Personality and phobias in adolescence: age and gender in psychopathological expressions

Background: Although the understanding of adolescent phobias is important, this phenomenon has thus far not been adequately researched. This report, based on clinical experience, highlights prevalent phobic phenomena linked to personality characteristics. Methods: A sample of 241 adolescents from High School and the University of Messina, Italy was evaluated for phobic responses using the SAFA Scales. Personality types and aspects were assessed by the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator F Form. Results: The results were consistent with the reported literature and revealed that psychopathological phenomena such as anxiety, obsession, eating disorders and phobias decreased with aging; however, depression remained constant over time. Significant differences emerged regarding gender, with the presence of higher scores on all scales except obsession for the female group. Personality analysis revealed aspects linked to the relations between psychopathological variables, introversion/ extraversion (such as polar dimensions), and rational/ irrational functions. Conclusion: This research indicates that phobic phenomena may be underestimated in adolescents and links personality types and symptoms with phobic phenomena, indicating the potential need for interventions in adolescents

A Rorschach investigation of Autism Spectrum Disorders in Adulthood:

Autism is a pervasive developmental disorder characterized by deficits in the areas of communication, socialization and behavior. Current diagnostic criteria have been modified in a restrictive sense, thus the possibility that individuals with milder impairments may not reach the diagnostic threshold is concrete. Furthermore, heterogeneity in phenotypic expression and the high rate of comorbidity with other psychiatric disorders would make even more difficult the diagnostic classification in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The present study was a Rorschach investigation aimed to identify specific psychopathological elements to properly orient the diagnosis of ASD in adulthood. Results have shown that the examined subjects were characterized by pragmatism, documented by the presence of details and little details, falls in formal thinking, thought inflexibility, lack of answers with human content, and the prevalence of particular phenomena (denial, perseveration). Data obtained in the study showed a specific pattern of psychopathological signs in adults with ASD, thus suggesting the importance of projective methods for a better understanding of the clinical features of avoidance behaviors and relationships

Type D Personality in infarcted patients a study with the Rorschach projective technique

Background: The Type D personality is a vulnerability factor associated with the psychological suffering that affects the physical and mental health state. Literature shows that the Type D personality is defined by a combination of two independent constructs: the negative affectivity (NA) which refers to the tendency to experience negative emotions over time and in several situations; and the social inhibition (SI) or the tendency to inhibit emotions and behaviors in social interactions. Objective: The present study aims to explore the emotions of a group of patients with heart disease, through the use of the Rorschach projective tecnique. Method: Fourty subjects with an history of heart attack, aged between 32 and 76 years, were evaluated in order to find some possible indicators of Type D personality such as the quality of contents, movements response, popular responses and Erlebnistypus. Results: Findings shows that the majority of patients present a prevalence of responses belonging to Animal and Anatomy contents and the Erlebnistypus is mostly introversive. Conclusions: The study points out some scientific element useful both in research and in clinical practice, confirming the Rorschach potential in the assessment and identification of specific personality traits, involved in the Type D personality, that characterizes the majority of cardiac impared patients

Open Science for a shared and collaborative knowledge

The conventional model of “Scholarly communication”, based on the publication in "tall access" journals and by preference in high-Impact Factor journals, has distorted over time, if not betrayed, its original vocation, that is to "communicate" science. The year 1665 is often cited, being the year of birth of the Journal des Sçavans in France and of Philosophical Transactions in England, published by Henry Oldenburg to present advances in scientific research to members of the Royal Society. It is the founding date of the first scientific journals and marks the starting point of the privileged circuit for sharing scientific knowledge and encouraging the so-called "Great Conversation" of science. This debate among scientists should be the true essence and the raison d’être of Scholarly Communication. Since then, unfortunately, academic publishing has turned into a real business, "the most profitable obsolete technology in history", dominated by the "Big Five", a cartel of the five publishing groups (Reed Elsevier, Wiley- Blackwell, Springer, Taylor & Francis, Sage) which rank in the highest positions in the international scientific publishing market, both in terms of profit margins (38% of Reed Elsevier's net profit), and the number of articles published every year, with a price spiral in subscription costs that peaked at 402% for the period 1986-2011. Economic barriers are only one of the obstacles that restrict access to research findings. Paradoxically, although huge economic investments are made by the institutions to enable the academic community to do research, much of the scientific literature is actually inaccessible. Jon Tennant remarks: "we spend 1/3 of the total global research budget (£59/175bn) in publishing and communicating results that 99% of people cannot access"

Phenomenology & Rorschach

The study search the Rorschach point of view phenomenologycal. The phenomenology explore the psychopathological Erlebnis of subject. Psychic phenomena have the form and content. The phenomenological approach to Rorschach projective technique  begins with the assessment of psychogram, which explores the subject’s cognitive, affective and adaptive processes and then the object of psychopathology. In psychogram that expresses an aspect of the way of life inkblots by the person defining the location, the determinant, the presence of particular phenomena, the content  in relation to the answers of the Protocol. This approach establish structure, levels of psychic functioning of the subject and consent to make a  differential diagnosis

The Self Representation in Schizophrenic patients: Considerations on the Draw a Tree Test

Abstract   Objective: The tree is the archetypal symbol of the identification in the growing life. The objective of this study is to evaluate the representation of the self in schizophrenic patients through the tree drawing. Methods: Were identified 36 patients, 22 women and 14 (M-age=53), suffering from schizophrenic disorder. Through the Scale for the Assessment of Negative Symptoms (SANS) and the Scale for the Assessment of Positive Symptoms (SAPS) positive and negative symptoms, and the reactive tree representation of the self were assessed.   Results: In the group with negative symptoms archetypal figures are more frequent, such as images that are part of the collective unconscious, or thought more archaic. In patients in which emerges the delirium, that is part of the most evolved thinking, near to the secondary process, the reality testing is better preserved. In cases where there are symptoms mixed the tree structure leads to an archetypal image. Conclusions: This study shows that in the draw of the tree trunk-to-crown ratio in schizophrenic patients was significantly higher than that of healthy individuals. The usefulness of the study insert itself in the Jungian analytic thought, for which psychotic thought corresponds to an abbaissement of the self activity.   Keyword: Representation of Self; Schizophrenia; Draw a Tree Test

Cognitive deficits and Rorschach task

The aim of this study is to explore the cognitive functions and processes through, also related to deficits, on the Rorschach test. The Rorschach is a projective method can be a valid predictor tool to identify neuropsychological levels, also many cognitive deficits. According to literature, the Rorschach test is most important in clinical practice, to improve the knowledge of patient’s personality, but also neuropsychological aspects, for assessing on perceptual and visuospatial abilities, verbal output skills, memory impairment, emotional control and impulses. In addition, the literature suggested the utility of the projective methods, in the study of brain lesions. In conclusion, the Rorschach task proves to be a valuable instrument including in clinical setting and assessment field of cognitive psychopathology. The method, usually considered in personality disease and mental health setting, improves understanding of the subject’s cognitive level and can be used on psychological diagnosis and assessment in neuropsychological field

Suppression mental questionnaire: a preliminary study

Authors postulate that the difference between suppression and repression, highlighted in particular by the Societè Psychanalitique de Paris, enables the development of a quantitative instrument, since suppression is a defense accessible to consciousness and therefore quantifiable like scales and questionnaires. The idea of constructing a questionnaire, included the identification of thirty variables having somehow a plausible relationship with this mechanism. The factor exploratory analysis were identified three factors, named respectly “repressive function”,  “regression to the ego service” and “rationalization”, the first of which is the closest to the theoretical construct postulated