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This editorial reports on the 2006 MRS (Market Research Society) Annual Conference, held at the London Barbican centre. The conference examined the role of blogs and blogging in market research. The conference also centered on the importance of word of mouth in market research. The article also previews the papers contained in the issue including one by Cramphorn on how to measure advertising effectiveness and another by Johnston and Harris about whether respondents in surveys are statistically different than those people that do not respond.

This paper highlights what psychoanalysis can add to discussions of reflexivity, by specifically describing how reflexivity is conceptualized and fostered on psychoanalytic observation methods courses at the Tavistock Clinic, London. It is demonstrated that this psychological form of reflexivity is relevant to empirical and conceptual work and shown that it shares interesting parallels with debates about reflexivity in social research methods, while also being able to contribute to discussions of what constitutes reflexivity and what kinds of methods course might facilitate it. Reflexivity is often discussed in relation to a researcher’s empirical work, but this paper argues that reflexivity is equally needed in relation to the academic context in which most research and learning takes place. This paper demonstrates how psychoanalytic approaches to learning stimulate a reflexive relation to empirical and conceptual work and it provides examples of reflexivity from a two‐year infant observation and a research project on romantic love (involving conceptual and biographical research). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes the secondment of a health professional to the care management team to assess the efficacy and cost-effectiveness of out-of-borough placements for individuals who present challenging behaviour. Lambeth Partnership agreed that dedicated psychology/challenging needs time of a practitioner with more than 10 years' experience in the borough would be available to the care management team, creating collaborative working and enhancing the existing service. To assess the quality of services, a questionnaire was developed that covered demographics, types of service provision and intervention package employed (including monitoring and outcome measures), implementation of person centred-planning (PCP) and the views of the key stakeholders. This paper summarises the findings of five months of assessing the quality of service provision for people with challenging needs placed out of the London Borough of Lambeth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article is a book review of "Epistemology of the Human Sciences: Restoring an Evolutionary Approach to Biology, Economics, Psychology and Philosophy" by Walter B. Weimer. The reviewer expresses initial excitement about the book's approach to epistemology and its rejection of traditional views of knowledge as justified true belief. However, the reviewer criticizes Weimer's arguments and lack of engagement with contemporary philosophy. The reviewer also highlights the book's focus on the differences between physical sciences and human sciences. Overall, the reviewer finds the book to be lacking in sophistication and unlikely to have a significant impact on philosophical research. [Extracted from the article]

This paper explores how multifunctional teasing is used as a resource for the construction of linguistic identities, establishing a link between previous research on teasing and the field of language/discourse and identity. I draw on a corpus of 38 episodes of teasing contained in 80 minutes of spontaneous talk between five adolescent Bangladeshi girls who formed a friendship group at their comprehensive school in East London. The qualitative analysis of the data reveals that the teasing in this group can serve four main functions: an accomplishment of fun-based solidarity; a release of underlying tensions; a display of toughness; but also a display of respect for other speakers’ dispreference for taboo subjects. Building on Ochs’(1992) notion of indirect indexicality my discussion of the data will focus on the social meanings of these different functions of teasing which range from maintaining and managing friendship to (re)negotiating class and culture-related identities. I shall argue that the identity work achieved by and in the teasing needs to be seen in relation to stereotypical notions and ideologies about class, gender and culture-specific (language) practices which shape the girls’ construction of themselves as British Bangladeshi working-class adolescents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights the Fifth International Congress of Analytical Psychology in London, England on September 1-8, 1971. Theme of the congress; List of the proceedings; Structure and organization of the congress.

Editorial. Focuses on the papers produced by the Analytical Group of the Society of Analytical Psychology in London, England. Theme on borderline patients and their treatment in relation to the concept of self.

The conceptual tools of psychology aim to explain the complexity of phenomena that psychotherapists observe in their patients and within themselves, as well as to predict the outcome of therapy. Naturally, Muslim psychologists have sought satisfaction in the conceptual tools of their trade and in what has been written in Islamic psychology--notably by Badri (The dilemma of Muslim psychologists, MWH London, London, 1979), who critiqued Western psychology from an Islamic perspective, arguing the need to filter out from Western Psychology which was cross-culturally invalid or was in conflict with Islamic precept. In this paper, I advocate an extension of Badri's (1979) approach and present a working model of the self derived from traditional Islamic thought. This model, though rudimentary and incomplete, I believe, makes better sense of my perceptions as a clinician than any other psychological model within my knowledge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The closure of long-stay National Health Service (NHS) hospitals has seen the placement of people with learning disabilities who offend or have offending-type behaviours placed 'out of area' many miles from local services. This move of people out of area has made it difficult in many localities to develop local services and to monitor the quality of care for this group. This paper describes the start of an exercise to examine potential local care pathways for those who present with offending behaviours and to look at differences between the out of area group, and another receiving treatment locally. Within the two groups we found no significant differences regarding rates of psychiatric disorder, quality of life or levels of unmet need. The main difference was that the out of area group was largely characterised by a range of aggressive and challenging behaviour, necessitating the additional structure and securities provided by out of area placements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper argues that, whether it is officially accepted in education policy and school curricula or not, where bilingual children are present in classrooms, so are their languages, and those languages are put to use in their learning. The increasingly sophisticated technologies of sound and visual recording have opened up new possibilities in revealing the sub rosa world of pupil interaction, and the part that languages play in the construction of pupil identities in the classroom. A detailed study of children at work in one inner city primary classroom illustrates the way in which pupil identities are jointly constructed through interaction. Children are not passive pawns in the socialisation processes of the school, but active participants, taking up different positions within the alternatives open to them through both pedagogic and peer discursive practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper looks at the familiar problem of students' understanding of elementary electrical circuits from a much neglected point of view. It is conjectured that the patterning commonly found in students' ideas might have its roots in the cognitive processing with which students operate their mental models of d.c. electrical circuits. The data are new and come from Japanese 10–11 year olds living in the UK. Progressive analysis of these students' answers to a six item test shows that the percentage of students operating particular mental models, following tuition, matches the percentages one might expect from a knowledge of their cognitive processing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents an introduction to the January 1993 issue of the periodical "Journal of Analytical Psychology." Activities of the Analytic Group of the Society of Analytical Psychology in London, England.

Presents a testimony of the author on the psychoanalyst Louis Zinkin at the funeral in London. Experience of Zinkin in teaching with undergraduates and postgraduates; Goal of Zinkin in life; Conception of an idea for a workshop on termination.

Information about several papers discussed at a symposium by the Experimental Psychology Society on several topics including the cognitive functions of rostral prefrontal, cortex, neuroplasticity in the language system after stroke, and Learning about preferences and perception is presented. It is mentioned that the meeting took place in several universities in Great Britain including University College London, University of Oxford, and University of Nottingham.

Based on research in London with mothers from a breastfeeding support organisation this paper explores the narratives of women who breastfeed 'to full term' (typically for a period of several years) as part of a philosophy of 'attachment parenting', an approach to parenting which validates long term proximity between child and care-taker. In line with wider cultural trends, one of the most prominent 'accountability strategies' used by this group of mothers to explain their long-term breastfeeding is recourse to scientific evidence, both about the nutritional benefits of breastfeeding and about the broader cognitive and developmental benefits of attachment parenting more broadly. Women's accounts internalize and reflect popular literature around attachment parenting, which is explored here in-depth as a means of contextualizing shifting patterns of 'scientisation'. What follows is a reflection on how 'scientific evidence' is given credence in narratives of mothering, and what the implications of this are for individuals in their experience of parenting, and for society more broadly. As a form of 'Authoritative Knowledge' (JORDAN 1997) women utilise 'science' when they talk about their decisions to breastfeed long-term, since it has the effect of placing these non-conventional practices beyond debate (they are simply what is 'healthiest'). The article therefore makes a contribution to wider sociological debates around the ways in which society and behaviour are regulated, and the ways in which 'science' is interpreted, internalized and mobilized by individuals in the course of their 'identity work'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article provides information about various meetings related to psychophysiology as of November 1981. The Ninth Annual Scientific Meeting of the Psychophysiology Society will be held at St. George's Hospital Medical School, London, England from December 16-18, 1981. The Conference will consist of formal paper sessions, workshops, symposia and science fairs. The Third Annual Meeting of the Society of Behavioral Medicine will be held in Chicago from March 3-5, 1982. This year's meeting will include courses in the fundamentals of behavioral medicine, numerous workshops, practica, symposia, and short courses and a debate on the "Dangers and Benefits of Exercise."

Background. Few studies have examined prospectively both the direct and buffering effects of types of social support and social networks on mental health. This paper reports longitudinal associations between types of social support and psychiatric morbidity from the Whitehall II study. Methods. Social support was measured by the Close Persons Questionnaire and psychiatric morbidity by the General Health Questionnaire at baseline (1985–1988) and at first follow-up (1989) in 7697 male and female London-based civil servants aged 35–55 years at baseline. The cohort was followed up and baseline measures were used to predict psychiatric disorder measured by the General Health Questionnaire at second follow-up (1991–1993). Results. Longitudinal analyses showed that low confiding/emotional support in men and high negative aspects of close relationships in men and women were associated with greater risk of psychiatric morbidity even after adjustment for baseline General Health Questionnaire score. There was no evidence of a buffering effect among men or women who experienced life events or chronic stressors. Controlling for a personality measure of hostility did not affect the observed relations. Conclusions. The present findings illustrate that different types of support are risk factors for psychological distress and that they operate in different ways for men and women. Direct effects of emotional support are predictive of good mental health in men and negative aspects of close relations predict poor mental health in both men and women. Emotional support is predictive of good mental health in women whereas, confiding alone is not. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents the life and works of psychoanalyst Louis Zinkin in London. Educational attainment; Career profile; Importance of the Russian Jewish lineage for Zinkin.

Background: Individuals with co-occurring hyperactivity disorder/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) can have complex presentations that may complicate diagnosis and treatment. There are established guidelines with regard to the identification and treatment of ADHD and ASD as independent conditions. However, ADHD and ASD were not formally recognised diagnostically as co-occurring conditions until the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders 5 (DSM-5) was published in 2013. Hence, awareness and understanding of both conditions when they co-occur is less established and there is little guidance in the clinical literature. This has led to uncertainty among healthcare practitioners when working with children, young people and adults who present with co-existing ADHD and ASD. The United Kingdom ADHD Partnership (UKAP) therefore convened a meeting of professional experts that aimed to address this gap and reach expert consensus on the topic that will aid healthcare practitioners and allied professionals when working with this complex and vulnerable population.Method: UK experts from multiple disciplines in the fields of ADHD and ASD convened in London in December 2017. The meeting provided the opportunity to address the complexities of ADHD and ASD as a co-occurring presentation from different perspectives and included presentations, discussion and group work. The authors considered the clinical challenges of working with this complex group of individuals, producing a consensus for a unified approach when working with male and female, children, adolescents and adults with co-occurring ADHD and ASD. This was written up, circulated and endorsed by all authors.Results: The authors reached a consensus of practical recommendations for working across the lifespan with males and females with ADHD and ASD. Consensus was reached on topics of (1) identification and assessment using rating scales, clinical diagnostic interviews and objective supporting assessments; outcomes of assessment, including standards of clinical reporting; (2) non-pharmacological interventions and care management, including psychoeducation, carer interventions/carer training, behavioural/environmental and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) approaches; and multi-agency liaison, including educational interventions, career advice, occupational skills and training, and (3) pharmacological treatments.Conclusions: The guidance and practice recommendations (Tables 1, 4, 5, 7, 8 and 10) will support healthcare practitioners and allied professionals to meet the needs of this complex group from a multidisciplinary perspective. Further research is needed to enhance our understanding of the diagnosis, treatment and management of individuals presenting with comorbid ADHD and ASD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To evaluate the psychometric properties of the HIV Disability Questionnaire (HDQ) among people living with HIV (PLHIV) in London, United Kingdom (UK). Methods: This is a cross-sectional measurement study. We recruited and administered the self-reported HDQ, seven criterion measures, and a demographic questionnaire with adults living with HIV accessing HIV care. We determined median and interquartile ranges (IQR) for disability presence, severity and episodic scores (range 0–100). We calculated Cronbach’s alpha (α) Kuder-Richardson-20 (KR-20) statistics for disability and episodic scores respectively (internal consistency reliability), smallest detectable change (SDC) for each HDQ severity item and domain (precision), and tested 36 a priori hypotheses assessing correlations between HDQ and criterion scores (construct validity). Results: Of N = 243 participants, all were male, median age 40 years, 94% currently taking antiretroviral therapy, and 22% living with ≥2 concurrent health conditions. Median HDQ domain scores ranged from 0 (IQR: 0,7) (difficulties with day-to-day activities domain) to 27 (IQR: 14, 41) (uncertainty domain). Cronbach’s alpha for the HDQ severity scale ranged from 0.85 (95% Confidence Interval (CI): 0.80–0.90) in the cognitive domain to 0.93 (95%CI: 0.91–0.94) in the mental-emotional domain. The KR-20 statistic for the HDQ episodic scale ranged from 0.74 (95%CI: 0.66–0.83) in the cognitive domain to 0.91 (95%CI: 0.89–0.94) in the uncertainty domain. SDC ranged from 7.3–15.0 points on the HDQ severity scale for difficulties with day-to-day activities and cognitive symptoms domains, respectively. The majority of the construct validity hypotheses (n = 30/36, 83%) were confirmed. Conclusions: The HDQ possesses internal consistency reliability and construct validity with varied precision when administered to males living with HIV in London, UK. Clinicians and researchers may use the HDQ to measure the nature and extent of disability experienced by PLHIV in the UK, and to inform HIV service provision to address the health-related challenges among PLHIV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Volunteer befriending can be used to address social isolation in patients with psychosis. Traditionally this involves face-to-face encounters between a volunteer and a patient, but modern digital technology also makes it possible to have these interactions remotely. This study aimed to explore the views and interests of patients with psychosis about different formats of volunteering, face-to-face or digitally. Methods: A survey was conducted with patients with psychotic disorders in community mental health teams in London. Questions covered socio-demographic characteristics, quality of life, loneliness, views on the different formats of volunteering and types of volunteers, and their interest in getting volunteering support, face-to-face or digitally. Binary logistic regressions were used to investigate potential predictors of interest in getting volunteering support face-to-face or digitally. Results: A total of 151 patients with psychotic disorders were included in this study. More than half of the patients (n = 87, 57.6%) had not heard about these volunteering programs. Many were interested in getting face-to-face (n = 87, 57.6%) and digital (n = 56, 37.1%) volunteering. For the face-to-face encounters, most preferred them to be weekly (n = 36, 41.4%), for one-hour (n = 32, 36.8%), and with an open-ended relationship (n = 45, 51.7%). For the digital contacts, most preferred them to be weekly (n = 17, 30.9%) and through text messages (n = 26, 46.4%). A minority of patients (n = 20, 13.2%) did not use digital technology. Patients with lower quality of life were significantly more likely to prefer face-to-face volunteering (p < .05). Younger patients and with fewer years of diagnosis were significantly more likely to prefer digital volunteering (p < .05). Conclusions: The variability in patients’ interests suggests that different formats of volunteer support should be offered. Digital volunteering may become more important in the future, since many younger patients are interested in it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Methods: A cross-sectional survey of men attending antenatal care with their partners at three London Maternity Units. We assessed level of pregnancy planning using the partner version of the London Measure of Unplanned Pregnancy (LMUP), preconception health behaviours, and whether they had sought information and health professional advice before conception. Main results: We recruited 573 men (91% response rate). Mean age was 34 years, 86% were in employment or full time education and 66% had a degree. Half were overweight or obese, 16% were still smoking and 79% had consumed alcohol in the three months before conception. Of 250 men answering questions about medication, a third were taking medication with potentially adverse effects on male reproductive health, while 23% reported taking pre-pregnancy vitamins. 46.9% had looked at information about pregnancy from a variety of sources, including online, before their partner became pregnant. Assessed by the LMUP, 74% of pregnancies were planned. Male 'planners' were more likely than other men to reduce smoking, reduce alcohol consumption and to eat more healthily in preparation for pregnancy. However, 57% took no action to improve their health. Significance of the findings: In a sample of relatively educated men accompanying their partners on an antenatal visit, nearly half had made at least one positive health behaviour change before pregnancy, but half were overweight or obese and a third were on medication that could impair male reproductive health. These findings, together with a high prevalence of alcohol consumption and smoking, indicate the need for greater paternal preconception health awareness and care. Innovative ways to promote positive messages about fatherhood, including medication review as part of preconception care, should be evaluated for impact on improving paternal reproductive health and pregnancy and neonatal outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Virtual reality environments presented on tablets and smartphones have potential to aid the early diagnosis of conditions such as Alzheimer’s dementia by quantifying impairments in navigation performance. However, it is unclear whether performance on mobile devices can predict navigation errors in the real world. We compared the performance of 49 participants (25 females, 18-35 years old) at wayfinding and path integration tasks designed in our mobile app ‘Sea Hero Quest’ with their performance at similar tasks in a real-world environment. We first performed this experiment in the streets of London (UK) and replicated it in Paris (France). In both cities, we found a significant correlation between virtual and real-world wayfinding performance and a male advantage in both environments, although smaller in the real world (Cohen’s d in the game = 0.89, in the real world = 0.59). Results in London and Paris were highly similar, and controlling for familiarity with video games did not change the results. The strength of the correlation between real world and virtual environment increased with the difficulty of the virtual wayfinding task, indicating that Sea Hero Quest does not merely capture video gaming skills. The fact that the Sea Hero Quest wayfinding task has real-world ecological validity constitutes a step toward controllable, sensitive, safe, low-cost, and easy to administer digital cognitive assessment of navigation ability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 1897 audiences welcomed Johnston Forbes-Robertson’s new interpretation of Hamlet to the London stage, and his sane, intelligent Prince was received as an exciting departure from tradition. Mrs Patrick Campbell’s own experiments with the role of Ophelia in this production were not so warmly greeted, critics describing her playing as ‘curiously weak’ and ‘unconvincing and unimpressive’. Campbell had rejected the conventional model of the character as emblematic of the prettiness and pathos exemplified by Ellen Terry, and instead offered a vacant, depressive, ‘beaten’ Ophelia. In this article, Fiona Gregory examines the influences behind this choice, including the actress’s own experience of mental illness and the notorious ‘rest cure’. The reception of the performance is read in terms of contemporary attitudes to Ophelia and mental illness, as well as of responses to Campbell and her celebrity identity in the visual arts. Ultimately, Campbell’s performance of Ophelia can be read as a ‘witness account’ of neurasthenia and the ‘rest cure’, to stand alongside texts such as Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s story ‘The Yellow Wallpaper’. Fiona Gregory lectures in the Centre for Theatre and Performance at Monash University, and has published work on the career of actress Judith Anderson, Australian cultural history, and Victorian and Edwardian writers. She is currently undertaking a wide-ranging study of actresses and mental illness from the nineteenth century to the present day, drawing on historical examples and literary [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The July 2005 London bombings highlight prevailing terrorist threats to the UK. The present study addressed the psychological response of a community indirectly exposed to the attacks. Using structural equation modeling (SEM), specific hypotheses examined associations between coping mechanisms (resilience, religious faith), emotions, and risk outcomes. Qualitative content analysis demonstrated the complexity of responses to terrorism. SEM analysis showed that resilience helped attenuate the effect of negative emotions; negative emotions heightened risk judgments; and respondents higher on religious faith displayed more positive emotions regarding the attacks. The content analysis supplemented quantitative results. Combined, these results highlight the importance of conveying accurate risk appraisals proportionate to the threat, as well as consideration of psychological operations, including resilience and religious faith. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article reports on an action research project in which the value of critical friendship for students doing research and writing their dissertations within an international master's course has been explored. This course is run jointly by Roehampton University (London, UK), Charles University (Prague, Czech Republic) together with Fontys OSO (Tilburg, the Netherlands). It describes the process and the results of working with the concept of critical friendship in this master's course since its start in 2005. Data were collected by means of various qualitative instruments and data sources: evaluation forms after tutorial sessions, reflective logs and focus interviews. The results show that the process of engaging with the research they did was enhanced and supported by the development of critical friendship groups. A number of recommendations have been formulated, such as the importance of discussing the concept of critical friend and its philosophy with the participants and of defining roles and tasks as clearly as possible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article describes an ongoing research project at the University of the Arts, London, which investigates the learning and creativity of a group of students with mental health difficulties. It discusses emerging findings on one theme, that of motivation. Employing a longitudinal biographic narrative methodology, this research, now entering its second year, has triggered questions regarding the resilience and fortitude of a group of practising, aspiring artists. This article sketches the theoretical background used to explore this resilience and motivation, and draws on the Kleinian concept of reparation as a way to understanding the narrativised yearning for learning and the urge to create. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to address the gap in the literature considering empirical evidence in support of the assumption that Mindfulness is the mediating factor in the positive outcomes of Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) and Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) programmes, and to further examine the link between Mindfulness and Subjective Well Being. The research question was whether MBCT would increase participants' levels of Mindfulness and Satisfaction with Life and decrease participants' level of Negative Affect. A Repeated Measures (Test - Retest) within participants design was employed and fifteen Counselling students at the University of East London provided data anonymously at the beginning and end of MBCT programme by completing the Freiburg Mindfulness Inventory (FMI) (Walach, Buchheld, Buttenmuller, Kleinknecht, & Schmidt, 2006), Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS) (Diener, Emmons, Larsen & Griffin, 1985) and Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS) (Watson, Clark & Tellegen, 1988). The results indicated that by the end of the MBCT programme: participants' level of Mindfulness significantly increased; Positive Affect remained unchanged; Negative Affect significantly decreased; a strong trend in the data indicated an increase in participants' Satisfaction With Life but failed to reach a statistically significant level; Mindfulness and Negative Affect were significantly negatively correlated, while Mindfulness and Satisfaction With Life were not found to be associated. A longer practice time of Mindfulness during the programme was found to be significantly correlated with a higher level of Mindfulness at the end of the programme. The results were interpreted in support of the assumption that Mindfulness has an important role as a mediating factor in symptoms relief and positive outcomes following participation on Mindfulness programmes. The results also support of Brown and Ryan's (2003) conclusion regarding the role of Mindfulness in enhancing Well Being. A Positive Psychology framework was applied in interpreting the data and it was suggested that there was ground to believe that Mindfulness can be integrated well, as a concept and as a therapeutic intervention, into the field of Positive Psychology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents information on the launch of a magical Order referred to only as "The Brothers of the A... A..." reported in the spring 1909 issue of the esoteric periodical titled "The Equinox," and published in London, England. The occult group said that their new paradigm is called "Scientific Illuminism" and their motto is "The Method of Science--the Aim of Religion." This group of occultist was led by Aleister Crowley, who lived between 1875 and 1947. It says that Crowley aims to save occultism from obscurantism into scientific undertaking.

The article presents the author's response to the lecture delivered by Gerhard Wilke entitled "Second Generation Perpetrator Symptoms in Groups" at the 31st S. H. Foulkes Annual Lecture on May 18-20, 2007 in London, England. The author argues that Wilke's talk focuses on understanding how social trauma has been transmitted to the children and families of Second World War perpetrators and victims in Germany. He stresses that guilt and shame are felt by Second Generation perpetrator children concerning the involvement of their parents in the war. The author points out that Wilke's group analysis which focuses on the transpersonal approach affecting individuals and societies based on the transmission of trauma plays a significant role in the development of an effective psychotherapy.

The article presents the author's response to the lecture delivered by Gerhard Wilke entitled "Second Generation Perpetrator Symptoms in Groups" at the 31st S. H. Foulkes Annual Lecture on May 18-20, 2007 in London, England. The author argues on how social trauma affects the psychological behavior of an individual brought by past cruel experiences, such as war. He stresses that understanding trauma plays a significant role in examining both its social and psychological cost as well as its impact towards the victim's children and family. In addition, the author observed, based on group analysis, that traumatic experiences make patients feel ashamed and guilty.

This article draws on data collected during a pilot study conducted in two west London schools exploring young people's understandings of success. It considers ways in which 'discourses of success', as part of New Labour's project of re-inventing schooling, may shape young people's subjectivity. The article examines articulations between New Labour policy and aspects of social difference and how these structure new identifications with success. In particular, the article explores how class, gender and ethnicity shape discourses of success and how they are implicated in their distribution. In conclusion, the article indicates how current education policy (particularly in relation to educational success) articulates the 'public' domain with dimensions of the 'private' self and suggests that understanding this is vital in the pursuit of social justice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BackgroundEmotional distress has major implications for employees and employers. Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) is a recommended treatment, but demand outstrips supply. CBT is well suited to computerization. Most employee assistance programmes have not been systematically evaluated and computerized CBT has not previously been studied in the workplace.AimsTo evaluate the effect of an 8 week computerized cognitive behavioural therapy programme, ‘Beating The Blues’, on emotional distress in employees with recent stress-related absenteeism, and to explore the reasons for non-participation.MethodsAn open, randomized trial in a London NHS occupational health department. Forty-eight public sector employees, with 10 or more cumulative days stress-related absenteeism in the last 6 months, randomized equally to ‘Beating The Blues’ plus conventional care, or conventional care alone. Main outcome measures were Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale and Attributional Style Questionnaire scores at end of treatment and 1, 3 and 6 months later; and reasons for non-participation.ResultsAt end of treatment and 1 month later, adjusted mean depression scores and adjusted mean negative attributional style scores were significantly lower in the intervention group. One month post-treatment, adjusted mean anxiety scores were also significantly lower in the intervention group. The differences were not statistically significant at 3 and 6 months post-treatment. Non-participation was common and related to access problems, preference for other treatments, time commitment, scepticism about the intervention and the employer connection.Conclusions‘Beating The Blues’ may accelerate psychological recovery in employees with recent stress-related absenteeism. Greater flexibility and accessibility might improve uptake. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: To assess the use of dental services, barriers to uptake of dental care and attitudes to regular dental examinations and the prevalence of tobacco and paan chewing habits in a group of Bangladeshi medical care users.Design: Multi-centre cross-sectional study.Setting: Four general medical practices' waiting areas in Tower Hamlets.Subjects: Bangladeshi adults aged 40 years and over.Intervention: An interview schedule.Main Outcome Measures: The prevalence of tobacco smoking and paan chewing with or without the addition of tobacco. The use of dental services, barriers to the use of dental services and attitudes to regular dental examinations.Results: Results were obtained from 158 subjects (response rate 85%). 25% of the whole sample had never visited a dentist. These were significantly (P < 0.05) more likely to be women, who also thought regular check-ups were of little value. In their use of health services 73% experienced language difficulties. 33% of the sample were tobacco smokers. Paan was chewed by 78% of the sample with significantly (P < 0.05) more females than males adding tobacco to their quid and chewing more frequently than males.Conclusion: There are considerable barriers to be overcome if dental practices are to be the site for oral cancer screening and oral health promotion in this population. There are sex differences in reported behaviour and attitudes about use of dental services and in tobacco and paan use in this Bangladeshi sample. Further research is needed to establish why this ethnic minority attend general medical practices but not general dental practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents case studies involving train drivers in the London Underground railway system, which demonstrate that reactions to railway suicide or suicide attempt vary from severe and debilitating to relatively mild. Symptoms; Psychological effects of becoming unwittingly and unavoidably involved in railway suicides and suicide attempts.

Two trials were constructed by tape recording verbatim reports taken in court. One was a case of theft, the other of rape, involving two defendants and varying the amount of incriminating evidence. Subjects were recruited to listen to the trials and reach a verdict after deliberation. The recruitment of subjects was done by door-to-door survey methods aiming at producing a series of juries whose composition was representative of the adult population of Greater London. Thirty-four juries considered the theft case, and 26 the rape case, respectively 319 and 257 subjects. The results indicate that few variables correlate with the verdict, either before or after the verdict. In general, there was a slight tendency for younger (up to 25) and older (above 40) jurors to prefer to acquit. In terms of attitudes and personality, the only general finding was that people with most favorable views towards the jury system tended to wish to convict. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents the text of the speech given by Joseph Henderson related to psychology, on March 1, 1991 at the C.G. Jung Memorial Lecture in London, England.

The attributes of 721 medical students admitted to the United Medical and Dental Schools (UMDS) of Guy's and St Thomas' Hospitals, London, UK between the years 1991 and 1994 were examined to determine the relationship between A-level grade predictions (as completed on each student's UCAS form by their school/college at the time of their application to the school) and subsequent assessments of their academic ability and performance. Predicted A-level grades were found to be significantly, if weakly, correlated with the rating of academic ability made at interview by the UMDS interviewing panel. They were not however, related to the grades obtained by students in the A-level examination itself. Further, while success at pre-clinical examinations was predicted by obtained A-level grades, it showed no relationship with the predicted grades. In contrast, the interview-based rating of the applicant's academic potential was significantly predictive of subsequent A level and, to a lesser extent, pre-clinical examination performance. It is concluded that predicted A-level grades may not offer a valid method of assessing the academic potential of applicants for medical school. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers information on the International Toddler Symposium at the Anna Freud Centre in London, England on November 4, 2010. In the conference, doctor Inge-marie Pretorius presented a case study on the parent-toddler groups in which a child presented autistic traits, while his mother had a traumatic history. The conference was attended by 39 delegates from eight countries.