Attributions of Responsibility for Military Misconduct: Constraint, Identification, and Severity.

Although a great deal of research and theory in social psychology has addressed issues surrounding the attribution of moral responsibility, a paucity of research has examined a topic of continuing importance, the ascription of moral responsibility for acts of violence and brutality committed in the context of military engagement. The present study attempts to extend earlier research into the mechanisms of lay moral cognition to investigate the attribution of moral responsibility for acts committed in the extreme circumstances of armed conflict. Two experiments, conducted on two different populations of participants (civilian undergraduates or military academy cadets) examined a scenario depicting military misconduct.

Affective-cognitive behavioral therapy for fibromyalgia: a randomized controlled trial.

A randomized controlled trial was conducted to assess the efficacy of an individually administered form of cognitive behavioral treatment for fibromyalgia. In an additive design, 76 patients diagnosed with fibromyalgia were randomly assigned to either the experimental treatment (affective-cognitive behavioral therapy, 10 individual sessions, one per week) administered concurrently with treatment-as-usual or to an unaugmented treatment-as-usual condition. Statistical analysis conducted at the end of treatment (3 months after the baseline assessment) and at a followup (9 months after the baseline assessment) indicated that the patients receiving the experimental treatment reported less pain and overall better functioning than control patients, both at posttreatment and at followup.

Physical symptoms and psychosocial correlates of somatization in pediatric primary care.

A group of children, aged 8 to 13 years, presenting to their pediatricians with multiple medically unexplained physical symptoms (MUPS) were compared with a control group of children from the identical age range who were, according to their pediatricians, free of unexplained physical symptoms. The groups were compared on both self-reported and parented-rated scales assessing physical symptoms and psychosocial functioning. The multiple MUPS group, relative to controls, exhibited significantly higher levels of parent-reported emotional/behavioral symptoms and a trend toward higher patient-reported anxiety than controls.

Empirical tests of philosophical intuitions.

Experimental philosophy seeks to examine empirically various factual issues that, either explicitly or implicitly, lie at the foundations of philosophical positions. A study of this genre (Miller & Feltz, 2011) was critiqued. Questions about the study were raised and broader issues pertaining to the field of experimental philosophy were discussed.

Cognitive behavioral therapy for somatoform disorders.

Patients presenting with somatoform disorders often incur excessive health care charges and fail to respond to standard treatment. The purpose of this article is to provide an overview of the diagnostic criteria and demographic and clinical characteristics of each somatoform disorder and to examine the research assessing the efficacy of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for each disorder. The review shows that CBT has received some empirical support for somatization, hypochondriasis, and body dysmorphic disorder.

New directions in the treatment of somatization.

Patients who have multiple medically unexplained symptoms have baffled and perplexed health care professionals for many years. Given the substantial costs of somatization to both patients and the health care system, there is a pressing need for effective treatments. This article describes a recently developed, evidence-based psychosocial treatment for medically unexplained symptoms and the therapeutic rationale that underlies it.

Effectiveness of a time-limited cognitive behavior therapy type intervention among primary care patients with medically unexplained symptoms.

Purpose: Patients seeking care for medically unexplained physical symptoms pose a major challenge at primary care sites, and there are very few well-accepted and properly evaluated interventions to manage such patients.

Methods: We tested the effectiveness of a cognitive behavior therapy (CBT)-type intervention delivered in primary care for patients with medically unexplained physical symptoms. Patients were randomly assigned to receive either the intervention plus a consultation letter or usual clinical care plus a consultation letter.

Cognitive-behavioral therapy for somatization disorder: a randomized controlled trial.

Background: Patients diagnosed as having somatization disorder (SD) who present with a lifetime history of multiple, medically unexplained physical symptoms represent a significant challenge to health care providers. To date, no psychotherapeutic or pharmacologic intervention has been found to produce clinically meaningful improvement in symptoms or functioning of patients with SD. We examined the efficacy of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) for SD.

Cognitive behavior therapy for menopausal hot flashes: two case reports.

Two case reports of women treated with an individual cognitive behavioral treatment (CBT) for menopausal hot flashes are presented. Both women reported substantial improvements in the number of hot flashes experienced as well as in their quality of life as measured by the Menopause Quality of Life Scale (MENQOL), the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAM-D), and the Hamilton Rating Scale for Anxiety (HAM-A). Improvements in hot flashes and quality of life were maintained 6 months after treatment ended.

Identification, situational constraint, and social cognition: studies in the attribution of moral responsibility.

In three experiments we studied lay observers' attributions of responsibility for an antisocial act (homicide). We systematically varied both the degree to which the action was coerced by external circumstances and the degree to which the actor endorsed and accepted ownership of the act, a psychological state that philosophers have termed "identification." Our findings with respect to identification were highly consistent.

Rationing mental health care: parity, disparity, and justice.

Recent policy debates in the US over access to mental health care have raised several philosophically complex ethical and conceptual issues. The defeat of mental health parity legislation in the US Congress has brought new urgency and relevance to theoretical and empirical investigations into the nature of mental illness and its relation to other forms of sickness and disability. Manifold, nebulous, and often competing conceptions of mental illness make the creation of coherent public policy exceedingly difficult.

Psychosocial treatments for multiple unexplained physical symptoms: a review of the literature.

Objective: Patients presenting with multiple medically unexplained physical symptoms, termed polysymptomatic somatizers, often incur excessive healthcare charges and fail to respond to standard medical treatment. The present article reviews the literature assessing the efficacy of psychosocial treatments for polysymptomatic somatizers.

Methods: Relevant articles were identified by scanning Medline and PsychLit.

Social cognitive complexity and depression: cognitive complexity moderates the correlation between depression self-ratings and global self-evaluation.

The authors studied the psychometric characteristics of a standardized data-collection method for assessing the complexity of an individual's cognitions about self and other people (social cognitive complexity). A total of 437 college undergraduates were assessed using this method and concurrently assessed for depression, self-deception, impression management, self-esteem, and positive/negative affectivity. It was found that a measure of overall social cognitive complexity was internally consistent and demonstrated concurrent and discriminant validity.

Cognitive behavior therapy for somatization disorder: a preliminary investigation.

Patients diagnosed with somatization disorder have high rates of disability and often prove refractory to treatment. This preliminary investigation examines the effect of a 10-session cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) protocol on the physical discomfort and disability of severely impaired somatizers. The severity of patients' physical discomfort and disability was assessed at baseline, post-treatment, and eight months following treatment.

Psychophysiological insomnia: combined effects of pharmacotherapy and relaxation-based treatments.

Objective: To compare treatment outcomes associated with combined pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic treatments for psychophysiological insomnia.Background: Treatments for insomnia have included a variety of pharmacotherapy and cognitive-behavioral interventions, although few studies have investigated the combined efficacy of drug and non-drug therapy.Methods: Forty-one patients with primary insomnia were randomly assigned to one of three treatment groups: (i) estazolam + muscle relaxation, (ii) estazolam + guided imagery, and (iii) estazolam + sleep education.

The abused child as parent: the structure and content of physically abused mothers' perceptions of their babies.

Objective: The major aim of the study was to provide an empirical answer to the following question: Does a mother's history of being physically abused as a child have a discernible impact on the structure and content of her perceptions and beliefs concerning her own child?

Method: Free-response memories and current descriptions of babies, self, and significant others such as parents were compared longitudinally in two groups of mothers when their babies were 6 months, 1 year, and 2 years old. One group of mothers consisted of individuals who reported being physically abused as children; the control group consisted of mothers who were not physically abused. The two groups were comparable with respect to age of baby, race, and socioeconomic status.

Self-complexity and the persistence of depression.

Self-complexity, a measure of the structure of cognition involving the self, was used to predict the persistence of depression in patients diagnosed with major depression. Self-descriptions offered by depressed patients were analyzed using a clustering algorithm to model cognitive structure. Indices of positive and negative self-complexity, derived from the resulting models, were used to predict depressive symptomatology 9 months after the onset of a major depression.

Possible selves in major depression.

Ratings of possible selves and resultant self-concept discrepancies were examined in 25 patients diagnosed with major depression and 25 control subjects. Self-concept discrepancies significantly discriminated patients from controls. The presence of negative features in the self-schema was a stronger indicator of depressive symptomatology than was the absence of positive self-appraisal.

Dimensions of self-concept: a comparison of heroin and cocaine addicts.

Two groups of drug users on an inner-city inpatient drug detoxification unit were studied: 42 heroin addicts and 47 cocaine addicts. The two groups were compared on personality disorder diagnoses, personality traits, and demographic variables. Cocaine and heroin addicts scored similarly on: 1) number and kind of personality disorder diagnoses, with the exception of antisocial personality; 2) all personality traits measured; 3) positive and negative temperament; 4) description of self-concepts; and 5) positivity and negativity of self-concepts.

Self-complexity, self-evaluation, and depression: an examination of form and content within the self-schema.

Six studies examined the relationship between self-complexity and variables related to self-evaluation. Self-complexity was found to comprise two components: positive self-complexity and negative self-complexity. Positive self-complexity was sensitive to methodological factors, namely, variations in stimulus materials used for self-ratings.

Stress management techniques: are they all equivalent, or do they have specific effects?

This article evaluates the hypothesis that various stress management techniques have specific effects. Studies comparing various techniques are reviewed, as well as previous literature reviews evaluating the effects of individual techniques. There is evidence that cognitively oriented methods have specific cognitive effects, that specific autonomic effects result from autonomically oriented methods, and that specific muscular effects are produced by muscularly oriented methods.

Bupropion/nortriptyline combination for refractory depression.

Many patients fail to respond to one or more trials with a single antidepressant. In such cases polypharmacy is often necessary and beneficial, although there may be an increased risk of complications. Four case reports are presented of patients with refractory depression treated successfully with the combination of the tricyclic antidepressant nortriptyline and the newer agent bupropion.

Perception of self and other in major depression.

Previous research on the nature of person perception in depression has been inconclusive. This investigation differs from earlier studies in that extensive free-response descriptions of other people and self were collected from patients with major depression and from nonpsychiatric control Ss. In comparison with control Ss, depressed patients described fewer positive aspects not only of self but also of parents and significant others and reported more negative aspects of these people.

Emotion differentiation. A correlate of symptom severity in major depression.

The relationship of emotion differentiation to symptom severity in depression was investigated. The subjects were 25 patients diagnosed with unipolar major depression. Subjects were clinically assessed using the Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia and the Hamilton rating scales for anxiety and depression.