Fluctuation in the assimilation of problematic experiences: a case study of dynamic systems analysis

Dynamic systems theory suggests that instability can be a key element in the promotion of human change processes. Several studies have confirmed an association between unstable patterns and successful psychotherapeutic outcome. Somewhat similarly, the assimilation model of psychotherapeutic change argues that clinical change occurs through the integration of problematic experiences that initially threaten the stability of the self. This study examined how instability in assimilation levels was related to assimilation progress and change in symptom intensity, within and across sessions, in a good-outcome case of Emotion Focused Therapy. We used the assimilation of problematic experiences scales (APES) to measure assimilation and the outcome-questionnaire (OQ-10) to measure clinical symptom intensity. To assess assimilation instability, we used a fluctuation measure that calculated the amplitude and the frequency of changes in assimilation levels. To analyze the structural relationships between variables we used a dynamic factor model. The results showed that APES level and APES fluctuation tended to increase across treatment, while OQ-10 scores tended to decrease. However, contrary to expectations, the dynamic factor model showed no significant associations between APES fluctuation and OQ-10 scores either within sessions or between adjacent sessions.This work was supported by Fundacao para a Ciencia e Tecnologia [Descentracao e mudanca em Psicoterapia (grant number PTDC/PSI-PCL/103432/2008), iCare4Depression (grant number PTDC/MHC-PCL/1991/2014), and the Ph.D. (grant number SFRH/BD/77180/2011)]

Assessing Workplace Perceptions of Military Veteran Compared to Nonveteran Employees

Qualitative methods were used to examine differences in workplace perceptions between military veteran and nonveteran employees at the Veterans Health Administration (VHA). Prior research using employee satisfaction survey data found veteran employees reported a stronger connection to the organizational mission yet were overall less satisfied than nonveteran employees. The authors examined the open-text comments from that same survey to determine whether veteran employees identified the reasons for their discontent and whether these were similar to nonveterans’ concerns. They found that in cases when veteran employees indicated dissatisfaction or concerns, favoritism/unfairness was an overarching theme in their comments, more so than for nonveterans. Pragmatically, given these findings, enhanced vocational strategies for veterans transitioning into civilian employment is one way to socialize them into the new requirements and thus improve veterans’ workplace perceptions. Another approach is to develop organizational leaders’ understanding of military skills and culture to enable a better use of veteran employees’ strengths at civilian jobs.</p

Dialogical self strategies of self-organization: psychotherapy and restructuring of internal management

A identidade tem sido um conceito central na literatura em psicologia e na forma como as diferentes abordagens terapêuticas têm concebido os processos de mudança. Entre as inúmeras perspectivas desenvolvidas sobre essa dimensão do ser humano, destacamos o paradigma dialógico que tem vindo a influenciar de forma crescente a teoria e prática em psicoterapia. Segundo esta perspectiva, a funcionalidade psicológica está relacionada com o modo como os indivíduos conseguem articular e colocar em diálogo produtivo as suas várias vozes ou posições de identidade. Neste artigo apresentamos uma revisão da literatura sobre as estratégias que subjazem a essa capacidade auto-organizadora do sistema identitário e sobre as diretrizes que poderão orientar uma intervenção terapêutica dialógica quando essa capacidade se torna disfuncional.Self-concept has been playing a crucial role in psychological literature and in the way the different therapeutic approaches conceive the processes of change. From the diverse perspectives developed about this human dimension, we emphasise the dialogical paradigm that has been increasingly influential in the psychotherapeutic theory and practice. According to the dialogical perspective the psychological well-being is dependent on the way individuals articulate and maintain productive dialogues between the different voices of the self or “I-Positions”. In this paper we present a review of the literature on the strategies that underlie this self-regulatory ability of the self-system and the guidelines of the dialogical therapeutic intervention that could be used when these self-regulatory strategies become dysfunctional.(undefined

How collaboration in therapy becomes therapeutic: the therapeutic collaboration coding system

Background. The quality and strength of the therapeutic collaboration, the core of the alliance, is reliably associated with positive therapy outcomes. The urgent challenge for clinicians and researchers is constructing a conceptual framework to integrate the dialectical work that fosters collaboration, with a model of how clients make progress in therapy. Aim. We propose a conceptual account of how collaboration in therapy becomes therapeutic. In addition, we report on the construction of a coding system – the therapeutic collaboration coding system (TCCS) – designed to analyse and track on a moment-by-moment basis the interaction between therapist and client. Preliminary evidence is presented regarding the coding system’s psychometric properties. The TCCS evaluates each speaking turn and assesses whether and how therapists are working within the client’s therapeutic zone of proximal development, defined as the space between the client’s actual therapeutic developmental level and their potential developmental level that can be reached in collaboration with the therapist. Method. We applied the TCCS to five cases: a good and a poor outcome case of narrative therapy, a good and a poor outcome case of cognitive-behavioural therapy, and a dropout case of narrative therapy. Conclusion. The TCCS offers markers that may help researchers better understand the therapeutic collaboration on a moment-to-moment basis and may help therapists better regulate the relationship.This work was supported by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT); the PhD Grant SFRH/BD/46189/2008

SOIL MANAGEMENT AND SITE AND THEIR EFFECTS ON STRAWBERRY FRUIT QUALITY AND YIELD

150 pagesSupplemental file(s) description: 2019 data for field volatile content, 2018 data for Farm-to-Farm volatile content.The modern strawberry, Fragaria x ananassa Duch. is thought to have originated in France in the mid-18th century by the inadvertent crossing two American strawberry species, F. virginiana Duch. and F. chiloensis Linn. The large, sweet, and juicy fruit of F. ananassa quickly gained popularity in Europe, replacing the small, soft and fragrant woodland strawberry (F. vesca) in cultivation systems at that time. F. ananassa is easily propagated by runners, and lends itself well to perennial culture in temperate climates. Strawberries can be cultivated in a diversity of field systems, and grower recommendations for fertilizer, mulch, and pest management inputs vary by region as well as the market for which the grower is producing. In the northeastern region of the United States, strawberries are among the earliest-ripening crops in spring. Most strawberries grown in the Northeast are consumed locally, yet the majority of strawberries consumed is imported from other regions. Producing abundant, flavorful fruit can help strawberry growers attract and retain local customers. This thesis explores the factors that contribute to the development of sweet, juicy, and flavorful strawberries in Northeast production systems. Previous studies have connected chemical composition of strawberry to climate, soil nutrient status, soil microbiome, plant-pest interactions and field carbon inputs. My research evaluated variation in New York State-grown strawberry chemical composition from year-to-year, from farm-to-farm, and across nine different management practices on the same field site. I hypothesized that total soluble solids (TSS), titratable acidity (TA), and volatile profile of ‘Jewel’ strawberries would vary when grown at different sites, and that chemical composition of fruit would be affected by field management on the same growing site. I hypothesized that management-induced variation in fruit quality would have measurable effects on sensory qualities. Management practice was not associated with fruit quality traits: different levels of soil carbon inputs, N inputs, fertilization rate, and non-fertilizer inputs were not associated with the variation observed in TSS, TA, volatile profile, or phenolic content. A sensory evaluation found no perceptible differences in flavor or aroma of ‘Jewel’ grown under different management regimes. Only 3.4% and 3.0% of variation in TSS and TA, respectively, was associated with management practice. Yields were positively correlated with total N application in the form of urea, while organic forms of N were not significant predictors of yield. Managing strawberry fields for high yield did not result in reduced quality of fruits based on chemical composition or sensory panelist response. I found that all measured quality attributes can vary significantly from farm-to-farm, but year-to-year variation overwhelmed any differences from one growing site to the other. Seasonal GDD (base 14.3˚C) was weakly correlated with TSS and TA of fruit, but variation in aroma was not associated with local climate data. My findings suggest that year-to-year variation in chemical composition may be large enough to affect sensory perception. Between 2018 and 2019, the coefficient of variation from year-to-year was 70% for TSS and 49% for TA. Between 2019 and 2020, the coefficient of variation was 360% for TSS and 34% for TA. Average TSS observed in ‘Jewel’ samples from multiple farms changed from 6.32˚Bx in 2018, to 8.32˚Bx in 2019, and 7.90˚Bx in 2020. Average TA increased from 0.70 g/L-1 in 2018, to 1.65 g/L-1 in 2019, to 3.08 g/L-1 in 2020. By comparing the influence of conventional and organic management practices on ‘Jewel’ fruit quality, I conclude that N inputs are the most significant drivers of yields, but non-fertilizer inputs do not appear to affect quality characteristics of fruit including sweetness, acidity, phenolic content or aroma. Management practice was not significantly associated with fruit quality characteristics, sensory perception, percent marketable yield, or crown density of plants. Year-to-year variation in climate appears to be the most significant driver of ‘Jewel’ chemical composition and flavor attributes

The mediating relationship of self-awareness on supervisor burnout and workgroup Civility & Psychological Safety: A multilevel path analysis

The purpose of this study was to examine whether managerial self-awareness (defined as degree of agreement between self and subordinate ratings of leaders’ behaviors) mediates the relationship between supervisor burnout and supervised workgroup climate. Using an HLM approach, supervisor emotional exhaustion, depersonalization and personal accomplishment exhibited significant indirect relationships with workplace Civility and Psychological Safety, via managerial self-awareness. No direct relationships between supervisor burnout and workgroup climate were found, suggesting that self-awareness may be an important mediator for individual characteristics of leaders previously thought to be non-significant. Additional post hoc comparisons indicated that workgroups with supervisors who over-rated their own performance behaviors reported the lowest levels of Civility and Psychological Safety compared to workgroups with supervisors who accurately rated or under-rated their own performance behaviors. However, supervisors that under-rated their own performance reported the highest levels of burnout, highlighting the importance of self-awareness (accurately rating oneself) in relation to individual and group outcomes. The relationships between supervisor burnout, managerial self-awareness, and workgroup perceptions of Civility and Psychological Safety differed when considering the directionality of self-other rating agreement, with the negative impact of burnout at the supervisor level having a more direct impact on the workgroup level perceptions of Civility and Psychological Safety when the workgroup is managed by an under-rater, as opposed to an accurate- or over-rater. Practically, organizations should consider the role of managerial self-awareness in influencing subordinate performance and creating desirable work climates. Also, this study suggests the effects of burnout extend beyond the individual and have significant implications for the performance of those in the supervision of the burned out manager