Neglected aspects of the superego.

Topics covered in this essay on neglected aspects of the superego include the overemphasis on the harsh superego and the neglect of the range of activities of ordinary people that involve issues of moral responsibility; the need for a more complete developmental schema for different types of superego and for the benign, mature superego; the neglect of the complexities of moral responsibility and of the importance of conflicting value systems; the neglect of the central role played by the superego in interpersonal relations. Causes of the neglect of the superego include a concern with neutrality on the part of the analyst that leads to an overemphasis on other analytic perspectives at the expense of superego analysis; the assumption that what is moral is self-evident; a lack of familiarity with concepts of moral responsibility; and a need for greater familiarity with current research studies into moral education and superego development. Based on these causes, remedies are suggested for the neglect of the superego.     

Acting out and acting up: the superego lacuna revisited

The diagnostic and psychotherapeutic importance of distinguishing between acting out of unconscious conflict and acting up, or direct expression of impulse, are highlighted. Some applications of the control defect concept to social problems and psychiatric conditions are discussed.     

The superego: a revised developmental model

The superego is not, as psychoanalytic theory asserts, primarily heir to the oedipus complex. Freud proposed two theories of identification and superego formation, only one of which is widely known and accepted. The first, which he abandoned, argues for the genesis of conscience as compensation for lost narcissism. The second explains superego formation as a response to object loss and fear of castration. The latter view faces a number of anomalies, including the occurrence of preoedipal and postoedipal identifications unrelated to the castration complex, and the difficulty in providing a cause for female superego development. An alternative theory is proposed that returns to Freud's first theory of identification, arguing that gender-specific explanations are inappropriate for a phenomenon such as conscience, which occurs in both sexes. Prototypical male and female cases are presented alongside a general model of the development of ego processes and object relations. Case material is briefly examined, and the argument is made for conceptualizing psychosexual development as a developmental line rather than as the core of character formation.     

The psychoanalytic treatment of the performing artist: superego aspects

This article highlights the crucial role of the superego in the development of the professional musician. The developmental path of the superego is outlined, given the nature of the training and the restrictions put on the emotional life of the person. There are two major areas of concern. The first has to do with the persistence of a severe, rigid, and punitive conscience. It is postulated that this difficulty centers around the second separation-individuation phase of adolescence. The possible causes for this developmental lag are discussed. The second has to do with the ego ideal. The ego ideal is limited to and patterned after the two significant adults in the lives of such individuals. It suffers in growth and scope because of the lack of value systems incorporated from different significant adults. The self-rewarding system is constricted and limited to achievement. The possible genetic factors as well as the effect of such development on the life of the person have been discussed. Finally these points are illustrated by presenting the case of Ms. V.     

Communicating with the schizophrenic superego revisited: a new technique

Developing from the author's prior work in which the patient's superego is conceived as more accessible to consciousness than generally believed, this article undertakes greater illumination of technical matters arising in the clinical circumstance. Directly and firmly addressing the superego of the psychotic patient is regarded as having immediate therapeutic benefit, rendering the ego stronger and leading to increased rationality and firmer sense of identity.     

The role of the men's hall in the development of the Anglo-Saxon superego

This paper is a historical study of ritual space--a bit of psychoanalytic anthropology applied to a particular case, the evolution of the men's hall among the early Anglo-Saxons. I focus particularly on the ritual functions of poetry in the hall, the same poetry which is our major evidence regarding the hall, especially the epic Beowulf. I define the hall as a cultural institution, and redefine the native poetic tradition in relation to the hall's varied ritual life, with which the poetry is so occupied. Though my argument is focused on the hall, it includes a framework of theoretical concerns. Early Anglo-Saxon culture is of anthropological interest chiefly because of its rapid and dramatic emergence from Germanic tribal prehistory into a leading role in the civilization of Christian Europe. The conquest of Britain by the Anglo-Saxons in the fifth and sixth centuries, and their conversion soon afterward, is a case history of the transformations of a tribal society suddenly introduced to the special forces of civilization and the higher religions that control them. The Anglo-Saxons are fascinating in this regard because of the fortuitous developments that prepared for this transformation and made it so successful.     

Transpersonal psychology -- psychology of consciousness: chances and problems

Transpersonal psychology represents a perspective which has gained importance in psychological research and clinical practice over the last years. This paper offers an overview on the history and the sources of transpersonal psychology. Additionally, important themes and topics of transpersonal psychology will be discussed such as a) the importance of spirituality in psychotherapy and counselling, b) spirituality as a resource for maintaining and regaining health, c) spiritual experiences as an avenue to consciousness, d) the delimination of extraordinary states of consciousness and "spiritual crises". In the next paragraph specific problems and critical points of transpersonal psychology are presented. Among them are the discussion of the question whether experience free of language is at all possible as well as the question how notions coming from eastern traditions can be translated into western psychology. Finally, some positive aspects of transpersonal psychology will be presented, and we submit that transpersonal psychology should be taken seriously in a scientific way.     

Lateralization of the epileptic process and psychology

In a group of 70 patients with a unilateral epileptic process in the temporal limbic structures, localized in the left half of the brain in 38 patients (26 men, 12 women) and in the right half of the brain in 32 patients (17 men, 15 women) the lateralization of motor functions, asymmetry of emotional mimicry, conjugated deviation of the eye bulbs, intellect, memory, psychomotor rate and personality (laterality test of Mat?jcek--Zlab, Wechsler's intellect and memory scale, Benton, Stroop, VAROS, SUPOS, DSF, Washington Psychosocial--Seizure Inventory WPSI was investigated. Patient with a left-sided epileptic process had only insignificantly lower contact with psychiatry (31.6% as compared with 40.6%). Significantly lower contacts with psychiatry were recorded in 35 patients with a predominance of emotional mimicry (while smiling) on the left (25.0% as compared with 47.1%, p less than 0.05) and particularly significantly low in 18 patients with a combination of signs left-sided epileptic process + predominance of emotional mimicry on the left + deviation of the eyeballs on the right (mathematical stimulus) + genotypical righthandedness (16.7% as compared with 42.3%, p less than 0.025). Men with a left-sided epileptic process displayed a significantly greater anxiety, in women this trend was only indicated. Four women with a left-sided epileptic process anticipating regulation of behaviour was typical, for women with a right-sided epileptic process lower autoregulating inhibitions. A left-sided epileptic process had significantly more often a favourable course of epilepsy (in 65.8% as compared with 25.0%, p less than 0.005). In psychological tests, however, the differentiating criteria were much more than the course of the disease invalid pension, contact with psychiatry and subjective need of assistance from a psychiatrist or psychologist.     

Globalization of psychology: Implications for the development of psychology in Ethiopia

Abstract

While antidepressant therapy is an essential treatment of major depression, a substantial group of treated patients do not respond to therapy, or suffer from severe side effects. Moreover, the time of onset of the clinical improvement is often delayed. Antidepressants as currently available usually enhance serotonergic, noradrenergic and dopaminergic neurotransmission and may contribute to the inadequate remission rates for major depression. Therefore biomarkers enabling the identification of subgroups of patients and also finding unprecedented targets would provide the basis for personalized medication and thus improve treatment efficacy and reduce side effects. Several pharmacogenetic studies on antidepressant treatment response using single nucleotide polymorphism (SNPs) mapping have been performed but provided only modest findings. Therefore the analysis of gene expression to integrate genomic activity and environmental effects promises a new approach to cope with the complexity of factors influencing antidepressant treatment. Here gene expression studies focusing on candidate genes and genome-wide approaches using RNA derived from peripheral blood cells are reviewed. The most promising findings exist for hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis, inflammation and neuroplasticity related genes. However, straightforward translation into tailored treatment is still unlikely. Contradictory results limit the clinical use of the findings. Future studies are necessary, which could include functional analysis and consider gene–environment interactions.