes how to increase positive mastery imagery ability to combat negative imagery could directly influence stress appraisals and cognitive anxiety intensity, but affect imagery ability may also be important for impacting challenge and threat appraisals.