Friday, May 22, 2009

Vol. 22, No. 3 (2009): Levitt et al.

The Experience of Depth Curiosity: The Pursuit of Congruence Despite the Danger of Engulfment

Authors: Heidi M. Levitt a;  Daniel C. Williams a;  Ayse Ciftci Uruk a;  Divya Kannan a;  Maki Obana a;  Brandy L. Smith a;  Mei-Chuan Wang a;  Laura W. Plexico a;  Jonathan Camp a;  Heather Hardison a;  Anasa Watts a; Wendy J. Biss a
Affiliation:  a The University of Memphis, Memphis, Tennessee, USA
DOI: 10.1080/10720530902915093
Publication Frequency: 4 issues per year
Published in: journal Journal of Constructivist Psychology, Volume 22, Issue 3 July 2009 , pages 187 - 212
Formats available: HTML (English) : PDF (English)
Article Requests: Order Reprints : Request Permissions 

Abstract

This article presents a grounded theory analysis of the experience of sustaining an abiding curiosity. Results emphasize how curiosity became inherently motivating and pleasurable, and led to deeper understandings of interpersonal differences and an enriched sense of identity. Despite the experience of curiosity strengthening, waning, and shifting across time, it was experienced as a longstanding driving force. At the same time, if consuming, curiosity holds risks for participants and could lead to alienation from others and despair. The discussion puts forward a more integrated understanding of a somewhat fragmented literature and highlights the complexities that depth curiosity entails.
view references (43)
Posted by ABOUT THE JOURNAL at 11:32 AM 0 comments

Vol. 22, No. 3 (2009): Harris

Objective and Interpretive Approaches to Equality in Marriage

Author: Scott R. Harris a
Affiliation:  a Saint Louis University, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
DOI: 10.1080/10720530902915135
Publication Frequency: 4 issues per year
Published in: journal Journal of Constructivist Psychology, Volume 22, Issue 3 July 2009 , pages 213 - 236
Formats available: HTML (English) : PDF (English)
Article Requests: Order Reprints : Request Permissions 

Abstract

This article differentiates two ways of studying equality in marriage: as an objective entity or as a socially constructed interpretation. Objective and interpretive researchers adopt divergent stances toward defining, measuring, and explaining marital equalities and inequalities. However, they also employ similar terms and methods, as well as exhibit mutual concern over the moral implications of research. Consequently, scholars may study marital equality in somewhat similar ways but produce reports that vary along an objective-interpretive continuum.
view references (80)
Posted by ABOUT THE JOURNAL at 11:32 AM 0 comments

Vol. 22, No. 3 (2009): van Geel & De May

Measuring Proximity Among Affect Profiles in Hermans' Self-Confrontation Method

Authors: Rolf van Geel a; Hubert De Mey b
Affiliations:  a Dutch Open University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
b Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
DOI: 10.1080/10720530902915150
Publication Frequency: 4 issues per year
Published in: journal Journal of Constructivist Psychology, Volume 22, Issue 3 July 2009 , pages 237 - 252
Formats available: HTML (English) : PDF (English)
Article Requests: Order Reprints : Request Permissions 

Abstract

In the Self-Confrontation Method (SCM), proximity relations among affect profiles of valuations are traditionally represented by means of Pearson's correlation coefficient. In this article, we address a variety of technical and practical problems when using a correlational measure as a means for studying the structure of a person's valuation system. We consider the difference between shape and distance measures of proximity in the context of the SCM and present some numerical examples that illustrate the drawbacks of using correlation. We corroborate these theoretical exercises with an empirical study using real SCM data, and elaborate on the advantages of using a Euclidean distance measure as an alternative to correlation.
view references (25)
Posted by ABOUT THE JOURNAL at 11:30 AM 0 comments

Vol. 22, No. 3 (2009): Adame & Leitner

Reverence and Recovery: Experiential Personal Construct Psychotherapy and Transpersonal Reverence

Authors: Alexandra L. Adame a; Larry M. Leitner a
Affiliation:  a Miami University, Oxford, Ohio, USA
DOI: 10.1080/10720530902915168
Publication Frequency: 4 issues per year
Published in: journal Journal of Constructivist Psychology, Volume 22, Issue 3 July 2009 , pages 253 - 267
Formats available: HTML (English) : PDF (English)
Article Requests: Order Reprints : Request Permissions 

Abstract

The role of the therapeutic relationship in the healing process has been written about extensively in the field of clinical psychology. Experiential Personal Construct Psychotherapy (EPCP) is one approach that regards the therapeutic relationship itself as the conduit of the healing process. According to EPCP, one of the highest levels of psychological functioning is the ability to revere another person in a relationship as well as the capacity for transpersonal reverence, which is reverence for humanity or the world at large. In this article, we will explore how the healing process can continue outside the confines of the therapeutic relationship, specifically in terms of transpersonal reverence.
view references (39)
Posted by ABOUT THE JOURNAL at 11:28 AM 0 comments

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Vol. 22, No. 2 (2009): Toomey & Ecker

Competing Visions of the Implications of Neuroscience for Psychotherapy

Authors: Brian Toomey a; Bruce Ecker b
Affiliations:  a Clinical Psychology Department, University of Memphis, Memphis, Tennessee, USA
b Private practice in psychotherapy, Oakland, California, USA
DOI: 10.1080/10720530802675748
Publication Frequency: 4 issues per year
Published in: journal Journal of Constructivist Psychology, Volume 22, Issue 2 April 2009 , pages 95 - 140
Formats available: HTML (English) : PDF (English)
Article Requests: Order Reprints : Request Permissions 

Abstract

In this third and final article of a series on the confluence of neurobiology and psychotherapy, we consider three current, influential interpretations of the implications of neuroscience for psychotherapy: pharmacological treatment, reparative attachment therapy, and the cognitive regulation of emotion and behavior. We critically examine these clinical strategies, reviewing efficacy data, neuroscientific research, and the model of symptom production by coherent implicit memory as articulated in coherence psychology. We argue that according to current knowledge, (a) each of the three clinical interpretations of neuroscience implements only part of the brain's known capabilities for change; (b) those capabilities are more fully utilized and can yield greater clinical effectiveness for the majority of psychotherapy clients through a therapeutic strategy of selective depotentiation of implicit memory, as exemplified by coherence therapy; and (c) the strategy of counteracting an implicit memory, whether cognitively or psychopharmacologically, is only moderately effective, is inherently susceptible to relapse, and entails a range of undesirable collateral effects.
view references (96)
Posted by ABOUT THE JOURNAL at 7:53 AM 0 comments

Vol. 22, No. 2 (2009): Feixas, Saul, & Avila-espada

Viewing Cognitive Conflicts as Dilemmas: Implications for Mental Health

Authors: Guillem Feixas a;  Luis Angel Sauacutel b; Alejandro Aacutevila-espada c
Affiliations:  a University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
b Universidad Nacional de Educacioacuten a Distancia (UNED), Madrid, Spain
c Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
DOI: 10.1080/10720530802675755
Publication Frequency: 4 issues per year
Published in: journal Journal of Constructivist Psychology, Volume 22, Issue 2 April 2009 , pages 141 - 169
Formats available: HTML (English) : PDF (English)
Article Requests: Order Reprints : Request Permissions 

Abstract

The idea that internal conflicts play a significant role in mental health has been extensively addressed in various psychological traditions, including personal construct theory. In the context of the latter, several measures of conflict have been operationalized using the Repertory Grid Technique (RGT). All of them capture the notion that change, although desirable from the viewpoint of a given set of constructs, becomes undesirable from the perspective of other constructs. The goal of this study is to explore the presence of cognitive conflicts in a clinical sample (n = 284) and compare it to a control sample (n = 322). It is also meant to clarify which among the different types of conflict studied provides a greater clinical value and to investigate its relationship to symptom severity (SCL-90-R). Of the types of cognitive conflict studied, implicative dilemmas were the only ones to discriminate between clinical and nonclinical samples. These dilemmas were found in 34% of the nonclinical sample and in 53% of the clinical sample. Participants with implicative dilemmas showed higher symptom severity, and those from the clinical sample displayed a higher frequency of dilemmas than those from the nonclinical sample.
view references (52)
Posted by ABOUT THE JOURNAL at 7:52 AM 0 comments

Vol. 22, No. 2 (2009): Holland & Neimeyer

The Efficacy of Personal Construct Therapy as a Function of the Type and Severity of the Presenting Problem

Authors: Jason M. Holland a; Robert A. Neimeyer a
Affiliation:  a University of Memphis, Memphis, Tennessee, USA
DOI: 10.1080/10720530802675904
Publication Frequency: 4 issues per year
Published in: journal Journal of Constructivist Psychology, Volume 22, Issue 2 April 2009 , pages 170 - 185
Formats available: HTML (English) : PDF (English)
Article Requests: Order Reprints : Request Permissions 

Abstract

A recent quantitative review of the personal construct therapy (PCT) outcome literature revealed reliable but somewhat modest effects for this type of therapy. Examination of moderator variables has shown that the efficacy of PCT might vary as a function of other factors, such as whether or not the treatment was tested with a clinical population. In the present study, these findings were expanded on by exploring the relation between the type and severity of presenting problems and treatment outcome as reported in the controlled PCT outcome literature. Overall, results revealed that the efficacy of PCT did not differ substantially across different types of problems, but effect sizes tended to be significantly smaller when more severe problems were being treated.
view references (55)
Posted by ABOUT THE JOURNAL at 7:52 AM 0 comments

Thursday, December 18, 2008

Vol. 22, No. 1 (2009): Goncalves, Matos, & Santos

Narrative Therapy and the Nature Of “Innovative Moments” in the Construction of Change
Authors: Miguel M. Goncalves a; Marlene Matos a; Anita Santos a
Affiliation:
a University of Minho, Portugal
DOI: 10.1080/10720530802500748
Publication Frequency: 4 issues per year
Published in: Journal of Constructivist Psychology, Volume 22, Issue 1 January 2009 , pages 1 - 23
Subjects: Psychotherapy; Social Constructionism;
Formats available: HTML (English) : PDF (English)
Article Requests: Order Reprints : Request Permissions
Purchase Article: US$28.00 - buy now add to cart
Sign In
Online Sample
Abstract
In the narrative metaphor of psychotherapy, clients transform themselves by changing their life stories. According to White and Epston (1990), the construction of change occurs from the expansion of unique outcomes—or innovative moments, as we prefer to call them—that is, the development of episodes outside the problem-saturated narrative. Unique outcomes operate as exceptions to the rule (i.e., to the problem-saturated story) that can be changed to a new rule (i.e., a new narrative). We suggest that some forms of unique outcomes can operate as shadow voices (Gustafson, 1992) of the problem-saturated story, allowing a temporary release from the problem, but facilitating a return to it. In our view, there is a particular type of unique outcome—reconceptualization—that facilitates sustained change. This kind of innovation facilitates the emergence of a meta-level perspective about the change process itself and, in turn, enables the active positioning of the person as an author of the new narrative.
view references (56)
Posted by ABOUT THE JOURNAL at 10:36 AM 0 comments

Vol. 22, No. 1 (2009): Turpin et al.

The Meaning and Impact of Head and Neck Cancer: An Interpretative Phenomenological and Repertory Grid Analysis
Authors: Mel Turpin a; Rudi Dallos a; Ray Owen a; Mike Thomas a
Affiliation:
a University of Plymouth, United Kingdom
DOI: 10.1080/10720530802500789
Publication Frequency: 4 issues per year
Published in: Journal of Constructivist Psychology, Volume 22, Issue 1 January 2009 , pages 24 - 54
Subjects: Psychotherapy; Social Constructionism;
Formats available: HTML (English) : PDF (English)
Article Requests: Order Reprints : Request Permissions
Purchase Article: US$28.00 - buy now add to cart
Sign In
Online Sample
Abstract
This study explores the personal meaning of head and neck cancer for individuals, with particular reference to the impact on the self. It employs interpretative phenomenological and repertory grid analysis with 10 people, all of whom have undergone surgical treatment for head and ceck cancer. Four themes emerged: namely, destruction of self, altered relations with the body, disenfranchised self, and conservation of self. Repertory grid analysis validated and enriched understanding of these findings. Participants described how head and neck cancer inflicted a fundamental attack on their sense of self. Nonetheless, participants were dynamic in their self-management and detailed an active process to retain a positive sense of self.
view references (46)
Posted by ABOUT THE JOURNAL at 10:35 AM 0 comments

Vol. 22, No. 1 (2009): Dillen et al.

When Puppets Speak: Dialectical Psychodrama within Developmental Child Psychotherapy
Authors: Let Dillen a; Mariska Siongers a; Denis Helskens a; Leni Verhofstadt-Denve a
Affiliation:
a Ghent University, Belgium
DOI: 10.1080/10720530802500839
Publication Frequency: 4 issues per year
Published in: Journal of Constructivist Psychology, Volume 22, Issue 1 January 2009 , pages 55 - 82
Subjects: Psychotherapy; Social Constructionism;
Formats available: HTML (English) : PDF (English)
Article Requests: Order Reprints : Request Permissions
Purchase Article: US$28.00 - buy now add to cart
Sign In
Online Sample
Abstract
Rigid relational representations often contribute substantially to children's psychosocial problems. One of the core tasks of any developmental child psychotherapy is therefore to trace and chart these (relational) representations. The present article illustrates how a child-oriented protocol of the action sociogram is a valid candidate for dealing with these representations. It outlines the theoretical basis of the protocol, describes the construction and application of the action sociogram, and reviews the possibilities offered by the protocol.
view references (51)
Posted by ABOUT THE JOURNAL at 10:34 AM 0 comments

Vol. 22, No. 1 (2009): Kahn

Bridging the Gap: Highlighting the Pragmatic in Constructivist Psychotherapies
Review of Studies in Meaning 3: Constructivist Psychologyin the Real World
Author: Jack S. Kahn a
Affiliation:
a Curry College, Miton, MA, USA
DOI: 10.1080/10720530802500888
Publication Frequency: 4 issues per year
Published in: Journal of Constructivist Psychology, Volume 22, Issue 1 January 2009 , pages 83 - 87
Subjects: Psychotherapy; Social Constructionism;
Formats available: HTML (English) : PDF (English)
Article Requests: Order Reprints : Request Permissions
Purchase Article: US$28.00 - buy now add to cart
Sign In
Online Sample
Posted by ABOUT THE JOURNAL at 10:32 AM 0 comments

Vol. 22, No. 1 (2009): Walko

Innovations in Personal Construct Psychotherapy
Review of Personal Construct Psychotherapy: Advances in Theory, Practice and Research
Author: Stephen J. Walko a
Affiliation:
a State University of New York, New Paltz, USA
DOI: 10.1080/10720530802500904
Publication Frequency: 4 issues per year
Published in: Journal of Constructivist Psychology, Volume 22, Issue 1 January 2009 , pages 88 - 94
Subjects: Psychotherapy; Social Constructionism;
Formats available: HTML (English) : PDF (English)
Article Requests: Order Reprints : Request Permissions
Purchase Article: US$28.00 - buy now add to cart
Sign In
Online Sample
Abstract
This Article does not have an abstract.
Posted by ABOUT THE JOURNAL at 10:24 AM 0 comments

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Vol. 21, No. 4 (2008): Scheer & Burr

Introduction to Construing in the Arts
Authors: Joern Scheer; Viv Burr
DOI: 10.1080/10720530802255194
Publication Frequency: 4 issues per year
Published in: Journal of Constructivist Psychology, Volume 21, Issue 4 October 2008 , pages 271 - 273
Subjects: Psychotherapy; Social Constructionism;
Formats available: HTML (English) : PDF (English)
Article Requests: Order Reprints : Request Permissions
Purchase Article: US$28.00 - buy now add to cart
Sign In
Online Sample
Abstract
This Article does not have an abstract.
view references (2)
Posted by ABOUT THE JOURNAL at 10:51 AM 0 comments

Vol. 21, No. 4 (2008): King

What Will Hatch? A Constructivist Autobiographical Account of Writing Poetry
Author: Nigel King
Affiliation:
University of Huddersfield, Queensgate, Huddersfield, UK
DOI: 10.1080/10720530802255202
Publication Frequency: 4 issues per year
Published in: Journal of Constructivist Psychology, Volume 21, Issue 4 October 2008 , pages 274 - 287
Subjects: Psychotherapy; Social Constructionism;
Formats available: HTML (English) : PDF (English)
Article Requests: Order Reprints : Request Permissions
Purchase Article: US$28.00 - buy now add to cart
Sign In
Online Sample
Abstract
In this article I present a constructivist analysis of my own experience of a specific creative experience—writing a poem. An overview of the literature on artistic creativity highlights the relative lack of attention to the examination of the lived experience of artistic production in its social context. Through phenomenological analysis of an autobiographical account of writing the poem, I define three integrative themes that characterize key aspects of my experience: the search for validation, the unseen process, and managing the imagined audience. I argue that constructivist concepts provide an especially effective way of understanding my experience: These include Kelly's creativity cycle, suspension, the existential phenomenological notion of the “prereflective,” anticipation, and the sociality corollary.
view references (22)
Posted by ABOUT THE JOURNAL at 10:50 AM 0 comments

Vol. 21, No. 4 (2008): Neimeyer

The Poetics of Experience
Author: Robert A. Neimeyer
Affiliation:
University of Memphis, Memphis, Tennessee, USA
DOI: 10.1080/10720530802255236
Publication Frequency: 4 issues per year
Published in: Journal of Constructivist Psychology, Volume 21, Issue 4 October 2008 , pages 288 - 297
Subjects: Psychotherapy; Social Constructionism;
Formats available: HTML (English) : PDF (English)
Article Requests: Order Reprints : Request Permissions
Purchase Article: US$28.00 - buy now add to cart
Sign In
Online Sample
Abstract
Poetry is a suitably subtle medium for expressing and exploring the vagaries of human experience, echoing themes that resonate through constructivist writing. In this selection of my own poems, I offer a sample of verse that reflects a consistent concern with the quest for meaning in the face of life transitions, coupled with an invitation to readers to co-construct its significance by drawing on their own interpretations and feeling their way into the subjectivities of each work's characters, as well as that of its author.
view references (2)
Posted by ABOUT THE JOURNAL at 10:49 AM 1 comments

Vol. 21, No. 4 (2008): Sewell

Christmas Present Trilogy
Author: Kenneth W. Sewell
Affiliation:
University of North Texas, Denton, Texas, USA
DOI: 10.1080/10720530802255244
Publication Frequency: 4 issues per year
Published in: Journal of Constructivist Psychology, Volume 21, Issue 4 October 2008 , pages 298 - 308
Subjects: Psychotherapy; Social Constructionism;
Formats available: HTML (English) : PDF (English)
Article Requests: Order Reprints : Request Permissions
Purchase Article: US$28.00 - buy now add to cart
Sign In
Online Sample
Abstract
As a constructivist psychologist who also engages in creative writing, I share three brief stories along with some commentary on how the writing fits my constructivist framework, and how the production of such stories fits into my overarching framework of self-direction, self-discovery, and self-invention. These particular stories use the backdrop of the Christmas holiday season. This choice metaphorically illustrates how individually understood experience always occurs in the context of socially shared action.
Posted by ABOUT THE JOURNAL at 10:48 AM 0 comments

Vol. 21, No. 4 (2008): Botella

Timekeeping is Everything : Rhythm and the Construction of Meaning
Author: Luis Botella
Affiliation:
FPCEE Blanquerna, Ramon Llull University, Barcelona, Spain
DOI: 10.1080/10720530802255251
Publication Frequency: 4 issues per year
Published in: Journal of Constructivist Psychology, Volume 21, Issue 4 October 2008 , pages 309 - 320
Subjects: Psychotherapy; Social Constructionism;
Formats available: HTML (English) : PDF (English)
Article Requests: Order Reprints : Request Permissions
Purchase Article: US$28.00 - buy now add to cart
Sign In
Online Sample
Abstract
Rhythm and drumming have not been explored systematically from a constructivist or a personal construct theoretical approach. This article is an exploration of the bridges between constructivism and drumming in terms of the interrelated processes of listening outwardly, listening inwardly, and the actual motoric action of playing. Listening outwardly is approached from the constructivist notion of validation and/or invalidation of anticipations. Listening inwardly is related to the bodily base of rhythm perception. Playing drums is discussed particularly in relation to the emotional expressivity of drumming. The article ends with some personal reflections.
view references (11)
Posted by ABOUT THE JOURNAL at 10:47 AM 0 comments

Vol. 21, No. 4 (2008): Burr

“Bunches of Grapes and Bananas”: Unconstruing the Human Body in Life Drawing
Author: Viv Burr
Affiliation:
University of Huddersfield, Huddersfield, UK
DOI: 10.1080/10720530802255269
Publication Frequency: 4 issues per year
Published in: Journal of Constructivist Psychology, Volume 21, Issue 4 October 2008 , pages 321 - 327
Subjects: Psychotherapy; Social Constructionism;
Formats available: HTML (English) : PDF (English)
Article Requests: Order Reprints : Request Permissions
Purchase Article: US$28.00 - buy now add to cart
Sign In
Online Sample
Abstract
The creativity of human beings may be said to be at the heart of personal construct theory (PCT); the capacity for people to create and recreate their own lived world is the theory's bedrock. Nevertheless, it may be argued that PCT currently offers only a partial understanding of artistic creativity. In this article, the creative activity of life drawing is examined from a PCT perspective. In particular, the creativity cycle—involving both loosening and tightening—is applied to this activity. While loosening may be regarded as necessary, or at least desirable, for the creation of artistic artifacts, it is argued that tightening is held in abeyance. In light of this analysis, it is suggested that “unconstruing” may be a more appropriate concept for understanding this creative activity.
view references (10)
Posted by ABOUT THE JOURNAL at 10:44 AM 0 comments

Vol. 21, No. 4 (2008): Procter & Procter

The Use of Qualitative Grids to Examine the Development of the Construct Good and Evil in Byron's Play “Cain: A Mystery”
Authors: Harry Procter; Jane Procter
DOI: 10.1080/10720530802255301
Publication Frequency: 4 issues per year
Published in: Journal of Constructivist Psychology, Volume 21, Issue 4 October 2008 , pages 343 - 354
Subjects: Psychotherapy; Social Constructionism;
Formats available: HTML (English) : PDF (English)
Article Requests: Order Reprints : Request Permissions
Purchase Article: US$28.00 - buy now add to cart
Sign In
Online Sample
Abstract
This article grows out of a workshop conducted at the XVI International Congress on PCP, Columbus, Ohio, in July 2005. Its intention is to show how qualitative repertory grids (Procter, 2002) are useful in mapping construing in a family. Three types of grid are illustrated: the Perceiver Element Grid, the Event Perceiver Grid, and the Perceiver Construct Grid. Byron's play, “Cain: A Mystery” (1821), is used as a case example.
view references (16)
Posted by ABOUT THE JOURNAL at 10:39 AM 0 comments

Vol. 21, No. 4 (2008): Scheer

HTML—Highway to (Post)Modern Literature: Literary Fiction in the Cyber Age
Author: Joern Scheer
Affiliation:
University of Giessen, Giessen, Germany
DOI: 10.1080/10720530802255327
Publication Frequency: 4 issues per year
Published in: Journal of Constructivist Psychology, Volume 21, Issue 4 October 2008 , pages 355 - 366
Subjects: Psychotherapy; Social Constructionism;
Formats available: HTML (English) : PDF (English)
Article Requests: Order Reprints : Request Permissions
Purchase Article: US$28.00 - buy now add to cart
Sign In
Online Sample
Abstract
Technological advances have always influenced the way thoughts have been fixed, preserved, and transmitted: Think of cuneiform writings, hieroglyphs on papyrus, or the invention of the printing press. These days, the “postmodern” approach in contemporary fiction is characterized by acceptance of alternative views, lack of certainty, and reluctance to accept a given reality, and mirrors a changed world-view compared to the straightforward outlook of an ever-progressing development for the better. This is in line with a constructivist understanding of reading and writing a novel. It is not easily achieved in traditional linear writing. Now, hypertext mark-up language—also known as html, the computer-based “language” of the Internet—has the potential of changing the way that literature, especially novels and stories, is composed. It will be argued that the nonhierarchical html code is particularly suited to further a constructivist understanding—and creation—of literature.
view references (10)
Posted by ABOUT THE JOURNAL at 10:34 AM 0 comments
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)