<p> Depth psychology, as a tradition originating from Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung, today differentiates itself from other practices of counseling psychology by claiming a special focus upon the soul and its experience of imagination. But the study of philosophy shows how the tenets of depth psychology are problematic&mdash;the <i> anima mundi</i> is a misunderstanding that brings about significant consequences for the practice of psychotherapy. This thesis undertakes a hermeneutic methodology by examining particular writings from philosophers Gotthold E. Lessing and Soren Kierkegaard. These works indicate the problematic character of thought that is not in accord with the beautiful, whereby a question is raised regarding how a psychotherapy that is informed by philosophy might make human life more beautiful. At the basis of these themes is the account of noetic heterogeneity and <i>phantasia</i> (&ldquo;appearing&rdquo;) in Aristotle&rsquo;s <i> De Anima</i>, which is examined in relation to Michael Elliott&rsquo;s new psychotherapy of Philosophic Psychology.</p><p>

<p> This thesis uses heuristic and alchemical hermeneutic methodologies and a depth psychological perspective to examine the metaphor and experience of tattoo. The history of tattoos and ideas around healing are explored, as well as the author&rsquo;s own healing and transformation through multiple tattoo experiences. The author&rsquo;s analysis illustrates how a tattoo may be not only representative of a snapshot of the psyche in a moment in time, but might also move the psyche toward healing through the exploration of the archetypal energy in the image. In addition, the author explores how the modification of the body has the capacity to change the emotional and psychological relationship to one&rsquo;s body.</p><p>

<p> Previous research has demonstrated that collective rumination&mdash;dwelling on a provocation with another person&mdash;augments aggression relative to individual rumination. The goal of the current study was to (a) extend these findings to <i>displaced aggression</i>, or &ldquo;taking it out&rdquo; on an innocent target and (b) examine type of target as a moderator. Participants were provoked, randomly assigned to ruminate either collectively or individually, and subsequently given the opportunity to displace their aggression against in-group, out-group, and no-group control targets. Results indicate that when individually ruminating about a provocation from an out-group member, participants displayed less aggression toward in-group (vs. out-group) targets. In contrast, participants who engaged in collective rumination did not differentiate among targets thus eliminating favorable behavior towards in-group members. Mediation analysis indicated that collective rumination increased negative affect which in turn augmented displaced aggression towards in-group targets. Implications for aggression will be discussed.</p><p>

<p> This study examined the difference between counselor empathic responding with and without a therapy dog in their counseling sessions was examined in a within-subjects design. Counseling consisted of animal-assisted therapy, play therapy, and other psychotherapeutic activities with elementary aged clients. Seven female school psychology graduate student clinicians were rated on their empathic responding using the Carkhuff (1969) Empathic Understanding in Interpersonal Processes Scale. A 2 (Dog Presence) X 4 (Empathy Level) analysis of variance was used to evaluate the difference between counselors&rsquo; empathic responding. The hypothesis that the therapy dog would have a beneficial impact on the counselors&rsquo; empathic responding was not supported by the results. The findings indicate that the therapist talks more when the dog is present, mainly due to an increase in Level 1, low empathic responses, and that higher level empathic responding did not vary between conditions as measured in utterances per minute. Further research is needed to determine how to incorporate an animal into therapy while maintaining the core facilitative condition of empathic understanding.</p><p>

<p> Problem: Although the literature is clear that low emotional distress tolerance is associated with a myriad of self-damaging behaviors, very little is known about individual difference factors in distress tolerance. Both theoretical and empirical support suggest that emotional reactivity and learned helplessness may be individual difference factors in distress tolerance. Specifically, individuals with high emotional reactivity and high learned helplessness may be at risk for low distress tolerance. Further research was needed to clarify the role of emotional reactivity and learned helplessness in distress tolerance in the context of self-damaging behaviors. </p><p> Method: Participants completed surveys which measured their (a) emotional reactivity, (b) learned helplessness, (c) distress tolerance, (d) two-week frequency of self-damaging behaviors, and (e) lifetime frequency of self-damaging behaviors. Structural equation modeling was used to test two models for the role of emotional reactivity and learned helplessness in distress tolerance. The first model was in the context of two-week frequency of self-damaging behaviors and the second model was in the context of lifetime frequency of self-damaging behaviors. </p><p> Results: Structural equation modeling indicated that the original models were a poor fit for the data. So, both models were revised on the basis of theory and modification indices. The revised models revealed that emotional reactivity and learned helplessness had negative direct effects on distress tolerance. Together, emotional reactivity and learned helplessness explained 70% of the observed variance in distress tolerance. Distress tolerance had a negative direct effect on two-week frequency of self-damaging behaviors, explaining 7% of the observed variance. Distress tolerance had a negative direct effect and depression had a positive direct effect on lifetime frequency of self-damaging behaviors, together explaining 36% of the observed variance. </p><p> Conclusions: This study confirmed emotional reactivity and learned helplessness as important individual difference factors in emotional distress tolerance. It suggests that high emotional reactivity and high learned helplessness contribute to low distress tolerance. This study also demonstrated that distress tolerance explains a small amount of variance in two-week frequency of self-damaging behaviors. Whereas, distress tolerance together with depression explains a larger amount of variance in lifetime frequency of self-damaging behaviors. These results have implications for researchers studying distress tolerance and self-damaging behaviors, clinicians treating clients with difficulty managing distress or with self-damaging behaviors, and individuals developing preventative initiatives to reduce the development of self-damaging behaviors. In particular, this study suggests that emotional reactivity may be an important target of clinical intervention and preventative education.</p><p>

<p> Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is the most common childhood psychiatric disorder. Those with ADHD are at increased risk for academic problems, social problems, and chronic unemployment. Children from lower socio-economic status (SES) levels have higher rates of ADHD diagnoses than do children from middle and high SES backgrounds. One theoretical explanation is the increased environmental stresses and limited language stimulation associated with poverty adversely affect developmental domains. Support for this two-factor theory with respect to attention comes from observed deficits in verbal attention, but language development completely mediates the relationship between SES and verbal attention, which confirms the relationship between SES levels and language development rather than with attention. Environmental stresses have not been related to verbal attention. Investigating the association between SES levels and visual attention eliminates the confounding effects of language, but previous researchers have found contradictory results when investigating the relationship between SES levels and visual attention. The focus of this quantitative, non-experimental, predictive-relationship study was to investigate the relationship between SES levels and visual attention. The data came from 97 archival files, which represented academically referred students in grades first through sixth. Hollingshead&rsquo;s Four Factor Index of Social Status (ISS) was the quantification of SES levels. The four subtests of the Test of Variables of Attention (TOVA) were the quantifications of visual attention skills. Regression procedures were used to estimate the extent of the relationship between ISS scores and TOVA scores. The results showed that SES levels contributed less than 1% to the variance in visual attention skills. The environmental stresses and language environment associated with SES levels do not appear to play a significant role in the development of visual attention. The application of the two-factor theory with respect to attention appears to be limited to the influence of the language environment on verbal attention through language development. The extent of the relationship between language development and ADHD symptoms is unclear, and future researchers could investigate this relationship as well as other factors, such as diet, that might contribute to the increased diagnostic rates of ADHD among children from lower SES levels.</p><p>

<p> Guided Autobiography is a process of writing, sharing and preserving one&rsquo;s life stories and life experiences. It leads one down a path through vast stores of memories, leading to an increased awareness and appreciation of having lived through so much. </p><p> The purpose of this study was to adapt Birren&rsquo;s Guided Autobiography (GAB) program for U. S. veterans 65 years of age and older. The themes developed for this study were based on Birren&rsquo;s nine themes for conducting autobiography groups. It was tailored to include themes relevant to older adult war veterans. Local veterans were interviewed and asked about past war experiences. The responses were recorded and analyzed using qualitative research methods. GAB serves to assist Gerontologists, Social Workers and other Health Practitioners in that it helps to provide insight into veterans&rsquo; experiences.</p>

<p> Self-compassion has been described as an adaptive form of self-to-self relating. It involves the three interrelated components of self-kindness, mindfulness, and common humanity exhibited toward the self at times of pain and perceived failure. This study explored the process of becoming self-compassionate for people attending the Compassionate Reparenting Training, a five-week program aimed to facilitate emotional self-awareness and the development of self-compassion. The aim of the present study was to pursue an idiographic investigation into the lived experiences of the participants in their process of developing self-compassion and the obstacles, barriers, and opportunities encountered. Data was analyzed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) with the aim of identifying people&rsquo;s experiences of the process of becoming more compassionate to themselves after completing the training. Based on qualitative inquiry using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis of interview data with nine participants, the findings suggested that self-compassion is a learned ability that ebbs and flows as a life-long journey and can be enhanced in self-to-self relating through the image of the inner child self. The presence of four superordinate themes and ten subthemes emerged from the descriptions of the journey in the lives the participants. The superordinate themes included (1) Strategies Used in Initiating the Process, (2) Making Meaning&hellip;<i>Connecting the dots</i> (3) The Struggle to be Self-Compassionate&hellip;<i>It&rsquo;s a work in progress</i>, and (4) The Value of Developing a Self-Compassion Practice. A higher-order construct was identified that appeared embedded within and across both superordinate and subthemes: Self-Compassion is an ongoing and evolving process&hellip;<i>A life-long journey that ebbs and flows </i>. The current dissertation expands the scope of inquiry to include a qualitative dimension to the recent literature on self-compassion. Findings will help to develop future research and guide clinical interventions in order to cultivate compassionate self-to-self relating.</p><p>

<p> This critical hermeneutic case study of the Occupy movement and Occupy Portland considers indicators of cultural change and new social imaginary significations through the lenses of bodily relations to place and depth psychology&rsquo;s psychoanalytic tradition. In Occupy, the convening power of mass self-communication technologies allowed the substitution of organizing properties of place for organizational capital (structures developed in advance of the gathering); and, the configuration of physical capital within convening places had a co determinative influence over the development of social structures and group identities. The partial substitution of place for organizational capital reduced the distanciation that might otherwise have been required to convene such large gatherings, and so provided a paradoxical opportunity for increased participant experience of both autonomy and community. In connection with Occupy Portland, qualities of the ever present struggle between desires for connection and autonomous expression shifted with shifting places. Events associated with Occupy indicate ontological changes may be increasing the relevance of communal social imaginary significations counter to those of Western capitalism, or at least departing from it significantly. Ephemeral gatherings like Occupy (here termed social condensation events) are revelatory of that which is socially unconscious and are likely to occur with increasing frequency due to mass self-communication technologies. As with Occupy, places of future social condensation events will give shape to the resulting social spaces as they become organically constructed in relation to those places. </p>

<p>An interesting unsolved case in cognitive science, and one that impacts education and decision-making, is the whole number bias: when people compare fractions they rely on the numerical values of the components (numerator or denominator). A handful of theories have been proposed to explain the bias in Arabic formats, all sharing the assumption of some fundamental difficulty in estimating ratio magnitudes. This thesis contrasts them in a perceptual setting by means of a cognitive model of ratio comparisons. Contrary to the assumption, for the visual system the bias is automatic even when fraction magnitudes are mentally available (Chapter 2a). Moreover, it is present in indigenous populations living in the Amazon, suggesting a limited role of culture and a more generic feature of cognition (Chapter 2b). The automatic activation of numerical magnitude can impact confidence (Chapter 2c), visual selection (Chapter 3) and modulate how the motor system displaces effectors (Chapter 4). The overall results are consistent with the view that the whole number bias is part of a larger phenomenon: people spontaneously and robustly represent numerical value across a variety of perceptual decision tasks.