Placement of the Borderline/Narcissistic Personality on a Continuum of Mental Health

This research attempted to clarify and test a theory of the borderline/ narcissistic personality. This particular personality type has recently received a great deal of attention by practitioners. A literature review was done to identify major points in the theory, and a formulation geared towards the needs of social work practitioners was developed. A rating scheme cujodying the theoretical formulation was applied. There were thirty-six out-patient subjects from three clinics and three private therapists. One to four taped sessions per subject were rated by independent judges based on the rating scheme developed out of theory. Independent diagnosticians placed subjects in diagnostic categories; these were compared with the scores based on the rating scheme. The findings, discriminating levels on a continuum of mental health, support the hypothesis of a self /social matrix with two axes, consisting of differentiation and self/social focus. Borderline/narcissistic individuals can be distinguished on the basis of their poor ability to differentiate the self from others and their relatively uncoordinated focus on the self and on others. There may be patterns of self/social focus characteristic of the borderline/narcissistic personality

Investing in families through family support home visiting

Recently there has been increased interest in the importance of the early years ofa child's life for deter­mining later well-being. There is a window of opportunity to have an impact on the future trajectory of children's lives when they ate young. Research on early brain development, brain physiology, and the effects of trauma on emotional and cogni­tive development has led to renewed interest in strategies that reduce vulnerabil­ity and increase resilience in children and families. Children who are healthy and well nourished, who have a secure and caring relationship with their parents or care­givers, and who have a supportive commu­nity and social network are more likely to build buffers and resilience. After age three, however, it becomes more difficult to develop these buffers and resilience. There is growing recognition that our society needs to make an early investment in families in order to promote positive outcomes and reduce adverse outcomes.Published August 2001. Facts and recommendations in this publication may no longer be valid. Please look for up-to-date information in the OSU Extension Catalog: http://extension.oregonstate.edu/catalo

The elusive search for the silver bullet in prevention and family support programs for vulnerable families

Since the 1970s home visiting has been seen as a promising prevention and family support strategy. Programmes proliferated, with various funding, conceptual, and structural characteristics. Policy makers, funders and practitioners have been avidly seeking evidence of programme effectiveness. Research results have been disappointing, often showing modest results. The search for clarity continues, often with high political and programmatic stakes. This paper describes the results from three projects, representing elaborations of the Healthy Families model, covering 25 sites. Findings suggest that programme effects were experienced differentially based on ethnicity and initial mental health status

Helping families help themselves : Oregon Family Impact Seminar briefing report.

Published July 2001. Facts and recommendations in this publication may no longer be valid. Please look for up-to-date information in the OSU Extension Catalog: http://extension.oregonstate.edu/catalo