Blue Harbor (A Linked Story Collection)

Blue Harbor is a series of linked stories about the lives of people from a fictional town on the coast of Maine. These stories focus on the strangeness of small town life and the emotional, human moments that lead to personal growth

Cross-cultural views of self in the treatment of mental illness: disentangling the curative aspects of myth from the mythic aspects of cure

Journal ArticleTHIS paper compares Eastern and Western concepts of self within the context of the healing process. I draw upon the work of Sudhir Kakar and Heinz Kohut to illustrate differences in how mental illness is expressed and treated in India and the United States. I propose that cultural variances in the way that illness is expressed and treated relate to differences in culturally determined "myths" of the self. In India, where Kakar lives and works, the self is conceived as fluid and interdependent; in the West, the self is conceived as more solid and autonomous

A fotografia e a “descoberta” da histeria

Historiquement marqué par l’opposition entre l’organique et le psychique, l’hystérie continue au centre des débats entre d’influents savoirs tels que la psychanalyse et la psychiatrie. En mettant en contre-position deux conceptions - l’une qui défend l’existence d’un monde indépendant de la psyché humaine (réalisme) et l’autre qui la nie (anti-réalisme) - nous cherchons à penser comment s’est construit le concept de l’hystérie. Suivant le mouvement scientifique du siècle XIX, le médecin français Jean-Martin Charcot se sert de la photographie, sous-entendue à l’époque comme “véritable rétine” du scientiste, pour créer une typologisation de l’être humain. En insérant la construction de ce savoir en son contexte socioculturel, il est possible de se poser plusieurs questions sur son objectivité. Notre conception est de penser qu’une critique réflexive sur la formation des concepts apporte des éléments pour un meilleur exercice de l’altérité au sein de la psychopathologie.The concept of hysteria has been historically situated in the opposition between the organic and the mental. It continues to be at the center of controversies between important areas, such as psychoanalysis and psychiatry. We tried to elucidate the origin of the concept of hysteria by contrasting a conception that defends the existence of a world independent of the human mind (realism), and another that denies it (antirealism). Following the scientific trend of the 19th century, the French physician Jean-Martin Charcot used photography - at that time photography was seen as the scientist’s “true retina” - to create a typology of human beings. Situating this construction of knowledge and its sociocultural context provokes a questioning as to its objectivity. Our suggestion is that to think in a critical way about the origin of the concepts gives us elements for a better exercise of alterity in psychopathology.Históricamente marcado por la oposición entre lo orgánico y lo psicológico, el concepto de histeria sigue en el centro de la controversia entre los conocimientos influyentes como lo de psicoanálisis y la psiquiatría. Contrastando una concepción que defiende la existencia de un mundo independiente de la mente humana (realismo) a otra concepción que la niega (anti-realismo), buscamos investigar cómo se creó el concepto de histeria. De acuerdo con el movimiento científico del siglo XIX, el médico francés Jean-Martin Charcot utilizó la fotografía, entendida en su momento como la “verdadera retina” del científico, para crear una clasificación de lo humano. Introducir esta construcción del conocimiento en su contexto sociocultural permite muchas preguntas acerca de su objetividad. Nuestra concepción es que reflejar críticamente sobre la formación de los conceptos contribuye con elementos que visan mejorar el ejercicio de la alteridad dentro de la psicopatología.Historicamente marcado na oposição entre orgânico e psíquico, o conceito de histeria continua no centro de controvérsias entre saberes influentes como psicanálise e psiquiatria. Contrapondo uma concepção que defende a existência de um mundo independente da mente humana (realismo) e uma que a nega (antirrealismo), buscamos pensar como se deu a criação desse conceito. Em acordo com o movimento científico do século XIX, o médico francês Jean-Martin Charcot utilizou a fotografia, entendida na época como a “verdadeira retina” do cientista, para criar uma classificação do ser humano. Inserir essa construção de conhecimento em seu contexto sociocultural possibilita diversos questionamentos quanto à sua objetividade. Nossa concepção é a de que refletir criticamente sobre a formação dos conceitos contribui com elementos para um melhor exercício da alteridade no interior da psicopatologia

Differential outcomes among adolescent fathers: understanding fatherhood as a transformative process

ManuscriptIn response to the rising numbers of mother headed households, there is a great debate about whether to encourage young unwed parents to marry. Policies designed to pursue and/or punish fathers who do not meet their legal and financial responsibilities and to promote marriage, carte blanche, are referred to as "the marriage agenda." This agenda is reactive to the social costs of single motherhood, which have included high rates of poverty and a heavy reliance on public programs for economic support (Carlson, McLanahan & England, 2001; Coley, 2001; Furstenberg, 1995)

Hostile personality traits and coronary artery calcification in middle-aged and older married couples: different effects for self-reports versus spouse ratings

Journal ArticleObjective: To examine the association between hostile personality traits and coronary artery disease (CAD) and the role of aspects of hostility, method of assessment, and age as influences on its magnitude, as prior studies of hostility and coronary artery calcification (CAC) have produced conflicting findings. Methods: Participants included 300 married couples (mean age = 54.4 years) free from diagnosed CAD. Participants completed four measures of hostility-self-reports and spouse ratings of angry hostility (i.e., tendency to experience anger) and antagonism (i.e., argumentative, mistrusting, and cold interpersonal behavior). Results: In hierarchical random regression models accounting for dependency between husbands' and wives' observations, analyses of log-transformed Agatston scores indicated that self-reports of angry hostility and antagonism were not related to CAC. However, spouse ratings of both anger and antagonism were significantly associated with CAC severity. Interactions with age indicated that these associations occurred only among older participants. Control of behavioral and biomedical risk factors did not eliminate these effects. Antagonism but not anger was an independent predictor of CAC when considered simultaneously. Conclusions: Hostility is associated with concurrent asymptomatic CAD as assessed through CAC, but this effect is likely to be underestimated when hostility is assessed through self-reports rather than ratings by others and in samples with lower prevalence and severity of CAC. Key words: hostility, anger, antagonism, agreeableness, coronary artery calcification, coronary artery disease

Mourning the loss of "self as father": a longitudinal study of fatherhood among the druze

Journal ArticleIT is within the context of the parent-child relationship - through the processes of attachment, loss, separation and individuation - that we grow and develop interpersonally and intrapsychically (Bowlby 1969, 1980; Mahler et al. 1975; Pollock, 1989). Most developmentalists agree that changes in the parent-child relationship continue to influence both parents and children throughout the life cycle (Cohen et al. 1984; Colarusso and Nemiroff 1982)

Hostile personality traits and coronary artery calcification in middle-aged and older married couples: different effects for self-reports versus spouse ratings

Journal ArticleTo examine the association between hostile personality traits and coronary artery disease (CAD) and the role of aspects of hostility, method of assessment, and age as influences on its magnitude, as prior studies of hostility and coronary artery calcification (CAC) have produced conflicting findings. Methods: Participants included 300 married couples (mean age = 54.4 years) free from diagnosed CAD. Participants completed four measures of hostility-self-reports and spouse ratings of angry hostility (i.e., tendency to experience anger) and antagonism (i.e., argumentative, mistrusting, and cold interpersonal behavior)

Effect of baselevel change on floodplain and fan sediment storage and ephemeral tributary channel morphology, Navarro River, California

Managed baselevel lowering in tributaries that emerge from small canyons onto forested floodplains affects floodplain and fan sediment storage and small ephemeral tributary channel morphology in the Navarro River basin, Mendocino Country, California, USA. Numerous small tributaries (drainage areas up to several square kilometres) flow through culverts under Highway 128 across the forested floodplain of the Navarro River and one of its major tributaries, the North Fork. Excavation significantly deepened and widened these small tributaries upstream and downstream of culverts under the highway following the 1997 flood (recurrence interval 12 years), that inundated both the floodplain and the highway and culvert system. The excavation lowered the local baselevel of the tributary systems within the floodplain. This field study documents the effect of the lowered baselevel on floodplain and fan sediment storage and ephemeral tributary channel morphology. Excavation created defined channels in the floodplain where no channels previously existed. Additionally, the excavation and baselevel change created steps, or knickpoints, that migrated headward and incised the upstream tributary channels. Tributary incision decreases the sediment storage potential of the fan and floodplain and reduces the residence time for storage of fine sediment. A reduction in fine sediment residence time degrades downstream habitat for anadromous fish and other aquatic organisms in the Navarro River. Large wood influences floodplain and small tributary channel morphology by forming steps and increases sediment residence time by trapping sediment in forested tributary-fan-floodplain systems. Although this field investigation is specific to the Navarro River basin, our findings linking culvert maintenance excavation to geomorphic processes may be extended to other roads on forested floodplains in the Pacific Northwest or other systems with roads on floodplains