Il counselling psicodinamico con i giovani adulti. L'intervento clinico sulle impasse evolutive

Nello scritto si illustra la teoria e la tecnica del counselling psicodinamico rivolto a giovani adulti in un setting istituzionale, con l’obiettivo fondamentale di aiutarli a superare delle crisi evolutive attuali. Nello specifico, si fa riferimento al modello teorizzato dagli psicoterapeuti della Tavistock Clinic di Londra. Attraverso alcuni casi clinici, si discute su come l’identificazione proiettiva, il transfert, il controtransfert ed il setting istituzionale possono rappresentare utili strumenti clinici del counsellor. Infine, viene mostrata una possibile modalità di trattamento del sintomo e di utilizzo del sogno

Transition in the workplace: The experience of Italian transgender and gender non-conforming people through the lens of the minority stress theory

Transgender and gender non-conforming (TGNC) people are a highly stigmatized population experiencing high rates of minority stress and adverse health outcomes. Notwithstanding that, they are able to use adaptive coping strategies to buffer the effect of stigma on their health. Recently, vocational experiences of TGNC individuals were connected to minority stressors, highlighting the effects that stigma have on vocational outcomes. Through the lens of the minority stress theory, this study aimed at exploring the emotional and psychological implications of the gender transition process in the workplace in two male-to-female and six female-to-male Italian TGNC individuals taking part in the study “Reinterpreting organizations through transgender and gender non-conforming narratives”. Participants sent their narratives to the editorial board of the PuntOorg International Journal (PIJ). Narratives were analyzed through the thematic inductive analysis. Three macrocategories were identified, each containing core themes, as follows: 1) Minority stressors (a. Transphobia and rejection; b. Felt stigma and stigma anticipation; c. Internalized transphobia; d. Passing as an obstacle); 2) Protective factors (a. Passing as a resource; b. Coming out, visibility, and intimacy with colleagues; c. Resilience); 3) Effect of minority stress on health (a. Depression; b. Anger and suicide ideation). Results and organizational implications are discussed

Sulla pratica clinica affermativa con le persone transgender e gender nonconforming: Nuove linee-guida dell’American Psychological Association

This short essay aims to present the translation and adaptation to the Italian context of the recent guidelines for psychological-clinical practice with transgender and gender nonconforming people (TGNC) published in 2015 by the American Psychological Association (APA). As a result of the confirmation of the psychiatric diagnosis in the latest version of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), APA has highlighted the need to use an affirmative practice, that is a respectful, informed, and supportive approach to TGNC identities and life experiences. These guidelines, therefore, represent a fundamental text for a competent and scientifically based psychological cure

Il ruolo del genere nel lavoro con gli uomini autori di violenza: Affetti e rappresentazioni dei professionisti della salute

Il lavoro di contrasto alla violenza maschile contro le donne ha recentemente spostato il proprio focus dalla donna vittima di violenza all’uomo maltrattante. Questo cambio di paradigma ha portato all’implementazione di programmi di trattamento rivolti agli autori di violenza e all’impegno di professionisti uomini nel contrasto alla violenza. Il presente studio ha l’obiettivo di esplorare gli affetti e le rappresentazioni di 7 professionisti della salute (3 uomini e 4 donne) che si occupano di trattare uomini autori di violenza, con un focus specifico sul genere di appartenenza. L’analisi semiotica quali-quantitativa applicata alle interviste semi-strutturate analizzate tramite il software T-LAB ha consentito di individuare la presenza di 5 cluster: 1) Riconoscimento delle emozioni; 2) Posizionamento di genere; 3) Competenze lavorative; 4) Percezione del rapporto tra i generi; e 5) Rapporto con il lavoro. I risultati sembrano confermare che il genere di appartenenza degli operatori giochi un ruolo fondamentale nell’esperienza lavorativa con gli uomini maltrattanti

Lo stigma anti-transgender da una prospettiva ecologico-sociale: Effetti sulla salute psico-fisica e strategie di intervento

The present study offers an overview on stigma against transgender people, analyzing its effects on physical and psychological well-being. We adopted a socio-ecological perspective, according to which antitransgender stigma may manifest at different levels: along the environment-individual spectrum, stigma may occur at the institutional, interpersonal and individual level. All these typologies make transgender people a very vulnerable group, at risk for several health problems. Authors will finally overview some specific psycho-social interventions aimed at reducing stress, by matching each level of stigma with internationally well-established good practices

Online Model-Based Testing under Uncertainty

Modern software systems are required to operate in a highly uncertain and changing environment. They have to control the satisfaction of their requirements at run-time, and possibly adapt and cope with situations that have not been completely addressed at design-time. Software engineering methods and techniques are, more than ever, forced to deal with change and uncertainty (lack of knowledge) explicitly. For tackling the challenge posed by uncertainty in delivering more reliable systems, this paper proposes a novel online Model-based Testing technique that complements classic test case generation based on pseudo-random sampling strategies with an uncertainty-aware sampling strategy. To deal with system uncertainty during testing, the proposed strategy builds on an Inverse Uncertainty Quantification approach that is related to the discrepancy between the measured data at run-time (while the system executes) and a Markov Decision Process model describing the behavior of the system under test. To this purpose, a conformance game approach is adopted in which tests feed a Bayesian inference calibrator that continuously learns from test data to tune the system model and the system itself. A comparative evaluation between the proposed uncertainty-aware sampling policy and classical pseudo-random sampling policies is also presented using the Tele Assistance System running example, showing the differences in achieved accuracy and efficiency

Sexism, homophobia and transphobia in a sample of Italian pre-service teachers: the role of socio-demographic features

Although recent research has highlighted that lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) youths represent a resilient population, they still suffer from social stigma and oppression, being potentially at additional risk of developing negative mental health outcomes. One of the main environments where violence and harassment against this population are present is the school. Within school contexts, the impact that teachers can have on the educational experiences of LGBT youths seems to be a crucial point. This paper explored sexist, homophobic and transphobic attitudes among 438 pre-service teachers in relation to specific socio-demographic features. Results indicated that being male, heterosexual, conservative and currently religious were positively associated with sexist, homophobic, and transphobic attitudes and feelings, and having a LGBT friend was negatively associated with homophobic and transphobic attitudes and feelings. These results suggest the need to introduce specific training on the deconstruction of gender and sexual stereotypes and prejudices, to provide teachers with efficient tools to address diversity in the classrooms and to implement inclusive school policies. Suggestions for the implementation of good practices are provided

Casimir effect in a wormhole spacetime

We consider the Casimir effect for quantized massive scalar field with non-conformal coupling $\xi$ in a spacetime of wormhole whose throat is rounded by a spherical shell. In the framework of zeta-regularization approach we calculate a zero point energy of scalar field. We found that depending on values of coupling $\xi$, a mass of field $m$, and/or the throat's radius $a$ the Casimir force may be both attractive and repulsive, and even equals to zero.Comment: 2 figures, 10 pages, added 2 reference

Identity complexity and integration in lesbian, gay, bisexual and heterosexual adolescents and emerging adults: Implications for clinical practice

The present study aimed at assessing whether differences exist in identity complexity and integration between 31 lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) and 33 heterosexual youths (mean age 21.47, SD = 3.27), both Italian and US. Participants completed a newly created questionnaire, the Identity Labels and Life Contexts Questionnaire (ILLCQ), which assesses the interplay between identity dimensions and life contexts. The ILLCQ assesses identity integration on three levels: (a) integration among the different domains of identity in their intersection with the various life contexts (assessed through salience and centrality); (b) integration between an individual’s self-definition and the definition of self made by others (perceived self-recognition); and (c) the integration between how the person perceives her/himself to be and the way she/he shows her/himself to others. Results suggest that identity salience varies significantly across life contexts for both LGB and heterosexual youths. The only significant difference between the LGB and heterosexual groups was higher salience and centrality of the sexual orientation domain for LGB youths. Sexuality represents a core identity domain for LGB participants, and perhaps less so for heterosexual participants. LGB youths reported lower general identity recognition from other people. Implications for clinical practice are discussed

Digital media inhibit self-regulatory private speech use in preschool children: The “digital bubble effect”

Preschoolers spend much time with digital media and some are concerned about impacts on language development. Private speech (PS) is self-talk children use during play, representing a necessary form of self-regulation. This study examined whether modality (material vs. digital) matters for children's PS. Twenty-nine White 5-yr-olds (52% female) completed the Tower of London task twice - once as a material version and once on a tablet. Children used more PS on the material than digital version of the task (d=0.46). During the material task, the typical pattern of increased PS as difficulty increased appeared. However, during the digital task, PS declined as difficulty increased. Digital games may inhibit children's use of PS for self-regulation, having implications for executive function development