Personality attributes related to bronchial asthma in the adult male.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Boston UniversityThe question whether various psychosomatic disorders such as bronchial asthma are associated with certain personality characteristics is at present not decided conclusively. To date, psychoanalytic formulations of the asthmatic's personality have tended to dominate psychological thinking on the subject. The psychoanalytically-oriented study of Alexander and French is perhaps the best known and most thorough psychological study to date on the asthmatic personality. They investigated 27 cases from periods ranging from two to 43 months, by means of dream interpretation and staff discussion of analytic interviews. The common problem was said to be a "basic insecurity and more or less intense need for parental love and protection." When the nurturant relationship is threatened an attack may be precipitated. The present study took as its general hypothesis the Alexander and French position that a psychological fact in the personality structure of the asthmatic is a deep, unsatisfied dependency need. This general statement was made testable by applying psychoanalytic theory to deduce logically the consequences of this need. By means of readily identified personality attributes derived from the general hypothesis the raw data was made quantifiable. The existence of unsatisfied dependency needs, then, may lead to certain personality characteristics or attributes in the adult asthmatic. One of these is the exaggerated expression of dependency reactions--the need for security is great and becomes a search for nurturance and a fear of loss of love. A second attribute which is closely allied to dependency reactions is said to be psychosexual immaturity--confusion in sex role. Early, partial, passive identification with the mother, and repression of sexuality were means of retaining her love and have persisted to some degree in the adult personality. Finally, we may speak of the attribute of repressed hostility and denial of aggressive feelings and actions. Hostile feelings must be bottled up, for to give vent to them would be to lose the love of the mother or mother surrogate, or be forced into an independence for which the asthmatic is ill prepared. Hypothesis One: A significantly greater number of reactions indicative of dependency will be elicited from the asthmatic group as compared to the control group. Hypothesis One tends to be supported. The asthmatics in the overall comparison, throughout the battery, gave significantly more dependency reactions (Chi Square=8.10, p<0.01). Hypothesis Two: A significantly greater number of reactions indicative of confusion of sex role will be elicited from the asthmatic group as compared to the control group. Hypothesis Two tends to be supported. The asthmatics in the overall comparison, throughout the battery, gave significantly more reactions indicative of confusion of sexual role (Chi Square = 16.0, p<0.01). Hypothesis Three: A significantly greater number of reactions indicative of repression of hostility and denial of aggression will be elicited from the asthmatic group as compared to the control group. Hypothesis Three tends to be supported. There was a significant difference in reactions indicative of repressed hostility throughout the battery (Chi Square=3.92, p =<0.05). The general hypothesis taken from Alexander and French tends to be supported. Crucial to this was the necessity for finding a significantly larger number of dependency reactions in the asthmatic. The posited confusion in sex role was also found. Finally, group differences were found to exist with respect to repressed hostility. In addition, the far more immature manner in which the asthmatics reacted to hostility-evoking situations suggested further possible personality differences in this latter area. In considering the results one must bear in mind the limitations set up by the compositions of the groups compared. Also it cannot be emphasized too strongly the results are in terms of group trends, there being individual overlap in each direction. The important question of constitutional differences in emotional balance and predisposition to allergy as etiologically significant has not been touched on in the present experiment. Such research is essential in the attempt to establish the relationship between interpersonal, intra-psychic, and somatic factors

The effects of induced stress on the management of hostility in essential hypertension

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Boston UniversityThis investigation studied the mode of hostility management in persons with essential hypertension. The mode of adjustment to hostile impulses of hypertensive persons was viewed as a defensive adaptation which was different from the normal mode. The hypothesized differences between these groups were to be observed under two conditions, one with and one without hostility arousal. Under both conditions it was predicted that the hypertensive would be over-inhibited with respect to expressions of hostility. In the first condition a higher level of inhibition and tension was expected to characterize the hypertensive group. Under the second condition greater change from the earlier levels of inhibition and tension were also expected to characterize the hypertensive group. The independent variable of essential hypertension was defined on the basis of presence or absence of a medical diagnosis of essential hypertension. The second independent variable was hostility arousal. The method employed was an adaptation of the Wisconsin card sort that involved punishment for failure [TRUNCATED

Korijeni aleksitimije

This paper presents the historical background and theoretical framework of alexithymia and the development of the instruments that measure this theoretical construct more accurately. The alexithymia concept was derived from clinical observation, initially formulated without an underlying theoretical framework. Nowadays, alexithymia is a part of the theory of cognitive processing and regulation of emotions. The paper also reviews the interest alexithymia aroused in research and clinical work of various fields of psychology, particularly psychoanalysis. The concept was developed from clinical experience with psychosomatic patients that responded poorly to psychotherapy. The development of the concept from categorical to dimensional is highlighted. Alexithymia was conceptualised as a defense mechanism, but also as deficit pathology. It overlaps with the concept of mentalization and can be viewed both in terms of state and trait features. Finally, the measuring instruments for alexithymia are comprehensively listed.Ovaj pregledni rad predstavlja povijesnu pozadinu i teorijski okvir koncepta te razvoj instrumenata koji mjere aleksitimiju. Koncept aleksitimije proizašao je iz kliničkog promatranja, bez prethodno osmišljenog teorijskog okvira. Danas je aleksitimija dio kognitivne teorije i teorije regulacije afekta. Aleksitimija je pobudila veliko zanimanje psihoanalitičara, kao i kliničara drugih teorijskih usmjerenja. Koncept je nastao iz kliničkih iskustava sa psihosomatskim bolesnicima kod kojih je uočen nezadovoljavajući odgovor na psihoterapiju. U ovom radu opisujemo razvoj od kategorijskog do dimenzijskog koncepta aleksitimije. Aleksitimija se može razumjeti kao obrambeni mehanizam, ali i kao patologija deficita. Preklapa se s konceptom mentalizacije. Mogu se razlikovati njene state i trait karakteristike. U završnom dijelu članka navedeni su svi instrumenti za mjerenje aleksitimije

Fantasies of mother-child interaction in hay fever sufferers

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Boston UniversityThis study was designed to investigate whether individuals with perennial rhinitis, a disorder conceived of as psychosomatic, would evidence fantasies either of maternal domination or of maternal rejection. It was hypothesized that: (1) Cases of perennial rhinitis evidence more intense fantasies of maternal domination than do cases of seasonal rhinitis or do symptom-free individuals; and (2) Cases of perennial rhinitis evidence no more intense fantasies of maternal rejection than do cases of seasonal rhinitis or normals. [TRUNCATED

The Decade 1989-1998 inSpanish Psychology: An Analysis of Research in Personality, Assessment, and Psychological Treatment (Clinical and Health Psychology).

Sin resume

A study of the Children's Psychiatric Clinic of the Massachusetts Memorial Hospitals (December 1, 1949 - August 31, 1950).

Thesis (M.S.)--Boston Universit