Psychotherapy\u27s impact on society.

Psychotherapy\u27s impact on society is examined by comparing the relevant literature on the issue with themes generated from 24 semi-structured interviews with practising psychotherapists. The process of transforming the interview material into a hierarchical arrangement of themes is based on Rennie\u27s (1992) version of Grounded theory. The study is also based on Lather\u27s (1991) attempt at combining critical theory with social constructionist inquiry. Generally, the main purposes of this study are: (1) to better understand how psychotherapists make sense of their role in society; (2) to assist psychotherapists in thinking about these issues; and (3) to incorporate the experiences of real life psychotherapists with the literature on the topic. There have been a number of criticisms of mainstream clinical psychology that point to its role in perpetuating the present societal power structures thereby acting as a barrier to the mental health of its clients as well as society at large. I will argue that clinicians should become more aware of the powerful effects of their work to better facilitate their clients empowerment through emancipatory means. This entails helping clients choose their own course of action, based partly on an understanding of the societal causes of their powerlessness. According to the themes that emerged from the interviews, the most prevalent view is that therapy has an individualistic focus. This view stresses the importance and possibility of not imposing values on clients who are believed to be powerful themselves. Alternatively, a less widely held position is a critical reading of the social effects of therapy\u27s almost exclusive focus on the individual. In order to combat these negative affects, this view is consistent with the belief that therapists should be more pro-active agents of social change. In addition to the role of contextual factors in the research process, some of the differences between the critical literature and the thematic presentation of participants\u27 pronouncements might be due to the critical literature s adherence to a more socialistic perspective and to a mix of Foucauldian and Gramscian conceptions of power, compared to the participants\u27 adherence to a more liberal-humanist perspective and to more mainstream conceptions of power. A dialectical perspective that incorporates individual and societal considerations meets most of the concerns of the critical literature and of the participants. It ensures that clients are respected while at the same time promotes the well-being of society.Dept. of Psychology. Paper copy at Leddy Library: Theses & Major Papers - Basement, West Bldg. / Call Number: Thesis1995 .C62. Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 56-11, Section: B, page: 6384. Adviser: Henry Minton. Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Windsor (Canada), 1995

Lay epistemology and attitudes towards AIDS (immune deficiency).

An individual\u27s underlying values (or lay epistemology) may be a more crucial determinant in the formation of attitudes towards Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) and People with AIDS than his or her knowledge about AIDS. Using Unger\u27s (1986) terminology, it is argued that the social constructionist value orientation, as opposed to the logical positivist orientation, is most consistent with the demonstration of humane attitudes, with respect to this issue. Two hypotheses are explored. The first hypothesis is that there is a relationship between lay epistemology and attitudes towards AIDS, such that social constructionism is related to humane attitudes towards AIDS, and logical positivism is related to negative attitudes. This hypothesis is supported by the data. The second hypothesis is that lay epistemology and knowledge of AIDS predicts attitudes towards AIDS. However, a larger proportion of the variance in attitudes towards AIDS is explained by epistemology than by knowledge of AIDS. The results of this hypothesis are promising, though not entirely as expected. Nevertheless, epistemology as well as knowledge of AIDS are significant predictors of attitudes towards AIDS. Both factors should be taken into account in educating the public about AIDS. Source: Masters Abstracts International, Volume: 30-03, page: 0907. Chair: H. Minton. Thesis (M.A.)--University of Windsor (Canada), 1989

Duodenal carcinoma at the ligament of Treitz. A molecular and clinical perspective

Background There is very small occurrence of adenocarcinoma in the small bowel. We present a case of primary duodenal adenocarcinoma and discuss the findings of the case diagnostic modalities, current knowledge on the molecular biology behind small bowel neoplasms and treatment options. Case The patient had a history of iron deficiency anemia and occult bleeding with extensive workup consisting of upper endoscopy, colonoscopy, capsule endoscopy, upper gastrointestinal series with small bowel follow through and push enteroscopy. Due to persistent abdominal pain and iron deficiency anemia the patient underwent push enteroscopy which revealed adenocarcinoma of the duodenum. The patient underwent en-bloc duodenectomy which revealed T3N1M0 adenocarcinoma of the 4th portion of the duodenum. Conclusions Primary duodenal carcinoma, although rare should be considered in the differential diagnosis of occult gastrointestinal bleeding when evaluation of the lower and upper GI tract is unremarkable. We discuss the current evaluation and management of this small bowel neoplasm